Full Summary: Allison Mitchell goes on a once-in-a-lifetime experience alongside her brother, Jesse. They join this show, Kid Nation, set in a ghosttown named Bonanza City. There, she finds out just how kids can change the world, how true friends are, and how true love feels like. Michael ThotxOC
Part 1. – I'm Trying to Be A Leader Here
Chapter 01: Social Butterfly
A/N: Just a few introductory notes- Brett and Gianna are not in this story. The main character (Allison) and her brother (Jesse) take their spots. Greg isn't the eldest, Jesse is. Sophia can't really cook, Aly (Allison) can. Please don't kill me if you hate it... O.O :)) Love you guys! : *
And all words between two slashes /word/ mean that it's supposedly stroked through.
Thanks to LuvLife113 for giving me love! :)
Allison– Day One
The thirty-six kids in the yellow school bus were getting so restless. The older ones were trying to keep their composure, but were failing as they began to fidget and complain of sore-butt-because-of-sitting-for-so-long syndrome. All this travelling was seriously getting on everybody's case.
I mean, come on, you'd be like this too if you were on your way to who-knows-where on an extremely hot day.
One of the kids, named Allison Mitchell was full of excitement; wondering how forty full days without her mom will turn out. Well, there is the slightly comforting/disturbing fact that her brother Jesse is going on this trip with her.
He's tall, blonde-brunette, handsome, and athletic, has his quirks, and is a chick magnet. Fortunately, he looks for personality in the girls he dates; thank God or Aly would've killed him for bringing home a bitchy slut.
Allison was bouncing up and down her seat still waiting anxiously for the end of her trip. So, to calm her nerves, she decided to face the little kid beside her staring out the window.
"Hi, I'm Allison, but call me Aly. What's your name?" I greeted the eight-year-old looking kid beside her. He had dark brown curls on his head, wearing an orange tank top over a red long-sleeved shirt and some brown cargo pants with sneakers.
He looked a little startled by me, but still responded in a very enthusiastic voice. "Hiya! I'm Jimmy from New Hampshire. I'm eight and a half. What about you?"
"Georgia. I'm fourteen."
"Cool. Will your birthday be here? I just had mine."
"Yeah, it will, actually." I said with a smile. "Belated HBD."
He smiled. "Awesome! I hope you get to call your family or something. It'd be nice, right?"
"Well, yeah, I guess. But if I don't get to, at least I have my brother Jesse with me. He's the eldest one here." I said, pointing my thumb to the person behind me, Jesse Mitchell.
"You have your brother with you here? Why didn't Dylan think of that…?"
A/N: Dylan is Jimmy's made-up older brother.
"Who's Dylan?" I questioned.
"My older brother. He's sixteen."
"Oh… But I thought this was only for eight-to-fifteen year olds…?"
"Right…. Never mind." He spoke cheerfully. He turned around to greet my brother, and told him how nice I was. Jesse snickered at the thought, but then let it go because he found the kid too cute to tease. After a few minutes, I found out that the girl beside Jesse was named Migle (pronounced Me-gley), a blonde who I think will be a great friend.
A few minutes after that, one of the cameramen who were on board wanted an interview with everybody. They took especially long with Jimmy and Jesse – them being the age borders and all.
"I'm not gonna be with my parents, there's no adults, and… I think I'm gonna die out here 'cause there's nothing!" He mentioned to the camera. I giggled at his cuteness, and then it was my turn.
I said, "Well, I'm gonna have my older brother Jesse with me, and I think it's great that someone from home will be there to comfort and support me when I need it." Then they zoomed in on Jesse who gave a warm smile and mouthed 'I Love You Mom' and wiggled his eyebrows to the camera. Migle, Jimmy, the cameraman, and I chuckled at the geeky gesture.
The rest of the ride was spent with me getting to know the other kids – well, any kid in a 3 feet radius, that is. And then we finally stopped and Jimmy latched onto my arm squeezing it as hard as he can that his knuckles were white. (Luckily for me, it didn't hurt.)
"Someone's excited." I teased. He looked up at me with big brown eyes – and strangely enough I saw the jitters instead of merriment. My face fell a little. "What's wrong, Jimmy?" I questioned as I grabbed our things from the over-head compartment.
