Finding Home | #Wattys2016

Chapter 13: Abigail

A/N: HERE IS ALICIA! You've no idea how excited about this I am! 

Chapter Thirteen: Abigail

Alicia fiddled with the cord of the CB Radio, her eyes skimming the horizon from the deck of the Abigail. She was curled up on a seat, basking in the early morning sunlight while scanning any channels for signs of life. It was a despondent job to have and one her mother had clearly invented to keep her busy.

The ocean normally held a beauty and reserved ferocity that calmed her, but today she was feeling a tightening in her gut she chalked up to her attempts at coping with the apocalypse. The serenity and normality of the emerging day would normally mean her family was going to have a relaxing day at the beach, but now it meant they were searching for a safe place to go.

There was no telling how bad land was, they were too far off shore to tell and Strand wasn't telling anyone where they were heading. San Francisco? It didn't seem like a logical choice to her. But did she really have a choice in the matter? Of course not, she was only a child and her mother was going to continue to treat her like one until the day she was dead.

"Lisha!" Speak of the devil.

"Here, mom!" she shouted back, turning towards the walkway she knew her mother was going to be coming from.

Blonde hair whipped around the corner and Madison Clark stood there, hands on her hips. Sometimes Alicia wondered why she had to look so much like her father. Her mother was so fair, they looked like they might not even be related, especially with her tanned skin and dark hair. Madison was already beginning to show signs of burning, even though she tried to stay inside as often as possible.

"What are you doing out here? You're going to burn," Madison placed her hands on her hips, a picturesque version of an annoyed mother.

Burning is the least of our worries right now, "Nothing, I just feel too, I don't know, cramped in there."

Madison shook her head, "Well, did you put on sunblock?"

"Yes, mom," the lie rolled off of her tongue almost as perfectly as her eyes did in their sockets.

Without anything else to say, her mother turned away, heading back in the direction she'd come from. Madison couldn't help but worry about her kids, the situation they were in wasn't something any of them were dealing with well. But when it came to Alicia, her daughter didn't like to talk very much. She was too independent to come to Madison if she needed to talk so Madison was forced to approach her.

Madison sighed and made her way back inside, nearly running into Strand as she turned a corner. The taller man caught her by her arms before she went tumbling backwards too far.

"My apologies, Madison, I was just looking for you," Strand smiled and removed his hands, stepping back quickly. He shifted from foot to foot, hands flitting over his clothes and picking at nonexistent lint. Madison had learned very quickly that Strand wasn't a man to sit still for very long, so she was used to his constant movement. But this was different, he clearly had something to say.

"What's going on, Strand?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes.

Strand cleared his throat and glanced around, as if fearing being overheard. Daniel was leaning against the side of the boat, a fishing pole in his hand. He didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on around him, but that was what Daniel did. The man acted as though he wasn't very attentive, just a simple fisherman in that moment, but he was almost certainly listening.