Abigail groaned from waking up to the Smiths' youngest crying for the hundredth time. Grabbing her jacket, she put it over her head, trying to block out the noise so she could get a few more minutes of sleep before hearing...

"Abi! You've slept for long enough! Get out here and help us out!" The nagging voice of her mother was heard, what she was trying to delay hearing it only that baby didn't interfere.

Pretending she was still asleep, Abigail tried to go back to sleep.

"Abigail Henderson! I know you're awake! You get out here right this instant!" Her mother's voice rose several octaves, allowing everything within a mile to be able to hear about Abigail being awake.

Swearing and tossing the jacket to the side, she got up, yelling, "I don't think you yelled loud enough for those monsters to hear you! Maybe they also want to know that I'm awake!"

There were a few chuckles that could be heard outside of her tent from the other members who were getting ready for the day, doing daily chores.

Hearing the sounds from others, she quietly cursed about not having any privacy. "Why can't we have the tents further apart, instead of being packed together," she complained.

Unzipping the sleeping bag, the cool morning air invaded her warm haven. Swearing from the invading chill that seemed to sink into her bones, she quickly hopped out and ran to get a pair of pants to put on.

First, she picked up underwear, though she quickly gave it a sniff to see how clean it was. "Oh god, that reeks!" She recoiled before tossing it back on the pile of clothes. "I'm going to have to head to the river to wash my clothes. Guess I'm going to go commando, again."

"That's why I told you to wash your clothes, so you wouldn't have to worry about having clean underwear!" Her mother's voice once again shattered the tranquil silence of the morning, again.

Feeling her face become hot as she blushed furiously, she screamed, "MOM! The entire camp doesn't need to know that! What's the matter with you!"

"Shush! You're already an adult and everyone has already seen your panties!" Her mother said in a no-nonsense tone, reminding Abigail of the group laundry sessions that both guys and girls took part in for safety.

Gritting her teeth, she muffled a scream to get rid of the frustration she was feeling. Though it didn't make the situation any better, she was able to get some satisfaction before she was able to deal with the day. The comedy session that was her mother and her wasn't anything new and seemed to be a regular event, making it more tolerable than anything considering it was better than her family not being alone.

A flash of a memory of the guy she had a crush on getting eaten by those monsters went through her mind, making her stomach churn from remembering all the blood. She was proud of herself for not wanting to puke anymore. That night was full of confusion as she was forced to jump out of the second-floor window and landing in the bushes.

Putting on her pants, she clipped the clasp together and realized how much weight she had lost. Before, she would have barely been able to fit two fingers in, but now she fit a whole hand between the pants and her stomach. Grabbing a belt, she put it through the loops and buckled it. "The last thing I need is for my pants to drop,' she voiced in her head.

Grabbing a t-shirt, she didn't even bother checking if it was dirty. If there was one thing she missed was having a bra. She cursed the fact she tried to get the guy interested by not wearing a bra that night. Though she was able to find new shirts, finding a bra was a little harder. They seem to always be either too big or too small.

Having her girls exposed, without a bra, made her draw too much attention from some of the guys. It made her appreciate having a jacket, so she wouldn't get as many leers. Though she knew that none of them would try anything, she still didn't appreciate how they would try and sneak a peak when thinking she wouldn't notice.

"When will guys learn that girls always notice when they do that?" She thought.

Sticking her bare feet into her shoes and wearing the jacket, she opened up the cloth curtain that provided the bare minimum of privacy. Just like every morning, there were the group of moms preparing the morning meal while the fathers were performing various maintenance tasks. Children of varying ages were either playing or working with their parents on some chore.

Looking around, it was obvious that many of the guys were trying hard not to look at her. As if they didn't hear her mother's yelling. Thinking it was just going to be another day, she sighed and tried not to think about it.

Seeing her mother, who was cleaning a rabbit to get it ready to be cut up and put into the perpetual stew, Abigail walked over to her.

