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Looking out the window, Elodie pressed her cheek against the cool surface, her eyes almost falling shut. She resisted sleep, knowing they were on their way to the farm the woman had mentioned. T-Dog sat in the passenger seat, wrapped in a blanket, occasionally groaning in pain. Glenn was behind the wheel, muttering to himself every now and then.

Wen they had returned to the highway, they had decided that Glenn, T-Dog, and Elodie would head to the farm where Carl, Rick, and Lori were, to check it out and get T-Dog the help he needed. He had taken some painkillers from Merle's 'stash' that Daryl had given him, though Elodie wasn't sure what 'stash' meant. Regardless, T-Dog was still feeling unwell.

She fought off sleep, not wanting to miss anything and wanting to see Carl. The woman had assured them he was alive, but it had been a couple of hours since then. Things could change drastically in a matter of hours.

After a while of driving, a large white house came into view. Elodie pulled away from the window and leaned forward between Glenn and T-Dog, eyes widening. It was too dark to see if it was a farm, but she could make out a white house. The lights were on, indicating someone was still awake.

"Come on," Glenn nudged T-Dog, opening the car door and stepping outside.

Elodie climbed back into the backseat, opened her door, and hopped out of the car, joining T-Dog and Glenn. Once she reached their side, Glenn placed a hand on her shoulder, and the three of them approached the house.

"It's big," Elodie observed.

"Pretty big, yeah," Glenn replied quietly. Elodie nodded slowly, understanding she needed to keep her voice down. It was nighttime. Walkers.

They ascended the steps but stopped before reaching the door. Glenn glanced awkwardly at T-Dog. "So, do we ring the bell? I mean, it looks like people live here."

T-Dog huffed, shaking his head. "We're past this kinda stuff, aren't we? Having to be considerate."

"Can I press it, please?" Elodie asked, smiling eagerly at Glenn.

He nodded, patting her shoulder. "Yeah, 'course. Go on."

With that, they continued up the steps, Elodie eyeing the house in awe. She thought it was beautiful. She wondered if it was a big farm and if they had any cool animals, like sheep. They had horses, because the woman came to get Lori on one. Elodie wondered if she'd be able to pet one of the horses.

"Did ya close the gate up the road when ya drove in?" a voice said, and they whirled their heads around to where the voice came from, seeing the woman from earlier sitting on a chair outside, as if waiting for them. She had her legs pulled up to her knees, her arms tightly wrapped around them.

"Uh—hi," Glenn greeted awkwardly. "Yes, we closed it. Did the latch and everything."

The woman lowered her feet back to the ground, resting her elbows on her knees and looking at the three. She smiled kindly at Elodie, the girl shying away behind Glenn, but smiling back nonetheless. The woman then looked at Glenn, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Hello. Nice to see you again," he said with a nod. "We met before, briefly."

"Look, we came to help," T-Dog said, silencing Glenn. "Is there anything we can do?"

The woman stood up and walked toward them, but paused when her eyes fell on T-Dog's bloodied and patched-up arm.

"It's not a bite. I cut myself pretty bad, though," he clarified.

"We'll have it looked at," the woman said, her smile returning. "I'll tell 'em you're here."

"We, uh, have some painkillers and antibiotics," Glenn said before she could walk off, reaching into his bag and taking out the pills, showing them to the woman. "I already gave him some. If Carl needs any..."

"Come on inside," the woman said with a nod, opening the door behind her. "I'll make ya somethin' to eat." She smiled at Elodie, gesturing for her to enter the house first. She was kind of disappointed she didn't get to press the doorbell, but she went inside anyway.

The interior was cozy and inviting, with warm colors and vintage furniture that gave the space a charming, homely atmosphere.

"Whoa," Elodie whispered, unable to contain her admiration.

The woman smiled warmly at Elodie's reaction, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Glad ya like it," she said, ushering the girl further into the house.

"Can we see Carl first, please?" Elodie asked, knowing she won't be able to eat if her stomach was churning in worry for her friend.

"Yeah, sure thing. C'mon," the woman said, placing a hand on Elodie's shoulder and guiding her to the room where Carl, Rick, and Lori were.

As they reached it, the woman slowly opened the door, and Elodie held her breath when she saw the young boy laid on the bed. His eyes were closed, and his skin was pale. Rick and Lori sat by his side, holding his hand, heads bowed down. Carl was linked to an IV, the covers covering him up to his lower stomach. An elderly man sat on the other side of him, a stethoscope hung around his neck. It looked like Carl was sick, maybe even dying.

