Irisa perched in her spot on a roof in town. She didn't tell Nolan that in her dreams, she had seen St. Louis. Not Defiance. St. Louis. The town that was now underneath. She recognized it because of the arch. "Big ass" as the mayor had said.

Nolan wouldn't have understood anyway. Likely just assumed it was because he had told her stories about it. For the first year or so after he rescued her, he would do that. Tell her stories of a calmer, more peaceful and simpler world. Before her people came.

He didn't realize, and she pushed it aside, that it made her feel like her people's presence had caused this chaotic, dangerous world. The thing was, he wasn't wrong. However, was it their fault? She wasn't sure and found no reason to ponder it. No one could reverse it. They just had to learn to survive. As she and Nolan did.

She adjusted the gray wrap she had around one of her wrists and traced the pattern of the scar with a finger. Her breathing grew fierce as she had a flashback to the ropes rubbing into her flesh. The burning that caused her to cry. All her crying didn't stop them from letting the snake bite her. Her shoulder then burned and ached as the world faded around her. Confusion as to why her parents let this happen. Aktar or not, why was she put through this?

Then they put her hand to a knife and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with it. Seeing the crumpled man before her gave her some sort of idea, but her young mind wasn't quite able to comprehend it. Thankfully, before she had a chance to figure it out, he came.

A human man. A soldier had come and spoke to her. He kept a distance and the tone was gentle and worried. He opened his arms. He had no intention of touching her. Something told her she could trust him. She lept into his arms and clung to him as he took her away.

A soft smile crept across Irisa's face as she adjusted the wrap to cover the scars again. As sore as they were, there was a comfort in the memory of Nolan sitting by her bed as a medic wrapped her wrists in bandages. He stroked the wide bridge of her nose and she blinked sleepily as the soft massage helped her relax after her ordeal.

Standing on the roof, Irisa took a deep breath remembering the first morning waking with a scream. Nolan had grabbed her in his arms gently and just held her until she calmed into sobs. He had left her to rest and when he came back, he handed her a small stuffed toy.

The toy had gotten lost in their journeys, but she had a drawing of it in one of her earlier journals. A person passing below her caught her eye. Tommy.

She stood stock still and quiet, letting him pass. No one ever seemed to notice her up there and she didn't want to encounter him unless she needed to. What they did, she was impulsive and that wasn't uncharacteristic of her. She had jumped into life-threatening things many times. And she had a feeling this might have been threatening to her heart, but if she had feelings for Tommy, she shoved them aside.

These people were still new to her. She was beginning to trust they were moral, but she couldn't trust just yet if they were worth being loyal to. Tommy was weak. He had strength, but he was easily ... pushed. She wasn't even sure he wanted what happened.

It was clear in his touch and how he looked at her that he was attracted. Maybe even lusted after her, but would he had made a move if she hadn't? When would he had? It wasn't until after the fog lifted that she realized she was on top of him, both naked and... he may take that to have meant something.

She didn't know how to explain to him what it was. She didn't even know what it was.