Author's Note: Hi everyone! I want to thank everyone for reading these long chapters. It means a lot to me. THANKS! :) I would like to personally thank SyperOtakuOfAwesome, EndlessLabyrinth and a guest for reviewing. Your comments mean so much! Thank you!

Chapter 4: Standing Up Part One

It was quiet. There was nothing to be said and there was nothing to be done. Jack was gone for the day with his father to another settlement to trade their newborn calf for a new foal and to try to trade goose eggs for chicken eggs. Her mother was hanging the laundry on the rope to dry when she left the cottage.

Pippa walked on the dirt path to the harvest ground with Pal the doll pony Jack had made for her. She was going to meet Anna and Devon at the end of the path to play dolls with Anna. She didn't know why Devon wanted to come, but she thought they could all play hide and seek after she and Anna finished playing dolls.

"Hi Pippa!" Called Anna when she saw her friend coming into view.

"Hi Anna!"

Pippa quickly ran up to her friend.

"Do you have your doll?"

Anna held up a cloth doll of a girl.

"Can Pal give Mary a ride?"

"Yeah. Where's Devon?" Pippa asked when she didn't see Anna's twin.

"He said he would come and join us in a bit. He had to collect the eggs for mother before he could play."

"Oh."

The two girls ran off onto the harvest grounds playing dolls. They sat in the green grass and played tea party. Soon after they played a game of tag. Their laughter would ring out through the harvest ground as they tried to catch one another.

"Ow!" Anna cried suddenly.

She stopped chasing after Pippa placing her hand on the back of her head.

"Anna! Are you hurt?" Asked Pippa running back to her friend.

"Uh... I don't think, but I think Devon must have gotten hurt though. May we go back? I have to look for him."

"Of course. I'll help."

Pippa knew Anna and Devon could feel if one another had gotten hurt. Such as the time Jack accidentally knocked Anna out of a tree and she gotten a broken arm. For a day Devon got a headache.

"Come on let's go!"

Pippa ran onto dirt path closely followed by Anna. They looked through out the settlement. They looked behind houses, in barns and up trees, but there was no sign of him.

"He's not here," called Pippa as she got down from the hayloft.

"Then where could he be?"

Pippa shrugged her shoulders. For a moment both girls thought of where Devon could be. What would Jack do? Where could Devon be? Pippa thought. A grin lit up her face and she snapped her finger.

"Ha! The bakers? Have we tried there yet Anna?"

Anna shook her head no and both girls ran out of the barn. As they ran down the dirt road that lead to the bakery they heard screams coming from the direction they were heading and stopped.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Pippa recognized the screams. Now what did they do? She thought as two boys barreled up the road.

"Hide us!" Shouted Andy.

"Where?"

"Any where!" Brady shouted back.

They dove behind a bush. Anna looked at the bush in shock and Pippa just shrugged. Brady was tall muscular boy with light brown hair who was two years older than Jack while Andy was a year older than Jack and was thin with amber hair.

"Get back here! And face me like men!"

The baker's son came roaring up the path with a stick in his hand. He stopped by the small girls.

"Why hello miss Pippa, miss Anna," The backer's son gave a nod at the two girls.

"Good afternoon Mr. Brendon."

"Have you two seen Andy and Brady?"

"No, sorry we haven't," replied Pippa while Anna shook her head "no."

Brendon gave a sigh and ran his fingers through his curly red hair.

"Maybe they are hiding in town," Pippa suggested.

"Maybe," considered Brendon. "Thank you."

"Have you seen my brother?" Anna asked.

"No sorry, but I did see a few older boys rough housing a little past the bakery though."

"Thank you."

And with that he took off running down the dirt path.

"All clear," Pippa called when Brendon was an ear shot away.

The two boys stumbled out of the bush.

"Thanks," said Brady as he pulled leaves from his hair. "Your lying has gotten better."

"Yeah thanks," Andy said as he untangled a branch from his hair.

"What happened to you?"

"Well miss Pippa, idiot over here tried to kiss the baker's daughter and was caught, by Brendon," Andy explained looking accusingly at Brady.

"Hey I can't help if she's a fine woman," Brady defended himself then suddenly noticed Jack wasn't around. "Hey where's Trickster? Isn't he around?"

Pippa shook her head. "No he's helping Father today. Have you two seen Devon?"

"Do you recall seeing the little lad Andy?" Asked Brady who shook his head "no."

"Yes, I think I did see the lad. We passed him while we were running. Like Brendon we saw the poor lad was getting a rough housing from a group of boys."

