My hands shook as I hid in the shadows of the trees. If Mr. Gamber was to find out what I was about to do to him, I would most likely be shot by his shot gun. Everyone had one these days, not that I blamed any of them. They needed to protect their one source of profit from thieves like me. My guilt rose higher every second I spent staring out at the farm. I shook my head. I am doing this for Kimberly and Mother. I am doing this for Kimberly and Mother. I reminded myself as I slipped from the shadows and into the nearest corn-stalk isle. I looked around, making sure that I wasn’t being followed but failed to rest the rising hairs on my neck. Grabbing my potato-starch satchel, I shoved five corn shucks into the bag. The potato-starch would hopefully extinguish most of the town peoples’ suspicions as to whether this was stolen or not.

I snuck back into the trees of the forest and continued moving until my eyes spotted the tomato plants. Ripe, juicy and bright red, my mouth started to water just staring at them. I crouched down and, once again, looked around and into the looming trees of the forest. No one in my line of vision could be seen, though I still had the odd feeling of being watched. I took a deep breath and began to waddle over to the plants. It’s now or never Elaina. I rushed over to the nearest one and started to pluck the fruit off the vine. Three made it within my grasp before I heard the mind-boggling noise of a gun being shot.

Panic rose in me as I tucked the sack into my shirt and dashed toward the forest. I’ve been caught. I’ve been caught. Alarming thoughts ran through my mind as I raced through the trees dodging bullets as I went. “Get back here you damn thief! Let’s see how much you can steal when you’ve got bullets in ‘ya!” Mr. Gamber repeatedly yelled at me. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the shooting stopped. Panting, I leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree and slid to the floor. I barely made it out with my limbs still intact, but I did it. My eyes fluttered open as I pulled the sack out of my shirt and checked the food inside. No major bruises or indents plagued the surface of the vegetables. I sighed and lifted myself to my feet; there was still so much to be done and since Kimberly and Mother were too sick to help out, I was forced to do all of the heavy lifting.

I trudged on through the forest until I made it to the edge, the town’s rising buildings greeting me as I went on. I had lived in the small town of Clear Sea in central Florida for most of my life. Unfortunately as a result of the Great Depression and…the incident, my family and I lost our entire business, plunging us into the streets. Eyes that belonged to my previous neighbors glued to me as I walked down Main Street.

A low whistle, called out from the nearest alley stopped me cold in my tracks. “Hey, Beautiful, where do you think you’re goin’?”

I cursed under my breath; so much for avoiding attention. I stole myself and snuck a look out of the corner of my eye. A boy about my age emerged from the shadows and winked menacingly at me. Bright orange curls erupted from his scalp and freckles splattered his face. Dirt smudged his nose and his watery brown eyes narrowed dangerously toward me, a smile slowly crept up his face. He leaned against the wall, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and cocked a finger, motioning for me to come. I pretended to not notice and continued my pace down the sidewalk, staying as close to the wall as I could. Footsteps echoed behind me and before I could fully apprehend what was going on, I was pinned to the only thing I thought could provide me safety.

“I wasn’t finished with you sweetheart,” The boy breathed. His pungent, alcoholic breath choked me. “I’m Ronnie,” He said sluggishly. “What’s your name sugar?” Of course, on all days I would be stuck with a drunk.

“Get away from me. Go play with your petty Flapper Girls.” I said darkly. I gripped his arms and thrusted him away from my body, slipping away before he could fall on top of me. I started to walk faster, wanting to get away from this nightmare but dreading attracting more drunken attention. An enraged growl sounded from behind me and two rough hands seized my waist. His fingers pressed deeper into my skin the more I struggled for my escape. I yelped as Ronnie started to drag me into the alley but was gratefully interrupted.

I collapsed on the wall, relief flooding through me and looked toward my rescuer. He was tall, about a foot taller than Ronnie in the least and was lean and muscular. He had dark hair that looked black in the shadows and had the most attractive face I had ever seen. But his eyes, his eyes were what intrigued me the most. They were a grayish-blue color and reminded me of the sea during a hurricane. They were beautiful and hypnotizing, but dangerous with their quite rage…and oddly familiar.

“I believe the lady told you to get off,” he said quietly as he held Ronnie by the back of his shirt.

