OMG! I'm physic! I know what you're thinking! Two times in two days? OMG! Hahahahaha!

Yes. I know. Don't comment. I'm on a random rampage of good fortune. I actually got to go on the computer! Legally! OMG! *faints*

Anyway, I'm very happy to say, that yes, I am updating again and this is not just something that I'm randomly putting on here. Although it would be funny to see your face...

Let's read.

E: NO! I will NOT fall for that again! I know that looks like a piece of candy but no!

M: Oh come on. Seriously. I messed up just that once.

E: OH! You just HAPPENED to mistake a square of chocolate for... something else.

M: Yes. I did. You do know that this has absolutely nothing to do with what we're suppose to be writing. We're suppose to be writing about me.

E: Hey!

M: Well, me and you. Sure Ed, you can be included...

Six Weeks Later;

Chapter Twelve;

Burying the Past

Gibraltar stinks. Madeleine thought. Literally. She inconspicuously held her breath as she rode past the fisheries. Dani trotted obediently at her heels, but ogled at the heavily laden, fishy-smelling barrels. Once past the smell, Madeleine rode up to an French inn, a few minutes walk away from the sea coast. She dismounted, tied Carrie to the hitching post with some other, five horses, and told Dani to stay. She walked inside the inn.

The innkeeper's wife, who was cooking behind a counter, was a heavyset woman with a beet red face. Drops of sweet dripped off her neck and were absorbed into her clothing. Her dress was different from what Madeleine was use to as well. She had a loose fitting, white tunic that was underneath, and on top of that was a green bodice, tightly lace up, that had a skirt on the bottom. The innkeepstress took one look at the slightly ragged 'boy' and turned away, speaking French in a Spanish accent. "I don't feed beggars."

Madeleine was use to the comments on her scraggly appearance by snappish innkeepers, but the insult still stung. She fought back the argument of reproach and coughed up her rehearsed lines. They almost sounded senseless to her. Like a crunchy sunflower seed, chewed too many times till it was nothing but mush. "I'm not a beggar. I can't pay, but I'm strong. And I can work hard."

The innkeepstress, as Madeleine had figure she was, turned back around to look at her. She scanned her with an eye that said Madeleine was going to get the beating of her life. "Alright. You can work hard? Take off your hat and sit down in the kitchen for a minute. I'll feed you something. And then you can start chopping wood out back."

Madeleine walked behind the counter and behind a wall where a table was. Half of it was covered in dirty dishes and the other half, rotting food gone bad. Most of it was fish. Holding her breath, Madeleine started to clean the table, and carry the food outside, then she sat down.

The innkeepstress walked over to the table and plunked a full bowl of fish stew on her place, then she crossed her arms and glared at Madeleine. "I thought I told you to take off your hat. No hats on here." Then she turned away, muttering to herself. Madeleine caught part of her words. "Wish he was a girl... Need more cooking help here than wood... What use do you have for wood when you can't do anything with it?... Waste of good food too, but I can't resist that face. He has something..."

Madeleine didn't take off her hat, to do it would of revealed her hair, but her green eyes followed the woman like a cat's for a few moments. Then she looked down at her soup. Fish. What is it here with all the stupid Spanish? Fish! Fish, fish and more fish! You can't turn around without encountering a fish! Fried, roasted, stewed or fresh! What do they do with all their fish? They can't eat all of it! Madeleine dipped the spoon into her bowl and tried it. She almost spewed it out all over the table. RAW! How do they eat half raw fish? This is insane! I can't eat this! But her stomach growled in protest. It had been yesterday morning since she'd left the French borderline and had her last full meal. Scattered patches of berries had filled her spaces along the way. She was hungry. Very. Yet raw. Raw fish? Well, half raw. Half raw fish? She gave a distasteful glance at the soup and dipped her spoon in again.

Madeleine wondered how in the name of Gideon and Olivia Cahill, could this be a French inn. French inns were suppose to be nice and airy. The food was delicious and the inn's mistress was warm, mother-like and rosy. Besides, they spoke French, not French-mostly-Spanish.

Well. She tried to think of the good things so she wouldn't dwell on the bad. Luke won't ever look for me here. I'll be safe. For a little while at least.

"I told you to take off your hat!" Madeleine jumped at the baritone French/Spanish voice that blared out over her. Her head shot up. The innkeepstress stood next to the table, but with her hands on her hips and leaning towards Madeleine like she was doing, she looked like she was standing over the girl. "Hat on, no food. Hat off, I'll feed you and give you a place to stay."