"I seriously might die out here." He croaked in a small voice.
"Don't worry, we won't let that happen." Jesse reassured him, clapping Jimmy's back as he passed by to get out of the bus, Migle trailing behind him. Well, at least I know Migle is a nice person, I think. 'Cause there's another girl vying for your heart, Jesse my good brother.
"Yeah, if ever you need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you, okay?" I say as we exit the bus, too.
"Okay. Thanks, Aly."
"No problem."
We step into the circle that has formed outside the bus. Jesse and I on either side of Jimmy, and Migle to Jesse's left. Before us, an older man in his early thirties stands; behind his some twenty feet away are big carts with supplies. It should be about seventy degrees out here…
"Gather up! Pack it in! I'm Jonathan, nice to meet you guys." He greets before giving more introductory details of our stay. "So how are you guys feeling?" he asks.
"Good! Scared. Fine." Almost everybody responds.
"Sore in the butt!" Jesse and I shout out at the same time. People around look and laugh at us, some simply smiling.
"Well say good-bye to that school bus, and say hello to the middle-" Dramatic pause. "Of nowhere." We observe our surroundings – most of the younger kids waving at the bus – and realize that there really is nothing here, and some silently panic about survival.
"Bonanza City is just a few miles that way-" he says, waving his hand at the direction of an old dirt road lined with a metal fence. "-and you're gonna be there for the next forty days."
"But don't worry, you've got each other, and you've also got four leaders. And they were chosen because they represent all of you in age, geography, everything. They're your town council – and I think I hear them coming right-" Dramatic pause again. "-now."
On cue, a helicopter materializes and we watch in jealousy and amazement wondering how the four inside look like.
"Guys, come over here!" Jonathan beckons them to join us. "This is Mike. A capable boy scout." The kid looked very lanky, but he had this aura about him which showed authority. "And this is Taylor. A gung-ho pageant queen." He refers to a younger female – she really was pretty, but I scoffed at her. She was seriously gonna be a leader? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? She looks like a spoiled brat! I think.
The next person he introduces is Anjay – a young Indian boy – lanky, again – with glasses. "This is Anjay, a genius spelling-bee champ." And last but not least – "And this is Laurel. A respectable student leader." – a confident-looking redhead. She looks like a nice person, I think.
"These are your town council, and they are in charge-" John says. A lot of us observe them skeptically; I just look at them. "-at least, for the time being. Stay on your toes, Council, nothing's permanent." He warns. Are these the right people, or are they just getting back on the helicopter? I think.
A/N: Sorry, I just HAD to steal Cody's line! It was too adorable. : P
"Bonanza City is just a few miles down that fence line." You already said that, Jonathan… I thought impatiently, just itching to lie down. "Behind me are wagons filled with forty days worth of frontier supplies. You guys are gonna grab a wagon, and get started – it's a long hike." I groaned with others. "And that's just the beginning." I groaned again.
"The next forty days will be hard – it's rough, I hope you're up to it. But, if you're not; if you just can't handle all of this, there's going to be a town hall meeting in a few days where you can decide to give up and go home. It's entirely up to you, okay?"
Mike takes the spotlight and tries to add to morale. "Pioneers, are you ready?" he cried with feeling.
"Yeah!"
"Go!" Jonathan roared, and we rushed to the wagons, the leaders left with Jonathan.
Jimmy, Jesse, and I shared a wagon with a few other guys – I was kind of shaky, being the only girl. We loaded the wagon with our bags, and my guitar. I soon learned their names were Michael, DK, and Zach.
I stayed on one side of the wagon with Michael. "So, where're you from?"
"Washington." He said with a grin. Wow. He's cute. Wait, SNAP OUT OF IT, Aly. You only knew the guy for like, five minutes. "You?" he questions me, raising an eyebrow.
"Georgia." I say, feeling warmth in my cheeks. Why the fudge am I blushing? Don't tell me it's 'cause of Michael… Oh, God, no… I look away for a while to cool down.
We talk a little about the States we live in, comparing and contrasting the differences and such. Then we move onto other things – music and jokes. Each joke of his was hilarious that I was laughing to the point of tears forming in my eyes. Mine were so lousy that I bet he just gave me pity laughs. I'm such a dork. Wait, why should I even care? He's just a friend, no biggie… right?
