GENESIS
“Helllloooo!” I wave a hand in front of Sabrina’s face. It’s like she’s gone catatonic as we stand there waiting for Corin to make some kind if speech. I don’t think she’s heard a word I’ve said. “Earth to Sabrina…”
I try to follow her line of sight, but I don’t have much of a view. There’s a tall, stocky guy who’s stood right in front of me. Ugh. We’re going to have to move closer to the front if we want to see our newfound friend explain what’s going on with the alarm. Great.
VERN:
The girl tells me her name is Eve, and continues saying she’s from the city. I don’t like to think of the city or what I lost there, so I don’t say anything, just give a small nod in reply. The other girl is back, telling us she’s had to turn the power off to the school to stop the alarm. She’s studying both of us, and I realise she’s probably suspicious of both of us.
Before I can really contemplate that, she holds out her hand and tells me her name is Wendy. She’s more familiar to me than Eve, I feel like I’ve seen her around before, but the name isn’t really telling me much more. I look at her hand for a moment, knowing I’m gonna seem unfriendly and rude if I don’t take it, so I get my hand out of my pocket and do, even if it feels awkward.
“Vern. I live right down the road from here.”
I’m not sure why I tell them that, other than to halfway make it clear that I could have gotten here quickly.
Eve
I watch Wendy and Vern talking. and shaking hands… how his hand would feel?if his skin is warm?
I shake my hand and made a step back, no time for things like that. I listen again as he tells Wendy that he doesn’ t life far away. Which makes me smile a for a moment, maybe i can find it out…
I sigh and look down on the ground, concentration…
" Oh, i guess i should go on" i look up at the pair in front of me before i turn in front of the stairs. " See you at the meeting then?"
WENDY:
Vern is shaking my hand when Eve tries to make an exit…
“Hey, hold on, Eve. We can all go outside together.
There was a crowd of kids outside when I came in here…maybe we will just have a meeting now if everyone is already here…let’s all go see.”
I smile at Eve and Vern, saying this as I release Vern’s handshake.
I wanna keep an eye on these two and see if one of them does anything else suspicious…
As I walk towards the exit, I retrieve the keys from my pocket, deciding that there is no more point in hiding that I’ve got them.
As I walk I’m thinking…
I don’t think either Vern or Eve pose a serious threat, but it’s best to know who is who…and who is a possible thief. I cant ask or accuse either one outright…
Then again, I tell myself the adults who owned this stuff & this building are dead, or The State is dead…whatever…anyway, maybe I don’t have a right to say who scavanges? I myself was looting homes only yesterday…its survival time…I’m not going to judge. It’s not my place.
I unlock the door and hold it open for the two to pass in front of me…
CORIN:
OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL,
SURROUNDED BY CROWD OF KIDS
Now that the alarm is off, kids are starting to calm down a bit, but they are once again drilling me with questions.
Genesis and her friend Sabrina aren’t beside me for backup, but I guess I dont really need it. I just wanted Genesis to stick around. Who can blame her though, after my impromptu crossing-of-the-line.
I climb up onto the rim of a concrete planter box that’s near at hand, and signal the kids to quiet down, raising my hands open palmed above my head. As I lower them, the crowd grows quiet…
I feel like a conductor in an orchestra.
I run my fingers through my hair, before saying
“Ok everybody, it seems like there’s no immediate danger, but people could have heard that for miles around…so we should remain in groups, and stay alert. I would even say post watch tonight, and sleep close together. There is safety in numbers. Lock your doors.”
I look around at the now quiet but very nervous bunch of towns kids and think
…how in the Hell did I end up calling-the-shots for this bunch of scared orphans?
I breath in and look at the school in time to see Wendy opening one of the school doors and holding it ajar… apparently she isn’t alone, but at least she seems safe.
I release the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding in, and plunge ahead with what I was saying.
“Since we’re all here, why dont we take a few minutes and then meet inside the gym to have this meeting.
And dont panic, I know that not everyone will have a solid plan yet in such short notice…but we need to keep working to figure this out.”
I turn my smile on each of them, recognizing many of the kids from school.
“We can do it together, I know we can.”
As I say this, I meet eyes with Genesis across the Crowd…
I try to hold her gaze, but my attention is abruptly diverted by my school-pal Daniel, who has jumped up beside me and begun happily thumping me on my back with his palm and saying “yeah, right on, man! We can do this!”
I laugh, catching my balance as I say to everyone gathered, "Ok everyone, see you inside in 10 minutes. "
I jump down off the planter box and Daniel follows me. My group of friends is already closing in…well at least I can put their appearance to good use.
