Daniel had initially planned for Hazel to start school the following summer, but obviously that plan had gone out the window. The doctors at the voluntary hospital had deduced that her condition had worsened a lot in a very short amount of time, which was very disconcerting. Her lungs failed to properly provide oxygen for her bloodstream, and due to this, her heart was weakening.

Daniel didn't dare let her out of the house any more, afraid that she'd might have a stroke any time. It was impossible to know if she was improving. Some days she would be fine, acting as if nothing was wrong at all. But others, she was very pale and slept the hours away. Due to this insecurity regarding her health, Daniel thought it best not to send her to school at all – he decided to teach her how to read and write himself instead.

They stepped into December and Christmas was closing in. Hazel had her birthday in the midst of the month, always right when the snow would start falling. She was convinced that the Lord made it snow in her honour every year; the thought may or may not have been encouraged by her older brother.

The sky was almost completely black outside, so Daniel had lit every candle and lantern in their small house. The Christmas sock he had made for Hazel hung discreetly by the stove, a place where their father wouldn't notice it. He had fetched some water from the well and heated it in order to prepare a bath for Hazel.

John wasn't home from the studio yet. He usually didn't work this late in the winter, so Daniel figured he was out mourning by his deceased wife's grave, like he had been doing every December for the past six years – even on his daughter's birthday.

Hazel sat on the couch, feeling as if her head was as heavy as lead. She wanted to help out, but she was unable to. Her body felt numb and her lungs were sore; simply breathing was a challenge in itself.

Daniel dragged the small iron tub into the middle of the living room and placed it on top of the cloth, he had spread out to prevent the water from splashing onto the wooden floor. He poured the hot water into the tub and checked the temperature, then grabbed a little piece of soap and stirred it into the water, making the surface foam.

"Hazel," he called and turned towards his younger sister. She didn't move an inch, just kept her head hanging low. He stood up and made his way over to her, gently grabbing her shoulder. "Hazel, the tub is ready."

Hazel jumped a bit, as if she had been asleep and he had just awakened her. She smiled meekly and nodded, following him over to the bath. She still seemed like she was a whole other place while Daniel helped her undress and get into the small container. "Oh!" Hazel exclaimed as she stepped into the water, "It's dead hot!"

Daniel chuckled, "Yes, it'll prevent you from catching a cold." He started scrubbing her with the brush.

Hazel turned silent and started playing around with the foam. Daniel's smile faded. He didn't like the way things had turned out. His sister was usually a chatty and light hearted child, and seeing her in such a gloomy mood seemed out of character to say the least. "So, let's revise some of what we talked about this past week," Daniel said, soaping her hair, "Give me an animal that starts with the letter E."

"Elephant," Hazel said.

"Very good. Now, this question is a bit harder; how do you spell it?"

Hazel was quiet for a second as she thought hard. She bit her lip in concentration, and when she caught Daniel glancing at her with a mischievous smile, she let out a nervous laugh. Daniel laughed as well. "Tell you what," he said, "We'll do some repetition of three letters, and then I'll tell you a fairytale. Deal?"

Finally Hazel lit up the way she used to, "Deal!"

And everything seemed to be back to normal. The siblings played around and had fun spelling various words with the letters, and eventually Daniel told her the story she was promised. Just as he finished the tale about Show White and Rose Red, the front door opened. The children immediately fell silent, gazing up at their father.

He watched them without uttering a word. The silence was deafening. It was as if it was a living form, compressing the atmosphere. The air was thick, almost suffocating, and not enough was said, yet too much.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, John finally broke free and dragged himself upstairs to his room. Hazel gave Daniel a questioning look. Daniel sincerely hoped that his baby sister didn't notice, for it wasn't very evident, but he had seen the thin, watery membrane that glazed over John's eyes as he had stared at Hazel; he had been crying.

1830

Christmas had come around and left again, and they plunged into a new year and straight back into work. Daniel had received another letter from Serena, saying that she was very thankful and that she looked forward to seeing him again. He decided not to answer; he didn't have money to pay for any more letters.

It was that time of the year when the sky was grey and the nature seemed confused between being covered by the white blanket of winter and flourishing the vibrant colours of springtime, not really having settled for neither of them. The snow was melting away, making the roads slippery; the most primitive of them were completely unusable. That meant for Daniel that he had to carry the bags of corn into Canterbury himself, for it was too dangerous to transport them by coach.

