I feel something touching-no, shaking-my shoulder. I ball up my fist and take a swing at the thing that is so rudely waking me up.

"OWW!" yells a deep man's voice. That was strange, I think. I slowly open my eyes to see what appears to be a bustling military base. And a man is standing over me. He is looking down at me angrily. I wonder why.

"Finally, shes awake." The man standing over me says. Suddenly it all comes back to me. The camp, the men, laying down with Allison. Allison!

"Where is my baby? Where is Allison?" I yell at the man. I start to jump out of bed, but he reaches out and stops me. It is like running into a pile of bricks.

"Calm. Down. The baby is fine. Jay's wife was taking care of her while you were resting."

"Who is Jay? And can someone please get me my baby!"

"Emmy," he continues in the same monotone voice,"will you please ask Jay and Marie to come in, please."

"Okay!" says the girl, who is no older than ten, as she hurries off.

"Jay is our camp's leader. What he says goes, no matter what. He will tell you all about us when he comes in. I really think you should give us a chance. You and that slugger would fit in great here." He says in a joking tone. A small smile even creeps its way to my lips.

Jay and Marie come in. I know its them because I recognize Jay as the leader from last night (at least i think it was last night) and the woman is cradling my baby in her arms, gently rocking her. I let out a sigh of relief when I see that she is okay. I get up and walk over to the leader and his wife. When I get within a couple feet, I extend my arms out and the woman gently places the sleeping baby in my arms. She half-opens her eyes and makes a couple sleepy sounds before returning to her nap. Her sleepiness brings a relived smile to my face. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her. I wrap my hand around her tiny fist.

"She was crying, you know. I didn't want to bother you two, but she was crying ad you hadn't woken up to feed her yet. She woke everyone in the whole tent up. Except you, of corse." Marie rambles

"Thank you. I always wake up when she cries. I don't know why I didn't this time. Sorry. Let me just get my bag, and we'll be on our way."

"Wait," Jay starts, "we don't want you to leave. We just don't want you to be angry for touching your baby."

"I wasn't planning on staying here. Plus, I need to get moving."

"Where are you going?"

"I, uh, haven't decided that yet."

"How about you stay until you figure out where you are going from here."

I sigh, "Alright, but just for a day or two." Truthfully, my body hurts from all of the walking, running, and surviving. I make my way back to my cot. Everyone leaves, except Jay, who follows behind me. I place Allison on the cot, then I take off my jacket and stretch it overtop of her. A small shiver runs through me when I realize how cold it actually is. I sit down on the end of the bed. Jay sits on the end of the cot right next to mine. I'm absentmindedly playing with Allison's foot, when Jay asks me a question.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but is she really your baby, or is she your sister or something? Oh, here," he hands me a sandwich in a baggie that he had in he pocket, "you missed breakfast. You must be starving

"Thanks. It has been a while since I ate any real food. How I got Allison is a long, complicated story," I say in between bites of the sandwich.

"We have time."

"Fine, if you really want to hear it." So I tell him the whole story. Of how I worked at the grocery store for a few days. I tell him about the desperate mother who could not handle being a mother. I tell him how I had always dreamed of being a mother. I even describe how natural it felt to hold her in my arms. I also remember to include my kind boss, who helped me right after I got Allison.

"So she isn't really your baby."

"That is where you are wrong. This baby was born to another woman, but I was meant to be her mother. I will always be her mother."

"But that woman could come looking for Allison, claim you kidnapped her."

"If I had not taken this baby, that woman would have killed her. Of that, I am certain."

Just then, Allison wakes up and starts to cry. I lift her up into my arms and gently pat her back, but she does not calm.

"Did Marie give her a bottle?"

"Not sure, I'll ask her."

"Thanks." Jay gets up to go find his wife. I set her down on top of my jacket and get up so that I can reach her diaper bag. I open it and pull out the changing pad, wipes, and a fresh diaper. I place Allison on the changing pad and get to work.

By the time Jay gets back, I have just finished putting her clean diaper on.

"She said that she gave her part of a bottle from your bag. She didn't know what brand of formula you used. She said 'sorry' for going in your bag."

"Its okay. I just wanted to know how much she has eaten today." I reach in to pull out a bottle, but I realize Marie probably used my only bottle, but then I see it. She washed it and put it back in my bag. Maybe Marie is a good person. I pull the baby bottle, formula, and a water bottle out. I pour some water in and mix up the formula. I pick up Allison and give her the bottle.

"Wow. Your actually really good at that," says Jay

"Yeah, well I had to learn quickly. It seems like every time I try to feed her, we are getting chased down the street by cops the next second."

"You mean the military. God, I cant believe what this country has come to."

"Allison is the only good thing that has come out of this whole experience. If i hadn't been in that grocery store, Allison would not be in my arms right now. Trust me, I wouldn't give my baby up for anything."

"I can tell that you really love her. She is lucky to have you as a mother."

"Thank you. So, why do you really want me here? It can't possibly be to appear in a couple commercials, however illegal they may be. What is your anterior motive?"

