The orange haired woman shut the door, making her way towards the chair both Maggie and Glenn had sat at. As she made a movement to sit down, she noticed Clarissa move away. It was that movement that signified her distrust of the older lady, feeling more trust and respect towards the younger couple it seemed. Unfazed by the lack of trust, Deanna looked to the girl. "Clarissa Dean, it is good to finally speak to you without you bleeding out. I can see that you're healing nicely." The girl simply nodded. "I'm glad I get to speak to you in a clearer state of mind. You and your people have been a great help, and I am grateful for it." Deanna nodded, noting the way the young girl spoke. She spoke with a certain respect and authority that was no doubt from her title of Commander. It surprised the older woman how mature she sounded. Deanna gave a warm smile before continuing. "Should I be calling you Commander? I find it hard to believe that anyone at your age could be such in a high standing. You seem far too young to rule a community and—" Deanna fell silent upon seeing the girl's stature change, her jaw clenching and her eyes seemingly boring into hers. "Have you come here to speak to me or to dismiss my position?"
As Deanna met her eyes, she clenched her jaw upon seeing the darkening look in the young girl's eyes. Deanna had thought with her still healing, perhaps she'd be more compliant, but she was as head strong as she had portrayed herself to be at the gate. Letting out a soft sigh, Deanna shook her head. "Not at all, I simply am trying to understand." Clarissa held her head high, further trying to establish her dominance. "Solaris was a community of warriors, it didn't matter what age. And I was the apprentice to the previous Commander, leading me to become the best choice to him as he appointed me." Deanna nodded softly, seeing no wavering of the story, therefore demon it true. "Then, forgive me for thinking different, Commander." As Deanna stood up, she clasped her hands together in front of her. "But just know your title means nothing here. You are under our roof, taking our supplies. Once you get better, I assure you there will be ways to earn your keep." Clarissa kept her gaze steady, knowing full well the woman was trying to make her waver. "But for now, get some rest. Later I will send someone to bring you some clothing and you will have an official interview." Deanna gave a short smile before heading out.
Clary watched as the door closed, the loud latch sounding. She quickly opened her backpack, rummaging through its contents more in depth to clear away obstructions in front of a small pocket she had packed within the bag. As she looked inside, she cursed when she saw that it had been emptied of the small steel blade she had held in there. Letting the bag fall back to its place by her side, she hung her head back, wondering how she'd be able to leave before these people and their own community were harmed just as hers had been.
•••
Clary awoke the next morning to the blinding sun shining into the room she was in. She cursed at herself for falling asleep, having been prepared to look for a way out last night yet succumbing to her tiredness. She was quick to sit up, wincing at the pain in her abdomen but happy as she realized it was not as piercing of a pain as it had been before. Throwing the covers off of her, she realized she was in an oversized shirt and shorts a size too big. She brushed off the thoughts of her clothing before she stood up for the first time in what seemed like forever. She averted her eyes towards the nightstand by the bed, bending down to open the drawers before she scoffed at what she saw. A black leather book with the words Holy Bible stared back at her, the gold embossing faded. She looked through the drawer and found nothing to help her, causing her to shut the drawer in annoyance before standing up.
Clary was surprised as she heard noises coming from outside of her room, piquing her curiosity. She walked slowly towards the window, pushing away the thin curtains that obstructed her view and was surprised at what she saw. It was bittersweet as she looked out into the streets of the community, seeing something similar to that of Solaris. There were people walking around, even a dog running as a child chased after it with a smile on her small face. The only difference was, in her community, everyone walked around with some sort of weapon visibly on them.
Clary peeled away from the sight, feeling her chest tighten as she thought of all she had lost. She knew this community wasn't like Solaris. Solaris was where warriors were trained. It was where you had to fight or you died. It was a place where kids didn't chase dogs but rather where they grew up before joining the Guard. It was not built with white picket fence type homes and asphalt but rather log cabins and dirt paths. "Clarissa?" Upon hearing her name, Clarissa turned, facing the door as she saw that Carl had entered the room, his blue eyes looking at her in worry. She noticed a pile of clothes and a pair of boots in his arms, but he placed them on the bed before approaching her. She stepped away, holding her hand out as the boy watched her. "Don't—" Carl shook his head. "You shouldn't be up. You need to be careful—" His voice faded as he approached, his whole face merging into the one she had been terrified even when she didn't realize it.
