Twilight is not mine.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in days... I had been posting this story a chapter a day, but since RL is totally kicking my but I had been a total fail.. BUt here is a two for... to make up for the lack of new chapters... Hope you enjoy and leave me some love.

Chapter 27

That night I didn't play with them.

I took my guitar and sat not too far from the tent where the outsiders enjoyed the show and laid in the fine dewed grass.

I lit a cigarette and looked up at the heavens as the stars guarded my thoughts.

When I'd been laying there for sometime, my mind started to drift.

The paintings I had seen this morning.

They where quite intriguing, and the more I thought about them, the more I wanted to know the person that had painted such haunting and beautiful images. There was sadness and a sense of loss, in all of them.

Then I remembered the woman saying that there where more -new ones.

I wondered why this person had painted such raw emotions.

The sense that there was a hidden story about the images was what was so interesting to me. I wanted to know it, to see it for myself, the why's and how's of how this person had painted such disturbing images.

What would posses him to paint that. I was a little distraught about the hands, they where almost violent, but at the same time so loving as they caress the small face. The more I thought and dwelled over the images they more it frighten me.

A shiver ran down my body, as I looked to the far end of the field where we had sat up camp.

A figure moved towards the far end, near the tents where we sleped.

I sensed the danger and stood instinctively ready to protect what was ours.

I had dealt with situations like this before, but never alone. The older men in our tribe had fought several times with outsider men that had hated us being in there towns, they called us rats, or parasites, because they thought that we came to entice there women and steal from them.

Of course we never did, our family pride themselves to be honest and hard-working. We never stole or even mingled with the town's people, so if others that had come through here had. Then they judged us by our predecessors.

I moved skillfully in to the shadows of the tents, I could make out the figure in the darkness, since my eyes had had time to adjust to the darkness of the night.

It moved swiftly and with purpose. I barely kept up with it's pace and followed it to the small caravan that held our beloved Nona Machuy -she was the eldest of our tribe, an old and feisty woman, a fortune teller, the real kind. She had an eye for danger, and she always warned us before anything got out of hand. She had been beautiful, and loved.

Her mother was of gypsy blood and a natural clairvoyant.

Nona Machuy had been the wife of the man that had started this tribe; she was our mother, grandmother and leader after his death.

We followed her advice and guidance.

So when I saw the figure stop at her door, I was alarmed. The instinct to protect her was overwhelming; she was like a second mother or more a grandmother to me. She had looked over me while I was young; she had spoiled me, loved me and had protected me from everyone when they had thought me strange.

She was loved by all.

A stood my ground as I called the figure out.

It did not turn, so I grabbed one of the logs stowed for our fires and stepped forward menacingly.

It never turned, it stood immobile, and only reached out its arm towards the door, I swung the log, with all my might, and aimed at it's head.

But before I reached it, my eyes blurred and I swayed on my feet and then….everything when black.

Sorry to leave this in a cliffy... reviews give me the will to go on... Did I tell you? I guess I didn't... Well the thing is that I love the people who review, and the people that put this story on alert... I love you all! I was about to ditch this story and just write it and not post it, but someone (you know who you are and I hart you lotz) convinced me about posting more. She said if you post it... they will come (the reviews) so here I am posting again.. Stay tuned for another chapter in a few minutes.