For The Guest who commented on December 13: Your French? That's COOL! Oh and I can think about it. Things are kind of hard with the three of them.

Here is the second chapter:

CHAPTER 2: FUCKED UP LIVES

SCOTLAND, 2011 PAST

Everything was peaceful in this grassland where a family laughs. Smiles on their face as they played hide and seek. It was a nice day with the blue skies over them. Everything was perfect, everything was fine and everyone was happy, because this day was special.

A woman with long brown hair tied loosely on her back searched for something… or rather someone. Her eyes which held wisdom in them moved left and right looking for any of her daughter's familiar bushy hair. This woman is Eleanor Dunbroch, proud wife of Fergus Dunbroch.

She grinned when she heard giggling from behind the table a feet away to her right. Her eyes sparkled with mischief knowing what or who it was.

"I wonder where my cute birthday girl could be hiding." She said, Scottish accent heavy, pretending to not know anything making sure the person behind the table heard it clearly.

From the other side of the table a bushy haired 5 year old giggled hearing what her mother just said. She placed her hand over her mouth to avoid herself from laughing. Merida Dunbroch is the daughter of Fergus and Eleanor Dunbroch and she is proud to be their daughter.

And Eleanor made a step, her foot barely suppressed a sound. With a grin she took another step saying:

"Come out, come out wherever you are! The tickle monster is coming for you." A giggle was heard at her words all the more convincing her to do what she was doing.

And with confident steps she peered over the other side, the little girl not even aware of her presence nearing her way.

Eleanor's hands found its way to her daughter's waist hoisting her up into the air. The girl yelped not expecting for the sudden entrance.

"There ya are you little cub. Now, the tickle monster is going to gobble you up." Eleanor placed Merida's back on the grassy ground, the girl shouting protests at her grinning mother.

"MOM! No, stop." She tried pushing her with her little hands in vain as her mother's fingers traced the ticklish parts of her body.

From underarm to stomach and to her neck.

Merida laughed, tears in her eyes as she gasped for air. Eleanor had finally left her privacy satisfied with her work.

Eleanor stood up and lend out a white hand to her daughter lying on the ground. "Now come on. Today is your big day; have the get yeh ready, let's go home."

Eleanor held her daughter's hand in hers as they proceeded to walk down the grassy hill towards their home. They followed a rocky yet safe road and surely at the end of that road stood a mansion made of stone. With horses tied at the fence. And at the entrance of the gate was a chubby woman in her mid twenties. Maudy the Dunbroch maid was cleaning the horses' stables when she saw them.

Upon seeing the maid, Merida releases from her mother's grip and ran to the maid

"Good morning mistress." The servant greeted with respect.

"Maudy, today is my birthday and I want plenty of buns!" Merida exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Would you like it to be sugary?"

"Of course, I want lots of sugar!"

The maid patted the child's bushy hair smiling down at her. "Sugary buns it will be then."

Merida jumped in joy. She would be splashing buns on her face tonight! Eleanor just chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"Come on Merida, let's get you inside."

"Yes, Mum."

The two entered the gates and you could see the beautifully decorated lawn full of flying butterflies. Flowers of all kinds blooming in the green grass. This is the Dunbroch's home.

It was a large stone mansion conjured with a living room with a cozy fireplace. A dining room with a long table and chairs, a kitchen of all kinds of ingredients that you could always smell the buns. There were separate room for Merida and her parents up the second floor. The Dunbroch were a loyalty to the land of Scotland.

A large bulky man with red curly hair was seen talking to a servant when they entered the living room. Seeing her father, Merida once again bolted from her mother and clung to the man's leg, startling him.

"Daddy!"

"OH! Merida! There ya are lassie. Where have yeh been?" Fergus hoisted her daughter up with one large arm.

"Me and mum played hide and seek over the hill! Mum found me many times of course." Merida replied with a happy childish voice and added a pout at the last sentence.

Fergus laughed heartily at his daughter. Eleanor watched them with joy as she walked their way. "Well, I could hear you giggling all the way Merida. It was easy to find yeh."

Eleanor stood beside her husband as he placed Merida's feet on the ground.

"Well, better be good at hiding if you don't want mum to find yeh, eh?" Merida nodded to her father's advice with a smile.

Fergus turned to his wife and slung one arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the check.

This family was peaceful and happy, and that was what Merida wanted.

"OH! I almost forgot. Merida, I have something for you." Fergus turned around and ran into another door only to come back immediately with something hidden behind his back.

Merida looked at her father with excitement. A birthday gift and she can't wait to know what it is.

Fergus stood beside his wife looking down at his daughter who was jumping up and down.

"What is it? What es et?!"