“Look guy,” Ronnie said dazed. He poked his finger onto the man’s chest. “You should just mind your own business! We have a thing and if you want to keep your pretty little face you’d do well to stay out of it.” I watched with wide eyes as the man smiled malevolently and replied slowly.

“It is my business if you are harassing innocent civilians. And based on the lady’s cries for help, I have been lead to the conclusion that you two don’t have a…‘thing’ as you so delicately put it.” The man had a thick English accent and spoke in a way that seemed like he was wasn’t from here, like he was from out of this world. Ronnie rolled his eyes as the man placed him down and started to turn around before changing his mind and swinging a pathetic punch towards the man. The man snatched his wrist and punched him so hard that it made my own jaw shake. I shuddered and scampered out of the alley, grabbing my bag on the way, terrified as to where this fight would lead to. I sprinted down the sidewalk only stopping when it came to crossing the street.

I reached the end of the town in five minutes, panting but not stopping until safely within the trees. After about an hour passed, I started to relax and slowed my pace, eventually even daring to leisurely stroll through the forest. It was only when I arrived at a clearing that I heard it:
“You know, most people would say thank you to the person who just rescued them.”
It was him.
Startled, I spun around, but before I could do any real damage, the man caught my wrists and intertwined them. Shivers ran up my spine as he leaned in and smiled.

“You are welcome. I am Nick by the way. Nicolas Brooks. What’s your name?”

I gulped. “Elaina.” I muttered as I slipped my hands away from his and shoved them into my pockets. “Elaina Greene.” This, Nicolas, was extremely intimidating, more than any boy I had ever met. “Ah…” I stuttered. “Nick is it? Well thank you very much for helping me back there, but I had it pretty much all under control.” I cursed myself as these words came out. I had meant to say something completely different, something less cocky.

He rolled his eyes playfully and crossed his arms. “Sure, you definitely handled that brilliantly.”
“Excuse me?” I said, placing my hands on my hips. I turned around and made a shooing motion with my hands in his direction, my attitude taking over whatever politeness I had. “If you will so kindly excuse me, I have more important business to attend to.” I started to walk away.
“Wait! You can’t just meet someone then walk right away!” Nick called to me.

“Sure I can, I’m doing it right now in case you didn’t notice.” I casually replied.

He ran toward me and stopped when he reached my side, completely brushing off my hint. “Let me walk you home. It’s the least I could do for you.”

I sighed in exasperation. “Mr. Brooks, why would it be the least you could do for me? I haven’t done anything to help you.”
He shrugged. “Well, technically you have. And please, just call me Nick.”
“Alright then, how is it that I have helped you?”
He grinned. “By being cute of course.”

I blushed and lowered my head. “I reckon you could walk me to the beach, but then we’re parting ways. I’ll somehow make sure that you get your payment for helping me.”
Nick muttered something under his breath and looked over at me. “I noticed back there that you have some fighting skills. Well, the spunky attitude for it at least. I could give you some lessons on how to fight if you want.”
I nodded and tapped my fingers against my bottom lip. He was right of course, I did know of some fighting techniques but was far from being good at them. “It’s a deal.” I smiled and spit into my hand, holding it out for him to shake it.
Nick nodded and peered at my hand with a curious look but didn’t shake it. “Um… no problem. Where do you want to train?”
“I’ll show you.” I said, awkwardly wiping my hand against my pant leg. “Thank you by the way. For helping me back there” I blurted. He only nodded.
Time went, unfortunately, faster than I wanted it to and before I knew it we had arrived at Alcove Beach. Alcove Beach was a small stretch of secluded sand and ocean with two large boulders on either side. I tapped the sand with my foot. “Here. We can train here. Meet me at this exact place tomorrow at 10 A.M sharp. And don’t be late.”

Nick smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world! I’ll see you tomorrow, Elaina.” He winked at me, and then headed off south into the forest, and away from me. I rubbed my arms trying to cease the rising goose bumps on my skin. The way Nick had said my name sent electricity coursing through me and when he smiled, I thought my knees would buckle. I shook myself and continued my course north. What does this guy even have that others don’t? I reasoned with myself. He didn’t even shake my hand to make the deal official! Another logical voice in my head scoffed at me and reminded me that things were probably different when it came to making deals in England. I scolded myself. Why do I always have to make things so awkward when it comes to interacting with people?

