Birdie laid on Ron's bed, Enid perched on the bed next to her as she read a comic. The new kid, Carl, was supposed to come over to hang out with them for the day. To say the blonde was excited for someone new was an understatement. Sure, she was a bit nervous given what the group had looked like coming in, but she didn't want to judge a book by its cover when he could solve the problems of her loneliness when Enid was with Ron. Of course, there was nothing against Mikey, but he had a habit of talking about the same things every day.

She heard the door open as introductions began downstairs. "We're almost always here after school, so you can come by anytime," she heard Ron say kindly.

"You go to school?" a voice replied, sounding a bit confused. Birdie smiled slightly at that, looking up at Enid.

"It's in a garage. Little kids go in the morning. Birdie helps out, so she doesn't have to go to our school. Don't be surprised if Judith goes missing; Birdie probably stole her. The girl loves kids; can't explain it, though," Ron chuckled. "It's us in the afternoon. Probably you too, right?"

"Probably," the voice replied quietly as they entered the room. Birdie sat up to take a look at the new kid now that he was clean.

"Guys, this is Carl," Ron said, pointing at the other teen with his thumb. Enid didn't look up from her comic, but Birdie gave him a bright smile. "Carl, this is Mikey, my girlfriend Enid, and that's Birdie," he continued, pointing at them in order. Birdie gave a small wave at her introduction.

"Hey," Mikey said, getting up to greet Carl. Birdie got off the bed and approached as well, letting Mikey go first.

"Hi," Enid said plainly, not bothering to look up from her comic. "Enid's from the outside too. She just came eight months ago."

"Oh, um," Carl said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a comic book. "Is this yours?"

"Sorry," Ron replied. "We didn't know you guys got that house."

"We used to hang out there and listen to music, but because Aaron and Eric leave, we hang out at Birdie's instead to listen to music now. That's Enid's," Mikey said, hands in his pockets. Birdie gave him a light shove out of her way as Carl handed the comic to the brunette.

"Hi, I'm Birdie. We're so glad you're here!" she said kindly, and held out her hand for him to fist bump. He looked at her like she was a bit odd but gave her a weak fist bump back. That was enough to satisfy her as she climbed back onto Ron's bed to sit by Enid, the brunette looking at her with one raised eyebrow.

"Want to play some video games?" Ron offered kindly. "Or Mikey's house has a pool table? His dad's kinda strict about it."

"It's okay, he's at work. Otherwise, we could go to Birdie's and listen to her records?"

"Nope," Birdie said quickly. "That is an option only to people who let me meet their baby sister," she teased. Carl blushed slightly at the attention from everyone and looked down, staying quiet.

"Sorry, I guess we come on kind of strong. We can just hang out," Ron said quietly. Enid and Birdie looked at him, both a bit concerned for the poor guy. It wasn't easy for Enid when she first arrived, so both girls knew how he felt.

"You don't even have to talk if you don't want to," Mikey said kindly. The blonde girl nodded to Mikey.

"Yeah, it took Enid three weeks to say something. Birdie does lots of the talking for us, anyway, so really, it's okay."

The blonde let out a joking gasp, muttering a "rude" under her breath with a soft smile.

"Pull it together, sport," Enid said, no emotion in her words. Birdie's eyes widened as she looked at her best friend, giving her a little punch on the shoulder. The girls looked into each other's eyes, the blonde looking surprised while the brunette rolled hers.

"Let's, um... let's play some video games," Carl replied, ignoring Enid's comment as he walked further into the room. His eyes met Birdie's, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Cool, yeah, Birdie, you're not playing; you'll scare him away," Ron said, causing the girl to pout.

"Why?" Carl asked quietly.

"Too competitive and a sore loser," Mikey joked, earning a pillow thrown at him with a laugh.

.

A few hours had passed since they had hung out together, and Birdie couldn't keep her mind from spinning with thoughts of the new people, especially Carl. Enid sat on the girl's bed, listening to her ramble about him.

"I mean, come on, Enid, you have to admit, he's kind of cute. And a little sister! I'm going to steal that baby," she joked. The brunette just gave her a small smile. Enid truly hadn't seen her this worked up about something in a while, so it was amusing to watch her pace around her room.

"Maybe he's secretly a serial killer, and that's why he's so awkward," Enid joked quietly.

"He's not a serial killer. You were awkward when you got here, and you haven't killed me in eight months," the blonde laughed, sitting next to the girl on her bed. She rested her head on the shorter girl's shoulder with a dramatic sigh. Enid just shook her head softly, her smile growing a bit.

"Yeah, but you don't know that for sure," Enid teased quietly, nudging Birdie lightly with her shoulder.

"Well, I trust my judgment over yours, blondes are always right, you know,'" Birdie said, poking Enid in the side. "I mean, he even gave you your comic back. That's got to count for something, right?"

"Maybe," Enid replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Just don't get your hopes up too high, okay?"

Birdie sighed, flopping back onto the bed. "I know, I know. It's just... it's nice to have someone new around."

"Yeah, I get it," Enid said, her tone softening. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Always," Birdie promised, giving Enid a reassuring smile.

.

An hour later, Enid left to go back to her house, leaving Birdie alone with her knickknacks on the shelves and a record on the player. Aaron gave a gentle knock on her door, waiting for the okay to enter the room. Birdie sat on her bed and patted the spot next to her, smiling brightly.

"So," Aaron said as he sat next to her, taking in the happiness radiating from her body, "heard you met Carl finally."

The blonde flung herself back onto her bed. "Call me crazy, Aaron, but he's one of the most interesting things to happen to this place." He gave her a look, but she just smiled. "He's so awkward, it's just cute." He nodded understandingly.

"When I met Eric, I felt the same way. But I was the awkward one. Anyways, Birdie, just... just don't get too attached. We don't really know them yet; they might decide to leave," Aaron somberly spoke, looking at the wall across from him. She just shook her head.

"They'll stay. They're good people, too," she spoke calmly, reaching for his hand, and he looked at her.

"And how do you know that?"

"I trust your judgment more than my own. You know the good from the bad, and they'll stay. They can make us better. Plus, you're my dad; I have to trust you."

.

Birdie sat on the bottom stairs of her porch, trying once again to make a grass whistle as the crickets chirped around her. The sun had set an hour ago, but her mind was still racing in circles. She heard footsteps walking down the road, making her look up.

"Hi," she said, spooking the man a bit. A smile grew on her face, teasing him a bit. "I'm Birdie. I met your son, Carl, today."

"Rick Grimes," the man replied, stopping in front of her, hands on his hips. "Heard you might be a kidnapper," he attempted to joke.

"Only on Tuesdays," she replied with a soft laugh. "I do want to meet her, though, Judith. I'm the resident babysitter in town, so if you ever need a break, you know where I live."

"Well, I'll have to let you know," Rick replied with a nod before starting to walk away.

 If he was honest, he was a bit apprehensive about the girl. She seemed too friendly and happy to be living in a world like they were. She fit right in like a puzzle piece in the town that didn't seem to realize just how terrible the dangers outside the walls could be. However, he could feel that the girl was hiding something. Call it parent instinct, or maybe a cop radar, but there was something she kept a secret, and with his previous conversation with Pete, he realized this place was hiding a lot more than they knew about behind the smiles and running water.