Pippa exchanged looks with Anna and ran down the path.

"Thanks!" Shouted Pippa.

"No problem! Tell the Trickster we said 'hi' when he returns home!" Brady shouted back.

As they ran down the dirt path they could hear boys shouting. When they arrived Devon was thrown into the mud.

"Devon!" Shouted Anna as both girls rushed to his side.

"Hey look Devon's sister came. Did you feel your brother's pain?" Exclaimed a cruel voice and the boys laughed. "And she brought along Jack's as well. Do you want to play dolls?"

"Leave us alone Jake," said Pippa as she helped Devon stand up.

All the children in the settlement knew Jake. He was mean and cruel to everyone especially to younger children. He loved to make them cry and play roughly with them. Especially Pippa. After Jack had humiliated him in front of everyone Jake had sworn to get him back and took any opportunity he could to try to get back at Jack by using Pippa.

"Where's Jack? I hoped he would play today," mocked Jake.

"Leave my brother out of this."

Her blood began to boil and her temper began to fuse.

"What's this?" Jake grabbed Pippa's doll and held it out of her reach.

"Hey! That's mine Jake! Give it back," cried Pippa as she tried to jump for the doll.

"Who made this thing? Its so ugly!"

The boys who were watching laughed.

"Give it back!"

"Was it your mother? If it is her she did a terrible job," sneered Jake as he stepped back, letting Pippa fell into the mud.

"No! Give it Jake!"

"Was it Jack? I didn't know Jack plays with dolls?" Jake gave a wicked grin to Pippa. "Should we see how good the stitching is?"

"Don't hurt him," Pippa screamed as she tried to lunge at Jake, but a boy knocked her down.

"Give it back to Pippa," exclaimed Devon as he tried to get to Jake, but was also pushed down. Then another brutally knocked Anna into the mud, who followed her twin. Turning her blond hair into sludge brown.

Pippa stood up again. "Give it to me!" But Jake had other plans. Her eyes filled with terror as she watched Jake rip off each leg one by one.

"No! Stop! Please!"

But he was not finished. He placed one hand on the head of her doll and the other on its neck. With all his strength he ripped the doll's head a part and threw it into the mud. Like blood the spring grass fell out around the cloth doll's body.

With tears swelling up in her eyes she kneeled down to the poor doll.

Pippa bit her lip until she tasted blood to not give Jake the satisfaction of seeing her tears.

"Are you going to cry? Over a doll?" Jake mocked.

She shook her head attempting to be brave, but felt her fear starting to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes tight trying harder not to cry. She thought of her brother and tried hard to think of what he might do.

"Are you praying Jack might save you? Are you hoping he comes to your rescue? Pathetic."

Pippa's eyes shot open when she realized what Jake was about to do and dove on to her broken doll taking the brunt of the force. He meant to kick the doll's body, but kicked into her head when she threw herself on top of the horrid pieces of the dead doll. She bit her lip harder as she absorbed the pain trying not to scream. Taken back Jake could say nothing at first. He stared at the girl and started to back away.

"Pippa!" The twins cried and rushed to her side.

"Jack is going to get you," said Devon who hugged Pippa.

"If he want to get me than he'll has to fight me. But I'll give him two black eyes before he will ever win in a fight," said Jake. "Lets get out of here."

He ran up the path toward the town followed by the other boys leaving the muddy trio behind.

"Pippa are you alright? How do you feel?" Anna asked franticly.

Pippa swallowed back her tears and looked up. The twins gasped when she pushed her bangs back revealing what would soon be a black eye. She gently touched her eye, but cringed when her finger met contact with the swollen skin.

"It hurts," She confessed letting her muddy bangs cover her eye.

"Pippa, I'm sorry," Devon said as he turned his head. "This is all my fault."

Anna and Pippa looked at him confused then softly smiled.

"Its not your fault. It was mine," Pippa said giving her friend a reassuring pat on the back.

Devon gave a thankful smile at her. Anna was the first to notice the sun starting to go down.

"We better go. We don't want to miss supper," Anna said as she stood up whipping off what she could off of he blue dress.

"Yeah we better. I'll be the first one in town," shouted Pippa who quickly got up and began to run up the path. Anna soon followed she laughed as she tried to pass her friend and clutched Mary doll in her left hand.

"Pippa! Your doll!" Shouted Devon, but Pippa was to far away to hear and soon he realized he would be left behind in the dark. "Hey! Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!"

He swiftly got up and took after the girls. Leaving the broken cloth doll in the mud.