𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥 as much as it should have, instead it brought an odd sense of comfort and calmness through her body as she turned around to face him. The kindhearted football player, Grizz Visser, tilted his head to the side as he waited for the blonde to responded to his questions of if she needed help with the pile of items in her hands.

"Oh, thank you, but i'll be okay," Hunter said softly as she titled her body to the side in a poor attempt of catching the falling boxes of bandages and wraps. They fell tot he ground in a soft thud that was drained out by the sigh of Hunter, "That would be very kind, thank you Grizz."

He nodded, bending down to collect the boxes he paused and examined what was both on the floor and in her hands before his eyes fell to her hands and then trailed up her body to her arms, neck, and finally her face that had makeup all over it. Something anyone would ignore, but not him. Not Grizz, the same Grizz who had watched Hunter Mayer everyday for three years and knew she didn't wear makeup other than to events.

He wanted to question her, to ask if she was okay and assume the worst. But Grizz knew, and don't ask how he did, to never ask a victim what happened when they're still in denial. So, instead, he offered a friendship which is needed at times like this.

"Your eye shadow is very pretty, Hunter," Grizz said and he collected some of the items from the girls hands.

"Thank you," She smiled softly, causing his cheeks to flush with red. "I feel like you should know, seeing as you where there and not involved, that the girls have collectively expressed a feeling of unsafe after the events at the stores."

He swallowed slowly, taking a moment to construct his next words very carefully, "And do you feel unsafe around any of the guys?"

What felt like an eternity later, Hunter responded, "I can handle myself."

. . .

Hunter found herself returning to the church later that day, along side Cassandra and Allie with the group of football boys behind her. After she had told Grizz about the collective feeling within the girls, he agreed with the girls and wanted the other guys to see the faults.

Hunter sat beside Helena, allowing the boys to have the whole row behind her.

"We need to know what we have." Cassandra said from the front of the church, as she got everyone's attention. "We need to know what we are at risk of running out of. So, they'll be an accounting of resources."

She stopped and took a shaky breath. "Once we get a handle on that, we'll begin to ration food, "This received a reaction from the crowd. "Eating meals communally in the cafeteria. We'll also share houses, in case water and electricity are in limited supply."

As Cassandra went on more in depth more the kids started to groan or protest at her suggestions and rules."No one will be doing any of this alone... we'll have rotating work-lists. That way, everyone contributes the same and this includes decision-making. It'll be by committee." Cassandra sighed. "Finally, we will put together a committee on going home, to formally investigate how we got here and where we are."

She looked down at her black journal one last time. "Oh. Lastly, we will be having our prom tomorrow night. Before you protest, prom was supposed to be our goodbye and I still think we deserve one. I hope to see you all there."

Hunter leaned forward and gave Kelly a wide smile as cheers erupted over the few protests as most people just need something to take their minds off, well, everything.

"I think we should vote, on the said plan." Cassandra said. "All in favour, please raise your hands."

Kelly mouthed a plea to Hunter to use her power and sway the crowed into voting. Before coming to wherever this place was, Hunter was cheer captain and months away from becoming prom queen for the second time.

So, as requested by Kelly, Hunter stood up and immediately put her hand up as did most of the girls who were with her this morning. She turned around and plumped her lips, making her doe eyes wider as she look at the boys behind her.

Grizz felt his cheeks flush as he immediately put his hand up followed by Luke. The group waited a minuted until they realized a handful of kids hadn't raised their hands.

"I don't think we can do this unless it is unanimous." Hunter's silky smooth voice was like haven to the boys as she batted her eyelashes, "Come on boys give us a reason to dress up for you."

A few more kids raised their hands hesitantly but everyone's eyes remained on Harry and Campbell. Campbell smirked at Harry before raising his hand, and Harry followed his lead. As angry as Campbell was for his girl looking at other boys like that, he wanted a reason to see her dressed up and bent over the bathroom sink pleading with him.

Campbell gave Hunter a sly wink before his attention drifted to something else that didn't go UN-noticed by the blonde. Her eyes tried to follow Campbell's but she got distracted as she walked out of the church and noticed a group of kids huddled around a pillar.

Gordie must've posted the worklist. As Hunter walked over she stopped as Allie came storming towards her.

"Congratulations, you're on the committee." Allie said before ripping her arm away.

She tilted her head to the side in confusion before swiftly moving to the wall and reading the list.

From Your Committee,
Cassandra, Hunter, Kelly, Will, Luke, and Dillion

. . .

"What do you mean you changed your mind about going to the dance?" Hunter asked from her spot in front of the vanity.

She had been doing her makeup for the "prom" later this evening when Campbell stormed into the bedroom with purple bruises littering his neck.

Hunter knew better than to question his story, so instead, she asked if he had picked up a dress for her. Hunters house happened to be outside of the strange boarder that contained them, and therefore she had been wearing the few clothes she had at Campbell's.

"Why would I pick up something for you when i'm not going, are you fucking stupid?" Campbell snapped.

