Chapter 7:

Over the next few days May rarely left her room. She tried to avoid contact with the other Mallrats as much as possible, but there was always Lex. He brought her meals and then stayed to make sure that she ate a decent amount. He camped outside her door in a folding chair that he stole from café. If she made the slightest noise or sound, he would run in to be certain that she was alright. She wasn't altogether sure if he ever truly left her alone, even to sleep…she had a strong suspicion that folding chair was getting more use than his bed was.

In short, Lex was driving her mad. She wanted nothing more than for him to be back in Liberty and out of her life. May's had thought that her life was complicated when Lex was away, but now that Lex was back her world was absolute chaos…there seemed to be no way out. At least while she was staying at the mall. She had to get out, somehow…

A noise stirred her from her thoughts and she looked up to find Salene standing in the doorway. "May, Amber and Trudy and I are going down to the Nursery School today, we thought maybe you could join us."

"I don't think so, Salene. Kids really aren't my thing." May answered without really thinking.

"Yeah," a voice spoke from out in the hall, "She needs to stay here and get her rest. Going down there and looking after all those brats would only upset her." Lex said matter of factly.

"And what would you know about upsetting her, Lex," Salene said defensively.

"Oh, I don't know, I seem to be the one seeing that she's taken care of around here lately."

"Lex…" Salene began angrily.

"Stop, stop…" May said over the two of them, "I think I will go with you Salene, at least it will get me out of here." May said, walking past Lex without a backward glance.

May spent the next three hours sitting in a corner of the little makeshift nursery, trying to avoid the slobbering babies and annoying toddlers as much as possible. She was beginning to get a headache and her back hurt. She wanted nothing more than to be back in her room. How much more of this she had to endure, she wasn't sure, but she was certain that she would not be coming back here everyday to watch these whiney little…

"May" Amber's cry interrupted May's thoughts. As May looked up she saw Amber coming towards her with a sleeping Baby Bray in her arms. May panicked, she began to look around her for a way out, but none seemed close enough at hand. Amber was upon her before she knew it. "May, Little Bray's fallen asleep, can you hold him for a bit while I help Trudy with the others. Their parents should be coming soon, and I want to talk to some of them.

"Ummm….Ok….I guess….Maybe I could….For just a little…." At that point Amber lay the sleeping baby into her arms, adjusted the blanket lovingly around her son, and sped off towards Trudy and the other arriving parents.

May held the baby awkwardly and stared down at him as if he was an alien species. Suddenly Salene was there at her side.

"Isn't he a darling little angel?" Salene said lovingly, softly stroking the sleeping baby's cheek.

"Ummm…yeah." Said May, obviously unconvinced. "Do you think you could take him for a bit, my back is aching terribly."

"Sure." Salene said graciously taking the sleeping baby into her arms. She handled the baby like a pro. Even though she had never truly been a mother, Salene was a natural. She was the mom at the mall and everyone knew it. May always thought it was strange how all the children in the mall were just naturally attracted to Salene and recognized her as a mother figure. May sat and stared at Salene for a long time. Watching her with the baby like this, it was easy to imagine Salene and her own unborn baby bonding in this very manner. But where was May in the picture?

At last Amber and Trudy were ready to leave and they set off on their journey back to the mall. It seemed strange that they could walk the city streets without fear now. For so long the city had been a place of war and rebellion…Now the Tribes were at peace and four women and two children could easily make their way across town unharmed.

As the group rounded the last corner that led to the mall, a dark figure caught May's eyes. For a brief moment she had a clear vision of him, he looked in her direction, then turned and hurried on. May closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them he was gone. "May, are you alright?" Trudy said concernedly, looking back at her.

"Did you see him?" May asked.

"Who May?"

"I just thought I saw…"

May's words were cut short by a horrendous noise…The women all fell to the ground, covering their heads. Amber and Trudy shielded their children as debris from the explosion fell around them.