Soon a nice girl named Sophia, and the Councilperson Laurel joined us. The four of us – including Michael – clicked instantly. I called Jimmy back to my side since he looked a little out of place amongst the older guys, and Jesse was MIA. Oh well.
The four – now five – of us talked throughout the perilous journey. We experienced trouble with our cart as we passed a muddy area, but we were able to get through.
In the middle of our heated conversation on the art of Ninja…cy, DK fell on the ground, and cried with pain. Some people gathered around us and I kneeled down at his side, not blocking the cameras' view as requested by their bearer.
"What happened, man?" Zach questioned the pained boy.
DK was panting, obviously from the pain on his leg. "Is it a sudden pain, or a…" Greg trailed, searching for words to best fit his description, but then DK bawled, "YES!"
"Ok," I stepped in. "I think you have the cramps. Does your leg feel like it's being contracted?"
"What?" They asked me.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance – but not too harshly. "I mean; do your muscles in your leg feel like they're being… umm… squeezed?" I tried.
"YES!" DK shrieked.
"It's the cramps." I confirmed. "If anybody can find me a banana, it would be great." Sophia and a few others started searching for the yellow fruit.
"A banana? Dude, I DON'T NEED NO FRUIT! I NEED SOME FRIGGIN MEDICINE!" he argued.
"Actually, yes, you do. Potassium is the best cure for this kind of pain. Anyways, do you trust me?"
"Why, what are you gonna – OW! – Do?"
"I need you to lie down calmly and let me handle your leg. Just try to calm down." I told him, moving his hands away. "Guys, give him some leg space please." I requested the small group surrounding the lower half of his body. They complied well.
I started to move his leg to make it lie flat on the ground, slowly so as not to make the pain greater than it needs to be. When I finally got it to lie flat, Sophia gave the banana to DK who chewed on it gingerly. Then, I pushed the upper-half of his foot upward – to his face. His face was pain-stricken, tears rolling down his cheeks.
I murmured words of comfort to him like, "Don't worry, it's okay. This happens to me all the time. I know you can do it; come on." I continued to do this until his face became more relaxed, and asked Greg and Jesse to lift him up to the wagon.
"Sorry for the hold-up, guys." I said, moving back to my spot of the wagon that I found most comfortable – beside Michael.
"Are you kidding? That was great!" Anjay congratulated me as well as a few others, and then they went back to their work.
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Aly." DK credited me.
"Welcs." I said back and pulled the wagon with Michael, a boy named Eric, a girl named Sophia, and Jimmy. Laurel transferred herself to another cart.
Michael looked at me with an /adorable/ I mean, puzzled face. "Welcs? What the heck is welcs?" he asked.
"My shortcut for welcome. I'm like that." I explained with a satisfying grin. He nodded and we continued pulling the cart. But what was distracting was that this /extremely handsome/ guy beside me kept looking at me.
"What?" I asked him when I felt heat rushing to my cheeks.
"Nothing." He said looking down. I could tell he thought for a while on what to say. "It's just, how did you know that it was a cramp?" He averted his gaze towards DK, riding the cart before us.
"First-aid training." I responded with a giggle. "I took it in school."
"Oh, ok. Smart lil' cookie." He winked – I practically melted inside. Holy, holy crap. Holy crap. Doesn't he know how much he's torturing me?
We ventured forth hoping the road ends sometime soon, because our feet began to hurt like hell. Jimmy, Michael, and I switched with the people handling the goats, dragging our feet.
Then, after what I think was an hour, Bonanza City began to materialize against the heat waves. It looked very old, but still beautiful. You could see the silver water tank – "Bonanza City" was marked on it with fading white paint. And you can see the center of town – a huge empty square just lying there – you can see the wooden fence that goes around the further part of town, where I think the goats will be spending their time.
We hurried to what our home would be for the next forty days – Bonanza City, New Mexico.
As we entered the city, we tried to settle everything down, and divided half of the bunks for boys, the other half for girls; and were disappointed when we found that we were sleeping on the floor with just a thin mattress. Thank the Lord we all brought sleeping bags and portable pillows.
