We remain suspicious of the five strangers. After all, we are two girls among ten boys. For the moment they are locked up, but hopefully soon they will be free. They haven't seen a girl for at least a year. They seem like nice guys. I stay on guard and never drop my gun. Killer follows Melia's lead. We'll continue even after the fortnight's quarantine. Our friends have promised to look after us.

Maltez has warned each of the guys. Mélia and I are under his protection, and that of Blaise, Alex, the professor and Thibaut. We are their little sisters. The first one who slips up, he blows it. I smile at his protective side. I'm the one with the guns though, he keeps protecting me. It's not that he thinks we are weak girls. It's his way of showing that he cares about us. So I don't say anything.

Maltez is a real leader. The group respects him and follows him despite his young age. The teacher and our three other friends are also very popular. The group is quite solid. It's made up of mates, students and a few men who have found themselves in the same boat of survival, sticking together. None of them seem dangerous to me. However, Maltez's protection is a non-negligible security asset.

A daily routine is slowly being put in place. We get to know each other. The skills of each of us are being exploited. As I talk about their future duties, I feel a wave of hope coming over each member of the group. The place is safe. There is food, clothing, drinking water, medicine. They can breathe, regain their strength. The place allows them to settle down for good. They don't seem to mind our slight madness. Mélia's kawai outfit makes them smile with benevolence. My crazy or totally creepy remarks too. I think they understand that our quirkiness has allowed us to last this long alone.

After four/five days, Melia makes a joking remark about their bearded looks. They haven't seen a razor in a while. When I offer to shave some of them, Blaise starts the ball rolling. He's the only one who isn't afraid of me bringing a sharp knife to his throat. I take care of the beard. Mélia gets down to cutting the hair.

Mélia cuts off most of the hair and beard with a scissor. Then, with the horse clippers, she cuts his hair very neatly. Sitting on a chair leaning back, me sitting on the table behind, his head on my thighs, I clear Blaise's hair. He is clean-shaven, without a single cut. Mélia and I rave about Blaise's beauty, mostly to make Damien grumble. They all ask us for a makeover. Our prisoners regain colour and a civilised face.

I can't help but look for lice on Maltez gently. I only shave half his face. I give him shower gel and shampoo that smells like flowers or candy. I shove him into the cesspool. I praise the other boys, especially Blaise, in front of him. I force him to listen to music he hates. When he questions my sanity, I widen my eyes and open my mouth, looking like a deranged brain.

— I've been listening to Kawai music for six months. I assure you, no brain damage. And then... I'm the one with the gun, so you can't do anything, big guy.

I walk away, gesticulating wildly. Everyone nearby is crying with laughter. Damien bites his lips. He is back to my former sweet madness. Even though I just laughed at him, he grabs me and hugs me, kissing my hair. He seems to appreciate that someone is questioning his position as leader. We bicker. We don't fight, which makes the others laugh their heads off. Our playfulness lightened the mood and made us forget our worries for a while.

At the end of the first week, we have to set the traps. So I give a weapon to Maltez, Thibaut and the teacher. Alex prefers not to do it. He doesn't like weapons. Our friends will manage the farmhouse for the day. They promise me to respect the security instructions. In any case, if they try to pull a fast one on us, there's an underground passage that only me and Mélia know about. I've filled the fridge with food. Thibaut is delighted at the idea of barbecuing meat for their lunch. The guys are all salivating with envy, but there's nothing suspicious about it. This time, their hunger is legitimate. After the last information, we leave at dawn.

We move quickly. A single trap, on the outskirts of Town, has caught two rats. At noon, we only have to relieve Georgia. Both our traps are full to the brim with corpses. Mostly rats. Another blaze. I take the time to finish the professor's trap and get the food. I leave the note stopping the passage of food and those concerning the professor. In case another group arrives. At four o'clock we leave.

On the way back, we stop at the Town supermarket for supplies. This time, we empty the clothes and men's hygiene section. We take everything from them. I want to please the group. I get some chickens and chips that we were storing in the freezer, as well as ice cream and chips. A huge amount of chipolatas, merguez and pork chops. The boys are in for a treat tomorrow and during the week.

Mélia suggests an idea. She needs a bit of levity after these tense months and so do I. Since we have an electrician and several experienced handymen, we go to the DIY shop to pick up the supplies for a hot tub. It's totally futile. Morale will soar, especially mine and Melia's. I grab the men's swimming trunks as we pass and we head off to do our shopping. We have plenty of time.

At the shop, we split up and get a van to transport our loot. We don't know what we'll need so we clear out the plumbing/electrical department. It will come in handy some day. We also steal three garden tables and chairs, armchairs and parasols. A light in the shape of a pink flamingo. Proud of ourselves, we hurry home. There are still a good two hours of sunshine left.

Maltez is surprised to see us coming back with two vehicles. He has installed Blaise on a chair in the shade. Thibaut and his father repair with the electrician and the handyman. Alex and the others are locked up. Maltez and Blaise are peeling potatoes for the evening meal. The boys all run over to help us unload, except Blaise of course. He sniggers when he sees the hot tub and the flamingo. I pretend to oblige them under the duress of a gun as a joke. I point to the pink hammock as Maltez's future bed. They're all OK with the installation of this trivia tomorrow.

The unpacking of food and clothes takes more than half an hour. The pick-up is full to the brim. I had turned on fridges and freezers in anticipation. They are all full. Thibaut and Damien kiss our hair at the abundance of food and all the little touches we have for each of them. I even found Damien's perfume and skittles, Thibaut's favourite sweet. The distribution of clothes and beauty products gives my little Kawai and me a real standing ovation.

We get ready for another night. The evening meal is in progress. I help with the peeling. Mélia is busy cooking roasts. A delicious smell fills the farmhouse. Exceptionally, and under the control of my weapon, we allow all the boys to go out to eat outside, all together, for a moment of relaxation and conviviality. We want to show the five strangers that we may be crazy, but we're pretty cool. It's important that they trust us. I listen carefully to the discussions to gauge our newcomers. I don't perceive any obvious threat.

Blaise embraces us both. He is getting stronger. His wound seems to be healing. He is a bit sentimental tonight. He thanks us for what we're doing, for saving his life and the lives of his mates. I don't want him to start crying. It would undermine the joyful atmosphere. So I put a finger to his mouth, give him a peck on the cheek and tell him he'll just have to thank us by letting us snuggle up to him. Melia and I need some friendly reassurance. Six months together. Almost two years without a hug. At almost twenty, a girl needs daily hugs. He is our prisoner, condemned to forced cuddling. Mélia sits on one of his knees, I on the other. We put our arms around his neck and snuggle up to him. I manage to make him laugh at his slavery and the others smile. This moment of tenderness comforts Mélia, Blaise and me.

After a good meal, everyone goes to bed, happy. We resume our week of sequestration. Several guys joke about their status. They don't feel like prisoners but refugees. They have all understood the reason for their confinement, we do everything to make it as painless as possible. The only one who is a prisoner and mistreated is Maltez. Since he is the leader, he suffers for everyone. They are right. I mistreat Maltez and he doesn't return the favour. Strange as it may seem, I become friends with Maltez. We finally like each other. We enjoy spending time together even though we bicker continuously.

Two weeks have passed since the boys arrived. We did our second trapping round without any captures around the farmhouse, the forest and within Town. Georgia's three traps were well filled, but no humanoids. Next week, Mélia will stay at the farmhouse and I will go with Mal... Damien and another guy. This is the last night of captivity. Tomorrow morning we will examine each boy and test them. If there is nothing suspicious, they will be free.