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Carl and Cat walked side by side through the gates of Alexandria, the quiet surroundings unsettling after all they had endured. The high walls promised security, but Carl couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Cat glanced at the clean streets and perfect houses. It felt like stepping into a different world, one that hadn’t seen the brutality of the outside. She could feel her muscles tense, a sharp contrast to the calm, almost idyllic surroundings. Is it worth the risk? Her gut told her to keep her guard up, but the other part of her—the part that missed normalcy—wanted to let go, even if just for a moment. She stole a glance at Carl. He looked just as guarded. Maybe it wasn’t just her.Cat turned back, looking at Carl. "I didn’t think we’d see anything like it again. It looks pretty damn perfect." Carl replied dryly, "Yeah, well... I don’t trust perfect." Cat rolled her eyes.They stopped, Rick greeting the blonde lady who seemed to be in charge. People were scattered around the entrance, watching curiously. Cat saw the striking contrast in their spotless, newly washed clothes and their tamed hair to the group’s disheveled, alarming appearance. They'd just spent the night in a leaky wooden shed, for god's sake.The lady—Diana—as Cat had heard, greeted them warmly, her smile warm. Carl shook her hand, his expression curious and his eyes trying to read her. Cat knew better than to close herself off to her; they needed to make a good impression. If there was any chance at all that this place was what it seemed, it was worth trying for. “Hello there, young lady,” she said with a sort of certainty (in what? Cat didn’t know)."Hello, ma’am," Cat said with a smile, her eyes squinting slightly to lend her expression a touch of sincerity, mirroring Diana’s welcoming look. Carl wordlessly judged Cat’s approach to the place by narrowing his eyes, further emphasizing his slight, almost-always-there scowl. You could say he took after his dad. Cat dismissed his pointed look, having dealt with this a hundred times.The group were told that they’d each go in for an interview with Diana, so she could scope out their character. Rick was first to follow Diana when she turned around, leading them to her home. The group followed, some more hesitantly than others. “You think she’ll interrogate Judith here?” Cat joked, motioning to a babbling Judith in her arms. Carl said nothing, his pace consistent and his face set in stone. Cat rolled her eyes and sighed, here we go again, she thought, he’s getting more dramatic than me.After their interviews with Diana (which Cat felt went really well on her behalf), the group was shown to their shared houses. Cat would be placed with Carol, Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie. They said the placements weren't permanent—they just figured they’d rather spend the first few nights here close to one another. Daryl was still sitting on the porch when Cat walked by with a pillow tucked under one arm, following Glenn and Maggie on their way to Rick’s place.“You think it’s for real?” Cat asked Daryl.“They’ve been lucky,” is all he responded, true to his man-of-little-words self. Cat continued to the house over, going through the whole thing in her head again to decide if she should be wary or accepting of things.That night, they fell asleep talking little about their thoughts on the place, and more on teasing Rick for his newly shaved face. Diana came by at some point, talking with Rick and Michonne by the door. With a fond smile, she took note of everyone in the living room, having claimed their own spots with blankets and pillows scattered across the floor. Cat fell asleep nearly back to back with Carl, as they had gotten used to it after many nights spent packed together, falling asleep warily and prepared for danger.Diana introduced some to the people of Alexandria, the others having already left to get to know the place better. Cat and Carl were introduced to the other teens, Ron, Spencer, and Enid. From there, they were left in the hands of Ron, who was trusted to show the new teens around.“Hey, you two. Ready to meet the others?” Ron asked with a half-smile, clearly trying to make the best of the situation. He seemed like he was trying to be friendly but didn’t want to force it either.Carl gave him a simple nod, still as guarded as ever. Cat gave a small smile, not letting her guard drop completely, but she knew it was better to at least try. "Sure, lead the way."As they walked, Ron filled the silence with chatter about the place—how everyone kept to their routines, how everyone had their assigned tasks. It wasn’t too different from the way things had worked at the prison, but there was a strange, unsettling calm about it all.They passed by a couple of kids their age hanging out near the street. Spencer waved, and Ron introduced Carl and Cat casually, though neither of them looked overly enthusiastic about the greeting."Spencer's cool," Ron said, gesturing toward him. "He knows the place inside and out."Carl didn’t say much, just gave Spencer a quick, barely-there nod. Cat followed suit, offering a small, polite smile before looking away. She was still trying to get a feel for these people, even if they seemed harmless enough."Enid’s over there," Ron said, pointing to a girl leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her face impassive. "She’s... well, she’s a little different."Cat watched her for a second. Enid was keeping her distance, her eyes calculating as they met Cat’s for a brief moment before she turned her attention back to the horizon.Ron continued talking, oblivious to the silence that had fallen over them. "We usually hang out, y’know, chill here and there. If you guys want, we could play some video games later. The consoles are in the back."Carl shrugged, clearly not sold on the idea but not dismissing it either. "We’ll see," he muttered, his voice as casual as it could be, though there was a slight edge to it.Cat nudged him with her elbow. "I’m up for it if you are," she said, trying to ease the tension a bit.Carl shot her a quick look, a tiny smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I guess it beats sitting around doing nothing.""Alright, cool," Ron said, pleased by the response. "I’ll make sure we’ve got a spot ready for you guys."The group stayed outside for a while, the conversation meandering from one thing to another, but it always circled back to the same thing—this place, the people, the normalcy they were all trying to find after everything that had happened.Enid finally walked over to join them, her arms still crossed but her stance a little less guarded. "So, you two actually trust this place?" she asked, her tone sharp but not unkind.Cat glanced at Carl, then back at Enid. "I don’t know yet," she said, her voice steady. "But I’m willing to see what happens."Enid raised an eyebrow, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Fair enough."The silence stretched a bit, but it wasn’t awkward. Just... a pause. Enid turned her attention back to Carl and Cat. "You both look like you’ve been through some serious shit. This place might seem safe, but you never really know, do you?"Carl didn’t respond right away, but the look on his face said enough. Cat gave a small laugh. "Guess we’ll find out. We’ve been wrong before."Enid smirked, nodding. "True."As the evening rolled on, Carl and Cat were left to their own thoughts. The promise of a break from everything they’d known was tempting, but something about this place didn’t sit right. They had a chance to finally rest, to stop running. But rest didn’t mean the threat was gone.