There came a day when Dee had enough. She had been watching Ellie tiptoe around Luke for close to a month, and even though they had not spoken about it ever since that afternoon in the attic, she could tell that there was still turmoil in her friend's head. It didn't look like anybody else saw it – to the other members of the tribe, Ellie and Luke seemed to be polite, but more or less indifferent acquaintances who happened to have a child together – but from the way Ellie never seemed to look at Luke directly, never spoke to him except about their daughter or farm business, Dee could tell that nothing was right between them. She neither knew nor cared much about what was going on in Luke's head, but there was a regretful sort of look that hadn't left Ellie's face ever since he had turned up.

It was clear that something needed to be done, and that Ellie wasn't going to do it if somebody didn't force her into it. Considering that nobody else seemed to notice her inner distress, it would have to be Dee herself who gave that push.

So one morning she walked into Ellie's room while the younger girl was brushing her hair.

"Oi, you. You're going into the city. The horse is saddled."

Ellie wheeled around, brush in hand, looking astonished. "What the hell is up with you? Who said anything about the city?"

Dee grinned. "I did. You've been moping around here for a month, looking at Luke and Murron, and Jack has been on your mind every day since Luke turned up here. You're going to the city and facing your damn demons."

Ellie turned back to the mirror and began yanking her brush through her hair again. "Dee, that is insane. I'm not going anywhere. I haven't been moping. What business is it of yours anyways?"

With a sigh, Dee stepped closer and gently took the brush from her friend's hand, beginning to softly comb through Ellie's hair with her fingers. "I'm your friend, Ellie, that's what makes it my business. I can see nothing is all right with you." She began braiding the younger girl's hair, although her friend still looked mutinous. "Look, Ellie, I know you're scared. I know that you have no idea what exactly it is you want, because I see it in your face whenever you look at Luke and you can't decide whether you want him or you don't, and it bothers you that he doesn't give you the time of day except where Murron is concerned. But I also know, from what you told me the other day when we talked about it all, that Jack is always on your mind, and even if you hadn't told me, I would still see it every time you look at Murron. You're stuck, and you've got to un-stick yourself, one way or another. You need to go and see Jack. Everything else will sort itself out after that, I'm certain of it."

They looked at each other through the mirror, locked in a silent staring contest. Ellie was the first to avert her gaze. "I hate it when you go all Madame Fortuna on me."

"Sometimes we need someone else to help us see clearly."

Ellie sighed again. "And exactly what do you propose? That I waltz into the Mall going 'Hey Jack, this is going to sound crazy, but I have massive regrets about everything that happened and it would be really rad if you could just tell me that you forgive me?'"

"Well, how about you just go there and see how he reacts, for starters. It's been six years. He might not be quite as emotional about it as he used to. Especially since he's been with what's-her-name..."

"Ruby"

"Right, Ruby. As far as I know, he's been with her for a year or two."

"More like three, if they haven't broken up."

"See? Go to town. See him. Make peace. See what comes next."

Dee could see that Ellie could find no arguments against the suggestion any more. She watched with some satisfaction as the younger girl gathered a few clothes and stuffed them into a backpack, finally turning towards her friend.

"I know Luke will be delighted to have a few days alone with Murron, but you'll have an eye on her anyways, won't you?"

"Of course. And Darryl will, too, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe. I don't really know how he feels about it any more, we haven't really been talking much lately."

"Well, you can sort that out, too, when you're back. First things first. Go back to the beginning."

Ellie only shrugged and went in search of Murron and Luke to tell them she would be away for a few days.

They all rose early on the farm, so even though it took a little while for Ellie to get going, the sun wasn't high in the sky when Ellie set out on her trip to the city.

Traveling wasn't as risky a business as it had been in the years right after the virus, but it wouldn't do to be distracted while on the road – especially if you were riding, with horses still being a coveted possession in a world largely without cars. Of course, on horseback, you could outrun anyone who wanted to harm you if they were on foot, but only if you managed to get away quickly enough, not if they got the drop on you. So Ellie focused on the road rather than what she was riding towards – Dee was right, there was no point in borrowing trouble, or, even worse, getting into trouble by not paying attention to the way. There would be enough time to worry about all the possible outcomes of her errand once she was actually at the Mall, face to face with him.

