"Cassie?" Lottie whispered to me one night, under the desert stars. She called me Cassie now. It wasn't my idea, but I liked it.

"Yes, Lottie?"

"Can I see your treasures?" That's what she called my bag of supplies.

"Okay." I pulled the leather strap off my shoulder and opened the rectangular bag. I took out my water bottle, tins of crackers, case of powdered makeup, and a pomegranate.

"Why do you have makeup, Cassie?"

I had never told anyone about my secret not before, and though I trusted Lottie more than anyone else, a hard thing for a girl in the middle of a war, I still wasn't ready to share my secret.

"I'll tell you later. Do you want some of the pomegranate in the morning? It's not going to stay good forever, you know."

She smiled and fell asleep in my arms, before she could answer.