Whatever food was there went in the kitchen; whatever animals there were went in the Chicken Coop and Goat Stockade; all the toiletries go to the one and only outhouse.
Everybody helped out, but some people were getting hungry, so dinner was what was being discussed by some people – including the Town Council, Sophia, Jesse, Zach, Michael, Jimmy, Pharaoh, Mallory, Morgan, Savannah, Natasha, Kelsey, DK, Leila, and Emilie.
Laurel found a cookbook and suggested that we make the Macaroni and Sour Cream recipe. We prepared the ingredients, and started to figure things out. When Taylor began to put the macaroni in the pot, I reasoned. "You have to wait until it's boiling." Laurel and Sophia backed me up.
"I would say it's boiling." Morgan mentioned.
"That's not boiling. Boiling is when the water is all bubbly and too hot for you to touch." Michael justified.
I waited for a few minutes and observed their actions. Taylor beckoned Morgan to add some more pasta to the pot, but it was getting too full already.
"Do they even know how to cook?" I whispered to the /incredibly gorgeous/ boy beside me.
"I don't think so. Do you?" Michael whispered back.
"Yeah, but Taylor wants to control everything."
"Well, step up then." I averted my focus from the clueless cooks to Michael, and he just nodded with encouragement. I smiled and marched up to them and took a peek in the pot.
"I told you, you should wait until it's boiling." I informed them.
"It is boiling!" Taylor protested.
"But you put the pasta in first before it did. You were being impatient. Cooking takes patience and grace. Plus, that's way too much pasta." A small group was now forming, eager to see what happens next as entertainment.
"What do you know about cooking?" she questioned me.
"The basics and some of the advanced stuff." I said, as I took the pot and threw the waste on the ground outside.
"See what you did? You just wasted it!" Taylor screeched.
"It wasn't gonna cook!" I said, testing her. "Let me handle the cooking from now on, okay? I think I'm the only one here with the experience." I vocalized.
"How would you know?"
"My mom is a professional cook, and I help her out a lot. I took seven different cooking and baking classes. And, none of you seem to know how to follow a simple cookbook."
"Okay, fine. What do you want?" Taylor sighed in defeat after thinking long.
"I would like it if you bring me two pots of water, only three-fourths full."
Taylor did nothing resulting in Michael taking over. "Let me do it." He said, taking the now empty pot as well as another one.
He pointed out three-fourths to me for approval, and I nodded. He, Morgan, and Sophia went to collect the water from the water pump.
When they came back I put it on the stove and turned around, facing the people watching me.
"What?" I asked them.
"You seem to know everything…" Laurel contemplated.
"Not really. But thank you… I think." Awkward silence. "So, want me to make it myself or follow the cookbook? But I think it'll be better to follow the cookbook, because I don't know how to use sour cream for macaroni." I said, holding up the can of Sour Cream.
"Then it's settled. The cookbook it is!" Zach said in a Shakespearean tone. I giggled.
Some of the people resigned to waiting in the Mess Hall for the food.
When the water began to boil, I put as much pasta as I could into the pots, and waited.
I went to the Cafeteria and stood on the platform. "Okay, guys. The pasta is gonna take longer than usual, considering the circumstances; so, please be patient. Around fifteen minutes should do." I pleaded.
Some of the younger boys were going around chanting, "WE WANT FOOD. MEN NEED FOOD. WE ARE MEN. WE NEED FOOD." while the older boys just sat down and tried to nap through all the noise. The girls on the other hand were either talking or helping me out.
I rushed back in the kitchen to check on the pasta, and saw that it would take just fifteen minutes. I followed the directions and heard the countdown coming from the Cafeteria.
"Ten, nine – "
I measured the butter and cream, and then told Michael to mix it in a bowl.
" - six, five – "
When he was done, I already put the pasta on serving plates and told Morgan and Taylor to fold it in.
" – three, two – "
Unfortunately, they did not know what folding was and I had to do it myself.
" – ONE! – "
On cue, I brought out the Mac & Cream, setting it on the counter yelling, "DINNER IS SERVED! COME AND GET IT!" They rushed in for their share, the cameramen zooming in on the food. It looked disgusting, but I told the cameras that I was happy with what we got.
