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"Hey, Elodie," Glenn said, nudging the girl's shoulder as he crouched down next to her. "Got something for you."

Elodie looked up from where she was sitting on the grass, tilting her head in confusion as she waited for Glenn to show her what he got. He reached into his bag and pulled out a couple of packs of hearing aid batteries. Elodie's eyebrows shot up in surprise, a smile tugging at her lips. Glenn had gone out of his way to get her those, even though she never asked him to.

"Here," he said, giving the packs to Elodie, who took them with a grin. "Oh, and-" He reached back into his bag, seemingly tugging at something before his hand shot out of the bag. He cursed under his breath before smiling again and holding out a small, worn-out pouch, handing it to Elodie with a sheepish grin.

"I found this little bag lying around," he explained. "Thought you could use it to keep your batteries safe, since, y'know, you lost yours at the CDC."

Elodie's eyes widened in surprise as she took the pouch, running her fingers over the fabric. It was simple, but it was perfect for storing her batteries and keeping them from getting lost or damaged.

"Thank you," she said with a bright smile, prompting Glenn to smile back before standing up. He ruffled her hair affectionately before walking off, leaving Elodie to admire the bag in her hands.

She reached into her back pocket, retrieving the cards she had found on the highway. Though she was learning sign language with Beth now, having the cards as a backup plan felt reassuring. Carefully, she placed them inside the bag, zipping it up with a content smile.

Slung over her shoulder, the bag's strap was as long as her upper body. Elodie allowed herself to fall flat onto the grass with a huff, squinting her eyes against the sun.

"What's goin' through that mind of yours, Elodie?" She heard Carol's voice say, so she raised her head from the grass to look at her.

"I'm bored," she groaned, rolling over onto her stomach. "Carl's not here, and everyone's busy doin' somethin'."

"Weren't you doing something with Beth earlier?" Carol asked.

"Yes. I think she's with Jimmy now."

"Isn't Carl awake?"

"I don't know." Elodie shrugged, fiddling with a blade of grass. "Think Lori's with him."

Carol glanced over at the house, her expression thoughtful. "I saw they have horses here. Do you like horses?"

At that, Elodie turned back around so she was on her back before pushing herself up. She nodded her head eagerly. "Yes. Yes, I like horses."

Excitement bubbled up within Elodie at the mention of horses. It had been a while since she had petted a horse. The last time was when she had been around five years old. She, her mom and Jamie had gone to a children's zoo, and she had gotten to pet a horse. Jamie had been terrified. He had decided to hide behind their mother, keeping as far away from the horse as possible.

"Can we go see 'em, please?" Elodie asked eagerly.

Carol chuckled softly at Elodie's enthusiasm. "Of course we can. Let's go."

With a quick nod, Elodie scrambled to her feet, her boredom forgotten. She brushed off the grass from her clothes before skipping over to Carol.

With Carol leading the way, Elodie followed eagerly, her newly acquired bag bouncing against her hip as she walked. As they approached, Elodie's eyes widened in awe at the sight of the majestic creatures grazing in the stables.

"They're so cool," Elodie whispered, barely not bouncing on her toes.

Carol smiled warmly at her. "They sure are."

Just then, Maggie emerged from one of the stables, a pitchfork in hand as she went about her chores. She looked up as she spotted Carol and Elodie approaching, offering them a friendly smile.

"Hey there," Maggie greeted them. "What are you two doin' here?"

"We were wondering if Elodie could spend some time with the horses," Carol explained.

Maggie's smiled at Elodie, who slightly shied away behind Carol. "Well, you're a lucky one. We've got plenty of 'em around here. Would ya like to help me with their groomin'?"

Elodie's face lit up at the offer. "Yes, please."

"I'll leave you two to it then," Carol said, a warm smile on her face as she turned around and headed back to their tents.

Maggie nodded and led Elodie to a stall where a beautiful chestnut horse was waiting patiently. Its gentle eyes watched Elodie with curiosity as she approached.

"This is Nelly. Or Nervous Nelly, like we call her," Maggie said, patting the horse's neck affectionately. "She's one of our favorites. She's the one I was ridin' when I came to get Lori."

"I remember," Elodie said softly. "Can I pet her?"

"'Course," Maggie said with a smile. "Hold on, let me get ya a stool to stand on."

She turned and used her foot to slide a stool across the floor over to Elodie, pushing it against the wooden stall. As Elodie climbed on top of it, Maggie held a hand on her back to prevent her from leaning back too much, despite it not being so high.