Glenn kept Elodie by his side when he saw the terrified look on her face, slowly taking off his hat. "Hey," he said, announcing their presence.

Rick barely looked up as he replied, "Hey."

"Um, we're here, okay?" Glenn said carefully, also looking at Carl.

"Thank you," Lori said with a small nod, but her attention remained on Carl.

"Whatever you need," T-Dog added.

Glenn then gently guided Elodie out of the room, though against her will. She wanted to stay and hug Carl. She wanted to talk to him. Nevertheless, she reluctantly complied, knowing she had to give Rick and Lori time with Carl, even though she wanted to be by his side. Besides, she was really hungry. And tired.

The woman led them to the kitchen, standing behind the counter and placing her hands on it, leaning forward to look at Elodie. "What kind of food d'ya like? We have a few options."

"Um," Elodie started, tapping her fingers against her leg, glancing at Glenn for help. "I don't know."

"Should I tell ya what we got here?" The woman asked, smiling sweetly at Elodie.

"Yes, please," Elodie said with a nod.

"Alright, so," the woman slightly raised her eyebrows, thinking. "We got sandwiches, cereal, spaghetti, soup, carrots, and more. Anything ya like?"

"Can I have some carrots, please?" Elodie asked, not feeling up for hot food or bread. And she liked carrots, so it was fine.

"Comin' right up," the woman said, her tone cheery. She turned to Glenn and T-Dog, smiling at them too. "I'll get the two of ya food too, don't worry. Ladies first, right?"

Elodie stifled a grin, stepping slightly behind Glenn. She really liked this woman, even though she didn't even know her name. That was okay; she could still like her, right? She was pretty and nice.

It didn't take long before the woman slid a bowl of carrots Elodie's way, the girl stopping it before it slid off the counter. She peered inside, seeing a bunch of carrots cut up in it. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," the woman replied before pointing to a room. "Ya can go inside the livin' room while we stitch up your friend, okay?"

Elodie glanced at Glenn and T-Dog, receiving a nod of approval from Glenn. She grabbed the bowl off the counter and turned to where the woman pointed, spotting the room. She headed over, her eyes immediately landing on the couch.

Standing in the doorway, she hesitated. She was really dirty, so sitting on the couch would be rude, wouldn't it? She looked back to the kitchen, seeing another woman walking in with medical supplies. Catching the brown haired woman's eye, Elodie received a half nod, as if asking what was wrong.

Not wanting to bother her, Elodie shook her head. The woman chuckled before approaching Elodie, looking down at her. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm dirty. I can't sit on the couch," Elodie explained awkwardly, tapping her finger against the bowl in her hands.

"It's all right. Nothin' we can't clean," the woman reassured, gently guiding Elodie to the couch. Once seated, the woman patted her shoulder before leaving the room. "My name's Maggie, by the way. If ya need anything, I'm right here. You eat your carrots now, get some food in that stomach of yours."

"'Kay," Elodie murmured, bouncing slightly on the couch once Maggie was gone, grinning. The couch was softer and bouncier than the seats in the RV. The fabric felt soft beneath her fingertips, and she couldn't help but relax.

She glanced down at the bowl of carrots, suddenly remembering how hungry she was. She began to nibble on them, savoring the simple pleasure of food.

As she ate, Elodie's gaze wandered around the living room. It was cozy, with soft lighting and comfortable furniture. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace, casting a gentle glow across the room. Elodie's eyes wandered over the shelves lined with books and family photos. There must be one big family living here, because there were quite a lot of people in the photos.

Taking another bite from her carrots, she looked outside. It was pitch-black. She had noticed there were no walkers at the farm, at least not any she could see. That must mean it was a safe place, right? Maybe they had a bunch of large fences set up around the farm.

〰

The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room where Elodie lay fast asleep on the couch. Her blonde curls spilled haphazardly across the cushions, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm as she slept. Her arms were sprawled out along the cushions, her mouth open ever so slightly.

Daryl stepped through the doorway, his boots thudding softly against the floorboards as he made his way into the room. He paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on Elodie's sleeping form on the couch. She looked peaceful, for once. She wasn't stirring, wasn't groaning in her sleep. She was just sleeping.

With a gentle hand, he reached out and lightly shook Elodie's shoulder, his voice a low murmur. "Hey, kid. Time to wake up."

