The Paths That Tie (Clementine x Violet)

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To most, darkness is something suffocating. The emptiness that swallows people whole, the sudden coldness that follows. It has the capacity to drown people in its seemingly endless presence.

In this situation however, darkness was not the issue. Instead, it was the light of the dingy room that chilled Louis down to his core as a pair of vicious eyes stared him down walking in. As, the single lamp of the room served as something of intimidation rather than hope.

With the door shut tightly behind him and the blinds closed to such a degree that no outside light was able to peek through, the council room had suddenly become a place of interrogation for Clementine.

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(Five hours prior)

"Clem!" Aj called, as he rested his head against the wooden table.

The smell of syrup and bacon once again filled the household, as Lee was hard at work as usual making breakfast for Clementine and Aj. However, Clementine was seemingly out of it that particular Wednesday morning as she typed away at her phone.

"Hold on Kiddo. Let me finish typing this text up, then my attention is all yours." Clementine mumbled, as she rapidly finished up the conversation she was having on her phone.

Shutting her phone off and shoving it in her pocket, Clementine leaned her head against her propped up hand as she faced Aj. Who, smiled as Clementine was finally his to rattle off to.

"Today at school, my teacher told me that there's a guy coming in who's going to have all these different kinds of animals! Like birds, and lizards, and even a s-...Sl-o-uth?"

"I think you're trying to say sloth, kiddo." Aj's eyes lit up, as Clementine's words reminded him of the creature's name.

"Yeah! That's the one! I'm super excited!" Clementine couldn't help but laugh to herself, as she continued to watch Aj with adoring eyes.

Soon enough, breakfast sat in front of the two. Both stayed quiet, as they rushed to stuff food into their mouths to begin their individual days.

"You two should slow down sometimes, and actually savor what you have in front of you. I worked hard for that food to taste the way it does. Clem, do you remember the first time I tried cooking breakfast for us?" Lee asked, as he took his time eating the food in front of him.

"Definitely. The eggs were super watery, and the bacon was so burnt that it practically disintegrated by just picking it up." Aj laughed, while  Clementine paused to take a quick sip of orange juice.

"But...I couldn't complain. After all, it was the first time I had breakfast made for me ever since my parents passed away. The breakfast itself could've been just a shriveled up piece of toast, and I probably still would've been grateful that it was even made in the first place." Clementine recalled, as a smile took no hesitation to creep on her face.

"Sometimes, taking the time to slow down and enjoy what you have is a good thing. Our family right here at this table? It should be appreciated that we've been brought together this beautiful Wednesday morning, to eat together with the meal in front of us. I know Rebecca suddenly coming around again has made things a little tense around here, but you two should always remember that you have each other...No matter what." Lee advised, as he looked back and forth between Aj and Clementine.

Aj lowered his head, as he furrowed his brows just the slightest bit.

"You too, Lee." Lee looked confused, as Aj's words seemed too open ended for him to understand.