With a huge grin on her face, Elodie reached out a hand slowly, carefully stroking the horse's nose. The horse flinched back for a moment, making Elodie slightly withdraw her hand with a small frown, but her grin quickly returned when the horse nuzzled against her hand.

"It tickles," she said, a laugh escaping her lips, but she kept her hand on the horse nonetheless.

"She likes you," Maggie observed with a smile. "Why don't ya give her a brush?"

She handed Elodie a brush, her own hands guiding Elodie's gently over the horse's body. "See, ya want to use gentle strokes, like this," she explained. After a couple more strokes, she let go of Elodie's hands. "Now you try."

Elodie nodded eagerly, mimicking Maggie's movements as she brushed the horse's fur. "Like this?" she asked, looking up at Maggie for confirmation.

"That's right," Maggie encouraged. "Just like that. You're a natural."

Grinning widely, Elodie continued to brush the horse, her heart pounding in excitement. The horse was really sweet, it was almost leaning into the brush.

Suddenly, Nelly twitched its tail and let out a loud snort, causing Elodie to jump back in surprise, nearly toppling off the stool she was standing on.

Maggie quickly moved to steady her, trying to hide her laughter. "Whoa there, Elodie. Ya okay?"

Elodie's face flushed with embarrassment for a moment as she nodded, holding on to the stall door. "Yeah," she said.

Maggie chuckled, patting the horse's neck soothingly. "Looks like she got a tickle in her nose. Happens sometimes."

Elodie raised her hand with the brush, about to continue on brushing, but paused. She didn't want Nelly to scare her again, or the other way around.

Maggie, noticing her hesitation, gently took the brush from her hands before saying, "Think she's had enough brushin'. How about ya give her a treat?"

Elodie's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Really?"

Maggie nodded, reaching into a nearby bucket to grab a carrot. She held it out to Elodie. "Here, ya can give it to her."

"Horses like carrots, too?" Elodie wondered out loud, glancing from the carrot to the horse.

Maggie chuckled, nodding. "Sure they do."

"Do they like apples?"

Maggie smiled. "Yeah, they like apples too. But remember, not too many treats. They can get tummy aches."

"Can they eat bananas?" Elodie asked.

"Y'know, I'm not sure. Never tried givin' 'em bananas. But I reckon they might like 'em," Maggie replied.

"I tried banana once. I didn't like it," Elodie said with a shake of her head, her nose scrunching in disgust.

"No? How come?" Maggie lowered the hand holding the carrot, curious.

"They're mushy, but not in a good way," Elodie explained. "And they had brown spots. I don't like those."

"Yeah, I get that. Brown spots are a bit yucky, aren't they?" Maggie nudged Elodie's arm with the carrot. "Ya wanna give her the carrot, or should I?"

"Can I?" Elodie asked. Maggie nodded with another chuckle, handing the carrot to her.

Her excitement returning, Elodie took the carrot, her smile widening as she approached the horse. She held out the treat, and the horse eagerly leaned forward, munching on the carrot with a contented snort.

"Good job, Elodie," Maggie praised, patting her on the back. "Ya did great."

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One... two... three... four...

Elodie had been counting imaginary sheep for what felt like hours now. It had gotten dark out, yet she still sat outside, crosslegged on the grass outside of the tents. Everyone had gone to bed, apparently assuming Elodie would either head to the farmhouse to sleep there, or find someone else to sleep with.

She had done neither of those things, though. She felt like it would be a bit intrusive if she were to just ask someone if she could sleep in their tents, and it would be just uncomfortable to head to the farmhouse on her own to sleep there. She didn't even know if Hershel would let her, anyway.

According to Rick, Hershel wanted them gone as soon as Carl recovered and they were all healthy. Elodie didn't understand why. Hershel must not have seen what it was like outside the safety of the farmhouse. Walkers roamed everywhere, making peaceful sleep impossible, and you always had to keep an eye out.

Five... Six... Seven...

She didn't like sitting here, alone, in the pitch-black darkness. The only source of light came from dim lights shining from the farmhouse, providing little comfort.

Her attention was suddenly drawn to movement near the tents. She squinted, trying to make out the figure that emerged from one of the tents. It was Lori. What was Lori doing out of her tent, and so panicked?

Elodie watched as Lori hurriedly made her way toward the high grass by the farm, glancing around but failing to notice Elodie sitting there, watching.

