Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.

An hour had passed with them waiting for the geeks to clear out. Eventually several of them had wandered elsewhere. But Ava decided it would be best to sit tight until her group found them instead of searching for her group.

Clementine had drifted to sleep while waiting for the food to cook, leaving Molly and Ava awake.

"She's a cute kid." Ava said. "You two seem pretty close. How long have you known each other?"

"Since she was nine. Been looking after her since then." Molly said.

"Where are her parents?"

"They're gone… Pretty sure they died at the start of all this… She uh… She saw them as geeks…" Molly sighed.

"Damn… That must've been tough… Poor kid." Ava said.

Molly was quiet for a while then asked a question of her own. "…That brand on your arm, where did you get it?" Molly questioned Ava while Clementine slept. The woman had noticed the brand but hadn't brought it up.

"Oh…This…" Ava adjusted her sleeve. "It's… the mark of my group."

"Mark of your group?" Molly rose a brow at the vague response.

Ava nodded. "It's basically a pledge of loyalty from us all."

"So you all have it?" Molly questioned.

Ava nodded. "It's our way of making a promise to always do right by each other. It's our family bonding."

"You brand each other to plead loyalty. Seems a little intense, don't you think?"

"It is, but it's hard to trust people as it is, especially in this world. And knowing that someone is willing to pledge their loyalty with more than words makes that a little easier." Ava said.

"It cuts back on divisiveness. We know we can trust one another to have each other's backs.

"Seems you take "brand loyalty" literally."

"Yeah." Ava gave a slight chuckle at her choice of wording. "We do. There are certain things that has to be done in a group to keep it going. And trust between group members is the most important part. Dedication to stick it out with your group and help one another regardless of what other groups are like or changes in the environment, that's not an easy thing to have. And it's one thing to give a word of mouth advocacy and claim loyalty, but it's another thing to demonstrate it through behaviors. This brand is a commitment to do right by our group. It's what has allowed respect and trust to flourish within the New Frontier."

"So if Clementine and I were to join your group you would brand us."

"That would be your choice. We brand our members as a sign of trust. And when they're ready to prove they're trustworthy they accept it. We don't brand anyone by force." Ava explained.

"And you'd do that to a child?" Molly asked.

"We haven't before. I don't think they'd go that far…" Ava said. "And like I said, getting branded is your decision. We don't force it…"

This did change Molly's view on the thought of checking this group out. She thought it was crazy that they were branding themselves to pledge loyalty, but at least they weren't anywhere near the extremes of Crawford- that place was literal hell.

"Well… Like I said before, we'll come back with you… but only for the supplies. We'll consider the offer to join you once we get there." Molly said.

"Sounds good to me." Ava agreed.

When the walkers had finally all cleared out it was only a while later before Ava's group eventually found them. It was getting late, but they figured they assured Clementine and Molly that the walk back to camp wouldn't be too far. After going through introductions and meeting, David, Badger, Max, and Lonnie, Molly and Clementine agreed to head back to their camp.

Clementine was anxious. She really hoped these people were good. She hoped that they would find someone from her group. She hoped things wouldn't go to shit.

The group began the walk to the camp in silence. Clementine making sure to keep close to her guardian, still wary of the group members.

They kept an eye out for geeks as they continued on and after about half an hour they arrived at a camp.

When they entered the camp, Clementine was surprised the place had a good amount of food and other supplies, they had several tents set up and vehicles surrounding them.

Molly and Clementine were both impressed with how much supplies they had.

"How long have you all been here?" Molly asked them.

"For a few weeks. We're planning on moving on soon." David explained. "We settle here a while ago, but we don't plan on staying until winter."

"Looks like you're doing pretty well here with the supplies." Molly noted.

"Yeah, we do our best to keep stocked up." David said.

"That's good. So, who is in charge here?" Molly asked.

"We have council of sorts." David explained. "I'm the head of security, Lingard is in charge of anything medical related, Clint is in charge of food and rations, and Joan is the head of diplomacy. You'll meet them all."

"That's actually a smart way of doing things." Molly said.

"Thanks, it's easier this way than trying to rely on one person for everything." David said. "You two can settle in, feel free to make yourselves comfortable."

"How about we get you something to eat, kiddo?" Ava suggested to Clementine.

Clementine hesitated. "I… I don't know…"

Molly noticed her scared reaction. "It's okay, Clem. I'll be right here if you need me…"

"O-Okay…." The child agreed, allowing Ava to lead her a bit away to get some food.

