Clementine looked up from the computer to see AJ standing in front of her. She sees the joy in him after spending a day outside with some friends. She smiled at the cheeky grin the boy gave her.
She notices that the curls on his head slides down from the sweat planted on his forehead. His face was red from the frosty December air.
It's been two weeks since they had come back into town and still no word from Lee. This was really the end of Clems search. She had not taken it lightly and hasn't told AJ about the real issue, but she now assumed the absolute worst.
Putting her thoughts aside to take another look at her little brother who had asked her a question previously. Clementine looked back to the cold, snowy outdoors. She grabbed a scarf from the coat rack and tied it around the boy's neck. Smiling and giggling as she had done so.
"Don't want you to catch a cold." She told him, firmly tying the fabric around his neck. Watching as the boy's smile reaches ear-to-ear. He beams at the answer his sister gave as he hugged her.
"Thank you, Clem! I won't do anything stupid, I promise." AJ said inside the embrace and ran out the apartment door and ran outside of the building to meet his new friends. One of them was Tenn, Sophie's little brother. The other was Willy, one of Tenn's friends. They all got along great, for the most part.
Clementine was just happy to see AJ happy. She had wanted to see a smile that big come from the boy for weeks. Clem took out her phone and began to click through her contacts. She went to the one she wanted to talk to and started typing. Her fingers tapping the screen buttons rapidly to get the message across.
Clem: Heyy! Wanna meet by the bridge?
Green-eyes: yeah ok
Clem: Cool! See you in 10?
Green-eyes: ok see ya
Clementine thinks this will be it. The time that she can finally express what she was feeling. Clem wants to be with Violet but is scared of rejection.
She remembers the first night they met. The game of spin the bottle, how they kissed. She knows it meant nothing to Violet but it meant something to her. She had the night planned out perfectly but was unsure of what to do when she makes her move.
Clementine shrugs and tells herself that she'll think of something and puts on better clothes. She packs up the picnic items in the wooden basket and walks out the door. When she steps out of the building, she's met with the frostbite wind. She looks to her left, then her right to find her brother playing in the basketball court with his friends.
"Hey, AJ! I'm going to go out for a bit, will you be okay without me?" She asks across the court as he yelled back a "yeah" which assured her to carry on with her plans. She walked toward the dirt road that led to the river and trekked through the woods until she met the body of ice flowing downstream.
The footsteps behind her quickly was covered by more falling snow. Clementine sniffled from the cold and sneezed as she waited for the blonde woman. She walked over to the wooden bridge that crossed the very small river. Seeing a figure appear in the white of snow as they trickled down and obstructed her vision.
The woman made her way to Clementine and waved to her shyly. Violet was wearing heavy boots with really comfy pants and layers of jackets to cover the cold. Clementine looked at her fur clothing and giggled slightly.
"What?" Violet spoke up, looking at Clems light wear and looked back at her clothing. Frowning at the laughing girl on the bridge. "I don't like the cold. I hate winter."
"No. I think it's cute." Clementine said before blushing and hiding her face even though the cold already made her face red. She looked back at the blonde and grabbed the lantern to lead her into a small shed near the river. Turning the torch on and closing the door behind them to keep them warm.
"So, your plan was to isolate me in a fishing shed so you can kill me?" Violet joked as she sat down on the chair and took off two of her four layers of clothing. Looking to the basket Clementine brought and smiled.
"A picnic?"
"Yup! I thought, it's getting close to Christmas. What better way to spend it than eating with my favorite pers-" Clementine began before a noise was heard. There was rattling in all of the fishing supplies.
Clementine got up and began searching through the supplies. She was surprised when the ruckass was a human body. She quickly moved all of the equipment out of the way to see a redhead who laid naked and cold as she breathed a puff of white air.
"C-c-c-cold. H-help. P-p-p-please." She asked desperately. Clementine thought quickly as she grabbed the two jacket layers on the ground. Violet was inching her way to see who Clem had found and was shocked by whom it was.
As the girl laid there with the jackets covering her body. Clementine figured out who she was. She tied it up with the resemblances of one of her friends. She remembered that Sophie had a sister and that she had been missing for nearly a month now.
"Minnie?" Violet asked as the cold, brittle girl looked up at the blonde. A smile creeping on her lips before passing out completely.
Clementine pressed her fingers against the redhead's forehead, checking the girl's temperature. Her eyes widening as she grabbed the limp body and ran. She ran all the way back to the apartment where her car stood. She quickly opened up the backseat of the car and threw Minerva inside. Watching as Violet had already crawled into the passenger seat. Clementine sat behind the wheel and drove off.
She checked Minerva into the hospital where they worked on her for hours. Clementine looked to the blonde beside her who looked stressed out. She cradled her back, sliding her hand, rubbing circles on Violets back. Seeing the stress coming onto Violet as she was struggling to breathe and was shaking immensely.