"I guess you wouldn't have lasted this long in this new world if you believed everybody. Truthfully, I saw those pictures that you took, and I think that it is important to record even the worst events in history. I said those things about safety because I thought that would be something a young mother craved. It was a silly thing to say. There is no way to promise anyone safety with the current volatile stated our country. I'm sorry that I lied to you, but you can see that we desperately need someone like you"

"And what exactly do you want me to do?" I have to admit, the guy had my attention.

"We want you to be our photographer."

"What do you want me to photograph?"

"Everything, anything that happens. Civilian uprisings, military patrols through neighborhoods, and the unjust arrests need to be documented. Maybe if we can show people the things they cannot see, they will realize how bad things have really become."

"It would be dangerous, but has the possibility to make a big difference in resistance efforts?"

"Yes, it could change everything; but none of the men here can even use a point-and-shoot camera, let alone the professional kind of camera you would need to use. So, what do you think?"

"It sounds like an amazing opportunity to help, but I can't exactly risk Allison being out with me. There is no way that I would ever give her up though. She is my daughter."

"We could work out a babysitting schedule. I'm sure the women here wouldn't mind watching over her for you while you aren't here's the compound."

"But I get her back the second I get back here, right?"

"Absolutely, unless you want to go to sleep for a while."

"I'll do it. I think my parents would be proud. Plus, maybe I could even get sone info on their whereabouts."

"Im sure your parents would be proud, but probably scared for you as well. You do realize how dangerous this is, correct?"

"Yes, I fully understand. That is why I want you and Marie to take care of Allison if anything ever happens to me. Promise me that you will take care of her if something happens."

"I promise we will care for your daughter if something happens, but it won't. Your a smart woman, you'll make it back every time."

"Thanks for the confidence. When do you want me to start?"

"Tomorrow morning. Spend the day with your baby, get your energy up. We'll talk later, Ember."

"Why did you call me that? My name is Melanie."

"Yes, I am aware of your legal name, but if you were out on the streets, you would know that everyone's calling the girl who got away the Ember. Because your the Ember that reignites the resistance. Plus, what kind of badass soldier is named Melanie?"

"Ohh. I didn't know that."

"See you later, Ember. And don't miss lunch."

I take the bottle out of Allison's mouth. It was mostly empty, but she still looked famished. I decided to mix up another bottle for her. After the bottle was mixed up, I lifted Allison up into my arms and packed up the diaper bag. I didn't want to leave it behind unattended. You never know who might be snooping around. I throw the strap over my shoulder. I think Allison wants some fresh air, so I decide to take a walk and investigate the property at the same time. It is a nice, warm spring day and the sun is shining.

When I step outside the tent into the sticky, humid air, I realize that we are in the middle of the forest. I guess this way they can't see us from up above with drones. The trees have had leaves for a while now, but the flowers are just starting to bloom. I see a soft looking grassy patch. I walk over to it and set Allison down on it. The grass is still partly damp from this morning's dew. I sit down next to her and lean my back up against a tree's rough bark. It is nice to just sit here and watch my baby play in the grass. It almost, in this moment, feels like everything is how it used to be.

Im not sure how long we sat in that sunny patch on the grass, but by the time the whistle was blown, the sun was up high in the sky and Allison had fallen asleep on my lap after having the bottle I brought along. "I guess we should go get lunch," I whisper softly to the sleeping baby. I put the bottle in the bag, put the bag's strap over my shoulder, and lift Allison up into my arms. We then head off to the sound of the whistle. I am starving, and I need to be strong for my future assignments.

I am walking around, looking for the lunch tent, when I run into the scruffy guy who was standing over me when I woke up this morning. I ask him where the cafeteria tent is, and he points me over to a large tent with a line of people extending out of it. I call out a quick 'thank you' before heading in the direction of the bustling tent.

I take my place at the end of the line, waiting patiently while I tickle Allison. She is giggling excessively, which makes me smile, too. The line moves quickly. Before long, we are inside the tent with only a few people in front of us. Once I get to the front of the line, a woman hands me a baggie with a sandwich (some kind of lunchmeat), a pack of peanut butter crackers and a water bottle. I thank the lady before I leave.

I decide to take Allison outside with me so that we can eat in peace, even though there are quite a few people sitting inside the tent to eat. I should probably try to be sociable, but I don't really feel like it. I would rather go sit in the grass and enjoy my lunch.

We go back to the grassy patch to sit and eat. I take my jacket off and lay it on the grass. I gently place her on the jacket like a blanket. She seems content with her spot, so I dig in. I practically inhale the good, but I try to slow myself down so that I can actually taste the savory meat and the salty crackers.

After eating, I decide to rest my eyes for a little while. The baby is sleeping contently on my jacket. She looks so peaceful. I wish that I could actually give her peace, but nothing comes easy anymore. You have to fight for everything. I lean back against the tree and close my eyes, but, unlike Allison, peaceful sleep does not come to me.

While I am sitting there with my eyes closed, I hear movement in the woods. At first, I think that it might be a deer or some type of animal. I open my eyes and look over. I realize that it is a person. Jay, I realize. He is probably coming to see if we are okay. I have been away from his camp all day, except when I came back for lunch. I guess I just needed some alone time with Allison before tomorrow.

