I stayed with Paul the whole night. I would not be separated from his side. All night we drifted in and out of sleep taking breaks from sharing information about our lives. There was nothing to hide now, and it was refreshingly free to be able to talk with Paul about everything from my life. I loved this man more because he saw beyond my past, my terror, my nightmares to what I was now.

A woman trying to find her way in life.

We had made our own little world inside the caravan. Nothing and no one could touch us. Which is why my heart started to fall when I saw the sun fast approaching. The creeping light mocking us as it disturbed our peace.

Paul could sense my anxiety, "Nothing will change my love." He smiled and my heart fluttered as his eyes caught the rays of light turning them a deeper pale blue.

Leaning forward I pressed my lips to his.

"I trust you." Saying it more for him than myself. There was a knock on the door. Quickly I sat down in the chair by the bed but then Paul started flapping his arms.

"What?" Panicking thinking he was in pain or something was wrong.

"Your arm." He whispered as the door opened. Gasping I looked down to see my tattoo exposed to the world. I yanked my sleeve down so hard I thought I would rip the fabric.

Jimmy came in and shut the door. I had a brief moment to mouth a 'thank you' to Paul who smiled in return.

"Hello Jimmy, how are you this morning?" Asking in a polite tone but frowning noticing the sour look on his face.

"What's wrong mate?" Paul inquired.

There was a pause, "I'm leaving...today." Startled we both stared at him, "Esmeralda and I are picking up and heading out...together."

I was speechless.

Silence ticked by.

"She loves me, she wants to be with me. I figured if you could get your happy ending then maybe I could too." Gesturing to Paul and I.

"Jimmy...are you sure about this?" Carefully asking him.

His shoulders slumped, "I thought you'd guys be excited for us." His face sank.

"No, no mate we are..." Paul trailed off.

I cut in, "We just do not want to see you get hurt."

Silence once more.

Chewing my lip I considered what Jimmy wanted and life was short. Too short. I was all too painfully aware of that fact. Jimmy just wanted to be loved and live his life.

Standing I gave him a hug, "You must promise to write. Against my better judgement I have actually grown to like you." Feeling the chuckle in his body.

"We want you to be happy Jimmy, and if Esmeralda makes you happy then you have our blessing." Paul said with a smiled.

Giving him a final squeeze I let him go and sat back down taking Paul's hand in mine.

"Thanks guys...but there is one thing I gotta do before we leave. That's why I came to talk to you both."

"What do you need to do?" Questioning him.

"I think you both were right, about Elsa I mean. The deal with the twins." Jimmy explained to us.

Paul and I exchanged glances, "What made you change your mind mate?"

"I don't know...after what happened last night...the way she acted. It just doesn't feel right anymore." Jimmy rubbed his neck.

"So what are you going to do?" Trying to figure this out.

"I'm gonna go to Dandy Mott and ask him myself if he knows anything about the twins; if he has them." Telling us.

"Are you sure that is safe?" Worry etching my features, "He does not seem like the worlds most stable person."

"I'll be alright. I mean I gotta get back to Esmeralda." He gave a soft smile, "When I get back we're leaving."

"Just let us know what you find out." Paul told him.

Jimmy nodded before leaving the trailer.

"And I thought America would be simple." Mumbling out loud.

The next two days were tense to say the least.

Jimmy brought the twins back, but I could tell not everyone, especially Jimmy, believed they left the camp of their own accord. That their story about wanting to experience the finer things in life was a lie.

I did not know what to believe.

Who to believe.

Jimmy and Paul stuck to their theory on Miss Elsa selling the twins to Dandy.

Miss Elsa said she lied only because the twins asked her too. That she was helping them all along.

My head was swimming with ideas and theories. I desperately wanted to believe that Miss Elsa would not sell two people just for her own benefit. Whether it was out of greed or jealously.

Or both.

Still. Something in my heart told me the balance was off.

Somebody was lying.

The only good thing was that Paul was healing well and was now out of the woods.