I grabbed a plate, and my share, and sat with Michael, Laurel, Sophia, Jimmy, Morgan, and our newest addition, Hunter, on the table farthest from the kitchen. I sat in between Michael and Jimmy.
"Cheers to our first meal." Sophia announced.
"Cheers." Michael, Jimmy, Laurel, Morgan, Hunter, and I chorused.
I watched the other kids and saw that they weren't enjoying their food at all. Then, I observed my friends. They took one bite and grimaced. Then they looked at me. I slowly took one bite, too. It tasted ok, but it was so mushy that it slipped in my mouth like slime. I know very well that I didn't over-cook it.
"HOLY FRUITCAKES." I shouted out loud that eyebrows were raised. "THIS. IS. HORRIBLE." I informed them all.
"Eww." Sophia muttered.
"Not my fault people back in the eighteen-hundreds didn't discover edible food yet!" I announced to the whole place.
Jimmy told me about his family throughout dinner while the others talked amongst themselves. He began to cry towards the end, so I hugged him tightly against my side, resting my head on his. He missed his parents so much; he's never been away from home this long. Gosh, he's like a little brother to me already.
Then, eventually, dinner ends, town meeting postponed for tomorrow, and everybody needs rest. So, I say my goodnights to everyone and help clean up. I watch with Michael and Jesse as Laurel and Taylor comfort Mike with his being stressed. We decide to leave the plates to be washed tomorrow.
We finish cleaning up and head out with the before mentioned, as well as the Council members. We have one big group hug and head off to our bunks. I can tell we all had a rough day because Jesse even kissed the top of my head – something he hasn't done since I was younger.
The minute I lay my head down, I fall into my subconscious.
Only to be awakened in the middle of the night by Michael.
"What are you doing here?" I whisper harshly.
"Everybody in my bunk is awake because of Jimmy. He wants you in there. Says you're the only one who can help." He whispers in my ear, making me shudder.
"Okay, okay. Help me up." I tell him, and he pulls me out of my makeshift bed – my sleeping bag on top of the mattress.
We walk side by side across the dirt path in the chill of midnight to one of the boys' bunks. They're all awake, eyelids drooping, but awake. Sitting upright on their 'beds', similar to mine.
Then I hear the sobbing. I look to the source and see that Jimmy is crying into his pillow, curled up in a fetal position.
"Thank God you came." Blaine praised in his thick southern accent.
"Yeah, he's been like that for a while now." Anjay added.
I returned my gaze to the sobbing figure and kneeled beside him, stroking his hair, whispering words of comfort. Once he realizes I'm here, I smile gently at him and he tackles me to the ground. He nearly strangles me with his death grip, but lets go after five seconds.
"Miss your family?" I ask him quietly. Kinda awkward since four other guys are watching.
"Yeah. I was thinking about my mom." He cried onto my shoulder.
"Okay. Shhhh…. It's ok. You know that I'm here to help, right?"
"Yes. Can you please help me sleep?"
"Of course I will." I tuck him into bed, and hum a soothing melody.
"Please sing." He requests.
"Oh no. These guys need to sleep, too. They can't sleep with me singing. Plus, I'm not such a good singer."
"It's ok. Sing. Anything to help the cause. Here's a guitar." Blaine says tiredly, and hands me a guitar.
"Well, alrightie then. What song?"
"Any song. What about a song that helps you sleep?" Jimmy said.
"Ok, umm… what about I make one up just for you?"
"You really think you can write a song just now? You're crazy." Anjay intervenes.
"She knows what she can do." Jesse defends me. I give him the guitar and tell him the chords.
"Okay, here goes nothing…" I say, and sing the words that just formed into my head and named it 'Count on Me'.
A/N: Yes, I borrowed the song from Bruno Mars. Deal With It! (I'm going to be borrowing lots of songs from lots of people BTW.) : D
"… Ooo-ooh, ooo-ooh, you can count on me because I can count on you." I finish. I whisper again in his ear "Good night", same with Michael and Jesse, and get up to leave, returning the guitar and leaving questions like, "Is that like some power you have? You wrote that before tonight, didn't you?" unanswered.
Then I finally get to sleep until seven-thirty the next day.
A/N: REVIEW PLEEUHZ!