With all that has been happening, I haven't had any time ti think about my family. I hope they are all okay, but I have no way of knowing. Not definitively, anyway. Hopefully with this new job, I will be able to find out some intel on them. God, I hope that they are okay.

"Hey Melanie. How was your first day? I didn't see you around camp."

"Oh, yeah. I just needed some time to think."

"I can understand that. It's hard to have time to think when there is always so much going on."

"Thanks for all of this," I say gesturing in the general direction of the camp. I lift Allison up, because she started to fuss.

"I'm going to go back to camp. You coming?"

"Yeah, I need to feed Allison," I say as I start to gather up everything. It must be getting late, because the sun is setting. I follow Jay back to the tent.

"Hey Jay, where is the kitchen. I need to wash out the baby's bottle."

"We don't have a kitchen. Just use some water to rinse it out."

"Alright, thanks." I leave the tent with the diaper bag and the baby. I sit down on the ground. I pull out the baby bottle and the water. I quickly rinse out the bottle. Once it is clean, I mix up some more formula. Before I give her the bottle, I decide to change

Once I am done feeding Allison, we go back into the tent. I place her on my jacket on the cot. She doesn't look like she really wants to go to sleep, so I sing a baby song to her. I have to improvise some, since I only know about four words, but she seems to like it. After singing to her for a minute, her eyelids become droopy and she falls asleep.

I hear a whistle blow, which I can only assume means dinner. I think I should stay here though. I don't want to wake her up, and I definitely do not want to wake her up. I'm not really that hungry anyway.

I sit down on the tent's floor, thinking. Before long, I use the diaper bag as a pillow because I am so tired. Right before I fall completely asleep, Jay comes in. I really want to punch him right now, I think.

"What do you want," I grumble sleepily.

"I figured this would happen, so I brought you dinner." He hands me a bowl of soup and a spoon.

"Thanks." I sit up and try the soup.

"Also, I wanted to tell you that you need to be at the kitchen tent at dawn for your first assignment."

"Okay. Should I bring the baby?"

"Yes. You can tell the babysitter whatever you need to then. We will go over everything tomorrow. Don't be late."

"I won't. And thanks for the food." Jay leaves after that. I finish the soup then lie back down. It is just after dusk, but I have a busy day tomorrow. I decide to let Allison keep the bed. She will probably appreciate it more than me, anyway.

That night I didn't sleep well. I kept waking up. I was worried about so many things-would Allison wake up and start crying, will I be late, is my family alive. I probably slept for two hours total all night. There was almost enough stress at the time to pretend my nausea was stress-related. That when I woke up the past week puking my guts out, it had nothing to do with this unquenchable fear I have.

I got up early today. I pick Allison up and go far, far into the woods. My nausea sometimes gets so bad, I wonder how the others cant see how ill i am. Maybe they just don't want to. I cannot even bring myself to think the word that I am dreading. In that moment, I decide to focus on the task at hand. I must get to the kitchen.

I carry the sleeping baby in my hands and have the diaper bag slung over my shoulder. I walk cautiously down the narrow path in the woods. We come through the brush at the edge of the woods, and walk the last few steps to the kitchen tent. I glance at the horizon, ant the sun is just starting to peek over the horizon. I hope I am on time. A thousand separate but connected worries flood my mind in those last few moments.

Jay starts to come out of the tent, but I intercept him and walk in. I hold myself high and hide any fear from my eyes. Fear is something that will get you killed in these times. Jay walks in directly behind me.

He softly whispers in my ear to avoid prying ears, "This is the Resistance." I glanced at the faces of the men and women in the room. Not one of them was younger than fifty years old. I guess that is why they need me. I decide to be ambitious and start the conversation.

"So. What is it than you want me to do?" I hear multiple voices engaged in a heated debate, about what I am not sure.

"How can you even think about her doing this job?! She is a mere child!"

"Where did she get the baby?"

"Is it hers?"

"How could you endanger us all like this? She will certainly give up all of our secrets if they catch her."

"Yeah! If she goes a day without food, we will all be dead!"

"ENOUGH!" I yell into the crowd of Resistance leaders. "I have been through more than you would think. I was captured twice by the Military. I escaped both times. They took my family. I ran, like a coward, but I refuse to run anymore. I feel that we all have a chance to bring back America the Great."

"What about the baby?"

"She is not mine, biologically, but she is my daughter. Her name is Allison."

"How can we trust you? You say that you escaped, but what if you are working for them? What if you're lying to us all?"

"I swear on my life that I'm not working for them, and I promise you this. If I were captured, which I won't be, I would rather die than betray you all."

"What if we send you out there and you steal our equipment and leave the child here?"

"Come on. Really?"

"I think we should take a vote. All in favor of giving her a chance raise your hand." I survey the room and more than three quarters of the room rose their hands.

"All against giving Mell a chance, raise your hands." About four people raise their hands. "The motion is carried," declared Jay.

"When do I start?" I ask no person in particular.

"Today. Now."

"I still think this is a bad idea. She could betray us all."

"Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to take risks. I trust her, Frank."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when she betrays us."

**