Season ten, episode four
Silence the Whisperers

"It's a scratch." Ivory hissed as Kelly poured alcohol over her cut.

Kelly shakes her head firmly, standing between Ivory's legs. Ivory sat on top of the studies large desk, staring at the books lining the walls instead of Kelly being so close to her.

"Take your shirt off." Kelly directs, ivory stares at her with wide eyes.

"Why would I- do I have to why?" She rambles the proximity wasn't working in her favour.

Kelly sighs moving her hands towards the bottom of Ivory's shirt, "Can I? I need to bandage your arm."

Ivory nods instantly, letting Kelly pull her shirt off. It landed on the ground with a thump. The dim lights provide a surreal glow to the ivory's frame. As if all the air in the room is sucked out the girls stare at each other.

Their breath mixed into one, if ivory was to move forward an inch their lips would be together. Oh how she ached for the touch, the touch of someone you loved.

Oh shit.

Kelly moves to work on Ivory's arm. With a medium gash running down her bicep, she had challenged Alden to a duel. Ivory still won she was just a little injured. And there was no way Ivory was losing to a man. Especially after what he said to Lydia.

Ivory stares at Kelly working with admiration in her eyes. Somehow she hadn't scared her off, not once had Kelly looked at Ivory with fear. Over time it had been normal for people to have fear in their eyes when with ivory.

Kelly looked unbothered like she didn't care
for Ivory's big reputation.

"Do you think Harley's lonely here?" Ivory asks.

Kelly hums for a moment, thinking. "She's friendly." Ivory shakes her head and looks down.

Over the days Ivory noticed how Harley doesn't talk to the kids her age. She spends her time talking to the adults. It worried Ivory that she didn't have anybody her age to talk to at Hilltop.

"I just feel like her staying at the hilltop isn't the best idea. At Alexandria, it's safer. Judith's there and they get along great." Ivory starts to play with the loose threads of her pants.

Kelly stops her movements and looks up at the girl. "You want to send her to Alexandria. But are you going as well?"

Ivory went silent.

"She won't like it." Kelly sighs, finishing up wrapping Ivory's arm.

Ivory nods her head, she knew Harley would hate her for it. "She'll be safer there. Away from the whisperers, away from me. " Ivory hangs her head down low, ashamed of her thoughts.

"I've seen the effect I have on her. She- she acting like how I did at the start. Thinking I can't get hurt that I'm invincible. She's not strong enough" Ivory confesses, the guilt seeping in.

The floorboard outside the room squeaks, but the girls think nothing of it. The house is already so old so it makes haunted noises all the time.

Knitting her eyebrows together Kelly looks at the girl confused. She uses her finger to tilt Ivory's head up to her, "She's safer with you." Kelly said firmly.

For a moment Ivory believed the girl. With one sentence Kelly was able to convince Ivory that she was wrong, about the hold she had on Ivory.

Ivory looks into Kelly's eyes. They marvelled at each other for the longest time, swimming deeper into their gazes. If Kelly kept on talking and looking at Ivory like that she'd have no choice but to believe her.

Kelly moved her fingertips along Ivory's face scar lightly. Like a cool breeze wallowing over her ivory shuts her eyes. Kelly's touch was delicate like ivory would break at any given moment.

Almost everybody held her that way.

Like water in their hand, like a bubble floating around. One sudden movement and she's gone, they could attempt to fix her all they can by adding more water or making a new bubble.

But you can never fully restore what she once was.

Then Kelly's finger ghosted a small circle scar on her right shoulder. Ivory immediately covered her chest up, it was too close.

"How did you get this?" Kelly's voice is like honey.

Ivory opens her eyes slowly, "I got shot," Ivory swallows nothing. "It was three months after it all fell, I was 13. I got shot by a grown-ass man because I knew too much."

She was afraid that if she looked into Kelly's eyes she would find fear, disgust or anything other than how she's looking now. Kelly just sees a brave woman who grew up too quickly.

"This is from when I got kidnapped and tortured at fifteen. He called himself the governor." Ivory points to the long scar running from her hip to her middle waist, she could almost feel the way Merle's blade sliced through her.

Ivory takes Kelly's hand and places it on her lower back, a raised 'x' right near her spine. Staring into Kelly's eyes Ivory explains, that the two girls were so close they could touch lips at any slight movement.

"I got this from kids. Michonne's old friend tricked me, Michonne and Daryl. They stole Judith so we went to get her back. They marked us." Ivory finishes running out of breath.

