staregazer - sammantha lewis (librera reader TXT) 📗

I remember it very well. Mother and I were working in the kitchen while Father tended to the cows. We lived miles away from the city, on a peaceful farm, there was never chaos, and we were not affected by the war agents France. We had no money we survived on what we grew and made. Although I never went to school, I still knew how to read and write. Mother would teach me thing like mathematics, science, and literacy, while father taught me archery and swordsmanship, but he also taught me about navigation such as how to use the stars as a map. So although were mere farm peasants were knew all there was to know about the world. As I thought how perfect my life was, I glanced up at my mother. Her curly caramel brown hair was tied back into a bun and her emerald eyes reflected the sunlight. Although she was thirty-four years old, she looked about twenty. I was proud to look just like her, but my grandmother would always say that I had finer skin and that my eyes lashes were much longer then hers.
Mother and I saw a covered wagon and seven men on horseback come up the walkway. My father Ran through the door.
"Vera, Lillian! Do you know who those me are?" he was frantic. Mother held his shoulders.
“I have never seen those men, but we cannot let them terrify use. Do you understand?" She then looked at me.
"Vera, go hide." I nodded my head and ran into my bedroom. I opened my wardrobe and hide behind the clothes. I took a coat and pulled down a draped it over myself like a blanket. I tried not to breathe heavily so I could hear what was going on. I heard a loud bang at the door.
"Hello, may we help you?" I heard my father say. I then a raspy voice replyed
"You may." I then heard my father scream and crashes of dishes. I closed my eyes and prayed for it to end soon. I heard my mother scream. I covered my gasp with my hand.
I heard footsteps come down the short hallway. I was terrified that my heartbeat would give away my hiding place. I saw the shadow of the man move under the door of the wardrobe. The man stopped in front of the wardrobe. I tried my hardest not to let my tears escape but fear over threw me. The wardrobe door slowly opened. The man took all my clothes of the rack and threw them on the ground. He looked down at me as I trembled in fear. The man knelt on one knee. He looked at me with an evil grin on his face. He griped my jaw and roughly turned my head it see both sides. He then turned my head to face him.
"And how old might you be? third-teen maybe?" he asked. I did not answer I only spit in his face. He then released me to wipe the spit out of his eyes. I pushed aside and tried to run but he grabbed my waist and carried me to the barn He put with my parents. My mother was relieved to see me but also sad that they found me. She tightly raped her arms around me and my father put his arms around our shoulders. A middle-aged man walked in and looked at the three of us. He looked at me for quite awhile.
"Take the young one with us." he said. I could feel my heart sink. Another man came and picked me up by my waist. My mother grabbed my wrist and tried to pulled me from his grasp, father helped her by pulling her back.
"Please, please don't take her!" my mother wailed.
"We beg you!" father pleaded.
"Shut them up!" the man ordered. Two men pulled them away and tied them to a post. I yelled their names as they graded me out. They threw me into the covered wagon with all the things they had stolen from us. The last thing I saw before they closed the wagons flag was my home burning to the ground.


*

It is now early August, I can tell by the amber leaves and the night sky. It has been a year sense I was taken prisoner. Every day is exhausting and pain full. A man named Fredrick kidnapped me and now makes me work as a slave for him and his men. My hands are scared from chopping the food, and my ankles are bruised from the shackles chaining me to a post in this small tent. The heat of the fire stings my face as I steered the stew. I looked over to the bucket of water in the corner of the room that was surrounded by dishes. I pulled the bucket near the fireplace and tried to do both chores at the same time.
"Wench! Is our food ready?" Fredrick yelled at me through the tent.
"Not yet sir." I answered. Fredrick is a ruthless cruel man. The only thing that proves he is human is the fact he doesn't kill children. That is one of the things I have noticed about him. I scooped the beef potato stew in to the seven-teen wooden bowls. As I looked down at their food I spat in each bow. I walked over to the tent entrance, but the chain always stops short of the door. I reached and pulled the curtain open
"Oi dogs, food." I called rudely. I knew very well that they would not harm me, because I was the only one in the whole camp that knew how to cook. The men lined up and one by one I handed them there stew. I hated the way these men looked at me. The all hated me and I knew it well. I sat in the kitchen tent and at my stew alone. I then laid down on a haystack I was given to sleep on and tried to fall asleep.


CHAPTER 4: THE RIVER BANK

The next morning I was woken up by yelling and Liam jerking.
"Vera!Vera!Please wake up I need you!" I opened my eyes slowly and sat up. I saw Joshua on the brink of tiers.
"Joshua why must you wake me as well?" Liam snapped. Joshua gave a large frown.
"I had no choice! I couldn't see her! You were crushing her so I decided to wake you!" he explained, although his logic didn't make much sense. I whipped my eyes and sighed,
"Joshua, why do you need me?" I asked.
"I need your help carrying water."
"Alright then let me get ready and I'll come find you." I promised him. Joshua smiled and left the tent. I shuffled out from underneath the heavy quilt, and walked over to the wooden clothing rack at the far side of the tent. As I pulled the dress over I glanced at Liam. He stared at me with almost a worried look in his eyes. It felt almost as if his gaze had petrified me, as if he could hear every word I think in my head. His stone face now had creased in his eyebrows. I final broke away from his trance and continued getting dressed. I quickly braided my hair to the side. As I walked out of the tent, his voice stopped me.
"Vera," I quickly turned around. He sat in silence for some time, and once again, we only stared at each other.
"Be sure to take a bow and quiver," was the only thing he said before I left. I walked to the kitchen and tried to remember where the river was, but the only thing I can think of was Liam's expression. His eyes looked as if he was in pain; as if he felt that, I was in danger. Then again, who wouldn't be worried about a fifteen-year-old girl and a seven year-old wondering threw the woods that are crawling with outlaws.
I quietly walked into the kitchen where I saw Jack cutting meat, and Joshua watching him patiently. Jack looked up at me
“Oh, thank god you’re here. I need you to go get water, I’m afraid that our remaining water is no good.” He looked at me with a look of relief. He walked over to a wooden barrel outside the tent. Jack Lifted the wooden lid of the barrel allowing the three of us to peer in. When He lifted the lid a strong stench of mildew came from the water. I peered into the rotten water, and saw the mosquito lava and the algae that had turned the water a displeasing green.
Jack had told Joshua where the river was and gave us each two buckets. Before we left, I went to ask Isaac for a spare bow and quiver that he graciously gave me. We walked to the dense forest and after a few minutes, we could no longer see the camp. Joshua had run ahead despite my warnings not to. I had to teas him about the robbers lurking the woods to make him behave.
Joshua had stopped in his tracks, and seamed to see something I did not. He suddenly dropped his to buckets and bolted forward. I ran after him and picked up his two buckets he had dropped.
“Joshua! Joshua, wait! Where are you going?” Despite my effort, my voice did not reach him. I ran desperately trying to find him I finally fond him by the time I was out of