A usual February afternoon, Daniel finished his work somewhat early. The sky was still grey when he was on his way home – a dark grey, but at least not completely black. There was nothing Daniel hated more than when he had to walk home in the dark. The air was still cold, and Daniel's breath turned into an icy white ghost form in front of him. He tied his scarf tighter around his neck. He was not about to catch a cold and bring it back home to his fragile sister, that was for sure.

"Hey, Wilkinson!"

Daniel jumped slightly and turned around as he was pulled back. There was Henry, having Daniel's scarf in an iron grip. "Hello, Henry..." he mumbled, wincing by the rough grasp around his neck. Henry didn't seem to care – or he didn't hear. He quickly put his burly arm around the younger boy's small shoulders and dragged him into the dense scrub by the side of the road.

The tall blond pushed Daniel to the ground inside the thicket. Daniel tried to stand up, but without warning he received a kick in his stomach, feeling all the air in his lungs being knocked out of him. Lucky for him that he was wearing many layers of clothing, otherwise that kick could have caused a much more severe kind of damage. Daniel barely registered anything as he was lifted up. His thoughts could only process one thing, and that thing was the silent prayer to his guardian angel. Please, let this be over soon...

It all happened so fast, Daniel didn't have time to detect what was going on. Usually he only received one or two punches at a time, but Henry was particularly aggressive today. He towered over Daniel, beating him senseless as if there was no tomorrow. The younger boy tasted sweet metal, gasping to catch his breath. He tried in vain to crawl away, but there was no escape. With a last hit to the side of his head, Daniel felt his vision blur. He saw Henry step back in a haze.

He felt something warm and sticky spread from his temple. As he slowly regained conciousness, he saw the red stains in the muddy snow, and the splitting pain hit him like a hammer. Daniel felt the panic spread through his body, feeding his veins with adrenalin. He anxiously looked around, but Henry was nowhere in sight.

Henry Bedloe went to class carrying the anger of his bitter mother. He never cried, he made others cry instead. Pain is like that, you either become sad or you become angry. Henry always chose the latter. But something was different today. Henry normally only showed up in school, always having his pack with him – and he wasn't usually this violent.

Daniel felt his stomach squirm and gulped. He was beginning to fear that Henry's anger was pursuing him.

The rain was heavy outside. Everyone had been expecting the storm to hit Canterbury soon, and it seemed like tonight was the night.

Daniel frantically searched through the cupboards in the kitchen, unable to find the laudanum; Father must have rearranged them, but this was no good time to be fumbling around in the dark. Hazel was suffocating and coughing up blood to the point that Daniel was nearly afraid that it might really be it this time, and it would take too long to heat water for her inhaler. But with the lack of progress he was making trying to find the medicine, it might have been all the same.

He felt the dread building up. What was he going to do if he couldn't find the laudanum? He couldn't ask John, for he wasn't home yet, and besides – he knew how he was going to react. Daniel shivered and climbed on top of a chair to look on the upper shelves; he'd rather just find it himself.

Just then the only lantern lit in the house went out, leaving Daniel falling down from the chair in shock. He couldn't see anything, save for the streaks of lightning outside that bathed the small house in flashes. He heard Hazel's half strangled cries.

"D-Daniel... Please..."

Daniel wanted to answer her. He wanted to find the laudanum, but he simply couldn't move as he slowly sunk to his knees. He felt his breathing pick up and his palms become sweaty. The shadows crept across the room, coming his way. The light was gone, they could move freely now, there was no escape.

Then the front door slammed open. Suddenly there was light again and the shadows withdrew. John stepped inside with a lantern in hand and pushed the door close with great effort.

Daniel sat paralysed. For the next few moments everything went by in a blur, he only heard muffled voices and the sound of his own beating heart drumming in his ears. He didn't register anything until John began shouting at him. "What are you doing, boy? You've become careless about her all of a sudden?"

He jumped and looked up at his father. The stiff, dark beard had rain droplets dripping down onto the floor. "I-I…" Daniel stuttered, still terrified out of his mind due to the prior events. He suddenly remembered what had been urgent and got back up on his feet, "Father, the laudanum! Hazel needs it, I-I can't find it…"

He was cut short by a harsh slap to his cheek. He fell to the floor again, the right side of his face burning.

"You're damn right, she needs it! What the hell were you doing just sitting there? I moved the laudanum into your room a week ago! Are you completely daft?"

Hazel lay on the couch lifelessly. Daniel was unable to see if she was unconscious due to the thick hair covering her face. He really needed to fetch the medicine.