"Your girl's pretty shy, huh?" David asked.

Molly sighed, "Well… I guess that's one way to describe it… She's not really comfortable around strangers."

"Yeah, that's understandable. It's hard to trust most people." David said. "Not everyone is friendly."

"That's an understatement." Molly said.

"I feel you. Trust is something we all have to earn." David said.

"And I can't imagine me having anyone better around to watch my back." Molly said. "She's been through a lot but she's a tough kid."

"I can tell… But I'm sure she's lucky to have you. I doubt many people would be willing to raise a kid that wasn't their own during a time like this." David replied.

"I wasn't the first one to look after her honestly. This man, Lee, found her in a treehouse all alone, he took care of her like she was his own, despite not having kids himself. The girl lost him and found out her parents were… gone on the same day. Poor kid has been through hell since this all started." Molly said.

"Damn… Well, like I said, she's lucky to have you." David said.

"I'm lucky to have her." Molly said.

Upon looking around and becoming acquainted with some of the group members, Clementine was disappointed that none of their group members were there. She couldn't help but wonder if they were okay, if they were safe, if they were even alive.

Clementine frowned as she watched Ava prepare some stew.

"So, do you think you two are gonna stick around with us?" Ava asked.

"I… I don't know… I think it depends on how Molly feels. We don't usually group up with people…" Clementine said.

"What about your last group?" Ava asked.

"That was different…." Clementine said.

"How so?" Ava questioned.

"Someone I knew from the beginning of this was part of that group. So… it was…" Clementine paused, not knowing how to find the words.

"More comfortable?" Ava asked, noticing her struggling for the words.

"Yeah… I guess so." The child admitted.

"That makes sense. It's not easy to just trust a group of strangers." Ava said.

Clementine nodded in response. She was worried about trusting anyone too soon even if they seemed nice. She needed to know more about them before she made her mind up on if they were good people or not.

"Well, I assure you that we just want to help. You helped me, and it's only right that we do the same…" Ava said to the girl.

"But… I wasn't very much help…" Clementine said.

"Are you kidding? I'm alive because of you. You could've shot me on spot. And you didn't force me to leave." Ava responed.

"Well, there were a lot of walkers out there…" Clementine said. "And if I shot you neither of us would have made it out of there."

"True. I'm still grateful. So thanks." Ava said. "You and Molly could've kicked me out when some of the walkers cleared, but you didn't. You guys let me stick with you until my group found me. You didn't have to do that."

"Well, you didn't seem naughty… I was worried you might be at first, but you weren't." Clementine said.

"Naughty?" Ava furrowed her brows. "I think I heard you say that word before… Where did you hear that word from?"

Clementine lowered her head, not responding.

"Too personal?"

Clementine nodded.

"Okay, sorry I asked, kiddo." Ava said.

Clementine just opted to remain quiet.

"Well, this seems about ready." Ava said, motioning to the stew. "Good thing too. I'm starving." The woman grabbed some bowls and offered the girl some food. "Eat up, kid."

"Thanks." Clementine said, accepting the food.

"No problem. I know it's not a home cooked meal, but hopefully you don't mind." Ava said.

"I don't…" Clementine was being honest. Anything was better than nothing, especially considering she had gone some days without a meal at all.

"Glad you're not picky kid." Ava said.

She didn't have room to be picky. "Yeah…" Clementine said, as she started to eat the soup.

Later, as the rest of the group ate dinner, Molly continued to get to know some of Ava's group members while little Clementine kept quiet. The child didn't know if she could trust these people yet and therefore didn't feel comfortable.

"So how long were you two staying in that trailer?" David asked, "Doesn't seem like the safest spot."

"We make it safe. We've been there for a few weeks, not exactly the best place but it's better than nothing." Molly said. "We've been hunting and fishing to get food."

"It must've been hard being alone with only a kid to watch your back." David said.

"Clem's capable… I'm glad I've had her to watch my back." Molly said.

Clementine gave a small smile at that.

"So, how old are you, kid?" David asked.

The girl seemed hesitant to respond.

"It's okay, kid. You can answer." Molly said, she knew it was normal for her girl to be nervous around strangers after what she had gone through, but she didn't want to speak for the child.

Clementine slowly spoke up and answered, "I'm… almost twelve."

"You've got a ways to go, kid." Molly said. "She'll be twelve in the fall."

"I'm halfway there." Clementine said.

"Okay." Molly gave a light chuckle.

