Have A Little Hope (Dixon's Daughter)

Chapter 3

----{Hope's POV}----》
I sat there as Daddy pulled on my hair, trying to get it up, before he grumbled a bit. The woman who's been outside the tent came in with a little band and sat next to us.

"If I may...I could put her hair up and show you how?" She said. Daddy nods and I sit straight, trying to be still. The lady brushes my hair and puts it into a criss-cross style, showing Daddy how as she goes. 

"Before this, Sofia used to have her hair long and I would do it like this." 

I turn to look at her and smile, "Thank you!" I say. "Yeah, thanks Carol. Imma need to try that" Daddy says. She smiles then stands up and goes back outside. 

Daddy looks at me and says, "I've gotta go and look for a little girl, ok? I promise I'll be back soon. Shane's gonna have another shootin practice later, I want ya to go."

 I nod sadly, paying attention to his words. He nods and stands up, "You're work book is in my bag, kept it. Practice readin a bit, yeah?"

 I nod again and reach for the bag. When I turn to look at him, he's not there. I simply sigh and sit the book in front of me, opening it and scanning through the pages in an attempt to find an empty one.

After finishing 3 pages like I used to, I grab my boots and wander out of the tent, looking around camp. I start to walk away from the tent and over to the picket fence, still tired. They said dinner would be done around 6 so I guess I've got- I look at my small watch and count the tiny lines- 2 hours and 34ish minutes. I look up at the camp and walk over to everyone else, getting ready for gun training.

I run over and look at everyone, They all are talking about a few things that I'm not very interested in. 

I decide that I'm bored and wander off. If I go into the woods I could find Daddy and he could help me shoot instead of Shane. I don't like Shane. So, I walk off into the woods.

The trees are very tall, I can hear birds, There are tiny little squirrels and rabbits. The wind is blowing and the air is hot. I feel sticky. I have been walking for a long time and the backs of my feet are sore.

I want to go back.

I don't know where I am.

It's starting to get dark and I'm scared, so I find a tree. The tree is a big one up and around, it has an opening at the bottom just big enough for me to fit through. It is warm inside, and the ground is filled with leaves.
I lay down. The leaves are scratchy and they're poking me. I want my Daddy, I don't like it here.

I curl into myself and silently cry until I fall asleep.

----{Daryl's POV}----》

After looking for Sofia for several hours, I decide it's time I go back to camp. I did tell Hope I'd be back soon.

Walking into camp, I notice everyone looking at me weird. It reminds me of when Rick left Merle on the roof. It hits me like a steel train. I turn to Shane. "Where is she? I left her with ya, I told ya to watch 'er" my talking starts getting sloppy because of my anger. He looks at me, then looks at the ground. "Where is my daughter?" I scream.

"We can't find her."

Those four words play in my head, repeating. "I'm gonna find her, suns settin', she can't be out there long, too young." He looks at me, "I'll get a group together, we'll find her. This won't end up like Sofia."

That sets me off and I stomp off into the woods.