The hot, stale air blew stray strands of blonde into pale grey eyes. A petite hand absently brushed them away again as their owner scanned the horizon from her covered location. She didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't there. She herself could not be seen most of the time. Projecting an image of invisibility was almost second nature to her by now; it was simply safer to not be seen, or smelled, or tasted, or heard.

Carefully, so as not to kick up dust, Katrina made her way forward slowly making her way down the hill and towards the steps that led down to Celeste's bunker.

There was a camera there, Celeste's eyes to the outside world. The illusionist knew she would show up on the tape if the young colormancer chose to review it, but for now, anyone in the bunker was within range of her illusions and would see nothing on the little screen save for a tumbleweed blowing by.

A quiet recording played music as Celeste's voice read on repeat the basic list of items she was offering for sale.

Leaves of green, red roses too...

“Bottled water, canned food...”

Skies of blue, and clouds of white...

“Gas masks, candle lights...”

Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights...

“We've got wine and Bud Light...”

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky...

Katrina pressed the little button on the intercom, which interrupted the recording.

“Hey, it's me. Let me in?” She was a frequent enough visitor that Celeste should recognize her voice by now, and know the reason that she didn't show up in the camera until it was rewound.

She adjusted her heavy backpack and waited for the door to unlock. She had a lot of loot to deliver today, as well as some somewhat questionably tasting, but still better than starving, leftovers.

And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world.”

As every day since the fatal chain reaction that almost destroyed the world, the speakers placed at each corner of her expensive bunker greeted the fortunate survivors with a beautiful song, one that his grandfather loved and that now was the only thing that could calm her.
The powerful voice of Neil Armstrong sang as every morning penetrating the silence like a knife, proclaiming the beauty of the world in the classic "What a wonderful word".
During the sweet song that was both a hymn of hope and a cruel joke, Celeste´s voice listed every item in her inventory with a tone of mocking optimism.

Almost when the recorded voice was at the very half of her extensive list, the digital bells of the intercom interrupted the beautiful melody, and what was even worse it also terminated her voice full of hope, to replace both sounds with a single familiar voice. Celeste knew who she was instantly, but still stared through the camera to make sure. Nothing. The usual chill went down her back; it was always the same when she heard the voice without body.

With the press of a buttom on her side of the door, the comunication device sent her vocalized reply."One moment please." The girl said with feigned kindness to Slate's girlfriend who was "too good to live in a bunker" with them. The heavy wheel resisted her efforts for a while, but after a few struggles it began to move freely. Eventually the powerful claws that sealed the door were completely retracted. Once the door was open, Celeste held it for her invisible visitor to enter.

Katrina was not too good to live in the bunker, though it would be easy to get that impression. In fact, it felt more like she was coming home when she came here than it did when she entered the bone fortress of the Amazons. Slate lived here, and any place where he was felt like home, whether it be a tiny apartment over a garage, the burnt out shell of a crashed jet, or a bunker rumored to be sitting on top of a nuclear bomb in the middle of a shell of a city.

The biggest problem with living here was that if she did, there wouldn't be enough food to go around. Celeste was afraid to leave the bunker due to radiation, she couldn't picture Juka as the type who would choose to rob from others in order to live, Sarah was a human who would be eaten alive by the first Amazon who ran across her out on her own (possibly quite literally, if the Amazon in question was Aura), and Slate was an invalid.

Sure, Celeste got a lot of business, since she traded supplies with nearly everyone and was even able to use Slate's healing ability to barter for more, but they wouldn't survive on that alone.

Without a doubt the Amazons had the best access to food, water, and supplies. They were fearless raiders, unafraid to take what they needed in order to survive. They were selfish, and in this climate, that was what helped them survive. They cared for their own, and they thrived doing it.

It had been a tough choice, joining the Amazons, but she still felt like it had been the right choice. This way, she could make sure that Slate – and the only ones willing to help care for him – got enough food to survive. She also brought the more unique and useful things she found on her raids back to the bunker to keep Celeste's shelves fully stocked. It sucked, being away from Slate, being distrusted by Celeste, and having to participate in the blood baths the Amazons called shopping trips or, slightly more accurately at times, raids, but it meant survival.

