<3rd Person Pov>
Sophia and Itachi arrive at Hershel's house.
Sophia was panting and laughing, running a few steps ahead of Itachi.
"I won! I won!" she says between breaths, her eyes sparkling with pride.
Itachi smiles slightly and pats her head gently.
"Yes, you did. Good job, Sophia."
Sophia beams, still laughing a little.
"I beat you! You're too slow!"
Itachi raises an eyebrow, but his smile doesn't fade.
"I'll keep that in mind for next time," his voice a little more playful.
They reach the porch of Hershel's house, and the door opens to reveal Carol.
Sophia, still glowing from her victory, runs to Carol.
"Mom! I beat Itachi in a race! I beat him!" she announces proudly.
Carol smiles warmly, crouching to embrace her daughter.
"That's wonderful, Sophia!" she says, her voice full of affection. "You must be really fast!"
Sophia nods vigorously, grinning from ear to ear.
"I told you I'm fast!"
"Itachi steps inside, silently watching the exchange. Carol stands up and gives him a grateful smile before whispering,
"Thank you for looking after her today."
Itachi nods slightly.
"It was no problem at all, and she's a good kid."
Carol smiles softly, then motions towards the dining area.
"Well, dinner is almost ready. Come, let's sit down."
As they head towards the dining room, the group is already seated, chatting and placing food on the table.
Itachi, Amy, Sophia, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, and Jimmy take a seat at a smaller table set aside from the others, leaving the main table for the adults. Itachi sits down next to Amy, who gives him a quiet smile as he settles beside her.
Sophia practically bounces with energy as she turns to Carl.
"I told you I'd beat him!"
Carl smiles, looking back at her.
"Yeah, yeah, you beat him, but he probably didn't even try."
Sophia shoots him a glare.
"Hey, I'm faster than you too!"
Amy, hearing Sophia's bragging, couldn't resist making a playful comment.
"Wow, Itachi," she says with a teasing smile, looking over at him. "I didn't know you were so slow. Maybe I should challenge you next time, huh?"
Itachi looks at her with amusement.
"You might want to think that through, Amy," he responds, with a hint of humor.
Sophia, overhearing the conversation, laughs triumphantly.
"See? I told you! Itachi might look fast, but he's actually slow!"
Amy smirks, glancing at Sophia and then back at Itachi.
"Well, next time I'll show you both how it's done," she jokes.
Sophia, still on a high from her victory, grins widely.
"Bring it on, Amy! I'll beat both of you!"
The group continues to laugh, the conversation shifting as the chatter grows more comfortable.
Glenn takes a sip from his glass and looks around the group.
"So, what did everyone do before all this happened? And what did you want to do in the future? I mean, we all had plans, right?" He gestures around the table, inviting everyone to share.
Maggie, sitting next to Glenn, thinks for a moment before speaking.
"I was working on the farm with my dad. I never really had plans beyond that. I figured I'd take over the farm one day, maybe raise a family of my own." She glances over at Glenn briefly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Beth, sitting next to Jimmy, joins in.
"I was... in high school. I thought maybe I'd go to college, study something, maybe music. I loved singing... could've gone into something like that or maybe becoming a veterinarian, just like Daddy."
Jimmy just smiled.
"Well, you can still do it when they find the cure."
Beth nodded happily, a small spark of hope in her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, unsure if they should tell Beth and Jimmy the truth about the cure. Before Glenn could respond, Maggie spoke up.
Maggie looked at Glenn and asked,
"So what about you? What did you do?"
Glenn shrugged slightly.
"Well, I was a pizza delivery guy." He chuckles, a bit embarrassed. "I know, not the most exciting job in the world."
Maggie teasing with a smile
Carl mutters with a grin.
"A pizza would be nice right about now."
Amy glances at Carl.
"You know, we could probably make a simple one with everything we have."
Sophia and Carl both snap their heads toward Amy, mouths open in disbelief.
"Really!?"
Amy, a bit startled by their reaction, nods slowly.
"Yeah, we have flour, and they just brought back canned tomatoes."
Sophia and Carl burst out giggling, imagining the idea of actually eating pizza after so long.
After the laughter dies down, Glenn looks over at Amy.
"So, what about you, Amy? What did you do before all this? Never really had the chance to ask you"
Amy smiled softly.
"I was studying to be a teacher... early childhood education. I always wanted to teach kids."
Amy then remembers something and turns towards Itachi.
"Wait, I know you did some training since you were young, but what did you do besides that?"
Itachi stays quiet for a bit before answering.
"I never really went to school or anything like that, didn't have that option."
The group falls silent, surprised by the response, and they all look at Itachi, waiting for him to explain more.
Amy asks hesitantly,
"You never went to school? Like, never?"
Itachi looks at her.
"No. I went to it until I turned 12."
Amy continues asking, her voice slow, trying to understand.
"Was it because of your family's training?"
Jimmy, Beth, and Maggie exchange looks, stunned by the mention of some kind of family training.
Itachi shakes his head slightly.
"No. Let's just say something happened, and I wasn't able to continue going to one." His eyes gain a distant gaze for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
The silence lingers for a second as everyone processes Itachi's words.
Glenn, sensing the tension, quickly interjects to change the subject.
"Hey, does anybody know how to play guitar? Dale found a cool one."
Patricia, who had been listening from the other side of the room, turns towards their table.
"Otis does, and he's very good at it."
Patricia turns towards Otis, smiling slightly.
"Why don't you play for us, dear?"
Otis smiles awkwardly and laughs a bit.
"Sure, but I'm not that good."
Glenn quickly stands up with a grin on his face.
"Doesn't matter. We'll take what we can get." He walks away to grab the guitar.
Otis watches Glenn for a moment before shaking his head with a small laugh.
"Alright, alright... I'll play something."
Glenn comes back and hands Otis the guitar.
Amy leans back in her chair, glancing around at the others.
"Guess we could all use a little music," she says quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Sophia smiles, her enthusiasm still strong.
"Yeah! Music sounds good right about now."
Amy laughs a bit before leaning closer to Itachi.
"I'm sorry if I brought something bad up," she says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Itachi shakes his head slightly, smiling softly at her.
"It's okay. Don't worry."
For a brief moment, Amy feels the distance between them slip away, replaced by a quiet warmth. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, Itachi gently reaches out and holds her hand softly. It's a simple gesture, but it's enough to make her heart skip a beat.
Amy looks at him, surprised. She doesn't say anything; she simply relaxes into his touch and leans against his shoulder.
She closes her eyes, her body relaxing into the comfort of the moment. The music from Otis' guitar fills the air, soft and soothing, and the gentle hum of the group's voices joins in, creating a peaceful rhythm.
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🧪 Author's Note:
Hey everyone, a quick update!
I'm getting back into my full working hours, which means I'll be working 8+ hour days. Because of this, I might not have as much free time to write as before. Here's what I'm thinking:
Would you prefer daily uploads with chapters ranging from 1000 to 1500 words (similar to this one or Chapter 23), or would you rather get longer chapters, but less often?
Just a heads up, on Fridays and Saturdays, I'll still be able to upload longer chapters, and maybe even on Sundays, depending on my schedule.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think about the story and the character interactions in the comments. Your feedback means a lot!
Thanks again for reading 🖤