Hunter slightly jumped in her chair, she watched in the mirror as Campbell walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

She waited a good half an hour before deciding that is was probably best to leave. Just with her luck, as she rose from her spot the door opened and Campbell was not very happy.

An hour later Hunter found herself once again sat in front of a mirror, only this time she was at her best friends house watching with a blank expression as he covered purple marks on her face.

"I don't understand why you let him do this," Sutton frowned as he carefully brushed eye-shadow on Hunter's face.

She frowned, it wasn't like she allowed or asked for these things to happen. He also wasn't always like this, it started a couple months before the trip. Campbell used to be so kind and loving towards her, he first displayed signs of aggression when she said that after graduation she was moving to Seattle.

Things escalated since the lack of parental guardians where around to separated them.  Hunter's parents could not stand Campbell since the first meeting. Her Mom would never mention it, but she saw similarities in Campbell and Hunter's birth father.

"It's not like I can just leave him, you know what he would do." She frowned, watching herself in the mirror. "Can we please just change the subject. I haven't seen you in forever. Where have you been?"

His eyes light up with excitement, "I met someone Hunter, and he's so dreamy."

"Yeah?" She asked, catching his eye in the mirror, "Tell me about him?"

"He has the brightest smile, and his laugh is the best thing I've ever heard." Sutton explained, "I asked him to prom tonight, and he said yes."

"Tell me more," She grinned.

Sutton's smile dropped as he realized an important thing to disclose with his best friend, " You deserve to know it's Campbell's brother, Sam."

"I'm happy for you, Sutton, he's such a kind person." She grinned, approving of her friends new found happiness.

"Thank you, I love you." He grinned back, "He's teaching me ASL, I wanted to make sure I adapted to his world just like he adapts to mine. But enough simping, time to get you into a dress."

Hunter's eyes wandered to a glamorous silver cocktail dress on the bed, it belonged to Sutton's Mom who was a Connecticut pageant queen.

"Are you sure?" Hunter slowly asked, UN-sure if Sutton was fully okay with her using his Mom's dress and jewellery.

"Oh hush," He laughed, "My Momma loves you Hunter."

. . .

"Your dress," A voice belonging to Grizz caused Hunter to spin around, "You look beautiful, as always, Hunter."

"Thank you," Hunter said as she smiled holding his soft gaze, "You look very handsome."

"Are you alone tonight?" He asked looking around for Campbell or really anyone else, after all it was Hunter Mayer and people who throw themselves at her feet. Not that she would allow it.

"Yes," she nodded, "Sutton came with a date, and I came alone."

"Dance with me?" He asked, extending a hand to her. She happily grabbed his arm sending butterflies through both of them as he walked her to the dance floor.

The two dance for nearly the whole night, going hard after Hunter kicked her painful heals to the side. When a slow song came on they laughed and danced even crazier as students around them either slow danced together to stood awkwardly to the side.

She liked this, and she liked how for the first time in what felt like an eternity she wasn't needing to watch her every move. She felt comfortable and herself around Grizz.

Before people stared to leave Kelley stumbled up to the microphone. She stood on the stage and looked at everyone. She whispered something to Bean and she handed Kelly the microphone.

"Hi, can everyone hear me?" Kelly asked as kids stopped dancing and turned to her.
The microphone screeched as she spoke and she giggled. She was clearly drunk.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming." Kelly smiled at the crowd. "Thank you to the prom committee, Gwen and Grizz."

Grizz cheered at the sound of his name and Gwen smiled. "To Bobby Aronson for letting us ruin your bar mitzvah." Kelly stopped and laughed again. "I mean that's what we all thought prom would be, right? A bar mitzvah."

People laughed as Kelly stopped again, giving herself a chance to regain her thoughts. "Prom was supposed to be our way of saying goodbye." The room became silent. "I mean, that's what it would've been. It's funny because we are saying goodbye. Just not to each other."
Everyone looked at Kelly with blank faces. "We're saying goodbye to everything else, our old lives. Our childhood and it's not just some disappearance, slowly, receding into some darkness where we can still see it. It's just...gone."

When Kelly stood on the stage not moving. Hunter stood up from her chair and walked across the dance floor grabbing onto Kelly's shoulders gently and took the microphone from her.

"Could we get some more music going, please?" he said as she nodded at Bean before leading Kelly off the stage and sitting her down.

"She okay?" Grizz asked, coming over to hand Kelly a glass of water.

"She should be," Hunter said watching Kelly with a soft expression as she sipped from the water. "I saw you trying to sign with Sam, it was very sweet."

Grizz laughed. "Yeah, I don't know sign language very well. I didn't know you did."

"I'm fluent," She explained softly, "I actually took ASL classes with Sam years ago, he's the reason I met Campbell."

"Right, Campbell."

"You know he can read lips."

"Yeah, but I want to be able to talk to him in his language."

"I'll teach you," She looked up at him once again causing butterflies to fill his stomach. Hunter slowly moved her right hand, "This means walk me" she moved her hand again only this time her fingers formed shapes, "home?"

"I would love to," Grizz smiled, they stood up together and walked across the room, trying not to bump into the few chairs that were still pulled out.