I ran and I ran for what seemed like hours. When I got to the village my face paled and whatever signs of faith I had had faltered. Chaos. The village was in chaos. People were crying, some were screaming. Mothers ran with their babies in their arms, kids were running and freaking out, parents were frantically calling for their children. Fire, smoke and ashes were everywhere. I looked around and I began to feel dizzy. I fell into a fit of coughs and I quickly pulled my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose.

I quickly made my way to the cottage and had to hold back a cry as i saw the flames that were engulfing the place I had called home moments ago. "No." I whispered. "No, no, no." Without thinking, I ran into the cottage hissing as i felt the smoke fill my nose. I began searching around the cottage, or what was left of it. I grabbed a coat that had a hood, and a bag and i grabbed anything close to me and shoved it in the bag. I looked around and let out a shaky breath as I watched the cottage continue to burn. I turned to Julian's favorite chair and bit my lip as I saw the beautiful wooden color turn black. That's when something caught my eye: Julian's cane. I ran towards it and hissed when i felt the heat on the back of my legs. I grabbed the cane and with one more glance around the place that had been my home for years, I ran out.

"Let it burn!" A loud yell echoed through the burning village.

I turned and my heart stopped as I saw the men in uniform:soldiers.

"Wooo!" Yelled another soldier except this one had a black beard.

With one look at them you could tell that they were drunk. I scowled and wanted nothing more than to go up to them and punch them square in the nose but I wasn't dumb. Angry, sad, yeah. But I wasn't foolish to mess with soldiers who were armed. I had no chance.

"Did you find it?" Another soldier asked. He looked annoyed and almost disgusted with the way the other two were acting. His hair was brown and clean and he looked pretty young.

The bearded man turned to the other soldier and arched an eyebrow. "Did we?"

"You fools." The brown haired soldier hissed. He glared at them and then sighed. "I have to do everything myself, don't I?"

The one who had rejoiced eyed the bearded man and ignored the other as if already used to his attitude. "All I found was a couple of coins, food and the rest we burned down."

My stomach twisted. They started the fire. They burned my cottage. Julian's cottage.

"I told you we weren't going to find anything in this dump." the bearded man spoke as he took a swig of what I assumed was rum. "Nothing but low lives and slum stay in this here village. If you want to even call it that."

My fists balled.

"Our orders were to check everywhere. That means petty villages like these too. Didn't you hear him, it could be somewhere in the middle of nowhere or it could be in plain sight." The snobby soldier said to himself as he looked around.

"Keldrick," a soldier said out of breath.

The brown haired man turned to the soldier seeming annoyed once again. "What?"

"I have the villagers rounded up together and none of them are talking."

Keldrick smiled bitterly as he turned towards the drunk men. "How shall we go about this? Kill them one at a time as they start talking? Or should we just torture the poor souls until one gives out?"

I looked at the man, horrified. Who would even think of those things? I had no love towards the villagers but I would never think to do such things to them.

The bearded man laughed. "I vote all of the above."

"Alright, let's get to it now." Keldrick said as he hopped off of his black horse. "Bring the weapons."

With that, I watched as they made their way towards the villagers. I quietly followed, making sure not to be heard nor seen as I hid behind a large barrel. I had no idea what I was doing. I could run right now and I would be safe. But could I really leave the villagers like that? To these awful men who would do lord knows what to them? I shook my head. I had no idea what to do but I needed to think of a plan fast.

"Please, please let my boys go." I recognized that voice. It was Berta.

I looked down and gasped when I saw both boys Nathan and Ben bound by tight rope that seemed to be cutting through their wrists. They were blonde and Nathan was one year younger than Ben. I had always thought they were cute but they never paid me any mind. I remembered when Ben had once tried to talk to me but his mother quickly dragged him away.

"Do you wanna die today, boy." The bearded soldier taunted as he aimed his rifle at Ben's head.

I saw the terror in his eyes and he looked so beaten up and exhausted. I could tell he put up a fight and was now worn out. His cheeks were filled with bruises and like Nathan he had a black eye and a busted lip. As I looked around, I quickly noticed that all of the men looked a bit beaten up. The women cried and some of them had bruises as well. The kids were crying and holding onto each other and I felt so useless.

