"So," Kiki smiled at Vanessa as her squad trekked through a forest, "Try to relax. But don't get too comfortable".
Vanessa gripped her camera tight and shook her head, "Noooo. Ah. Everybody tell me to relax. But don't. And to stay alert. But don't be too panicking".
Mimi, gripped her straps, "Listen, Vanessa, we're here to document a village. Maybe learn some cool stuff. Not terrorize people".
Vanessa swayed her shoulders, "I'm camera girl, Vanessa, ooh ooh"!
"Hey, Vanessa!" Dani shouted from afar, "I know this is a game of war"!
Kiki shouted back, "I know we are to document this tiny fishing village as ordered by our leader, Dani"!
"Fuck him!" Dani brushed back her red hair.
Mimi adjusted her glasses, "That's why we have no weapons. We need to document them".
Kiki smiled at Teddy's team in the far back, "How are you holding back there Jeff"?
Jeff shrugged, "I'm fine".
Kiki mumbled away, "You might actually make some money today loser".
A little while later, the squad patrolled onto a tall black man wearing a jersey. His smile was wide and his teeth were bright. He greeted Kiki with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. After a small exchange of words, he led her squad to the City Tanji of Gambia.
There were cots among the trees. Large open kitchens were near the waterside. Boats near the water itself. People heading out into the water with baskets made of plastic or some straw material.
Vanessa felt alone. Men wouldn't let Mimi walk a foot without hitting on her while others worshipped Nana as a goddess. Dani already found herself a little village boy to call her boyfriend. She'd made clear before entering that he was already better than her current one. Dezzy had done the same with an older guy. It was more than anyone could say about Teddy. He was sitting off with a couple of guys and surprisingly smiling about something.
In all, it left Vanessa recording the people by herself. It was "super" how they would go out into the water and scoop up the fish with their buckets. It enticed her to swim out for a closer look.
Just as she had seen. The villagers was submerge or scoop the buckets and raise up fish to give the people on the boat. One girl took her bucket of fish and swam it back to shore on her own. When Vanessa saw a kid struggle to lift his bucket, she couldn't stop herself from lending him a hand.
A while later, the people were smoking the fresh-caught fish in the kitchen. Given her good work at documenting, Vanessa was allowed to have free fish.
"No thanks to Teddy!" yelled Dani while hugging her new boyfriend.
"Wow, Teddy!" Kiki took a picture of him eating a fish.
Nana pointed at Vanessa and Benji's camera, "Make sure you two get those as permanent weapons and fully read the manual on how to use them. Cameras are useful in certain themes".
"Ah," Vanessa lifted a finger, "Kind like that spooky game where it's dark and you need a camera to see".
"That's so weird," Benji cocked his head.
"It is," Nana swayed herself, "But it comes in handy".
"One question," Vanessa lifted her chin, "Why does everybody here worship you"?
Nana smiled at Benji, "Can you answer that for me"?
Benji chewed his fish, "So, you know how Nana is a druid. Basically, in magic and alchemy themes she can turn into all kinds of different creatures and use their powers. Keep in mind that we can use magic in those themes because we study and can actually do those things. For example, if you know how to make fire, you can create fire freely in a magic theme. The same goes for Nana's druid class. Now, she can't morph into creatures in non-magic themes. But she can become one in a sense and get some perks of these creatures. She can also sometimes be accepted by certain people, often tribal. So here she was likely being worshipped as a water goddess or spirit".
"That's all correct," Nana smiled, yet heard trucks coming.
"Hmmm," Vanessa held her chin, "I thought here almost everybody is Muslim".
Seeing that Nana was staring out, Benji answered, "Most of the 'country' is Muslim. This region still practices traditional faiths. Also, if you remember, this country is very open-minded on religious beliefs. So there isn't any conflict of religion," Gunshots were heard over a loud outburst of screams, "Woah! That's AK47s right there"!
Nana was already pulling the two away, along with Dani and her new boyfriend to run with the crowd and escape. Kiki squatted low and tried to radio in the main squad, but couldn't get ahold of them. In fact, it had been a while since she'd heard from them at all.
Teddy grabbed the axe the villagers used to chop firewood and looked for the shooters. Grenades were being flung from the trucks. People of all ages and gender were being shot down and blown apart.