Esmeralda was angry with Jimmy that they did not leave town yet and I could see in her eyes questioning when they would. I know Jimmy wanted to leave just as badly as she did, but he was a family man. Right now something, whatever it was, was off with his family. So he stayed.

No one had seen Dell in three days. Not that most people were complaining. But I myself had the feeling he would bring trouble when he would show up again.

Top it off, Miss Ethel was feeling awful because of her liver so I volunteered to go with Desiree to take her to the doctor in town.

"Miss Ethel, we'll get this taken care of." Desiree soothed as we each held onto Miss Ethel to help her walk.

"Don't you worry about me. The good doctor's gonna fix me up, right as rain." She told us.

"You be sure and book your surgery." Miss Ethel added with a smile at her.

Desiree beamed, "Oh I will. I can hardly wait." I grinned at her enthusiasm as we walked up to the door.

"Closed for business? What on earth?" All three of us stared at the sign on the door.

"How can a doctor be closed for business?" Asking aloud.

Desiree opened the door. We stepped inside and called out but got no reply. All of us walked towards the doctors office only to find a woman packing everything away.

"Where's Dr. Bonham?" I asked this woman.

"He's dead." The woman bristled at us. We all gasped and went into despair.

"Spare me the theatrics. I'm not a fan of yours." She verbally spat at us.

This woman was so nasty. I disliked her so much yet I did not even know her name!

"Well you're a very rude young woman." Miss Ethel echoed my thoughts.

"Who are you?" Desiree asked her.

"I'm his daughter." She answered.

"Oh, you're the one he moved down here for?" Miss Ethel spoke.

"No. I'm the other one. The one without a husband and children." There was a pause and some obvious hostility in that particular relationship that made me feel uncomfortable, "I came down from Boston to bury him."

"What happened to him?" I inquired.

"You killed him!" She yelled at us.

"We did no such thing!" Yelling back at her. Miss Ethel put her hand on my arm and tried to soothe me.

"Your very existence challenged his beliefs in God and science." Screeching at us, "So before he blew his brains out, he took a hammer and smashed both of his hands. The hands of a surgeon!"

"Oh God, what am I gonna do now?" Desiree appeared if she was about to cry. I did not even want to think about Miss Ethel.

"You're gonna get out, before I call the cops!" She told us.

Pausing I thought this over.

The statement of events did not make any sense.

"I am sorry he killed himself?" Asking her.

"Yes." She clipped back.

"And he broke both of his hands?" Repeating what she told us.

"Yes!" Yelling again, "All because of you people!"

"How?" Analyzing the situation.

"What do you mean how?" This woman screeched yet again throwing her hands in the air, "He took the gun..."

"No I am not asking that. I am asking how a man can break one of his hands, take the hammer and some how manage to hold it in his other hand while he possessed enough force to break the other hand; and then still manage to shoot himself in the head." Breaking down my theory.

Everyone fell quiet as they took in my words.

"It does not add up." Stating to her.

A few more seconds of silence went by before she started screaming at us, "Get out now!" We all hurried out of the house.

"You're right Lina, it don't make any sense." Desiree said as we slammed the door behind us.

Pausing on the front porch of the house I was trying to think. If this woman did not want to really believe what happened to her father then what could I do to find the truth?

"Desiree do you think you can get Miss Ethel back to camp by yourself?"

"Yeah I can...why?" Desiree was looking at me funny.

"I need to see someone." Descending the stairs but Miss Ethel caught my arm.

"Now hold on where you going?" She asked me.

"Do not worry I will be fine. I am just going to try to get to the bottom of this." Telling them, "If I am not back by sundown have Jimmy come into town to find me."

With that I left them and began jogging to the police station.

Entering through the doors I noticed the man at the desk grimaced when he saw me.

How pleasant that I was remembered.

"Is Deputy Chief Thomas Anderson here?" Inquiring with force.

As if on command Thomas appeared from his office.

"Madalina what are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Thomas began questioning in worry.

