"Abigail! Wake up if you want to get some breakfast!"

"Aaargh...." She could feel the aches in her muscles as she contorted in an effort to escape the irksome person trying to wake her up.

"Oh come on! You need to meet some people!"
Before she could ponder on that, a rush of cold air hit her bringing her straight awake.

"Hey!" she shouted, "You can't just take my covers!" Alex just laughed and threw her blue jeans at her.
"Put these on," he commanded her, just standing there staring at her. It was obvious he had no intentions of giving her the privacy he knew she would be craving. So, defiantly, she pulled her covers back and slipped the oversized sweat pants off before pulling her jeans on. She could see the amused sparkle in Alex's eyes as he watched her spectacle.

Once she had them worked up to her waist, she stood up out of bed to button them, deciding the t-shirt she had slept in would be fine to wear for breakfast. Anything was better than the dress she would have normally been wearing.

As she hurried to get ready, she ran into the bathroom, knowing she needed to do something with the plague of curls on her head. But, then it hit her: today she didn't have to. She reached for some of Alex's styling gel on the counter and worked on her hair, happy with the appearance after some mild drudgery.

"Wow," Alex commented as she stepped out of the bathroom, "I didn't know your hair was curly. I just assumed it was straight." Then, while turning his back to her to head out the door, "It looks really good like that."

She tried to hide her smile at the comment as she followed him, not having the slightest clue how to get where they were going. As they made their way down the ever-confusing corridors once again, she could feel her anxiety level begin to rise: either from nervousness or excitement: she couldn't be sure which. This was her first true day as a free woman, but also her first day among a life with strangers: which made the idea of eating breakfast with a room full of people she didn't know even more stressful. She really wanted to fit in.

As they neared what was surely the cafeteria, she could hear the low murmur and mixed voices of a crowd. It was a low hum that reverberated and bounced down the hallways, emanating deep within her. The deep vibrations made her nerves stand on end, and she could feel the nausea coming on. As she slowed her steps and clung to the nearest wall, she did her best to remember to breathe. This was just breakfast, she reminded herself, she didn't have to panic about it: Alex would be with her the whole time.

While that thought comforted her, she also hated that she had to cling to him as much as she had been. So, with a new confidence in the air around her, she stood straight up again and turned to Alex, who had stopped to wait on her, and gave a nod of her head, signaling she was okay.

Moments later she found herself standing before two large double doors with the deep echo of the great crowd just beyond louder than ever. She took one last breath in, and followed behind Alex as he pushed the door open and walked inside. Before her was a large room filled with various round tables. It almost resembled the cafeteria she had at her old school. On the far wall was an opening where she was sure the kitchen was located, with an opening for each person to pick up their plate. Along the left wall a line was beginning to form as others who had just arrived waited for their turn.

Abigail tried her best to ignore the fact that the crowd's echoing talk had lightly lowered to whispers at her entrance. Instead she risked a look around the room, seeing an array of people she would have never encountered at home. People of various ages sat around the many tables, some with tattoos and piercings, and others with brightly colored hair. Some of the people she witnessed were much paler than herself, and others were so dark she imagined they did nothing but work in the sun: a curiosity since the entire compound seemed to be located underground.

"Come on," Alex ushered her forward. She had missed the line moving and was now coming up to the window.

"Two plates, please, Claudia," Alex ordered. "Charge them both to my account."

"Oh!" she momentarily worried, "I hate for you to pay for me."

"Don't worry about it, okay? You don't have any other way of paying for it, do you?"

With the realization that she was truly hopelessly broke, she accepted the kindness he had given her and followed him as he made his way into the crowded room to find his seat. Abigail focused on staying behind him and made her best effort to ignore the fact that people were silencing themselves and turning to look at her as she passed them. Finally, after half of the cafeteria seemed to be in curious stillness, Alex found his table. He slammed the plate down loud enough to echo throughout the room, seemingly pulling everyone from their interest in the girl and back to their own food and discussions.

She quickly sat her plate down at the seat next to his and risked a look at the group she was now surrounded with. Five new faces looked at her with an intrigue that made her feel like an exhibit in a museum, but Alex seemed oblivious. She tried to focus on the tray before her, which she now noticed was filled with eggs, toast, and bacon. In the back of her mind she felt an emotional pull as she recognized that she would never again have the lightly seasoned eggs her father used to make her.
Before she could settle in, though, one of the boys at the table turned to Alex.

"So, we are bringing home strays now?" he asked. Abigail flinched at the accusation.

"I'm just saying, Alex," the boy began, "I don't know what you were thinking bringing home one of the Lummoxes."

From the corner of her eye, she could see that Alex was trying to remain calm at the boy's remarks. Turning to face him, she was greeted by a large young man, probably around her own age, with light blonde hair and a mean-looking scar connecting his ear to his mouth. His eyes were a light blue, which could have been beautiful if they hadn't been paired with the smirk that was present on his lips.

"SHUT UP," Alex exclaimed at the boy. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, JACOB!" The scene he was making had caught the attention of several surrounding tables.

"Look, man," Jacob began, "I was just giving the girl a hard time," he tried to bargain, "I didn't really mean any harm." Abigail had already decided she didn't like this one.

"He's right," another boy chimed in, this one had darker skin and deep brown hair that was cut so that his bangs flopped almost into his eyes, "he joked when the two of you walked in about giving her a hard time."

"You would think that you lot," Alex spoke through his teeth, visibly trying to not yell,  "would at least learn the girl's name before you started treating her so cruelly, Shiloh"

Abigail could tell that this boy named Shiloh was physically ashamed as his eyes focused instead on the half-eaten tray before him, making sure not to meet Alex's face.

"Look, Alex," Abigail interjected, "it's okay," she tried to reason. She definitely didn't want to make enemies from the very start. He turned to look at her and seeing the forgiveness in her eyes, his softened as well.

"I guess if she can forgive you," he reasoned out loud to the group, "I can, too. Now how about proper introductions."