<b>-Up on the Deck-</b><br/><br/>Eliza heard what sounded like self-pitying, but she reminded herself that not everyone came through this unscathed. Hell, who was she kidding? No one was going to come through this unscathed. Not even her.<br/><br/>She tried not to sound too cynical or insincere as she spoke to the small-framed woman in the doorway.  Perhaps what she should have been looking for was emotional damage, not physical. A girl who had just lost her parents and knew that she was unable to take care of herself physically was bound to feel some sort of survivor's guilt. It was common, especially if there was a chance that one of her family members died saving her.<br/><br/>"Blondie, baby, life isn't about what's fair. It doesn't make sense who lives and who dies, but that doesn't mean that you stop trying."  She adjusted her legs so that she could sit next to the girl. Her legs were folded beneath her, tucked in and warm even against what was left of the boat's wooden deck. "I bet that guy, Logan, could teach us all a thing or two about how to shoot guns, if that's what you want to learn. Or I can teach you how to hunt with a bow, or... well... there are so many things you could learn. How to start a fire, how to set a broken bone, how to treat basic injuries." She smiled at her in the light of the half-moon. "But it's up to you to decide that you're not going to let your size or your age, or your<i>gender</i>stop you from learning what you need to know."<br/><br/>She reached out and put what she thought was a comforting hand on the woman's arm. "And you're not alone.  Okay? You're not alone - that's the most important thing to remember."<br/><br/>As they talked in the quiet of the night a small flicker of light on the far bank caught Eliza's eye. She peered over at it, then rubbed her eyes to look again. "Do you see that?" Over on the bank there was a faint light. It flickered intermittently, obscuring the idea that it might have been a message. It seemed to move slowly along the bank, then disappear into the trees before appearing again further down the bank. Otherwise that side of the lake seemed quiet, broken only by the occasional sound of wildlife. After a few minutes the light disappeared and the bank was motionless.<br/><br/>They could tell that the faint glow of light on the horizon meant that morning was only an hour or two away. So far the night had been uneventful, thankfully, and now the only thing that disturbed the peaceful sounds of night time was the soft snores of Dr. Beauman a few feet away and the soft lapping of the water against the side of the boat.