I scowled at the mirror, halfway wishing the scab on my head would have had the decency to anchor itself into my hair better. Instead, only one edge held onto a few hairs while the rest of it dangled loosely and brushed against my ear like a rebel.

With a grumble, I propped the mirror up on the dresser and began freeing the scab from the half a dozen hairs it was still attached to. The skin where it had previously sat was red, but the wound had completely healed. I wonder how many people are going to notice. I doubted I'd get through breakfast without someone spotting the change.

The scab came free, and I tucked the thin, crusty material into a pocket. There was no garbage can in my room, and it was better if I disposed of it in the forest where no one would find it. I rearranged my hair a bit to try and cover the spot, although anyone who was looking for it would be able to tell it had fallen off.

Shaking my head, I got up and decided to go to breakfast earlier than usual in hopes of fewer people being present. I exited the building and headed toward the dining hall. As I rounded the corner, I paused when I saw four younger men running in my direction. They swerved wider to run around me.

As they passed by, one called out in a hushed voice, "Run before she sees you!"

I could only think of one reason for people to be running like that at this time of the morning.

"Free hugs for everyone!"

You have got to be kidding me... This wasn't how I wanted to start my day. Two more people rounded the corner in a full-blown run. In hot pursuit, Nicky appeared behind them with a manic grin plastered across her face. I do not recall this being part of our deal.

I crossed my arms and held my ground; my instincts refused to run from an unarmed human, even if she was in lunatic mode. Nicky ran toward me with her arms outstretched, thinking I was an easy stationary target.

I growled lightly at her and uncrossed my arms so I could keep her from getting close. She made a few attempts to get past my defenses, but my swifter reflexes and greater strength gave me the upper hand, allowing me to keep her at arm's length and unable to hug me.

She gave up with a groan. "You're no fun."

"And that is precisely why I'm not invited to any parties."

She yawned as we headed for breakfast. It was oddly quiet as we entered the dining hall. Only a few people were present, possibly because many of the early risers had heard Nicky's calls for hugs and decided to be fashionably late today. We didn't even have to wait in line.

Once we sat down, Nicky promptly began stuffing herself with all the food she'd taken. More people trickled in as word spread that she had calmed down. I nibbled on a few slices of fruit, which was all that resided on my plate this morning.

People kept looking at us, and the extra attention stirred up my instincts. I couldn't pick individual words out of the faint din of voices; however, the two likeliest topics were Nicky's behavior and when I might be leaving if my only visible injury had healed.

When we finished eating, Nicky went to find out what her chores were for today, and I headed to the kitchen.

~

       I sat on the roof, which gave me an excellent view of the activity spread throughout the Stronghold as people worked. Even the lightest nap wouldn't come this afternoon, and I had tried for several hours. It was another sign that my healing rate was rapidly diminishing.

The two remaining scabs on my chest would probably fall off within a couple of days. Despite how badly my leg had been injured, my doctoring had done wonders. It didn't even pain me now. I still kept my speed to a slow walk to throw off the ever-watching humans, but I could run for a short distance without harming it.

I glanced at my shorts, but I knew it would take another week before that scab finally fell off on its own accord. As long as I don't injure it again, I thought wryly.

It should heal fast enough that I'd be able to leave within five days. Nicky was going to talk to someone today about getting a transfer. There were two trading trips scheduled this week that she could catch a ride with. I planned to leave a few days after she did.

Another side effect of my slowing recovery was that my energy was no longer being solely channeled into healing, and I was getting restless. It had been ten days since the bullets had hit me, and I had done almost nothing but sit the entire time. I was seriously tired of lazing around. It left my mind far too idle.

I started pacing, trying to take the edge off my building energy and impatience. The desire to leave this place and continue searching for my sister was like an itch I couldn't scratch. That caged feeling was coming back; it reminded me of cabin fever where you felt like you simply had to get out, only in this case, it was the determination to find Jess.

My mind whirled in restless circles; leaving this place, recovering Nicky, and then back onto the task of trying to locate my sister. On top of that, I still had no idea why so many people in this place wanted me to stay. I couldn't see my potential as a night guard being that significant. I gave up pacing and headed for the stairs.

I walked along the perimeter of the fence while watching for a particular redhead. Several people seemed surprised when they saw me walking instead of relaxing on the rooftop, although it was about my usual time to track down Nicky, so it shouldn't be too unusual.

I found her in the garage, leaning under the hood of a truck with two men. I found it amusing that she had to stand on the bumper since she was too short to see it well enough from the ground.

Nicky was chattering at a hundred miles an hour. "You can easily splice these two wires to bypass the security on the starting mechanism. But never cross this wire with this wire, and take my advice, don't let them touch the battery posts. You get fireworks, and it would take three small miracles to ever get the vehicle running again."

The men listened and occasionally asked questions. I leaned against the wall and simply observed them since they weren't aware of my presence. Nicky kept pointing out other wires, what they were for, and what not to do with them. From her comments, I suspected that she had crossed almost every wire ever put into a vehicle since she knew exactly what the result would be.

Nicky reached over to point to a farther wire, and the man beside her shifted away, although he was still listening. I kept watching their body language. They were willing to listen to her, but they really weren't comfortable around her. The avoidance was slight, but noticeable.

"...and that's the basics," Nicky said, jumping off the bumper. She noticed me. "Hey, Trinity. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Hope you weren't waiting too long."

The two men jumped a bit when they spotted me.

"Not really."

She dug around in her pockets before holding up a key. "Ah, here's the key. Let's go."

I walked over to the side-by-side with her. She had been driving well enough to even satisfy Hank, so I was no longer scared for my life when Nicky got into the driver's seat.