Madeleine's hands went to her hat, fingers brushing the rim. She was unsure what to do. Her stomach growled at her, resenting any chance of passing up food. And by that reason alone, she almost chose to take her hat off. But she stopped herself. To take her hat off would reveal her identity, and to do that to the wrong person would be disastrous. One innkeeper before had tossed her out entirely just because she had Edward's clothes on. She needed to eat, but she couldn't take off her hat.

Eventually though, the stomach pains won out and Madeleine took off her hat, then let down her hair. She bowed her head, waiting for the scornful words or heavy slap that would probably follow. They never came.

The innkeepstress could only stare. A girl? My laud... She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came out. The woman wasn't use to girls, most of the people that came in were men, traveling people, or bachelors that could afford to go out to eat. She didn't have to time to plan a party of women, she had enough trouble cooking decent food that was edible. But then, here was a girl. An answer to all her prayers. And how had she treated her? With scoldings and hard work for a boy.

Madeleine's eyes couldn't help themselves. They rolled up a little to look at the woman. She had her hand over her mouth and Madeleine could just hear the murmurings, of a Spanish prayer. "I-I'll still work." She whispered up. "Whatever you want me to do."

"Oh laud." The woman stepped over and collapsed into a chair across from Madeleine. She buried her head in her hands. "What a blessing."

Blessing...? Madeleine's mind hit a blank. What was the woman talking about?

"I need help." The innkeepstress explained, head still down, a bit of a country accent becoming more noted. "I need help so bad. I can't cook a mite. Good cooking I mean, where they make those little fancy tarts and creamed sugar. My Father could do those, but he died so long ago and this entire place was passed to me. I ain't never wanted to cook. I wanted to do anything but. So I never learnt. But now the only people that come, come out of pity and don't want me to go out of business. If you can help me, oh laud, I'd be mighty grateful. Tell me you know how to cook girl. You do know how? And I is sorry bout my temper. It flares up something awful when I is in a bad mood. And I always gets in these bad moods when I can't cook any. You do know how to cook. Right girl?"

It was Madeleine's turn to stare. Cook? She didn't cook. She plowed. Then she glanced at the half raw fish stew and the innkeepstress' predicament became clear. She laid a hand on the woman's arm. "What's your name?"

"Michie-" Came the mumbled answer. "My name's Michelle, but I like Michie better."

"I'm Madeleine," The twelve year old whispered. "Call me Maddie. I'll help. I don't know how long I can stay, but as long as I'm here. I'll help you."

"Oh laud." Michelle lifted her head and Madeleine could clearly see the tears running down her cheeks along with the happy laughter. "Oh laud, you're a blessing, girl."

"I don't know about that. I never learned how to cook either, except what I learned in the past few weeks. But my sister taught me, and if I know anyone who's a good cook, it's my sister." Madeleine stood up to go and grab her things and bring them inside, but the room started to spin again and she desperately grabbed onto the table.

"Are you alright- what did you say your name was?"

"I-I'm fine." But the room started to pitch and toss. Madeleine's stomach flipped over and over. She couldn't make it stop even long enough to sip some of the soup on the table. "I'm hungry." She finally whispered, shutting her eyes tight enough as if she could block out the spinning room. "I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. Everything's... spinning..." She slumped back down into the chair.

"Laud, don't die on me now."

Madeleine felt it as two strong hands lifted her up and started carrying her. Then everything grew black.

Where- where am I? What happened? For the first time though, in a week, Madeleine stomach wasn't screaming at her for food. Someone must of fed her.

"Hey there girl, you up now?"

Michelle walked into the room, not exactly walking, more like a swinging-walk, with power, holding a tray laden with something that Madeleine couldn't see. She could smell it though. Fish. "I'm up. How..." She tried to approached a touchy subject off handedly, failing. "How long was I out? I hope I wasn't a bother."

Michelle laughed. Her laugh was a bit like Madeleine's when she was in a good mood. "You weren't a bother at all, except for the fact that I had to close early. It didn't hurt business though. No one comes anyway." She didn't notice when Madeleine's mouth twitched. "Alright, open up. You get the only thing I can cook. Fish on de' platter. Enjoy."

Madeleine stared at her, "You're kidding right?"

"Not a bit. Let's see, I can do Tuna, Salmon, Mackrel, but those are expensive, those little shiny fish, and the little crunchy ones that are chewy on the inside. Pretty much any kind of fish. It just has to taste good. Once again, I can not cook anything else."