The door opened, held by another blonde girl. Though they shared similar features, there wouldn't be any mistaking Celeste and Katrina. Where Katrina was tanned, scarred, dirty, and windblown, Celeste was pale, smooth skinned, and immaculately clean with every hair perfectly in place. Even after the apocalypse she looked great, though a little on the thin side, but everyone Katrina knew was on the thin side these days.

Katrina stepped inside the door, then dropped her illusion of invisibility.

“Hey there, I've brought presents. Is it Christmas yet?” It wasn't. It was much closer to mid-summer than mid-winter. By Katrina's count from the last solstice, she'd be 21 in about two weeks.

She smiled, as always trying to be friendly. She owed a lot to Celeste for taking in Slate, so much so that she felt she'd never be able to pay her back.

For the small moment she held the door for the invisible girl to come in, she was able to watch the wasteland that surrounded the bunker. Even when she already saw it several times, she could not avoid becoming frightened and insecure. The digital camera posted above the door was an extremely useful tool that gave her the ability to monitor the world and the traders, and even when it transmitted high quality images, nothing could prepare her for these small moments where she was able to see the devastated lands with her own eyes.
Each single house and mansion that surrounded the bunker were transformed into debris, thousand of them that rested over the earth that before was covered by a healthy green grass. Now that the earth was dry and cracked, nothing could stop the sunrays, so the city became a big desert not so different from Mars.

The macabre fascination the barren lands awoke on her was nothing compared to the surprise of seeing Katrina materialize from thin air. The surprise was written all over her face.
Each time the young woman announced her arrival, Celeste insisted she would be able to break that spell, but no matter of hard she tried, the girl was unable to see behind that cloth of invisibility that clouded her senses.

When Katrina was inside the bunker, Celeste hurried to close the door before more dust and contamination could enter. That small process gave her the perfect opportunity to hide her expression of awe, so when Celeste faced the woman again, she was wearing her practiced mask of courtesy.
"Welcome back." Said the girl while trying to soften her voice as much as she did with her face. "What did you brought this time?" Her beautiful black eyes forgot about the world for a moment to focus only on the young woman. Her gaze was full of weariness and sorrow but also a bit of hope. Still, she doubted Katrina would have a piano in her backpack, but perhaps she could have some of the other things she missed from the ancient world.

The smile she saw on the woman´s lips was almost unreal. Those expressions had become the scarcest resource and still she produced one with ease even when Celeste that was surrounded with luxury could not achieve to smile. Even so that friendly expression was so sincere that managed to lure Celeste into twisting her lips upward to imitate the newcomer even when she did not feel like smiling.
Then, she recalled that the other girl was there to meet with Slate. Jealousy took control of her expression twisting her lips into an upside-down smile. She hated that relationship even more than to eat fish each day mostly because she would never got a boyfriend worthy of her.

She was rewarded for her friendliness with a slight smile from the younger girl, but it quickly slipped away, back into the frown that was much more Celeste's usual expression when Katrina was around.

Right, back to business.

About a week back Katrina had been poking around in the ruins of a half charred building. Her guess was that the building next to it had burned, since it was no longer there, and this one had taken collateral damage. Several of the apartments had already been picked clean, but a few had higher security and therefore heavier doors. She'd managed to dig out a master key from under the ruins of the main desk, though afterward she'd looked like she'd picked a fight with a charcoal beast.

The bottom of the stairway had been ruined by the fire, so she'd had to take a circuitous route up the fire escape at first, then in through a broken window, then back to the main staircase again. It had been work, but well worth it. She'd managed to find the apartment of someone who had liked the finer things in life.

Not that most of them were useful now: a bathtub with claw feet, for example. A television almost big enough to be the screen in a movie theatre. A leopard skin rug. Actually, it might be worth the trip just to pick up that, though it would be heavy as hell and very awkward on the fire escape. Maybe she'd take Maxine's pet Koga on a walk to go get it later.

Katrina led the way back back to what served as Celeste's front counter to lay out what she had collected from the apartment.

There were blankets and sheets, rolled up as tight as she could fit them into her backpack. She'd had to leave behind two down pillows, but she could return at a later date to pick them up.

