There weren't many things the young girl could think about as she hid. She had to try and keep herself distracted, or they would know she was there. And that would mean the end. The end of what? Her freedom? Her life? She didn't want to find out.

At eight years of age, the girl's personality was almost as strange as her cerulean skin-tone. 'An old soul in a young body,' her mother would always say to her.

And oh how the girl adored her mother. She had many strong memories of whispering after dark, her mother telling her of the most wonderful tales. The girl's favourite was about the princess with long blonde hair, who was trapped in a stone tower. And her mother told that story so well, it couldn't be replicated. One day, the girl wanted to find her own prince, and stone tower to go with it.

These types of thoughts were the ones that kept the girl composed as she hid beneath her mother's floorboard. Hoping, praying, nothing bad would happen. That she wouldn't leave her mother.

But tonight was different. Tonight, they knocked. It was the sound that was constantly dreaded by both females.

She took one last shuddering breath, as she heard her mother make her way across the house to open the door. She had to listen to the conversation to come.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Can I help you?" Her mother's soft voice had instant calming effects. The girl felt as though she could breathe again.

"Routine patrols, Madame." His voice was dark, unforgiving. "Name?"

"Catarina Vasiliev," her mother said, her voice strong. "This is the first patrol to come here, can I ask why?"

"I'm sorry, Ms Vasiliev, it's private. Do you live alone?" The question of dread. The girl knew she would have cracked, if it were her being questioned. Luckily, her mother was a stronger woman.

"Yes, of course."

"Then you wouldn't mind if we looked around." The tears starting welling up in the young girl's eyes. She knew what would happen when they found her. They'd kill her. The girl could only think of herself. Her own survival. That couldn't even be assured. Up the girl had ken final prayer, it was to live.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I was not prepared. I'll have to say I would mind. Have a lovely evening."

The girl knew her mother was a strong woman, but she had no idea she would go to such lengths for her. Lengths, and foolishness.

"We will use force if the situation calls for it." The girl was not sure what her mother did in that moment, but all she would remember as she lived on her life was her mother's gut-wrenching scream. It was the worst sound a girl would ever have to hear.

It made the girl numb. She had no feeling left in her. She heard the man leave, but she couldn't will herself to move. She didn't want to see, she was afraid.

And she hated herself. How selfish she must have been to only be thinking of herself? Her mother was the one to pay the price of her daughter's existence. The girl wouldn't let herself be selfish again. She wanted to be more like her mother, selfless beyond belief.

It was many hours later when she finally got up. The girl hadn't cried, the numbness in her heart wouldn't allow her. She slowly crawled from her hiding spot.

And that's when she saw her mother. Her strong, beautiful mother, lying limp and pale one the cold ground. There was a pool of deep red liquid around her.

The girl couldn't hide her emotions any longer. It felt as though her heart was being crushed into a thousand pieces. Her mother was her whole world, and now she was gone. Her world had ended.

She fell down onto the floor, clawing at her chest, right where the pain was. It was too much to bear. She wanted to make it stop. She would have given anything. A ragged sob escaped her mouth. Followed be many more.

She crawled over to her mother, and held her close. She didn't even think about the blood soaking her. She wouldn't have cared. She wanted to feel her mother's warmth once more. But all that was left was cold. There wasn't any happiness left.

After many hours of sobbing, and begging her mother to come back, the sun started to rise. The girl didn't want to leave, but they would come back for her mother's body, she had to be gone by then.

That was the logical side of the girl, she didn't want her mother's sacrifice to be for nothing. There wouldn't have been a point if she got caught.

She had to tear herself away from her mother. She gave her a final kiss icon the forehead, a tear dripping on her mother's face in the process. Then she took one final glance at her home, and ran.

She needed to escape this town. To escape the recent memories, and to create new and better ones. She didn't know where she was going, but she'd try to find a place she belonged.

And she never wanted to look back.