"Calm down lass. Now I know today is your big day and I made something for you. This way you could join me and go hunting." Fergus whispered the word hunting earning a glare from Eleanor.

Hearing her father's words, Merida had a hunch on what it was. Excited to know: She closed her eyes.

"On the count of three."

"One"

"Two"

Merida could feel something a heavy placed on her palms. She could tell it was wood and that it was slightly curved.

"Three." She opened her eyes only to look down with a gasp. It was plain yet strong dark wood with no markings. Polished, and cleanly carved. It was the only thing that she always longed to touch. She ran her fingers on the wood, not even feeling any bump or marks of mistake on it.

Her heart fluttered seeing the bow.

Eleanor was shock. She looked at her husband with narrowed eyes demanding a reason. Fergus just shrugged and quietly whispered to her. "Just let her be."

Merida looked at the bow in awe. It was the right size for her. Slightly big but It would still do fine. She looked at her parents, a question ready to burst.

"CAN ITRYIT?!"

"…."

Fergus and Eleanor looked at their daughter slightly stunned. They never thought she would love it this much. Eleanor opened her mouth to say something but her husband stopped her.

"Of course lass."

Merida jumped in happiness and rushed out to go to the hill.

Eleanor's blood just boiled in anger at how could her husband hand their daughter something dangerous. "Fergus!"

"Eleanor, let her do what she wants. Let's not destroy her childhood by disagreeing with what she is happy to do." And he followed his daughter outside to teach her how to hold the bow.

Eleanor watched her daughter notch an arrow into the bowstring while her husband stood beside her guiding Merida on what to do.

"Now, aim. Hold tight and….."

"-let go."

Merida released the 15nth arrow. It flew past the target and into the forest in front of them.

"I always miss!"

"It's alright dear, just a lil practice will do it. Now, go fetch that arrow." Eleanor patted her daughter in the shoulder.

Fergus and Eleanor watched their daughter go. Sprinting into the forest her little form beginning to get smaller and smaller until it reached the line between the Trees.

Merida was brave. And not like other girls, she would not be afraid to go into a forest, alone.

She searched for the arrow in the line of trees surrounding her and found out that it landed stuck on one of the trees. Thankful that it wasn't too far out of her reach, she pulled it out with all her strength.

The arrow was finally pulled out, and Merida held it tightly in her hand.

She turned around only to see that it was filled with trees. And suddenly she doesn't know the way. The way to home. She was lost and alone. Merida was lost and alone. She started to become afraid. Turning around, scanning her surroundings she tried to remember.

'Which way did I come from?'

'Which way was north?'

'Which way is mom and dad?'

"Which way was everyone?'

'Which way is home?'

The question was always which way and more and more questions followed after that. She still turned around, confused on where to step, where to start and which way to go.

'What am I going to do?'

"Fear."

Merida turned around.

A voice.

"Hush. Sss-sssh. Fear will no-ot do any-ing."

And there it was again.

"-o not fe-ear. Its alllll-r-right." And there it goes again. Like a man heavily exhaling air.

"Who is there?"

"Over he-ere. Right her-e."

Shhh-hauhhhhhhh . It sounded like hushing and humming, like cloth scraping on the grass.

"W-which way?"

"Over here. Its alrightt."

Hahh

Merida turned around to the direction of the voice. She had no choice. She doesn't know the way home, then she should take the way the voice would guide her and did what she could do.

She ran.

"Over here.-eeere. Right –he-ere. –ere." Hah –shhhh

She ran faster and faster. She cant lost the voice. She cant lost the only thing she had right now. She ran even more faster as if she would stop then so would the voices. She forced her tiny feet to take big and fast steps. She turned to where the voices would be coming from and she ran even more faster than she could when they seem to be getting smaller. She did this because she was afraid.

She turned left. Slowly, she recognized the trees and the grass. Realizing where she was going, she continued, the voices the only thing guiding her and the only thing she had and the only thing that knows the way.

"Come o-on. –ome-ere. He-eeer"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

haaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

Merida saw light ahead. And hope suddenly filled her up. She ran faster, the light getting bigger and bigger as she neared its way. And

She burst out of the clearing, once again seeing her father and mother. Her home.

She smiled. Relief washed over her whole being, she was finally back when she thought she wouldn't.
She took a step, only to realize the voices vanished, no matter how it seemed creepy. Those voices helped her and she couldn't help but think what happened to them.

She turned around, looking at the forest behind her. She didn't even get to say thank you. Whatever or whoever they were, she was thankful for guiding her back.

Merida ran back to her family.

Her happy family.

Her strong family.

And then she suddenly thought:

'No one can destroy my family….'

But that…

Was a long time ago,

Before everything changed and shattered.

That day, the mutant cell planted inside her activated.

And everything… was never the same since then.