This season, says actress Katelyn Nacon, Enid and her female comrades will be standing up for themselves and those they love like never before.

Things are starting to heat up already on The Walking Dead, as Negan’s massacre continues to reverberate. This week, we finally saw a few faces we’d been missing this season, including Enid—who was visible last week, but didn’t utter a line. This week changed things, as Enid set her own plan in motion. The episode gave us some hints at what to expect from our teenaged heroine—and a few of the characters she loves most—but we still had a few questions.

For answers, we turned to Katelyn Nacon, who plays Enid and—like all of her castmates—is very excited for fans to see where this season is headed.

Vanity Fair: This episode is pretty big: we finally find out what’s going on with Maggie. And it feels right that Enid goes to find her, given how Maggie had taken Enid under her wing. Do you think that’s why it was important for Enid to find her?

Katelyn Nacon: Well, the thing is, Enid doesn’t really let people into her life very easily. So when Glenn came along and introduced her to Maggie, it kind of reminded her—at least, this is how I think of it—it kind of reminded her of her parents. And so I think she kind of has that mother-daughter bond with Maggie. And so that strong connection is kind of what keeps her striving to protect her or help her out in any way possible.

So, you mentioned Glenn—what do you think Enid’s going through, knowing what happened to him?

I think it’s affecting her a lot more than she lets on. She already knows how to cover up her emotions, because she had to learn how to do that when her parents passed away. So I think it made it a little bit easier with Glenn and everything. But it’s still—she finally started to open up to people, and thought that maybe it’s O.K., maybe it’s fine to have a connection with people in this world. But right when that happened, that connection was taken away from her once more. And so it’s hard, because it’s just like she was brought back to when she was in the car [watching her parents die].

Do you think we’ll see her closing off more, or opening up more?

I don’t know, because just with the short amounts of time that Glenn and Enid had been together, he taught her so much. And I think that she wouldn’t want him to die and for her to forget everything that he taught her. Especially I know that she’s going to keep going for Maggie, and she’s going to keep helping her no matter what. So I definitely know that she won’t close off people that she already has in her life.

And she and Carl had a big moment—they finally kissed after two seasons.

It is a big moment, for sure—especially for Enid, of course, because she finally let her emotions out. And especially strong emotions through a kiss and everything. It’s a big step forward for her and her character, letting down those walls.

It was interesting watching Carl and Enid have this light moment when they’re roller-skating, laughing and happy. Do you think they’re embodying that optimism that Glenn and Maggie had before?

I’d never even thought about that, dang. But yeah, yeah, I guess so! One thing I love about Enid and Carl when they’re together is I feel like they bring out this innocence that isn’t necessarily seen in this world as much anymore. And it’s really nice. We kind of saw that with Glenn and Maggie when they first started falling for each other, as well. It was kind of innocent, sweet moments that they had.

That’s a pretty big burden to carry. Without Glenn and Maggie or Sasha and Abraham, we’re basically down to Rick and Michonne, and then you two!

Yeah, I know. We’re gonna carry the world on our shoulders!

So, how is Enid going to change this season? She’s had so much to deal with.

It’s definitely been tough. And when she was faced with similar events, we saw her handle it in a certain way. She closed everyone off. But this time it’s different for her—she’s had some different guidance in her life. I think she’s definitely going to stand more for what she believes in, and stand up for the people she cares about.

This season in general seems to be giving the female characters more opportunities to strike out on their own and be badass—even possibly be in charge.

Yes! I love it! That’s one thing I absolutely love about this show: it’s not all centered around the male heroes. They make all the female characters such badasses, and it’s great because you don’t necessarily get to see that a lot in pop culture.

So, last season, you were involved in a fan theory—the one where people thought Enid was one of the Wolves, or at least had helped them invade Alexandria.

Oh my gosh, yes.

What was it like to be in the middle of that?

Oh gosh, it was horrible. I’m pretty sure the rumor is still standing—that she’s a part of the Wolves. Well, now it’s—I think now it’s her being a spy for the Saviors. So I’m just like, “O.K., she’s just always going to be a spy, I guess.”

But with the Wolves, it was just horrible, because at all the WalkerStalker Cons, everybody was just like, “Are you a wolf?” And you can’t deny it, and you can’t accept it, so you’re just like, “I don’t know,” even though in your head, you’re just like, “No!” You just have to be really loose about it all.

On that note, what was it like to keep the season’s big cliff-hanger a secret?

Oh, that was horrible. You know, actually, I just made up a lie: I was like, “Oh, I wasn’t there when they filmed that day. I don’t know who it is either.” Every once in a while there would be a person who was like, “You’re already filming now; of course you know.” And I’m like, “Eh. . .”

But I mean, it is hard. We did the big dream sequence where everyone’s at the big table, and that was Steven [Yeun] and Micahel’s [Cudlitz] last day, and that was so, so horrible. It was my first time seeing anyone say goodbye, and it just sucked. To know how much that was going to affect the fans, as well, because they’re just as committed to these people as we are, so I knew it was going to be tough.

__This is mostly a joke, but also not: How do you think Enid keeps her hair so shiny during the zombie apocalypse? __

I think it’s just sweat. Honestly. Because that whole episode, I was dying. So if you’re seeing any shine, it’s just my hair drenched in sweat—I swear.

I was in, I don’t know, five layers of clothes? I don’t know. It was just a lot. It was 90-degree weather, and then I had to climb a wall and ride this horrible bike that I don’t know how to ride because it was really—I just couldn’t ride it. Because I had to go up a hill, and I didn’t know how to go up a hill, and then I had to roller-skate. . . And I just was dying. It was my most active episode, I think, and I was in five layers in 90-degree weather—Georgia weather, where it’s humid. And sometimes they’ll spray fake sweat on you, which is just a spray bottle of water. But that never happens in that episode. I never saw that spray bottle.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.