Is There Somewhere? |Daryl Dixon

007| i before e

 Sabrina Rhodes had moved out when Frankie started kindergarten. She hated leaving her little sister alone in that house, but she had no choice. She'd been given an ultimatum. Either leave, and still get to see her, or get evicted and never see her sister again. There was no real reason to kick the older Rhodes girl out, but her mother had to come to her saying something along the lines of "she needs to be raised by her real parents now." 

Of course, her parents would kick her to the curb the minute the hard part was done. When Frankie became self-sufficient enough to at least wipe her own butt. That was 4 years ago and Frankie was nine now. Nothing that the Rhodes parents did warranted any sort of credit.

Sabrina was still the constant parental figure in her younger sisters life, the one with her head screwed on straight. She wound up taking classes at the community college once she moved out, and got a degree in accounting. Then she picked up a second job doing the books at the garage Daryl worked at. Still with all of that on her plate, Sabrina was still the one to do everything of importance for Frankie. 

It was Sabrina who was there to help with homework, to drop her off, and pick her up from school. She was the one taking her to doctors appointments, meeting with teachers during conferences, and making sure the small girl got enough to eat every night. Sabrina was the one that tucked her in every single night, even if it meant that she got home well past her own bed time. 

Her parents did nothing for her little sister, just as they had done nothing for Sabrina herself. 

"Come on, just take your time..." Sabrina coaxed the young girl as they studied for Frankies spelling test that was tomorrow. "Sound it out, afraid."

"A-fr-ai-d..." Frankie said slowly. Making more syllables than needed but it helped her think. The pair were sitting down at the dining room table split between her and the Dixon brothers. Merle, had moved out, and was doing his own thing. He usually resorted to couch surfing. Sometimes he'd be here, other times he'd be elsewhere. Merle Dixon just floated through life, getting lit at dawn and letting his high fade him into the evening. "A...f...r...a...i...d?" 

"Good job!" Sabrina cheered, clapping her hands together as the door opened. Daryl had entered the threshold of the house, carrying a half gallon of milk at his side. "Thank's for picking that up." 

"It's really so I can grow big and strong." Daryl said sarcastically as he put it away. Sabrina winked at him from the dining room table, a silent thank you for saying that in front of Frankie. The young girl looked up to the youngest Dixon and wanted to be just like him. The young girl also got caught trying to dump her milk out in the sink last week. Thus began the charade of Daryl really likes his milk. "You know with my one glass a night?" 

It wasn't subtle at all, but Frankie fell for it time and time again. Anything Daryl did, Frankie had to do. It warmed her heart, the boy that did so much for her growing up was that same force in her sisters life. 

"Dinner's in the microwave, we're just finishing up here." Sabrina said to Daryl before turning her attention back onto her sister. "Okay, how about... chief?" 

"C...h...e...f?" Frankie asked, and Sabrina shook her head. 

"Not quite, you spelled chef." The older red head told her sister. "You're missing one letter." 

As the two sisters studied the words, Daryl warmed up the bowls of pasta that were stuck in the microwave. He had told Sabrina numerous times not to wait up for him, but she shrugged him off each time. The microwave beeped and Daryl grabbed three forks, setting two of the bowls in front of Sabrina and Frankie. Sabrina smiled up at him, and it made him feel warm inside. She was one of two people in the world that had that sort of effect on him. Coincidently enough, both of those people were in this room. He grabbed his bowl last, and lifted his body to sit on the countertop.