Lydia was glad to be on full day duty with Jimmy, who had volunteered as soon as she talked about it at breakfast that morning. Jimmy liked scouting with Lydia, sometimes she made games out of the simple things that seemed childish if it were anyone else but Lydia pulled it off and made it fun.

There was only a year or two between Lydia and Jimmy but it looked as though they were the same age; while Ben had aged physically, and mentally, Lydia hadn't and still looked like a pubescent thirteen year old girl with very underdeveloped breasts which meant she hadn't exactly got much attention at school. Lydia knew this was due to her running with all of the running she'd done it meant she hadn't really gained much weight, not that her mother had had anything in that department as she'd remembered. But she didn't really care because she was only fourteen and there was an alien war going on so things like boys and drink had been pushed aside.

Lydia and Jimmy were scouting a tall forest quite far away from the school. Lydia leant against a nearby tree and took out the cigarette packet. "Where do you even buy those killing sticks?" Jimmy asked.

Lydia took out a 'killing stick' and lit it up. "I know a guy." She shrugged, teasing him. She took a long slow drag and, jokingly, breathed the smoke into Jimmy's face. He coughed and spluttered and yelled at her. "Calm down Jimmy." She grinned.

"Smoking is really unattractive, you know. It gives you yellow teeth."

"Because I was totally attractive before I started smoking." She shot back. "Stop complaining. If I knew you wouldn't shut up I wouldn't have said anything about today."

Jimmy sighed in defeat. "It's your lungs." He muttered. "What does your boyfriend think of it?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, Jimmy."

"The razorback?"

Lydia jumped on him. She still had her cigarette in her hand and had wrestled Jimmy to the ground. She held the cigarette to his neck. "HE IS NOT A RAZORBACK. DON'T YOU EVER CALL HIM THAT!" She screamed in his face.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. Please, get off me." He begged.

Lydia stared at him for a minute. "Promise not to call any deharnessed kids names? Go and pick on people your own size."

"I promise. Get off me."

Lydia did as she was told and stood up. Jimmy scrambled to his stance and stared at her as she took another drag from her cigarette, which was pretty much just ash now, and then stamped it out on the forest floor. "What are you staring at?" She asked him.

"You've just tackled me to the ground and held a cigarette butt to my throat. You aren't the least bit fazed."

"I wasn't actually going to burn you, calm down."

"I...knew that." Jimmy burrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"I dare you to climb up that tree." Lydia told him, pointing to the tallest tree which stood beside her.

Jimmy shook his head. "No way, I'll probably not get back down."

"Fine. You chicken!" She shouted. She grabbed a branch and started climbing up the tree.

She reached the top, it turned out the tree wasn't that tall, and sat on the biggest branch staring down at Jimmy. "It's not that bad up here!" She yelled down.

"Lydia get down." Jimmy shouted. "What if we get attacked?!"

"Get the pole from up your butt and live a little Jim-Jam."

"Don't call me that!" Jimmy protested.

"C'mon Jimmy! It's calming up here. I double dare you!"

Jimmy thought for a second and looked up at her. "What if you get stuck? Who's going to help you?"

"I can get down myself. C'mon Jimmy! It's just a tree!"

"And this is just an alien war and we're just soldiers!"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Get your butt up here now Jimmy Boland! I'll hold your hand if you want!" She teased.

Jimmy had had enough. He sighed and pulled himself up the tree using the branches, just as Lydia had done. He reached the branch underneath her and she moved over so that he could join her. "See? That wasn't so bad." She smiled. "It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" She looked out to the other tall trees and smiled a little.

"Sure." Jimmy replied, looking down.

"Why don't we just stay here all day? It isn't as though anyone's going to miss us."

"Lydia I think Tom would have our butts on a platter if we didn't check in at twelve."

"What do I care? Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if we were...one of the dead. Not as in I want to be dead. Just as in I wonder how much my death would impact people."

"You shouldn't think like that. You'll find out in due time."

"But what if I don't? Do you believe in heaven?"

"There has to be something better than this. But I don't think it's...heaven. Do you?"

"No. I think you just die. That's it." Lydia stared at Jimmy. "So you have to make the most of things."

"How positive." Jimmy joked. "We'll have to leave soon. Tom said he wanted us back for twelve."

"What time is it now?"

"Half past." Jimmy frowned. He started to get down from the branch. "C'mon Lydia."

"I could just jump." Lydia pondered. "It'd be faster. Do you dare me?"

"No."

"I'm doing it anyways!" She yelled.

Jimmy saw her jump and then heard her scream. He practically jumped off the tree himself and ran towards her. "What is it?!" He yelled.

"My foot."

"You moron. I told you not to do it."

"Can you give me a piggy-back ride back to the school?"

Jimmy sighed and picked her up. She jumped on his shoulders and he walked her back to the school.