What was I supposed to do? How could I save them? I was little and I had barely ate these past weeks so I hardly had any energy at all. How could I fight these men?

I heard a click and I saw Ben flinch and before I knew it I had dropped my things and I was standing up, revealing my hiding place behind a barrel that had somehow been untouched by the growing fire.

The men turned towards me and stared as I turned to them, my eyes bulging with anger.

"What the hell?" The bearded man whispered as he looked me in the eyes. I could tell the color of my eyes seemed to make him uneasy.

What was I supposed to do now? I couldn't move because I was too afraid and I had no idea what do. I wished I could go back to hiding so I could have thought of a plan but it was too late for that now. Think, think, think. Then it clicked.

"I have what you're looking for." As soon as I said it I regretted it.

The soldiers came towards me and there was nowhere to run so I stood still, head held high but inside I was shaking. "I-I can take you to it but first you have to let the villagers go."

Grinning, the man named Kendrick stalked towards me."Who are you?" He asked in an amused tone. His brown eyes were twinkling with interest and I wanted nothing more than to spit in his pale face.

I didn't like this guy not one bit. He was both snobby and creepy. I turned to the villagers who looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

"Are you deaf, girl?" the bearded man asked.

I turned to him and gave him my best glare. This seemed to shake him up and for the first time I was glad to have these eyes.

"Interesting." Kendrick said as he eyed me.

I shivered as his greedy eyes passed over every inch of my body and then back up to my eyes. Apparently he wasn't afraid of my eyes and I didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

"Tell me, what is your name." He said as he reached out to touch my face.

I immediately pulled back and growled at him. "Don't touch me." It was out before I could stop it. My blood was hot now and this guy was really pissing me off.

He scoffed. "You foolish little girl." He stepped closer to me and I tried to take a step back but the soldier from before was behind me. I felt his large hands grab my arms and winced as Kendrick's cold hand brush over my neck. "Who are you?" He asked again.

I wanted to knee him in the groin just how Julian had taught me to but that wouldn't get me anywhere but in the ground and I knew it. "Catalina." I said in my Spanish accent.

"Catalina," he whispered and I winced as I heard my name come out of his mouth. "What a beautiful name," he said his hand traveling down my neck and to my sides. "For such a beautiful and unique girl."

My stomach twisted and I wanted so badly to punch the smirk right of his face. But Julian has only taught me how to protect myself using hand and hand combat and the man behind me and the others had large rifles and could drop me in seconds. I had no other choice than to go with it.

"I think we're going to have fun me and you." His hands traveled down to my butt and my fists balled. This crossed the line.

"Leave her alone."

All heads turned to the voice, including mine. It was Ben.

"What did you say, boy?" Kendrick asked angrily.

"He didn't say anything." Berta cried, giving her son a look.

Ben licked his lips and opened his mouth to say something but a shot went off and i watched as Ben's body fell to the side.

I gasped and almost fell to my knees.

"No," Berta yelled as she went to her son. "Benny," she began to sob and I turned away from her, tears at the brim of my eyes. After a moment she turned towards us. "You!"

For a moment i thought she was talking to Kendrick but then i noticed that she was looking directly at me.

"This is all your fault!" She pointed at me and her eyes were full of hatred.

I had seen that look before but this time it was more intense. I shook my head. Was she blaming me for Ben's death? "No, I did-"

"You are a demon!" She yelled her eyes crazy.

I turned to Kendrick who seemed to be amused. At this point I didn't think. I did the only thing that made sense. I gathered up all of the sadness, all of the hurt and all of the anger I had been feeling the past month and I balled up my fist and swung right at Kendrick's jaw.

This seemed to catch him off guard and before I knew it I felt a fist connecting with my stomach. I felt the butt of a rifle hit the back of my head and in the matter of seconds I was laying on the ground.

As I came in and out of conscious I could see Berta yelling and cursing at me, I saw her body fall limp. I saw rifles being aimed and I saw some of the villagers praying. When I closed my eyes for the last time that day, I heard the sound of gunfire and then I was out.