VII. a bad liar with a savior complex
When Amelia woke up in an unfamiliar bed, she panicked.
She'd gotten use to sleeping on dead grass and muddy leaves. Use to the ache in her back from the uncomfortableness. But then she remembered that she was in a prison cell. The cell Rick assigned to her. Mia rose up and leaned on her right arm, taking in the empty cell that was now filled with sunlight. Her body was covered with a blanket instead of her ripped flannel. The clothes Beth lent to her were still fresh. Her brown hair was dry and clean.
She was given another chance to live a normal life. Or as normal as it could get in a zombie apocalypse. She eyed the stitched scars on her wrists, courtesy of Hershel Greene, a man of kindness. Of course he was the Greene girls' father. Mia had slight hope that everything would be okay.
She shivered when her feet hit the cold floor. She put on her worn out boots that were too small for her (She had them since she was twelve.) and walked out of her cell. She looked left and right once before walking down the empty hall to find Beth.
Beth was lying stomach down her bed with her face buried in a book. Hearing footsteps, she lifted her head to see Mia looking around her decorated cell. "Mia, you're awake!" She beamed. "How did you sleep?"
"Good." She answered simply when it was the best sleep of her life.
Beth smiled again. "Well good. I'm glad." She bookmarked the page in her book and got off the bed.
Mia looked around her cell again. It the epitome of a teenage girl bedroom. Posters and art work on the walls. A dresser with picture frames and books. A desk with pencils and notebooks. It was simple but she made it hers. "I like your cell."
Another smile curled at her lips. "Thanks! I figured I would be here a while so I might as well try to make it livable." Her bright eyes scanned her appear and they lingered on her brown curls. "I love your hair. I've always wanted curls like those."
Mia gingerly touched a piece of her hair. "I've always wanted hair like yours." She muttered a response, feeling envious every time she eyed her blonde hair.
"Well I think it looks good on you. Wanna head down to breakfast with me? I can't imagine how hungry you must be."
Mia's stomach turned hollow at the mention of food. Without hesitating, she followed Beth out of the cell. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone. They're going to love you. There's so many kids here too so you won't be alone if I'm not around. Rick has a son your age. His name is Carl. . ."
Mia noticed all the cells she walked by had sheets hanging from the entrance for privacy. She made a mental note to do that. The commons area of the prison was filled with children and adults. Their laughter was loud. It echoed off the walls. Mia grew more nervous with each step she took, her footsteps scruffing against the concrete floor.
Beth sensed the nervousness. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just kind of nervous, I guess."
"Don't worry. You already know Glenn and my sister. If you feel uncomfortable just tell me and we'll leave, okay?"
Mia looked at her. She nodded slightly. Beth led her into the room. She spotted Maggie and Glenn sitting together in the back of the room. She watched the many children run around as she walked by. Maggie spotted her and instantly smiled. "Good morning, Mia."
"Morning." She muttered and clasped her hands in front of her.
"Mia, you already know Maggie and Glenn," said Beth. She motioned to a boy that was sitting at the table. "This is my boyfriend, Zack. Zack, this is Mia."
The boy, Zack, smiled widely. "Ah yeah, I've heard about you. The new girl."
It was a strange term to use, making her feel like she was back at school in Dallas. "N-Nice to meet you."
"You too! This group of people's told me about you. Rick too."
"How did you sleep?" Glenn asked that time.
"Really good. Thank you."
The married couple grinned smiled her answer. Beth sat down beside Zach. His arm wrapped around her shoulder. Mia awkwardly sat down on the metal seat and she brought her thumb nail to her mouth, anxiously biting on it. She observed the way the couples talked to each other. The love in Maggie's eyes. The sweetness in Beth's laugh. The adoration from Glenn. Mia envied the ability they had to find love in such a terrible world.
Glenn looked away from his wife again. "So Mia, where are you from?" He asked.
Mia dropped her hand from her mouth. "Dallas."
"Whoa, you're a while away from home." Zack remarked.
Beth gave him a warning glare.
"Yeah, it's been doing a lot of walking."
"I bet you can run faster than any of us." He joked again.
Glenn and Beth laughed that time. Mia managed to smile. Maggie rolled her eyes. "Have you had a chance to look around?" She asked the new comer.
Mia shook her head. "No, I took a shower last night and went straight to sleep."
"Are you hungry? I can take you to the breakfast bar outside. Daryl usually does the cooking but don't worry, we always tell him service with a smile."
"He hasn't got a hang on the smile part yet." Said Zach, shaking his head.
The hollow feeling in her stomach came back. When she felt the hunger press itself against her ribs, Mia winced. She followed Maggie out of the room without question. The hallway was an echoy quiet. Dark. Maggie looked down at the quiet girl. "How are you feeling?"
Mia was feeling a million things. She just wasn't sure which was popped out more. "I feel. . . overwhelmed." She hesitated.
"It's going to get better, I promise. This place saved us in more ways than one and it can save you too." Maggie told her gently.
"You saved me."
That made her smile.
Mia looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "Why did you save me, Maggie?"
Maggie didn't hesitate to answer. "Not too long ago, Beth tried committing suicide. She did what you tried to do. You remind me so much of her. You're young and scared of this world. I would never be able to live with myself if I just left you."
