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Eloise felt terrible. She laid in the backseat of the van the three had found just out of Alexandria and were heading to Hilltop. Carl had his arms wrapped around her as he rested his head on top of hers, flipping through the letters Jace had left for them.
Eloise watched as Carl flipped through the letters, going slower and slower with each letter before freezing, staring at one with slightly wide eyes. Eloise straightened up, looking back and forth between the stack of letters and Carl. "What's wrong?"
Jasper looked back to the two through the rear view mirror as Carl slowly looked up at them. "He wrote a letter to Negan."
Jasper started to slow his driving slightly, turning to look back to the teens. "What?"
Eloise looked at Carl with wide eyes, making him sigh, showing them the letter that had 'Negan' written in Jace's sloppy handwriting.
Eloise slowly took the letter out of Carl's hands, taking it into her own as if it would change who the letter was for. Eloise furrowed her brows, looking up to Carl. "Why would he..." "I don't know." Carl mumbled back.
"We're here." Jasper whispered, sticking his head out the window as he gave a curt nod to Kal, the man slowly returning the gesture before opening the gate.
Carl handed Eloise the stack of letters to put back in Jace's bag she held as Jasper pulled into Hilltop, parking the van by the gate. He slowly looked back to the teens with a saddened expression. "You guys ready?"
Eloise and Carl slowly nodded, making Jasper nod as he turned back to the front. The three slowly got out of the car and could immediately feel the stares from the group.
Eloise kept her eyes on the ground, holding Carl's hand as her only support as they walked. She slowly looked up at the sound of people walking towards her, her eyes falling on a crying Enid. Eloise felt her stomach churn as her eyes started to sting again.
The two girls immediately ran to each other, pulling the other into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Enid whispered and Eloise shook her head in the crook of Enid's neck. "No, no. Don't be sorry."
Eloise sniffled as she pulled away from Enid, she reach down to Jace's bag, pulling out the first letter in the stack, handing it to Enid. "He wrote you a letter..." Eloise mumbled.
Enid quickly pulled Eloise into another hug, Lou immediately hugging back until she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and slowly pull her off of Enid.
She slowly looked up, her eyes falling on Carol. The woman gave her a sad smile as Eloise just stared at the woman. "Carol..." Eloise said, her voice cracking slightly and the woman quickly pulled Eloise into her embraced, running a hand through her hair to calm her down. "I know. I know, sweetheart."
Carol lightly grabbed Lou's face, pulling her out of the hug, looking between her and Carl. "Let's get you guys somewhere to rest."
The two slowly nodded and Maggie walked over, wrapping her arms around both teens shoulders, leading them up into a spare room in the main building.
Eloise dropped her bags by the door, slowly walking towards the bed, sitting on the edge as she looked down at the letter in her hand. Carl slowly walked over, sitting beside her as he held his letter.
"We should read them..." Eloise whispered, her thumb running over the edge of the paper, ready to open it as she looked up at Carl who slowly turned to her, grabbing her hand. "Are you ready?"
Eloise nodded her head looking back down and the pair slowly opened their letters at the same time. Eloise held the thin page slightly shaking, a soft smile on her face at Jace's messy hand writing. She took a shaky, deep breath before reading the letter.
Dear Ellie,
Do you remember when we first became friends? I do. We were in kindergarten and you were struggling to kick your legs on the swings so I came up from behind and pushed you until you were giggling. Then I sat down in the swing beside you and we just swung.
After school that day, you grabbed my hand and pulled me out to the front of the school where your mom picked you up, and you kept asking if I could sleepover and you didn't even know my name yet.
I remember your family's yearly barbecues where your mom would make those awesome hamburgers and Jasper would pick us up by our feet and throw us in your pool. I remember when for your eighth birthday, you asked for the Little Mermaid and the lady dressing up forgot what princess you wanted and came to the party as Belle but you weren't mad, instead you kept telling her that it was okay because your best friend (me) had a crush on Belle.
I miss when it used to be like that. Now we worry about walkers coming into our community and bad guys coming and killing our friends. Our family.
When you and Carl went to the Sanctuary, I wanted you guys to kill Negan. I wish you did. Maybe it would have been done. I don't think it's done now. The adults went out there again, but I don't think they surrendered. I don't think the Saviors will surrender.
We're so close to starting everything over, and we have friends now. The Kingdom, the Hilltop. There's got to be more places, more people out there. A chance for everything to change and keep changing. Everyone giving everyone the opportunity to have a life. A real life.
If they won't end it, you all have to. You have to give them a way out. You have to find peace with Negan. You have to find a way forward somehow. We don't have to forget what happened, but you can make it so it doesn't happen again, and nobody has to live this way. That every life is worth something. Start everything over. Show everyone they can be safe again without killing, that it can feel safe again, that it can go back to being birthdays, schools, jobs and even annual barbecues somehow and dancing around to The Beatles.
You guys can beat this world Ellie. So beat it.
And tell Jasper to get a damn haircut, he's had that since we were seven.
Your Best Friend, Jace
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–Just a quickly little chapter to make us all emotional.😀💔
Also Even though I am keeping Carl alive, I'm thinking of ending this book either at the end of season 8 or right before the time jump... is there a specific point you guys would like to see this book end?