"Geez, so it's just you and an eleven-year-old?" David asked.

"Like I said, she's capable." Molly replied.

"Maybe, but she's still a child." David argued.

"In your eyes…" Molly said. "But she's more than just a child."

"Sure…" David shrugged. "It's not my place to judge what you do with your kid anyway… I am curious though, what happened to your parents, kid?"

"The same thing that happened to everyone's parents…" Clementine said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, kid…" David said. "I uh… had kids, haven't seen them for years… Don't know if they're alive or…" He trailed off.

"I'm sorry…" Clementine said. "Losing people is never easy…"

"Yeah… We've all lost people, but I'm sorry about that…" Molly said.

"Yeah… I just hope that if they're alive that they're okay…" David said.

"I hope so too." Molly replied.

"So how long has it only been you two?" David asked.

"For a while… We got separated from our group." Clementine said, she really hoped that their group members would be at this camp they were heading to.

"Geez, think they're okay?" Ava asked.

"I hope so…" Clementine said.

"It's not the first time that it's just been Clem and I; We were alone before. I've been looking after her since she was nine." Molly explained.

"Sounds like you two haven't had things easy." David said.

"No… Not at all." Molly said.

"Well you're welcome to stick with us, if you want. We all look out for each other. That's important." David said. "And there's nothing wrong with have two more able bodied people, even if one of them is a kid."

"We appreciate the offer, we'll consider it." Molly said. She figured they would spend a few days feeling them group out more before they made a final decision.

"Sounds good." David said.

As the group finished dinner they decided to turn in for the night. Badger took watch while the others retreated into tents to sleep.

"What do you think of the group?" Molly asked Clementine.

"…What do you think of them?" Clementine asked back.

"I wanna know what you think first kid… I want you to be honest with me and tell me how you feel, don't worry about what I think…" Molly said.

"I… They seem nice enough…" Clementine said with a small frown.

Molly noted her expression. "That's all you have to say about them?"

"I… I'm just worried that they might be naughty." Clementine muttered.

"I don't think they are. They don't seem like they want to cause trouble." Molly said.

"I don't know… Maybe we… should move on…" Clementine shrugged.

"Clem, I know you're nervous, but this could be our chance for a new beginning. They have supplies, a camp. They're honestly doing better than we are right now." Molly said.

"Maybe for now… But groups fall apart. What if something bad happens? I don't want to see anyone else die." Clementine replied.

"You can't think like that, Clem…" Molly said. "We need to focus on what's best for us to survive… This group is doing pretty good. I think we should consider staying…"

"But—"

"We'll be fine, kid." Molly assured the child. "If things go south, we'll get the hell out of here."

"Won't it be too late?"

"Hey, don't say that… We're gonna be fine." Molly said. "We always are."

Clementine wanted to talk more about the group, and to ask about their group, but she didn't. The child decided she would try to get some rest. "I… I think I want to sleep now…"

"Okay, kid. It's late anyway…" Molly said.

A moment passed before Clementine said, "…You can wake me up if you want me to take watch."

"I think they got it covered." Molly pointed to Badger who was keeping watch.

Clementine shook her head. "I mean keep watch on them… To make sure they won't do anything naughty."

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Clem. I promise…" Molly told the young girl. "Get some rest, kiddo."

"Okay…" Clementine said, allowing her eyes to fall shut.

When morning came the young child stirred awake to find that Molly was no longer at her side. The girl quickly sat up and looked around for the woman, anxiety fill her.

"You're awake." Molly's voice reached the girl's ears causing her to let out a relieved sigh.

"I- I thought you left me." The small girl stuttered, looking nervous.

"Hey, I would never do that, kiddo." Molly said. "Here, I brought you some food. They reheated the soup from last night. Are you hungry?"

Clementine nodded as she looked around, she noticed the group was up and chatting amongst themselves. She realized there were some people that she hadn't met the night before, but still no sign of any of their group members.

Molly placed the bowl of food in front of the girl and took a seat beside her noticing the child's sad expression. "Are you okay, Clem?"

Clementine looked over to her guardian and nodded. "I'm just… worried about Kenny and the others."

Molly sighed at that. "I know you are…"

"Do… Do you think they're alive?" Clementine asked. "l know you said Wellington wasn't real, but what if it is...? Do you think they made it there?"

"Clem..." Molly sighed as she held the child.

"They have to be okay, Molly. They have to be..." Clementine said.

Clementine had lost so many people. She did not want to know anyone else she cared about was dead.