I direct my 4 pals to the side and tell them that we need to make a sweep of the school to make sure that nobody is still inside. While the others mill around talking in small groups for the next ten minutes, the 5 of us are going to make certain there really is no immediate threat…
We head towards the school…
Eve
Before i can leave Wendy told me wait, damn it… i want to go. i don’t want to be in the crowd, i want to go home .I sigh and turn to Wendy as she unlock the door. Why does she has a key?
I nod at her as she opens the door for us and head outside “thanks”
Sabrina
A tall boy walks in front of her and my concentration on her is broken by not only Genesis but Corin shouting to get the attention of the group. I want to apologise for most likely seeming ignorant to Genesis so I mouth a ”Sorry” at her, not having time to see if she sees it as Corin says something that grabs my attention.
People could have heard from miles around , I could barely hear it from my house for goodness sake. Why is Corin trying to panic people. post watch tonight, Oh for goodness sake
I try not to let on that I’m annoyed and just constantly check Fenella, who like the angel she is, is sound asleep.
Corin continues to go on and then says he wants the meeting to happen now. I look directly at Genesis knowing this wouldn’t please her.
As Corin finished speaking he headed towards the gym. At this point, after what he said before I feel torn whether I want to go or not. There’s just something about it I don’t feel all too comfortable about. Especially since it seems like he’s trying to take lead of all of us. He’s almost trying to rush us into something that needs to happen over time. We need more time to adjust and this whole way on how he’s leading almost seems out of his own fear for his life.
While I’m thinking all of this in my head, I stand there watching the crowd converse. I finally come to the realisation that it’s not rude to speak now and I immediately face Genesis. ” I’m sorry I ignored you before” I try to think of a reason but come up with a stingy. ”I was just lost in thought…” I trail of trying to think of what else I can say to assure her of my interest. ” What did you say before… I’m really sorry again.”
CORIN:
Walking back over to the school with my pals, I am thinking over this whole ludacris situation. I’m a little bit overwhelmed…I can admit that to myself.
what the heck do I know about any of this? I don’t even have any siblings…I’ve never even had to hold a baby, let alone pretend to be Daddy to these kids…this is crazy, but nobody else seems willing to make decisions…this is ridiculous.
If I stop telling people what to do, will they find somebody else who’s willing to be in charge?
but what if that somebody just makes matters worse? Oh geeze, this is crazy…
As we reach the building, I finally come face to face with my cousin, who I hug briefly and ask for the keys. She hands them over and just stands there watching me and my pals head back inside. I’m familiar with the big guy Wendy is with(a quiet guy called Vern), but not the girl. I’ll ask Wendy later about those two…
We head inside and start our sweep of the hallways. I don’t bother opening any of the locked doors…we just scan the hallways and open classrooms. We find nobody in the building…
I reason that whoever tripped the alarm either got out of the building already, or that the Alarm was triggered automatically somehow…not that I know anything about alarms.
Knowing the school is threat free, my pals and I proceed into the gym. I unlock the doors and swing them wide open, letting in some air and those of the kids who are waiting to be let in.
OOC: Poor Corin, the weight of the world on his shoulders and he’s just a kid 
Anyhow, I’ll try and get a post in later. Maybe on my break.
BIC:
GENESIS
Sabrina is slow to come around, apologizing for her mind wandering off and by then Corin is already speaking. What? Heard from miles around? I think in disbelief. We don’t live in a canyon where echoes resonate loudly. And I sure as hell won’t be sleeping close to anyone.
I think in that moment I see Corin is just a scared kid like the rest of us despite his popularity and leadership. I move to my left slighty, trying to see around the big guy in front of me, to get a good look at Corin. If he’s any kind of scared, it doesn’t show in his smile.
And he’s bumping up the meeting? The one I haven’t even decided I wanted to attend or not? Just as I’m cursing under my breath, there are those capitivating blue eyes of his staring right at me.
“We can do it together, I know we can.”
It’s like he’s talking directly to me, which is unnerving. I quickly look down at my feet, only looking up again when Sabrina explains her mind ran off earlier and asks me to repeat myself.
I smile at her, “It’s alright. I was just asking what happened to Devon. Let’s find him since things were bumped up.” I guess our lunch plans are post-poned too. Which is good, because I hadn’t even thought of what to prepare yet.
Sabrina
I receive a smile from Genesis which reassured me a bit. She explains how she was just wondering where Devon went and my mind jumped to him. I started to think about before and how he must have been a little shocked to see me there as he asked me to stay behind.