She wondered where she was going at this late hour. She stared at the spot where Lori disappeared, waiting to see if she would return. When she didn't, a slight worry gnawed at Elodie's stomach. What if she had been attacked by walkers?

No, she's probably fine. Maybe she just needed to pee. Or the other thing.

Shrugging, Elodie turned her attention back to the grass beneath her. Maybe she could learn how to tie her shoelaces by herself to pass the time. She hadn't taken her shoes off ever since her mother went to Atlanta and never came back. She didn't know how she was supposed to put them back on if she didn't know how to tie her laces.

Tugging at the white laces, she narrowed her eyes, a small smile of amusement spreading across her face. Her pink shoes almost glowed in the dark, she noticed. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she wiggled her feet from side to side.

Eight... Nine... Te-

"Jesus fuckin' Christ."

Elodie jumped at the sudden sound, her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled her legs up to her chest and scooted back on the grass, only to see Daryl stood at the flap of his tent to her right, staring down at her.

"Hi," she muttered in response, not understanding the startled look on Daryl's face.

"What're ya doin', sittin' there like those creepy dolls?" he asked gruffly, rubbing his temple.

She shrugged, her finger tapping against her thigh. "I don't know where to sleep."

Daryl's brow furrowed as he took in her response, his eyes scanning the area around her before settling back on her face. "Ain't ya got your own tent?" he asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"Nuh-uh," Elodie replied, shaking her head. "Don't have one."

"And no one told ya where to bunk down?"

Elodie shook her head, her eyes downcast as she hugged her knees to her chest. "No, everyone's already gone to bed. I... I didn't wanna bother 'em."

His brow furrowed at her response, his eyes flickering with a mix of confusion and annoyance. Had everyone just left her outside, assuming she'd just find a place to sleep on her own? It seemed like they had. Idiots.

He stepped out of his tent, his boots thudding softly against the grass as he approached her.

"Well, ya ain't sleepin' out here," he muttered, his voice gruff as he reached out a hand to help her up. Elodie hesitated for a moment before accepting his offer, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

As she stood there, brushing off the grass from her clothes, Daryl gestured towards his tent with a jerk of his thumb. "C'mon, I got space in there. Ain't fancy, but it beats sleepin' on the grass."

Elodie blinked up at him in surprise, a little bit confused for a second. Even though he had done it back at the CDC, she still hadn't expected him to offer her a place to sleep.

When Daryl raised his eyebrows expectantly, holding the tent flap open, she quickly nodded and ducked inside before he could change his mind.

Daryl followed her in, crouching down next to his bag. It didn't take long before he pulled out an extra blanket. Standing back up, he waved his hand at Elodie, gesturing for her to back up. She nodded and complied, taking a few steps back. He folded the blanket to make it thicker before spreading it out over the ground of the tent, making sure it was as smooth and comfortable as possible.

As Daryl gently nudged her aside to close the tent flap behind them, Elodie settled down on the blanket. She pushed her legs under the top layer of the blanket, so she still had something to cover her body and something to lay on. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she glanced up at Daryl, watching as he settled down next to her on his own bedroll.

He took one look at her before tapping his ears with a nod. "Hearin' aids," he said simply.

Elodie nodded quickly and reached up to take them out, but not before asking, "Did ya find anything? Anything of Sophia's?"

Daryl was quiet for a moment before shaking his head with a low grumble. "Nah. I'm gonna try again tomorrow."

"Oh," Elodie murmured. She furrowed her eyebrows, tugging slightly at the skin of her fingers. Sophia had been gone a while now. Elodie really hoped she was alive, but the chance she were was getting slimmer with each day. What if Sophia had gotten bit? She would be walking around like a walker by now.

"I'm tryin', Elodie," Daryl spoke up, his voice cutting through the silence that had fallen. "I want to find her, too. I'm goin' again tomorrow."

Nodding, Elodie released her fingers, looking up at Daryl. "Okay," she said softly. "Thank you for lettin' me sleep here."

"Yeah," he muttered gruffly, turning away from her. "Take those things outta your ears and get some sleep."

She nodded again and turned her hearing aids off before taking them out and carefully placing them next to her. She then pulled the blanket up higher over her body, eyes settling on Daryl's back. She watched as it slowly rose and fell, and automatically tried to match her breathing to his. And soon enough, sleep begun to pull her under.