"You're supposed to be resting! You said you were sick, or are you a liar? Did you lie to me?" the boy questioned, causing Clary to frantically shake her head. "No! I wouldn't, but Leon and your father needed my—" A hand collided with her cheek and she pulled away, bringing her hand to the sensitive skin as she faced the blond haired boy. His gray eyes held nothing but coldness."You better not be. I told you I loved you but I will not allow you to lie to me. Understood?" Clary allowed her eyes to meet that of the boys before she nodded. "Yes." She wanted to push him away as he forced his lips on hers, cradling the cheek he had just marked in pain. He pulled away, looking at the girl in what she could only assume was fake love. "Good."
"Clarissa? Are you okay?" Clarissa realized she was against the wall, having backed away from Carl where he still remained where he had been. She blinked her eyes, realizing she wasn't with him. But her fear still took over as she clenched her jaw, trying to control her breathing. "Just— just go." Carl's eyes widened as he nodded, backing away. "Yeah, of course I— I'm sorry. Um, Maggie's waiting for you outside to take you to Deanna's for the interview." She nodded softly as he looked at her once more before turning on his heel and walking out, gently shutting the door. Clary stayed in her position for a few moments, trying to get herself to calm down from the encounter. Soon, anger overtook her panic, causing her to clench her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
Clary hated how weak she felt, not only having to be taken care of by strangers but at the fact that she couldn't even face a boy her age because of what he had done to her. In an effort to control her fury, she took deep breaths before making her way to the pile of clothing Carl had brought. There was a simple deep green long sleeve and jeans, brown boots tossed besides them. She noticed how clean they were, knowing full well that this community was well off. Then there was the deeper thought that they would be better off when she left, no longer a stain on their perfect little life.
She changed as quickly as her wounds would allow her, finishing up quickly before heading out the door of the room. As she went down the small hall, she looked around to see the infirmary empty. With no second thought, she made her way out of what she believed to be the main door and saw Maggie just as Carl had mentioned. The woman looked towards the younger girl, a kind smile on her face. "Are you ready?" Maggie questioned, to which Clary nodded before following the woman, their feet hitting the asphalt in slow rhythm. She couldn't help but think of a way to get out of here, knowing full well the longer she was here, the more danger she placed on not only herself but this community. The community, which she had yet to learn the name of, with their perfect and happy families and dream life, they'd be torn apart.
It didn't take long for Clary and Maggie to approach a large house, Maggie opening the door before beckoning Clary in. The girl walked in, followed by Maggie, her eyes looking at all of the faces in the room. As Deanna's eyes met the girl, the woman smiled. "Clarissa, I'm glad you could make it." Clarissa only nodded at Deanna's words from where she sat at a couch, Maggie leading Clarissa towards an arm chair right in front of the older woman. As Maggie moved away, the young girl stayed standing, looking to the eyes of each and every person. She recognized Rick, Michonne and Daryl, surprised it was only them and not others within the community closer to Deanna. "Please, Clarissa, sit. We have much to talk about." Clarissa clenched her jaw, not wanting to comply to the orders of the woman. However, she knew she would have to in order to gain some form of trust that would allow her to slip away. So she listened, Clarissa sitting in the armchair in front of Deanna as the older woman prepared a notepad before sitting across form the young girl. She clicked a button on a camera she had facing Clarissa before speaking. "I am Deanna Monroe. Can you please state your full name for the tape?"
Clarissa waited for a moment before nodding once. "Clarissa Joanna Dean," Clarissa responded, to which the woman nodded. "Commander Clarissa J. Dean, correct? Like on your dog tags?" Clarissa nodded her head tensely, clenching not only her jaw but the dog tags around her throat to calm herself. She knew this had become customary for those within the community, but having Deanna staring at her along with Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Maggie, she just wanted to leave. Another moment passed before Clarissa turned her attention to Deanna's curiosity. "And where do you come from?" Deanna questioned. "Before the Infected walked the Earth? Some small town in Virginia. After? I was with Solaris for most of it." Deanna nodded, writing quickly in her notes. "And what happened to your community? As much detail as possible, please." Clary clenched her jaw as all thoughts of Solaris entered her mind, both before and after the Fall. To calm herself, Clarissa let out a soft breath. "I don't know. I had been— scouting, with two other members of the Guard, our group that mostly protected and fought. When we got back, some houses were burned and it was surrounded by Infected. We didn't go any closer in because of the Infected and some threats written on the walls that told us it wasn't safe to get close." Deanna's eye widened. "Threats? Were they from a group?"