There were about a dozen AA batteries she'd dug out of remote controls and wireless keyboards. Who needed four televisions anyway?

Next came toilet paper, toothpaste, and what seemed to be a new toothbrush.

She fished out the Ren's Moroccan Rose scented shampoo and body wash next. Someone had had good taste.

This was followed by a small mirror, two flashlights, a fancy engraved pen, a box of matches, and several cigars: just because she didn't like them didn't mean someone wouldn't give Celeste something nice for them. She'd shoved them in her bag at the last second.

She was scraping the bottom of her backpack now. She pulled out a razor and shaving cream. Those might end up in Slate's hands. At least, Katrina hoped they might; he was getting kind of scruffy.

Carefully, she placed a bottle of scotch on the counter. It was the good stuff. Not that she knew anything about that, being still a little shy of her technically 21st birthday.

Finally, she reached the bottom. Her grand finale!

“I figured if anyone could use this, it would be you.”

With tentative hands she pulled out an old mp3 player. It had still been attached to the wall with its charger, despite the building not having electricity for the past three years, so she'd brought that, too. She had no idea what music was stored on it, but Celeste had power and could charge it up again if she so chose. The illusionist held it out with tentative hands as a peace offering.

“Oh, and I almost forgot.” Katrina unclipped a thermos from the carabiner on her belt. “Breakfast.” It wasn't the best tasting, but at least it had some real vegetables in it.

Although the bunker was prepared to withstand several years of isolation, the addition of three more people to feed had diminished her supplies alarmingly, so each one of Katrina´s gift was worth its weight in gold. Not that gold would be of any help.
Celeste knew very well that the supply problems the lesser of her problems so if that was the price for the company, including a cook and two errand boys like, she was glad to pay it.
Sometimes before bed, she asked herself how things would have ended if not for Sarah, Juka and Slate. Perhaps she would be crazy or dead by starvation, unable to open a can of tuna without cutting off her fingers.

Standing across the counter, Celeste put her best poker face, preparing herself to dismiss any article deemed worthy by Katrina. That way she could always pay less for everything. The first objects were exactly what she expected, towels and sheets that would be of use but that were nothing she could enjoy. Then came several batteries of different brands. Some were rechargeable, some not, but all were highly required and sometimes more valuable than canned food.
The toilet paper was exactly the brand that she liked, as soft as a piece of cloud. She would keep it just for her.

Despite the undeniable usefulness of many of the objects, Celeste was able to keep her face as serious as she could and she would had been able to maintain it throughout the day if Katrina had not surprised her with a brand of shampoo she used daily back when money was worth something. A silly smile crossed over her face as she took the bottle and put it away from the other objects.
It was then that she noticed again how dirty and disheveled was her visitor. Maybe she could let her use the shower with no cost...

After seeing the shampoo that in the past had been more expensive than gasoline, the pen seemed a simple stick. In fact it looked so simple at first sight that Celeste was about to leave it with the things she was not interested in until she caught a couple of its details with her peripheral vision. It was not great, but it looked weird enough to be part of her prized possessions.
With a quick movement the girl drew a doodle in her hand, more common than paper, to check if it still worked the pushed the pen toward the growing pile of things for her. It was almost like shopping. Almost.

Katrina also produced a shaving cream that might interest Slate or Juka, but that article was soon eclipsed by the appearance of a bottle of Scotch that reminded her of her father. The memory was so strong that she wanted to threw it against the wall and watch it shatter. If not for her father she would been dead, maybe. But at the same time she hated him from being in another continent at the time of the explosion. Now, without any way to communicate she had no way to know if he was alive or not. Soon her calculating mind took control of the situation to tell her wild side that the bottle could be useful to negotiate with Zephyr. So she put aside the idea of destroying the object.

Katrina´s words were the exact words the strange used when he exchanged that unexploded nuclear bomb for some food. So Celeste's eyes grew with anticipation, expecting anything from a panda cub to another bomb, but the young woman produced something even more incredible than both of these things combined. An Mp3.

