My Hero

by nestle

A girl finds a wolf one day and runs away from home to be with him all the time. Well, when she ran away she found out that she was going to wish she didn't.

CH.1

In my family I have a mom, dad, and sister. My dad died when I was young. My name is Kara and my sister's name is Kim. One day I go over to my friend's house. On my way I find a wolf. I didn't expect to see a wolf on a hot Wyoming summer night. He looked like a grown wolf. I took one look and then left. I knew wolfs could get very mean when they felt threatened so I walked away slowly. I didn't see the wolf on the way back home. I wasn't supersized. I thought that it maybe had a family that was most likely worrying about him. In the morning Queenea, someone I really hated, wanted to adopt the wolf. Queenea goes to my school and when she told me that she was going to adopt the wolf I went crying to my mom. "You don't get everything you want and he is a stray. He belongs to mother nature," my mom told me. The next day I skip school to find the wolf. When I found him I realized a snake was behind me. I stared at it and thought my life was going to end. The wolf jumped over me and jumped on it. The snake died instantly. I said "my hero." The wolf started barking. "Do you want your name to be Hero?" I asked. The wolf shook his head yes. Hero then came with me to an adoption center where I adopted him. Hero showed me the way back to the village and I bragged to Queenea about Hero. She started crying and saying "that's my wolf. You stole my wolf." I soon ran away from home. I knew my mom would get worried. Hero would give me all the food he could find. We would play outside everyday. I didn't even have to deal with school. I felt free. A day later I went to a waterfall. I stood on a cliff and looked down. I also had hero right next to me. I looked down one hundred feet. "Do you want to jump?" I asked him. He nodded yes. I got ready to jump. I felt so safe even if I could die from the jump. I still felt the safest I have ever been. "Ready, set, go!" I then jumped and Hero followed right beside me. I splashed in and came up to call for Hero. "Hero, Hero, Hero," I called. "You ok?" He looked up at me and we swam to shore. "You're silly." We got stuff to eat and sleep in a cave each night. He kept me mostly warm. "I'm going to miss my real family Hero." And I did miss them. I missed them more then anything. "I'm so glad your mine." I then fell asleep. I woke up to Hero licking my face. "Hero, what do you want?" There were about ten apples sitting in front of me. "Hero, did you get these for me?" He nodded his head no. "Hero, you know I can get my own food. I'm sixteen years old. Please don't-" I paused and started to laugh. "Ha, ha, ha, how many times do I have to tell you? Hero, are you listening to me?" He then moved his head slightly and looked into my eyes. He looked so innocent. "Ok, ok, you win. I'm sorry," I told Hero. "Let's have a race. Shall we?" Hero started barking. "Let's start here, ok," I said as I drew a line in the ground. "Now let's see. Where should we race to?" I thought for a moment. "Why don't we race to the tree?" I pointed to a tree about ten feet away. "Ready, set…go!" I screamed. I ran and ran, but Hero was still in the lead. "Hero, Hero!" I yelled. He finished first and when I got to the tree I was mad at Hero. "You cheated." He shook his head no. I knew he was a wolf. "Hero, it's getting dark pretty fast. Let's find a place to sleep." I held to Hero's fur as he directed me into a cave. "I will make a fire to keep us warm, unless you want to make it for me." I knew he couldn't, but he does do a lot for me. "Go get some wood." He was back in about ten seconds with a whole mouthful of wood. "Thanks Hero." I told him as I pet him on the head. I sat making a fire and Hero lay beside me. "Hey, Hero, I made fire. Look at that. Can you believe it?" I had made a fire. In a madder of seconds the fire was really big. "Let's tell stories or let me tell a story." I looked around the cave. "Let's see, what should I talk about?" I lay my head on his back and stared into the fire. I could feel the warmth of the fire on my skin and eyeballs as I stared at it. "Hero, when I was little I used to love to play outside. I love swimming even more. I would swim in lakes and oceans and even ponds all over the place. I loved swimming more then anything. In oceans I loved looking for shells and I seeing all the creatures that lived there. And Hero, I miss swimming." I soon fell asleep and Hero was my warm pillow. Morning came quickly and Hero again licked my face. In front of me was a burned out fire. Beside me Hero was licking me so I would wake up. "Ok, I will wake up." I stood up and walked outside the cave. There was a pond right in front of me that I used to wash off with. "Hero, come over here with me." He jumped into the pond and splashed me. "No you didn't!" I yelled. Then I splashed him back. I then hugged him. "Let's get out and get something to eat." We got out and dried off with a blanket I made out of leafs. "What do you want today? I think its lunch time." Hero started barking. By his bark and the way he barked I could tell what he wanted. "You want fish, don't you?" Hero nodded his head yes. "Do you? I would rather have apples or something." Hero stared barking again. This time his bark was louder. "Fine, we will have fish, but in order to have fish you will have to go get some." I pointed my finger at the pond. "I would get started." Hero leaped into the pond and started getting fish and placed them on the ground in front of me. "Hero, I will make a fire to cook the fish with." I used some of left over fire wood from last night and I built a small fire. I then built a table out of stones. I thought the fish would cook on it. "Are you done getting fish, Hero?" He stood next to me. In front of me were about twenty fish. "We are not going to eat all these fish. There is no way we could. Whatever, I guess we are going to have to eat all the fish." I set five fish on the table at a time to cook over the fire. "We are going to have a big lunch." We sat and I talked and we played while the fish cooked. When they we done we ate them very quickly. After we ate the fish Hero heard something in the forest behind us. "Hero, where on this earth are you going?" He came back and started barking at me. By the way he barked I knew something wasn't right. I followed him into the big woods. "Where are you taking me, Hero?" I held tight to his fur and he directed me to whatever was bothering him. A couple minutes later I saw a woman leaning ageist a tree. She looked a little younger then me. "Hi, is everything alright?" I asked. "Yes," she answered back to me. "Are you hungry?" I asked. "Yes," the woman answered. "I have food." "Ok," she answered. "Do you want some? I have plenty because of my wolf." "Yes, I would like that." She turned around and she seemed to be crying. She had long black and smooth hair. She wear an Indian outfit and she had brown eyes. She had no shoes and her feet were cut up. She looked so familiar, but I could not remember who she was. "Do you have a name?" I asked. "Kim and you?" she answered. I was speechless. "Kim?" I asked. "Yes." I fell to the ground and Hero came up next to me to make sure I was ok. I then knew who she was. Kim was my younger sister. "Do you have a name?" she asked again. "I'm Kara and the daughter of kayra." My sister then fell to the ground. "You're alive." "Yes, I'm alive." She got up and hugged me. I looked at her. "Why did you think I was dead?" I said with a serious expiration on my face. "Mother was telling everyone for years that you died," Kim said. "Umm…I have a wolf remember. I adopted him and ran away." Hero looked at me funny. "Yes, of course I remember. Did you ever name him?" "Yes, I named him. I named him Hero because he was always saving my life." "He's cute," she said. "Thanks." Hero started barking and wouldn't stop. "He wants you to play with him." We went back to where I made the fish and I started cooking five more. "What are you even doing out here anyway?" I asked my sister. "My mom or our mom kept telling me that you died in an accident. She told me that there was a buffalo stampede and you started making noises and the buffalo killed you. I never believed it, but she wanted me to. Every time I said that you alive she would smack me or push me and say 'she is dead. She is with your father now.' She said that to me over and over like she was trying to brain wash me or something, but I never once believed it was true," my sister said while playing with Hero. "God, I feel sorry for you." After we talked a bit and my sister played with Hero. The fish were ready to eat. "You guys, the fish are ready to be eaten." My sister came over to the table I built. "What is that?" she asked. "A table thing to put the fish on so they cook over the fire." She looked amazed. "How did you survive out here?" She asked. "Well, Hero helped a lot. I mostly then helped myself by making tools or equipment that will help me survive." We ate the five fish and looked up at the stars. "So what about Queenea? Did she ever just get over the fact that I have Hero? "I asked. "No, she never got over it. When my mom said or our mom said that you were dead she was happy so soon after you ran away she thought that since you were dead she was going to have your Hero. So she right now is looking for Hero. I don't think that she will stop until she gets what she wants." My sister answered back to me. "That's so sad." Hero then crawled up next to my sister and I talked for the rest of the night. Until it was pitch black and the only thing I could see was the fire I started hours ago. "Come in the cave. It is where I sleep with Hero." "Ok." We slept in the cave until morning. I woke up and Hero wasn't licking me. I woke my sister up as well. "Where is Hero?" She asked me. "I don't know. That's what I'm afraid of." We both ran outside very worried that something might have happened to Hero. When we got outside the cave Hero was sitting with a pile of apples at his feet. My sister and I started laughing. Hero started to bark loud, but the frequency of him bark was low. "Hero wants you to eat an apple or two." "How do you always know what he is saying?" she asked me. "I know because I basically grew up with him. I can also tell by how loud or soft his barks are. I also can tell mostly by his body language and how his body is moving and/or pointing when he's barking or not barking," I explained. "Wow." We ate the apples and played with Hero a little. Hero loved eating apples too. I wanted to show Kim the waterfall I jumped from with Hero after I ran away. "Hey, let's go to a waterfall," I suggested. "Ok, let's go now." I walked Kim to it. Hero knew the way because he was there once. He walked in front of us and Kim and I followed behind. We got there in about ten minutes later. "Hey, here we are." My sister looked at me and smiled. "This waterfall is beautiful." Hero went to the cliff where we jumped the last time. "Look, when I first ran away. Me and Hero jumped off this very cliff," I said. I stood at the edge of the cliff just like before. Hero stood my right and my sister stood to my left. I looked down about one hundred feet. The trees around us were fall colors. The colors were red, orange, yellow, and light purple. The water looked as white as snow and fell from the waterfall fast. It would hit the water below and cause little waves to form. The walls around it had big holes in it. Some of the holes were really big. "Do you want to jump off this cliff," I asked Kim. "Sure." "Do you want to jump off, Hero?" I asked him. He started growling and jumping. "He does," I said. "I still don't know what he is saying. I wish I did," my sister said. "Jump when I say three." I looked down one last time and felt safer than ever just like before. "One…two…three…" We then jumped. I flew threw the air. I felt free and alive. I bet my sister felt the same way. I put my arms straight out in front of my head and dived into the water. My sister dived too. My sister was a professional diver in her school. I was always jealous because she was. Once I hit the water I felt relived that I was still alive. "Hero, are you ok?" Hero came up from the water and swam to shore. I was worried that the jump would kill us and it didn't. "Hey, Kim, are you ok?" She came up as well and said "yes." "Let's go to shore," I said. Hero was waiting for us to come up to shore. We swam and we got exhausted, but we pushed ourselves to get to shore. Once we got to shore we tried to decide on what we were going to eat. "Do you want fish again today?" Everyone said they did so I made some with the help of Hero. I made five fish. I made one for each of us, and then extra for anyone who was still hungry. We ate them rather quickly. I then felt tired so I took a nap inside the cave and my sister played with Hero. After a while Hero came up to me and slept with me. My sister lay next to Hero and we slept the rest of the day and all night too. In the morning I woke up and looked at the fire. "Hero, where are you?" I called. I found him outside with more apples. He barked and I knew he wanted us to eat them. "Hey, I will cut one up for you to eat." So I did. I found a knife I had made out of stone and I cut some up for Hero to eat as well. "Kim, it's time to wake up." I tried to wake her but she didn't budge. "You take forever to get up," I continued.

