Chapter 2

“I wish I was dead. Oh, dead, I tell you…” Crying into her knees, she tried to wipe her mind from all thought. She wanted to feel nothing, especially not the emptiness that filled her heart. “I cannot live with this pain.” She had nobody. Once she had her father to love her, but now there was nobody. No one loved her now, no one cared for her. No one would ever be there when she is in need. No one to make her smile through her tears…

She was so absorbed into her thoughts and the very being of pain that she did not notice the boy she had run into, nor did she notice what he said. All she knew was her pain until he gently forced her chin up. Looking worriedly in her face, he asked, “Are you all right?” Surfacing from the lost abyss her mind traveled, she found herself gazing into a kind, laughing face. This time she heard as he repeated his question. Her sorrow prevented her from speech. She determinedly tried to remember how to talk but found she couldn’t. She looked to him with helpless, pleading eyes. “It’s alright,” He said in his gentle voice coming to her rescue. “You could just nod or shake your head.” She nodded to show she understood.

Again he asked her, “So are you alright? Are you hurt?” She honestly slowly shook her head and tried disparity to pull away. The ground seemed a comfortable place to die. She would lay there until her body worn away. At least her body would nourish a starving animal, and even if a starving bear didn’t benefit, her body would eventually turn to dust and allow the plants to flourish. Either way, she thought, I will be giving back to good ol’ mother earth.

However, the teenager with steady blue-grey eyes had different plans. He was alert at once with her negative response and held tight on her chin, supporting her weight and grief. “Is anyone in pursuit? Are you in direct danger?” She once again answered no and accomplished to pull away and fall to the ground. The strange boy stood up with a worried glance to her still form, frowning slightly in concern. He walked a short way and addressed those behind him.

Good, she thought to herself, now I can die in peace. Wearily, she curled into a ball with her knees delicately tucked under her chin. She wished for her father, remembering those times they shared their merriment. Not five minutes later, she cursed as the boy came into her sight. How dare he disturb her peace? How dare he prevent her from fading away and giving back to the earth? The nerve of him!

This time he offered his head instead of forcing it upon her chin. “Let me help you.” When her slightly-brown form remained still, he urged, “At least come to camp. Michael just started a fire, and Philip’s cooking his famous stew. Come, sit among friends.” Again she didn’t move. Her deep, brown eyes though moved to meet his and she saw his determination. He wasn’t going to give in, stupid mule.

Trying to brush her tears from his face, she nodded in forced agreement. She whispered to the ground that she would be back soon enough. Taking his hand, she found herself pulled easily to her feet. She stood unsteadily observing the quick set-up of the camp, then stumbled over next to the fire and sat, leaning on a sturdy rook.

Closing her eyes, she hoped to give the impression she didn’t want to speak. However, scenes at once unbidingly filled her closed eye-lids: blood, her father’s face, destruction… Immediately, she flew open her eyes fleeing only to find flames resembling her thoughts. Mesmerized, she unblinkingly looked on as her father breathed his last. Her face started to become unbearably hot and her eyes dried out as the flames mocked her father’s death. Their ever twisting pulled her in, calling her to surrender to its power.

“Whoa now, no need fo’ the fire te burn yor eyes.” The fire’s hold on her broke; it seemed to sigh with disappointment as a stick cracked and flew up sparks. She looked to the black colored man in thanks. He was a little on the tall side with a sturdy muscular form. He offered his hand in greeting. “Philip at yor service, miss.” She decided she liked him at once, briefly smiling at his accented way of speech. She shook his hand, marveling at the size of him. “Whoa now Charles, I tink she smiled.”

The teenage boy apparently named Charles pushed at the giant playfully, “How you charm those girls will forever remain a mystery to me.” Glancing into her lost brown eyes, he joked, “Don’t let him push you around. Despite his size, he wouldn’t harm a fly.”

“Aye that iz true enough, though, maybe Derek.” The giant responded, dropping his hand back to his side.

Eyes blazing, she saw Charles turn to a thin, sickly man with watery blue eyes. His greasy black hair was slicked back in a fashion that would cause an old woman to faint. “Derek, I though I told you to make your useless lump useful.” Charles joking laugh had turned to ice as he stared at the middle-aged man. “I though I commanded you to get firewood. Yet you’re still here staring. Why are you not gone? Go, now!”

It would seem all these men are under annoying one’s command. That’s weird, a child commanding all these men, she thought. The though was taken from her mind as a more pressing matter shook her, where can I look? She shivered as she remembered the fire’s hold; she would never look there again, not this night anyway. She decided with a sigh to study the annoying boy, no wait, Charles.

He was average height, probably a little under six foot, which was taller than her five-foot- four. He had long curly dirty-blond hair, and those dreamer blue-grey eyes that girls could get lost and drown in love with one glance. He had a muscular built with broad, determined shoulders, but the best part of him was his face- his gentle, laughing face that studied her with as much intensity as the studied him. She didn’t want him to see her pain, she had no doubt he could read into her soul like a book. She didn’t portray emotion on her face, she didn’t have to. It was all in her eyes.

“Would you like to wash before Philip’s fabulous meal? There’s a small pool off the river. I think some of my clothes could fit you if we were to cut them down.” He once again rescued her. How did he know when she struggled? Was she that easily read? She gave him a brief nod and looked towards the hill he mentioned. Now that she listened for it, she could hear the raging waters of the river.