when the party's over

Chapter Three

Chapter Three (Written by Lauren)

Spending years on the road with a small child taught Clementine a lot. Mostly that to make sure AJ was safe and sound, sleep was a no-no. That his stomach was more important than her's. Being hungry for days - sometimes weeks, just to make sure he always had something to eat. Staying up all night and watching out for both of them.

Marie was constantly scolding her for this; if she was weak and exhausted all the time, what good would it do?

Well, it wasn't like she got no sleep. Marie and Rosie would look out for them, but she didn't want to put them in that danger. She would take one-hour breaks, two at most, then was back on her feet.

Which is why she was surprised when she woke up on something VERY comfortable.

First off, what the fuck? She felt like she slept for days. Jesus Christ, what happened?

Second, where the fuck? This wasn't Lightning McQueen. Where was she? Did she forget or something?

Her eyes fluttered open, looking around the room. It looked like something out of a high school movie. A closet in the corner, a ceiling fan that wasn't spinning (obviously), a bunk bed opposite where Clementine was at.

She noticed Marie sitting on the bunk bed, staring out of the window. Beneath it was a cabinet with a medical box on it, some supplies laid out on the table.

That's when she noticed the absence of a certain child and quickly sat up - pain flooding her wrist as she was pulled back by the restraint, briefly wincing.

"AJ!"

"Woah- easy, Clem!" Marie quickly jumped off the bed and approached her, a wary look on her face. "Easy there."

Clementine pulled off the tape no problem, sitting up properly as she looked at her dæmon. "What happened? Do you know where we are?"

"You crashed," Marie deadpanned. "And now we're here. I passed out, you passed out, I woke up just before you."

Okay, well, fuck. That's just great. They were in an unknown place, separated from AJ.

"What is this place?" Clementine asked as she stood up, looking around the room once more before meeting eyes with Marie. "Looks like some sort of dorm room."

"Probably," the cougar agreed, "they patched you up." Clementine raised a hand to her head and felt soft material wrapped around it, a bit wet near her right temple. "If they helped us, they may not be that bad."

She ignored the comment and pulled open a drawer. Marie watched curiously as Clem took out a book titled "Memories" and flipped through it. Recognizing none of those people, she put it back where it was.

This time she aimed for the closet, pulling it open and looking inside. Altering her gaze upwards she noticed a toolbox and reached for it, though wasn't tall enough.

Marie gave a laugh, "you're so tiny."

"Shut up, you try living off of a bag of chips for multiple weeks," Clem shot back with a playful glare.

"Okay, okay, fine. Try the chair."

With the help of the chair, Clementine reached the box and carried it over to the table. As soon as she opened it she noticed a palette knife, picking it up and waving it around briefly. "This could work."

"You could pick the lock with it," Marie suggested, sitting down. "We've done that a few times already."

"Exactly," she replied as she approached the locked door. Taking a deep breath she inserted the knife and twisted it around, a quiet click echoing through the room as the lock gave out.