text: As they had plenty of time for the journey, Madeline, Lena, and Billie did what they could to enjoy it. Though none of them had said it out loud, Madeline knew that her friends were thinking the same as her. *If anything went wrong with their rescue mission, this might be all the time they had left. So they had better make the most of it.* They plotted a route that avoided most towns or cities, stopping for the night in idyllic villages or quaint farm cottages. Their journey took them through fields and forests, out in the wilderness where you could almost fool yourself into believing the world was as it had always been. And they took plenty of breaks along the way. After not having seen a Poiloog ship in days, they allowed themself the indulgence of the occasional face-to-face meeting, though only ever two of them at a time. The third would always keep watch for any approaching trouble. Sometimes, Madeline would spar with Billie, getting used to fighting again after so long on the bench. Other times, she’d gossip and giggle with Lena, growing ever more fond of the woman. Then came the times when she left the other two alone, patrolling the area to keep them safe. There was still a twinge of jealousy when she thought of the pair reliving old times while she wandered around on the edge of things. It felt reminiscent of what her life had been like before. But this wasn’t like before. Nothing was. Billie and Lena had a history, and she had to accept that. Heck, she was glad of it really. Without the medic, she probably wouldn’t still be alive. And though she hadn’t known them long, she realised that she loved them both dearly. Not some silly crush that was bound to distract from more important things. The love of friendship and respect and shared ideals. It was a feeling she was pretty confident was mutual. And what was a tiny twinge of jealousy in the face of that kind of love? On the fifth day of their journey, they stopped for lunch at a beautiful lake secluded in a valley of kinds, surrounded by rocky hillsides with a few burbling streams. They walked around its circumference until they were spaced equidistantly on its edge. With a good few hundred metres between them all, it seemed like a safe enough spot to relax and enjoy the scenery. As she settled on the grass, Madeline could see the two small figures of her friends doing the same. She giggled as she saw Billie waving enthusiastically and reached for her walkie-talkie. “You don’t have to communicate via semaphore, you know?” she said. “We still have these to talk through.” “Yeah,” their voice came through in reply, “but normally there’s building or trees in the way when we talk. I’m just making the most of being able to see both of you at once.” “At this distance, I doubt you could even tell us apart,” Lena said. “Now hush, the pair of you. I want to enjoy the tranquillity of nature.” “Why do *we* have to be quiet just because *you* want to be?” Billie asked. “Can’t you just switch to another channel if we’re that annoying?” “But then I might miss out on all the interesting drama!” the medic replied. Before Billie could respond, Madeline pressed the button on her radio. “Fine!” she said with a huge sigh, doing her best ‘reluctant teenager’ voice. “We’ll behave.” “For now!” Billie added quickly. Madeline chuckled to herself. Then, there were no more hisses of static or clicks of buttons or teasing comments. There was only the rustle of the wind through long grass, the chirping and buzzing that showed how full of life that grass really was, the ebb and flow of birdsong, and the gentle lapping of the lake at its shore. As much as she enjoyed talking with her friends, she had to admit Lena had a point. The soundscape was wonderfully soothing. And it was *beautiful* here. It was the kind of place she might have planned a day trip to before the Poiloogs came, hiking up here in the morning to have a picnic by the lake only to hike back after. Except then, it would have been bustling with other people. There would have been dogwalkers and birdwatchers, large groups of friends lounging about, drinking and eating and laughing, and maybe even children playing in the lake. Back then, she’d have had to grit her teeth at all the noise they made, *tolerating* it for the sake of the view. Now, she’d give almost anything to get *that* soundscape back. When they’d finished eating, it seemed that none of them was quite ready to leave their little island of tranquillity just yet. Though they’d have to eventually. As tempting as it was to hike out into the wilderness with a tent and some tins, whatever supplies you took would run out soon enough. And in her experience, journeys were far more dangerous than staying put. Whatever you could do to minimise your time on the road was for the best. It was Billie that broke the silence first. “Are we allowed to talk again?” they asked. Madeline could hear the cheeky grin in their voice. “I suppose...” Lena replied, drawing out the words in an exaggerated show of reluctance. “Good! Because I’ve got a suggestion.” As they spoke, Madeline saw the little figure on the other side of the lake wriggling about a bit before standing. “Yes?” she prompted, knowing already that she was likely to love and hate it at the same time, whatever it might be. “Does anyone fancy a swim?” they asked. But before either Madeline or Lena could answer, Billie had dropped their radio to the ground and half-walked half-flopped into the lake. Madeline let out a bark of laughter and heard what almost sounded like an echo from where Lena sat a couple of hundred metres away. She lifted her walkie-talkie to her mouth. “Aren’t you meant to wait an hour after eating or something?” she asked. “I think a little cramp is the least of our worries,” the medic replied. “I suppose we should join them, then?” “You first,” the medic replied. “Someone’s got to keep watch and deal with any Poiloogs that might appear. Besides, I think it might be a little chilly for me. You enjoy though!” Rolling her eyes but grinning at the same time, Madeline pulled off her trainers before edging closer to the lake. She tentatively dipped a toe in and let out a sharp hiss of breath. Lena had guessed right. It *was* chilly. Then again, it wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to after endless morning “showers” from her water butts in the library garden even through the dead of winter. It would be *refreshing*. At least, that was what she tried to tell herself. Besides, after all of the walking, she could definitely do with a wash -- and so could her clothes. Deciding it would be easier to do it quickly, she copied Billie’s “half-run half-flop” manoeuvre. Cold water splashed around her, the chill knocking the air out of her lungs for a second. It was invigorating. After a few moments of getting used to the strange weightlessness of being in the water, Madeline realised this was probably the first time she’d been swimming in years, possibly more like a decade. It wasn’t something she’d felt comfortable doing even before the Poiloogs came, having to strip off in front of others and throwing herself into something that could kill her. It had made her feel far too vulnerable. Strange, then, that now the hug of the water lifting her up felt oddly comforting. Her clothes billowed around her as she swam out a little further. Soon, she heard the gentle slosh of an approaching swimmer. As she came to a stop and started treading water, Billie did the same a few metres away. Their hair was slick to their head, the wet turning it a darker shade of brown to the point it almost looked black. Madeline hadn’t realised how long it had gotten -- for them, anyway -- almost reaching their chin when it wasn’t effortlessly tousled. “Enjoying the water?” they called out. Madeline tried to think up a witty response, but as she looked at Billie’s head bobbing up and down with a wide grin plastered on their face, all attempts at thought fled her mind. “Yeah,” she replied, returning the smile. “Yeah, I really am.” “Good! Because you’ve got more coming your way!” Before Madeline could even attempt to puzzle out Billie’s meaning, they’d raised an arm and brought it sweeping across the surface, sending a wave of water splashing into her face. Spluttering and laughing, Madeline returned fire. She wasn’t sure how long they splashed and laughed and swam for, but when they finally agreed it was time to leave, her fingers were wrinkled and her bones ached with the cold and the tired. Perhaps she’d regret it when they started walking again, but she doubted it. Some moments and the memories they made were worth a little discomfort over.