Peering around the corner of the classroom, Lydia braces herself for the worst. She braces herself for the news that her best friend didn't make it. The weeping Mason boys and the secret tears she'd shed herself. She took at deep breath and walked into the classroom.

The three Mason boys and their father sat in the room. Two of the boys were awake and they looked happy. Tom was the only one who acknowledged the creeping Lydia. He just smiled at her as she sat down beside the cot.

Inside the cot lay Ben Mason. A sleeping Ben Mason. An living Ben Mason. Lydia couldn't help but smile over him which sounded very creepy and weird even in her head. Still she continued smiling over him.

She stayed there for hours with the Mason's. They didn't talk but it was there, the relief that Ben was okay, they'd all bonded over the hope and now it had been confirmed. So they four of them just sat in the dingy run-down classroom not talking or even looking at each other, with their eyes locked on Ben for another sign of movement.

A few more hours later and Ben woke up. He was greeted by hugs and a long talk from his dad about how much they all missed him. Then he just looked at Lydia and for a second she had a thought that he'd forgotten her. "Come here you faggot." He whispered to her and pulled her into a hug. "I missed you, believe it or not."

"Same here dork." Lydia sighed. "We've got some catching up to do you little shit. Who do you think you are, leaving me? What happened to my note?" She smiled.

"Your fat face sucked it up." Ben replied.

"You've only seen her for a few seconds, I'm sure you don't have that many insults Ben." Tom told him.

"Making up for lost time, Mister Mason." Lydia joked. "I think I'll leave you alone for some family catch up." She told them as she started backing towards the door.

"See you later fat face." Ben yelled after her.

Lydia was glad to hear the insults again. She'd never felt so happy to be called fat face again. She was just glad to hear him insult her again. She started walking and ended up outside. Outside of the school was full of overturned cars and sandbags piled on top of each other to create a barrier. It was still early spring so there was still a little snow on the ground and a very strong chill in the air. Lydia grabbed her jacket closer to her little body and took out the packet of cigarettes in her jeans pocket. She took the lighter and lit it up.

Her first drag was almost therapeutic. Her body almost shook with the first bit of nicotine in her body. She stood by an abandoned tree off the edge of the school grounds; if Tom Mason caught her out here with a cigarette between her lips she'd be dead for sure.

She kept puffing away happily until she saw a little figure walking towards her. "Lydia!" It certainly wasn't Ben. He never called her by her real name. To him she had two names, Fat face and Faggot, no matter what name her mother had chosen originally. The figure came closer and revealed Jimmy.

Jimmy had been kind to her, if not sometimes too kind, throughout the search for Ben. She'd been thankful and, in return, had become his partner for scouting missions. He'd been grateful for that. As much Jimmy was a good fighter, his sense of direction was something of a downfall, and Lydia was faster than he was. "Hey Jimmy." Lydia replied, putting out her cigarette.

"You shouldn't smoke, you know, the last thing we need is you getting cancer." He said. Lydia looked at him confused.

"One cigarette a day doesn't hurt, Jimmy."

"But it will..."

"Why did you come to talk to me, I'm sure it wasn't a health lecture." Lydia almost snapped.

"Cold out here...isn't...Look, okay; I wanted to see what you knew about Ben Mason. You see close with them."

"I know a lot about Ben. I've known him since birth. My Mum knew his." Lydia explained. "I'm not telling you anything scandalous, Jimmy, there isn't anything scandalous."

"Oh okay." Jimmy looked a little upset. "Don't forget we're scouting tomorrow."

"Wouldn't miss it, Jim." Lydia winked at him and Jimmy left.

She stayed at the tree until dark. She didn't really do anything but just sit there and shiver in the cold. Lydia liked to be left alone with her thoughts more than anything else. This is the main reason she took up various sports because with sport she could be left alone because not many people talked to you while you're trying to run 1600m. She liked the feeling she got after she'd ran after a long while, her stamina was good and she was faster than most, normally she still had energy after six laps around the field.

Lydia had never really understood why Ben insisted on calling her fat face because her face, and body, had no ounce of excess fat on it. She had what most girls her age dreamed of, a perfect body. Sure enough she wasn't the prettiest of flowers in the garden but her body was something almost every girl she met envied. When she went through school she was always told to 'get fat' and every name on the planet from the girls in the bathrooms. Many a times she'd been shoved into a locker or locked in the changing rooms on purpose. Ben had always found her, in fact she remembered he used to keep a spare change of her clothes in his bag on gym days, and helped her out.

They had really known each other since birth. Rebecca, Ben's mum, had been best friends with Charlotte, Lydia's mum, since they went to school. Lydia grew up with the Mason's since her Dad left quite early on and she remembered living with them for a while. In that time, Lydia became very close with Ben especially. A barely walking Hal would just shout at her while her practical twin Ben, still crawling, helped her to create mischief. They'd draw on the walls and secretly put things in Hal's hair while he slept.

Things only got worse as they got older. Ben, the main joker, finally calmed down at the age of thirteen while Lydia went on to wilder things like smoking and drinking and boys. And each time Ben was there for her. When she'd passed out in a park at the age of fourteen, Ben was the one who had to drag her home. When her first boyfriend broke up with her, Ben was the one with ice-cream and Disney films. And, as for smoking, she hadn't needed him yet although he had tried to get her to stop once or twice.

The invasion, however, turned everything on its head. Lydia's mother was one of the first to go. Rebecca died a few months in and Ben was taken. They'd been on the run, the remaining Mason's and Lydia, since then. Finally they settled into the 2nd Mass and they felt safe enough to look for Ben. They put his photo on the wall and set out.

They'd never given up hope. And now he was okay. He was with them. He seemed back to his usual self but she'd have to wait to check that.

"Hey faggot." Lydia looked up to see Ben wrapped in a blanket with a cup of soup in his hands. "Thought you got lost."

"You can't lose me."

"Not with that face, S.W.A.T team would find you before anyone else. Are you coming for food or not?" Ben asked, standing over her.

"I don't know is that soup for me?"

"Funny." Ben grinned. "Come on faggot, I'm starving."

Lydia nodded and followed him to dinner.