Genesis suggests we look for him and I nod my head in agreement. I try to find a way to tell Genesis about what happened before with Devon wanting me to stay back at my house but I decide to just smile and follow in her lead.
GENESIS
Sabrina follows me as I move through the dispersing crowd. Although, Corin said to take a break, most kids are heading inside already. Good for them, makes my job easier looking for Dev.
He’s easy to spot, once every one is out the way. And he’s got company. A couple blokes I’ve never seen before. “I wonder who his friends are?” I question, looking at Sabrina as we keep making our way towards him and the two boys.
“Hey Dev!” I call once we’re closer, waving through the air. I hope he doesn’t mind me calling him that.
Devon
Suddenly someone starts speaking. Corin. Who else? i sigh and shake my head, who has make him a leader?
Then i hear my name and look arround before i spot the girls and nod at them. " hy, who has truned the alarm off?
WENDY:
OUTSIDE THE GYM
Apparently Corin thinks he and his friends need to go back into the school…so I give him the keys and head back towards the group of kids milling about chatting in small groups.
From what I overhear as I approach, the meeting is going to be now…so I wander towards the gym.
I see the blonde boy and girl from earlier, standing with a group of kids…all of whom seem share the same blonde hair and pinched mouth of the blonde girl. those must be her siblings I reason to myself.
I catch the eye of the boy, who smiles at me through the crowd… I blush and then the girl grabs him by the hand, and the way she does it confirms my earlier suspicion that he isn’t her brother…he is probably her boyfriend…
I shouldn’t feel jealous, but I suddenly do. I don’t even know him but my stomach is in knots…I walk away and sit down by myself in the grass
blonde boy
blonde girl, with the snotty attitude
Sabrina
When Devon asks who the alarm off I suddenly come to the realisation for myself. Who did turn the alarm off? I feel like Corin might have said something about it but after seeing her I just phased everything out.
I feel myself shrugging my shoulders. Immediately regretting that I look over at Genesis in hope she starts a conversation. I still want to apologise to Devon about before and me shrugging the way I most likely did mustn’t have seemed at all respectful.
CORIN: IN THE GYMNASIUM
Once I’ve opened the doors to the Gym, several kids come inside and find places on the bleachers. One kid approaches me and asks for my attention on something. She’s a girl from my grade, and one of the more studious kids in school. She was a teacher’s assistant and the kind of girl who spent her free time in the school library instead of socializing. Her name is Claire Newman, and she’s always been shy and kind…not usually the type to seek someone out in a crowd.
I tell her “sure, what’s up?” and follow her over to the empty area at the far end of the room. There is a folding table here, which she approaches. She rolls out the large paper she is carrying onto the table, holding the edges down with some loose coins from her pocket.
I look at the paper and realize that it’s a very artistic rendering of our town, with the houses and buildings all marked out in coordinated colors.
“I made this for our end of year project,” Claire tells me, smiling over her shoulder at me. She has a nice smile, I think to myself.
I step forward, examining the map more closely. I’m surprised to see my own house, at the far edge of the map.
I lean in over the map beside her and put my finger on Greythorn Estate. I turn my head to her, smiling back. “Look at that. You even got my house.”
Claire blushes and looks back down at the map, a strand of her hair falling in her face. She doesn’t reply to my comment, but instead tells me that she " thought that maybe the map could help us to figure out the living arrangements."
I think that she might be right, and I thank her for bringing the map to us. I ask her to stay close by in case we need to talk about it, or have her make some notes about our meeting on the map.
She blushes another shade darker and shyly agrees to stay close and tells me that “we can mark the map up as much as we need to”…she moves around the other side of the table and sits down, busying herself with sharpening a few colored pencils she draws from one of her pockets.
I turn away just in time to see the room filling up with what must be all the kids who were outside…
@town kids
GENESIS
Devon asks a question and it seems like everyone is looking at me to answer. “I don’t really know. Someone in Corin’s close circle.” I reply, trying to refrain from shrugging my shoulders. Corin had mentioned a cousin, one I knew nothing about so I let it at that.
“I’m going to head inside,” I announce, deciding to stick around for the meeting after all. It’s important I know how someone is trying to dictate my life.
Pushing with the crowd, I avoid the bleachers, taking my usual spot at the back near the closest exit. Upfront but to the side, Corin is talking to some girl whom I’m sure is not his cousin, not by how they’re interacting. She must be of some importance though because she gets a special seat. Good for her.
I take my eyes away from them, scanning the crowd even though I’m not looking for anyone. No one looks menacing, though there’s lots of annoyed voices. “I wonder if ten minutes has passed,” being a popular question of several.
