marched away from the scene, Sophie could see that the other one was clearly upset as she carefully made her way over.
"Hi," she said. The girl jumped at being spoken to, but quickly covered up the reaction.
"Sorry. Hi. You're one of the new ones, aren't you? Just showed up yesterday?"
"Right. I'm Sophie." She held a hand out and the girl took it, shaking it slowly and gingerly, as if she was handling something fragile.
"I'm Nairi. That was Fiona," she said, nodding back over her shoulder at Fiona's retreat back towards camp. "I'm sorry about that, she just gets a little heated sometimes."
"No need to explain, it's all right."
They stood there, awkwardly trying to decide between the two of them who should speak first. Sophie finally decided to take the first step.
"Where are you from originally?"
She smiled, evidently relieved at having the pressure off. "Small town you've probably never heard of. Madrigal. About two states over." She gestured back towards the group again, evidently referring to Fiona. "She had come into town just before the first bomb went off. My boss was giving her some hours at the restaurant I worked at. When things started to fall apart..." Her eyes misted over, likely remembering the faces of everyone they left behind. Sophie had seen this look on any number of people, trying to find their way in a new world without their support system.
"What about you?" Nairi asked.
"St. Louis. That was my father I was talking to just a few minutes ago, and you've probably already met Corrine. Rowen joined up with us after we were already on the road and..." She faltered as her mother's lifeless gaze began to intrude again, the taste of blood that she still sometimes had trouble getting rid of. "Sorry," she said.
Nairi nodded. Sophie saw the smile on the surface, but it also seemed like underneath there was a vague fragrance of sadness as well, mixed with regret and fear for the future. It seemed anymore that you just had to settle yourself with the possibility that any day had the potential of being your last.
She needed to change the subject. "Sorry. I don't want to take up too much of your time, I didn't have the chance to introduce myself yet. Maybe I'll meet Fiona another time."
Nairi glanced back over her shoulder nervously, as if suddenly afraid that Fiona would materialize out of thin air at the mere mention of her name. "Yeah, just a heads up? She's not the easiest person to get along with. She's a bit of a loner, and she can get a bit snippy when she thinks people are invading her privacy."
"Oh," Sophie said as she tried to smother the impulse to judge, to take offense. Adam's face floated before her again, the horrible misjudgment she had made, and there was no going back to repair how she had treated him. It would not be the same with Fiona. She needed to learn to treat people more fairly.
"Yeah, to be honest, I would just wait and let her come to you," Nairi said. "If she feels like things are happening on her terms, she'll be a lot less likely to be hostile with you."
Sophie nodded. "Good to know. Thanks."
Nairi smiled and turned to head back. Sophie gave one last thought to Fiona before turning back to the problems of her present. In the end, she was never going to be able to make friends with new people if she couldn't even heal the wounds between her and what was left of her family.
-16-
It didn't take long before the realities of the world reached them, even within the safer confines of their greater numbers. Sophie heard shouting and saw Fiona being helped into the camp. Sophie hadn't even realized that she had been gone. Everyone around them whispered frantically to each other, and she kept hearing the name "Ty" uttered on all of their lips. There was a sudden wave of cries of dismay that radiated out, as Fiona was helped towards to the center of camp. Clearly someone had been killed. Lot came running out to meet them, taking Fiona from the others and talking urgently to
"Hi," she said. The girl jumped at being spoken to, but quickly covered up the reaction.
"Sorry. Hi. You're one of the new ones, aren't you? Just showed up yesterday?"
"Right. I'm Sophie." She held a hand out and the girl took it, shaking it slowly and gingerly, as if she was handling something fragile.
"I'm Nairi. That was Fiona," she said, nodding back over her shoulder at Fiona's retreat back towards camp. "I'm sorry about that, she just gets a little heated sometimes."
"No need to explain, it's all right."
They stood there, awkwardly trying to decide between the two of them who should speak first. Sophie finally decided to take the first step.
"Where are you from originally?"
She smiled, evidently relieved at having the pressure off. "Small town you've probably never heard of. Madrigal. About two states over." She gestured back towards the group again, evidently referring to Fiona. "She had come into town just before the first bomb went off. My boss was giving her some hours at the restaurant I worked at. When things started to fall apart..." Her eyes misted over, likely remembering the faces of everyone they left behind. Sophie had seen this look on any number of people, trying to find their way in a new world without their support system.
"What about you?" Nairi asked.
"St. Louis. That was my father I was talking to just a few minutes ago, and you've probably already met Corrine. Rowen joined up with us after we were already on the road and..." She faltered as her mother's lifeless gaze began to intrude again, the taste of blood that she still sometimes had trouble getting rid of. "Sorry," she said.
Nairi nodded. Sophie saw the smile on the surface, but it also seemed like underneath there was a vague fragrance of sadness as well, mixed with regret and fear for the future. It seemed anymore that you just had to settle yourself with the possibility that any day had the potential of being your last.
She needed to change the subject. "Sorry. I don't want to take up too much of your time, I didn't have the chance to introduce myself yet. Maybe I'll meet Fiona another time."
Nairi glanced back over her shoulder nervously, as if suddenly afraid that Fiona would materialize out of thin air at the mere mention of her name. "Yeah, just a heads up? She's not the easiest person to get along with. She's a bit of a loner, and she can get a bit snippy when she thinks people are invading her privacy."
"Oh," Sophie said as she tried to smother the impulse to judge, to take offense. Adam's face floated before her again, the horrible misjudgment she had made, and there was no going back to repair how she had treated him. It would not be the same with Fiona. She needed to learn to treat people more fairly.
"Yeah, to be honest, I would just wait and let her come to you," Nairi said. "If she feels like things are happening on her terms, she'll be a lot less likely to be hostile with you."
Sophie nodded. "Good to know. Thanks."
Nairi smiled and turned to head back. Sophie gave one last thought to Fiona before turning back to the problems of her present. In the end, she was never going to be able to make friends with new people if she couldn't even heal the wounds between her and what was left of her family.
-16-
It didn't take long before the realities of the world reached them, even within the safer confines of their greater numbers. Sophie heard shouting and saw Fiona being helped into the camp. Sophie hadn't even realized that she had been gone. Everyone around them whispered frantically to each other, and she kept hearing the name "Ty" uttered on all of their lips. There was a sudden wave of cries of dismay that radiated out, as Fiona was helped towards to the center of camp. Clearly someone had been killed. Lot came running out to meet them, taking Fiona from the others and talking urgently to
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