Dezzy was seen running in the crowd of people with her chin high up. One man shot her back while another jumped on top and started to chop her up with a machete.
A truck drove by the kitchen and let out a few men. Teddy hugged a wall and waited for one to walk near. Just when the man walked in, spraying bullets across the room, Teddy chopped his arm up into the air and grabbed the AK47 from him.
Before the other men had noticed their friend was screaming, Teddy shot them down and ordered Kiki to follow him. There were more terrorist soldiers running in. They didn't have time to grab more guns.
They ran out and bounded from wall to wall until they reached Nana, behind a small shed, along with the three teammates she pulled together. Vanessa was recording everything while Benji was sending the footage she had to be broadcast online.
A thud came their way and an explosion went off. Benji's leg flew off, leaving him screaming. Kiki and Teddy were completely scattered about the ground. Vanessa survived with Nana, Dani, and her new boyfriend. But the four were turning in the dirt to reorient themselves.
All of the yelling, screaming, shooting, and explosions rang Vanessa's ears. None of it clicked to her brain to make clear sense of the situation. It was just nonstop madness setting off around her. Her vision aligned in time to see a woman and her baby get shot down by a boy who was no older than fourteen.
By the time Vanessa raised her head, a man came by and stomped it back down. Ironically, she felt herself fall into the air, just to feel her weight on her feet. The man, along with others, had stood her up along with her teammates and was taking them off to see a leader.
There were many people held in a line to see him. Hakim was at the front to see the leader immediately. Other people were still being killed or dragged off in the distance. None of that mattered to Vanessa this minute.
She watched as the leader shook his head and Hakim was forced down with his arms out. A man with a machete chopped off Hakim's arms in two slices. Seeing his blood splatter made Vanessa a little queasy. But seeing him in such pain made her hop up with a delighted smile.
"You like that," a soldier smiled at her, "Don't you"?
Vanessa was scared to nod her head and face the front. She watched as many people were mutilated and others were imprisoned to the back of a truck. Next up was Dani's new boyfriend. The poor kid was younger than her.
"My poor baby," Dani cried covering her mouth.
Just like Hakim, the leader ordered for his hands to be chopped.
"What the fuck, bro!" Dani shouted as her now former boyfriend screamed to death, "This is why things are so difficult for women. Every time we find a good guy, they're either boring, leave, die, or turn out gay"!
"Hush it little girl!" a soldier waved his AK at her.
She threw her hands up at him, "Or what? Shoot me bitch"!
The soldier slammed his muzzle into her forehead and shot her down. Once dead, Vanessa and Nana stepped over her to see the leader. For both, he deemed them fit to be slaves. A few minutes after being thrown in the back of a truck, Jeff and Mimi were thrown in to join them.
Benji, who was missing a leg, was later thrown in with a wooden crutch and a turnikit on his leg. The men spared him because they thought his struggles and crying was hilarious. Even when they drove off, the terrorist continued to make fun of him for acting like a little girl. So many times he wanted to quit. But the terrorist mocked him from doing so.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
About an hour or two later, Vanessa was grabbed from the truck and tossed into knee-high brown water. Two men rose her up by her hair and stripped her of all clothing. Air from the stadium froze against her nipples. Whereas she wanted to stay in the water to prevent exposure, the men kicked her in the stomach and lifted her up. Another man smashed her head with the buttstock of his AK before throwing a black shirt and matching shorts for her to wear.
Vanessa threw on the shirt and tossed on the shorts before she stood up. A basket was tossed at her head with another man yelling for her to start searching the water for diamonds.
Not too far on one side of the water, there were tall mountains with plenty of trees and tall brush. If she could have made it there, many things could've been used for cover and concealment to escape. But there were a few yards to travel. A line of barricades went all the way down the small steam. Not to mention soldiers were posted around the waters.
For every 50 meters, there was a small watchtower where a man looked over the operations. The man in Vanessa's area was a heavy-set man with glasses. He actually looked familiar.
Dunking her basket in the water and shaking it around for the mud and water to drain reminded her of a movie. It was a movie with Leonardo Dicaprio. She really liked watching him as an actor. She smiled upon remembering the months before coming to America she had binged all Leonardo Dicaprio movies in English on Netflix.
A man punched her head, knocking her down into the water. He yelled for her to stop smiling and get searching for the diamonds.
