Oh My Darling, Clementine

Nobody is Safe

I followed Louis cautiously into the parlour. It was warm, and softly lit by a
crackling fire. Louis sat at the piano and swung around to face me, leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees.

"Clem, how did you deal with it? Lee, Kenny..."

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. I just had to focus on moving forward," I look up at the ceiling to avoid meeting Louis' eyes, "Not a day goes by where I don't think of them."

"They must have been decent people."

"They were. They had their flaws, but everything they did was to protect me."

"Were there... others?"

"Too many to tell," I said, and paused, thinking to myself, "There was Luke too. He was like a big brother, brave and caring," I shut my eyes for a moment, thinking back to my old friend, "I miss him. I miss all of them."

Louis frowns empathetically and extends his arm, inviting me to join him. I give in. He shuffles over to make room for me.

"Have you ever played piano?"
Louis asked.

"Not really."

"Here, want to learn?"
He lifts up my hands gently and examines them."

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Ah, you do have pianist's hands! Pianist's hands and fighter hands! Aren't you multi-talented," he smirks.

"Thanks?"

"Ah, just trying to take my mind off things. So, want to learn a song?"

And so he took my hands and placed them on the keys, and taught me a few chords. It was nice to focus on something else for a while, and it was nice to relax. I was glad to see Louis in a better mood, though there was still sadness behind his chocolate eyes.

"There you go! You're a fine pianist Clem!"

"I'm not stupid, but thanks," I chuckled to myself. His gaze rested on me for a second. There was something about that boy.

Louis smiles warmly and we lock eyes for a second before I look away. What is this, this feeling I get when I'm around him?

"Let me show you something," Louis exclaims, pulling me to my feet.
"Ladies first," days, opening the door for me.

"A true gentleman," I smirk playfully.

A stroll through the school led us to a large, glass door at the end of a hallway. It was a bit fragmented in places, and dirt had collected in the corners over the years.

"This is the greenhouse Marlon was
telling me about," I said quietly as we entered.

"Yeah, it was a great source of food a couple years back. Not easy to keep up with it though."

"You could try again. You guys say you're running out of food, so why not try growing your own?"

"Exactly! I tried telling Marlon that, but for some reason he didn't think it was necessary."

"I just hope you've got seeds somewhere. A lot of these plants are dead."

"Louis! You in here?"
I could just make out Violet's voice from down the hall.