John wasn't done yet. "Don't tell me you are still afraid of the dark! How do you expect to get through life? I don't believe this!"

Daniel tried to stand up so that he could go to his room and get the laudanum, but his father grabbed him by his shirt and bellowed right into his face, "LISTEN WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"

"Father… Please…" he whispered, gently trying to make John loosen his grip.

"You just expect me to do your dirty little work, huh? I told you right from the start that it's a waste of time! She won't ever get better and you know it! We can't use her for anything, she's a waste of our money and resources and space! Why won't you just give up on her? SHE KILLED YOUR MOTHER!"

Daniel bit his lip and swallowed hard. He blinked back the tears, determined not to let his father see him cry.

John finally let go and threw the boy onto the floor. "Go get the damn laudanum!" he growled, "And don't forget to clean up the blood!" He shoved Daniel into his room and pulled a box from under the bed, "There it is! Don't forget!" He picked a bottle and threw it at Daniel. The boy nodded, afraid of further angering his father, and hurried into the living room to give his sister the medicine.

She wasn't completely unconscious. She lay on the couch, barely able to move, and her white nightgown completely soaked in blood. The pained expression on her face maimed a little piece of Daniel's heart.

John went to the stairs, but didn't ascend them – he merely stood, watching Daniel give the fragile girl her medicine. "She'd be better off dead," he said in a low voice, sending Daniel a furious glare, "She's not worth keeping alive."

Daniel defiantly looked his father in the eyes. You mean that she wasn't worth Mother's death.

The older man didn't utter another word. He went upstairs to his room, locking himself up for the night. Daniel sighed and focused his attention on his sister. Tears streamed down her face. "He hates me, Daniel… Because it was my fault that Mum died…" she sobbed, unable to keep from crying any more. She wasn't coughing up blood any longer, but rather choking on her tears.

"Hush, it's not true," Daniel said, though he knew that it was going to be difficult to comfort Hazel after this. So, instead of trying, he just let her cry while he held her.

The storm finally quieted down. Rain was still falling outside, but it was not hammering down on the roof and windows like earlier, and the thunder had ceased. For a while the silence dominated, and it felt somehow soothing. Hazel didn't speak up again until right before she fell asleep. "I just … want to show him that I'm not a waste of life..."

"You're not," Daniel whispered and stroked her hair, "He'll see someday. You're beautiful, Hazel. You should live, even if Mum didn't."

Her lids slid close, her lashes completely dry. A few moments later her breathing stilled.

Daniel unbuttoned her dress a bit to check up on the bruises on her chest. They had gotten darker and larger. The laudanum wasn't helping anything, but Daniel knew that already. It may have stalled the violent seizures, but it wasn't keeping Hazel's heart from breaking.

The miller didn't have a shift for Daniel, so there was no work today – unless John decided to drag his son back to the studio again, but he hadn't been doing that a lot as of lately. It seemed like Father was much content with working alone at the moment.

This noon the sun was shining. Not quite enough to actually warm the air, but there were no clouds and that was always a good sign. First came spring, then summer, and summer was the one temporary escape that he had.

He wandered the long road from school alone. He could take the shorter route to the village like all the other children in his class, but he didn't – he never did. He would rather walk alone. This way he could be sure that no one would bother him.

There was nothing but fields and trees on either side of the path, and occasionally he would walk past an isolated farmhouse, but not much else. He did feel relieved to be out of school, even though Henry hadn't been too bad today – a couple of comments and shoves was all that Daniel had had to deal with – but even despite that, he didn't feel completely calm. In fact, he was worried that he might be on the verge to paranoia. It was all too quiet. Too peaceful.

Daniel wasn't stupid. He knew better than to relax immediately just because he was out of the school grounds, especially after what had happened barely two months ago. Nowhere was safe any more. There was never any escape. Things like this live with you always. How could he know if Henry would show up down the road or even at his house? Was he that mad? Would he do that?

He shook off the thought of his sadistic classmate. There was still a bit of a walk till he reached the small gathering of houses that made up the village he lived in, and he was better off focusing on something else.

The village wasn't an actual village, it was just one of many small communities scattered around Canterbury. It was definitely not the poorest part of town. Though not the very ideal place to live, many of the families here were well off thanks to their livestock and independent shops.

