Naomi's First

The next day, Naomi led the girls out the forage. Frances was grousing, still tired after all the dancing and fun she had been having the night before.

"Do we have to go?" she grumbled.

"Yes," Naomi told her firmly. "We don't have much food left."

Pippa lagged behind, her face pale and drawn. Naomi had heard from Frances that Morgan had talked with her. Who knew what horrible things that spider had been telling her? However, Pippa had brushed it off when asked.

Maybe if she hadn't been with Judah all evening, Naomi thought guiltily, Pippa wouldn't have fallen into the Master's clutches. The new girl had suffered a lot in the other world, she could tell. She needed to be protected.

All her life, Naomi had nurtured those younger or more vulnerable than she was. Even though her parents had worked all day, her twin sisters had never wanted for care and attention. Now, she saw her little sisters in Pippa, Frances, and Daisy.

Today, though, she was starting to realize that she couldn't spend her whole life looking after everyone else's needs. Spending time with Judah couldn't really hurt anyone, could it?

The very thought of the clan leader make her strangely excited. For years, she and him had been friends. They were the oldest in their clan, and besides that they had always gotten on well together. Lately, though, he had started to look at her differently, which Naomi had been happy to encourage. Last night, they had kissed for the first time. The memory made her both embarassed and deeply excited.

"Naomi?" She was startled out of her daydreams by Frances, looking exasperated. "Didn't you hear me? We've collected enough, I checked."

"Oh, right," she said quickly. "Then let's head back."

That evening, the girls ate their supper in front of their shelter. Naomi made sure that Daisy ate the right things, not that there were proper balanced food groups here. She hoped that the little girl's growth wouldn't be stunted.

"Naomi?" She looked up, her heart fluttering, to see Judah standing above her, his hands stuck deep into his pockets.

"Yes?" she asked, wiping Daisy's mouth.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He spoke softly, as if he was afraid what he would say.

"I would love to," Naomi replied. "You girls can get yourselves to bed all right, can't you? Pippa, you can help Daisy."

"Okay," Pippa mumbled. Naomi hoped it was. She had never left the girls alone before.

"Great!" Judah grinned. She rose, and the two of them headed out of camp.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Judah said, "You look nice."

"Thanks," Naomi said, amused. The two of them were a disheveled mess and they both knew it. Still, she apreciated his attempt at complimenting.

It was growing dark when they reached the shores of the Caroline sea. They were holding hands.

"I've always wondered how big the sea really is," Naomi said thoughtfully.

"Nobody knows," Judah said. "Maybe one day we should find out."

"Yes, we could fit out a boat and sail until we find land," Naomi laughed. "Unless we run out of food first."

"But imagine if we did find land," Judah said. "What if it was like the other world, with no junk, just trees and green, with animals."

"That sounds wonderful," Naomi whispered. She had never lived in a place like that, even in the other world.

"I'll take you there one day," he said, and just like that, they were kissing again, more intensely that before.

They broke apart, staring into each other's eyes. Naomi grabbed him by the shoulders. "Why'd you stop? Let's go all the way."

He was breathing hard, the desire obvious in his eyes. "You want to?"

Feeling wild and excited, Naomi breathed, "Yes."

Then he held her again, and this time, he didn't let her go.