Elodie flinched at the touch, her eyelids fluttering open as she blinked sleepily up at Daryl. "What?" she muttered groggily. She hadn't even heard Daryl arrive at the farm.

"Time to wake up, c'mon," Daryl said, nodding his head toward the door of the farm.

"Huh?" Elodie exclaimed sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Daryl sighed and leaned over her, inspecting her ears. No device. She wasn't wearing her hearing aids. Someone must have taken them off for her when she fell asleep. He knew she had just fallen asleep on the couch because of the way she was laying. It was quite a sight.

Instead of trying to mouth words, Daryl jabbed his thumb toward the front door, making Elodie groan.

"Nooo," she whined, turning around so her back faced Daryl. "I don't wanna."

"Ya gotta," Daryl said, huffing to himself after realizing she couldn't hear him. She knew that damn well, that was exactly why she had turned around. With a sigh, he reached out and gently tugged on her arm, coaxing her to sit up.

"No," she said firmly, not cooperating at all, only trying to push her weight back on the couch.

Daryl sighed in annoyance and released her arm, causing Elodie to flop back onto the cushions. Undeterred, she turned onto her side again, her back still to him.

"Jesus Christ," Daryl muttered, looking around the room. Why did he have to be the one to wake her up? Everyone was outside, preparing for Otis' funeral, and he somehow got stuck with this task.

His eyes fell on a notepad and pen laid on the fireplace, so he quickly grabbed it. He placed his foot on the coffee table, using his knee to keep the notepad steady as he wrote. Once finished, he tore the page off and placed it directly in front of Elodie's face on the couch.

She snatched it up and read the message.

Everyone is outside. Get up.

Elodie grumbled and crumpled the paper, tossing it over her shoulder in a half-hearted attempt to hit Daryl. Her efforts were in vain, as it only brushed against his shoulder. Nonetheless, his attempt worked, because she swung her legs over the edge of the couch and pushed herself upright. Rubbing her eyes once more, she peered past Daryl and through the window.

Outside, the RV and their cars were parked, along with the rest of the group. A small smile tugged at Elodie's lips as she glanced back at Daryl.

"Yeah, ya awake now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Elodie replied, tilting her head in confusion.

"Nevermind," Daryl muttered, tapping Elodie's back to urge her to go outside.

Still groggy from sleep, she made her way to the door. She could see the faint outlines of the others through the frosted glass, their figures blurry. She opened the door, and immediately everyone's eyes went to her. Oh, how she hated that.

"Hi," she muttered. As she stepped outside, the cool morning air hit her face, instantly waking her up. She blinked in the bright sunlight, squinting against the glare as she made her way toward the group gathered outside.

She furrowed her eyebrows at Carol's slight flinch, followed by her clasping a hand over her mouth in realization and turning around, shaking her head. Lori was quick to walk over to her and give her a side hug, rubbing her back. Elodie was confused. Why did Carol act so surprised, and then so disappointed?

Jumping herself, she let out a tiny gasp when she felt Dale bring an arm around her, hugging her to his chest. He ruffled her hair, pulling away to say something to her, but she couldn't hear what.

"Huh?" she said. Dale furrowed his brow in confusion, his smile lingering, so Elodie shook her head and tugged her hair behind her ear, turning her head to show him. When she looked back at him, he nodded with a single point of his finger, as if saying: got it.

She then looked past Dale, almost snorting to herself when she saw Shane. What was once a full, brown bush of hair was now nothing but smooth skin on his head. All of his hair was gone. He was wearing a funny farmer's outfit, too. If he had been standing with his back turned to her, Elodie would have never recognized him.

"Why's his hair gone?" Elodie wondered out loud, maybe a little too loud, because Shane whipped his head around to her, staring her down.

"Okay," Daryl said quickly, grabbing Elodie's shoulder and turning her around, guiding her back inside the house.

Elodie stumbled slightly as Daryl guided her back inside the house, his grip firm but gentle on her shoulder. She shot a puzzled glance over her shoulder at Shane, who still stood outside with a fierce expression on his newly bald head, his eyes boring into her with a mixture of irritation and suspicion.

Once inside, Daryl released his hold on her shoulder and closed the door behind them with a soft click.

"Why's Shane's hair gone?" Elodie repeated her question. "He had hair yesterday, but it's gone now. What happened to it? Why's he look like a farmer?"