I resumed my journey through the forest, heading towards an old, abandoned home about 15 minutes away from Alcove Beach. My family used to own Greene Food Shop, one of the only grocery stores in Clear Sea that bought fresh produce from the local farms. After the Wall Street Crash however and the eventual Great Depression along with the loss of income from my Father, my family and I were forced to improvise. Like others, we sought out shelter and were blessed enough to find this old place and have been living here ever since. Half of the roof was caved in, but the other side of the house was functional enough, with a small first floor and an equally small loft above. I stepped through the now empty doorway, and knocked on the banister. “Hey! I’m home. I got y’all some fresh food.” I called. A cough sounded from down the hallway and a weak whisper.

With my bag strapped safely on my back, I trudged down the corridor and opened the door to a small room. The room had a table and three chairs in the back left corner and two large windows in the right. The rather large window sills served as kitchen counters and a small, beat up kettle was used in place of a stove. A cot resided in the front left corner and a ladder lead up to a tiny loft with only a bed to fill its space. My sister, Kimberly, was lying in the cot; sweat beading down her forehead and her face was a sickly pale.
Kimberly was three years my senior and was the most opposite person from me that I could think of. She had straight, golden hair that fell in a sheet down her back and bright hazel eyes with flecks of gold and pale green in them. My mother resided in one of the chairs, staring absently out the window, her eyes so blank that it frightened me most days. Like Kimberly, she had a curtain of golden hair that ran down her back, but I was fortunate enough to inherit her dark, forest green eyes. Ever since my Father left, my Mother has continued to act in this manner. At first, after hearing the news, I was afraid she would commit suicide, so consumed by grief that she wouldn’t give a second thought as to what it would do to her daughters. However, as the years went by, and my Mother slowly slipped away from us, I would have rather faced her death; at least then I would have known that her suffering was over. This shell that used to be the warm, loving character that I grew up to know as my Mother was a painful reminder of the day part of my heart died.
I knelt beside Kimberly and set my bag down. “Hey, how are you doing?”

She glared at me and wheezed, “How does it look like I’m doing, oh mystical healer.” Her comment dripped with sarcasm.
I rolled my eyes, as my temper flared up. “Oh stop it, drama queen. At least I’m helping you out instead of just sitting around and doing nothing, letting you die….” My voice trailed off as we both peered sadly in the direction of our mother.

I coughed awkwardly and stood, walking over to the hallway as the tense silence only got thicker. “I’m…..ah…..going to go get some water.” I muttered. Kimberly absently nodded, turning herself so that she couldn’t see our mother any longer. I quickly walked down the hallway, wanting to get away from this scene before my emotions showed on my face.

The well was a good 30 minutes away from the house. Painful memories flashed by in my mind’s eye as I made my way towards the well with a bucket in my hand. I scolded myself. You’re never going to get anything done if all you do is feel sorry for yourself! I continued forward, gently folding all of the newly released emotions back into the depths of my heart. I would not think of what happened, the past was the past and there was nothing I could do to help it. That only made me more depressed.

By the time I reached the well, my mouth had transformed into a miniscule section of desert. I had not drunk any form of liquid all day, and the running from earlier had certainly not helped. I staggered toward the water hole gratefully, dumping half of my body into the cool and crisp water. After I thoroughly drank until I could drink no more, I stooped down and picked my bucket up, dipping it into the clear liquid. Fortunately, the water was high enough that the rope above my head was unnecessary. No sooner had I set the full bucket down on the ground, had I heard voices from the surrounding trees. Instinctively, I crouched down and hide behind the stone wall of the well.

Several beeps sounded from the opposite side of me. “Catherine?” A voice said. It sounded familiar, and eventually my memory was able to place its owner: Nick.

A female voice replied. “Nicolas? Is that you? What is your status report?” I only assumed that the voice was the mysterious Catherine.


“The first day was a success. I am meeting her tomorrow to help her train. I figured that it would be beneficial in the long run. She thinks that I’m offering her lessons to improve her fighting skills.”

“Good.” Catherine said. She sounded relieved and ecstatic at the same time. “Excellent thinking Nicolas! You’re turning out to be a fine young scientist!” Nick grunted.

“Catherine, I don’t know how this is going to work out.” He said hurriedly. “She won’t be willing to go, she has a family to take care of and she’s definitely too stubborn. I don’t even know where she lives, if it came to the extreme of kidnap!”