The man watching over, who she now realized looked similar to the villain of that movie, stood up, "Stooooop!" Everyone in the area stood straight up and faced him as he pointed past Vanessa, "You! Come here!" Vanessa shook as she stepped towards him, "Not you ugly white girl!" He leaned in, "I'm talking about that tall one behind you," Mimi walked out of the water and to him, "Give it to me," just as Mimi handed him a diamond from her pocket, he shot her in the chest.
Vanessa jumped, "Wow! Is just like the movie".
"Get back to work!" the commander's voice echoed over the waters.
when Vanessa dumped her bucket into the water, she saw the commander of the next area sitting on a chair. In an attempt to look away, she faced the opposite end of the river. Given his familiar look, she couldn't help but stare at him.
Short brown hair and light tone of skin. A green shirt with a combat vest over and thick camouflage pants. Leaning on his fist at a table, this commander tared out with only his own thoughts in mind.
His slaves moved freely at a casual pace. Some snuck diamonds into their pockets without any worries. There was even an old man washing carelessly in front of his commander.
Given that this man resembled Watson, but was lenient with his slaves was a juxtapose that Vanessa couldn't get over. Having forgotten about the men watching over her, she stepped away from her position to visit this odd commander.
The moment she stepped towards him, he turned off the radio on the table, "What the hell do you want"?
Vanessa stepped back, "I saw you... When you were walking".
"So what?" he exhaled and slowly faced her, "It's not like you said 'hi'".
Vanessa took a deep breath, "I was scared".
After a short stare, Watson spoke with a deep roll in his voice, "Did you know that black symbolizes death?" he leaned back, "It's commonly used in Hell," he stood, "So tell me, for somebody like you who is dead, why are you so afraid"?
Vanessa sucked in her lips briefly, "Mmm".
"Don't tell me," he stepped towards her, "I know how much you hate," he came a foot closer, "try answering that question to yourself," he was a foot away, "To be honest!" he briefly smiled and molded into a sneer, "It's people like you who pis me off".
Vanessa stared into his eyes. The darker one was slowly fading to match the other. It was when she rose her hand to push herself away that he punched her in the head. While consistently calling her "Dumb" and "Dead", Watson had beaten Vanessa to her knees.
He placed a foot on her shoulder, "You know you can't fight," he kicked her off his watchtower, "So go ahead and run like you've always done".
Instead of facing him, Vanessa crawled away. The confusion of her predicament left tears pouring from her eyes. Despite wanting to fight, she knew deep down that she couldn't. Even upon reaching the water and seeing her own reflection, all she could see was herself, damaged, and wearing black.
"Hhheeeey!" her commander shouted, "He's done with you! So get back to wo-"!
A heavy wave of air pressed in from above with a rain of bullets firing across the land. Explosive flew and went off in places that felt mere feet away from Vanessa. Watson was no longer there, but a rope landed not too far from her in the water.
A fully suited man slid down it with two others in the same gear. Each of them had assault rifles. Vanessa shrieked. It was likely these men would kill off everyone here.
The first one held his hand out to her, "Vanessa! It's me, Logan"!
Vanessa jumped at first, "Ah, Mmmm".
The second one spoke with a stern feminine voice, "Get behind me! You'll roll as our third man in the stack"!
Whoever this second person was, they sounded familiar as well. But Vanessa couldn't figure out who it was. Instead of asking questions, she took a deep breath and slid into their formation as the third man.
It was as they ran out of the water and shot the terrorist men across the compound that Vanessa started to warm up to them. She still didn't know who they all were. All she could tell was that they were good. They flowed well, barely ever saying a word. Yet their communication was flawless. Even their movements were in sync.
The radio on the woman would beep every so often. A man was giving her orders on where to move. Likewise, she would move her team as needed to handle multiple tasks. These tasks ranged from killing certain terrorists as well as observing and calling in airstrikes.
After a time period that felt like an entire day of killing and explosives, the man in charge called in, "Mission success everyone. And we saved Nana and Vanessa".
Logan chuckled back at the team, "Dani's probably angry".
"She'll kill him when she respawns," the woman called in, "Hey, so are we free to go about as we please or do you want us somewhere?" she stood firm addressing her team, "We'll probably do what we want anyways. These guys don't set IEDs or anything".
Logan smiled, "I do".
