scars • clementine x louis

Chapter 29: The Skylight

Pitter, pat.

Pitter, pat. 

Pitter, pat.

The footsteps grew louder and louder as each second went by. Clementine looked around, cluelessly, to find nothing. She didn't understand who this mysterious girl was, or what she wanted. Was she one of the Delta? Was she friendly? Questions roamed around Clem's head, even though she knew they couldn't be answered. 

"Clem?" A voice called out. Clementine turned around and saw the man she loved devotedly, Louis, holding a pair of rabbits in one hand. He stepped closer, chuckling a little bit. He had noticed ever since Mitch, him, and Clem went to search the caravan, she had been acting strange. "Are... you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Clementine answered, trying her best to not break eye contact, making her seem even more suspicious. Louis sighed.

"C' mon, Clem. You've been acting weird ever since we went to the caravan. Just tell me what's going on."

"Nothing is going on, Louis." Clementine lied, her words becoming harsher each time he tempted her. "I just was a bit freaked out about the situation with Michael."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm fine. I promise." Clementine replied. Louis gave up, acknowledging she wasn't going to admit anything. He immediately knew she was lying, regarding how much time they had spent together. The way she talked harshly, the way she fiddled with her fingers, the way she never broke eye contact. It was just too easy for him to identify.

The two started walking down the dirt road in silence. It was too difficult to speak after the small argument. Louis finally broke the silence.

"Clem, I know something is wrong. You can tell me."

"Louis, I'm not lying. Why would you think I am?" Clementine inquired, knowing herself that it was obvious. Louis gave her a look, making her groan in annoyance. "Fine, fine. When we were at the caravan, AJ saw these footprints that made its way to the bushes behind the caravan. When I went over there, some girl pulled me in and told me to be quiet. She was about to tell me what her name was before you guys called me. She ran away after that."

"We have to tell the others," Louis said. Clementine looked down, unsure of what to say next.

"I... don't know. Can we... keep it a secret for now?" Clem muttered, hoping that Louis wouldn't hear her.

"What? Why?"

'Crap.'

"I don't know. Something about her was weird. She didn't hurt me even though she pulled me in. It was as if she didn't want to be found."

"Clem, if we don't tell the group, we'll be in even more danger."

"But I have a feeling--"

"That's it. You have a feeling. You're not certain, it's just a feeling. What our guts are telling us now isn't important anymore. We're in danger, Clem. If we slip up once, all of us will die. Either all at once or one by one." Louis reminded her. Clementine sighed in defeat. For some reason, she didn't want to rat out the girl. Why? Was she getting soft? Did all the time that Lee spent with her to teach her things go to waste?

"Fine, do what you want." Clem breathed out, shaking her head in disappointment.

"C' mon, don't get mad at me--" Louis began, his sentence getting cut off quickly.

"I'm not mad." Clem cut him off, looking back up. Louis looked at the brunette with one raised eyebrow. "I just think that she could be a good use to us. Y'know, like an alibi."

"What would we use her for? Directions to a new school?" Louis asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Clementine ignored the snarky comment and just smirked.

"No, but maybe she could show us to a different place. Just imagine, strong walls, good weapons, people that won't stab you in the back." Clementine said, making Louis laugh at the last part.

"I thought about that once. But... it was before everything went to shit."

"Really? How so?"

"Well..." Louis began as he brought his arm to Clem's waist, pulling her closer to him. Clementine laughed at the small gesture. "Remember how I told you about my mom and dad?"

Clementine smiled at the memory at the piano when Louis told the truth to her and made the relationship official. "Yeah?"

"...Before the divorce, my parents were building a house. I begged my dad to put in a skylight. Begged. 'Please, if you love me, you'll do it!' That shit definitely didn't work. So we made a deal. I got straight A's, he'd put in a skylight."

"And you remembered the skylight just now?"

Louis paused for a second, glancing at Clementine, then adverting his eyes to the dirt. "They never got to build the house. I don't even know what color it was gonna be." Louis added on, looking back up.

"Well, I hope it was really, really, really, bright yellow." Clem quipped, flashing a smug grin. Louis stared at her in awe. 

"Oh my god, why?" 

"Because then it would be loud and obnoxious. Just like you." 

Louis smirked, mimicking Clementine as he looked back at the road and chortled. "I accept this." Louis simply said. The couple kept walking as Louis let out a faint hum. "Okay, I'm starting to visualize the place. How many floors?"

"Um... nine... hundred... and fourteen." Clem stuttered, regarding that she had made it up on the spot. Louis gazed at her, blinking a few times.

"That's outrageous." He said, shaking his head. Clementine's grin had faded, replacing it with an awkward expression.

"...Yeah."

"I love it." Louis blurted out once again, making a smile form on both of their faces. "I like what I'm seeing, I could definitely live there. Gimme a last flourish, though. One thing to really bring it all together."

"How were your grades?" Clem inquired, silently hoping they were A's.

"They would've been straight A's!" Louis exclaimed, flashing the smile that Clem adored. She smiled as she leaned in closer, bumping her shoulder against his arm, regarding their height differences. 

"Then I guess we're putting in a skylight."

"Thanks, dad!"

"Uh... you're welcome, weirdo."

"We get back to the school, we are building that house."

"You really think we can?"

"I mean, I really hope we can." Louis expressing, intertwining his fingers with Clementine's. A faint blush appeared on Clem's face before the couple stopped. Louis set his hand on Clementine's cheek, gazing in her eyes. Their faces were inches apart until Clementine leaned in, filling the space between them. Louis' hands maneuvered down to her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

Louis backed Clementine up to a tree when their lips finally separated, making them each take deep breaths. The couple sat down against the tree, still panting. Louis glanced at Clementine, who was staring into space. He let out a chuckle.

"Wanna finish what we started?" Louis asked, on the verge of busting out laughing after noticing her reaction.

"What? No! I-- I mean... just... not here. Maybe when we get back?"

Louis quickly stood up, holding out his hand for her. Clementine gladly accepted the offer as he laughed. "Then we'd better go quickly." He said, walking over to the rabbits he had dropped.

Clem widened her eyes as she realized what he was referring to.

"Louis, shut up!"

*

The couple walked through the gates that were surprisingly already opened. Everyone in the school was surrounding something... or someone. Clementine ran over to the group and gasped in shock when she saw who was there. 

That girl from the caravan. But it wasn't just any girl... It was Molly.