I wondered the same.
Sabrina
Relieved Genesis spoke up just as I shrugged my shoulders. I looked at Devon’s face and it didn’t seem like he had noticed me shrugging.
Genesis announces she’s going to head inside and my stomach drops. Earlier it seemed like she had doubts about this meeting, which were quite valid and I was hoping she still had them from my own selfish preservation. Seems like Corin worked his magic. I know I shouldn’t be but I feel a certain pang of anger towards him. I knew I could say anything against the idea so as much as I’d rather jump into lava right now I decided to follow her. “Yeah me too” , “Cya Devon” . I look back at him hoping he’s not discomforted that we just went off again.
I follow Genesis and she places herself at the exit. With carrying Fenella around all this time my back is starting to ache. I look down at her to see she’s awake now. “Well hello there missy” . With my free hand I boop her on the nose. In some way I hope she’s starts getting fussy as I would love an excuse to leave but at the moment she’s just content and smiling.
I decide that I’m going to leave Genesis for now and sit down. “I’m just going to sit down. My back is starting to hurt” , I raise my voice as to try and compete with the crowd level. I’m about to go and sit down when I see her again. I’m absolutely certain if she sees me she’s going to want to talk to me. I saw it on her face before.I direct myself back to where Genesis is standing. " On second thoughts…I might just stay here…um" . I try quickly think of an excuse "uh…just in case Fenella gets fussy"
Feeling within myself this is a good and justified excuse I take a place beside Genesis and watch as the last people file into the Gym.
CORIN
now that most everyone seems to be inside, I look around to see if I can spot Wendy. I don’t see her…but it’s time to start this meeting I guess.
I start by standing up on a chair that somebody has brought around, and clap my hands a few times to get their attention. I suddenly wish that Genesis were here with that whistle of hers…it’s certainly an attention grabber.
But everyone seems to be waiting on my cue anyway, and a hush falls over the room.
A baby makes some cooing noises, but otherwise, I’ve suddenly got the floor to speak.
“Alright everyone,” I begin, still standing on the chair.
“Claire has provided us with a map of town, and I think it would be good to have those of you with available space in their homes, who are willing to have others joining your household, should come forward and make a mark on your home with a note of how many people you can take in.”
I let this sink in a bit, then I add “I think this is a good place to start the process of creating ‘home groups’, or ‘Tribes’ if that is what you want to call them…”
I step down and approach the map on the table. I reach out, accepting a Blue colored pencil from Claire.
I make my mark by drawing a spiral on the map over Greythorn Estate, even though it’s a ways outside of town, and not many kids will be likely interested in being that far removed from the Town Proper.
I mark a 6 at my house on the map, though in reality, the house and outbuildings could be arranged to accept maybe 12 more people than just me and Wendy.
Turning, I present the colored pencil to the nearest approaching kid, a girl, who starts the line for others to come up and apply their information…or not, as the case may be.
Some of them won’t want more kids living with them, or will want to move in with others…that will be our next step, taking a count of all the kids who want to move and join a Fledgling Tribe.
OOC: Sorry guys, been a weird and busy week with internet going down when I actually had time to post so that’s typical 
BIC: VERN
Eve moves to leave, but Wendy stops her, suggesting they go outside together, maybe just start the meeting now. I’m pretty sure the girl just wants to keep an eye on us both and inwardly roll my eyes, but I have nothing better to do, and I was thinking of going to the meeting anyway.
I follow Eve outside, not really talking as I take in the crowd outside, noting to myself that Eve doesn’t seem any happier about crowds than I do. We’re greeted by a guy I recognise, Corin, who gives Wendy a hug and asks for the keys. I frown slightly, realising that Wendy must be related to him. Makes sense, that family always seems to be right in the middle of things in this town. The virus hadn’t changed everything.
Corin and his friends head inside, seeming to be preparing the place for the meeting. I glance at Eve and Wendy, then shrug as I move to follow the rest of the group back inside, not really looking to see if they follow, just finding myself a spot at the back and avoiding eye contact with people I know.
Eve
As far as we are finally outside i look arorund, search for the best away throught the crowd to disappear. Suddenly everyone wants to go inside and i have no chance to make it throught the crowd without making a lot of fuss.
I sigh and turn arround, in front of me i spot Vern and i feel my heart making a little jump.
Inside i look out for a corner, guess i don’t need to sit during the meeting, at leats i hope so. There are not enough chairs for everyone.
Corin starts the meeting and i stare at them as they told us, to mark where we live.