When we arrived at our usual clearing, Nicky turned off the engine and sighed. "My transfer got declined."

"Huh? Why? I thought transfers were almost never refused."

"It doesn't make any sense. Transfers are rarely declined because no one wants an unhappy person stirring the pot. Besides, every other Stronghold I've ever been in was more than willing to drive me to another place the very next day as long as I didn't return."

"Did they give a reason?"

"Supposedly, the other Strongholds are full and can't take any more people." Nicky snorted to show her opinion. "Which is bullshit. This place trades with eight different Strongholds on a regular basis, and I've never heard of a place being so full that they would turn away another set of working hands."

Bloody hell... There goes our best plan, I thought in growing irritation. A growl rumbled through my chest as my mind made some unfortunate connections.

"You realize this can only mean one thing, right?"

"Someone decided that I make it easier for you to stay here, and this time, they're using a bit of force. Remember how everyone always put me closest to you in the truck since you seemed to have more tolerance with me?"

It was my turn to snort. "It had nothing to do with my level of tolerance. You simply didn't give a shit if I growled at you."

She chuckled. "No, and I still don't. But we should have guessed their answer. After my little meeting, word quickly spread that I attempted to transfer out, and I managed to overhear a few things. Everyone here knows that zombies don't like physical contact, and the fact that you willingly came into contact with Liz and me several times caught their attention. Apparently, Nina is the only one here who dares to so much as lay a finger on Daniel, and even she gives him his space."

I rubbed my temple as I realized how this group would have seen our interactions. Now that I thought about it, I had only seen Nina touch Daniel twice, and both times had been in the truck. Once when I had snarled at the passing Runner, and she had been trying to calm him. The second time had been when he leaned over to see her notes and their arms had brushed.

I had come into contact with Nicky at least half a dozen times during that same time frame. Liz had also sat on my lap, but they hadn't seen me come into contact with any other person in our party.

Nina and Daniel had been watching me too closely to have missed those details, and the people here had seen me with Nicky and Liz at the archery range. It was one thing if a bunch of humans here wanted me to stay, but Daniel was my main concern.

"Was there any indication that Daniel or Nina had anything to do with the transfer being declined?"

"I highly doubt it. My question surprised the guy I asked, so they weren't expecting it, and he didn't have time to consult with anyone else."

"If it's just the people here wanting me to remain, then I'm not overly concerned."

"There's lots of whispering going on. I couldn't catch most of it without getting caught, but people noticed the scab above your ear is gone. They also noticed you were pacing earlier this afternoon, and that really caught their attention."

I exhaled gustily. "I can't help it. I feel like a lion in a cage. People here first saw me when I was seriously injured, but I'm getting back on my feet. Things are going to change. You remember what I was like when we were on the road previously."

"Oh, I remember, but toward the end you were handling it better than you had before. You may not want to admit it, but you were getting used to us. You might have wanted Daniel to vanish into thin air and probably wouldn't have minded taking a chunk out of Kal, but you weren't quite so uptight around us near the end."

"Doubtful," I huffed.

I got out of the side-by-side and left Nicky behind while I went to check the traps. My mind kept circling back to her comment. Some days that lady was just too darn observant for her own good or for my peace of mind. Especially when she was correct.

There were two rabbits today. I drank my fill and filled the glass jar with what was left. I went back to where I left Nicky and found her in a small clearing not far from the side-by-side. She helped me doctor up the wound on my back again.

She gently ran a gloved finger over the scab once she was done. "This corner is kind of lifted, almost as if you stretched too far and tore it a bit."

I groaned faintly. "I was wondering about that. The stitches let go yesterday. It shouldn't interfere with the healing though."

Without replying, Nicky put a bandage over it. I put my shirt on, and as had become our new habit, I followed my nose to a patch of berries. I wouldn't need dinner tonight after such a snack, but I knew Nicky would bring me something anyway.

Time passed far too quickly, and I climbed onto the side-by-side with a reluctant growl. "I wonder what the odds are of us intercepting another Stronghold's trading group returning to their base and sending you with them."

Nicky started the ATV. "Slim to none. This place mostly sends out its own trading groups. People rarely come here to trade, and it would look really fishy for me to ask them on the road instead of when they were visiting."

There went that half-baked idea. "If we both disappear at the same time, I have a feeling someone might think I finally murdered you and vacated the area before I got caught."

"Or they'll realize we're friends, and you decided to take a rather big headache off their hands when you left. I can leave a note on my bed if that's what you're worried about."

"I just can't think of an easy way to get you out without leaving a rather noticeable scent trail. If it was just the humans here, it'd be simple, but if Daniel and Nina are part of whatever is going on, that changes everything. That guy may be dense at times, but his hearing is phenomenal, so I can't see him not being aware of what's going on."

Nicky gave me a long look. "You're making it sound like there's some sort of massive conspiracy afoot. Do you know something I don't?"

"I don't know," I said irritably. "Something just isn't lining up. They are going through a lot of effort to make me want to stay – far too much just for a night guard."

"Hmmm... You might be onto something. I've gone wild or pulled a stunt on them almost every morning so far, and they still declined my transfer when any other Stronghold out there would have loved to drive me to whichever neighbor they liked the least. So, either the old guy forgot to put his glasses on and mistook me for someone else, or he needs to get his head checked."

"Either way, the secrecy is winding up my instincts like a spring. I've been in a snappy mood all day, and if this keeps up, I could very well end up snarling at someone before the night is over."

"I nominate Marissa, but let me find a stopwatch before you do that. I've never seen someone go so pale so quickly, and I want to see how many nanoseconds it takes for her to turn as white as a sheet."

I snorted and watched the trees go by. As appealing as snarling at Marissa sounded, that situation was far too likely if I came across her in my current mood.