I could hear clicking noises in the back ground as Catherine answered in a voice clearly indicating that she didn’t really care. “Come now Nicolas,” She coaxed. “We all know of your…” She paused. “Persuasive abilities. You can do it.”

“You want me to woo her?!” He said incredulous. “This was not part of our deal. She may look like Connie but she is nothing like her. If you want, you can come to 1929 Florida and woo her yourself!” 1929 Florida? What was Nick talking about? Who was Connie, was she the girl they were looking for? Why did he refer to this year like it was, from the past?

“Nicolas,” Catherine said, suddenly serious and business-like. “You know very well the consequences if she does not come as much as I do. Now, if you want to live, you will do well to follow your orders!” Several tense seconds followed. What was going on? Who was this girl they were talking about? Finally, quite reluctantly, Nick mumbled a “Fine” back to Catherine. Before she could respond, he clicked off the machine that produced her voice and sighed, leaning against the rough edge of the well. He ran a hand through his hair and pocketed the small, square-like device. I wanted so desperately to stay and ponder Nick’s words, but my duties called out to me, snapping me out of the fog of confusion and curiosity that had clouded my brain. I grabbed the handle of the bucket and slowly dragged it towards me, careful to not spill the contents inside.

I had to figure out a way of going back to the house without being spotted by Nick. If he found out I had overheard him, I shuddered. Best not to think the worst, he did save my life after all, why would he want to harm me? I was of no importance to him; but, as these words swirled around in my mind another part of me found it curious that he always seemed to be where I was.

I looked around. There was no other way of escaping back into the forest like I hoped there would be. I snuck a quick look at Nick; he was still leaned against the edge in deep thought, peering into the depths of the water. The time to act was now and if I didn’t move, I probably wouldn’t get another opportunity like this for a long while. I clutched the bucket’s handle and dashed from the wall, careful to keep the bucket as stabilized as possible. I was able to make it into the trees without a sound, minus the whisper of the wind and the rustle of the leaves. I released the breath of air that I was holding in and startted to tiptoe away.

What a big mistake that was. My toe struck a stick and before I could stop it, the stick snapped in half; loudly. I turned around just in time to see Nick lift his head and lock eyes with me. “Elaina?” He said warily, anxiety slowly filled his face. I muttered a stream of curses as I ran from Nick and the well. He called out for me frequently but I just ignored him. I took sharp twists and turns, trying in vain to confuse him and lead him away from the house. Eventually, after what seemed like eons, he stopped calling me and the sound of his footsteps ceased. Still suspicious, I pursued my confusing path, twisting and turning, yet all the while actually traveling towards my home.

Later that evening, I was standing by the kettle, washing the dinner plates. My Mother had gone to bed and Kimberly was staring up at the ceiling in a drowsy state. Luckily, earlier that evening, Kimberly’s fever had broken and my tomato and corn soup had helped her gain some of her energy back. She was able to sit at the table and eat with my Mother and I, even if it had been for only 20 minutes. I couldn’t help but think of Nick’s words back at the water well. He had acted so peculiar and the way he referenced this year was beyond my comprehension. It just didn’t make any sense. And who was that girl he was talking about? Was he talking about Connie? Who was Connie anyway? The name sounded extremely familiar to me, like I knew this Connie somehow; it was on the tip of my tongue. Every time I reached for that memory though, it would flit out of my grasp. The more I thought about Nick’s words, the more realization started to dawn on me.
I am meeting her tomorrow to help her train. He had said. She thinks that I’m offering her lessons to improve her fighting skills. I was meeting Nick tomorrow at Alcove Beach so he could help me learn to fight. I gasped and dropped the plate I was working on into the kettle, splashing soapy water everywhere. It all clicked!

Kimberly stirred and propped herself up. “Everything alright Elaina?” she asked sleepily.

“Yeah, um, every thing’s fine! The plate, it just slipped from my hand is all.” She eyed me curiously and then laid herself back down. I sighed in relief and picked up the plate. I had no idea what Nick and that Catherine wanted with me. Now that I thought back on it, the whole Ronnie predicament was probably a set-up so that Nick could win my favor, it was all a set-up. Nevertheless, I would be ready for him tomorrow. I thought this as I dried my hands and blew out the lantern. I turned out of the kitchen and headed up the ladder towards the loft. I would find a way to stop Nick, because no one would ever take me away from my family, no matter the cause. They would have to kill me first.