Secure// Ellie Williams

Ellie Williams

I was 14 years old when I met Ellie. 15 when we became friends. I met her after she and Joel tried going through our walls at our turbine plant and Maria almost shot him. This was one of the few times when Maria and Tommy let me leave Jackson and go outside with them. After my mom died my aunt Maria grew extremely strict on me, not really letting me go outside of Jackson and gave me jobs like watching over the kids in Jackson and moving some stuff around. She taught me how to survive out there but never let me use the skills in action. When I met Ellie I felt like her opposite- she had so much experience on the outside and very, uh, colourful language and I had little-to-no experience and rarely ever swear. I think that's why we worked so well. She was tough and I was soft. That day I met Ellie caused all of the changes in my life.

"You, uh, you got a daughter?" Joel asked Tommy after he saw me run out and hug Tommy and Maria, standing in the middle between them as I look at the new people here.

"Yeah, as good as." Tommy told Joel. I looked up and smiled at Joel, finally being able to put a face to a name I heard so much about.

"Hi, I'm Lily. It's nice to meet you." 

"Joel," He tells me as I shake his hand, then I look over at the girl, "Ellie," she tells me. I smile at her and she returns it timidly.

"Well why don't we get some food into you guys. Ellie, right? You hungry?" Maria asks her.

"Starving." Maria nods at her as we all go inside and let the two brothers catch up.

When Ellie and Joel came to Jackson after completing their trip to the fireflies they started to get immersed into the Jackson community. It took a while for Ellie to start opening up to all of us, but she always worked really hard. Something that was appreciated in our community. I found out she was immune the same time as Maria- I happened to walk in at the right time.

"That's so cool!" I jump into the room with the talking adults.

"Lily, we told you to go outside this conversation is for the adults." Maria told me sternly.

"I know but I just came in to grab something and happened to hear what you guys were talking about. I'm not gonna tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. Is that why Ellie has the chemical burn? To hide her bite?"

"Yes. Now Lily we're serious, no one outside of this room can know." Tommy tells me.

"I know. I promise I won't tell a soul." 

Ellie and I were extremely close until we were 16 and then she stopped talking to me for some reason. One day we were just hanging out in her room and we were reading comic books together, well Ellie was reading the comic book and I watched, and after that night she stopped talking to me. She gave me no explanation. I tried to reach out to her a ton of times, but she always ran away so at some point I just had to stop. After that I then spent most of my time with my best friends Adam, who I've known since we were babies, Alaina and my boyfriend Evan. We started dating when we were 16 and broke up right before I was 18. The worst part was that as soon as I got Evan, I lost Ellie; and then Ellie began to date Cat, so I watched her get close with her and become best friends with Jesse and Dina. Adam and Jesse were really good friends, and I've been friends with Jesse and Dina for years, so I always saw Ellie but she would just look past me like I was never there. While she was with Cat she got a tattoo to cover up her chemical burn, or really just her bite, and they dated from when Ellie was 17 to when she was 18. We are both 19 now and we're still the same. Just two people who used to be friends. 

Tommy and Joel were upset when Ellie and I stopped being friends. I was her first friend in Jackson and we did everything together. I know Adam was a little jealous of Ellie, and her of Adam, but even then we made it work. 

I walk into one of the small parties the teens/young adults like to throw. Normally every few weeks someone will throw a party for us to just chill, drink and let loose. It's not like the community parties, this is more like a high school party in the old world. The first thing I do is walk over to the table and grab a beer. Once I've got one I scan the room for anyone I could go talk to. When I spot Adam I immediately smile and walk over. I'm a bit disappointed when I see he's talking to Jesse, Dina and Ellie, but I suck it up because screw Ellie. 

"Hey stranger haven't seen you in a while."

Adam looks over at me when he hears my voice. He smirks and looks at me, "Hey. Why don't you talk to your mom on not putting me on so many patrols. Maybe then I won't be such a stranger." Everyone here refers to Tommy and Maria as my mom and dad which I don't mind because they practically are. I love my birth mom, but she died before I could really remember her. 

"Well at least you get patrols. They only just let me off of group patrol and onto partner and she barely lets me patrol. She mostly just has me in the school with the kids."

"Well at least they love ya huh?" I punch his arm and turn to Jesse and Dina, ignoring Ellie.

"Hey Dina, Jesse." Ellie moves uncomfortably next to them. Good, it's her fault we aren't friends anymore. 

"Hey Lils, Evan looks like he's having fun over there." Jesse tells me, pointing over at my ex-boyfriend Evan. When I look over I see he's making out with some girl in the corner. I scrunch my face up at the scene and look back over to my friends, and Ellie.

"Well people got needs right."

"You don't care?" Ellie asks me, which is surprising since she only seems to speak to me when she has to.

"No, we've been broken up for over a year now. We can both do whoever the hell we want now."

"Speaking of doing whoever the hell we want look over there." Adam tells me as he points at Caleb- my, uh, special friend. I smirk at Adam, "Well looks like I'm busy for the night. See ya later guys."

"Just don't get pregnant!" Adam yells at me and I turn around and give him a wink. The thing about me is that I'm nice to everyone here, and I wanted to keep the happiness and love that my mom mentioned in her letter to Maria. I try to do that, but in a world where you could die at any moment I want to have the most fun I can. I'm just not an idiot when it comes to it. 

"Hey Caleb, nice to see you here."

"Hey Lily, nice to see you here." I finish my drink and Caleb hands me a new one. We talk about just about anything until we both feel buzzed enough to leave and go to his place. We will never go to mine because if Tommy ever found anyone in my bed he would kill them, and when I go to these he lets himself think I stayed over at Alaina's rather than anywhere else.

"Wanna get out of here?" Caleb asks me. I nod at him and grab his hand as we head out of the party. I look across the room and make eye contact with Ellie. She just watches Caleb and I as we leave the party, a slightly sad expression on her face. I don't know why though- she stopped being friends with me not the other way around. I just look away from her because I start to feel guilty. Why should I feel guilty? I wasn't the one that ruined everything! I mean sure I miss her, but she hurt me. Once she started ignoring me it broke my heart, it hurt more than any breakup or fights I've ever had.

Ellie Williams is the person who hurt me the most. More than I've ever been hurt.

When we get to Calebs he pulls me into a rough kiss and backs me up towards the bed. We tear off each others clothes as we claw at each other both looking to feel something for the night. After we've finished I hear his soft snores beside me. I try to go to sleep, but all I can see is Ellie's sad eyes as I leave the party with Caleb.

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Authors Note:

Hi! This is my first chapter of my new story! If you haven't already, go check out my other story A Breath of Fresh Air// Ellie Williams. I just had so much fun writing all about Jackson in that book I wanted to write a little more lighthearted book here. 

This book will be mostly/all about life in Jackson. I will not be following the last of us part 2 in this story. It will be a lot more light heartened with only maybe a few references to the first and second game.

I hope you enjoy!