[b]Jessalyn - Haywood - Eli[/b]

Jess was surprised at his reaction. She expected to be yelled at. Instead he was rather kind. She felt bad for her harsh words.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have reacted so disrespectfully. But you shouldn't talk badly about people," she insisted, biting her lip.

The size of the place they took her to astounded her. Why hadn't Lynn known about this place? If they could have lived here this whole time maybe Lynn wouldn't have had to work so hard to provide for them.
Everyone was smiling and seemed happy. It was the kind of place Jess had always wanted to live, even before the outbreak. Jess found herself smiling in return to the people that passed them.

The room was nice. Well nice when compared to the train car. It had a bed and a small bathroom with a sink and a toilet. When he mentioned hot water she nearly squealed in excitement. Any hot water she and Lynn had had to be boiled then cooled before being able to use it. But she wasn't going to be greedy, especially after he explained that not everyone had it.
When he turned to leave she spoke out to stop him. "My name is Jessalyn," she told him as he shut the door, hoping he had heard her. If not, she'd tell him later.

Sitting down on the bed, she suddenly felt drained. She hadn't realized how stressed she had been until she knew she was safe. Behind a fence manned by guards and inside a building with a door to her own room, she finally felt safe for the first time in many months. Her body collapsed back onto the bed. Tears pricked at her eyes. She wished Lynn was here. She felt guilty enjoying this when her friend was still out there.
And Floyd... she prayed once again for his safety. No matter what anyone had said about him, he had helped her and saved her life. For that he deserved her thanks and her prayers. She hoped he was alright, that he had gotten away. She hoped he would enjoy the rest of his life and get whatever he desired.
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Jess used a little of the hot water to wash her face, neck and arms. She felt a little better but what she really needed was some new clothes and a way to wash her hair. She opened the door cautiously and wandered outside.
People walked by, going about their business. She felt bad bothering them.
Finally an old woman took pity on her and helped her.

After an hour Jess had a bath, washed her hair and had new clothes on. She felt truly clean for the first time in a long time.

"There you are now," the old woman said, finishing brushing Jess' hair. "You look very pretty now that we got all those layers of dirt off of you. Poor child."

Jess smiled a little. "Lynn took care of me the best she could. She often went without so I could have food and clean cloths."

The old woman nodded. "I'm sure she did. She sounds like a good woman. I hope she arrives here soon as well."

Jess shook her head. "I don't think Lynn would like it here. She doesn't like being told what to do."

"We all have to do our part," the old woman said, as if quoting from something important. 

"Where is the man who brought me here?" Jess asked after the woman braided her hair and tied it back with a piece of blue cloth. "I would like to thank him for the room."

"Oh yes, Eli," the woman said, nodding with a smile. "Such a sweet man. Poor thing, his wife died not too long ago. He should be around here somewhere."

Jess thanked the woman for her kindness and wandered off. She looked for a while, asking people for directions. Apparently Eli had gone to talk to someone in an office. Jess started going that way when she was nearly knocked over by some guards coming around a corner.
"Watch it," they said harshly before continuing on their way.
Jess frowned. That was the first sign of rudeness she had seen from these people. It didn't sit well with her. She tried to shake off the feeling of something not being right and continued her search. She finally saw Eli coming down the hall.

"Mr. Eli," she said, going towards him. "I wanted to... to thank you for the room," she told him. "Although I do not agree with how I was brought here, I appreciate your consideration."
She paused for a moment, then offered her hand. Perhaps they just needed to start over.
"I don't know if you heard me before, but my name is Jessalyn. I'm about five or six months along... I think..." she added, unsure. "I do want to help. It's not fair for me to do nothing. I can cook and I have some first aid knowledge."