CH.2

"For some reason she is alive," my friend said. My friend thought she had this wild feeling that I was not dead. Even though she had been hearing from my mother that I was dead. She thought I was indeed not dead. She soon ran away from home to try and find me. She didn't really know where to start, but she had a feeling of where I could be. She had heard about my sister running away so she figured that she could too. "I know she is alive. My friend would never leave without saying goodbye," my friend said to herself. "I think I know where she is." As she was looking for us me and Hero and Kim sat on the edge of the cliff again, but this time we didn't jump off. We just sat and looked down at the beautiful waterfall. My friend first found my sister and me at the cliff. "Kim, Kim, is that really you?" my friend asked. Who is that with you?" my friend asked again. "This is my sister and she is not dead." My friend looked really puzzled. "I knew you weren't dead. You would never leave me without saying goodbye. You're my best friend," my friend said. I turned around and started to cry. "I missed you too," I said. Hero jumped up and went to greet my friend. "Who is this?" my friend asked. "This is Hero. Hero is my pet wolf I kept because he has saved my life." My friend dropped to the ground and sighed. "Do you have anything to eat?" my friend asked. "I have left over fish from about an hour or so ago." She licked her lips and started saying, "I want some." She said it over and over and over again. So Hero went to go get five more fish and I cooked them. I soon played with my friend while they cooked. We talked more than anything. We had lots to catch up on. My sister played fetch with Hero. He seemed to really like that game. He also liked to play hide and seek. "So how have you been?" I asked my friend. "Good, everything is good. You should know something and you should go back to the village too," my friend said. "But why should I go back? I love it out here with my sister and Hero. I love Hero so much." "Your mother though," my friend said. "What is wrong with my mother? Is she ok?" I asked. "Your mother, she…she is…she is dying," my friend said. At first I was happy. I really didn't like my mother, let alone love her after she threatened my sister. As I thought about the fact that she was going to die, and that I was never going to see her again, I felt bad. I even felt mad at her for leaving me. "Please, tell me this is a joke." My friend shook her head no. I started crying and pacing fast. I wanted to crush something. I wanted to scream. My eyes started to hurt and I ran to my sister as fast as I could to tell her the news. "Hold up!" my friend shouted to me. I then didn't care about my friend. I just wanted to go tell my sister what was going on. When I reached my sister and Hero I was sobbing. I didn't know what to say to my sister. I tried to think. "God, what is wrong?" my sister asked me. I was about to tell my friend to shut up, but I didn't. I looked right into her eyes. "How was our mother when you ran away from home?" I asked. "She was fine, why?" My sister asked. "Are you sure you want to tell her this?" My friend asked. "Yes and our mother is dying," I said to my sister. She dropped to the ground with almost the same reaction as me, but then she started hitting trees, kicking branches, ripping leaves, and screaming. I went over and bent down. "Are you ok?" I asked. "No, I will never ever be ok. She is dying. I will never see her again. I will miss her," my sister started screaming. I hugged her and we both started crying more and more. Hero came to comfort me and my sister said, "at least I have you." My friend and I then started talking. "Do you think we should go visit her before she dies? I think we should. She will be surprised to see me," I told my friend. "That is a great idea. I know the way back to the village. We will go almost immediately. Let's just start packing and tell your sister later," my friend said. "Ok, let's go." We started packing everything we might need. "Kim, Kim, where are you?" I said. "Right here, why?" my sister asked. "Well we are packing up and leaving. We are going to see our mother," I said. "Ok, I will get ready." We all got ready. Even Hero was ready to leave. Hero started barking a lot and started leaping in the air. "Wow," I said. "What is it?" my friend asked. "Hero," I said. "What is wrong with Hero?" my friend asked me. "Nothing is wrong with him," my sister said. "He's just-," I paused, "ready to go," my sister said. "Yes, and I'm proud of you," I said, "You could tell what he was saying," I continued. "How do you do that?" my friend asked while she was packing our belongings. "My sister will tell you the answer to that question," I said. In about two minutes my sister answered her question and we continued packing. "Thanks," I said to my sister. She smiled back and I felt like I was lucky to have the people and animal in front of me. These were people I loved and cared about. My mom was leaving me, but I was going to make sure my sister, my friend, and my Hero were going to stay with me. "Are we all packed?" my friend asked. "Yes," we all said at the same time. "Then let's go." We traveled far and it did get tiring. It took us about three days. "Hey, look, I can see the village," I said. Three days later we stood on a hill and there was a sunset. It looked so beautiful. The village looked so different from what I remembered. The people looked older. There also were faces I didn't recognize. "Kim is back, Kim is back," people shouted. People also shouted my friends' name. I realized that nobody had recognized me so far. "Have I been gone that long?" I asked my friend. "You have been gone for a few years, Kara," my friend answered back. We moved toward the village and people started coming up to us. My friend and sister started talking to the people who were coming up to us. Hero didn't like to be around this many people. He got nervous that something was going to happen. I tried to calm him down. I looked around my village, which was once my home. "Is that Kara? Has Kara returned?" a lot of people said. I then found out that people did remember me and some people were happy to see me. "Come on, Hero. We are home. We are really home," I told Hero. "Hey, where did you say Queenea was?" I asked my sister. "She ran away from home to look for her wolf, but it's not hers. The wolf belongs to you," my sister said. "Yes, I know he does and thanks…a lot," I answered back to my sister. "Do you want to see your mom?" my friend asked. "Yes, we would love to," I said. My friend directed me into a tent. There was my mom on a bed. "Is that her death bed?" I asked. My friend replied with, "yes, she does not have much longer. She has a few days to be exact. I'm so sorry." "Mom, it's me and Kim. We are your daughters. I missed you," I said to her. She looked up weakly. "I missed you too," my mom said. "Why were you so abusive to my sister after I left?" I asked her. "I…I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt her. I am so sorry for what I have done. Will…will you forgive me, please?" my mom pleaded. "We both forgive you. I love you. Please don't leave me," I said. I leaned over her. I grabbed her hand and started to cry. "Please don't cry," my mother said. I cried and cried and she pleaded to me more and more not to cry. I then left the tent and my sister stayed with her. Outside the tent I bent down and started to cry. I couldn't believe she was going to die. I started throwing twigs and rocks and I started ripping leaves. "No! No! No! No!" I screamed, "you're not leaving me. Your not, your not, your not," I continued. Hero came up to me and I knew he was trying to calm me down this time. He licked my face and put his paws on my cheek as if he was trying to wipe away all my tears. "Hero, I know this might sound crazy, but my mother isn't going to leave me," I told Hero. "Kara, Kara, come quick, come quick," my sister yelled. I dropped all the rocks and leaves from my hand. I then slowly got up. "Hurry," she yelled again. Once I got up I ran into the tent. Hero followed behind me. "What is it? Is my mom ok?" I asked. There was an Indian doctor in with my mom. He started talking in an Indian tongue and I have been away for so long that I forgot how to speak my Native language. "What is the doctor saying?" I asked. "I will translate for you, Kara," my friend said. "Thanks," I told her. The Indian doctor started speaking. "She is getting a lot worse. Her death may come sooner than we thought. Her condition will not get better. I'm sorry to her two children. The whole tribe will pray for you. Good luck to all of you," my friend translated. "She is not going to get better?" I asked. "No," my friend replied. The tribe lived by a stream and after the doctor talked, I felt like going down there. I walked out of the tent and I hear, "wait." I go back into the tent and say, "what is it? What is wrong? Is mom alright?" "Nope, your mom is not alright. She is dying," my friend said. "I love you," my mom said. "No, no, no, you're not going to die. I promise," I told my mom. "I'm going to die, I am going to-," my mom paused. She then started coughing violently. "Mom," I screamed. I was crying. "No, mom, no," I screamed. Then she stopped. "Mom, answer me. Please." The doctor checked her pulse. He started speaking in my native language again. "He is saying that your moms' heart has stopped. She is most likely dead. I'm so sorry for your loss," my friend translated again to me. "No!" I screamed. I then ran out of the tent and ran to the stream as fast as I could. I didn't stop for anything. I just needed to get away from all my stress. When I got there I found out that my sister had followed me. I picked up rocks and started smashing them across the stream water. The streams banks were covered in little rocks. Hero of course went with me. "You don't have to be mad. She is in a better place now. Just settle down," my sister told me. "It's easy for you to say. I wish I was there before and after I ran away. I just miss her so much," I said. I threw some rocks into the stream, and Hero watched. "At least you have Hero to love," my sister said. "Yes, I do, but I also have you too." "True," my sister said. "I was just thinking, where are you and I going to live, now that our mom has passed away?" I asked. "I know where, we can live by the waterfall with Hero to protect us. He can protect us from any and every harm that we meet," my sister said. "Yes he can. I love Hero just as much as anybody does. You of all people should know that," I said. I pet Hero's head then bent down to hug him. "I might have lost my mother, but the three of us will live forever," I said joyfully. "You wish. Let's get packed if we are going to live alone with Hero. Let's take our stuff to the cave and then come back for our mothers' funeral. Does that sound good or what?" my sister asked me. "That sounds great." We got packed. We set out on this three day journey. I was bored most of the time and my sister had me play with leaves just so that I wouldn't annoy her. On day three we reached the cave. "Drop everything off. We are taking nothing back with us," my sister said. After we unpacked everything we left to go to our mothers' funeral. It took us three more days just to go all the way back. Most of the time, on our way back to the village, I was bored to death. My feet hurt as if needles pinching every inch and so did my sisters. We reached the village by dusk. "Are you ready for this?" My sister asked. "I don't know," I answered back. Tears came to my eyes. The next day we got ready for her funeral. "I really don't think you're ready for this," my sister said as she slipped into a black dress. "Yes, I think I can. I just miss her a lot. Don't worry about me. I will be ok," I said as I put on shoes. The day of my mothers' funeral I wore a long black dress. The dress had sleeves that were quarter length. I also wore black gloves and black shoes. My shoes were not so fancy, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get the funeral done and over. It made me sad enough to think about going to my own mother's funeral. I don't even know how she died in the first place. I wish she was still here and sometimes I believe she just might be. Spiritually that is.