"Beats me," Daryl mumbled, walking over to the coffee table to see if Elodie's hearing aids were placed there. He sifted through the items on the table, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"What're ya lookin' for?" Elodie asked, and Daryl waved his hand behind his back, gesturing for her to quiet down. Was she being too loud again? She could barely hear anything; she couldn't tell.

As Daryl scanned the coffee table for Elodie's hearing aids, a soft voice interrupted his search. Turning around, he saw Beth, one of Hershel's two daughters, approaching, a small smile on her face as she held out a familiar pair of devices.

"Here ya go," Beth said, offering the hearing aids to the Daryl. "I took 'em off for her and cleaned 'em. I know ya aren't really supposed to sleep with 'em, and I saw she had fallen asleep on the couch. Thought I'd help her out and put them somewhere safe."

"Thanks," Daryl muttered, nudging Elodie. She had figured out what he was looking for, and was now tossing pillows aside in a frantic attempt to look for the hearing aids.

Lightly flinching at the nudge, she looked up, eyes brightening as she took the devices from Daryl's hand, quickly inspecting them to make sure they were undamaged. With a grateful smile, she inserted the devices into her ears.

"I'll go 'n help everyone set up that guy's funeral," Daryl told Elodie. She nodded, watching as he left the room and exited out the front door, disappearing out of sight.

"'Kay," she mumbled in response only after the door had closed, shuffling her feet along the carpet beneath her.

〰

Elodie sat on the grass just outside Hershel's farm, idly picking at the blades beneath her fingertips. It was quite warm outside, but she appreciated the shade the nearby tree provided. It felt weird to admit, but she was incredibly bored.

Daryl was out searching for Sophia, so she couldn't go to him. She didn't know what she'd do or say, but he would've been company, which she lacked at the moment.

Glenn and Maggie were out, too. They had gone on a run to the pharmacy to get more antibiotics and other medical supplies. They had been gone for a while already.

Lori, Carol and Shane were also gone. They had driven off about half an hour ago to go back to the highway, checking to see if Sophia was there. Apparently they had left behind food and water for her if she were to return. Elodie really hoped she did. She missed her friend.

Carl was sleeping, so she couldn't sit with him. She'd done that a few hours ago. She was allowed to take a pack of uno cards with her that she borrowed from Maggie, so she and Carl had been playing uno for a while. It was one of the only games she was good at, really. Though, she let Carl win, because he was the one in pain. Rick came back inside after a while and told Elodie that Carl needed to get some sleep, leaving her with nothing but time to kill.

She sighed and leaned back against the trunk of a nearby tree, staring up at the branches swaying gently in the breeze. She wished she had something to do to pass the time. Maybe she could take a walk around the farm, explore a bit. But she didn't want to wander off too far in case Daryl or the others returned and couldn't find her.

They'd had the funeral for a guy named Otis. Long before everyone got to the farm, Shane and him had planned to make a quick run to the city to get Hershel the supplies he needed to help Carl. A lot of things went wrong, though, because Shane said Otis sacrificed himself so Shane could live.

The story was a little strange to Elodie, especially because Shane had shaved his hair off when he came back. She still didn't know why, because Daryl just scoffed at her every time she asked why Shane's hair was gone all of a sudden. 

Maybe he thought she was weird.

Weird.

Elodie shuffled her books nervously as she made her way down the crowded hallway of her school. The chatter of students echoed around her, but to Elodie, it was all just a jumble of noise. She adjusted her hearing aids, trying to block out the overwhelming cacophony.

As she rounded a corner, her heart sank when she spotted Daria and her group of friends up ahead. Elodie had learned to avoid them whenever possible, but today, it seemed she wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, look, it's Deafo!" Daria called out, her voice dripping with mockery as she caught sight of Elodie.

Her stomach twisted into knots as she tried to slip past unnoticed, but Daria stepped into her path, blocking her way with a smirk.

Her eyes gleamed with malice as she looked down at Elodie. "What's the matter, Deafo? Can't hear us? Or are ya just too weird to talk to anyone?" she taunted, her friends snickering behind her.

Elodie felt a flush of embarrassment creeping up her cheeks as she clenched her jaw, fighting to hold back tears. "Can ya move, please? I gotta go to class," she muttered.

"Huh?" Daria said, cupping a hand around her ear and leaning closer to the blonde. "Oh, look! I know what it's like to be you now! Isn't that cool?"

"Sure," Elodie mumbled, picking at the skin around her finger. She eyed the clock hung on the wall to her side, seeing she only had one minute left of break. "Can I go, please?"

