"Let's meet here again in two days. Same time," Evie decided. "Does that work?"

I shrugged, smiling slightly. "I don't exactly have a full schedule, so yeah."

"Perfect." Evie smiled as well, but hers was forced. I could see she was already worried about her choice, and hoped she wouldn't reconsider.

"Here." She tapped in the air in front of her - she was still wearing her comm.

I blinked as her personal comm address flooded into my mind. "Woah."

Evie grinned, this time genuinely. "Been a long time since you got an info transfer?"

"Seven years, give or take."

Evie chuckled and several beats of silence passed before she spoke. "Well, it was...nice meeting you, Claire."

"Likewise."

We left the café together but Evie began leisurely strolling down the street while I began my ascent to the rooftops.

Once atop a nearby building, however, I didn't directly return to Rooftop. I had to sit and process everything that had just happened.

I had just met a beautiful girl my age and it had gone perfectly; we even had a second meeting arranged.

I grinned at my own giddy thoughts. I knew this hadn't been a date, hadn't been anything like one, but it was an intriguing thought all the same.

Shaking my head slightly, I stood and trotted toward Rooftop. Date or not, everything had gone perfectly.

And now, Charlie and I had a chance of escaping Horizon.

*

When I got home, I found the apartment empty: no Nik, no Sarah, no Charlie. Unconcerned, I idly played with the sink, moving my hand back and forth underneath the faucet, and jumped when the water snapped on with a sudden hiss. I grinned, bouncing on my heels: our water was back on.

I hurried into the bathroom and pressed the waste button next to the toilet - it hadn't been flushed in a couple of days, but luckily, the vacuum sealed seat had kept the odor trapped inside. Then I plugged up the tub and began running a bath, making a mental note to keep an eye on the water level. Once, a small device set in the wall would have regulated it for me, but it had stopped working long ago.

As the tub filled, I returned to the kitchen and began filling all of our empty containers. I would not ignore this blessing. I had had to awkwardly borrow water from friends too often to waste the precious liquid.

I heard a clatter at the window and glanced over to see Charlie returning. "Hey," I greeted him.

"Water!" he cheered in reply.

"I've got a bath running. Go clean your stinky self," I ordered. My little brother giggled and scampered into the bathroom.

I finished filling the containers and took a long drink of the sweet, cool water, washing the lingering taste of coffee from my mouth. Even though the beverage's aftertaste had been disgusting I almost immediately regretted getting rid of it - it was one of very few physical things that connected me to my mother.

You'll have it again in two days, I reminded myself, and my spirits lifted.

"How goes it?" I called toward the bathroom.

The tub turned off. "Good!" Charlie replied, and a small splash followed. I grinned, already looking forward to my own bath.

The rest of the afternoon I spent reading. Once, I had loved losing myself in a book. After not reading for weeks after the Uprising, I now found it difficult to focus on the small text and was trying to retrain myself.

Finally, Charlie emerged from the bathroom. He wore nothing but shorts and was still dripping.

"Air drying?" I asked.

Charlie grinned and ran to the window. "Find Nik and get him to bring home some dinner!" I yelled after him.

"Okay!" flew over the boy's shoulder as he disappeared onto the roof. I grinned and set aside my book, strolling into the bathroom to draw a clean bath for myself.

Nik returned about an hour later, as my bathwater was growing cold. "Claire?" he called out.

"I'm taking a bath!" I replied.

"I have Charlie and dinner," he informed me.

"Great. Thanks." I sighed, closing my eyes. I would have to get out in a few minutes, but for now, I was enjoying this rare opportunity.

*

Dinner was bread and jam, the latter of which was a semi-rare treat. "Did someone go on a raid?" I asked through a mouthful of food.

Nik nodded. "The twins three buildings over."

I bobbed my head, focusing on the meal and not my lingering guilt.

Once we were done with our meals, Nik headed into the bathroom to bathe. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a small brown bag - the cookie from the cafe. I had only taken a bite.

"Charlie," I murmured. My brother twisted around on the couch to face me, his eyes popping as soon as his gaze fell on the cookie.

I was about to hand it to him but suddenly pulled back slightly and pressed a finger to my lips. "Don't tell Nik," I whispered. "Our secret."

"Where'd you get it?" Charlie asked in awe as he accepted the treat and eagerly began to devour it.

I opened my mouth, prepared to tell him. I wanted to share what was going on with Charlie...

What if he accidentally tells someone? a small voice in my head whispered. A dark feeling rose in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't worry about it," I managed, and hurried down the hallway before Charlie could question me further.