CH.3

I walked out of the house that I got ready and got dressed inside of. I walked out to the car and my stomach started hurting. I put my hand on my stomach almost the whole car ride there. My sister also looked at me a lot like I was going to die. "Are you ok?" She asked with concern. "Yes, I'm fine. Didn't I tell you not to worry about me so just don't worry. It's that easy. Anyway, you worry too much. Start taking your own advice. It might help you. You never know." I said. "Ok," she said with a sigh. Once we got to the graveyard where we or the village buried all people that died and I started to panic. I wanted to go back. Hero stayed at home, but I wanted to go back. I could not live with myself. We got out of the car and I saw her coffin. "Sis, you're right. I'm not ready for this," I said. I wanted to stay in the car forever, but I knew I couldn't. "Yes, you are. I know you better then anyone else. You are my sister. You can stay here and hear your friends and family say nice things about our mother. I know for a fact you can handle it," she explained. I knew Kim was just trying to cheer me up. She was kind of right in a way. I was older. I should not be this afraid to go to a funeral. Especially, when it is my own mother's funeral and it should not be scary. I did feel like screaming at times, but I thought that was normal. As much as Kim annoyed me, I still loved her and her advice. Kim could always cheer me up when I was down. I then hugged her. "You're right. I'm sixteen years old. I should not be afraid of a funeral," I yelled back to my sister. "That's good, because I was really getting worried about you," she said looking at me. She worried about me often. Sometimes I liked it and sometimes I hated it. I then gave her a weird look. "Don't get too worried," I said to Kim. "Whatever," she said while sitting down. I sat in a chair that was in front of where my sister sat. My friend sat next to me. After I sat down, tears came to my eyes rather quickly. I remembered a whole lot of memories in my head. They were not bad memories, but good memories I had with my mom. I leaned on my friends' shoulder because I felt the need to and I knew she didn't mind if I did. The Indian priest sat up and started talking in the native language that I no longer understood. "Hey, I know only English now. I don't know what he is saying, remember," I whispered to my friend. "Oh, that's right. Sorry, I forgot and I can't tell you what he is saying right now. I promise I will tell you everything after the funeral," my friend whispered back. In the time that the priest was talking I started daydreaming what he was talking about. It made me sad. I started to cry even more. After the priest talked other friends of hers started saying things about her. I then daydreamed about what sort of things they were saying about her. "What are they saying?" I asked my friend again. "They are just saying a whole bunch of nice things about her. I will tell you the rest later," my friend answered back. After her friends got done saying a whole lot of nice things about her, my moms' family went up. I then prayed for my dad. My dad could not be here, and I felt sorry for him. After a while her brother went up to speak. I wondered what he was saying. He of all people should know what she did to my sister. Right then I didn't really care what he thought. I didn't even care about what he knew. After he spoke he said my name. "Why did he call my name?" I asked. "Oh no, he wants you to give a speech. You can't give a speech, unless you spoke in English. I think you would have a difficult time if you ever tried to speak your native tongue," she said. "No, I can't. I will not give a speech in English. It or better yet I will disappoint my whole family," I told my friend. My friend then sat up. "I will be right back," my friend said. She went up to my uncle and then began to talk. I was hoping she was going to sort this whole misunderstanding out. When she was finished talking, she came over to me with a sad face. "He wants you to give a little speech in whatever language you can speak. I tried to talk him out of it, but he would like it if you said something. Besides he's your uncle. Do the speech for him and your mother," my friend said to me. "Are you kidding?" I asked her. "No," my friend answered back. I stood up and immediately looked into my uncles eyes. I did not want to do a speech. I didn't even want to talk about my mother. I had nothing to say about her or anything. I wanted to turn back and just run. Run away from this graveyard. Unfortunately, I walked up to my uncle and he whispered good luck into my ear. I then stood in front of about one hundred people. I stood in shock for a few moments. "Wingapo," I started. I was shocked I knew how to even say hi. I could not say anything more. I felt like I was going to vomit. I felt like I was going to drop dead any second. "I…I...liked…my mom a lot." I hesitated to say. I then started to cry. "I loved my mom, I said. I cried harder and harder. I then wanted to leave. I couldn't say anything thing else. My sister was wrong. I couldn't handle it so I ran down and left the graveyard. I then felt guilty that I left the graveyard. My heart felt like it had sank like the titanic in an ocean of guilt. I fell to the ground and started sobbing. I shook uncontrollably and started throwing things. When I gained control of myself I went back to the village. I looked all over for Hero. I needed him to comfort me. I knew he could too. "Hey there, Hero, how is my wonderful wolf, Hero?" He barked and barked. By how he barked I could tell he was telling me he was just fine. "Ok, ok, you're fine." He licked my face. "I need someone, anyone to love me right now. I am so grateful you do. Thanks!" I petted his head. I then walked around my village for about an hour before I thought of going to a particular tent. When I thought of it I went right away. I walked fairly slowly. I walked inside and I looked down. Tears came pouring out of my eyes. I leaned over and jumped on the bed. It was my mother's death bed. I then crawled through the sheets and laid my head on the pillow. "I may not know why you left me, but now I feel closer to you then I ever did," I said to myself right before falling asleep. "Kara, wake up. Kara wake up," Kim said while shaking me. I screamed then jumped up. "Sorry, I just had to get sleep. I also had a nightmare. It was about mom, Kim this was a bad dream. I'm not kidding," I told my sister. In fact I had a bad dream. It was one that would make me very sad. It was about my mom coming back to life and trying to find me. I looked down without speaking. There was Hero. He looked at me so innocently. I then knew I had nothing to worry about. "You missed the funeral," my sister said. "I know I kind of wanted to. I could not handle all of it. I couldn't even handle giving the speech," I said to Kim. "Ok whatever you say," she said back. "When do you want to go back to the cave? We have to go back sometime. How about today or tomorrow," my sister said. "Do you want to today? I do want to get there as soon as possible," I answered back. "Ok, we better go eat before the trip. It will take us three days and we might get hungry fast," my sister said. I went to eat and Hero followed behind me. My sister decided to eat with my friend and we were off after that. My friend was going to come and visit us every summer so she doesn't miss any school just to see me. When we left the village I remembered that Queenea was still out there looking for Hero. We got there in three days. "Do you want to sleep in the cave tonight?" My sister asked. "Yes, I would like that," I answered back. We slept all night. In the morning Hero didn't lick my face again. I thought he was outside like the last time. I ran outside. I was also a little worried. When I got out there he was not there. About ten apples were outside, but no Hero. I started to pace. "Hero, Hero, where are you? Hero, Hero, Hero," I called. I was really worried now. I ran into the cave. "Sis, wake up. Hero is missing," I told her. "What? How can that be? He can't be missing!" "He is, so get up!" I showed her the evidence that he was missing. I knew for a fact he was. "Where do you think he is?" my sister said. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you, but what if Queenea found us? What if she kidnapped Hero this morning? You did say that she never gave up looking for him," I said as my heart started pounding. "Don't worry, we'll find him. I promise you, we will," my sister said as she hugged me. "My mother is gone, and now Hero is gone. I can't handle this nor will I be able to handle it," I said. "I know, I know, we will find him soon and if we are going to find him then let's go on a quest to look for him. We can find clues that might lead us to his whereabouts," my sister said.

