Mark left Celia's house the next morning, thanking her over and over again. Celia simply smiled and wished him luck on his journey to bring his sister home. Mark started on the road to the town of Zebulon with just a small pack of food, consisting of bread, pieces of dried meat, and a bit of cheese, along with a long cudgel given to him by Celia as a weapon. While walking, he whistled little tunes that Addie loved to sing. He couldn't help but smile fondly as he remembered his sister singing and dancing around the house to make him and his parents smile on tough days. She was the reason he kept on going on day after day no matter hopeless their living situation got.

[Flashback]

"Mark!" Addie exclaimed happily, running to him as fast as her little feet could carry her. As soon as she reached him, she twirled circles around and around the older boy. After about fifty turns, she wrapped her little arms tightly around him. Mark grinned and scooped the young girl up into his arms. Her joy seemed to spread to the boy, and before long, a smile grew on his face.

"Hey, Addie," he replied softly, running a hand through her brown hair. He had just come back from a long tough day in the mines, so he sat down on a nearby chair to rest, still holding on to Addie. "How was your day?"

"Great!" she said in reply. "Today was the bestest day ever!"

"What happened?"

"I played a game of chase with Ellie and Alex. I was so fast and they couldn't catch me! Golly, I've ne'er run that fast in my life."

Mark chuckled. Such a little thing was enough to bring her great joy. "That's really great, Addie."

"How was your day?"

"It was...alright. I'm just a little tired."

"Then I'm gonna do all your chores for ya tonight. You rest on your mat and I'll get the table set up and everything."

Mark smiled. "No, no it's okay."

"Yes, yes," Addie protested shaking her head. "You go lie down."

"Addie..."

"Rest now!"

"Come on..."

"Do it, do it do it!"

"Nope," Mark replied stubbornly, getting up from his chair and setting Addie on the ground. Addie skipped to keep up with his long strides. He reached a room that served as dining room and began to set out the plates on the table. Addie followed his lead, occasionally standing on her toes to reach. When they finished, they waited for their parents to return.

"Hey, Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you smile anymore?"

"What do you mean? I do smile."

"Not as often anymore."

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do." Addie said. She walked to her brother and hugged him tightly. "You don't have to lie. I know things are hard and I know you're upset."

Mark sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just so tired and sick of everything. Things have been really really tough lately. I mean, it's so unfair. Why us? We never did anything wrong. Why are we being punished like this?"

"Who ever said it was a punishment?"

Mark smiled softly at his sister. "You're rather thoughtful for your age."

Addie shrugged. "I just say what's obvious."

"How are you always so happy?"

"Because I have you. And Mama. And Papa. That's all I need."

Mark held onto her tighter. "I love you, Addie. I promise I won't let anything ever happen to you."

Addie grinned. "I know."

[End Flashback]

Mark's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of horses behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a horse drawn cart behind him. A stout man with a round, flushed face sat at the front and a sheet covered the contents of his wagon. Mark quickly got off the road to avoid getting hit by the oncoming cart. His dark eyes studied the vehicle for a moment before her got an idea.

"Hey!" he called to the person at the front of the cart. He waved his arms in the air.

The cart slowed to a stop next to him. The man with a large hat and dark mustache held the reins of the horses peered down at him with beady eyes.

"What do you want, boy?" he barked.

"Are you heading to the town of Zebulon?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Would it by okay if I hitched a ride with you?"

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Well, because it would be helpful."

"Helpful to you, yes. But for me, no."

"Please, sir."

"You gonna give me something? I ain't no taxi service."

"I'm sorry. I don't have money."

"Too bad."

At that, the man snapped the reins and the cart pulled away. Mark sighed loudly. After a moment, a sudden idea came into mind. Before he could lose his chance, he grabbed onto the back of the cart. As quietly as he could, he hoisted himself inside. Luckily, the sounds of the bumpy road covered up the sound of him sneaking aboard. In the cart, he saw boxes containing meager belongings, mainly clothes. But what shocked him were the crates of coins, lots of shiny silver and gold coins. What was this man doing with so much money? Mark stared at the riches before him. Should he take some? Surely a couple gold coins would not make a difference. Mark reached out and scooped some of the money into his hands. Both money and food were scarcities where he came from. Setting the coins down, still being careful of not making any noise, Mark crawled to the front to peek outside. His brown eyes darted past the big man, but Zebulon was not in view yet. He sighed and laid himself down on the floor of the cart. He suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His eyelids felt heavy and he struggled to stay awake. Maybe a little nap won't hurt, He thought. I'll just have to wake up in time.

