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Hunter sighed as he wiped his hands free of oil. he had just done his 15th oil change. He needed a new job. Actually come to think of it he needed to get out of Exter. It was a no good town, in the middle of a no good state. But Hope was the only thing keeping him there. That was his 7 year old sister. She was the sole reason he worked 10 hour days and overtime. She was the only reason he hadnt left. She was in his custody and his care now, since his mother decided that drugs and alcohol were more important.

Ever since Lynn Brigley miraculously won the 24 hour lock-down of the De Exter Plantation 5 years earlier, she had catapulted off the deep end. It didnt take a lot to convince her to hand Hope over to him. 

he threw the rag down on the ground of the garage and walked away from it. He was done for the day, he needed to pick Hope up from school. 

Every year, in the small demented town ,school let out for a week for Halloween. That was because in De Exter, it was tradition for the Lottery to be held. Every 6 and up had to submit there name into the Lottery and on Halloween morning, 8 names would be drawn. The 8 contestants were then placed into the De Exter plantation for the day, on complete lock down, the first one to find there way off the grounds won, and the ones remaining inside...well no one really knew what happened to them. Everyone assumed that they moved away from embarrassment of losing. 5 years ago, Lynn Brigley had found her way out, but she went bat-shit crazy after, talking about the ghost of Daniella De Exter, and how the walls moved and how nothing was as real as it seemed. 

Hunter clocked out and sent a wave to his boss, grabbed his keys and headed towards his broke down Neon that had seen its better days. He got in and started the car. 

Exter Primary was right in the heart of Exter, it was a 15 minute drive from where the shop as. He cruised at a steady speed and made it to the school right as the bell rang for dismissal. He parked the Neon and got out to wait for Hope on the sidewalk as he did everyday. he eyed the other parents around him, they knew about his situation and they always stayed clear of him. It kind of made him angry, knowing that they thought that just because he wasnt involved in creating her, meant that he was not suitable enough to raise her. But he always made sure he gave her the best, and he worked hard to support her, and Lynn Brigley, heeded his requests and stayed far away. 

Hope came running out of the school 5 minutes later. He smiled as he saw her outfit. Usually Exter Primary students wore uniforms but as an apology of sorts, the week before Halloween they allowed their students to dress as they wished. Hunter usually kept a firm upper hand on his sister, he wasnt a push over, she needed a disciplinarian not a friend, but he couldnt deny her the freedom of picking out her own clothes. Today, she was dressed in a bright green tutu, with neon yellow tights and a purple shirt. She looked ridiculous but it made Hunter smile that she had this freedom. 

"Whats cracking, Little Bear?" he asked as she stopped beside him. She looked up at him and stared. "I dont like that name," she said, crossing her arms. But Hunter didnt care, she would always be Little Bear. The name had stuck ever since she was little and growled at people when she was mad. 

Hunter ruffled her hair and opened up the back door to the Neon. "Okay Miss Hope, now hop your butt in we gotta get you changed and ready for the meeting tonight," Hope got into the car and buckled in and Hunter closed it the door after her. The Monday before Halloween was the Meeting night, the Founding Families of Exter explained the tradition and the Lottery and once that was done, everyone submitted their names. 

In Hunter's 21 years his name had never been picked and Hope had only had her name put into the Lottery once, which was the year before. Hunter moved slowly through the school zone then turned left onto Main Street, down 4 blocks to Darcey Drive and pulled into the small and modest house he rented on the corner. 

Hope got out quickly running in the house at top speed, all before he had turned off the car. He parked the car and got out, and by the time he got into the house, Hope was already dressed for the meeting. She had changed quickly into the outfit that he had picked out for her this morning. It was a nice dress, came down to her knee caps, and was a soft pastel pink. "We still have an hour,' he told her. She smiled. "TV?" she asked. Hunter smiled and turned the TV on to Spongebob. 

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