John and his wife had once qualified as a middle class working family and certainly had had a fair amount of money, like Hazel had mentioned. John still ran his studio, but he had been forced to close the store he had rented in the town centre. Evelyn had been a tailor. She used to sell her dresses and suits alongside John's furniture and sculptures. Daniel was just a small five year old boy. Evelyn became pregnant with Hazel, and John saw it as a blessing back then.

But then the financial crisis began; it started in London, and though it didn't seem significant to the high class, it escalated quickly out on the country. Canterbury's farmers and shopkeepers suffered greatly due to this. Daniel remembered vividly how John had changed his mind about the unborn embryo in a heartbeat. Evelyn fell ill and couldn't work. The tone changed completely. The shop in the city was closed.

1823

"Don't tell me that you're ill again! It's that baby, isn't it?"

"John, it is no one's fault… It just happens once in a while when a woman is pregnant…"

Daniel pulled his cover up over his head. His parents probably thought that he was sleeping. How silly, how could anybody sleep with the noise they were making?

A low snarl, then a loud crash was heard, and John screamed. Evelyn let out a small wimp.

"Oh, John! Did you hurt yourself? Please, be careful…"

"Of course I'm hurt, I rammed my hand into a bloody vase, Evelyn!"

Evelyn obviously tried to reason and take care of her husband's wound, but John was intractable. "Why is it always the children? I give them everything, and they let me down! Show no respect!"

"John, Daniel is doing his best… And this baby has not even had a chance yet…"

"SHUT UP, Evelyn!"

Daniel winced on his mother's behalf. At least he didn't hear a slap. Father loved Mother a lot. He only hurt her when it was really necessary, that was what she always said.

There was silence for a while before John spoke again, "We cannot afford it. We won't be able to live only on my income. This damned crisis..."

"I know, dear," Evelyn said softly, "I know… I will keep working…"

"You can't. You are ill."

"Surely I can fix together a couple of shirts and trousers for the gentlemen Thatcher and Burns, they were so generous-"

"That's final, Evelyn! Not another word!" One of the lanterns in the living room were put out. Suddenly John became alert, "What is this? Is the boy not sleeping?"

Daniel hiccuped in shock. He had forgotten to close the door completely!

"Daniel! You should be sleeping! How dare you disrespect my command?"

He knew it was too late to try and pretend to be asleep, his father already stood in the door frame. John swiftly walked over to the bedside table and reached for the lit lantern. Daniel sat up horrified and grabbed his father's arm, "Daddy, no!"

"Give me that lantern, you're wasting oil. You're too old to sleep with the lights on, Christ!" John barked and pushed Daniel back in the bed. One fleeting second, and all was dark.

The boy tried not to sob. There was no use in protesting. John marched out of the room again, slamming the door behind him. Muffled voices could still be heard on the other side.

"John, he is but a child… And after the incident in the basement last month, it is no wonder he is still afraid!"

"He's a man! He should act like one!"

"But darling- !"

"We're done, Evelyn!"

And all went silent.

Finally the small stable on the outskirts of the village came into sight. It was empty. It was nothing unusual, the animals were in the pen at this time of day.

Daniel walked further into the streets, past several houses and a barn. There were not many people around; most of his classmates would already have gotten home by this time. A couple of children younger than him ran around in the large space qualifying as the plaza. Only a single worn out fountain filled the square, but the water was too dirty to drink. Everyone fetched water from the well a little bit further outside the village. He turned around a corner and hurried down a small street.

Something was off. It took him a little while to notice, but it was unmistakable – someone was following him.

Not just one, it was many. Suddenly his classmates started showing up; they ran out of their houses, going in the same direction as Daniel. Even a few younger children joined, and a lot of others he didn't know. What is going on? he thought.

He picked up his pace and turned around the corner. Even though there still was a fair distance to his house from where he stood, he got a clear view of it – and the crowd right outside it.

Daniel halted and stared. Why were all his classmates gathered around his house? He ran the last bit over to the isolated small building. They seemed to be laughing a great deal and playing with something, throwing it in between each other...

His eyes widened. It was Hazel's plush toy!

"Hey! Stop that, give it back!" he yelled and ran inside the middle of the assembly. The boy holding on to the toy just laughed and threw it right over Daniel's head to another boy standing nearby.

"Does Wilkinson want his bunny?"

Daniel turned around, only to be faced with Henry. He looked very amused. Daniel didn't have the patience for this. "It is not yours, Henry," he said in a low voice, "Give it back!"

