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Lilly…’
    ‘No no, it’s nothing…’ Lilly sobs the words out, half crying half smiling. ‘It was so nice.’
    ‘Oh bless,’ Marcy’s own eyes fill as she pulls her back in for another hug. ‘Had me worried then…christ, there’s not many girls that can say that…It’s just emotions coming out…did it hurt a bit?’
    Lilly nods, ‘Nick thought he hurt me…’
    ‘No. No he didn’t. It happens to everyone. Bit of blood too?’
    ‘Only a bit…he was so gentle…’
    ‘It’s Nick,’ Marcy says as though that explains everything. ‘He’s a keeper alright. So nothing hurts now does it?’
    ‘No no, I am fine. Honestly. I do apologise.’
    ‘Oh don’t be silly,’ Marcy says kindly, ‘you’re lucky. I remember my first time. God it was awful. I was so drunk and he was a disgusting pig.’
    Lilly snorts a laugh and gently pulls back.
    ‘It’s easy to forget how young you are,’ Marcy says, examining the girl closely as she smooths Lilly’s hair back. ‘It’s normal. What you’re feeling now I mean. Your hormones will be all over the place for a few days but it’ll settle. Nick adores you, you know that. Don’t doubt that for a second. We all adore you.’
    Lilly nods again, the composure coming back steely and cold.
    ‘Good girl,’ Marcy says, seeing the look coming into Lilly’s eyes. ‘New world now. New rules. With us it’s safe but fuck everyone else…you are so beautiful, Lilly,’ she smiles warm and sad, worried and full of hope all at the same time. ‘We’ll go soon. Howie won’t stay here, you know that right? Nick will want to stay here with you but he won’t. He’ll go with Howie the same as the rest of us but that doesn’t mean Nick doesn’t want to stay with you…’
    ‘I know,’ Lilly says quietly. ‘Nick said how many you face sometimes…’
    ‘It’s insane,’ Marcy says, meaning every word. ‘Howie needs Nick…but…what you did before, you do that again if you need to. If you have to kill then do it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t let it get bad enough that you can’t react.’
    ‘Okay.’
    ‘Good,’ Marcy says, holding a serious expression that melts as she smiles and winks. ‘Now, did you use a condom or are we all having babies in nine months?’

Two
     
    The boat glides gently onto the beach, the hull scraping on the soft sand. Dawn and the night is still lifting but the promise of another scorching hot day is there to be seen.
    Maddox goes first, leaping over the front onto the sand and turning quickly to grab the front of the boat to hold it steady. He offers a hand.
    ‘Thank you,’ Pea says, taking his firm grip to drop from the boat.
    ‘Sam?’
    ‘I’m fine,’ Sam says coldly, avoiding eye contact to clamber from the boat herself.
    Maddox shows no reaction but offers his hand to the next person instead, ‘Joan?’
    ‘No thank you,’ she says brusquely.
    ‘Kyle?’ Maddox says, looking at the craggy face. ‘Want me to take that?’
    ‘Ah now, that’ll be a kind thing of you,’ Kyle says, passing the basket over before jumping deftly down onto the sand.
    ‘You move well for an old man,’ Joan says with an arched eyebrow.
    ‘You move well yourself,’ he says, smiling kindly as he takes the basket from Maddox.
    ‘I don’t overeat,’ she says stiffly. ‘Shall we? No point in dilly-dallying here all morning. I cannot abide dilly-dallying.’
    ‘Oh I like a dilly dally now and then,’ Kyle says easily.
    ‘Are you being rude? I cannot abide rudeness.’
    ‘Ah you’re a feisty woman so you are there, Joan.’
    ‘Do not use that Irish brogue on me young man.’
    ‘Irish you say? My accent is not Irish.’
    ‘Your voice is Irish. You are Irish. I tell it like it is.’
    Pea pulls a face at Sam who shrugs and scowls at Maddox trying to smile at her. She’s got a rifle on her chest and a pistol on her hip. Joan and Sam the same. Maddox might be armed but he’s outnumbered and so the confidence is there to show overtly what she