Chapter 2

They walked for a few hours, through the trees. Monroe couldn't help, but get mesmerized every time he looked up at the sunlight filtering through the tall trees. God was he tired of walking! A shove from behind made him stumble and he turned to glare at the young boy that was responsible. He only smiled and looked at him with a look that said "what are you going to do about it?". Monroe slowly turned back around, as they crossed a bridge. He looked down at the clear, clean water in the creek below. Up ahead he saw a two-story farmhouse and several small sheds around it. As they came out of the woods he noted several more small sheds being built and tents off to the side. He noted a corral with horses milling around. A fast horse could be a possible escape route, if things got bad. The shouts of men made him turn to his left to see men on horses herding a small herd of cattle towards them.

"Wow" said Monroe. He hadn't seen anything like this in a while. The leader threw a smirk his way. They reached the house and were greeted by several young kids. One of the young men picked up, what must have been a sibling and swung her around, making her giggle. A girl around 16 with dark hair and dark skin came out of the house, a basket of clothes in her arms.

"Hey Em," called Nahla to the girl. When she didn't turn she called louder.

"Emma!" Monroe felt a tug at his heart at the name, memories he really didn't want to think about swam before him. He was back in Jasper on that dreadful night, hearing the gunshot, feeling her go limp in his arms. He clenched his teeth together. "No, not now. Not ever." He thought. He hated thinking about that night. He swallowed hard and concentrated on the girl, who had now turned and walked back towards them, trying to push thoughts of his Emma out of his head.

"Where is she?" she asked the girl. It annoyed Monroe that she still didn't give a name just "her" and "she". The girl pointed to the tree line behind the house. Nahla's eyes followed her finger.

"Thanks Em." She said nodding to the girl. The girl finally seemed to notice him. She looked at him and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth in a silent scream then dropped the basket and ran as if the devil were chasing her. "I'll take him from here." She said grabbing his arm, none to gently, pushing him in the direction the girl had pointed in. The others shifted nervously and eyed him.

"Are you sure?" Asked the girl that had bound his hands.

"Yeah Lily." Said Nahla, giving the girl a reassuring smile before adding, "I'll be fine. Go check on Emma, make sure she doesn't get lost."

The girl nodded and turned to go find the other girl. As they walked away, Monroe frowned, "What was wrong with the girl?" Her grip on his arm tightened.

"You're what's wrong with that girl, you and your stupid militia." Monroe rolled his eyes. He should have known better than to ask, but he was curious.

"What happened?" Nahla let out an irritated breath beside him. There was silence between them for a minute and Monroe began to think she wasn't going to answer him.

"When she was eight, your soldiers came to her village. They didn't have enough food for themselves, much less to give to your soldiers. When her father refused to pay they grabbed Emma and pointed a gun at her. Her father gave them everything, but the man holding Emma shot him anyways, to set an example. He discharged the gun right next to her ear so now she does hear very good out of that ear. They killed the rest of her family just to make sure they got their point across." Monroe had been right, he shouldn't have asked. He glanced at her and saw the muscles in her jaw working as she clenched her jaws together. They walked in silence the rest of the way. They reached another creek and Nahla pushed him to walk up stream. They walked until they reached a small clearing, where she stopped him. She looked around her eyes scanning her surroundings. She frowned and gave a sharp, piercing whistle. They turned at the sound of a branch cracking, to see a figure leaning against a tree. A cowboy hat and the evening light, hid her face in shadow. He felt Nahla relax beside him and knew that this was the "her" that he was suppose to remember. Knowing his life probably depended on knowing this women, he really hoped it wasn't one of his one-night stands since he never paid any attention to them. The girl moved towards him, lifting her head. Monroe squinted into the blinding rays of the sun, the suspense annoying him. As her face finally came into view, Monroe gasped, his jaw dropping in surprise. No it couldn't be, could it?