"Please tell me you have not buried Doctor Bonham yet."

Jimmy did eventually have to find me in town. It took a long time to try and tell Thomas everything I thought was wrong with the death of Dr. Bonham. Luckily it did make sense to Thomas when I explained it to him, though convincing the Chief of Police was a different story.

Thomas said to leave that to him, "No offense Madalina but the Chief hates you after what happened with Meep." I could tell it pained him to have to tell me this but all I did was laugh.

"I had a feeling I was not his most favorite person in the world." Thomas smiled at me and told me he would stop by the camp when he had the chance to fill me in on what happened with the Chief.

Giving him a hug I left the station and made my way to the post office to check my mailbox. Opening it I found two letters, one from Eliezer and one from Petras. No doubt writing to scold me about loving a man I had just met. I had a feeling in both letters there would be a vague threat of coming to America to take me home.

"Lina!" My name was shouted.

Exiting the post office I found Jimmy standing in front of his bike.

"Jimmy, hello. I am sorry you had to come to town, I should have just told your mother that I would walk back."

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's fine as long as you're okay. Who did you need to see in town?"

Letting out a sigh, "That is a long story." Silently communicating now was not the time nor place to go into detail.

"Looks like you got some letters from home." Jimmy gestured to my hand.

My face slightly crumpled as my shoulders drooped.

Jimmy sat up straighter, "What is it?"

"I do not really know what...where my home is anymore." Confessing to him. Lithuanian was no longer my home. France and Eliezer were no longer my home. I did not even know if America would be my home.

My home was taken from me. Murdered in an instant along with my innocence.

"Sometimes home isn't a place. Sometimes it's with the people you care about no matter where you are." He said softly.

I looked at the sun that began to fade onto the horizon, "I miss them." Whispering, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Jimmy stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. There was silence but it was welcomed as it enveloped us. But the letters left like leaded weights in my hand.

The iron door began to produce a small noise from the other side.

Then another noise.

A pounding.

Until it was not just one, but five, ten, no fifty maybe a hundred noises pounding from the other side of the door.

Fists beating against the iron. Trying to escape. Trying to be free.

Stepping forward I peered through the small glass window.

Screaming. Writhing in torment. Choking on the air surrounding them. Faces. Hundreds of them, dying; while I stood and watched.

Doing nothing. Saying nothing.

A face appeared on the opposite side of the glass startling me.

"Senelis!" Screaming as I watched my grandfather. I grabbed the door handle and began to pull.

Nothing.

I tried again. Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

Pounding on the door I screamed for help.

No one answered except the screams from the iron door.

My grandfather's face turned purple as he let out one more gasp before disappearing from my view.

Everything went quiet. The screams, the writhing, the pounding stopped.

"Senelis! Senelis!" Screeching as I banged harder on the door.

Harder, harder, harder! Cursing for the door to open!

"Open!" Shouting as someone yanked me from the door.

"Lina! Wake up!" Someone was shaking me. My eyes snapped open.

Jimmy was standing over me as I tried to fill my lungs with air while I choked down my sobs.

"Hey, hey it's okay, you're alright. It was only a dream." Struggling as I pulled myself from him.

Only a dream! Only a dream! It was a nightmare, real and true.

"What is it?" Questioning as I tried to bring myself together, "Is it Paul?"

"It's Eve, somethings happened. She's with my ma and Suzy. She needs to be looked over so ma told me to get you." He explained. I went to move but realized I was still in bed in my nightgown.

"Could you..." Trailing off as I moved to cover myself and my left arm.

"Oh..what? Yeah sorry." He flustered out as he turned around.

"What happened to Eve? How did she hurt herself?" Asking as I grabbed my cardigan and slipping my shoes on.

There was a pause, "Dell attacked her." Immediately I stilled, "We think he was trying to rape her." All the air that I had tried to put back in my lungs escaped once more.

"Where is he now?" Questioning in a disbelieving whisper.

I knew that when Dell reappeared at camp he would bring the worst kind of trouble with him.