Ch.4

We decided to go on a quest to look for Hero. We try and find any clue that might lead to his whereabouts. I first check all around the cave. I checked every square inch. There had to be something we could use. "Hey look at this. Hero's footprints," I yelled. "What? Are you sure they are his and not some other animals' in the jungle that we live in?" my sister asked. She was kind of being realistic, but I knew what Hero's footprints looked like. "Yes. I'm really sure. His footprints looked exactly like this. Trust me," I whispered. I stared at the footprints. I looked at the shape and form they made. "Do you want to follow them?" my sister asked. She put her hand on my shoulder. "Yes, that would help. It would help a lot," I answered back. I bent down and touched the footprints gently. I tried not to do any damage to them. I wanted to cry. "Are you ok?" my sister asked. "Yes, I'm ok. I'm just missing Hero far too much," I answered back to her. "Let's go follow them, shall we?" I asked. "We shall," my sister said. I then followed the footprints with my sister. It was a long trail until it stopped. There was a rather big hill in from of me and my sister. "Why did the footprints stop? Did he get hurt?" I asked. I became breathless. I wanted to start screaming. I even doubted that he was still alive. I didn't know. My heart skipped a beat. My sister hugged me. Tears came to my eyes and I tried my best to wipe them away. "He is not hurt. Don't worry about him. Queenea is not a bad person. I really think she would take good care of him," my sister said. If Queenea wasn't a bad person then why would she steal my Hero anyway? It was hard to believe Kim. My eyes began to scan the ground. "Look! Look! Look!" I screamed. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" my sister asked. She looked around frantically as if I or someone else was dying. She then looked at me. "There is a trail or a piece of fur," I said as I pointed to the ground. "It could possibly tell us where he is," my sister said. She was excited. I picked up the little pieces of fur. They were soft just like Hero's. They were also grayish just like the color of Hero's fur. "Come on, I think he is somewhere over the hill. Follow me," I yelled. I ran up the hill. I was still worried about what I would find on the other side. My heart pounded and I held my breath. My sister followed beside me. By the time we got to the top of the hill, my eyes were closed. I was very afraid of what I might find. "Hey, open your eyes. You have got to see this." My sister said. I opened my eyes slowly. "Oh, my goodness," I yelled. "I know, I know, and I'm really not looking forward to this. Trust me on this," my sister said. On the other side of the hill there was a house. It looked very old and very creepy. It looked almost like a haunted house. "Do you think Hero is in there?" my sister asked. "I don't know. I am going to find out if he is," I answered back. "You're going to go into that house? Are you crazy? We don't know who lives there or who used to live there so let's go. Let's look somewhere else, please. I will look anywhere but here," my sister said. She was begging me to look for Hero someplace else. We stood on the top of the hill. I stood and thought for a minute. I had to go look for him. He meant the world to me. "I'm not crazy and I'm going to look in that house," I said in a low voice. "Ok, well, what if it's haunted or something like that. Grandma will be very proud of you. Now, let's go," she said to me. "It's not haunted, ok. I just want to find out if Hero is in there and if he isn't, then we'll go," I told my sister. "You can't stop me." I ran down the hill. As I did I saw a face in the window. It was the face of a girl about five years old. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a pink dress with white flowers on it. "Someone does live here," I yelled. My sister then ran down until she was next to me. While she ran down the little girl shut the curtains and disappeared. "What are you talking about? Nobody would live in this house. If someone did they probably would have passed away or something," my sister said. "No, that can't be. Didn't you see the little girl in the window?" I said. "There was a little girl in the window? No, I didn't see her. My sister replied. I then went to the door step and my sister followed me. I knocked on the door. I then waited a few minutes. I expected the little girl or her parents to answer the door. After a while there was still no answer. "You are scaring me. What do you mean by a little girl in the window?" my sister asked. "The little girl looked about five years old, had long brown hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a pink dress with pink flowers on it," I answered back. "Whatever, because I didn't see anything in any of the windows," my sister said. I then got really impatient and just opened the door myself. "What the heck are you doing?" my sister asked. "I'm going to look inside," I answered back. "You are crazy. You are really crazy," she told me again. The house was very old looking and nobody did live there. "What if you saw was a ghost?" my sister said. "No, it couldn't be could it?" I asked. "I don't know, but I'm telling you that we should go right this very second," she told me. I stepped inside. The floor creaked in the living room. There was an old piano. Right next to the piano there was a couch. "Who ever lived here must've been poor," I yelled to my sister. I walked into the kitchen and there was a little table. On the ceiling there was a chandelier. I walked out of the kitchen slowly, and into the living room. Near the front door were stairs leading to upstairs. I slowly walked up the stairs. The steps creaked as I walked on them. I then got to the first bedroom. I gulped and made my way inside of the room. There was a small bed, a dresser, and a very small closet to the right. Inside of the closet there was a pair of socks and dresses. There was no wallpaper on the walls but there was crayon on the wall. I figured a little girl once slept in here. I looked around the room then back into the closet. On the top shelf of the closet there was a box. The box was rather big and a little heavy. I picked it up and put it on the floor gently. I put my hair behind my ears while I slowly opened the box. My heart started to beat faster and faster and faster every second that went by. "Oh, my goodness," I whispered. There was a diary in it. There were also crayons and the little pink dress that I saw the girl wear when I saw her in the window. "Why would this dress be in the box and not in the closet with all the other dresses?" I whispered to myself. On the photos there were pictures of the little girl and her mom and dad. One picture caught my attention. It was a picture of a playground. In the box there were a bunch of newspaper articles too. The newspaper article said, "Young girl, Kate, died at playground at the age of six. The cause of death remains a mystery." That was all I read. I went to go show my sister when the door to her room slammed shut. "What on earth is going on?" I asked myself. I tried to open it back up, but for some reason it would not open. I then turned around slowly. "Kate?" Kate was standing right in front of me. She looked so cute. She still had the pink dress on. I looked at the photo in the newspaper article another time and I noticed she was wearing the pink dress when she died. I then looked back up at her. She started moving very slow. She also floated in the air. She then pointed her finger at the dresser. "Kate, is something in the dresser?" I asked. She just stared at it. I didn't know what I was thinking when I was taking to Kate. If anyone found out they would probably think I was crazy. And as I thought about it I stared more at Kate. "Is there something that can help me and my sister?" I asked. This time she nodded yes. I searched the dresser from top to bottom. "Holy cow, this can't be what it looks like." I whispered. It was a picture of where Hero is. It showed my village, and the girl next to Hero. It looked like it was Queenea. Kate was still standing and staring at the dresser. I turned the picture around so that I could look at the other side. I read it aloud. "Here is to the girl looking for the lost wolf, Hero. I can't tell you where he is, because I know where he is, but I can show you. Sincerely, your friend named Kate." Kate then stared at me. "Kate, did you draw this before you died?" She nodded yes. I looked at the newspaper article to see what day she died. At the top of the newspaper it said, "December 1, 1809." This was 2007. I started to think. She still stared at me. "Oh, did you die 198 years ago?" She nodded yes. She drew this almost two hundred years ago. "How did you know that I was going to come?" She never answered the question. I then grabbed the box and picture and tried to run out of the room. Kate disappeared after I got the door to open. I ran out of the house and jumped into my sisters arms. "What on earth happened to you? You look like you've just seen a ghost," my sister told me. I got out of her arms and started walking. I turned around and yelled "that's because I did see a ghost. The little girl that I saw in the window was the ghost of a girl named Kate. She died 198 years ago at a playground. What is weird is the cause of her death is unknown. Before she died she drew a picture and wrote on the back of it. She knew I was going to come when she was only six years old. Is that strange or what?" I explained. I showed Kim everything. "I even spoke with Kate. She came to me to tell me where this coloring of Hero was," I said. I showed her the picture Kate drew. Kim looked at me like I had made the whole thing up. Kim also looked amazed. "This looks like our village so we will have to make our way back. It also looks like Queenea does, in fact, have Hero so we will have to hurry," I said to her. "Alright then, let's go right now and we will get there faster," Kim told me. We then left for the village. It took us almost four days. "We finally arrived," Kim said. I ran down and started looking for Queenea. "Hero," I called over and over again. My sister started to ask people if they have seen Queenea and they said, "She is by the creek." I ran down to the creek. My heart was pounding and tears came down my face. My sister followed my every step. When I reached the creek I saw Queenea. "What on earth?" she said while turning around. "You're dead?" She was immediately in shock. "No, I'm alive, but my mom is dead," I told her back. "How did your mom die and how are you alive?" she asked. "I don't know how my mom died, but I'm still alive because I never did die. I just ran away. I regret running away now, but anyway my mother lied. She also lied to basically the whole village," I answered. "Unbelievable," she said. "Yes, I know. Now, where is Hero?" I screamed. My sister arrived and grabbed my hand. "Yeah, where is he?" my sister followed into the conversation. "Who or what is Hero?" Queenea asked. "My wolf, the wolf that kidnapped or dog napped. I said. "Oh, I think your talking about the wolf that I found and I adopted and is now mine to keep forever," she said. I got really mad. I looked at her with an evil face. I wanted to almost shoot her. She made me so mad. "You did what?" my sister asked. "I adopted Hero and his name is no longer Hero. His name is Jack. He is also mine to keep," she said. "No, he can't be because I adopted him before I ran away," I said. "Well, I thought you were dead. I found him in the woods so I adopted him," she said back. "May I at least see him?" I asked. "I guess so," Queenea said. "Come with me," she said. She directed us back to the village. We followed and we were happy to even see him again. "Here we are." I looked inside of the tent. There he was. Hero was playing with one of the kids at the village. "Hello how is my Hero?" I yelled. He leaped into my arms and I gave him the biggest hug I could. "Hero, did you miss me?" I asked him. He started barking and barking. "You did. That's good to know," I said. I missed Hero so much. My sister sat down next to me and patted Hero. "Well, I have to go see someone really quick." Queenea said. "Ok, go on then." I said back. She left the tent and I started thinking. My mind raced faster and faster. After I knew she was gone I started planning things in my head. "We have to get Hero back. I have a plan. You just have to agree with me. Are you going to?" I asked. "Yes, but how are we going to get him back." "I am going to get him to the cave, but you have to go to the adoption center and show them that we have adopted him and we want to readopt him. Then you come back to the cave where I will be waiting for you to come. When you arrive we are going to move. Are you ok with that?" I asked. "Yes, but where are we moving to?" my sister asked. "Anywhere Queenea will not be able to find us." I answered. I then made my way to the cave while my sister went to the adoption center. In three days I got to the cave and started packing everything. My sister came two days later than I did. "Did you get it? Is Hero ours again?" I asked. "Yep, 'cause here is the new adoption papers." We soon left. We went by foot. We didn't know where we were or where we were going most of the time. We slept on the streets, because we had no money. We crossed the whole United States and one ocean. After we crossed the ocean, I figured we were in Africa. We crossed the ocean by sneaking on a boat. "So we are in Africa right?" I asked. "Yes, but we have to keep moving. I don't want her to find us," my sister said. We soon just kept on walking. After about a week we reached a really hot place. Hero was panting like crazy and we were sweating like crazy too. There was sand everywhere and almost no water. We kept walking because we were afraid that Queenea was going to find us. "We are in the Sahara Desert. It is the biggest desert in the world. We might not make it out of it," my sister said. "How do you know that?" I asked. "Because when you ran away and dropped out of school, I stayed in school and got an education," my sister bragged. The days went by fast and it got hotter and hotter the more we walked. There were hills of sand going on and on for miles. The sun was our worst concern. The sun was giving us sunburn. I could feel the sun burning my legs and my arms while I tried to walk. There were hardly any grass or leaves we could try and put on us to protect our skin. "How long is this desert and will we die in it?" I asked. "It is the longest or the biggest in the world and I don't know if we will live or die." My sister answered. We walked on until we came to a little pond. We thought we were in heaven. "Please tell me I'm dead and I just went to heaven," I said. "No, you didn't, but don't do anything yet. There is a chance that you might be hallucinating," my sister said. I knew I wasn't seeing stuff. "How am I hallucinating? Don't you see it too?" I asked. "Yes, but I could be seeing stuff as well," my sister answered. In the back of the pond there were trees going on for miles. My sister and I both agreed to go into the trees and walk that way. We wanted to get out of the sun and we were more protected by the trees then we were just walking in the desert.