The large man in the far back tapped Vanessa's shoulder, "Can you tell that loser upfront to shut up"?
Logan and the large man playfully bickered at one another until their squad leader informed via radio that they were free to wander, both took off their helmets. The woman walked off whereas the grown man laughed at his own comments.
"Look at this guy, Steven," Logan pointed at him, "He's old as dirt, but playful like a toddler," upon getting Vanessa to laugh, he stared her in the eyes, "Wow, you are beautiful".
Steven whistled away, "Imma leave you two alone".
"Hey!" Logan called, "She's just cool," he turned to Vanessa, "Sorry. I told everyone what happened last month and they all started creating rumors".
Vanessa's cheeks turned red, "Is oki. Is not your fault".
"Your smile is though," Logan looked down at her wounds, "Hey. We need to get you patched up".
"Yes!" Vanessa looked up and away, "But-".
Logan took her hand and began walking, "This way! We're setting up a small medical center with our squad cleric".
Vanessa didn't answer. Her feet moved along with his as her hand rested in his. The hesitation in her heart fell away to enjoy this moment. Nerves across her body were stuck between falling back and catching up to him. Before she could make a clear decision, Logan ordered her to sit in a chair.
Slamming her bottom to the designated chair, Vanessa smiled up and observed that her surroundings. A Jamaican girl with a medical bag and her hair tied up was fixing the tent with a number of cots and supply kits.
"Hey, Jaivva!" Logan tapped the girl's shoulder, "You mind helping Vanessa? She was hurt before we got here".
Jaivva leaned back slowly, "It depends," she squinted at Vanessa, "What's your favorite anime"?
After Logan's whistle, Vanessa smiled for the moment brought her back, "Is No Game No Life".
Logan leaned towards Jaivva, "That's a good one. I like her now".
Vanessa rocked herself, "Yes, and I like you two. Logan is very nice".
"Whaaat?" Jaivva stuck out her tongue, "That is a good one," she held her chest, "Mine is Attack On Titan".
Logan stepped away, "Wow," he headed to exit the tent, "She actually likes me now".
"See!" Jaivva laughed, "You have changed these past four years".
Logan clasped his hands, "Well, I don't want to start any fighting a few months away from leaving to the pro leagues".
"Go on Logan!" Jaivva smiled as he left, "Anyways, Vanessa, don't you worry. I will have you patched up in no time".
Vanessa leaned forward as Jaivva began checking her, "How long have you been playing this game for"?
Jaivva smirked, "Like, four years. My friend from gymnastics had a girlfriend that got on this team, She wrapped up a few of Vanessa's cuts, "And decided to drag me in with her since we were both nerds who liked anime".
"And," Vanessa rose a finger, "And do you like that anime 'Magikano'"?
Jaivva stopped to smile at her, "So, about that anime," Steven gave her a kiss, "This sweet man behind me is my Haruo".
Vanessa slowly gasped with her eyes widening, "Yyyyes, you two are very in love".
A black manly-looking boy, near the size of Steven, ran in with his tongue hanging out his smile, "Iku, I told you, I did nothing. I was hanging out with the guys".
A smaller Filipina with nicely toned skin chased him, "Liar! You didn't go to Wynwood with them"!
"Facts!" A muscular black boy ran behind Iku, "He's a damn liar".
Andres snapped his fingers, "Hey, stop instigating"!
Jaivva tapped Vanessa's leg, "You should leave before the drama rolls out. Our squad is a little rowdy".
Just when Vanessa stepped out of the tent, Nana poked her collar bone, "Hey weirdo," she laughed, "I'm kidding. You did great," Nana looked and swirled her finger around, "Basically our squad leader wanted to meet you and go over some stuff," she sucked her teeth, "But I don't know where he is".
Vanessa spotted a thin black girl with long hair, "I will ask around and find him," she ran towards the girl she spotted, "Hey! How are you"?
The black girl gasped, "What with your outfit"?
Vanessa looked down at her raggedy black getup, "What do you mean"?
The black girl broke her shocked posture to smile, "Nothing! Me and Logan have been to Hell a few times, and there red, black, gold, and silver have deeper meanings. I can't help but associate the color black with assassins, art, and death".
"Aaah," Vanessa rotated on her foot, "I heard black means death in Hell. That's scary".
"It is," the black girl's smile vanished, "The hard part is telling if it is or not. Or, when in non-magic themes, are you in Hell"?