Henry laughed, "Or else what, Danny? Are you going to beat me up? As if!"

Daniel felt sick. "Where is Hazel?"

"Your sister locked herself in, she was too scared to try and get her precious toy back. I guess cowardice runs in the family!"

Everyone laughed. Daniel fisted his hands, his blood boiling. "Don't talk about my sister like that!"

"Daniel, no empty threats are ever going to make you intimidating," Henry cackled. His swamp green eyes glinted mischievously in the sunlight. Every subtle comment was another challenge, an anticipation for Daniel to crack – pushing him to his limits, trying to get a reaction.

Another boy named Jonah bid in, "I bet his mother got into another man's bed! That is why Daddy hates baby sis so much!"

"She probably died of the cooties!" another one said, and the whole crowd laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

But it was not funny.

Daniel wanted to say something, but the boys started to push him back and forth. The girls stood further away, just watching the whole ordeal while they laughed as if it was some kind of show.

"So we know why his dad hates his sister so much… What excuse does Danny-boy himself have?" a boy, Daniel recognized as Sebastian from his class, said before giving another push. Sebastian was a regular member of the pack, Henry brought with him whenever he felt like terrorising Daniel.

"Just the simple reason that he's a weakling who cannot even take care of his own family," Henry said with a malicious grin plastered over his face.

That was it. Something snapped inside of him. Daniel took a swipe with his fist, but the boys moved away from him before he managed to hit anyone. Everyone gasped, obviously not having expected him to fight back – but Daniel wasn't done yet. He felt nothing but bitter rage. He wanted to show them all that he definitely wasn't a weakling.

He aimed for Henry. Henry quickly served Daniel a badly aimed punch; he must have still been recovering from the shock of the smaller boy's sudden outburst, for it was unlike Henry not to hit precisely. Daniel fell back onto the ground, completely disoriented from taking the blow. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

"You want to start a fight, Wilkinson?" Henry roared, "You want to start a riot?" The others cheered and started chanting Henry's name over and over again.

Daniel looked up at Henry through a blurred vision. He was bathing in his triumph. Everyone was clapping and cheering. A streak of blood ran down from the corner of Daniel's mouth over his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand and slowly stood up.

The cheering subsided. Henry looked at Daniel again. "What now? You want more?" he said with a wry smile.

"You know," Daniel said without looking up from his feet, "You're one to talk about fornication."

Henry's smile vanished immediately. "What did you say?" He took a step forward.

"At least my mother was married," Daniel kicked a stone, "before giving birth to her children. Much unlike your own castaway and disowned mother."

For a moment there was silence. Electricity filled the air. No one made a sound. Breaths were being held.

Henry looked as if he had just seen a ghost. Then he charged.

"You littleRAT!"

Daniel dodged the attack, resulting in Henry falling onto the ground instead. This obviously didn't ease Henry's mood. Everyone had stopped cheering and chanting. They just stared in shock.

Henry tried desperately to hit Daniel again. "You have no idea what you're talking about! You know NOTHING about me and Mum! NOTHING!"

Daniel's heart was beating furiously. He had never seen Henry like this before. Tears streamed down his face – tears of rage. His anger had made him completely out of control of his emotions. "YOU'RE A LIAR! A DIRTY LIAR! GO TO HELL!"

One last time he jumped on Daniel, but a luckily placed kick made Henry scream in pain and curl up on the ground, clutching his groin. Everyone gasped.

Daniel stopped and stared, unable to believe what had just happened. He didn't know how he had been able to do that – it wasn't even his intention. It was pure instinct!

Henry just lay there, moaning. Daniel felt paralysed. What now? Was he supposed to claim victory by killing Henry? He couldn't do that! He had never imagined he'd ever actually win a fight against him. He wasn't prepared!

"Come on, Daniel, take him out!" someone yelled.

The others complied, and suddenly everyone began chanting again – this time, "Daniel! Daniel!" It was surreal.

Daniel grabbed a rock lying on the ground, a fairly large one. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his head. The other children cheered him on. His name voiced in a steadily rising pace, urging him to do it. Am I really doing this? the young boy thought and struck his victim with a rock.

Henry let out a piercing scream, almost as agonised as the one Daniel had heard him cry out back when he had witnessed his mother abusing him. He regretted it immediately. What have I done?

"DANIEL!" a familiar voice roared.

There was no more cheering. Everyone fell silent. The man standing before them was not someone to mess around with. Daniel gulped, knowing that his father would not let this go unpunished.