CH.5

We walked on. The shade kept us cooler. As we walked we ran into a village in the desert. It looked a lot like ours. "Please tell me you are seeing this too," I pleaded. "Yes, but we could still be seeing things," my sister said. I rubbed my eyes and an elderly man started walking toward us. He walked slowly as he came up to us. "Are you two lost? Do you need help? Do you need any water or food?" he asked us. "We are not lost and we do not need help, but we would like some food and water, please, but we can't just invade on your village," I said. He lifted his eyebrows in confusion. He then looked at us strangely. "You're not intruding. We would love to have more people to join our village," the old man said. "Ok, but where are we going to live? Where are we going to eat, sleep, change our clothes, and wash off?" I asked. "Don't worry about that. Nikio will explain everything to you," the old man said. He pointed to someone behind him and I looked at him. I whispered to my sister, Nikio walked up to us and smiled. "Hey, this is my grandson, Nikio, and he will show you around," the man said. I stared at Nikio and I couldn't stop. He showed us around his village. "We really don't want to impose on your village. I hope it is really ok that we stay here," my sister said to Nikio. "Lord, its ok with my grandfather. You will also make a lot of friends while you stay here and you won't want to leave," Nikio said. "Trust me, I already made a friend and I'm surely never going to leave," I told him. "Really, who is it?" he asked. "Can't I be friends with you?" I asked. "Sure you can. If you want you can sleep in the same tent as me and my family," he said. I stood thinking. "I would, but I don't want to leave my sister to sleep all by herself and I would love to be your friend," I said. "Alright then you will be spending a lot of time in this tent," he said while pointing to a tent right next to his. "Ok we can live with that," my sister said while looking around. "Well, I will be right next door just in case you need anything. You can come and get me day or night. I will see you at lunch," Nikio said. We walked into our tent. It was a nice size for the two of us. There were a few blankets for us to use at night. "Let's build a fire and gather up as many blankets as we can," my sister said. I looked at her strangely. I then walked outside the tent. "Why will we need so many blankets and a fire? It is over one hundred degrees outside," I said. "Yep, it is. In the day it can get over one hundred degrees, but at night it can get below zero," she explained. "Really, how do you know that?" I asked. "Well, like I said before. I went to school. You dropped out. I learned a lot and I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to finish school," my sister explained. I was still outside the tent. I stood and I felt the warm air on my skin. Inside the tent my sister stood and talked about how everything was going to work. Such as: where we sleep, where we will eat, where we will play, and where we will talk. "So, we can sleep here. Hero will sleep next to you. We will eat over in that corner. And the other corner will be where you play with Hero and we will have a nice big fire in the middle to keep us all warm during the night," my sister explained. We set everything up and by the time we did it was dinner time. "Knock, knock." Someone was outside of our tent. "I will answer it," I told my sister. "Ok," I opened the door to the tent. "Nikio, what are you doing here?" I asked. "You didn't come to lunch or dinner. I thought you might be hungry. I brought some food over just in case you wanted some. I brought some stuff over just in case you wanted some. You don't have to and I should be going now," Nikio said. "No, I would love some and please don't leave when you just got here. There is so much we can do," I said with a smile on my face. "Alright then, but you should first eat. Then I will stay and chat with you guys," Nikio said. I brought the food inside the tent. My sister and I then ate it. We were so hungry. We didn't even realize just how fast we were really eating. In about five minutes we were both done. "That was pretty good," my sister said. "Yeah, it was. I was gust wondering what we ate," I said. We fed some of it to Hero too. "Well, whatever it was Hero liked it too," my sister said while giggling. I got up and got a blanket. I could feel drifts of cold air coming into the tent. "Lord, you were right. There is cold air coming into our tent and my body temperature is dropping. "I hate it when you're right. You know that?" I said as my body filled with anger and tension. "Sure," my sister said. I knew she wasn't paying attention to anything I had said. Right then I really didn't care. Nikio left right after we ate dinner. "Knock, knock." I knew someone was outside the tent. I thought it was Nikio coming to see me. "I will get it. I think it is Nikio and I should answer it," I said. "Do you like Nikio or something?" my sister asked. "No! What would give you that idea? How ridiculous is can you get in one night?" Hero started to bark in disbelief. I went to the door of the tent and opened it. "Hi, how are you, Nikio?" "Hey, I'm fine, thank you. What about you? How have you been?" Nikio asked. "I'm great," I said back. "That's good news to hear. I was just wondering if you would take a walk with me until the deserts sun goes down," he said. "Sure, but were are we walking to?" I asked. "I thought we could just over some hills and back to talk a little bit. Does that sound ok?" he asked. "Yes, it does." I then told Kim good bye and then walked out the door. "So, how did you find my village?" Nikio asked. "We were running away from someone who is trying to find us. Then we just found it," I answered. "Who is it?" he asked. "A girl named Queenea." "Why are you running?" Nikio asked. He asked a lot of questions about my life. He was mostly surprised when I told him that I ran away. "Nikio, how old are you?" I asked him. "I'm nineteen years old," he answered. "Wow, my eighteenth birthday is in a few weeks!" I yelled. So much time went by since I ran away from Queenea. By now Nikio and I were walking back to my tent. The temperature was now dropping rapidly. We got back to our tents. "Before I let you go for tonight, I, in fact, uh, need to ask you something," he said. "What is it?" I asked eagerly. "I have a feeling that you like me. Is that true?" he asked. "One hundred percent true. I also have a feeling you like me. Is that true?" I asked. As I waited for an answer I could see his mind wander. I thought for sure he was going to say he liked me too. He was silent for a few moments. "No," he said. My mouth dropped. My eyes started tearing up. "It's true. I don't like you. I'm really falling in love with you. You are all I can think about ever since you came to my village," he said. "That's so sweet of you. Thanks for all you've done to help me and my sister. We are eternally grateful," I told him. Then I walked inside my tent and he walked inside his. "Where have you been? The temperature is about twenty degrees outside. I was getting worried," my sister said. "I have been with Nikio and you were right," I told her. "What was I right about?" "You were right about me and Nikio. I do like him a lot and he told me that he loved me," I explained. "I knew it. I knew that you liked Nikio, right Hero?" She screamed and jumped up off of a chair. "We better get that fire started if we are going to live to see tomorrow," I said. "Okay, I'm on it," my sister said. "No, let me do it. I made fires when I lived in that cave, remember?" I told her. It ended up being a really good thing. I made a big fire in just about five minutes." "Wow! Now, I should try doing that from now on," my sister said. We soon fell asleep and in the morning it was really hot. To help keep Hero cool during the day we made a hole in the sand and put water into it. It made a muddy swimming pool. The village didn't have breakfast servings in the morning so we had to get used to not eating anything until lunch time. This morning we put my big fire out. It was really hot outside. At lunchtime the whole village gathered together to eat in the center of the village. I met Nikio there. "Hey, how have you been?" he asked. "Wonderful, what about you, how have you been?" I asked back. "I have been pretty good," he said while smiling at me. We sat down at a very large table. Everybody in the village came. Nikio and I sat right across from each other. We often stared into each others eyes. "What are we going to eat today?" I asked. "I have no idea. I usually know what we are eating, but not today. I probably won't for a few days. I've got so much school work. I don't have time to check what we are having. I'm so sorry," he said. "Did you say 'school work'?" "Yes, I go to Leather Lips University," he told me. I sat, amazed. I haven't been in a real school for years and years. I wondered how this one would be any different. I started to eat, but at the same time I was daydreaming. "Can I go back to school? I really need to get a better education," I said. "Sure, you can go to the same university as me. So what is it that you are going to be?" Nikio asked me. "I don't know. I think I will be an archaeologist," I answered. "I'm sure you will be a great archaeologist!" Nikio said. I started to blush. I smiled and Nikio smiled back. "You're blushing," Nikio said. "Thanks for everything. I also know that I'm blushing. Don't mind me and what I do," I told him. "Why? You look very attractive when you are blushing." Nikio said. "There is no way. You're kidding, right?" I started blushing even more. I felt embarrassed, but I don't know why. I have never crushed on a guy before and I guess it felt good to crush on Nikio. The more Nikio talked, the more I blushed. "You are looking more attractive than you have when you came here," he said. "Thanks." We finished eating then went back to our tents. "Knock, knock." "That's probably Nikio," I said. He came back to show me a part of his village that no one has seen. He took me into the woods that he lived in, and he went deeper and deeper into them. "Look at this!" I looked to my right. There was a little pond. It had flowers that had grown around it. I stepped into it and it was so warm. "This feels so good, Nikio." "I know," he said. "I did make it and it took me three years to do." I looked at him in shock. "You really made this?" I said. We sat and talked for hours. We sat talking until we finally realized that it was dark out. Before we left the pond I felt eager to tell Nikio something. I didn't know how he was going to react to it. "Nikio, I want to tell you something, but I don't know how you are going to take it." "What is it?" he questioned me. "I'm planning on running away from your village on my eighteenth birthday," I explained. "How can you do that? After all my grandfather and I did to save your life! What about your sister? Are you going to leave her here too? Where are you even going to go? I don't believe this!" he shouted. "I know." I hugged him. The moonlight shined down on us. "I am so sorry." I felt bad about what I had told him. "You're sorry? You are going to leave us and you are sorry?" Nikio shouted. "I want you, my sister, Hero, and you to go with me." "Okay? That changes everything. I'm going to forgive you," he said. He smiled at me then hugged me. "Say goodbye to your grandfather for me," I said. We walked back to the village and Nikio held my hand the whole time. When we got there my sister greeted us.