"Mmm," Vanessa stared at the ground, "Yes, those are some tricky questions".
The black girl chuckled, "I hear there's a guide around somewhere. You should see if he could help you with figuring that out".
Vanessa squinted, "That sounds like a good idea. But, I have one two questions".
"Spill it," the girl crossed her arms.
Vanessa smiled as she looked up, "So, Faith, iiiis you Logan's girlfriend"?
Faith chuckled into her fist, "No. I had a crush on him back in the day. But then I got a ghost that convinced me otherwise. He saved me and all, but nothing ever happened. Alice is the girl he's dating".
Vanessa took a deep breath in, "And one more," she slowly exhaled, "Where is your squad leader"?
Faith glanced at the compound, "Well, that I can't answer. You'll have to look around for now".
Vanessa twirled away and looked up, "Oki," she walked away, "I will see you sometime soon".
After about 5 minutes of walking, Vanessa spotted a terrorist following her. At first, she played herself cool and looked for a way to escape and find Logan. But seeing that the man kept up with her, she had to start running.
From wrecked buildings to tents, Vanessa dashed across the compound in hopes of escaping this crazy man. Just when she thought she'd escaped, the man appeared in front of her inside a tent.
"Vanessa," the terrorist called out in a feminine voice.
"Who are you?" Vanessa reached towards her hip, just to realize she had no weapon to defend herself.
"Hakken," the man's smile faded, "From the main-".
"Yes!" Vanessa blurted, "I know you know how to look however you want".
Hakken chuckled, "Okay?" she leaned back as though standing for a modeling shoot, "I was asked to infiltrate the terrorists and give out their location," she looked up at an angle, "But.. it seems... somebody else beat me to it. I was wondering if you knew who that person was".
Vanessa leaned forward, "You! Are! Hot"!
Hakken blushed, "Thanks. I want to be a model in the pro leagues. So I practice a lot. But I also like actually playing. So I'll do this for a few years".
Vanessa began bouncing, "Can you help me look that gorgeous"?
"Sure," Hakken smirked, "But first, you must help me find this mystery caller".
"Yes!" Vanessa jumped higher, "And then maybe you can help me find a new weapon".
Hakken waved her hands, "I will give you everything"!
Vanessa's head shook with every word, "I want all things"!
Hekken laughed, "We'll start by investigating radios"!
"I want radios!" Vanessa looked around, "We can start with the big watchtower over there"!
"After you," Hakken courted her ahead.
Vanessa sprinted to and up the watchtower with the giant antennas. Once up there, Hakken fiddled with the radios and found that whoever it was, they did it from their personal radio. Given the limitations of who had radios, this person had to of been a commander like the one who looked over Vanessa and shot Mimi. But there were no clues between the girls as to who this person was. They had to of been on the terrorist side, yet with a heart to end such evil. The only problem was that none of the players Vanessa knew were on the terrorist side with the exception of Hakken.
"Hmmm," Vanessa saw a woman with large breasts changing, "I have something important to check out".
"Awe," Hakken smiled at her, "I guess I can't give you a make-up tutorial today, "I guess I can reward you for the help you gave by assisting you in obtaining a weapon one day".
"Sounds good," Vanessa headed back down, fixated on the mystery woman, "But for now, I need to go".
Down by the rest area, Vanessa walked in where she saw the woman fixing her shirt. It was tight around the woman's large breasts. She felt down her stomach and adjusted her pants to hang below her waistline. As much as Vanessa would love to call this woman a foe, she just so happened to wear the same uniform as Logan. Meaning she was from the main squad.
"Who are you?" Vanessa cocked her head, "And why are you here? I never seen you before".
The girl looked into Vanessa's serious face, "I'm, Pattie".
Vanessa shook and took a few steps back, "Oh"!
"Hey," Pattie spoke calmly, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. You're the one I saved earlier with Logan and Steven".
Vanessa froze in place with her head barely moving, "Wha"?
Pattie took her hand and sat her down on a couch, "Come," she leaned, "Tell me what got you scared".
Vanessa stuttered, "Your boobs are huge and you're so pretty".
"Thank you so much," Pattie smiled back, "I like your boobs. And your face. You're so adorable".
"I love my boobs," Vanessa spoke with her eyes wide open and her head shaking, "But you can wear all the boob dresses"!
