VILLAINESS [TWD]

➴30

Ellie stood beside Maggie as the crew started gearing up for today's run.

Glenn, Noah, Tara, and Eugene were leaving with Aiden and Nicholas. Ellie didn't like the Monroe guys from the second she saw them.

She pushes that aside in favor of talking to Noah.

"Did you talk to him?" she asks, nodding to Reg.

"Maybe," Noah plays coy.

"What'd he say?" Ellie chases after him as he puts packs in the van.

Noah peers past the doors then bends down to whisper to Ellie.

"Let's just say this is my final run." Noah smiles.

"He said 'yes'? Ellie excitedly gasps, slapping Noah's arm.

"We're gonna start meeting up in the mornings to talk about building plans."

"That's awesome!"

The two trade a fist bump before returning to the others. Noah continues gettinf supplies ready as Ellie makes her way to where Glenn was telling Maggie bye.

"I would ask if there's anything you want me to keep an eye out for but.. I'm not sure if you want power grids and panels and wires and-"

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Ellie tells Glenn.

Glenn laughs before admitting. "I don't know what I'm talking about."

"Fair."

Glenn goes to pat Ellie's back when she takes a step forward, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. Glemm freezes at the contact, looking at Maggie with wide, surprised eyes. Maggie bites back a smile.

Like she'd pull away at the affection, Glenn gently hugs her back, a smile creeping over his entire face that he couldn't hold hack no matter how hard he tried.

Ellie steps away, giving Glenn a smile of her own. Glenn laughs, still in shock.

"Let's hit the road," Aiden calls from the driver door.

Maggie rests her hands on Ellie's shoulders from behind. Reg stands beside Deanna and the four bid farewell to the run crew.

"Well.. shall we get to work?" Deanna asks Maggie.

As Maggie agrees, Ellie speaks up. "What are you working on today?"

"We're figuring out some field expansion plans. Is there something you need?" Deanna nicely asks.

Ellie bites her bottom lip as she smiles. "I was just wondering if the piano was up for grabs."

--

"How do your fingers even do that? How do you remember what buttons are which?" Anna questions.

Ellie looks up at her, hands still playing the keys. "My dad taught me to look at it like a guitar just.. keys instead of strings."

"How do you play a guitar?"

Ellie pauses her playing. She tilts her head. "I dunno.. I've been playing since I was little so it's just like.. hardwired in my brain."

"Do you play anything else?"

"I was learning the flute when everything happened."

Anna throws her hands up. "You have too much talent in your body!"

Ellie blushes. "I grew up with music in my family. We used to hold family concerts. Wriye our own songs. Played at church.. Music was something that was always there."

"You wrote your own songs?"

"Me and my aunt, mostly. My dad, too when he wasn't busy."

"Geez," Anna plops down on thd bench beside Ellie. "I could barely talk in front of five people. I couldn't imagine performing."

"I had stage fright for a long time so I just played guitar and my aunt sang. One time, she got sick before our Christmas performance we were putting on so it was either no performance or I sing.. After a lot of talking to my dad, I agreed to sing if he played the guitar. It got easier after that. I joined church choir not long after."

"If the world didn't end, you'd be famous," Anna decides.

Ellie scoffs. Anna nudges her arm with a gasp.

"Or.. since the world ended, now you're thr most famous, talented person alive!"

"Well. I'm not performing at anymore of those parties. That sucked!"

"You playing piano was the best part of the night, though."

Ellie rolls her eyes plaufully, looking at Anna with a bored look. As she does, their eyes meet. Anna was still smiling. Unlike before when they first met, Anna's hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Ellie was able to see her face so mucb more clearly and up close.

Ellie clears her throat, snapping her head to look back at the piano.

Anna's trembling fingers come into Ellie's view. She pokes at the keys one by one in a random order, just filling the silence for the sake of it.

Ellie purses her lips, twiddling her fingers. She looks for something to talk about in her messy head.

"My mom said it was my choice if I wanted to do school or not.. I think she just wants me to be comfortable so she doesn't mind."

"I go to school because there's nothing else to do," Anna chuckles.

Ellie looks at the clock on Deanna's wall. "Shouldn't you be there now?"

Anna grins, glancing to Ellie then back to the piano. "Til now. I think this is more fun."

Ellie was running out of words again.

She loves Carl, of course. He was ger best friend. But, the main reason they were best friends was because they had few other options to hang out with and just had each other.

Ellie can't remember the last time someone chose to be with her.

Matt. Maybe it was him.

Ellie purses her lips again into a line, hands i ching back to the piano keys. She plays a melody that Matt had came up with once, though he never finished it or found any lyrics to accompany it.

Anna sighs happily, leaning her head on Ellie's shoulder as the music fills the room.

Ellie wonders how so many hours have passed since they've been here just talking. How long Anna has stayed and listened to Ellie play. How many songs Ellie has played.

The sun was beginning to go down. There was a soft orange glow cascading through the blinds that made everything feel so.. magical. Ellie nearly laighed at the word. But, she fights it because it would've disrupted the peace.

Anna giggles. Ellie finds that chuckle slipling through. They laugh at nothing and Ellie hits a wrong note, the sound makes them laugh more.

Ellie's hands fall to her lap as the girls laugh freely.

Just when they calm down, something else disturbs the atmosphere.

"Help! I need help!" Glenn screams from outside.