LEASHES

AU. Meg, Claudette, and the other survivors agree to join the Compassion and Morality Practice Program- otherwise known as CAMPP. And of course, they have no idea what they're getting into.

A/N: Due to popular demand, Leashes has become its own story!

I: Meg

The room Meg is sent into looks like a classroom, and she has instant flashbacks to summer school. Damp atmosphere, creaky desks, moldy chalkboard, the works. She sits behind a graffitied desk closest to the door, in case she needs to make a run for it.

The fluorescent lighting in the room is giving the other occupants a sickly look. Meg sees many other girls, some her age, some older, and quite a few boys as well. None of them look like the potential future criminals that the website had described, but then, Meg didn't consider herself a potential criminal either. You screw up once, and the authorities act like you're here to cause the apocalypse.

Meg picks at dirt underneath her fingernail as she waits for the orientation to start. A few more people walk in, filling in the remaining seats. A quiet hum of whispered conversation starts, curious questions about what people expected here. They die down instantly as the door opens once more, revealing a stern woman in a pencil skirt and heels.

She looks like the headmistress for a boarding school, Meg muses as she walks to the front of the room. Her graying brown hair pulled into a tight bun, glasses slipping off her crooked nose. The woman surveys the room, then gives one of the fakest smiles Meg has ever seen in her life.

"Hello, everyone." The woman beams. Meg's own cheeks hurt from just watching her. "Welcome to the Compassion and Morality Practice Program, or as we like to refer to it, CAMPP!" She waits a moment, as if expecting her audience to burst into applause. When it's clear that they won't, she clears her throat and hurries on. "We're so pleased each of you have decided to join our program to help reform the troubled ones in today's society! Let me assure you, the work you will be doing here is very important to the future." She surveys the group as if they were pieces of meat, and Meg resists the urge to scowl. "Now, before your tour of the prison, I'd like to introduce two of your peers." She nods to two girls at the back of the room, who start walking to the front. They look like exact opposites of each other, in Meg's opinion. One girl with short black hair and a fierce expression, the other with blonde hair and baby blue eyes. The only thing that looks similar is their age and the orange jumpsuits they're wearing.

"Everyone, meet Nea and Laurie." The lady at the front- had she ever given them her name? Meg doesn't think she did. "They've been two of the successful stories in our organization, and they'll be the ones to teach you about the CAMPP program and to help you adjust." Laurie offers a small smile to the group in front of her, while Nea just studies each of them. "As a matter of fact, they'll be handling the rest of the day, then showing you to your rooms. If you have any questions, please ask them. I must be off now- thank you for joining CAMPP!" She beams, before quickly exiting the room. Meg is fairly certain she just witnessed the worst introduction ever.

"Welcome, everyone." The blonde girl, Laurie, speaks up. She has a stronger voice than Meg thought she would have, considering she looks like she's about to shatter at any moment. "We're excited to have you with us here at CAMPP." The girl behind her, Nea, snorts, and Laurie shoots her a look. "I understand this is a confusing transition period for you, and Nea and I will do everything we can to help. Are there any questions to begin?"

A dark haired guy with a mustache raises his hand, and Laurie nods at him. "What exactly are we doing with CAMPP?" He asks.

"Well, CAMPP is here to help the troubled in this world." Laurie says. There's something off about it, though, like she'd rehearsed this before, but didn't really believe it. "Each of you will be assigned to a high profile criminal. You will spend all day with your partner doing a variety of activities. The idea is that your model behavior will "rub off" on the criminals, and that they will be able to reform and become normal citizens once again."

Another girl, one with glasses and dark skin, raises her hand. "When you say "high profile criminal" you mean what, exactly?"

"Most of the people in this room will be assigned to thieves or hackers." Nea speaks up. "However, a lucky few of you will be chosen to partner up with murderers."

There's a moment of silence in the room, before Meg speaks up. "You're joking, right?" Nea and Laurie both stare at her.

"No." Nea answers. "I'm serious. Look, most everyone in here has committed some minor offense, right? So your parent or guardian or the court or whoever decided you needed to be "straightened up" and do some volunteer hours. Well, that's where CAMPP comes in. You know how you see those motivational videos on the internet, where a prisoner is given a cat or dog to look after, and it encourages them to behave responsibly? It's like that."

"A serial killer isn't a cat." Meg protests. "We can't be expected to take care of them." She's surprised when Laurie and Nea exchange dark, amused glances.

"You aren't the caretaker..." Laurie says.

"You're the cat." Nea finishes. "Each of us is here to provide companionship to a criminal and incentive for them to behave. If they act out of line, we're taken away from them. We're essentially morality chains for the worst in the country." She crosses her arms, leaning back.

"There's no way this is legal." The girl with the glasses says. Meg notices her hands are shaking. Nea shrugs.

"You signed the waiver, didn't you? And you're being compensated for your time." Nea answers. Meg feels a twinge in her gut. It had been a lot of money, enough to take care of both her legal fees and her mother's medical bills. Meg hadn't been able to refuse. "Of course, you also signed a confidentiality clause, so no contacting anyone in the outside world- not that you have phones anymore anyways. Your parents think you're in some sort of boot camp, being trained to be upstanding citizens, and they're also being paid a hefty sum to keep quiet." Nea shrugs again. "This is your new life now, so you'd best get used to it." Glasses girl looks like she wants to protest, but Nea continues on with her speech.

"Anyways, you won't be meeting your partner today. Today you'll be given a tour of the facilities, dinner, and a copy of the typical daily schedule. You'll also attend a course tonight on being 'sensitive in extreme cases', which should really be called 'How not to piss off the dangerous criminal you're now sharing your life with.'"

"After that, you'll head off to bed. At six tomorrow morning we'll round you up and you'll be introduced to your new partners." Laurie finishes. She looks around at all of them, and makes a brave attempt at a smile again. "I promise, it's not as bad as it sounds. We aren't mistreated here, by the staff or by the criminals. You might even come to form a friendship with them!" Meg tries to appreciate her optimistic attitude, but it's hard to do when she knows she just gave up her entire life for an orange jumpsuit and a psychopath.

"We won't get to leave, will we?" Meg asks, and she hates how her voice breaks at the end of her question. It's worth it if her mother is alright, but still… knowing she'll never see her mom or friends again hurts. Laurie and Nea both look at her, gazes slightly sympathetic, but also hardened by being exposed to this situation for much too long. How long have they been here? How many people have they seen break?

"No, you won't." Nea agrees. "So there's no point moping about it. C'mon, you leashes of the damned- on to the tour!"