» Time In A Bottle «

» HELLO «

When Belle Met Carl (pre-101, canon)

When Glenn told me everyone had a job in the camp, I expected a lot more than just sitting down and doing schoolwork every day. To be honest, I think I would've preferred washing up or cooking instead of adding decimal numbers, but here I was with a pencil in my hand and a frown on my face.

I sat at the edge of the camp, away from the bustle of people who worked together to create a place worth living. I had been here a few weeks now but so far I only spoke to a handful of people.

Glenn, of course, who I spent every day with. He didn't seem to mind me tagging along, probably because I didn't say much or get in the way. Then there was Dale, who I was kind of forced to interact with seeing as he spent a lot of time teaching Glenn how to fix the RV. I got told off by Andrea once for dropping a basket of laundry, which then led to her younger sister Amy coming to my defence, but that was as far as the interaction went. I had been watching the others from a distance, figuring out relationships and bonds, working out who I should stay away from.

The Dixon brothers carried an air of threat even if they were simply eating a meal, and Shane was pretty scary, too. I saw the way he took Glenn aside when I got here, muttering low questions about me like I couldn't hear a thing.

"Where did she come from?"

"Who the hell is this kid?"

"You gotta think about the good of the camp before you bring in strays."

Nothing he said made me feel good about myself, but Glenn's promises and reassuring words only appeared to make me trust my new friend more.

The other kids in the camp didn't seem too bad, but it looked like it would be difficult for me to build a relationship with them since they already knew each other before I arrived. At least that's what I thought, until the brown haired boy wandered over to my seat in the bushes.

"Hi." He smiled, settling beside me curiously. He either didn't notice my subtle glare or chose to ignore it altogether. "You looked kinda lonely. I'm Carl."

His kind expression and openness was off putting and suspicious, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. He didn't know who I was, how could he be so carefree when introducing himself?

"I know. Glenn told me." I shrugged off, turning back to the pages in my lap.

'What the hell is 2.45 times two-'

"Aren't you gonna tell me your name?" Carl shuffled closer, his eyebrows raised expectantly. My train of thought vanished completely, the numbers seemingly dissipating in the air.

"Why should I?" I replied bluntly, not meeting his insistent gaze. I wasn't sure why I was being so mean, but I guess it was some kind of instinctive response. All the times I spoke to kids my own age in the past, it usually ended with me being laughed at and shoved in the mud.

Carl's kindness soon twisted into confusion, like the answer was supposed to be obvious. "So we can be friends." His words tilted up like it was a question, as if he was suddenly doubtful.

He didn't appear like the bullies I met before. Where they held tight fists waiting to swing he instead fiddled nervously with his fingers, where they had nasty snarls and biting insults he presented a soft smile on his lips. Even his eyes, although hard and bright to look at, gave off a feeling of comfort.

"It's Belle." I finally admitted, watching his face light up cheerfully. It was rare for me to let someone break through to me, but he seemed nice enough.

"Do you wanna come do your schoolwork with us, Belle?" He wondered, dusting of his trousers as he got to his feet. I glanced past him to see a small huddle, a younger girl being helped by a gray haired woman and a second lady who waited patiently for Carl to return. I knew the girl was Sophia, but I wasn't sure which woman was Lori and which was Carol. Maybe it was about time to put names to the faces.

"Sure." I shrugged, taking his outstretched hand as I jumped up. I hoped I wouldn't regret this, and if I did, well, I always had my knife.

»« »« »« »«

I haven't done a flashback this far for a while so I thought it would be nice, especially since Carl hasn't been in it for a while (I miss him)

I'm almost done planning season ten, I'm so excited to share it!!!!!