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ELEANOR SAW THE NEW supplies the next day but tried to think nothing of it. She never saw a trace of any of them the following week, but then again, she only saw one of their faces — in the dark, at that.
Nonetheless, Eleanor vows to go to sleep early the following Saturday, but the thoughts of the handsome boy keep her awake. She only manages to force her eyes closed, listening to those around her settling down until all falls silent.
Just as she considers getting water, a hand covers her mouth, stifling what would have been a gasp. A startled and wide-eyed Eleanor looks up at the silhouette above her.
"It's okay," the familiar voice whispers as the person it belongs to bends over, allowing Eleanor to make out the face of the gorgeous boy — he had already pulled the mask off his face. He smiles at her when their eyes meet.
As soon as he takes his hand off her mouth, Eleanor says, "What are you doing?"
"I'm bringing you with us," he replies, the smile still on his face.
"How'd you find me?"
"I saw you walk back here the other day. Your red hair is rather easy to spot, you know," he says. Eleanor briefly considers the fact that he's been paying attention to her when she hadn't noticed. "C'mon, I found you some clothes to wear."
Eleanor glances around her at sleeping Ray, Mary Ann, Tim, Robbie, and Gramps before standing up, grabbing her boots, and following the handsome boy.
When they get past the expanse of sleeping civilians, Eleanor walks beside him and he promptly says, "Why do you want to help us so much? Besides what you've told us."
"I'm sick of being the victim," Eleanor replies with a shrug. "I want to be the one who helps."
He smiles.
"How'd you convince the others to let me join?"
"I didn't need to," he declares. "You already did."
Eleanor enjoys the sense of pride as he takes her down the hallway she saw them go down once before, after they returned. She follows him into a locker room, which has been transformed into a living space — a small stash of food and beverages with individual beds in different aisles. He picks up a pile of clothes on a bench and hands it to her.
"They might be a bit big, but I think they'll work," he says. "I'll wait in the hall."
Eleanor nods. He smiles at her before turning around, Eleanor watching as he leaves.
She changes into the black jeans, tank top, and bomber jacket he gave her before putting her boots back on, finding everything to fit rather well. As she pulls the black cloth of her mask over her head and around her neck and adjusts the black hat on her head, she feels like she has a purpose for the first time in ages.