The battery of her old phone had stopped working about a year ago, and the notebook Juka had found was not working properly and produced a horrible sound like a giant bee that dwarfed all the great symphonies she wanted to hear. So when she saw the little device in her hands, she could not suppress the silly smile that took home in her lips, neither to avoid snapping the device from her in a very impolite way.

Her guest continued talking about thing without importance as breakfast, but Celeste was still mesmerized by the possibilities raised by that divine artifact. She observed it with a huge smile from ear to ear for a few seconds and once she manage to land again on planet earth; she attacked the young woman with an unexpected hug. "Thank you." She said, hugging her harder, clearly forgetting their stormy relationship. And then she said it one more time. "Thank you." Just in case she did not hear her.
Despite she had a piano, a limousine and all kinds of expensive clothes, she could not think of a best gift than that small yet wonderful Mp3.

Katrina tried to read Celeste's face throughout the little show and tell. Truthfully, she would give all these items to Celeste for free, in exchange for keeping Slate safe. If she had that option. As it was, she did have a few small things that she needed for herself.

Celeste had a pretty good poker face, but not a perfect one. Katrina caught the sly little smile at the fancy shampoo. Then, when she got to the little mp3 player, there was no longer any need for guessing what the other girl thought. Suddenly the illusionist was swept up into a hug.

Finally, she had managed to break into the other girl's tough shell. Maybe, this could be the start of a real friendship and not just a business relationship wherein Katrina always felt like she was always in the younger girl's debt.

Katrina reached around the other girl and squeezed, letting some of her worry and stress go. Celeste wasn't her enemy, just another girl, like her, trying to get by in a difficult world.

“You're welcome,” the illusionist whispered before letting go. And before it got awkward. They weren't that good of friends.

“Look, I don't need much for the stuff. I am looking for a few things, though. If you ever get them in, could save them for me? I need a crowbar, a rope, and a grappling hook. I could use a pair of hiking boots, too, if you ever get any in.” That last one was a long shot. Good boots were a very hot commodity in the post-apocalypse. Something like that had a lot of value and tended to get snatched up quickly.

Katrina leaned on the counter, taking her weight off of her feet; it had been a long hike to get here.

“Should we plug it in and see if it works?”

For a moment, Celeste expected to receive an absent hug like the ones her father used to gave her but Katrina gift her with a healthy squeeze.
Her voice was the perfect signal to know that it was time to finish the moment, so she dutifully walked away with clumsy steps, away from her possible new friend. But before, she dedicated a deep and meaningful stare to the young woman. "If you tell someone, I'll kill you." After the delivery of the mental message, Celeste softened her gaze and returned to her place behind the desk.

Despite being able to take everything for free, she preferred to listen and reward the women, perhaps clearly influenced by the wonderful gifts she had brought. "Are you going to steal the Mona Lisa?" Teased the girl while wondering if these pieces of art would still exist.
Then she opened a drawer and searched for a specific book among the many that rested there that were of different brand and sizes. She took a blue notebook reserved for the stock of utility objects.

With certainty Celeste passed the pages quickly until she found the corresponding letters. The book was divided into the different letters of the alphabet to speed up searches and entry or exit of goods.
First C, then R. "I have a crowbar and a rope, but I have not boots." She did not even bother to look in the corresponding book, she knew very well that Maxine had taken the last pair. No one had changed shoes since then.

"Sure." Opening another drawer of the desk, Celeste produced a huge notebook so ancient that seemed to have been taken from a museum, and so damaged that it probably came out from a dumpster. Still, when the girl connect it, a small red light started to flash. Then, all the small parts began to vibrate and produce a discordant symphony of chirps and whistles, until finally the screen lit, showing the logo of the operating system and then the desktop and its wallpaper. A beautiful beach.

Then, Celeste introduced the USB from the Mp3 in the only port that was still working. Moments later, a small light lit at the base of the device indicating that it was working. "It works." Conclude the child, giving her another of her tender smiles. Not only she would be able to listen to her favorite music, but would be able to greatly improve the moral of that little company.

Katrina laughed at the mention of the Mona Lisa, a true laugh from the very bottom of her stomach.