She didn't know if it was from the memories brought up or Kelly's proximity. Ivory decided to go with Kelly. The longer Ivory spent with Kelly the longer she felt herself soften. Kelly's Midas touch was enough for Ivory to risk everything for her.

And for once that didn't scare her.

Kelly places her hands on either side of ivory thighs, caging her in as she moves closer. Ivory's heart picks up a beat her breathing becoming more heavy. She'd never actually kissed anybody before.

What if she messed it up? What if Kelly doesn't like it? What if I'm not enough?

Those questions run through Ivory's head like clockwork, with one spring loss. A rhythmic tick always went off in Ivory's mind, a never-ending noise.

But for once the ticking stopped in the form of Kelly's lips on hers. For the first time in Ivory's life, everything flew out the window, her mind went blank. Ivory threads her fingers through the pant loop of Kelly's jeans, Kelly holding Ivory's face like water in her hands.

Ivory kissed Kelly back like it was her last breath, if it was Ivory wouldn't complain. This was better than the movies she'd watched about love, it was love.

And Ivory Willow was experiencing it.

Unfortunately, the air was something people needed to live so the girls separated. Placing their foreheads together Ivory looks into Kelly's eyes with a bright blush.

"Hi." Ivory giggles as more blush creeps down her neck.

"Hi," Kelly replied caressing the scared skin on Ivory's cheeks.

Ivory felt so high at this moment, all lovesick. But everything nice comes to an end.

A loud crackling sound makes the two girls pull away, and a crash follows shortly after. The yells of hilltop people send ivory off of the desk and to her shirt.

The tick in Ivory's head resumes, she knew it was stupid to assume it would stop forever. Once they were ready the two girls ran out into the chaos. Ivory picks her sword up as she leaves.

The sight of the massive tree falling over into the hilltop was enough for Ivory's jaw to drop. Stopping next to Ezekiel, Ivory places a hand on his shoulder to brace herself.

The sound of commotion and yells were deafening. Yet all she could do was stare in horror at the tree that's broken their walls. Walkers. Ivory snapped out of it, before she could run into the mess Ezekiel held her back.

"What are you doing? My people are in there!" Ivory pulls herself away from Ezekiel as the rest of Kelly's original group shows up.

Ivory is then stopped by Alden, she doesn't have much patience left. "Hey, stop! Stop! Everyone get back." He ushers people back, standing right informant of a pissed-off ivory now.

"I'm giving you five sec-" Ivory threatens.

"The structure might not hold," Alden spoke, cutting ivory off. Talking through the screams and yells was proven difficult.

Ivory bit her cheek, the restless legs were begging to take off.

"Alden's right," Earl spoke up, ivory couldn't face him. Not after the pikes. "Too many of us jostling around in there could bring the whole thing down on their heads."

"Hey! You guys, get the horses out of there." Alden picked two bystanders.

"Go to the infirmary. Get Alex" Yumiko directed another.

Ivory was stuck, unable to give a direction her mind went blank again. She knew she was missing something, forgetting something. She begged her mind to remember.

The talking around her was cut off by buzzing in her ears, staring blankly ahead. She had to remember.

"Kids this way." A lady called out followed by the scurrying of children.

She sees a flash of blonde run into the wreckage. Ivory's heart stopped, and her breathing was picking up. She pushes past Alden with a stumble in her step, he turns around and stabilises her.

"Ivory?" Alden asks, no answer. "Ivory!" He asked again stepping in front of her.

Ivory just pushes him out of the way, her eye-catching onto Jerry and the other helpers pulling people out. Horror fills Ivory's stomach, all the people they've pulled out were in bad condition.

Jerry notices Ivory with his hand full, her face stripped of any blood. She looked like a ghost. He passes the body to the next available person, Jerry couldn't leave with her looking like this.

Jerry would always be there to protect and help Ivory. He's forever in debt to her, well that's how he feels.

"Ivory, what is it?" His voice is soft, he turns Ivory's face away from the wreckage.

"Harley. She— she ran into there to save people. " Ivory let out a sob, she felt too weak to move. She didn't dare turn around and show people how much of a mess she was, she couldn't do it.

Jerry's face turned cold, and with his features set he trudged back into the barn.

༺☆༻

When Jerry had found Harley in the wreck she was pinned down by a tree branch piercing her skin, she'd passed out because of the pain.

Now Harley lay on the medical trailer's bed, dirt streaking through her blond hair, ivory moved it out of her face. Ivory wanted to go out and help but Ezekiel made sure she'd stay.

