Light- Clementine/Louis, Clouis, Louisentine

Chapter 9

Louis let out a deep sigh as he turned onto his back, staring up at Aasims now empty bunk. It was only a few hours until morning, but he just couldn't fall asleep. His mind was filled with the events of the night, Violets screams echoing in his ears as she was dragged away by the collar of her shirt, the sight of her collapsing into the cage.

He still felt like he could have done something. If maybe he was just that bit stronger, to throw off that raider. If he was just that bit quicker, to take out the raider that was dragging her away. If he hadn't got himself into danger, and Clementine didn't have to rescue him instead of Violet...

"Louis?"

He jumps at the sound, sitting up as quick as possible. His head slams into the bottom of the bunk in the process, hissing at the pain as he brings a hand up to rub at the sore spot.

Clementine is stood sheepishly at his door, eyes wide in shock at the sight of him very nearly knocking himself out.

"Sorry, hadn't noticed you there." He tells her, bringing his arm back down from his head, turning to sit on the side of his bed.
"You okay?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that." She jokes with a laugh, looking to his head.

"Hmm, that depends. Is there supposed to be two of you right now?"

She smiles at this, but it doesn't quite seem to be reaching her eyes. Noticing this, he pats the space next to him in invitation.

Louis watches as she approaches, sitting in the offered spot and nervously twiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"I just... Needed to be with someone for the moment. I finally got AJ to sleep but couldn't quite get to sleep myself. Too many... Thoughts." She tells him with a sad smile, still staring down at her hands.

"Something particular on your mind?"

Clementine pauses her movements at this, exhaling deeply.

"I should be thinking over the plan. How to get Abel to talk, how we're going to get everyone back, but... I can't stop thinking about Lilly." Clementines face contorts in disgust at her name.

"You said you knew her before, right? Was she always, y'know..."

"An asshole?"

"Well..."

Clementine shakes her head sadly, staring out the nearby window to the night sky, scattered stars shining down on them.

"I was only eight when this whole thing started, so I didn't really know exactly what was happening. She wasn't the nicest person in the world, but she wasn't the way she was now."

Louis nods at her words, encouraging her to continue.

"Honestly, she was my friend. In fact-" Clementine reaches up to her curls, grabbing a hold of the section that had been tied up.
"She gave me this hair tie a long time ago. I was a kid, and she treated me like one. Would play with me, would draw with me. But... Her dad, Larry, didnt really have any time for that. And what he said, we had to do. And she followed him no matter what. At least, that was what they both thought should happen.
When she lost her dad, she changed. There was a disagreement over one of the guys that were staying with us, and she wanted him gone. Carley, a woman that had been with us as long as everyone else, refused to let Lilly order us around, wouldn't just let her kick Ben out."

"Well, Carley sounds like a great person" Louis tells her honestly

"Yeah, she is. She was."

"Was?"