"Clementine, they're fine. I'm sure they're fine." Molly said.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" Clementine asked. "Or do you really believe that."

"No, I'm telling you what I feel." Molly said.

Clementine looked up as she wiped away her tears that threatened to spill. "How do you know?

"l don't. But I do know they're a tough group. They won't die that easily." Molly said. "Now, try to eat some food. I'm sure you're hungry."

The young child looked down at the bowl and then back up at her guardian. "I'm sorry for being emotional."

"Don't apologize for that, kid." Molly asked.

Clementine frowned and muttered, "I just… really hope everyone's okay."

"I know, kiddo. I know." Molly said.

Later day they met the other leaders, Clint, Lingard, and Joan.

Clementine had mixed feelings on them but kept her suspicions under wraps. The girl was most suspicious about Joan. The woman was nice, but it almost felt like a façade.

Like her kindness was forced. Clementine thought about voicing this to Molly, but she wondered if the woman would just think she was being paranoid.

It wasn't until they had another moment alone that Clementine talked to her guardian about this.

"I… I don't know what to think of everyone…" Clementine said.

"Anyone in specific that you're talking about, Clem?" Molly asked.

"…That lady?" Clementine said.

"Joan?"

"Y-Yeah…" Clementine said. "I… I know this sounds weird, but she just seems…. too nice." The child was hesitant to say that. She almost expected to be lectured for insisting that someone could possibly be too nice. So she was surprised by Molly's response.

"Yeah… I know how you feel." Molly agreed. "But I think we should still stick around. They haven't given us a reason not to trust them yet…"

"So we should stay until they do?" Clementine asked. "I thought we'd be better on our own…"

"Things aren't always so easy, Clem. You know that…." Molly said. "Look, if things get bad, we'll leave right away."

"Promise?"

"I promise you, kid."

"Okay…" Clementine agreed. She really hoped things wouldn't get bad.

Realizing there were children in the group, Molly quickly encouraged Clementine to try to interact with them, although most of the kids were older than the young girl with the exception of Clint's daughter, Ida.

After much persuading, Clementine timidly approached some of the older kids and attempted to get to know them. However, the exchange between them felt awkward. The girl wasn't used to being a kid herself, and she didn't know how to respond to their jokes and comments.

Clementine tried to stress this to Molly, but the woman tried to convince her that she just needed to hang out more.

Clementine however, felt she was better off hanging around adults than other kids, and tried her best to stick to Molly like glue.

Molly decided not to push the child further, her girl's trust issues were complete normal. And Molly had the feeling that the girl would warm up to the other kids eventually.

At least Molly hoped so.

Wanting to pull their own weight and show appreciation to the group for sharing their supplies, Molly offered to do some hunting and supply gathering. Ava protested, claiming this was the least they could do since Clementine had helped her, but Molly was set on helping. So when Badger and Lonnie complained about having to do another run so soon the next day, Molly took it upon herself to offer to do so.

"You can't go alone. I can go with you." Ava suggested.

"Don't worry about me. I have Clem to watch my back." Molly replied.

"Are you kidding? She's a damn kid." Badger scoffed.

"She's not just a kid." Molly argued.

"She looks like a kid to me." Lonnie said.

"She's more than just a kid. I trust her to watch my back more than I trust anyone else." Molly said.

"Really? You'd trust a little girl to watch your back over fully capable adults?" Badger asked.

"She's as fully capable as any adult. Maybe even more capable than some." Molly replied.

"This is crazy…" Badger muttered.

"Trust me. We can handle this." Molly said. "It's not the first time we've made a run like this. And I'm sure it won't be the last."

"I trust you." David said. "I think we should give them a chance."

"Are you crazy, David? We don't even know them." Badger said.

"Well, we'll just have to see how things go." David said.

"We won't let you down." Molly said.

"I believe that." David said to her.

Molly and Clementine proved that they were capable, despite some of the group being reluctant to rely on them.

They managed to hunt down a couple rabbits and even a fox, much to everyone's surprised. They were shocked that Clementine was as capable as Molly said she was. The young child did prove to be good at watching Molly's back.

Badger couldn't say much when they brought back their gain from their hunt.

Clementine was glad that she was once again able to prove her worth in a group. She hated being counted out and treated like a little kid, even if she was young.

As the group gathered for a meal the girl was surprised by the praise from the members of The New Frontier, especially the leaders. While their previous group was always grateful for what they did, Clementine couldn't remember being directly thanked for helping them out, unless it was by Sarah and Becca, so she was surprised to hear the praise this from adults.

