Everything is good at the camp and everybody is getting busy.

The last time I thought something like this, all that mess in Valentine happened. I just hope that this time things really calmed down, at least for a while.

I spend the days working with Miss Grimshaw or Mr. Pearson. In my free time I practice with the bow or play with Jack and the new four legged member of the group.

More time I spend with him, the more I'm understanding that Jack is a child with an incredible sensibility. Yes, he admires John, Arthur and Hosea, but he doesn't seem interested in guns and violence or anything else that surrounds him. He's attracted by the stories from the past, by nature and he shows a deep affection for his mother. He has a romantic soul and when he'll grow up, I can already imagine him as an intellectual, a man of culture.

He reminds me of George, one of the hands at the ranch. He had a dreamer mind, too, but his family and his funds never gave him the possibility to travel outside our shire. I watch Jack while he throws a little leather ball to Cain, the dog, and I think that, until I'll stay with them, I'll try to help Abigail and John as I can, so to give Jack a better future than George's.

I spend the evenings with the other members of the group and especially Sadie who, like me, started to sit around the campfires and talk with the men.

It looks like Micah doesn't like this very much, but he must be careful: Sadie is not like me and he better watches his mouth if he doesn't want to see one of his ears reaped apart.

Sometimes it happens that Javier takes his guitar to play something.

With him things aren't so good. He treats me with coldness. I tried to talk to him, but he ignores me and I can't understand what he wants from me. He can't require from me a sentiment that I don't have.

Sentiment…

I haven't spent anymore time alone with Charles.

When I came back from the bank robbery he asked me how it went and we talked a little about it. But then, silence fell and embarrassment came and I had to run away like an idiot. Damn, just thinking about it makes me feel bad.

We heard some voices from Rhodes: the bank has been robbed. The witnesses talked about four men with their faces covered. Alec kept his promise and Miller didn't step in.

Dutch came to me and congratulated for the good work. I know he'll never forget what I've done, but maybe he can forgive me.

After these good news everybody is looking for another heist. Even Trelawny is getting himself busy. He went to the city a couple of times, coming back with empty hands, but talking about some 'precious informations'. I guess only he knows what he's talking about.


Today, we removed Arthur's bandages. Now he can go back to rob, kill, threat and all those good things he generally does.

Bill has come back from the town. From what he says, nobody asked him uncomfortable questions or inspected about the bank robbery. This means they don't suspect us.

He talked with some Grays at the saloon and it looks like they need help for some kind of job, maybe a security work, but Bill isn't sure neither.

"Why don't you come with us?" he asks me, when Dutch orders him to go back to Rhodes and find out any more details.

"This way it'll be, me, you, Micah and Sean. A woman could be useful, just in case we need a little drama" Bill adds.

"A little what?" I ask, frowning.

"A little drama. You know, you women do that. You act like crazy sometimes" he replies.

I look at him for a while trying to understand if he's serious or not. When I understand that he really believes in what he's saying, I turn my back at him shaking my head.

"So, you don't want to come?" he asks.

"I thought you were and idiot, Bill, but not like this" I say going away.

Ignoring his complaining, I reach Miss Grimshaw and start to work.

After lunch I decide to take care of Isabella and the other horses with Kieran, when Arthur comes close to saddle his up.

"How's the shoulder?" I ask.

"Better. Actually, it is so good, that they decided to make me risk my neck once more. Bill said he found something in the city and I'm sure we'll end it with the guns" he says shaking his head.

"So they asked you in the end. Good luck then. With Micah, Sean and Bill you'll need a lot" I joke.

"Great" he replies mounting on his horse and going away.

When I finish with the horses Jack comes to ask me if I want to spend some time with him, so we take a walk on the lake shore with Cain, who sniffs among the grass and the sand.

When the sun is right above our heads, Abigail runs towards us with an expression that makes me understand something's wrong.

We leave Jack playing on the shore and head back to camp where the group is in agitation.