She got an unbelieving stare. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else. Open up."

Madeleine obliged her and opened her mouth. A bit of cracker was popped into it with fish, cheese, a slice of celery and carrot on the top. To her surprise it was relatively crunchy with a mild squishy texture. It was good. "And you say that these are the only things that you can cook?" She thought for a moment, mouth open and food showing, rephrasing her sentence. "That you can make?"

"Yup. Another one or are you done?"

"No, I'll take another." Madeleine reached up to the tray by herself and grabbed two. "These are good. I wouldn't be surprised if just these things kept your place going."

Michelle thought for a minute, "I have noticed people buying more of them, but they don't cost much. I can't make a big profit off of them."

The twelve year old's eyes sparkled and she pushed herself up and scrambled out of bed. No one would of guessed that just one night ago, she had been running on fumes, and that she'd had to be force fed. Madeleine grabbed two more fish crackers off the tray. "Then let's go make something that you can make a profit on."

"Try making the cut just around the edges." Madeleine watched Michelle's hand slice the excess dough off of the pie's crust. "You want it to look a bit classy. Classy with style."

"Child," Michelle still didn't call Madeleine by her name. "You come up with the fanciest words and I know nothing of what they mean. Classy, how's that?"

"Fancy." Madeleine shrugged. "You did say that Dani was in the barn with Carrie didn't you, safe."

"That wolf was locked in the hayloft so tight not even a field mouse could of gotten out. He's safe. If you want, I'll watch the shop and you can go and get him."

"You sure?..." Madeleine's hand went to the back of her apron though, waiting to untie the apron's knot. "I mean, can I? You told me the way."

"Child, I've been living in this place for seventeen years. I'm sure I'll be safe. Run along now."

Madeleine's apron was off faster than Luke could throw a dagger. Within seconds, she was out of the resturant and speeding through the cobblestone streets, dodging carts and pedestrians that tossed curses at her. After wearing Edward's clothes for weeks, Madeleine had a hard time running in one of Michelle's hand-me-down tunics and bodice. They were too tight and squeezed the breath out of her but she raced on, plowing for Gibraltar's town barn before someone else got there. If she didn't and they went to go get a fork-full of hay they'd get a furry surprise.

She arrived, out of breath and panting just as a farmer opened the barn doors, pitchfork in hand. Her eyes widened, "No!" Running towards the door, she dipped inside before it shut and raced to the other end of the barn. The farmer was almost to the hayloft door. "No! Wait!" She slid and stumbled the rest of the steps to the door, then threw herself in front of it. Dani was safe. "Please, wait a second."

Dani heard her voice and threw himself against the barn door, whining in excitement. The farmer heard it, and aimed his pitchfork, looking beyond Madeleine. "Hey, I don't know who you are girl, but there's a wolf in there." It was spoken in Spanish, so Madeleine couldn't understand all of it, but she caught 'lobo'. Wolf.

"No! No! He- he's my friend." The man couldn't understand her French, but he sensed her desperation and her posture again the door. He motioned her to open it, keeping his pitchfork aimed.

Madeleine tugged desperately at the handle. Michelle hadn't been lying when she'd said that Dani couldn't get out. Nor could any person or wolf that would of wanted to. Pulling again, and grunting with the effort, she flew backwards as the door swung quickly open. A wolf tumbled into her arms, licking her face and crawling all over her. "Dani stop!" She suddenly burst out laughing. He wasn't going to get killed after all.

Dani paused in mid-lick and a snarl formed low in his throat. He wasn't growling at Madeleine, but at the farmer behind her, who still had his pitchfork. Dani sprang. "No!" The wolf's mistress scrambled up onto one knee the best she could. "Dani, down! Sit!" Dani halted, right in the middle of his spring, and dropped with a thump back down to the ground. He glanced over his shoulder to see if that was what she really wanted. That farmer's never going to hurt you. He'll make really nice meat though, cooked. "No. Sit." He sat. Obedient to orders, like always.

Madeleine looked back up at the farmer to see his reaction. He had put down the pitchfork and was smiling at the two of them. He had just happened to buy a small terrier puppy for his own daughter and the pair had made a team, exactly like Madeleine and Dani had. He understood. "Can I pet him?" He made a patting motion with his hands so Madeleine would know what he wanted.

She nodded and rested a hand on Dani to quiet him.

Five minutes later, although not a legible sentence had passed between them, Madeleine and the farmer were good friends. The twelve year old made her way back to Michelle's resturant and proceeded to help her with all the dishes that that the 'cook' couldn't make. A week slid by, Madeleine barely noticing. Then another, and another, till it had been four weeks since she had run away.

