It's been almost eight months since they left the farm. Despite Rick killing Shane, Emily and Carl remained the best of friends. This changes when feelings that weren't there before spark up and change their friendship forever.
When the group finds...
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Change.
People change. That's what they do. They change attitude, perspective, even their feelings. I've found that people change people. Situations change people, too.
When the situation changes the person can change, or choose to remain the same.
Shane changed.
He changed the second Rick stepped out of that moving van. The second Lori and Carl saw his face again. The second he realized he had lost his chance with Lori.
I guess I had changed in that moment, too. I realized that I was happy when Carl was happy. All my life I never believed that your happiness relied on someone else's until that moment.
That moment. The smile on his face. The gleam in his crystal blue eyes. Pure unforgettable happiness radiated from him and affected me, but ruined Shane's.
He saw the way we looked at Rick with love and admiration. He wanted that. He wanted Lori and Carl to be his, so he changed. In this world, you either die a hero in the eyes of the ones you love or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
He became the villain, and was killed because of his change. It changed the group, but most importantly, it changed Rick. He was our dictator now. This was no longer a democracy.
Rick changed.
Just like the seasons. Summer turned to fall, and fall turned to a brutal winter. With the farm gone, we were left with no place to stay and still being chased by the huge herd. We moved around endlessly searching for a safe haven that many of us were losing faith that there even was one.
Throughout our constant moving, I couldn't decide which one was more cold and brutal. The winter weather or Rick Grimes. His attitude was cold and demanding now. It was like the sweet father of my best friend had disappeared a long time ago.
Carl changed.
You always see the movies or read the books where the underdog turns into the badass. Well Carl embraced that change. He wanted to prove to his parents that he was no longer a little kid. He was mature when it came to protecting the group.
I rarely ever saw him goof around anymore. Though there were still times I could make him smile or somewhat laugh, he was always on edge. He was ready to protect us at any cost.
I changed.
I didn't want to. I still have the side of me that just wants to hang out with Carl or listen to Beth sing, but it isn't as much as it used to be. I've become more reserved, especially with my feelings.
And speaking of feelings, they've changed as well. I find myself thinking of Carl more. I didn't know how to feel about him. The past eight months we've learned more about each other in a way we haven't before. It was just different.
