People used to be able to think that food was about the flavors, and the colors, and the pretty design it's laid out in. And it was. But time has taught us that how food tastes or looks doesn't mean anything. In this world, food means survival, and survival means another few days of life. In other words, no more food, no more you. And with food, people don't share. They just eat it themselves, because, well, it's food. And those who don't find it, trap it, or steal it don't survive.

In our barren wasteland of a world, it's not hard to understand why there might not be many people. Just by looking around, anyone could tell that humans would not fare well in the living circumstances here. The trees, if there were any, were mostly dead and leafless, and provided no protection whatsoever from the harmful rays of the sun or places to hide from enemies. Formerly well-known animals such as tigers, elephants, and polar bears had disappeared off the face of the earth, and not from being hunted to extinction. Our destruction of this world had affected everything.

I looked around, surveying my surroundings. This was a skill I was taught at the age of four. Never underestimate your enemies—they can always be right behind you when you least expect it. Thankfully, my next enemy was not quite as bright as the others; I spotted him from a mile off, with a few of his clan members. I leaped behind a rock, my brown-blonde locks streaming in front of my emerald eyes, and watched them as they darted this way and that. I quickly realized that they were hunting. Not for an animal, of course. Living in our world, do you really think you would get anywhere out hunting for tiger? First of all, the animals that were still living didn't live around here, and second, people who had survived this long didn't set themselves on false hopes. No, this hunt was for dirt berries.

Dirt berries get their name because—what do you know?—they taste like dirt. I should know, I've tried it before. It doesn't taste good, but at least it's got minerals, right? I wish. Once we hit the 3000s, those had long disappeared from the ground. Sorry, kids—no more nutrients.

As I watched the scavengers, I thought about my own clan and its members. We weren't exactly all friends, but we were allies, and that was all that really mattered. I did have a few good companions, but they were mostly younger than me, except for one who was about my age. Well, as they say, 'children are our future'! Ha, what future?

We had some good games of run-and-find, though. I always won, although they were all smaller than me and could fit behind the inadequate excuses for bushes we had everywhere much easier than me I. Thinking of past games of run-and-find, I realized that I ought to get back to my clan before any slightly more observant human beings found me. However, I was not going back to play with the little ones. Right now, it was not playtime, it was hunting time. The scavengers had reminded me of my chores, and I needed to go check on our harvest.

Once I reached the bush, I found that the hot weather had not been kind to it; the bush looked dreadfully under watered. But I wasn't fooled. Yes, the bush was very thirsty, and yes, it was dying, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything worth eating. Remembering a trick taught to me by one of my few clan friends, I peeked beneath the yellow leaves to find three small, slightly wilted berries. It was food, but that's about all you could call it.

I was just about to leave when I was ambushed.

"Don't move." A male voice I didn't recognize pierced the silence, and I froze in my place. Was it one of the hunters from the other clan? We wouldn't be able to handle an even fight so soon after the last one. We were still tending to wounds and repairing weapons. Lost in my thoughts, I forgot my recent orders and turned around.

"I said not to move!" He was a teenage boy, about fifteen, wooden spear raised high in his hand, and aimed straight at me. He was wearing a worn-out specimen of the usual outfit; a shirt and shorts made of tree bark "hide"—deer were very scarce, so only clan leaders wore deer-hide clothing—and the classic bare, calloused feet of a Wanderer. Strange. This usually meant someone didn't belong to a clan. But... what could he be here for other than a fight? I wondered. I didn't trust him already.

I decided to give him something to gape over. "Right, sorry. I just like to be polite, you know, and face my captors when they speak."

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that. Besides, I'm not here to capture you. I'm just trying to make sure you don't run or attack before I can say a word. And just as I say that, I realize you have no weapon. So I win this round." He smiled.

So he had just as much backtalk bravery as I did. Nice to know, I thought. Though the 'I'm not capturing you' part? Ha, there's no way I'm believing that.

"So you weren't sent out here to give an attack warning?" I asked. I knew he was lying, of course. They always did. If I've learned anything from being captured too many times to count, it's this: never trust someone who aims a weapon at you.

"That is correct. As you can probably see, I don't belong to any clan." He gestured matter-of-factly at his bare feet. "Now, here is my reason for frightening you." Frightening? Boy, this guy is getting on my nerves, I thought.

He continued. "I want to join your clan. Will you take me in?"

"Take you in?" I laughed. "You must think I'm dull. How can I be sure you aren't here to plan an attack on my clan? Anyone can take off their shoes."

"Well, I have some pretty good evidence. First of all—" He was cut off by the whistling of a perfectly-aimed arrow. It sliced through the air from behind the boy and directly over my shoulder. It tore a bit into the top of my sleeve, but I didn't care about the shirt. I cared about my life. And how this guy was a liar, and how I had known it from the start.

I looked past his shoulder, ready to confirm my theory that he truly had set up an attack on my clan, but what I saw wasn't what I expected. Four men running towards us. Four familiar men. The same four men who I had recently seen scavenging for berries! (and hopelessly, might I add). They must have seen me and followed me here, sending out the boy to try to distract me. I cursed, remembering how my pride had blinded my common sense, causing me to think they weren't observant enough to notice me and making me forget how hard everyone is trained in this vital skill.

What could I do now? I had no weapons, as Mr. Facts had so kindly reminded me, and so I had no protection against the men or the new boy, whether he was with the men or not. I had no time to think or plan, and though I had trained for this kind of situation many times, I was still panicked at my condition. As It turns out, I didn't have to think, plan, or even act. The new boy immediately spun around, aimed his spear, and began to fight off the men.

I'm not giving details on the action. This might surprise some, but I'm not much of an action type. Also, I don't really care about the little details, so, sorry to those types who like the action, but there's none here. Besides, if I described it, it would sound courageous, and fierce, and skillful, but I assure you, the new boy was only... average, and the men just... weren't very adept. I admit that the boy did well for a Wanderer. And he did protect me from the other clan. So, maybe I could possibly consider letting him stay. Maybe.

After his showdown with the four men, he walked up to me, a sly smirk already on his face. I guessed he was prepared for praise.

"So, was that enough reason for you, little girl?" the boy asked sarcastically. "Or am I still a lonely outcast, forced to fend for myself?" Though I must have only been about one year younger than him, I was still about three inches shorter. Even though I might have seemed tiny compared to his towering 5'8", I still didn't like being called 'little girl'.

"My name's Eva. Call me 'little girl' again, and you won't even get another chance to say it right." Introduction begins relationships, they say, but the relationship doesn't always have to be a positive one.

"Alright, Eva. I'm Lukas. Now am I in or not?" Aw, look at him pleading, I thought. He's practically down on his knees by now. I only hope he doesn't need me when he decides to get up, because I'll be long gone. Just like I had said, no protection. He would have to prove himself to be truly accepted. Well, it's time to brighten up the little guy's day.

"Fine. You can stay. But you won't be getting any protection or food from me. And you won't be getting any friends either."

"Works for me," he replied.

How laughable. He wouldn't last a day around here without any other skills. And he obviously didn't have any, seeing as he ran in absolutely begging to join my clan. This guy was desperate.