Where The Wildflowers Grow

-1- Clover

I've gotten used to the bitter taste of jealousy. The world ending did shit to ease that. It twists my gut as the young boy screams for his dad running forward towards the cop. His little feet carrying him as he desperately jumps into the man's arms.

  Tears spring to my eyes before furiously wiping them. "Clover," my father gruffs out.

  I turn towards the bald man keeping my eyes down. "Yes sir?"

"Stop standing around, get to work." Get to work Clover, do this Clover. Clover this, Clover that. I have to bust my ass so he can sit on his. God forbid Ed Peletier do a damn thing besides smoke.

  I force my feet to move, heading past the people reuniting with their family members and into the Rv. Dale had long lied saying it was my job to clean it for him. However I suspect he knows, well, he knows. All of them know what he is but just like everyone before they pick to ignore it.

Jealousy and anger.

Those are two main emotions brewing inside me like a fucking geyser.

I try to ignore the happy noises from outside but everytime I hear a cry my heart clenches. When the sun sets and my mother calls me to the fire away from the others I wish to be back in the Rv. The entire time I pick at at fraying hole in my jeans. My sister has her arms wrapped around herself, staring into the fire.

I hate that look on Sophia's face, and it's the most common one nowadays.

My mom is seated beside her looking equally as startled. They always do, they have that long distant look on their faces. My father however tosses a log on the fire, startling the other two. "Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane calls out. I instantly cringe, pulling my knees to my chest.

"It's cold, man," father lazily replies but the look in his eyes is a challenge. No one challenges Ed Peletier.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once," he retorts. I sneak a glance towards the other seeing them act like they don't know.

However Shane decides that like always he has to be right. He has to meddle like we don't pay the repercussions of it. He marches over lowering his voice. "Hey, Ed... Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?"

He catches my eye, anger bubbling under the surface. "Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!"

I dart forward putting my hands in the fire and yanking the log ignoring the searing pain in my hands. I catch Sophia staring at me but I return to my spot hiding my hands in my hoodie.

"Christ," Shane mutters shaking his head. He then stomps on the flames that I caused from pulling the log.

He looks toward mom and Sophia. "Hey, Carol, Sophia, Clover, how are y'all this evening?"

"Fine. We're just fine," mom mutters. "I'm sorry about the fire."

"No no no. No apology needed. Y'all have a good night, okay?" He catches my eye in which I move my gaze back down.

"I appreciate the cooperation," he adds before heading back over to the others. They were watching the entire time as if they don't know what will happen later.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind. Or Jessie for that matter, the two of them can cause a problem."

Ah, Daryl and Jessie Dixon. I didn't care much about Merle, he was rowdy, sexist, racist and seemingly shared a good bit of beliefs as my father. Daryl and Jessie seemingly followed Merle's lead much how me, mom, and Sophia follow fathers. Daryl kept to himself most of the time however Jessie had a staring problem. He was always looking at us Peletier women as if he could read us. His gaze was calculating, thorough but that's to be expected from a hunter.