The door to the hospital opened as the redhead eyed us and walked over to us quickly. Looking at the two who had found her sister. Sophie hugged them both and thanked them with a heavy heart.
"How's she doing?" She asked and got a shrug out of Clementine. Violet didn't help as she rested her head inside her arms. Sophie looked between the two girls and nearly panicked if it weren't for the doctor coming to the group with some results.
"Your friend's okay. She was hypothermic but we were able to stabilize her blood temperature and kill the fever. She's resting in room 305 if you want to visit but I recommend to not go to crazy around her. She's still recuperating." The doctor said. Not too long after the three girls walked quickly to room 305 and opened the door to see the redhead laying in the hospital bed.
Sophie ran to her sister and took hold of her hand. Violet was next and provided her hand on the other side of the bed. Leaving Clem to the front. Awkward and cutoff when Minnie woke up from her nap. Looking to the people on either side of her.
"Sophie? Violet? Oh I missed you guys so much." She managed to breathe out. Seeing how she brought her face to a small smile and gripped her hands tighter to hold both their hands.
"I missed you too!" Sophie told her other twin as she let some tears fall from her face. The twins both silently crying as they softly hugged each other.
"Who's she?" Minnie asked as she turned to the brunette sitting in front of her. Seeing the same girl who saved her life not too long ago.
Clementine looked up from her hands and directly at Minerva who continued to stare at her in confusion. Clementine slowly stood up from her seat and approached the redhead and scanned her a moment.
She saw the same silky red hair as Sophie's but had a really short haircut. Her blue eyes were piercing and glassy, she's definitely seen some bad things. Her forehead had a scar that reached and cut through her right eyebrow. She was pale from the near death experience from hours prior.
"Clementine. Nice to properly meet you Minerva." Clem placed her arm close to one of her hands for a quick shake. The redhead letting go of her sister's hand to grab hers. Shaking hands with the beaten up girl felt more firm than she thought.
"Thank you, for saving me. I would've died without you." She said as her voice remained pained and hoarse.
"I'm just glad we were in the right place at the right time." Clem said as she let go of the strong grip the redhead held. She wasn't sure what it was but she sure was stronger than the group described her.
"Where were you? Can you tell us anything? We were worried sick, Min." Violet questioned the sick girl who coughed for a short second before turning to the blonde. Her eyes sparkling as she made eye contact. Clem noticed and sighed before leaving the room saddened.
"I was taken." She said before another series of coughs erupts and Sophie took hold of her hand again. "This group, they're ruthless. They take people by force to make them do their dirty work."
"What kind of dirty work?" Sophie asked her sister. The twin looking sad and angry mixed and bubbled together at the remembrance of the group.
"Bad work. Just, really bad things." Minnie said in a hushed voice, not really wanting to continue the conversation herself.
"How's Louis? You two tog-" Minnie tries to change the conversation. Watching the reaction of her sister as she lightly punches her shoulder and hushed her quickly. Sophie's face reddened before she let out her voice.
"No." She said quietly. Flustered for a moment before she looked to Violet who was spaced out. Getting the blonde's attention didn't work. She stood and stared at nothing until she noticed that Clementine was no longer in the room.
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Violet asked Minerva who laid out on the bed nodding at the question. She watched as Violet let go of her hand. Feeling the warmth of her palm go away as she walked to the door. Opening it and walking out of the room.
"What was the name of the group that took you?"
"Do you think Vi and I can get back together?"
Minnie and Sophie said at the same time. Looking at each other as they processed the other's question before awaiting for one of them to answer the other.
Sophie spoke up but Minnie had began talking at the same time. A silence coursing the room waiting for the ice to be broken by the twins in the room.
"Delta." Minnie finally said with a long face. Looking down at the soft linen sheets covering her body.
"What?" Sophie asked, unsure what her sister meant by the one word answer.
"The name of the group that took me. It's called Delta." Minnie answered her sister, receiving a surprised look from her. Minnie had never answered Sophie's questions without her own question being answered.
"Oh. Well, thank you for letting me know." Sophie said quietly, looking at her changed sister. Deciding to then answer her question next. "Um, I don't think Violet hates you. So maybe you have a chance with her."
Minnie perked up amongst hearing that. Smiling at her shorter yet same age sister. Sitting up as she was fully warmed up. Hugging Sophie with compassion. "Thank you! I hope you're right." Minnie said.
"Your welcome. I hope so too." Sophie said back, seeing her sister happy made her smile widely. It's been a long time since she remembered what her sister's smile looked like. "I love you, sis."
"Love you too, Sophie. I wish that I was here more." Just then Minnie felt light headed and laid back down and closed her eyes. The world felt heavy and like the world was pressed up on her shoulders. Shutting her eyes tighter to restrain the feeling.