CH.6

My birthday finally came. I woke up at around eight in the morning. I started walking to Nikio's tent. He walked out with a sad face. "Today is the day," he said. "I can't believe you are eighteen." "Thanks," I said. I knew how sad he was because he was leaving his home. "I got you a little birthday present, I hope you like it. Well, it is sort of big, but don't worry about it," Nikio said. I went to my tent and my sister and Hero had woken up. "Good morning, Hero," I said in a high pitched voice. My sister and I started to pack. Nikio packed too in his tent. I heard him saying goodbye to his family. "Come on," I told my sister. "Knock, knock." I heard Nikio at the door of our tent. I answered it. "Hey, are you done packing?" I asked. "Yes," Nikio answered. "What is that and what are you doing with it?" I asked. "This is a horse and it is your birthday present," he said. "Wow," I said while looking up. I have never seen something so big. I then knew Nikio wasn't lying. I looked at it with fascination. It was a beautiful brown horse with dark brown hair that looked black. He looked very strong and steady for me to ride on. I looked down at Hero and I noticed that Hero was getting a little jealous. I then said good bye to Nikio's grandfather. "Thanks for everything you did to help me and my sister. We couldn't thank you enough," I said. "You're so very welcome, miss. Just go and come back whenever you like," he said. Tears came to my eyes. I cried harder and harder. We packed everything up and found myself rethinking about everything we would be giving up. "I'm ready to go. I have everything I will ever need. What about you?" Nikio asked. "I am more then ready to leave and I have everything I will need," I said. There was a sad expression on my face. I felt the same way when I left the village I grew up in and the same village my mother died and was buried in. "You don't look so good. Are you sick? Do you want to cancel the trip until tomorrow?" Nikio asked. "No, I'm fine. Let's just get going until dark. I will go crazy if we are walking in the dark. I hate the cold. So does my sister and Hero," I said to Nikio. "Ok, just making sure. Don't get mad at me or anything," he said. "Mad? Why would I get mad?" He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Let's just go," he said. In an instant we were gone. Nikio's grandfather waved good bye as we all left the village. We went days and nights with no food. "I will take care of you." Nikio told me. I looked down. "A salamander, kill it, hurry!" I yelled. Nikio chased it and finally caught it and put down a medal plate. We stood for an hour waiting for it to cook on the plate. After about an hour and a half, Nikio yelled, "it is ready. Come and eat it. I bet it is yummy," he said. We ate it. We grabbed it, tore it apart, and ate every last bit. Eating it seemed to be crunchy. That was because we ate the bones and guts with it. Hero also got some, and as soon as we were done we kept going. Hero got hotter and hotter. "Nikio, why is there a river?" I yelled. We ran up to it. Hero jumped into it. It was a clear water river with lots of fish in it. "That's not possible. We could be imagining it," he said. "Well, do you see two palm trees over there?" my sister asked, "and two fish swimming right down there?" "Yes," I said. "Yes," Nikio said. Yeah, so do I," my sister said. Hero also shook his head yes. "We are out of the Sahara Desert," Nikio said. We started drinking the water. It tasted salty but we didn't care. As we drank we got thirstier and thirstier every sip that we took. Hero was still swimming in the water. "Stop drinking the salt water," Nikio said. "Why, what's going on?" I asked. "Just stop. We are all going to die slowly. Don't move, don't breathe, and don't do anything. We are going to die of thirst if we continue to drink," Nikio said. "We need to find someone that can help us," my sister said. Before we knew it our lips started cracking and our mouths became drier than the air. I commanded Hero to get out of the water. "We need to find shade as quick as possible. We are going to get dehydrated. We will have to go now," Nikio said. Out of nowhere a young guy in his late twenties appeared. "Lord, how long have you guys been out here?" He asked. "We have been out here for…for a few weeks," my sister said. "Geez, you guys could be in critical condition and leave your dog. He is probably near death," he said. I couldn't believe what he had said. My heart broke and I knew I would never leave my Hero to die. "No! I will not leave Hero. I lose my family, my mom, and I am not going to lose Hero. He is the last living dog that I care about!" I screamed as loud as I could. "Just come with me. I can help your sister; you're brother, and you," the man said. "My brother," I asked. "He's not my brother. He's my boyfriend." The guy looked at me strangely and frowned. "My apologies miss." I looked down at Hero and smiled at him. Tears came down my face. My mind went blank and I didn't know what to do. My heart shattered and I looked down at my one and only hero. He had given me the strength to do things I never thought were possible. I could not just sit here and do nothing. Hero was dieing and he needed help. He needed my help. He had helped me through so much and now it was my turn to help him. He might get sick. He might die too. Then again he might survive. All I knew and wanted was Hero and that was it. Nikio put his arm around my neck. "I'm bringing him with us, if he dies or not. I'm going to bring him," I said. The man looked at me strangely. I didn't care about what the man thought. He could think whatever he wanted. I can't stop him. He also can't convince me to leave Hero behind to die. "Okay, come with me then," the man said. My sister, Hero, and I followed the man. Nikio kept getting tired and took little brakes every now and then. The guy led us to many houses and many people lived there. "You guys can stay here until you need to go," the guy said while pointing to an empty home. "Thanks," Nikio said back. "If you ever need anything just come get me and good luck to your dog," the man said. We walked into the home and looked at it strangely. It was furnished just for our stay there. There was a big living room with couches and tables. There was a big kitchen too. It had lots of appliances in it. There was an upstairs where there were two bedrooms. After two hours we were settled in and cooked something to eat in the kitchen. A doctor soon came in to check up on us. He said we will be fine as long as we kept drinking. He took one look at Hero and said, "Your dog is going to die." I ignored what he said. We fed Hero and gave him some water to drink. Hero lay on a rug all day and I was worried that he would pass away. I sat on a chair and watched his every move. Nikio came to my side and sat next to me. "Hey, it's almost nightfall, and all you have done all day is watch Hero. You must be tired and bored," Nikio said. "I'm just worried. Everyone is saying that he is going to die and I don't want him to. He is my best friend and I don't think I can handle losing him. I feel that if I can get close enough to anything or anyone I can love it more than anything. Something always happens to a person or thing that I care about. I hate that." I yelled. "Hey, I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you, your sister, or Hero. I know how you feel and I'm sorry. If it's his time to go, then it's his time to go. I know how difficult this must be," Nikio said. He got up and got ready for bed. My sister had already gone to bed. He came back down the stairs and saw me in the same position I was in when he left. "Aren't you going to get some sleep? You can't watch Hero all night. He will be fine in the morning. I don't even believe he is dying," Nikio said. I stared at Hero. "You're right. I'll be up in a minute. I just need to give Hero some more water." I said in a calm voice. I grabbed the bowl where the water was kept. I went into the kitchen and poured a lot of water. I then went into the living room and sat down the bowl of water. I then went upstairs where Nikio was waiting for me and told him I was going to bed. He smiled because it was the first thing that I did all day, besides watch Hero. "Do you want me to sleep on the couch or on the bed?" I asked. "Sleep on the couch tonight, okay?" I then fell asleep in minutes. I tried so hard not to worry about Hero anymore. As night turned to day, I found myself blinking as I was trying to wake myself up. As I got out of bed I realized I had to go check up on Hero. I rushed out of the room. Nikio heard me and woke up immediately. I ran down the hall and down the stairs. I woke up my sister and she too woke up right away. As I ran through the living room they both followed behind me. I ran into the kitchen and looked at the rug. "Hero," I yelled. When Nikio and Kim entered the kitchen they asked what was wrong. "Hero, Hero…Hero isn't on the rug. I left him there last night and now he is gone. I don't know where he could be. What if he is sick, what if he is dying, or what if he is already dead." I said fast. "Don't think like that. I'm sure Hero is fine. Look around the house for him." My heart would skip beats. I was scared to death. The last place I looked was my room. I searched in the closet and under the bed. The same bed Nikio slept in. I then got the idea to look under the couch. I headed that way when all of the sudden Hero came out and knocked me down. He jumped on me and started to lick me and I started to cry. "Hero…you're…you're okay," I said. Nikio and my sister ran into my room and got Hero to stop licking me. "Nikio I am so happy he is okay. I am so happy. I love you so much and I can't imagine life without you. Thanks Nikio," I said. I then kissed Nikio on the cheek and said, "I never stop loving you." I took two steps to my left and looked into my sisters' eyes. He eyes teared up and she started to cry. I put my hand on her shoulder and said, "Thanks for all you have done for me." I then put both my arms around her and I hugged her. "Thanks for always being there for me and Hero," I told her as I walked out of the room. Nikio and Hero followed behind me. My sister remained in me and Nikio's room for the rest of the day. Hero somehow recovered and it remains a mystery until today. As the weeks go by we get closer and closer to leaving the city home. "Are you going to leave on your nineteenth birthday this time?" Nikio teased me. "No, I don't plan on it, okay?" I teased back. "Okay whatever you say. I'm going to turn twenty in a few days so just wait until you're nineteen. It would break a pretty cool tradition," Nikio flirted. "No, I'm not planning on leaving then. I'm only planning on leaving when we need to. I'm not leaving until I know that my sister, you, and Hero are okay," I said angrily. "Whatever," He said. I knew I made him mad by the sound of my voice and I soon felt bad about it. As the days go by we get ready to leave. Nikio's birthday came. My sister and I threw him a big party. He was so happy. He also got a big present. I got him a horse too. I bought him from an old guy who thought he was dying. Nikio didn't believe my story. The day after his birthday we planned to leave.

