Chapter 2

Awinita and the Martins arrived in Charleston the next afternoon. She liked going to Charleston and viewing the different merchant ships arriving from the islands in the Caribbean and England, but so far, English ships had not come to the colonies.

She and her brother Gabriel rode on horseback, following Benjamin and the children in the horse drawn carriage. Awinita's learned to ride horses at a very young and she loved riding her horse, a bay mare she named Lady. "What's going to happen today?" she asked her brother.

"Maybe we will finally receive some good fortune," Gabriel replied and his sister nods.

"Do you suppose Anne will be there?" she asked with a chuckle. Gabriel looks at her and he also chuckles. Anne Howard caught Gabriel's eye some years ago and in a prank, he slipped ink into her tea, causing her teeth to become black.

Awinita scolded him afterward, explaining that Anne would never forgive him and will perhaps pull the same prank on him someday. She also knew Gabriel liked Anne, which she became jealous of her brother. She hoped that she meet a man to fall in love with and settle down. However, no suitors went after her due to her native heritage. She still held onto that hope.

The Martins passed by a few people, including Mr. Peter Howard, the father of Anne Howard. Awinita and Gabriel stopped to listen to his words. "I fought for King George in the French and Indian War! I lost my leg and most of my hearing, but what does he reward me with?! Taxes! Ludicrous taxes!" he shouts and the people shouted in disgust and Awinita also felt the same disgust.

She then points out Anne in the crowd for Gabriel. "Why don't you say hello?" she asked and he nods, but she adds, "Don't do anything silly."

Gabriel walks over to Anne, but Awinita couldn't hear what they were saying. She goes to locate Benjamin and the family. She had heard that Elizabeth's sister Charlotte was also in Charleston.

Then, a man with greasy dark hair stops her in her tracks. "You can't go in there," he said.

"Why? Benjamin Martin is my father," she replied, but the man laughs in her face.

"PAH! You? You're just a filthy savage! You belong out in the woods with the rest of those uncivilized savages!" the man continues to laugh. Just then, someone grabs the man by the cuff of his shirt. It was Gabriel and he looked very angry.

"You call my sister a savage?! How dare you!" he shouts in his face. He pushes the man to ground and the man got real angry. He gets up and throws a punch, but he misses and Gabriel hits him in the back, causing him to fall again.

"What's all this?!" someone shouts. A group of soldiers had heard the commotion and rushed over.

"No one will fight among neighbors. We will fight against the British," one of them said and Awinita recognized him as Colonel Harry Burwell.

"We should fight against the savages! They steal our crops and animals! And Benjamin Martin has the nerve to raise this one alongside his children!" the man shouts and points a finger at her.

Burwell comes over and slaps the man's finger away and pushes him away. "I'll have you know that Awinita is a wonderful young lady. She helped me on a hunting trip and my hand was injured. Benjamin had taught her to dress wounds and reset sprains. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you get the hell away from her," he commands.

The man snorts at him and walks away. Awinita hated people who did not treat her like a human being. Some people thought she was an uncivilized savage. She had heard that many of the first Europeans who came to start the British colonies treated the natives like rodents. She was very sad that her ancestors were ill treated and perhaps her birth parents were also treated the same.

She decided to walk away from the meeting place, but Gabriel stops her, "Are you all right?" he asks and adds, "Don't listen to that man. He is crazy."

"I just need moments alone," she replies and walks over to a Spanish moss tree. She watches Gabriel enter the building. She was curious as to what the General Assembly will decide on what to do. She was afraid that the retaliation against England will lead to great conflict.

She then listens to the wind, her mother was trying to talk to her. Awinita's mind was still shaken by the man's words, but she suspected her mother was trying to tell her to be calm and never let hatred consume her.

Time had passed, Awinita had watched the people walk around and discussing their hopes and fears about an upcoming war. She then noticed a few soldiers setting up tables with parchments of paper and ink wells. She then saw Gabriel and they look at each other.

She walks over to him and asks, "I see uncertainty in your eyes, what is wrong?"

Gabriel takes her hand and replies, "I always treated you like a sister, but I want you to understand that life comes with hardships." He stops to catch his breath and adds, "I want to fight in the Continental Army."

Awinita thought she was going to faint when she heard those words. She squeezes his hand and says, "What about father? He will not let you go easy."

"I am doing this for our family, so we can live in a new free world," Gabriel replies and adds, "Take care of them when I am gone. They will look to you as a source of comfort."

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, she was ready to say something, but then a young boy shouts, "IT HAS BEEN PASSED!" There were cheers and guns going off in excitement. The two of them look over to the tables where young men and even veterans of the French and Indian War were signing their names to enroll into the army.

"I do believe our family should live in a free world," Awinita said to her brother and looks over to the tables. "Just promise me, don't die," she pleaded and Gabriel nods. He walks over to one of the tables and signs on a parchment.

Awinita then notices someone next to her, it was Benjamin and he was staring at Gabriel. He then looks at her, "You put him up to this?" he asked. A lump formed in her throat, but her brother walks to them.

"She did not, I want to do this," he said. Gabriel and his father exchange words and he walks away. Awinita then sees Colonel Burwell and he speaks to Benjamin.

She was wondering if Benjamin wanted Burwell to keep Gabriel out of the actually battlefield. She wasn't sure if Gabriel will stay out of fighting, she knew he was determined.

She was also determined to protect her family from any person who dared to harm them. She was going to keep her promise to her brother.

From the author: Sorry it took so long, but we are getting to the gritty stuff soon. See you later!