Chapter 1
Bang bang bang!
The sound of the pistols were getting louder and louder. We ran down the kitchen stairs and out the back door. Mother and father had warned us of these men, how three men armed with guns would rush into our home. How they would not hesitate to harm us.
It was clear that they wanted the money, but still they chased us. Mother and father were already shot dead for defending our fortune, but why try to take a shot at the children? The thought had not crossed my mind as we ran, all that mattered was getting the young ones to safety.
We came across a mill and the maid and I ushered the rest inside. The men would charge along the path, oblivious to the sanctuary. We were safe.
"Are mother and father coming with?" Charlotte, the youngest asked. "No my dear," the old maid said with tears in her eyes. "No the are not." T'was a tear filled afternoon for the lot of us. We'd often hear them yelling outside, and stiffen with fear. But they still had not noticed the old mill. "Perhaps tis a magic mill," a boy of eleven years with copper coloured locks inquired. I sat, looking out the window at the men. They had multiplied in numbers since they had first chased us. "Perhaps it is, Phillip," I said facing away from him.
It was silent outside and in as the men searched for us. They seemed to look everywhere. Every oak, shrub, crevice, brook, all but the mill. They all looked at one another and let out a heavy sigh. "He isn't going to be happy Laurence," a tall one with a hat warned. "Yeah, he really wanted that redhead," another one with a lanky stature and an unruly mane reminded. "He'll have to stay patient for now," Laurence said. He was muscular with blond hair and golden brown eyes. Looking at him made my blood boil. He was different from the rest of their lot, he was determined to find what he was looking for, and what he was looking for was us.
The old maid looked at me with kind, worried eyes. I smiled up at her and tucked my curly, red hair behind my ears, "I'll be alright now, Annie."
