Nikodemus chuckled. Hilargi was such a soft-spoken, delicate wallflower that he couldn’t conceive of her insulting someone else. But that was the harshest he had ever heard her spoken. “I guess I can’t blame you… she is pretty hard on you. I think you should understand that she can’t publicly be kind to you, though, since her tribeswomen would look down upon her… but you’re right. It was foolish of her to have our scouts retreat after only one day of searching in the area where your mother was headed…”

Hilargi looked down at her feet a little bashfully. “It’s not too late, you know… to run off and look for the scientist ourselves.”

Nikodemus gave her a warm smile. Despite her warped skin and stringy hair, she was cute when she blushed, especially since it stood out so well on her green skin. “Tempting, but it’s still just too dangerous. I think it’ll be a good last ditch effort if the other tribes kill a lot of our women, though.”

Hilargi nodded in response. After that, everything went quiet. Nikodemus’ mind wandered as they traveled through the blistering desert. He kept thinking of his mother and how much he missed her. When he was young, she could soothe him to sleep with just one song. He felt like he was a hazard of anxiety, and it would only take a little bit of water thrown on him to electrocute him.

In another hour, he was hunched over with exhaustion, and Hilargi asked, “Do you need to stop and rest?”

Nikodemus nodded. “Do you mind running up ahead and asking Ellia to stop for a moment?”

Gingerly, Hilargi cleared her throat. “I would, but I’m scared of her. How about I ask Lily to do that for you?”

Nikodemus nodded and tsked. “You’re going to have to get used to it. We all have to be more communicative out here on the road.”

Hilargi rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, but reluctantly agreed, “I guess you’re right, but not right now. Right now, I get to stay a coward.”

Nikodemus chuckled. “Very well. Go tell Lily.”

Hilargi ran off with a wave after that, and he found a lingering smile on his face as he watched her go. He had had many intellectual conversations with her for the past month that had made him come to truly appreciate her. She was a sweet girl, and he thought that if she weren’t so very young and girlish, that he might have a crush on her the way she did him, despite the fact that she was so very ugly.

***

During their break, the sun began to fall in the sky, which he was very grateful for. It painted the normally bright, yellow world a bloody red that filled him with even more anxiety. Elizabeth and Annie sat down next to him, Elizabeth looping an arm around him. Lots of the women in the tribe liked to touch him--both when there was an excuse, and when there was not one, and he was adverse to it at the best of times. Right now, he felt like jerking his shoulder away in anger. Elizabeth grimaced as she sipped a share of their rationed water. “What’s your problem, Nikodemus?”

“I don’t feel like being groped without permission right now.” Nikodemus said with a roll of his eyes. “Frankly, I could use some space.”

“Well, we’d give you some, but we’re unfortunately stuck with you.” Annie reminded him. “We have to guard you. But, Elizabeth, give him some space if he wants some. You have been… poking and prodding him a little bit much lately.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms and glowered. “I thought he would enjoy some comfort.”

Nikodemus took a sip of his own water, quenching his thirst. After that, he gasped, “I’m fond of you Elizabeth, but we are not husband and wife. I’d rather you keep your hands to yourself.”

Elizabeth went red with embarrassment. Being called out on behavior that she didn’t even know bothered him made her feel humiliated. Nikodemus realized it was unfair to scold her when she didn’t understand what she was doing was bothering him. He sighed. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I should have told you I didn’t like you pawing at me, but when I’ve tried to tell women that in the past, they don't listen, so I stopped bothering."

Elizabeth nodded silently, unable to look him in the eye. In a moment, his daughter, Lily, joined them. “You’ve been poorly treated by women, haven’t you, Nikodemus?”

Nikodemus stretched his legs out in front of him and then stretched his arms high into the air with a yawn. “I surely have. Frankly, I’m surprised I even still like them after all that’s happened.” He laughed softly.

“Who was the first woman you ever loved, Nikodemus?” Annie asked, taking a bite out of a tasteless biscuit.

Nikodemus answered without pause, “My mother, of course. Loveliest woman who ever graced the earth. She was strong enough to defend her children if push came to shove, but was still soft and caring. She made the best food, too, even though there’s so few resources out in the Wasteland. I remember, once, that I had gotten a big, old, bloody knee from jumping off a fence and landing on a sharp rock, and she wrapped it in gauze to perfection and somehow made the pain go away just by kissing it and telling me a story from the bi-well, a story.” Nikodemus left out the fact that the story was from the bible.

“Wow… did she have any flaws?” Lily asked, hugging her knees. Clearly, she wanted to know more about her grandmother.