Madeleine had almost forgot about her being on the run, and her main purpose of going to Gibraltar in the first place. None of her brothers or sister had shown up, and in the meantime, she was kept busy. She found she loved to sing, and when the other people in town found out about it too, they taught her all the songs they knew. Madeleine had turned into a walking record player.

She had grown to love the tiny resturant where Michelle lived and the busy, fishy town with so many people living and relying on the sea. But she didn't forget why she was there with them, or why she had come.

Five Weeks Later;

... Then the fox and his wife, without any strife,

Cut up the goose with a fork and a knife;

They never ate such a dinner in their life

And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o,

They never ate such a dinner in their life

and the little ones chewed on the bones-o.

There was sufficient clapping as Madeleine finished the song and popped the last of the apple tart trays in the oven. "Let's hear The Ode of the Headless Horseman again." Michelle appeared next to Madeleine, cleaning out a coffee tin.

"But I just sang that one!"

"You sang it before The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, and before Fishing in the Rain."

"Still!" Madeleine turned away to begin rolling out bread dough. "That was just two songs ago!"

"Sing it! Sing it!" The crowd in the resturant started to chant and Madeleine sighed. She knew there would be no peace for her unless she sang it.

"Alright, quiet down."

The crowd was instantly hushed as a soft, sweet voice began to sing. Madeleine sang the ode in time to the rolling of her rolling pin. Keeping up the gentle melody that had made her 'famous' in the town.

"Beautiful," Michelle was perched on the edge of the counter, wiping tears out of her eyes when Madeleine was done, although the song was only five stanzas. "Just beautiful."

Madeleine snorted, laughing, "You say that every time." But she was pleased with the praise, although not showing it. Yet her mind was on other things as she started singing again.

I'll have to leave the dress here. Madeleine gently laid Michelle's dress on her bed. She knew that, with the rumors in the resturant of two new men in town, she had to go. She had been pressing her time limit as it was. It would be suicide to stay any longer.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Michelle had her hands on her hips, standing in the doorway of the resturant. Her full frame filled out the entrance and she looked demanding. Madeleine could see curious faces of tea-drinkers trying to see what she was looking at. She saw that they couldn't see her. Luckily. They'd be so mad.

Both Dani and Madeleine looked up at Michelle. Madeleine was dressed in Edward's clothes again, ready to start running and living her life of looking over her shoulder. "I have to go." As she talked, she edged towards Carrie, tied to the hitching post.

"Where? May I ask?"

Madeleine shrugged. "Nowhere. Anywhere. Everywhere I want to go."

Michelle stared at her, perplexed. Even being with Madeleine for weeks hadn't allowed her to understand her any better. The twelve year old had managed to keep her private past hidden well. There was only one song she use to sing. An itch starting scratching at Michelle's brain. That one song... "Where are you going to sleep? And there's bandits's out at dusk."

Another shrug. "They won't catch me."

"But there's not another inn for miles if you're going back through Spain!" Michelle was turning desperate. She would miss Madeleine if she left.

"The ground's always there."

"But Maddie..." Michelle's voice trailed off as she ran out of protests.

"I'll come back," Madeleine calmed her fears. "I promise. It may be a long time from now, but I will. I couldn't leave this place for good." The twelve year old smiled sweetly up at the inn.

"Still," Michelle sighed, dropping her hands from her hips. "Why are you wearing... those." She flicked a finger at Edward's tunic.

Madeleine smiled, "You couldn't exactly expect me to run in a dress could you?"

"Alright, then come here and let me put your hair up." Michelle motioned to Madeleine's hat. The run-away hadn't bothered to hide her hair under it.

"It's dark, no one will know the difference."

They stared at each other for a minute, taking it in. Neither of them had realized that they it might be so hard to say good bye. People on the road passed in and out of Madeleine's life, like a stream of water. But she had never made a connection. Never felt to attached to one place where an innkeepstress had cared for her and wanted her company. She knew there would be another hole in her heart to conqueror. The same as there was one for Gideon, one for Olivia, one for Luke, one for Katherine, one for Jane and one for every other person she'd loved. Now there was going to be one for Michelle and her inn. "Don't worry, I'll come back. It may seem like forever, but I'll come back. I promise."

Madeleine leaped onto Carrie's back and turned her towards the sea just as the sun set. Dusk settled in. "I promise."

Michelle waved as the younger girl rode off. She would miss her.