"Look's like the sleeping princess finally woke up," A mother cackled, after noticing Abigail.

Her mother snorted, "Princess is definitely how I'd describe my good for nothing daughter. She sleeps in all day and complains about everything."

"Now. Now. I think your daughter is a wonderful young woman. I've noticed my son starting to show interest in her." A different woman started in, giving Abigail a smile and wink.

"Your son is Rodger, right? He looks like a very dependable son. You and Paul must be proud to have such a son." Her mother praised the woman.

Abigail rolled her eyes, hearing the usual gossip that mothers made. She saw her friend Sheila next to her mother. Sheila was grinning from ear to ear, as she looked at Abigail.

"Traitor," Abigail mouthed at Sheila for enjoying the gossip.

Sticking out her tongue at Abigail, Sheila motioned with her head.

Turning to see what Sheila was pointing at, the sight of Rodger working on sharpening weapons and tools came into view. It was at that moment that Rodger looked up to see Abigail staring at him. Quickly looking down at the weapon he was working on, it was obvious that what the mothers were talking about was heard. His father lectured him about paying more attention to what he was doing, instead of getting distracted.

Paul, Rodger's father, looked at Abigail and gave a big smile. Both parents must be of the same chain of thought, her being a match for their son.

Not wanting to be rude, Abigail gave a slight bow to greet the father. Though she wasn't interested in forming relationships, it wouldn't be a good idea to be rude to others. Currently, the mood may be peaceful, but that was due to the safety inherent in being in a group. This made it even more important to maintain friendly relationships with neighbors, unlike the days before that night.

Noticing Sheila getting up, Abigail made her way to their usual spot in the cooking area. The first thing she did was check the stew to make sure that it was going well. All the various ingredients were mixing together well, giving it an enjoyable smell that made her stomach rumble.

"Grab yourself a bowl and eat some of the stew before we add in more ingredients," Her mother said.

Picking up one of the clean wooden bowls and spoon, she used the ladle to start dishing herself the stew. Though the bowls were small, she still appreciated the food that was available.

She made her way to where Sheila was sitting and plopped down on a wooden log fashioned into a chair.

Taking a spoonful of the soup, a sigh of joy escaped her mouth. It was unlike anything she had tasted and one of the few things she enjoyed in this new world.

"So what do you think?" Sheila giggled.

With a spoon full of stew in her mouth, Abigail was only able to look at Sheil and give the "What are you talking about?" look.

"Rodger," she whispered, glancing over at where he was still working.

He would keep peeking at Abigail to the annoyance of his father, who was only able to shake his head and sigh.

Staring up at the sky, she made it clear what she thought of the idea. Swallowing the stew and looking at Sheila, she hissed, "We have enough things to worry about, instead of who I'm going to make babies with."

Clamping both hands over her mouth, Sheila stifled a laugh. Her eyes were tearing up from having to keep things under control. It became worse as when Abigail's looked stormy from seeing her closest friends finding the whole scenario to be so amusing.

Wanting to change the subject, Abigail asked, "Have you managed to get a hold of better weapons for our hunt, today?"

Still unable to compose herself, Sheila merely nodded her head. Her eyes darted to Rodger and the weapon he was sharpening.

"I guess that words," She sighed, cursing herself for forgetting where the weapons were likely originating from. "Maybe that's why his parents are acting the way they are, thinking that the hunt will be a great time for the two of them to bond." The realization made her groan.

"Aren't you finished eating?! Hurry up and help us over here!" Her mother interrupted Abigail's thoughts.

Getting up to put the bowl and spoon into the growing pile of dirty dishes, Abigail proceeded to help the mothers with the morning routine. Nodding politely at the other mother's greetings and teasing was what she was going to be in for the next several hours. Though she also wasn't looking forward to the hunting trip in the early afternoon.

"We should try hunting over by the mountains, where they built that laboratory. I'm sure there'll be enough game for us to bring back." Abigail planned as she tried to ignore a certain boy's glances.