CH.7

"Today is the day," I said to Nikio. I went over to the bed he slept on and shouted, "We're leaving today." He woke up and looked at me. "I know, I know and I'm really tired. Go bother your sister or Hero or anybody but me," Nikio pleaded. He went back to bed. I walked into my sister's room where my sister was sleeping peacefully. "Wake up. We have to get ready to leave," I shouted. "Shut up, we can do that later. Right now I need to sleep without you bothering me. Go bother your boyfriend or Hero. Just don't bother me," she complained. I walked down the stairs. Hero heard me and walked beside me. "Okay, you want something to eat or play outside or what?" I asked. Hero started barking. I could tell he was bored, but I also knew he was hungry. I went into the kitchen and got Hero some frozen fish from the freezer. "Want fish," I asked. He nodded yes. I warmed it up and then gave it to Hero to eat. I sat at the kitchen table and looked at the clock. "When are Nikio and my sister going to get up? It's almost noon," I said to myself. Right when I said that I heard someone coming down the stairs. "Good morning. You look lovely." Nikio walked into the kitchen and started making lunch. "You know its noon and almost one," I told him. "Yeah, do you want me to wake up your sister? She is still in bed for God knows what reason," Nikio said. "No, but thank you, Nikio, I'll go right now and get her." Nikio shrugged his shoulders and walked into the living room. "I'll be in here cooking!" he yelled back to me. I walked up the stairs and into my sisters' room. "Wake up, wake up. It's time to get up. It's almost one and you are being so lazy!" I yelled in her ear. She jumped up and yelled, "Fine!" I went back downstairs and into the kitchen to find Nikio cooking. "You weren't lying," I said. Nikio shook his head. In the kitchen he had cooked chicken, mashed potatoes, and lots of corn. He had it in three dishes on the kitchen table. He had put aside some for Hero. Hero had fish already today so he would get it another day. "Nikio, that looks so good. Who taught you how to be such a good cook?" I asked. "My grandmother," He had a sad expression on his face. His arm muscles became tight. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing," He said with a fake smile. "Just sit and eat, okay." I sat down and looked down. I first ate the chicken, then the corn, followed by the mashed potatoes. "Nikio, what's really wrong? I know that something is not right and it will be easier if you tell me. Did something happen to her?" I asked. He sat down next to me. He held my hand. "Tell me," I said again. "Alright, he cleared his throat and looked into my eyes. Ten years ago my village was attacked by people. We didn't know who they were or what they wanted, but they looked very scary. I was about ten years old when it happened. They set our tents on fire and started shooting our people. My grandma was kidnapped and held hostage by them. During that time when she was with them she suffered a horrible death. She was put in or forced into a small cage like an animal. They also didn't feed her. They would punch and kick her frequently. She soon died of starvation and they left after that. My grandfather is so old he doesn't remember how she died or that she is even dead. We just go along with it because we don't want to put him in shock or anything. But in my grandfathers' eyes she is still alive," he explained. I looked around the room. I wanted to change the subject. I thought I had a bad life. I then found out there are people out there with bigger problems then me. I felt sorry for Nikio and his family. I wanted to do everything I could to make him feel better. "God that must have been really scary for you and your family and I'm speechless, I am so sorry," I said. He turned around and stood up. "Well, we better get eating if we are going to leave today. We also need to pack so let's go," I said while changing the subject. "Where are we even going, north, east, south, or west?" I asked. "East," he answered. Well, we are in Libya right now so if we go more east we will be in-," I paused and started to think. "Egypt," my sister said while walking into the kitchen. "Wow, who made lunch?" my sister asked. "Me," Nikio said. "Wow, who taught you to cook like that? It looks so good," my sister said. "My grandmother, who happens to be dead," Nikio answered. "Dead, what happened-," "Nothing happened. She died of natural causes," I interrupted. Nikio looked at me strangely. "Nikio and I already ate so you eat while we pack." I walked upstairs and gathered all of our clothes. I put them into suitcases and put them into a car. By the time we left it was five o' clock. We said goodbye to the man who saved us and left. We headed east. Libya was mostly deserting. Instead of walking we took a car. My sister and I were glad we did. Hero was too. Hero would get really tired and really hot fast. Nikio drove us. He claims that he is the best driver and he learned from his dad. "You know I'm a good driver too. I practiced on golf carts and motorcycles." I said to Nikio. "Really, you can't be better than me?" he said back while showing off how "good" he really was. "Told you I was good," he said while bragging more.

CH.8

"Wow, now how cool is that. It's like one thousand feet high at least. I have to admit that is the sweetest thing I've seen in my life," I said. We were standing right in front of the great pyramid. "Do you want to stay here? Do you feel safe enough? Are you scared at all that Queenea will find us?" Nikio asked. "Nope, I'm not scared and I want to stay here. I've lived in so many places and I want to live here for the rest of my life," I said. "Good choice," Nikio said in a low voice. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big kiss on the head. "I'm going to go to school and get a job as an Egyptologist. How does that sound?" I asked. "Great," Nikio whispered to me. I spun around and kissed Nikio. My heart melted as he kissed me again. "I love you. I will always love you and I don't think I could live without you," Nikio whispered. "I'm home and that is the only thing I care about. I'm sick of running and wanting to get away and now I feel safe. Right here, right now. I could fly if I wanted." I said. "Go ahead and I will go with you. I will fly right beside you, holding your hand every step of the way. Sort of like your angel," Nikio said. "Shut up you love birds. You're driving me crazy," my sister said. In a madder of hours we had bought a house along side the Nile River. My sister moved into a house right next to me. Nikio, Hero, and I all lived in the same house. "I love this house and I love you," Nikio said with a smile. "I know that, you have told me a million times and you never stop," I said. "Want to ride into town and get used to everything?" Nikio asked. "No thanks," I said. "What? Why don't you want to?" Nikio asked. Nikio looked shocked and sort of surprised. I walked up to the window. I looked out and saw the Nile and saw the waves slamming against the shore and watched the fish jump. I watch an alligator walk up to land and lay in the sun. "I want to stay here for now. It seems peaceful." "Yep," Nikio tickled my side and I laughed. "I can really tell you're happy here and I want you to remain happy forever and ever," Nikio giggled. "Outside is where I feel safe and free mostly at peace. I feel like its heaven and I'm an angel giving others' help. It sounds stupid, but it's true," I said with a serious expression on my face. "I believe you and I believe everything. It's also not stupid. It's called a dream that come true," Nikio said. I walked away from the window and onto the couch and Nikio followed me. "Nikio, go make me some tea. I feel like drinking tea and taking a nap," I said to him. "Okay," he went into the kitchen and boiled water. I lay on the couch in the living room and Hero jumped up and lay next to me. I fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Nikio soon came into the living room with my tea, but I was already asleep. He set the tea on the coffee table next to me. He then leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. He brushed me hair back while saying, "Sweet dreams." He then left me to sleep. I had a dream about when my mom died. I could remember screaming and the Indian doctor saying that her heart just stopped and there was nothing they could do. I remembered when I went to the funeral and I was so upset that I ran back to the village. I remembered when Hero went missing and I met a ghost. Then my head when blank, I didn't remember anything, it was like my whole past was erased. I then woke up and screamed. I then looked around the house and I didn't recognize anything. I looked at the wolf next to me and I was scared he was going to bite or attack me. I screamed again. "Kara, what is wrong? I heard you scream. Are you okay?" a boy asked. "Kara," I said with confusion. "Kara, you really scared me now stop joking around. I thought you were hurt or something," the boy said. "Who are you and why is there a wolf in a house. It could attack you or I and that would be bad," I said. I got up on the coffee table and knocked over the tea. I screamed again. "I dropped something," I said. "It's okay, and the wolf is your best friend. His name is Hero. You named him after he saved your life," the boy said again. I looked at him again. "You are cute. Who are you?" I asked him. "My name is Nikio and I'm your boyfriend," he said with excitement. "You're going to remember everything soon." "I can't have a boyfriend. I am married and I have to find my way back home before he gets mad," I said. I then ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He ran after me. "Kara, what are you doing?" he said as he started banging on the door. "I don't know who you are or who anyone is. I don't even know how I got here. I was born in Africa and I really have to get back to my house, I'm ten and my mom said I can't have a boyfriend because I would be cheating on my husband. Speaking of him he is going to flip if he finds out I am not there," I yelled out to him. "What, you weren't born in Africa. You were born in America. And your mother is dead. She died a few years ago. Please, believe me. "Your name is Kara and you are nineteen years old." Nikio started crying. I opened the door. "Kara," he said as he looked at me. "All I did was lay down to take a nap and I wok up to being in a different body," I explained. "Lord, Kara did the same thing. She lay down to take a nap. Is it possible that you two switched bodies or lives," he suggested. "Yeah, but how? Something had to trigger it. What was your girlfriend wearing and how was her mood?" the girl asked him. "She was wearing what you are wearing right now and a necklace that looked like that," he replied and pointed to the necklace that was dangling around my neck. "Her mood was also great. We just moved here and she was happy because she found the one place where she felt happy." He walked around and started thinking. "We have to find her in order to fix this," he said. "Okay, but that is going to be hard because I have to be in Paris tomorrow and Russia the next week and China and Portugal and-," "Shut up, I get what you are saying," Nikio interrupted. "Wherever she is we are going to find her. Do you know where she is now?" Nikio demanded. Nikio had a serious expression on his face and he looked like he was begging for information. "South Africa," she said in a low voice. Nikio passed back and forth through the whole house. He tried to come up with a plan to save his girlfriend but he knew that it would be hard because the time he got there she probably would be in Paris. He wondered if there was a way to switch the girl and his girlfriend back. He thought it could be possible but he didn't know. How am I going to get her back? When will I get her back? Where could she be? Is she safe? Is she safe? Who is with her? Is anyone with her? What is going on? How did this happen? Will I ever see her again? Is she alive? Will she be ok where he is? Is she hurt?, he thought over and over.