Madeleine rode up to the sea coast. The large mountain on the spit of land, named Gibraltar, the very one that had given the town it's name, loomed behind her. She had to work quickly. Dismounting, she walked to the very edge of the sea and then took fifty medium sized paces back towards the mountain. She dropped to her knees.

The twelve year old started to scoop out the dirt, digging a hole just large enough to fit a small box into. A box was, in fact, the object that went into it. Madeleine stood up and pulled Luke's dagger out of Carrie's saddlebag. She held it for a moment, fingering the sharp blade and blood red L engraved on the ivory handle. Her brother had spent so much time just thinking about it, fitting the blade and handle together perfectly. She remembered the day that he'd showed it to her. He'd been so proud. They'd knelt together on his bed, studying it, looking over it for every little detail. Any flaw. There wasn't one.

The knife itself, had been perfect.

Luke had never used it. He'd wondered at it, pondered it, but had never used it. It had been his special item, the one he'd always kept close. Madeleine ran her finger on the silver blade, careful not to cut herself. The knife held so many memories that it almost seemed rare. There wasn't anything rare about it, a million people in the world probably had the same knife, different, but still the same. Luke's held Madeleine's memories. The memories were the rare items, more precious than gold or silver or anything on earth. It held the good times.

Madeleine felt the L and she heard Luke's laugh echo in her ears. It was short, but she still heard it. All the laughs they had laughed together... Gone. It wasn't the same Luke. No one was the same.

The girl placed the knife into the cotton lined box and gently shut the lid with a click. She then knelt down and placed the box into the hole she'd dug. She covered it with earth.

The twelve year old grabbed Carrie's reigns as she stood, Dani beside her. The stars and moon twinkled above, lighting the sea and earth. It's my birthday. Her birthday was something that Madeleine had forgotten entirely about. She was born on the night of the full moon, the 17th of November. Olivia had always brought her out and shown her the constellations, pointing each one out by name. The stars were exactly the same, shining bright as could be, only the world beneath them changed.

Olivia had always told Madeleine that the stars were the people of the past. When one person died, a new little star was born. The light that had been a person, becoming one twinkling tiny dot, watching over everyone in the world. Madeleine wondered if Olivia and Gideon were watching her then, making sure she was safe from all harm. She wondered, vaguely, in the back of her mind, if they would swoop down and save her if she needed it. They wouldn't let Luke kill her, would they? Or, maybe there were just stars there, little balls of gas and fire like the scientists said. She personally preferred the idea of the stars being her Mother and Father.

Scorpion, The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, The North Star, Orion, The Big Bear, Leo the Lion. Madeleine knew them all. The girl could close her eyes and see all the stars in place, name all the constellations without missing one. Then when Olivia got to Ursa Minor, The Little Bear, she would say, 'That's your constellation. That's your name.' Madeleine never understood it. Minor, Madeleine. How was that ever the start of her name? How could Minor ever be a part of Madeleine? Madeleine had puzzled over the problem for weeks sometimes, but could never come up with an answer. It was too confusing. When she'd asked Olivia, her Mother had never said. But just smiled in a secret way. Someday you'll know. But how soon? Was she going to die not knowing what in the world her name meant?

The just-turned thirteen year old walked around to the other side of Carrie and leaped into the saddle. Giving a whistle to Dani, she rode off into the dark.

Hiyah everyone. Sorry. Edward just got disgusted, left, and went on the computer because this entire chapter is about me. Honestly, I don't know why, but that's what he says. So. Pardon his inexcusable rude comments and actions and just continue reading this like nothing happened. Well, maybe I can't say inexcusable... He's putting the third chapter on right now. Jane's probably going to blow a gasket. I don't think either Edward, or I use good grammar or language... Poor Jane...

-MC (And EC technically, he's suppose to be with me and be my co-author and editor, but he's not. So I'm not going to put his name in here... Watch him blow up when he reads this...)

Wow. Sorry, long chapter again. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's within readable distance though. Right? If not, tell me and I'll shorten it.

Question; Who knows the full 'The Fox Went out on a Summer's Night' song? If you don't, I suggest you look it up. It's sort of funny. It's one of my favorites. Does everyone get Madeleine's birthday? Who understands what Madeleine's constellation means? You'll obviously get it though if you've read the prolog. Which, of course you have. How did you like the beginning part with fishy Gibraltar? GO HOLD-YOUR-NOSE-BILLY! (Please tell me that you've read 'The Whipping Boy'...)

~L~