"You, you listen to me! Nobody needs you, you are nothing, rubbish, filth, a useless thing. Only taking space and using my money and food, but not doing anything worth living for!"

Maria wanted to shut him up, to kick, to run, to scream, but all she could do was just stand there and wait for her uncle's fists to come in contact with her face and body again, again and again. She wanted to run, but couldn't.

"Fraulein Maria? Are you alright?"

Maria couldn't understand where she was, who was speaking softly, but worriedly into her ear. She was all sweaty and her heart was pounding against her chest, as if she just ran a mile. When she opened her eyes though, all dawned on her. She was safe. There was no uncle, but the words were still echoing in her head. She was staring into a wall in front of her, but saw nothing. Suddenly, as if someone had snapped their fingers she turned to a voice that spoke to her. What she saw, was a slightly trembling child, who looked as lost as herself.

"Oh, Martha. Everything's fine." No, everything wasn't fine. She hadn't had nightmares like this for almost five years, and suddenly they were back. She had a feeling that it was because she felt her bond with this house and this wonderful family growing stronger and stronger…"Sweetheart, why are you up so early?" Looking around her room she noticed that it was brighter than at night, but still everything was still in shadows.

"Well… I had a nightmare… Oh Fraulein Maria, why am I having them? Why don't they leave me alone? I don't want to have them.. Now I'm happy. Why aren't they leaving me? Maybe I am sick?

"No no no. Don't ever think so. All people have nightmares. Even the strongest and bravest…"

"You mean… you also have nightmares?

"Of course…" Maria was thinking about telling little Martha that she just had one, but didn't get the chance as Martha quickly said:

"Did you just have one too? Because when I came to your room… I found you all kicking and you looked as if… somebody was hurting you… Are you really alright? I could call fath…

"NO! No, darling, I'm alright.." No.. not the Captain.. If he saw me like this, he would think I was a crybaby. Maria Rainer didn't care what people thought of her, until it came to her inner feelings. She hated being thought of some kind of woman, who can not hold her own ground. Oooh, she could do just fine. She did it fine for more than 10 years and she wasn't stopping right now. The Captain. Now he was a riddle… And he said that I was difficult. Ha. One moment he is looking serious as if someone was dying, and next he is laughing from his own unaccountable thoughts..

"Fraulein." Martha was still looking at her governess with fearful eyes, as if wanting to say something but couldn't.

"Oh, come into bed. Don't stand here, you'll get a cold. And we know your father or any other sibling wouldn't want that." A young woman scooted to her side of the bed, to make room for a girl to climb and settle in. Martha rushed to her governess and quickly got into bed. She settled herself under Maria's arm and as she did it, she felt as safe, as if she was in her mother's arms.

"Goodnight …Mother…" She said it in a very quiet voice, as to herself. Suddenly she felt Maria's arms tightening around her and so the girl started to drift to a peaceful sleep again.

"Oh, my dear child.." Maria thought " You have no idea what you, or your whole family are doing to me…" With Martha in her arms, she felt safe and all of her nightmare's terror leaving her. She slept the remainder of the night very well.

What she didn't know, was that another person was watching them sleep.