It was too quiet for the first day of spring. Especially for a winter borne like me. Sooner or later a spring born would come and…

“You’ve got bingo.”

I looked to my husband who was holding up his own bingo card to match with the numbers being called. Dexter marked my card as well though if his eyesight was as bad as he claimed that shouldn’t be possible.

He nudged me. “You wanna let Karen win? She’s been wanting that tablet for a while now.”

I opened my mouth. But suddenly the whites of his eyes flashed to all black though his irises remained a light gray. The only sign that I hadn’t permanently turned him when we were younger.

He blinked at me his eyes normal. “You ok, Ara?”

I could remind him what day it was. Maybe he’d jump into action like in the old days. Back in the days when my hair was as short as his. And we’d both had machine guns instead of canes. But I didn’t know what he could do with his hip needing surgery again.

“Bingo!” Karen ran to the front of the room to get the tablet and shook it in the air. With the way she moved you’d think she was still in her twenties.

I stood, my knees creaking. Too many landings from the helicopters. But that was what the cane was for. Though I missed my close quarters staff. I’d earned it just as all winter born did. And many of the autumn born had fallen due to it. The last one I’d taken out had been a few years ago. And even that had proven difficult. As soon as you stopped you became weaker. Ripe for the pickings. So what was I still doing alive?

“We could sneak out for lunch.” Dexter kept pace with me. Barely using his cane. It was warm enough that his hip wasn’t bugging him. That should’ve given him a clue. “Get those tacos you like.”

“They’re closed on Mondays.” I said with a sigh.

He stopped and I paused to look back at him. Even after all these years he couldn’t hide his worry. Not when he joined me in the nursing home last year. And not now. Really I should’ve been dead just from planning our wedding. It was several years too late and yet Dexter was adamant. But no spring born crashed the wedding. And I made it another year.

“I don’t understand. They could’ve gotten you during the morning croquet.”

“We got a new cook too.”

“Is that why you didn’t eat your omelette?”

I sighed and sat down on one of the benches in the front hall. Dexter remained standing, brandishing his cane like his favorite M-16.

Karen walked out clutching the tablet to her chest. “Meatloaf for lunch today. Want to join me.”

I shook my head while Dexter stared into space. He waited until the hall was empty again before he said, “This place is too full of humans. They wouldn’t dare attack…”

He paused as a school bus pulled in up front unloading the children’s choir. They stood in orderly lines as the teacher told them instructions. And though they still had the whites of their eyes. They seemed to have a glazed over look.

I looked back to Dexter. “Honestly I’m surprised I lived to seventy.”

Dexter strangled his cane. “I just found you again. I’m not losing you.”

I’m smiled up at him. We’d been separated in that last war. And yet he’d managed to find me a decade later.

“I don’t deserve you, Dex.”

He softened at that. “Nonsense. You found me in that squalor. You gave me a purpose.”

“I used you like a puppet to gain my own power.”

He grabbed my hands. “That was the only way for you to survive in that world. But it’s different here. For once we can enjoy the seasons instead of fighting for them. The war’s over, Ara.”

He was wrong. As long as the seasons continued to bear children there would always be battle. We had this treaty now but who knew how long it’d last. I was getting tired of hiding anyway.

I pulled Dexter until he sat beside me. And I leaned against him. “It’s the first day of spring. Let’s enjoy it while we can.”

Dexter pulled the blade from his cane. “Yes, let’s.”

I smiled as I summoned my staff. Today had been too quiet.