The child couldn't help but feel proud of herself. Maybe this group wouldn't be so bad after all.

After spending a few days getting to know the New Frontier, Molly and Clementine were asked once again how they felt about staying with the group.

Clementine had started to feel a bit more comfortable, although she avoided being alone with any of the group members besides Ava. The child, though still feeling nervous and hesitant started to slowly accept that maybe sticking with the group wouldn't be a bad idea.

Molly agreed to their offer, but the two hadn't been expecting what happened next.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you please… But we do have an… initiation process of sorts." David told them.

"What do you mean?" Molly asked.

David adjusted his shirt and revealed a brand mark.

Molly frowned as she recalled speaking to Ava about the brand.

Clementine furrowed her brows, remembering seeing the mark on Ava as well. "What initiation?" The child asked.

"Everyone from our group… will get this mark, to prove their loyalty." David said. "It's a sign that we can trust each other."

Clementine looked to Molly with worry. "E-Everyone?" Clementine stammered.

"I'll do it… But you're not gonna brand my girl." Molly cut in.

"Molly?" Clementine frowned.

"You can brand me. But not my girl. She's just a little kid." Molly said.

"Didn't you say she was more than just a kid?" Badger scoffed.

"I did. But she's been through enough. And I'm not putting her though this shit too." Molly said.

Clementine was surprised by this. Molly always did her best to defend her, but there was no way she would let Molly go through this alone. "I- I'll do it too."

Molly sent her a look. "Clem—"

"I want to… I want to prove that you can trust me." Clementine said.

Molly frowned at that. She knew her girl was tough but she never thought she'd do something like this. "Clem, you don't have to."

"I will. I'm not scared." The child claimed.

Molly sighed at that still hesitant.

"I'm not a little kid, Molly. Not anymore… I can handle it…" Clementine stated.

Molly didn't know how to respond but slowly she gave in with a quiet, "Okay…"

Getting branded was painful, Molly expected it to be, and she couldn't help but feel horrible for allowing Clementine to go through such a pain. The girl had already be through so much, Molly felt like shit knowing that the poor child now had a mark on her arm that she would have to live with for the rest of her life. She wished she had stopped it before it had been done. Now she couldn't help but wonder what would Lee think? She was sure the man would freak out if he knew half of what the poor little girl had gone through.

Molly did her best to comfort Clementine, the eleven-year-old, who could usually deal okay with pain had cried for nearly an hour after receiving the brand mark. Molly felt sick to her stomach at seeing her girl so distraught.

Eventually Clementine calmed down, telling her guardian she simply wanted to sleep. Molly allowed her to do so. She couldn't blame her for being so upset. The poor little girl had been through absolute hell over the past few months. The past few years, in fact.

Molly allowed the girl to sleep, while looking at the brand on her own arm. Getting branded was a pain she had never felt, and she immensely regretted letting Clementine go through that. She only could hope that in the future, the child wouldn't be upset with her, although she couldn't help but be mad with herself.

As the days progressed and Molly and Clementine both would take up hunting trips and supply runs in order to pull their weight in the group. Molly was never one for allowing others to do for her. She like to handle things herself.

With there being other kids in the group, many of the adults protested against Molly's decision to allow Clementine to accompany her on hunting duty. They were also appalled by the idea of the child getting branded. However, David quickly shut them down, telling them to mind their own business.

Although people still whispered about them, they kept their protest quiet. Molly understood their concerns, but they didn't know Clementine like she did. Her girl was strong, and definitely not one to be underestimated.

As time went on however, Molly quickly garnered the respect of the group members, and though they still protested against Clementine going on runs due to the child's age they were impressed with the small girl's ability to handle herself and the geeks so easily.

The two of them proved to be extremely capable and as such they were often asked to attend runs with the other group members.

As time went on, Clementine started to feel they wouldn't find their former group members. Molly already had given up any hope. Clementine did her best to adjust to her new life and her new group, but in the back of her mind she always worried that one day things would fall apart.

The days continued on turning into weeks and the group began to scout out other areas to move to. More secure areas. It wasn't long before they had come across a mall like area, which they established as a camp. They decided it might be best to stay there for a while.

With plenty of supplies and defenses, it was comfortable for all of them.

Molly was glad they had met up with this group. These people were capable and doing their best to survive.

This really was their new beginning.

Short chapter, I know... But I appreciate everyone for reading and reviewing. Thank you!