Bill and Micah are talking with Dutch and Hosea. Charles and Javier are taking a body from Bill's horse.

My heart falls until it reaches the ground and I stop, unable to take a step more. From the distance I try to understand who that could be: I can't see neither Arthur nor Sean, and they were the only ones outside the camp.

Near them, Tilly and Mary-Beth are patting Karen's back, who's still as a statue watching the scene with a gaze of ice.

"I'll go check on Jack" says Abigail going away.

I start walking towards the body. Getting closer, I'm able to see a red head.

Charles and Javier put Sean's body on the ground and what I see is shocking: the boy has a hole as big as an apple on his forehead.

"…we couldn't predict that. They fooled us, Dutch. But don't worry, they paid for what they've done. We got rid of the entire city" says Micah.

"Where's Arthur?" asks Dutch.

"He said he will come later. I'm sure he's around here grieving for poor Sean and letting off some steam" he answers.

I take a couple of deep breaths, trying not to listen to his words and moving my eyes away from Sean.

With my mouth dry, I turn to Dutch and Hosea.

"Where do we bury him?" I ask.

"I've got an idea, follow me" says Hosea heading to the wood.

Javier and Charles take the body and I go take a couple of shovels.

Hosea found a really good spot for Sean: it's North-West from the camp, right where the wood ends and the lake shore bends in a bay. Here the soil is soft and the view pleasant.

Lenny helped Charles to dig a hole. Hosea, Karen, Tilly, Miss Grimshaw and Bill were here when we put him inside it.

Even though I didn't like him much, Sean's death stroke me. I didn't know I could feel so sorry for him. And I didn't know I could feel so sorry for Karen, who hasn't shed a tear, yet.

In these months I've seen them together often and I thought they had some kind of relationship, but her reaction doesn't make me understand if she cared about him or not.

We fill again the hole and stay some minutes in silence. Then, one after the other we go away.

I walk slowly through the wood, thinking about what happened while the sun starts going down.

Sean's death created new insecurities and worries inside me. If something so terrible happened to him, it can happen to everybody and in every moment. We're all in danger and we put ourselves in even bigger troubles every day. What if tomorrow this will happen to me? Or Abigail? Or Jack? Or Arthur, Sadie and Hosea?

Or Charles?

I stop among the trees, unable to breath, paralyzed by my thoughts.

How can it be that I've never thought about it before? Not for a moment came to my mind the idea that he could…

A cloud covers the sun and the forest around me becomes grey.

What if the one underground was him?

The picture of Charles with a bullet hole in the head flashes in my mind.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and start breathing again. A desperate, heavy breath.

"You okay?" asks Charles frowning.

Instinctively my arms get around his neck and my body lays on his, feeling the hammering of my heart against his chest while I keep panting.

From how he reacts I understand he's surprised by my contact. Then, he slowly puts his hand on my back and shyly hugs me in turn.

I hear a woman screaming in the distance, but I don't let him go. Grabbing him more tightly I smell his hair and feel his hot breath on my shoulder.

The woman screams again. This time she's closer, but I still can't understand what she says.

Reluctantly, I let Charles go to turn towards the wood.

"Jack!" screams the woman.

She sounds worried.

"Jack, where are you?"

I look at Charles, still confused by my sudden hug.

From the trees Abigail shows up.

"Have you seen Jack?" she asks with a shaking voice.

"We left him on the shore" I reply taking a few steps towards her.

"Yes, I know. But when I came back he wasn't there anymore. I just left for a couple of minutes. I can't understand, where did he go? I called the dog, but it came without him."

She talks without breathing.

"We'll find him don't worry" I say, glancing at Charles and putting a hand on Abigail's shoulder.

"He usually plays near the water or next to our tent. I don't understand, why he doesn't answer me?" she says desperately.

We walk back to camp and I see that also the other members of the group started looking for the boy.

Next to Abigail's tent, Dutch is talking with Kieran, Trelawny, Molly and Strauss.

I draw closer while Abigail runs in her tent, called by John.