Chapter One

10-year-old Tamora Mirez felt tears slide down her cheeks as she knelt beside her father's dead body. It was cold; with red, sticky blood covering a knife wound in his stomach. She reached over and pulled the knife out of his stomach, feeling it was disrespectful to leave it there. She stared at the knife intensely, her eyes scanning every inch of it, from the blood- covered blade, to the silver hilt she held it by. It was obviously a well- used knife, and Tamora knew it to be because she knew of the gang she'd seen kill him. They were known as snake eyes, because, logically, they acted like cowardly snakes. They only chose battles they could win.

Tamora dropped the knife and covered her mouth as she began to cry again. If only they'd known me was 'ere," Tamora thought furiously, then maybe they'd a had mercy.

She shook her head knowing it wasn't true. They were as poor as she and were ruthless. They had no mercy for anyone, least of all a penniless family. Tamora shook her head and turned her attention to her other hand, which held a folded letter. Her father had given her that letter when he heard the gang members coming down into the alley and asked her to give it to a friend of his, before forcing her to hide.

She knew it was her father's dying wish for his friend to receive this letter, but she also desperately wanted revenge. She'd find those men, for she saw their faces, and she'd make them pay. But first she'd go to Oxford, where her father's friend lived, once she'd given him the letter, she'd get her revenge.

Okay, yes I know this is short. This is a story I wrote for English, and I thought I'd post it. I have split the story into three pieces and will post the other two if people want me to. (Also note that I only got 19/20 on it so its not perfect, and its short because I wasn't allowed to write more tan 3000 words.)