"We don't know. He fled camp right after Eve kicked his ass." A small smile appeared on Jimmy's face with that last information.

Reaching for my bag I opened my wardrobe and tucked my First Aid kit inside along with some clean rags.

The walk to Miss Ethel's trailer was quiet as the dawn began creeping into the sky.

The first one I heard was Eve, "And all I can think about is his grubby hands all over me." Eve winced and tried to remove her hand from a bowl.

"No, keep your hand on ice. Your swelling will never go down." Miss Ethel told her as her hand went back on the ice, "Oh Lina thank God you're here."

I tried to smile but could only muster one barely touching my lips. Setting my bag down I kneeled and took in Eve's face.

"Some minor cuts. You will have a few bruises but those should heal in a few days, maybe a week." Looking her over, "Eve did you hit your head on anything hard?" Asking her.

She nodded, "When we crashed to the floor."

"Okay I am going to perform a test to see if you have a concussion, just follow my fingers." She followed my instructions as I moved my fingers passed her head and into her line of sight watching to see her pupils.

"I do not think you have a concussion but you should lightly ice your head if you feel pain."

Thoroughly I examined Eve's hand to check if it was broken.

"Dell's done a lot of rotten things, but this? He must be out of his got to get our facts straight so when we go to the cops." Nodding my head at his sound plan.

"Cops?" Miss Ethel broke in staring at her son as if he had two heads, "You of all people saying that."

She shook her head, "Dell is our problem; we're gonna fix it." Seemingly adamant.

"But Miss Ethel if we involve Thomas I know he will try and do everything he can. I mean look at what he did for us in the woods." Speaking the truth.

Again she shook her head, "We're gonna sneak into his trailer, kill him."

"Miss Ethel!" Gasping at her.

No! No! No killing even if it was Dell.

Jimmy shared my sentiment, "What?! Whoa, whoa! Ma, where's this coming from?" Exclaiming at her.

Suddenly Miss Ethel looked very tired. She sat down in a chair, "I know him Jimmy. I know what he's capable of. And you don't." Steeling her eyes at him.

"Jesus ma, at least let me talk to him!" Jimmy shouted.

"What if he'd come after Maggie? You'd be the first one charging in with a gun." Eve bit out at him.

"You don't know what it's like, peepers flipping up our skirts." Suzy added in disgust.

"You know what your problem is, Jimmy? You're stuck on the rosy notion that the world operates on goodness, decency. Truth is..all goodness guarantees ya is an early grave."

"Miss Ethel..." Trailing off. It felt like her words were pulling me into an early grave. All the hope had left her character, "We cannot become murderers! We are better than that!" Raising my voice in the tiny space.

She continued as if she had not even heard me, "But the biggest joke of all, the thing that'll sink ya every time is hope. Hope that the world will right itself. That the just will be rewarded and the wicked punished. Oh, once you buy into that horseshit, you're dead in the water."

Tears formed in her eyes, "The only way to survive in this disgusting godforsaken world is to take control. Ain't nobody gonna take care of our people but us."

Jimmy just stared at Miss Ethel wondering where on earth his mother was and who was this woman in front of him.

"Dell hurt one of our own, we can't let him get away with that. Can't let that degenerate prick win. He's got to pay." Her voice was coated in tears as she collapsed farther into the chair.

"He will ma, he will." Jimmy pleaded to his mother coming to her distress, "I can make it right. I'll kick his ass to the curb, I'll tell him to get the hell out of here, never come back! Trust me. I can handle Dell." I had to believe Jimmy, the force in his words made me believe in him.

"You handle him..." there was a pause, "Or we will." Her calm threat rang loudly through my ears.

Packing up my kit, Jimmy and I walked out of the trailer.

A minute of silence creeped by before I spoke, "Do not worry. You know how to protect your people and you will do just that." Giving him a squeeze on the arm and a small smile.

But something stirred in my stomach.

Trouble would not be far once Dell returned to camp.