Harley had a medium stab-like wound on her left torso, covered by stitches and a bandage.

Ivory sat with her leg tucked against her chest one arm around them and the other rubbing soothing circles around Harley's hand.

Ivory never liked waiting, or waiting rooms she needed to be there. To make sure they were alive and well. She needed to see it with her own eyes.

The twitch of Harley's hand signals she is waking up. Ivory lets her legs fall to the ground and straightens up, she's done a lot of thinking.

"Ivory?" Harley asked meekly, rubbing her eyes and moving to sit up but it shortly stopped.

"No, no, no, don't move, okay? What were you thinking?" Ivory replied caressing the girl's cheek once more.

Tears sprung to Harley's eyes, she pulled her hand away from the ivory. Ivory's eyebrows scrunch up, instantly backing away.

"I— you said I'm not strong enough." Harley's broken words were like a punch to the gut.

She had heard her and Kelly, Harley was the squeak outside the door. Ivory had done things to Harley.

Ivory stared at the girl with nothing to say, somehow she found the words. "Harley. Do you know how dangerous that was? You lucky you didn't die."

Harley stared back, "I wanted to be strong for you. To prove to you I was as strong as you." She protested.

Ivory shook her head, " if I didn't spot you, you would've died. Harley, you can't do that." Mother instincts are shown through.

"I'm sorry." Harley wept.

And Ivory hugged her. Holding Harley like she was a ballon she didn't want to fly away. So it crushed ivory even more with what she was about to say.

Ivory pulled away from the girl, looking her in her sullen eyes. She almost backed out, "You need to understand why I'm doing this okay? You— you're going to Alexandria." Ivory spat out the words as if they were acid.

"With you?" Harley asked confusedly, ivory shook her head. "No!" She yelled pulling her hand out of her ivory grip once again.

"You scared-"

"I want to stay with you! Ivory you promised me." Harley swigged away from ivory hands holding her.

"Harley stop. Your stitches." Ivory held the girl down as she frantically thrashed. "Harley!" Ivory yelled in a voice so harsh it scared her.

She stopped moving, staring up at Ivory like she was a monster.

"It's for the better. You are going. It's for your safety. You need to understand." Ivory pleaded.

"I'm safer with you." Her voice wavered, resting her wet cheek on Ivory's arm.

Ivory sucked in all her tears, she couldn't cry. Watching Harley break ivory to the point of no return. But she had to keep reminding herself that it was for the better.

Everything Ivory has done has to be for the better, or why do anything at all?

"Please, Harley. Judith will be there, Aaron will be there... it's-" Ivory sucked in a breath, Harley reached out for her.

And ivory gave in.

"Please." She begged.

Ivory shook her head, she knew she was about to give in. Seeing others in pain always made her give in.

"It's for the better."

༺☆༻

Harley didn't talk to Ivory when she left. A simple quick hug and she ran onto the carriage as she needed it to survive.

But Harley knew she needed ivory to survive.

"She's going?" Kelly asks coming up behind Ivory, watching Harley get into the carriage with Luke.

Ivory nods her head, "she is." She mutters it feels like her throat is closing in on her.

"You did the right thing, ivory," Kelly adds.

"I hope I did. For Harley's sake." Ivory hates herself for her choice but she had to make it. As she's grown Ivory's noticed many things she does are the same as Rick.

She didn't want it to be like Rick. It was her worst fear. But one thing Ivory Willow would never do was use a child to do their killings, to never put a child through what she went through at the hands of Rick Grimes.

Kelly places a hand on Ivory's shoulder. A simple gesture that meant the world. Luke is next to give his goodbyes hugging everybody insight.

Luke squeezed ivory hard, "I promise to get her to Alexandria safely." Luke says patting ivory on the back.

Ivory smiles at him, holding his hand in hers "Thank you."

The horses pound their hoofs on the ground already walking off. Luke hops on next to Harley and the gates open slowly, ivory fears she made the wrong decision.

But it was too late.

Harley turned in her seat to look at Ivory, she didn't do anything. Didn't wave or say anything. Just stared with a sad smile. Ivory waved to Harley, the gates closed behind them.

Ivory Willow didn't get sleep that night. Too ridden with selfish guilt.

Ella speaks!!!!

This chapter is by far my worst one.

I lost motivation for it and I rushed it too much I promise the next chapter will be much better!!! I'm sorry it took so long for this to be out and it's so short!!!

I'm trying to find the motivation for this book again and I promise I will.

Ivory and kelly kiss how do we feel?!?!?!