“Naw, who would buy it? To most people a hill of beans would be worth more than an old painting these days. You can eat beans.” Katrina narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion, teasing her right back, “Why, do you want it? Because if you were offering a hill of beans I might be persuaded to go looking for it.”

She peeked over Celeste's shoulder as she went through her list. She had two of the items Katrina needed, but she was out of luck on the boots. She thought as much.

“Well, if you ever do get a pair in, let me know.”

The illusionist sighed as the other girl put her old paper notebook away, then looked with interest as the other girl pulled out a notebook of the electronic variety. Her eyes widened. She had heard that Celeste had a computer that still was running, but she hadn't known it for sure until now.

She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until the little screen on the mp3 player lit up.

“Haha!” Her exhalation came out as an exclamation instead. It was so good to see something that worked, for once. She watched the other girl go through her music for a few minutes; she had good taste.

“Hey, I forgot to mention. I'm turning 21 in a couple of weeks. I was planning on having a party at Zephyr's. I was thinking since this is a nice neutral ground, and I wanted to invite a couple of the townsfolk and all, we could maybe have it around here. Then you could come, too, since we know there isn't radiation in this area.”

Katrina leaned on the counter and gave Celeste the best kitten eyed look that she had, certain that the other girl would recognize it for exactly that, since she had such a good one of her own. But surely if they were going to be friends, the other girl couldn't turn down an invitation to her birthday party.

“What do you think?”

Like her initial smile, totally carefree and contagious, her laughter was very relaxing. It was an invitation to forget all her problems and release all the tension. Almost without realizing, Celeste began to laugh along with her. It was as if she was under a spell and was not able to stop but surprisingly she did not care at all. She could not remember the last time she had laughed so naturally, but she was sure that shared laughter would not be forgotten easily.

Gradually her laughter shrank in strength and extension until she was able to imprison it within the confines of her throat.
With a small blush still on her cheeks, Celeste listened attentively as Katrina retaliated with more mockery, drawing a small smile on her lips that threatened to become another laugh.

Even knowing that she was joking, Celeste could not help but feeling a twinge of pain when she heard the words "an old painting" used to describe one of the most famous paintings created in the history of mankind. Maybe trying to hold on to that pride, she responded with enthusiasm and stubbornness. "Of course I want it." With hope in her face, she did a small pause to do the math. Then the truth hit her changing her was to a hopeless mask."But I do not have enough beans." She smiled again, discovering it was easier each time.

The world inside the notebook was moving with excruciating slowness as all the machinery of the device worked hard to keep the machine running. The effort of each piece was admirable but never ceased to produce irritating noises.
Even so, the computer connected with the Mp3´s memory. She was so excited by the idea of being able to hear her music again that she began to surf the multiples folders on her hard drives. There where a lot of classic songs mixed with all the great symphonies she loved so much.

That was when her new friend spoke once more, reminding her that she was still there. Embarrassed for having forgotten all his attention Celeste focused on Katrina again.
The color of her cheeks disappeared and for a moment, she was left speechless. She was terrified of the idea of leaving the bunker even when she knew there was no radiation around. She toyed with the possibility of refusing but knowing she was trapped, she finally nodded. "I think it is a wonderful idea..." "...to step into a flying machine while a bunch of people drink until they get blind." Fortunately she achieved to hide the second part of her reply.

“Of course, if there are too many people to actually fit on the zeppelin, we'll probably just have to hold the party on the ground.” Katrina pondered the logistics of inviting every person she knew. Yeah, there could be some issues with people getting along, but hopefully they'd keep it respectful while at a neutral zone. If not, she'd be one upset birthday girl.

The young illusionist was somewhat lost in thought for a moment as she pondered the logistics of something else as well. Could she actually get the Mona Lisa in this day and age? Could she get to France? Could she get into the Louvre? Was it even still in the Louvre? … Did the Louvre still exist? It was outside the main boundaries of Paris, so probably outside of the blast radius that had hit there. Probably.

Then again, it would be just as difficult to get a hill of beans.

Maybe she could call in a favor from someone who had a dirigible and was probably capable of getting it across the ocean. He'd probably think it was hilarious to break into the french art museum, too. And they could get help from a certain wall-crawler Katrina knew.

It was a thought.

