IVORY | Carl Grimes

seven - recrudescence ;

saskia sat by herself. a lone tree had fallen over in the forest the group was currently inhabiting, and she had taken to resting on it. she reached up to adjust the tightness of her ponytail, which had come lose on her involuntarily and unexpected run.

the brunette pondered over the fact that if this tree was truly alone in the forest upon collapsing, if it had made a noise, or if it had just slipped unknowingly into nothingness? what if her own loneliness persisted, and she collapsed? what it be recognizable? would anyone be aware of it? she thought not.

saskia was intelligent, it was not hard to deduce, despite her closed off personality. her teachers had always praised her during her time in school, and rather than drown the sadness creeping into her as a child with whiskey, much like her mother and even her brother had, she instead had delved into knowledge. learning was her escape and books were her gateway. not only was saskia brown book smart, but her mind was clever and resourceful. perhaps that contributed to the fact that breath still entered her lungs.

after succumbing to the slip into her mind, saskia neglected to notice rick's eyes locked on her. it seemed as though those three questions were not all that would be asked. verbally, yes, but rick grimes was searching into this girl's soul. he did not want to upset her by forcing her to recount her past most likely filled with horrors, but he needed to know that she was able and still human, if even just a little bit remained inside of the shell of the girl in front of him.

rick grimes wanted more for this girl. he did not want her to have the clock run out, though he could tell it was ticking already. rick could not seem to explain it. perhaps it was because she was just a child, around his own son's age, or perhaps he viewed her a survivor. not that he trusted her blindly yet, but he acknowledged her.

saskia felt the tree shift underneath of her, presumably due to a new weight resting on it. she gnawed on the inside of her cheek and tried to ignore the burning in her throat. she did not want to talk to anyone yet. her lips were sealed shut, and saskia did not know where she could find the key in the mess of everything else.

saskia could feel someone's gaze lock on her, and she shrunk away from it. before all of this, she had been used to having attention directed to her. after all, she was the youngest child in her family; it was inevitable. however, after, she wanted it all to melt away from around her.

whoever was next to the girl cleared their throat. her resolve was crumbling, and she turned to look at who was sitting next to her. it was a daring decision, and saskia was unsure of how to feel about it and whoever it was. her foot dug into the dirt in front of her, releasing some of the tension pent up inside of her. deeper and deeper until the person grew to courage to speak, seeing as she would not initiate anything.

"hey."

his voice was rough but had mastered the art of sincerity. it piqued saskia's interest, and she was sure in that moment that she would remember this forever. their first encounter.