Mark awoke to the sound of voices. Harsh angry tones rang out from just outside the now stationary vehicle. Mark sat up quickly, his heart beating in his ears. He remained quiet, but listened closely to the voices outside. One was the driver, but he picked up on two unknown voices.

"Listen here Mister, you're gonna step away from the cart, and you're gonna hand over the money."

"Now, look, I don't want no trouble. I earned it all by selling my farm. I worked hard for this," the farmer spoke, his desperation rising with each word.

"Nice try, but ain't gonna save your skin."

"P-Please don't do this."

Mark gripped his cudgel tightly in his hand. Those were probably thieves trying to rob the man. He knew his presence would soon be discovered, but it didn't matter anymore. Maybe the farmer would show him mercy if he defended him. Mark peeked out of the wagon. There were two thieves, both tall and strong looking. He wouldn't stand a change against them. One for sure had a dagger, but it was unclear if the other was armed. He had to go about this carefully. Taking in a deep breath, he stumbled out of the cart.

"Hey!" he yelled. The farmer and the two thieves turned to look at him. The farmer's expression was a mix of confusion, anger, and relief.

"You didn't tell me you weren't traveling alone," one of the thieves snarled at the farmer. He then stalked toward Mark.

"Step aside, boy, if you know what's good for you."

"I'm sorry. I don't want any trouble. Be my guest. Take all the money you want."

"WHAT!" the farmer screamed. "You don't have the right to do that!"

The thief chuckled. "Good choice, kid." He brushed past Mark and climbed into the back of the wagon. The other thief remained outside, but also peered in. Mark slipped behind the man, moving quietly while they were distracted. The farmer tried to rush at him.

"What are you doing here? What makes you think you can just do that?"

"Trust me," Mark assured the man quietly. "I got this."

At that, he swung his cudgel and hit the thief standing outside roughly on the back of his head. The man let out a shout of pain, and teetered backward. Before he could ready any kind of defense, Mark hit him again, this time, harder. The force was enough to knock the man out and he fell to the ground with a thump.

"Jim, what's going on out there?" the thief inside the cart barked. He unwittingly peeked his head out which was met with a smack to the side. He tumbled out of the back and into the dirt. Seeing his partner unconscious on the ground, he quickly scrambled to his feet. Mark was about to strike it again, but the man caught the cudgel before it came in contact and twisted it out of Mark's hands.

"Oh, you're in for it now," he snarled, drawing his knife. He lunged at Mark, but the younger boy sidestepped his attack. However, the thief managed to get a swipe at him and it left a bloody gash in Mark's arm. Ignoring the sharp stinging feeling, Mark quickly retrieved his cudgel from the ground. Before the thief could react, his promptly swiped the dagger out of his hand. The now unharmed man looked at Mark with dark, penetrating eyes,

"You gonna kill me now? And turn us to over to the authorities?"

"Look," Mark sighed. "I don't want to hurt you. Just leave us alone. I'm giving you your chance now. Take your friend and go."

The thief looked at the brown haired boy suspiciously. "You're not gonna turn us in?"

Mark shook his head. "No."

"I don't know whether that's an incredibly wise or incredibly stupid decision."

"Maybe it's both."

The thief called Jim was beginning to come back to consciousness. Without another word, his partner heaved him to his feet and the duo scurried off. Mark watched until they disappeared from view. He then turned to face the shocked farmer.

"Look, I'm sorry that I snuck aboard..."

The farmer shook his head. "I guess it proved to be a good thing. But you shouldn't have let them go."

"Why not?"

"Ruffians like them would just go and do the same to another fellow coming down the road."

"You don't know that."

"What? You think one act of kindness is enough to make them change?"

"I don't know. But maybe it did something."

A moment of silence hung between them.

"Still need that ride to Zebulon?" the farmer asked.