As Ellia headed to her next meeting—the war council—she began daydreaming; daydreaming of her old life when men were still plentiful, and she was allowed to just… be a young girl.

Her father was a mild-mannered man—soft spoken and sweet. He liked to treat Ellia in unexpected ways. He liked to go searching for flowers in the desert—an incredibly trying task, as there were so few—and when he would come home, he would make bracelets, necklaces, and hairbands out of them for his daughter. He would make Ellia feel like the prettiest girl in the tribe.

Her mother was stricter than her father, and for good reason, too. Her father was such a pushover that someone had to discipline her. Especially since Ellia could be incredibly rambunctious when she was a girl; she liked wearing extremely provocative clothes because she liked the attention she got from boys. Therefore, her mother was the one who had to take her aside and teach her to be pragmatic.

“Ellia. I wish we lived in a world where you could wear what you wanted and not suffer any ill consequences, but we don’t. Boys are fun to tease, but it might not be so fun anymore when they start pawing at you. I made you some leggings—put them on under your skrit.” Her mother demanded.

Ellia had rolled her eyes at the time, but obeyed so she wouldn’t be punished. Inside, she was thinking her mother was being overdramatic and prudish.

As a grown woman, Ellia found herself appreciating what her mother had done for her far more than she did when she was a child. It was true that she required Ellia to behave in certain ways—some were silly, others were smart—that made Ellia feel like she had less freedom, but it also developed Ellia into a far smarter and wiser woman.

Ellia continued pining for the past even as she sat down in her chair at the head of the circular war table. She leaned her cheek upon her hand, daydreaming momentarily about her old boyfriend, John. John was a romantic man who loved to show her around. Back then, Ellia was not a warrior as she was now, but she still loved to explore the Wasteland. John was more than happy to oblige, he would go out with her—armed with the best guns available—and lead her through the Wasteland until they found “their spot”—an oasis out in the desert where they at times liked to enjoy a picnic together amongst palm trees, lime trees, and lemon trees.

“Ellia.” Ellia’s right-and, June said sternly.

Ellia snapped back to reality. She said self-consciously, “What did you say?”

Everyone at the table looked surprised at how out-of-it Ellia was. One of the women as the table whispered to another, and the other giggled.

Ellia’s eyes narrowed. She knew gossip when she saw it. “What’s so funny, you two?”

The women sank in their chairs, too nervous to stutter out what they were talking about. They stayed silent. Ellia glowered. She was sick of her women talking about each other behind each other’s backs, so she pressed them harder. “Well? Spit it out! What were you talking about?”

The two women, Gloria and Alexandria, swallowed. After a moment, Gloria admitted, “Well… word has it that you spent the night with the Last Man again, when it would have been more sensible to have him spend the night with other women. You’ve softened, Ellia.” Gloria added, almost mockingly.

Ellia glared at the other woman. She crossed her arms. “Surprise, surprise, Gloria. I’m human, too. Sometimes I crave human contact—more specifically, male human contact, which is incredibly hard to come by these days. I fully admit it was selfish to keep him to myself, but I’ve been busting my ass for the past several years just trying to obtain the Last Man. I think I deserve an extra night with him. But now, have no fear; I will let the other women spend the night with him. Now. Should we lay this little drama to rest?”

Gloria and Alexandria were silenced. They nodded in unison. “Yes, of course Ellia. I’m sorry we were whispering behind your back.”

Ellia took a deep breath. Speaking to Nikodemus made her realize just how big a problem gossip could become. She continued, “We must keep morale high in this tribe, or else we will collapse under the drama it creates. If you see any of your friends talking about you, or anyone else, behind your back, then speak up! We must keep the culture here clear and honest so we don’t turn on each other.”

The women at the table smiled and found themselves nodding in approval.

Satisfied that she had put the gossip to rest, Ellia began the meeting. She added the land mines to their defense strategy, and brainstormed about any holes the enemy might be able to expose in their defenses.

“Our scout said they would likely attack early in the morning, which means they might be expecting the sun to be in our eyes…” Ellia murmured. “We should try to account for that—or, at the very least, be prepared for it. Additionally, they may try a rear assault. It’s true that if they take the time to go to the back of the fortress, it may result in a lack of resources and energy on their part, but they may consider the surprise attack worth it.”

The meeting went on for about an hour, and then Ellia went on her way. A messenger—a young girl by the name of Lily who was most likely one of Nikodemus’ daughters—informed Ellia as she was leaving the war council, “Captain, the Zironists are now here. They’re w-waiting for you outside.”