NO LIGHT. ✹ E.W.

xii.

𝟰 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗚𝗢.

You watched with an amused grin on your lips at the sight unfolding across from you. Some days prior Tommy and Maria had welcomed his brother to the community and, along with him, a girl your age.

The girl, soft auburn hair and gauze around her upper right arm, stealthily-you could see her-slid another bag of jerky into her pocket, glancing side to side before repeating the action. You'd noticed that she made a habit of stealing the jerky on most days, she was usually there with her father-you assumed the man was her father-around the time you and your cousin showed up to stock the crops from the garden.

Unaware of your curious eyes the girl attempts to slip away from the jerky, eyes scanning the room until she lands on Joel Miller. Before she can retreat to safety you slip past the shelf you were hidden behind, sliding next to her.

"You know," you speak, startling the girl, "if you're going to steal the jerky you might try being more subtle?"

She cracks the smallest smile, nervous and humored at the same time. "Are you gonna tell?" She wonders, shoving her hands into her overly jerky stuffed pockets.

"No." You smile, pulling your jacket open to reveal a hidden pocket. "Here, I'll take them out for you. You're going to get caught one day with those bulging pockets, dummy."

Ellie cracks a smile at you as she hesitantly begins removing jerky from her pockets and stuffing it inside the pocket of your jacket. Once she's sure they're safe and sound she makes a move for the door, waiting for you to follow. You do not follow, however.

"I'll bring them to your house this evening," you tell her, an innocent smile greeting her accusating eyes.

She exhales steadily, brushing loose hair away from her eyes. "Why not now?"

"Well-" you pause to gesture back at the crop section-"I have to finish up here, new girl. You're welcome to help me, be a lot quicker and you can get your precious jerky faster."

Ellie pauses, realizing this means she has to socialize with someone other than Joel, and shuffles. The right toe of her sneakers brush against the wooden floor lazily as she thinks it over. What could be the downside? Tommy and Maria said she could make friends didn't they?

To tempt the hesitant girl you fish a packet of the jerky from your pocket, dangling it like a prize in front of her. "C'mon, I don't bite. I'm Y/N," You tell her, extending the bag for her to take.

After a moment of debating it in her head she sighs, reaching forward to collect the plastic bag from your hand.

"Ellie."

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗦 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘. . .

"Well, I'm just happy you're back," Maria's voice echoes from downstairs, muffled from the floor separating you. Her conversation flows smoothly with Ellie, light conversation about what the community had been up to while you were gone floating up every few minutes.