The Survivors Book III: Winter by V. L. Dreyer

roots, and plan for the next generation."
    " Bold, idealistic, and slightly naïve," he summarized dryly.  "Sounds like just what we need."
    " Hey, if you have a better plan to save us from extinction, I'm all ears."  I stuck out my tongue and blew a raspberry at him.  Despite the childish gesture, he actually paused to think about it for a second.
    " I don't," he replied thoughtfully.  "Frankly, it's a valiant plan.  I have no idea if we can achieve it, but we do need to try."  His affirmation surprised me.  I shot him a startled look, and caught him smiling.  Before I could say anything else, he put his hand on my shoulder.  "Go to sleep, Sandy – or is it Sandrine now?  You'll need your strength if you're going to lead us to this idealistic new world of yours."
    " But I don't wanna sleep," I protested without really meaning it.  "You're so mean.  Hate you, Doc."
    " No, you don't."  He chuckled softly as he turned away, and walked back towards the door.  "If you hated me, then you would have left me to die in that inferno instead of risking your life to rescue me."
    I had nothing to say to that.
    ***
    I slept for another few hours, until my head finally started to feel right again.  Although my body ached from the tumble I'd taken, I had been through worse and was more than capable of dealing with a little bit of pain.
    When I woke again, the room was murky with the shadows of twilight.  There were no windows in my little bedroom, but I had come to know it well over the time I'd lived there.  Darkness was falling, but it hadn't fallen yet.
    I sat up slowly, careful not to set my head spinning again, but the rest had done its job.  I felt much better.  Even when I switched on the light, my body didn't protest too much.  Thinking about my own condition made me worry about my friends, though; I glanced back at Anahera, and heaved a deep sigh.
    " Get better, mate.  I need you," I told her.  She didn't reply, of course.  Still, she was alive.  That was more than I could say for a lot of my other friends – and hers, too.  I blew out a soft breath, and murmured thoughtfully, "There are going to be a lot of people grieving tonight.  I should get out there."
    I turned away from her, and eased myself out of bed.  I'd been stripped down to my underwear, but my filthy clothing and shoes weren't far away.  A few months before, I would have freaked out over that, but now I didn't even bat an eyelash.  I grabbed a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans out of my dresser and pulled them on, then made my way out into the living room.
    The sight that greeted me was unexpectedly heart-warming.  The five children in our group – Maddy, Priya, and the three younger Yousefi boys – sat in a circle on the living room floor with Tigger, the kitten that had adopted me earlier that summer.
    " Mama!" Priya squealed in delight when she saw me.  A second later, she was latched around my waist, hugging me fiercely.
    " Mama?"  I peered down at her, curious.  "When did that happen?"
    " I decided," she answered firmly, and gave me one of her radiant smiles.  "My old mama is gone, so you're my new mama now."  Suddenly, a look of anxiety crossed her face.  "Is okay, yes?  You mama, Michael baba?"
    That look melted any protests I might have had about my new status.  I just smiled, and hugged her back.
    " Sure, Priya.  I'll be your mama," I agreed, then looked up at the other children.  "What are you guys doing?"
    " Babysitting!" Priya said proudly, pointing at the little group.  "The pretty lady said I'm old enough to look after the little ones."
    " Well, you seem to be doing a good job of it," I praised her gently, and looked up at the circle of little faces again.  The three boys were shy and wary, but it was Madeline's expression that took me by surprise.  She looked sullen, her attention intensely focused on the kitten.  "Maddy?  Are you okay?"
    The little girl just shrugged and said nothing.  She didn't even