Pattie came closer, "I do wear all the boob dresses".
Vanessa whispered, "You wear dresses".
"Yeah," Pattie chuckled, "For years I hated my body. My nose, eyes, cheeks, stomach, and big boobs. I remember all of the older kids, especially Logan use to pick on me," she took a deep breath, "And for a while, I hated myself and started to become somebody I wasn't. But eventually I found friends that accepted the real me. Which ironically included Logan".
Vanessa waved a finger at her, "You, are a very very strong woman".
"Of course," Pattie smiled up, "I used to see myself as a boy and was trying to be a monk for a while. But now I'm a fearsome warrior who actually inspires other girls," she shrugged, "What more can I ask for aside from doing it globally and playing in the pro leagues".
"Yes," Vanessa whispered, "You should do that because you are great and deserve all the best".
"You do too," Pattie smiled, "You kind of remind me of my protege, Nami. She is already a multi-classer and looking to become something greater. Oh!" Pattie snapped, "And her craftsmanship is flawless. She is a great cosplayer. Sometimes she teaches me things".
"I wish," Vanessa rose a finger, "You, Hakken, and this Nami can help me put together a great cosplay one day".
"Who knows," Pattie smiled into her fist, "Maybe Nami can one day".
Vanessa stared into the ground and ended her smile, "Maybe".
Pattie tapped her hand, "It'll be okay. Once you start surrounding yourself with the right people, it will all come together".
Vanessa gave a nod and stood, "I will... I hope".
She left out the rest area with a heavy mind. There were so many things going on. And with all these people, it was becoming hard to keep track. Wandering through the compound alone didn't help either. Not to mention, the list of things seemed to grow unexpectedly by the minute.
As Vanessa stared at the ground, she spotted a head. It took her a second to realize that it was the head of a man she knew in the past named Azan. He and Eloy were friends with a man named Doug. The three seemed so friendly back then, But given that he was beheaded, it appeared he met the same fate as Azan.
Judging by the way his body hung from a wall not so far away, he was likely banned by the Jester. Vanessa stepped back, waiting for him to spring at her.
A hand came to her shoulder, "We've been getting a lot of these lately. It's nothing to worry about".
Vanessa spun around, "You"?
"It's me," the man brushed his hair back, "Carter. The squad leader. Anyways," he lit a cigarette, "You can't band players for no reason. And it's completely reasonable for players to attack-".
Vanessa yelled, "He shouldn't be here"!
"I mean," Carter shrugged, "He's here. So what are you going to do? I don't think you have the money to get rid of him".
Vanessa covered her face, "Is true".
"Anyways," Carter took a drag, "Let's talk about you. You're not doing bad. You definitely have the potential to join the team".
"So wait," Vanessa held up her palm, "Is true your girlfriend will beat you later"?
Carter chuckled, "Yeah, I wonder who told you about her".
Vanessa's face glowed, "You two make wonderful couple. I think it's perfect".
"Thanks," he smiled, "I have Logan and the rest of my Isekai Family to thank for that. They really stuck it out for me through thick and thin. Dani for one is my world. Don't tell her I said that though".
"Is great," Vanessa looked up and back at him, "I think you would do great in the pro leagues together".
Carter smiled, "Yeah, I owe a lot to this game. Which is why I'm worried about its future. I really want it to head in a good direction. But so far it seems like it will collapse. Especially when it comes to regulating the bad players".
Vanessa half smiled, "You should find good players to watch the stadium and train them to be strong".
Carer nodded, "I wish we could. So far though, we have Nami who kinda takes care of some of the girls".
"Right," Vanessa rocked herself, "I remember she was good and Pattie trains her now".
Carter smiled, "Yeah, but the only real person we have to count on doing it is Weasel".
Vanessa cocked her head and began speaking firmly, "Who is Weasel?" she shouted, "I don't know him"!
"I mean," Carter held up his hand, "Apparently you do. Not to mention, he knows you pretty well".
"No!" Vanessa yelled with her hands on her ears, "None of those and no ghosts".
"Vanessa," Carter spoke in a relaxed tone, "Calm down. It's okay. Nobody is here to hurt you".
Vanessa looked up and bit her bottom lip, "No. I can't. It's not fair!" she looked at Carter, "I said 'no'!" and ran off for the exit.