Three Orphan Pilgrimage (The Alternative to TWDG's Final Season) [Walking Dead]

14. The Little Things

Even as she pushed Omid behind the wagons Sarah was dragging behind her, Clementine couldn't stop herself from eyeing the rows and rows of lavish and expensive clothing, just waiting for someone to take it. Beautiful dresses, stunning blouses, gorgeous shoes. Even the socks on display were a sight to behold, sporting colorful and creative designs and for everything from short ankle socks to ones as long as stockings. Clementine didn't know where to begin.

"You know," said Sarah. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I could really use some new shirts and pants."

"And maybe a new jacket," suggested Clem as she examined Sarah's worn blue coat.

"I want to keep this jacket," said Sarah as she tugged on the garment. "You know, because my dad gave it to me." Clem noticed the hint of sorrow in Sarah's voice.

"I understand, my dad gave me this hat." Clem adjusted her worn white and purple baseball cap. "Still, everything else we could get from here."

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I could use some new shoes too. And socks. And underwear."

"Like these?" Sarah turned her head to see Clementine gesturing to a mannequin wearing pink lingerie.

"What? I could never wear something like that," said Sarah.

"Why not?"

"Because, only beautiful women wear stuff like that."

"You are a beautiful woman Sarah."

"I'm not beautiful like that," dismissed Sarah. "And even if I was, I wouldn't want to wear that. It looks uncomfortable."

"I think it looks cool," said Clem. "And I bet it would look really great on you."

"If you like it so much, why don't you wear it?" suggested Sarah.

"I can't wear that, I'm not a woman at all," shrugged Clem. "I'm just a little girl."

"Clem... you're not just a little girl."

"But I look like one, and I'm little like one." Clem sighed as she looked at the racks of dresses several sizes too big for her. "Let's go find the kid's aisle," mumbled Clem as she pushed Omid's stroller along.

"You know, this is a big store, they probably got a lot of great stuff for people your age too," suggested Sarah as they navigated towards the sign advertising apparel for children.

"Like what?" asked an unconvinced Clem.

"Um... well... oh, how 'bout this?" Sarah removed an expensive looking denim jacket from the rack and handed it to Clem. Examining it, she was surprised by the quality of the garment, being finely stitched with elegant metal buttons running down the middle and colorful patterns resembling flowers stitched into the fabric right below the shoulders. And most importantly for Clementine, it appeared to be just her size.

Clem hurriedly unzipped her cheap polyester jacket and tossed it aside. Slipping her arms into the denim jacket felt oddly gratifying, maybe because Clem liked the feel of the material better. Tugging at the coat, it was a little big but still a good fit, and being a bit big also meant she could grow into it. Adjusting the bracelet Sarah had given her, Clem noticed the classy button on the jacket's cuff and suddenly wanted to see what this new jacket looked like on her.

"Is there a mirror around here?" asked Clem.

"I think I see one set up by that clothing rack." Sarah collected the lantern and maneuvered to a free standing mirror set up at the end of a couple of aisles. The younger girl zipped over to the mirror while Sarah held out the lantern so Clem could see her reflection. Modeling the jacket in the mirror, Clem liked what she saw.