Nikki stood frozen in front of the small, cracked mirror. The bright, warm summer sun was shining through the cabin window, but she felt as cold as winter ice.
She reached up with a trembling finger and touched the single strand of silver hair hiding in her bright red curls. It was just one tiny hair. To anyone else, it wouldn't mean anything at all. But to Nikki, it felt like a loud, terrifying alarm bell ringing in her ears.
She wasn't just a girl anymore. The ten long, terrible years she had spent hiding in the dark, breathing the poisoned air of the broken world, and fighting for her life had left deep, invisible scars inside her body. She was a human being. And human beings do not last forever.
Outside the open window, a loud, joyful giggle echoed across the green yard.
