to everyone i left behind
chapter 1
My name is Abi Greenwood and last week, my life was normal. I lived in a normal house in Yellowstone with fairly normal, if a little irresponsible, parents and a questionable little brother. Now I don't have a home and am in a society ravaged by heat and smoke.
Two days ago, the Yellowstone volcano erupted and no one had anticipated this so soon, but it did. Life changed in an instant.
When the mud eruption happened, my brother Russell and I were camping on Frank Island and our parents were, and still are abroad on a 20 years anniversary trip. They must be rather confident in us, seeing as they sent a sixteen-year-old with a thirteen-year-old and a motorboat camping on a remote island.
Now we're teaming up with Kaylee Moore, who once called her friend's mother a rat, to find her younger brother Jesse who disappeared after "glamping" on Stevenson Island.
chapter 2
After the eruption, we immediately began taking inventory of all food items we had remaining:
-3 packets of Lay's salt and vinegar potato chips
-2 boxes of sour cream and chives Pringles
-2 jars of iodine tablets
-18 cans of soup
-7 cans of fruit
-10 cans of beans
-1 jar of olives that I have refused to eat up until now
-3 cans of beef
-8 half-litre bottles of water
-1 jar of jam
-1 ½ loaves of bread.
This is not going to be enough for the two of us for long, and definitely not three.
Currently, we have used almost a third of these things.
chapter 3
We found Kaylee when she swam to Frank Island and collapsed on us, literally.
"I need food..." she said, clearly regretting the swim in the cold but incongruously beautiful lake.
"We need to conserve," I replied, annoyed at her showing up and demanding food from our small supply when Russell cut in
"But we can spare half a can," he demanded, "who are you?"
"She's Kaylee," I snapped before she could, my annoyance at them both growing by the second.
I lent her some of my least-favourite clothes and we just left her wet clothes in the lake, no one was there to care, anyway.'
Then she explained her situation: her ten-year-old brother had disappeared after the initial eruption from their 'glamping' trip on Stevenson Island, along with their much more high tech motorboat - she had just happened to mention this. She was looking for him and I think she's secretly torn up with worry. I heard her crying last night. We will start looking for him tomorrow.
chapter 4
As I slept, I dreamt about my old life; parties with my church friends; Sammi, Julie, Chance and the rest of my youth group, worrying about how much people would judge me at school dances purely because of my dress, arguing with Russell about which TV show we would watch. I would watch a hundred episodes of The Simpsons to undo this mess around me.