CH.9

"Wake up miss." A butler stood at my side. "Miss, it's time for dinner. Your husband is waiting. He does not like it when you keep him waiting," the butler said. "What, who are you and where am I? Where's my boyfriend, Nikio?" I asked. "What, miss?" I looked around and everything was practically gold. "Hurry up and get ready miss." I looked in the closet and there were dresses going on and on for about a mile. "Butler, is this okay if I change in the closet?" I asked. "Whatever, miss," I closed the closet doors and looked at them all. I picked out a gold dress with bikini straps. I was pretty long and it fit me. "So cool," I looked in the mirror and found out I was in another girls' body. By her size I could say she looked about ten years old. And she was married? I couldn't believe it. I opened the closet door and came out. "You look good miss." "Butler, how old am I?" I asked him. "Did you get amnesia, miss? You're ten years old, remember?" he said. "Right, thanks butler." I put some shoes on and walked out the door. Somehow I knew where I was going and found my way to the dinning room. I had found my husband waiting for me at the table. "Where have you been?" he yelled. He got up from the table and came up to me. "I gave you everything you could ever want. I gave you money, a home, a husband who loves you, and I will give you children too," he yelled. "Wait, I just took a quick nap because I wasn't feeling well and besides, your right," I said trying and calm him down. But when he mentioned having children my heart started beating fast. "What? You never agree with me and now you do. Are you sure you took just a nap?" he asked. "Yep, I'm sure." I looked around for a distraction. I then kissed him. "God, are you taking a walk on the wild side or what?" I never answered his question. I just continued to kiss him. I knew I had to find Nikio and get his whole thing fixed. I didn't know exactly how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to find him. He could fix this however it happened. I wanted to just get home. Why was I here? I didn't ask for this to happen. "We are going to have fun in Paris tomorrow," he said. "Paris? What? Why…Why can't we just stay here?" I pleaded. I could not go to Paris. That was it. I had enough and I had to find him. I had to get out of this mess and find Nikio and not travel the globe. That won't help me. I needed to get out, but how? "You fool!" he yelled. He started raising his hands and I could tell he was really ticked. "You know exactly why? Don't act dumb!" He than slapped me across the face. Pain immediately rushed to my cheek on impact as I fell to the ground. I touched it and it was just as painful. It felt swollen so I didn't want to touch it again. "I forgot. Please, tell me again," I begged. "I'll tell you. It's your really stupid interview with the King and Queen! How could you forget!" he yelled back. I sat crying on the floor. After he slapped me I knew he was abusive to the girl I switched places with. I got up and ran back to my room. Tears rolled down my face. The butler was waiting for me. "Are you ok, missed?" he asked. "I'm fine." "Do you need anything, miss?" he asked. "No, I don't need anything. Well, could you get me a glass of water, please." "Ok, I'll be right back, miss," he said in a soft voice. "Thank you so much, butler." He came back a few seconds later. "You know, miss. I have a name. You don't have to call me, 'butler'. You never called me that before," he said. "Well, what is your name?" I asked. "Jack. My name is Jack." "Well, uh, thanks Jack," I said. "You're so very welcome, miss." "Jack, where do we live?" I asked. "We are in South Africa. Why, miss?" he asked. He still thought I was sick. "I need to find a friend who lives in Egypt. I'm going to leave now," I said. I started walking to the door. I then stop. "Don't tell her husband he might kill her." "Ok, miss, but why do you refer yourself in the third person?" he asked. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jack. It was just a mistake," I said as a walked out the door. I grabbed a map on the way out. I got outside and I looked for the nearest airport. I found it and got in a taxi. I told the young man to take me there. He did and when I got there I paid him and got out. I went up to the airport and I got one ticket to Egypt. When I got on the plane I thought about what Nikio might be going through. The plane finally landed and I got off. I then try to find another taxi to take me to my house. When I get to my house I knocked on the door. Nikio answered and I ran and kissed him. "God, I have missed you so much," I said. Nikio pushed me off. He looked angry, but at the same time he looked confused. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Nikio, you should know who I am," I said. "Your one of my ex-girlfriends aren't you? I just don't know which one. Were you my tenth, eleventh, or maybe twenty?" he asked. "What? Nikio, it's your current girlfriend, Kara." "Kara, I didn't recognize you in that body, but come in. I think I said too much." I went into my house and I saw myself and it scared me. "Were you kissing me or her while I was gone?" I asked. "No Kara," Nikio said. "You know I got slapped by a ten year old's husband and it hurt," I said. "Well, no wonder the side of your face is red," Nikio said while examining my face. He looked so concerned. "God, he slapped you. I'm so sorry. He has a bad temper, but once you calm him down he is ok," she said. "Right," I mumbled under my breath. "What is your name?" Nikio asked the girl. "Diane. My name is Diane," she said. Nikio got me some ice for my face. "Ok, we need to find to find out how to switch you two back and fast," Nikio said. "Tell me about it," I agreed. "Alright Diane did you wish for something before you fell asleep?" Nikio asked. "Yes, I wished or wondered what it would be like to be someone else," Diane said. "Me too," I said. "Alright Kara get on the couch and you-" he paused. He looked around. "You can get the bed upstairs." Nikio directed her there. "Ok, when I say 'wish' you two start wishing the same thing you did before," Nikio shouted. He shouted it loud enough so Kara could hear it downstairs. "Ready, set, wish!" he shouted. After a few moments he ran downstairs to see if it was still Kara. "Kara, Kara!" Nikio ran into the living room to see if I was out of Diane's body. He made it into the living room and he sat on the edge of the couch. "Kara is that you?" Nikio asked. "No, it's me Diane. Kara is upstairs and I don't know about her but I have a headache," Diane said. He ran upstairs. "Kara are you in your body?!" he yelled. "Yes, I am." Nikio ran into the room and jumped on top of me and gave me a kiss. "Nikio, I missed you too," I said. Diane walked in the room. "Oh, I am so sorry. I will just wait outside," Diane said. "No, it's ok. I just missed my girlfriend. That's all," Nikio said. We got up off the bed and stood in front of her. "What did you need?" I ask. "Oh, how am I supposed to go back when my husband will kill me when I get there?" Diane asked. "Go to the police station and tell them everything he has done to you and they he will get punished. I promise," I told her. "Thanks." "Do you need someway to get there? I have a car and I could drive you there if you wanted. Would you?" Nikio asked. "No, I will just walk or take a cab there." She walked down the stairs and we followed behind her to tell her good bye. She got to the door and she hugged us good bye. "Thanks for all you help." She took one step outside and I stopped her. "Hey, I was wondering why you were married at ten years old. That is very young. I'm nineteen and I'm still not married, so why are you at ten?" I asked her. "I am because of my custom or religion. In my religion, the younger you get married, the closer you are to god. People in my family have gotten married at seven, eight, nine and even ten years old. That's why," she explained. "Ok, take care of yourself," Nikio said. I walked inside of the house and hugged Nikio. He felt so warm and I was cold. "Please don't tell me you're going upstairs to bed. It's not even nine o'clock yet." I walk up the stairs. I took three steps and said "yes, I'm going to bed. I don't care what time it is, but I am going to bed. I am tired and I just got smacked in the face by someone I didn't even know. I just want to go to bed and forget every thing that happened today. I lost right now and in the morning I will be found. Goodnight and I will see you in the morning. Nikio was speechless. "Ok, that is fine." Nikio then walked away slowly. He sat down in a chair and thought. And for the first time Hero came up to him and sat in front of him. Nikio just looked at Hero thinking he wanted something to eat. Hero then started to lick his hand and he then found out Hero loved him too. He continued to lick him until Nikio put his hand on up and said "ok, you love me. I get it. Thanks." Nikio then bent down and gave Hero a hug. Hero barked. "You…you want another hug, Right?" Hero shook his head yes. "Ok." Nikio gave Hero another hug and stared and Hero. He looked right into his eyes. He saw everything. He saw what he wanted. He saw what Hero really wanted more then he wanted anything in the world. To be Nikio's best friend.