Weeks later Nikki was mobile with the use of the cane. She was delighted to leave the confines of the four walls so when Maria presented her with a cane, she felt like it was Christmas. She was eager to see the outdoors again. With a few tentative steps and Maria’s assistance, she was on her feet. She stepped out of her room to find herself in a courtyard. She thought to herself, it must have been beautiful here once, but just like the rest of the world it had suffered. Shrubs and weeds took over what was once a garden, rubble was stacked neatly at the far end and Nikki could see that where she had rested was the only untouched section of the building, the rest having collapsed. She could hear laughter and giggling behind her. She turned and saw three small children of different colours and genders staring at her curiously. She couldn’t help but smile at them. How long had it been since she heard a child laugh? Maria clapped her hands and the children ran away laughing as the did so. Nikki watched them run and was surprised to find a village of make-shift tents. She hobbled over towards it and winced everytime she accidentally placed pressure on her injured leg. She sat down on a stool outside a tent and could hear the distant cries of a man. Her curiosity got the better of her and she followed the sounds. She was appalled to find a giant graveyard and saw the source of the tears. A man bent over a grave marked by a wooden cross. She looked up and saw thousands of the same crosses. The man was carving into the cross before him. Nikki assumed it was the name of whoever lay beneath it. She wanted to respect his privacy and turned away only to come face to face with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to change from brown to green and back again in accordance to the sun.

"Nikki, at last we meet." Nikki was stunned at being able to understand someone, it had been a long time since she heard her native language. The woman before her held out her hand and guided her inside a small tent and helped sit her down on a chair. She then gave Nikki some water. "It is still hot, just come off the boil so be careful." Nikki drank from the cup slowly and studied the woman before her. She was slim with shoulder lenght brown hair, strands of which had fallen before her face. She was dressed in tattered clothes but so was everyone else. But on this woman, it had no undesirable affect. The woman smiled and as she did the tip of her tongue rested between her teeth. Nikki thought that she was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on.