The Prodigy

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kata's perspective

Dad hasn't been around the camp all day. He's busy doing something, do I know what, no, but something. I tried sticking towards Glenn, but he was busy on watch on top of the RV for Dale or chasing Maggie around like a puppy, so it had to be Lori. She was with Carl, doing some school book assignments. I walked over as they were chatting, and Lori's attention soon gazed over to me. I smiled softly at her as I walked closer, Carl looking up.

" Hey, Kata!" Carl said, filled with excitement.

" Hi," I answered.

" Something wrong, honey?" Lori asked.

" Uh, no. Dad just asked me to stay with either you or Glenn, and well, Glenn is busy, on watch, so I came over here."

" Well, let me grab you a workbook, and do some lessons since we have some time," she said.

I didn't argue, biting my lip, and nodded. She rubbed Carl's back before getting off the log she was sitting on, and going off to hunt for my workbook. When the group first formed, all the kids were expected to have an hour or two meant for school. I admitted to Shane that I'd never been to school, for the fact that we couldn't stick to one school district. I know how read and to write, to a certain extent. Dad would bring me to the public library and have one of them teach me, knowing her. This is where everyone started to not like my Dad, thinking he purposely kept me out of school, when it was impossible for me. Well, I stopped doing it because it was stuff I'd already learned. Since it was a one-on-one thing between me and the librarian, we moved quickly, learning a lot more than a kid my age should know. I would check out books, history books, science books, math books, and anything relating to school so I could learn at home. Merle, shockingly, liked reading and would help me with it when I struggled. Seeing that I already learned this information before the older kids then me, I stopped. Everyone thinks it's because of my dad, but it's because I want a challenge and these workbooks are nothing.

I kicked some of the dirt before looking towards Carl. " I see you're doing better," I said to him.

" Yeah. You missed it yesterday, the shooting range. Mom and Dad let me go and I hit the target."

" Really? Was it hard?"

" Nothing that you could probably do, but a little."

" What do you mean by what I could do?"

" Well, you go out on hunts, even before this. Meaning, you have the gun training, and seeing your Dad's skills, you're probably close to his."

I laughed softly. " Not really, but thanks for thinking I'm as good as my Dad," I replied.

Lori came back and I kneeled in front of the stump they were on. I flipped to the page Carl was on, just some early history questions. Like who founded America, why did we go to war with Britain, and things like that. We were supposed to use the word bank, give us the answers, and put them into the correct spot on the timeline of history, and Lori will check it. History was always something I really liked, mainly what I checked out of the library. I would read the I Survive books, finding them interesting about the different events of our world. I know the characters the author had made up, but the events are real. Merle thought it was stupid for me to read those books but I found them interesting.

I finished it quickly and turned the book around for Lori to double-check. " Done already?" she asked.

" I already went over this before," I answered softly.

She examined the page, finding no mistakes with anything I did. " Carl hasn't even learned this, even in school. How do you know this?" She asked, sounding generally confused.