She took the path through the woods that Luke had to have taken on his journey towards her. Delilah, her horse, knew the way almost as well as Ellie herself did, and picked her way along the half-hidden trail easily. All Ellie had to do was keep her ears wide open for any uncommon sounds, and duck down when they passed under low-hanging branches. The likelihood that anyone besides a stray Gaian would cross her path here was small, but there was no need to be careless. Ellie drew her coat closer around herself; it was chilly in the shade of the trees, and the forest never failed to make her a little uncomfortable. She didn't mind it as long as it surrounded the farm, in fact, she was rather grateful for the way it acted like a barrier between the farm and the rest of the world – hardly anyone came to the farm by accident, because there weren't many people who didn't prefer to stay out of the forest rather than walking into it. You had to want to come to the farm (and have a pretty good idea where it lay) to end up there. Not for the first time, Ellie wondered where Luke had got the information that allowed him to find her – not that it was a secret where they were, but it wasn't exactly in the phone book, either.

When the horse pricked up its ears and broke into a gallop, all Ellie could do was hang on and curse herself for having allowed her mind to wander after all. She ducked into the mare's mane and held the reins tight, trying to discern what it was that had sent her steed off – and nearly toppled out of the saddle when she suddenly felt someone slide on behind her.

"Whoa, easy there, Ellie. It's just me!"

She brought Delilah to a screeching halt and turned to the girl who had somehow managed to get onto the horse while it was galloping straight through the forest. "What the hell was that about, Mouse? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Are you supposed to be fucking Pocahontas or something?"

The teen grinned at her and slipped off Delilah's back. "Just keeping you on your toes. Who's Pocahontas?"

Ellie sighed. "Never mind. What are you doing in this part of the forest anyways, Mouse? I didn't think Hawk let you wander this far from camp."

Mouse laughed. "Don't worry, mother hen. I'm fifteen, I get to wander. Besides, we moved camp since last you saw us, we live much closer to here than you remember."

The older girl tensed up immediately. "Moved camp? What for? Was there an attack?" The Gaians never moved their abode unless they felt threatened.

The little Maori made a dismissive gesture. "Nah, nothing like that. You know Hawk, he's a bit paranoid sometimes. A stranger stumbled across us a month or two ago, and after he left, Hawk didn't want him to be able to find us again, or lead anyone to us."

A light went on in Ellie's head. "Was that stranger by any chance looking for me?"

"Yup" Mouse confirmed cheerfully. "So he found you, huh? I hope you didn't mind us sending him your way" she added hastily. "The tribal council did have a vote on it, you know. We checked him out first, asked him a lot of questions. And we didn't tell him straight out that it was really you who lived down there – even though we were pretty sure he really meant you – so you could still get rid of him if you wanted to." She shrugged. "He sounded like he'd lived at the Mall at some point, but I figured there was no point in telling him I'd been a Mall Rat once, it's been so long since I've been there."

Ellie smiled. "No, it was ok. I'd been wondering how he'd found us anyways. Guess that's what distracted me from seeing you." She gave Mouse a friendly poke.

"Or maybe you just didn't see me because I'm super-stealthy and I snuck up on you with barely a sound. If Delilah hadn't bolted straight away when she heard me, I wouldn't even have had to break a sweat to get up behind you!" The girl mock-puffed out her chest. Then she grew serious again. "So where are you going to, anyways?"

"Towards the city. Got a few things I need to take care of."

Mouse nodded understandingly. Ellie took the opportunity to look her over properly for the first time – it was kids like Mouse and Lottie that really drove the realization home of how much time had passed. The little girl that had left the Mall to live with the Gaians nearly seven years ago was fast approaching adulthood, standing tall in her woolen tunic and leather leggings, feathers braided into her long plait, but with the same little turned up nose and the same mischevious glint in her eyes. She had to be older now than Ellie had been when the virus had hit. It was different from seeing Murron growing up – Murron was a creature of the new world after the virus, while Lottie and Mouse had lived through it. It made Ellie feel very old all of a sudden.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a friendly slap on her leg. "Have a safe trip then, Ellie. Don't start dreaming on the road, the next person who manages to sneak up on you won't be as nice as I am."

Ellie nodded and watched with some fascination as Mouse melted back into the trees, disappearing the moment the older girl blinked. She had mastered all the skills of the Gaians to perfection – except, perhaps, their serene detachment from the world outside the forest.