Reluctantly, Clarissa nodded, shifting in her seat. "Yes, another one that we had been dealing with for a time. We had been preparing to fight them, but they got to us first." Deanna nodded, tilting her head to the side. "And what happened to the two you were traveling with?" Everyone's mood changed as they felt the tension in the air. Clarissa's eyes darkened at the mention of the two she had been with, holding a moment of silence before speaking. "They're dead." Clarissa turned away, not wanting the others to see the grief behind her eyes. Deanna cleared her throat as the tension filled the air. "Then tell me how you became Commander. I'm sure that's a story." Clarissa scoffed softly before shrugging. "That was how we first got bad blood with the other group. They had attacked some of our people while on a run. They killed everyone, except for our Commander at the time, Leon Boswell." Clarissa could remember the image of his broken and bruised body walking through the gates, looking as if he had lost everything. "He returned with the corpse of the Second Commander, Arthur Graves as proof of what happened. He had somehow escaped, but they had mutilated his dominant arm, causing our Medics to amputate it."
Everyone noticed the dark look in the girl's eyes. "The moment they attacked us, we were at war. Leon lost a lot that day, even his willingness to fight and the ability to use his main weapon, a staff." Clarissa let out a deep breath. "So he stepped down, and with no Second Commander to take his place, he made the decision of declaring the next Commander. Somehow, he saw me as the best candidate." She shrugged, seeing the disbelief in some of their eyes. "I was his apprentice, and perhaps the only other person somewhat familiar with how to lead as he had. For those reasons, Leon and many others believed I was the appropriate choice."
Clarissa watched as Deanna jotted down in her notes, her eyes flicking up to the young girl momentarily. "I want to know more about you, Clarissa. You seem like a strong kid, not only are you headstrong, but I've seen your wounds. I can see how defensive you become, so you must have been scarred mentally and physically—" The people surrounding Deanna looked to her in surprised. "Excuse me?" Clarissa asked, finding herself clenching her fists once more, the burn of her nails digging into the scarred skin of her palm familiar. Seeing the defensive nature of the girl, Deanna spoke slowly. "Your scars. You say you were a part of a militia sort of group, but I must admit how surprising it is to see your scars. Your back is heavily scarred and your face—" Clarissa shook her head. "That is none of your concern." Clarissa surprised herself as she stood up, keeping her emotions controlled yet not wanting to hear anything else the woman had to say. She had never felt such intense anger as Deanna looked at her nonchalantly. "It is, because I need to make sure you're not a danger—" Clarissa let out a humorless laugh. "I'm not dangerous, I'm a survivor, which is a lot more than I can say for you or your people."
Clarissa took a step forward, raising a finger at the woman. "You and your people live within the lie as if the undead are not at your doorstep. You're pretending." The girl shook her head. "And you say I'm scarred, and that is true, I will never deny my scars. But they are on my skin because I have lived the life that you are so afraid of seeing is reality." Deanna clenched her jaw, shaking her head. "Clarissa, I want us to speak civilly. If you are truly a Commander, I'm sure you can do that, yes?" The young girl, with controlled fire in her eyes, scoffed at the words of the woman. She shook her head, walking away from the chair and looking out the window for a moment to see just what kind of life they lead. The lie. Clarissa turned back to the woman, not only addressing her but all those surrounding the two of them. "This is civil, but your idea of civil is from the world before. So, civilly, I will tell you that I've lost everything. I lost my father before the world fell apart. I lost my mother, my sister, my mentor, my niece, my people. And then the two people I had left were gone and I was alone. And you— you think I'm dangerous?" She shook her head. "I'm—" lost. That's what she wanted to say, but they didn't need to know that.
Clarissa let herself look away from the group, looking momentarily at her hands to see the small spots of blood painting her palms. She rubbed her hands against her jeans before looking back to the group to see their eyes intrigued and even saddened. Clarissa shook off their looks. "You won't have to worry about me being a danger to your community. As soon as I have healed, I will be well on my way." Deanna stood, keeping her eyes on the girl. "Very well then. For as long as you're here, Clarissa, you can call Alexandria home." The woman turned back, scabbing through the faces before landing on one. "Daryl, why don't you take her to the infirmary, give her a tour. I need to speak with Maggie, Rick and Michonne." Clarissa looked towards the group to see Daryl making his way towards her, giving a look towards Deanna before his eyes met Clarissa's. He gave her a small nod before she followed, the two of them walking out of the tension filled room.