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I arrive back at the beach first with Shelby trailing behind. I don't look back at Shelby as I join Dot on the ground who is taking inventory holding a few bottles of miniature hard liquor. I grab one and smirk at the fact that we barely have any essentials but at least we have some alcohol. I feel eyes on me and I look up to see Shelby just watching me. I give her a strained smile which she returns. Martha sees Shelby from beside Toni and perks up.

"Shelby! You're back!" Toni rolls her eyes.

"Yeah it's a miracle she didn't die out there."

Shelby looks up at Toni offended, "I'm not some indoor princess, I go hunting with my dad all the time. Besides, Emma was with me."

"Wow impressive. You do one hard core thing. I bet you have like 50 pillows on a giant bed back home-" Toni can't keep going as Dot interrupts, "Did you guys find any water?" Dot asks. I shake my head at her and she gives a soft sigh.

"Hey!" Rachel yells from the other side. We all turn and see her holding up Dots phone, "The phones working!" We all get up and run over to the girl making a circle around the only lifeline we currently have, "Listen we have to be strategic, we only have one bar and almost zero battery life."

Shelby steps forward towards the phone, "May I just say, I am ready to make a call. My aunt is a 911 operator-"

"No 911 is out." Rachel interrupts, "It doesn't work in every country and we don't even know where we're at, we could be closer to Japan and have no idea."

"Japan's number is 119." Nora speaks up and no one questions as to why she even knows that.

"We only got to get in contact with one person, so I want y'all to have someone in mind. Make sure you have their number and know they love you enough to be waiting by the phone right now." I know my mother is out of the picture. Probably celebrating having another kid out of the way. I look up and see a few determined faces, others are crestfallen at the realization that they too have no one to call. I watch as Nora and Rachel fight over the phone. Nora not letting Rachel call her coach for some reason. Nora won the phone and decided to call their parents.

"Nothing." She says looking at the phone in confusion.

"Did you dial it right?" Martha asks.

"Of course I did!" Nora replies in an uncharacteristic panic. Shelby takes the phone off of her and starts to put in a number.

"If I know Dave and JoBeth Goodkind they're pacing holes in the floor right now." Shelby says as she holds the phone to ear. Her face turns to confusion as it doesn't go through, "Well that's strange. Let me try my boyfriend."

"Don't bother he's probably dick deep in Christa Finley right now." Dot says, completely unfazed by the bewildered look Shelby gives her. She isn't given a chance to reply as the phone is now ripped out of Shelby's hands by Toni who gives the phone to Martha. Martha dials a number, holding the phone to her ear for only a moment before her face falls. Shaking her head to say it didn't work. She hands the phone to me. I only hold it for a second before holding it out to Dot.

"You wanna try? It's your phone."

"No, I'm good." Dot says while shaking her head. Fatin reaches out grabs the phone out of my hands.

"As much as I hate the idea of calling those assholes..." She turns starts to dial a number and turns away to try and hear, "It's ringing!" She exclaims happily. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and I turn to see Leah walk towards a not-so-good-looking Jeanette. I furrow my eyebrows as Jeanette falls to the ground, "It's dead." Fatin says turning to us.

Leah turns and I make eye contact with her, "She's-she's dead." She whispers and we all turn to see the lifeless body of Jeanette.

~~~~~~

Changes // Toni Shalifoe (DISCONTINUED)Where stories live. Discover now