"Hm." Daria tapped her chin, as if lost in thought. She then widened her eyes in mock surprise, as if she had just gotten the greatest idea known to man. "Only if ya say please."

"I just did," Elodie responded, eyes narrowing in irritation.

"I'd like ya to say it again."

Elodie pinched the skin on her fingers, feeling the heat of humiliation rising in her cheeks. "Please," she muttered through clenched teeth, her voice barely audible.

Daria's smirk widened, relishing in Elodie's discomfort for a moment longer before finally stepping aside with a dramatic flourish.

"Fine, ya can go," Daria said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. Before she could say anything more, a stern voice interrupted her.

"What's going on here?"

They turned to see their history teacher striding towards them with a disapproving frown.

Daria quickly plastered on a fake smile, attempting to appear innocent. "Oh, nothing, Mr. Thompson. We were just—"

Mr. Thompson held up a hand, cutting her off. "I don't want to hear it. Both of you should be in class right now. Move along."

With a scowl, Daria stepped aside, shooting Elodie a glare. "Weirdo," she mouthed, turning back around as her shoulders shook from laughter with her friends trailing beside her.

"Elodie?" a sing-songy voice mused from in front of her, making Elodie raise her head so quickly she bumped it against the tree she was leaning against.

"Ow," she murmured, rubbing the back of her head with a slight frown. She looked up to see Beth, prompting the younger girl to smile. "Hi."

"So," Beth started, sitting herself down on her knees in front of Elodie. She placed a book on the grass between them that Elodie hadn't even noticed she was holding, turning a few pages until she found the one she liked. "D'ya know sign language?"

Elodie furrowed her brow, shaking her head. "What's that?"

With widened eyes, Beth said, "Are ya serious? Did your parents never teach ya?"

"Mm-mm," Elodie hummed with another shake of her head, confusion lingering on her face. Her mother had never mentioned anything about 'sign language'. Elodie wondered if the language was difficult to speak. She struggled with Spanish; one class had been enough to make her want to burst into tears.

"Weird," Beth said, straightening her back and tapping the book, not catching the slight frown on Elodie's face. "Well, I was thinkin', maybe we could learn together? I've been interested in this kind of stuff for a while, and I wanted to learn."

"Is it hard?" Elodie asked.

"I don't know." A light chuckle escaped Beth's lips as she looked at Elodie. "I've only read about it."

"Oh." Looking down at the book, Elodie tilted her head in confusion. There weren't many words on the page, mostly drawings. "Why are there drawings?"

"'Cause it's sign language," Beth explained. "It's a different kind of language. Ya use your hands for it."

Elodie hummed in response, already way more interested than she was a minute ago. She didn't have to worry about pronouncing things wrong and embarrassing herself, so that was good. Maybe this language would be easier for her because she didn't have to use her mouth.

"I wanna try," Elodie said with a nod of her head.

Beth's eyes lit up at Elodie's willingness to give sign language a try. "That's great!" she exclaimed, her excitement visible. "We can start right now if ya want."

Shifting closer to Beth, Elodie nodded eagerly. Beth began flipping through the book again, returning to the first page where the basic signs were. "See, this one means 'hello'," she explained, holding her hand up with her fingers slightly curled and her palm facing inward. She then brought her hand up towards her forehead and moved it slightly forward in a small arc.

Elodie watched closely, her eyes focused on Beth's hand movements. She mimicked the gesture as best as she could, her fingers trembling slightly with uncertainty.

"Like this?" Elodie asked, glancing up at Beth for confirmation.

Beth's smile widened at Elodie's attempt. "Almost! Just make sure your fingers are a little more relaxed, like this."

She gently adjusted Elodie's hand, guiding her fingers into the correct position. Elodie nodded in understanding, feeling a need to get it right.

Beth nodded, her smile encouraging. "Yeah, now ya got it! That's perfect."

Elodie's face broke out into a grin, beaming as she looked at Beth. She had done it! She repeated the gesture a few more times, her grin widening each time. Beth then smiled and responded by doing the same gesture, making Elodie clap her hands in excitement.

"Now ya know how to say 'hello' in sign language. Pretty cool, huh?" Beth said, grinning as well.

"So cool," Elodie confirmed. "What's next?"

Beth chuckled softly, flipping through the book to find the next sign they could learn together. Elodie patiently watched her study the little images, her fingers tapping against her thigh. She was glad to have some company and something to do. She still hoped everyone would be back soon.