The warm comfort that Madeline Jones always had filled Mia's bones. Maggie's kindness was radiant. It was joyous. She was protective of her like a sister. Like a mother. Like a friend.
When Maggie opened the door, Mia winced at the very bright light. The courtyard was filled with kids running around and adults walking by. Rick and Daryl stood at the breakfast stand not too far away. Their conversation was out on pause. "Look who's awake." Rick announced when he spotted them.
Mia smiled shyly.
"I was just bringing her to get something to eat," said Maggie. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
He motioned to the food bar. "Grab whatever you like, Mia. We have plenty."
The various choices of eggs, bacon, and sausage made her stomach turn painfully. She was practically
drooling. Her shaky, malnourished hands piled the plate with whatever she saw. She ate slowly.
Maggie smiled her way. "I guess I'll leave you to it." She announced.
A mouth full of eggs muffled a thank you as a response. Maggie laughed and left. Rick turned his attention to her and grinned. "How about after you're done, I show you around?"
Mia gave him a thumbs up, her mouth still full of food. He laughed.
A fence was what separated the safe haven from the outside world. A metal fence that stood taller than her that kept the walkers from coming into the prison ground. Mia eyed the undead creatures trying to push through the fence, their growls echoing, and then she eyed everyone else on the inside ignoring them. Like they weren't even there.
"Over here is our garden. We plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, any fruit or vegetables we can manage to find." Rick explained to her on their tour.
"Wow, that's impressive."
"We also have live stock. Pigs, horses, and goats."
Her brown eyes widened. "Horses?" She repeated.
Rick smiled. "We sure do. Why, do you like horses?"
"My mom got me into them. We used to visit horse farms when I was little."
"Well, you can come visit them any time you want. I can get my son to help you set up."
It was the third time she heard the mention of his son. Carl, his name. He was her age. She started thinking about the possibility of them becoming friends. Would he like her? Would he feel sorry for her? Would he think she was just some freak from the outside world? Mia only hoped he would accept her along with the other kids she would be living with.
Rick's crystal eyes scanned the open fields as they walked. "Speaking of the devil." He announced.
Mia followed his gaze and saw he was looking at two boys standing on an open field of grass, playing what she could see was soccer.
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I'll introduce you."
The closer they got, the quicker her heart rate became. Pat. Pat. PatPat. PatPatPatPatPat. She hid herself behind Rick the way she would hide behind her dad when he was introducing her to people.
They looked about her age. Then again how would she know? She'd not met someone her age since she was in school.
One of them was much taller. His hair was dark, almost black, and he wore black glasses. "Morning, Mr. Grimes!" He greeted cheerfully upon the sight of the leader.
"Good morning, Patrick. I have someone I'd like you both to meet."
Mia peaked her head at it from behind his back. The two boys looked at her.
"Patrick, Carl, this is Amelia. She's going to be staying with us from now on. Mia, this is Patrick and my son, Carl." Rick introduced them.
Patrick was the first of them to break into a smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Amelia. I'm Patrick." He chirped and held out his hand.
She observed his way. Mia immediately noticed his politeness. It reminded her of Beth. She clasped his hand, the size of their palms very different. "Hi."
There was no doubt that the other boy was Rick's son. Carl's skin was sun kissed with sweat and freckles, much like his father's. His chestnut brown hair was a messy mop on his head with his bangs nearly covering his eyebrows. But his eyes were the star of the show. Piercing blue just like his dad's. Ocean-strong, swimming with sun-lit currents.
"Hi." Mia spoke finally, still staring at him.
He said nothing. His piercing eyes stared through her, judging her appearance. The soccer ball rested under his arm. His grip tightened. Mia squirmed under his cold stare, feeling a chill go down her spine.
Rick could see how uncomfortable she was getting. "Well, I was just showing Mia around. I figured she would hang out with you two, maybe play some soccer."
"Of course." Patrick accepted kindly. He looked down at his friend. "Carl?"
He still didn't say anything. His rejection made Mia want to hide the way she used to hide in her closet. The urge to curl her body into a ball was strong. But she couldn't be weak. This boy didn't know her. She didn't know him. And yet he was already treating her like she didn't belong with them. "Whatever." He muttered, lightly shrugging his shoulders.
"You kids have fun, alright? I've gotta talk to Hershel about the farming." Rick looked down at Mia. "Come find me if you need anything, okay?" He patted her on the shoulder, feeling the stiffness.
He left the three teenagers alone. Mia wanted stood sink into the ground and disappeared. She looked at the pair of boys standing in front of her. Patrick smiled at her again. "You a soccer fan, Amelia?"
"Something like that." She muttered uncomfortably.
"Well, Carl and I have gotten quite good since our time spent here. We'll try to go easy on you." He teased, trying to lighten the mood.
She just nodded. She looked to Carl again, his cold eyes still on her. She imagined the ground below her opening up and swallowing her whole. Maybe then she'd finally relieve herself of the uncomfortable feeling she couldn't get rid of. But that wasn't going to happen. She was stuck in this position. She could only make the best out of it. But it was hard to do when Carl was standing there judging her without saying a word to her.
"And you can just call me Mia. Amelia's too formal for me." She added in.
Mia followed Patrick to the middle of the field, passing by Carl, whose cold and harsh gaze chilled her to the bone.