All the weight disappeared as Minnie opened her eyes. She was no longer in the hospital this time. She was in the forest. She stood up and saw some light down a dirt path. She was dreaming but it felt so real. She remembers a dream just weeks before that she had a similar dream. It was after she was initiated in the Delta.
Minerva walked down the path and stumbled upon a small campsite. Finding multiple people walking around outside until someone tapped her back. Fumbling upon the impact, Minnie grabbed a branch fallen from a tree and readied to fight. Seeing that the person who tapped her was the same girl who appeared in her last dream adventure.
"It's you again. But why?" The brunette asked the redhead who shrugged. Her as confused as the other.
"I don't know. Do you see what I see?" Minerva asked Clementine and pointed to the small campsite down the path. The brunette nodding with a blank expression on her face.
"That was where I was. It was years ago but..." Clementine lifted her sleeve up to reveal a brand mark on her upper arm. "It was my old group. They needed help, so did I, so we helped each other out." She explained before hiding her mark with her long sleeve.
"That's weird." Minnie stated, Clementine looking at her confused as to ask for more clarity. "Last time I saw you was in my cell room at Delta." Clementine looked blankly as she processed what she had said.
"Delta?" Clem repeated, making sure she didn't hear it wrong. "Are you serious?"
"They kidnapped me. They tortured me. And they knew how to take my family and threatened to hurt Sophie. I had to do what they told me." Minnie explained, Clementine changing her stature as she looked up at the taller girl.
"Don't sweat it. We all have trouble somewhere in our lives. This is ours, being sucked up in all of this!" She said as the redhead looked down. "I guess I was just hoping that if we were in the same friend group we can at least be friends."
"Noones saying we can't." Minnie blurted a little loudly as she hopped to the side. Looking at the brunette with every ounce of friendliness she had. "We can still be friends."
"Maybe outside of duty, but when we're called in, we're enemies." Clem said, earning a pout face from Minerva.
"We don't have to be." She said before Clem thought of how she got here. Not realizing that she was threatening someone she knew her friends loved. She looked up at the tall girl and sighed. Holding her hand out and shaking Minnie's hand.
"Fine, friends." Clementine breathed out. Looking back at the campsite that she went to for the summer, not knowing that it was the group of people who would use her. Then her vision faded to black, waking her up for real this time. As she opened her eyes, she can feel the cold of the snow and see the puff of her breath.
"Clem, are you ok? You just fainted there. What happened?" The blonde girl asked as she knelt down to speak to the conscious brunette. Getting off the cold to speak to Violet. Looking over all her features, her worriful look making Clem give in. She didn't want to let her in on her secret. But she couldn't fight the alluring eyes that brought Clem to speak honestly.
She told her about about the dreams that she shared with Minnie. She talked about her group she used to be in, showing her the brand on her upper arm. She says how Minnie told her about the group that kidnapped her. Violet following along perfect as she nodded to indicate she was listening.
"That sounds really bad. You okay now, Clem?" Violet asked.
"Yeah, I am now." Clem answered.
"Clem?" Vi said as soon as Clementine finished telling her everything.
"Mhm." Clem signaled her to keep going. Watching Violet turn red but just figured it was because of the falling snow around the two.
"Would you like to meet me somewhere tomorrow? For fun." She invited, hiding her face with the collar of her jacket. Looking at Clementine with her natural colored eyes, looking deep into the honey ones.
"Okay. Yes!" Clem said, a little more excitedly than she was trying to be. Hopping to her feet and hugging the blonde. Retracting when she realized how long she's been hugging her for.
They stood there, in the cold, in silence. Looking into each others eyes. Clementine decided to break the ice. "When should you pick me up?"
Violet raised her eyebrow and thought of a good time. She worked until 6:00pm and had an idea for Clementine. She was going to make a great night for the both of them. Taking a deep breath and looking back into the amber eyes set in front of her.
"Be ready by eight." She said, and with that Clementine skipped back to her apartments. Unable to shake the smile that was stuck on her face.
Once she got home, she called Louis. When he picked up Clem began talking. She talked so fast that Louis couldn't keep up. Telling her to slow down and she did.
"I need something cute to where for tomorrow. You have anything for me?" Clem said, too giddy to even function without dancing around her small apartment room.
"Sure, I can drive you to the store. You wanna go now?" Louis asked back, receiving an immediate answer.
"Yes please!"
A/N: I'm not sure this chapter made sense at all. But I wanted to do this sooner than later because it builds up to the plot of the story. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.
Also, I'm beginning to make a one shots book. It's called "What doesn't kill you" only if your interested. I just wanted to announce the new title. Thanks for reading, and hope you stay tuned for future chapters, bye!