He fell to the kitchen floor. Tears were beginning to well in his eyes as he received the first kick in his stomach. Hazel remained hidden, in fear she too would be punished.

"Do you know what I have to deal with now? That trashy lady is going to come after me because of you!"

The second kick made Daniel gasp for air. He coughed, trying to scramble away from his father, but his body let him down and he collapsed back onto the floor instead. John took a sip of his bottle. "You think that boy has anger problems? Imagine how mad his mother is!"

Hazel flinched when Daniel received another kick, holding on tightly to her Mr. James. She wanted it to stop; it was her fault and she just let Daniel take the beating. But still she remained frozen in her spot behind the couch in the living room.

John started to unwrap his belt. "You cause nothing but trouble, you worthless brat! Why am I burdened with such a disrespectful child? You should have never been born!"

An even more unbearable pain stroke across Daniel's shoulder blade and cheek. He let out a cry. The cut burned and a small drop of blood ran down the side of his face. John grabbed his arm and started to rip off his shirt. His heart sped up, fear coming over him. "No, Father!"

John didn't care about his son's pleading. It only took a moment before Daniel's back was bare and he was thrown back onto the floor. He didn't even have time to brace himself before the belt sliced through the air.

Hazel squeezed her eyes close as her brother's scream filled the house. She tried not to sob too loudly.

"Dad, please…" Daniel whimpered, tears streaming down his face as well as blood running down his back. John heard nothing. He continued to whip his son without mercy. He put all of his anger into each one of the lashes, not caring about the amount of pain and damage he brought upon the small boy.

Eventually his fury subsided and he lowered his arm. By this time, Daniel's back was completely smeared in blood. He squeezed himself up against the wall, covering his face and shaking uncontrollably. The man took a last sip of the bottle, pouring the rest over his son. Daniel's body stiffened as the liquid slid into the wounds on his back, and he let out a small sob.

"Drink, son," John said with a slurred voice, "It will make the pain go away."

Daniel didn't make a sound. He fisted his hands, not bothering to try and wipe his face. It felt like his back was on fire, and the alcohol did not reduce the pain one bit – quite the contrary.

John trudged over to the cupboard and grabbed another bottle. The whole reason why he had showed up at all was because he had run out of whisky, so he had gone home to stock up. "I should lock you up in the closet," John growled, "Or the basement. Else you'll just end up assaulting some other poor kid."

"Not the basement..." Daniel whispered. Indifferent grey eyes watched as the boy finally broke down completely, lying on the floor. John didn't say any more. He just walked out of the door, slamming it behind him.

Hazel was also crying. If only she could have done something. But Daniel had ushered her into hiding behind the couch as soon as he was thrown inside the living room, merely a moment before John had grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen. She peeked out of her safe haven and moved over towards Daniel. She reached a hand out to grab his shoulder.

"Don't touch me."

She lowered her hand again and looked at him with tearful green eyes. Daniel didn't cry any more. He just drew in deep breaths, his shoulders rising and falling, shivering ever so slightly. Hazel couldn't bear it any longer. "I'm sorry, Danny," she sobbed.

There was a long pause. "Why … did you open the door …?"

She knew what he was referring to. "I... T-they asked if you were home... They told me that they were your friends…"

Daniel sat up slowly. He tried not to lean his back against the wall. "Hazel... I don't have any friends," he mumbled, "Not other than Serena. Don't trust other children..."

"I know, Danny, I'm sorry," she said, wiping the tears that wouldn't stop falling, "T-they took Mr. James, and look, they tore his belly!"

Hazel handed her plush bunny to Daniel and he examined it. There was indeed a tear in its stomach, but nothing too severe. It just needed a bit of sewing. "Don't worry, Hazel," he said, "I'll take care of it."

"But first you need to take care of yourself!" she exclaimed and stood up to get the first aid kit.

"And you need to be in your bed," Daniel said, moaning as he shifted into another position, "You're ill, remember?"

Hazel put her hands on her hips in an attempt to look authoritative. "Don't tell me you really think that my illness is more urgent than those cuts! Besides, I'm feeling fine today..."

Daniel gathered himself and stood up. "Just go to bed again, Hazel," he said and grabbed a towel from the closet in the kitchen, "I am going to shower."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Hazel said, fidgeting with her braids. Daniel nodded with a gentle smile, before dragging himself out to the modest shower cabin at the back of the house. What he needed most right now was to wash away the shame.