“Maybe you could help me decorate for the party? Zephyr's blimp is a little drab looking. I'm thinking something a little more colorful might be more on the festive side.”

Katrina held out her palm and twirled her the finger of her opposite hand over it, summoning up a little tiny version of the blimp. She swirled her finger again and changed the colors to radically radiant hues swirled in liberal strokes across the canvas surfaces.

“Something like this, maybe?”

Celeste nodded as Katrina continued her speech. Fortunately the young woman noted the problem without her having to point it out rudely... she had never been good at reading people, or reacting without hurting them and that had not improved with the destruction of more than half of humanity. Her wealth had vanished from one day to another, leaving her alone with her beauty and youth. Two things she could not share with anyone since the earth was not a good place for the boys of her generation and status. She may never find love... a glimpse of anger crossed her face again when she remembered one more time the love between Katrina and Slate, but this time she immediately forced it to disappear because she was her new friend.

Knowing the If clause could fail, she imagined a small birthday party where the few guests struggle with death on the slippery surface of the zeppelin. So Celeste attempted to push the party in a direction a little more favorable. "If we do it on the ground, we can use my speakers for the music." With much grace, the little girl pointed toward the small MP3 while her lips wore a pleading smile. She could not allow that after three long years of cheating death at the hands of radiation and murderers, she would be killed by a drunk or a strong breeze.

Before she could think of more ways to die on a zeppelin, Katrina brought her back to reality. "Of course I ..." The girl started to answer, until she saw the little zeppelin that appeared out of nowhere. The words stuck on her throat. There was no way to avoid the surprise that her powers provoked in her, nor the jealousy that arose each time she saw Katrina´s skills. While the young woman was able to change the world around her, she was only able to modify the surface of things... and that if she had another object to steal its color.
Once she got over the initial shock, Celeste managed to see that the floating vessel was an identical copy of the very popular flying bar. Then, when her eyes had barely gotten used to the vision of that wonder, the young woman change their colors transforming the boring old zeppelin in the most cheerful thing that had ever sailed the skies.

Smiling at the demonstration of that colorful magic, she nodded to produce moments later another paper notebook from another of the drawers. Then, the girl revealed a range of colors that overshadowed even her bright imaginary colors. Each line had a different hue with a different texture. The golden from gold, a silver bright gray, a silky red, shades of wood. From the rarest combinations of colors and textures to the classic colors of the rainbow that were also displayed in several textures. The list was almost endless, all thanks to a little duplication trick. She had several notebooks full of colors but that particular compendium was her favorites.
"You can pick any color you like." Announced the child with pride in her voice, trying to dazzle the girl as much as Katrina did with her.

Katrina couldn't help but gasp when the notebook was opened before her.

Two years ago, blasts had filled the sky with ash and dirt that had settled on top of the world like a blanket. The dust had covered most of the world's colors. Then the skies had cleared and the sun had scorched the land, making it almost into a desert. The sun had burned away whatever had remained of the rainbow. These days the most common colors were shades of gray, brown, and tan. The farms boasted green and battles spilled red. Other than that, colors existed mostly in memory, imagination, and dreams.

Celeste's notebook swam with colors Katrina hadn't seen in years.

“It's beautiful!”

She hesitate before turning the page, unsure if she was allowed to touch the precious book. Then, she couldn't help herself. The next page was just as beautiful, and the next, and the next.

“I... I don't know how I will ever choose!”

There was blue in the exact shade of the sky on a sunny summer day when the heat was nearly too much to bear. There was yellow so brilliant and blinding the word 'neon' didn't even begin to describe it. There was purple and pink swirled together like the sunset on a day when clouds have tried but failed to obscure the suns rays. There was the pink of watermelon. The orange of flames. The red of roses. Sapphire blue. Maroon. Chartreuse. Lime. Teal.

Finally she pointed out five colors that she didn't think she could live without. One of them was a blue that very closely matched Slate's eyes. She didn't pick it for eye color, but because it was a nice colol, or so she told herself. It could have just as easily been Calley's eyes she was trying to match, after all, or Zephyr's.

A devious smile crept across Katrina's face at the thought.

“Zephyr is going to love this.”