“Tabby!” I called beginning to stress. The wind nipped at my plaid scarf as my toes turned numb. I could hear the birds and other forest life waking up. The trolls were already hibernating so I wouldn’t have to worry about them. The Pixies might not be as friendly.

I clenched my fingers in to fists and flexed them again and again in effort to keep their feeling. I yelled again, “Tabitha Fall! Please come out!” I could hear fear begin to crawl in to my tone as I searched for my younger sister.

At that I hear a rustling in the bushes and see a small pale face with a bright red nose peak out at me from bushes near by. Her wild red hair and freckled face usually made this game a lot easier, I could spot her from a mile away. Mother had the same hair and freckles when she was younger. She used to be like Tabby a long time ago, beautiful I think. But the beauty had long since faded away with all of her hard work and protecting us and all.

I look nothing like my youngest sister. Thin raven hair and a pair of a violent shade of blue eyes. My wrists were too small and my legs were too long. I was not beautiful.

I heaved a huge sigh in relief. “Tabitha Fall, there you are! What a fright you gave me!” I put my arms out, an invitation for Tabby to come to me, even though she didn’t need one.

Tabby giggled, coming out of her hiding spot and running into my arms. As soon as her tiny body is close to my own, I feel the warmth returning to my chest. “You need to stay inside the borders,” We stood up, and her hand slipped into mine. “Its dangerous, you know that.” I say sternly, and look down at her.

She looked up and me and shrugged. I sigh. Tabby was too young to understand the danger we could potently encounter. Suddenly she shrieked and pulled at my hand.

“What is it love?” I down to see the world at her level. It was easier this way, trying to see things her way. Tabby pointed to the violet flowers sprouting from a nearby tree. “Ah. Asters.” The corners of her mouth slowly lifted as she looked at me again and shook her hand free from my grasp. She picked a few of the flowers and handed them to me, smiling wide and showing her tiny dimples. “Asters for Aster?” I asked. She was convinced that I was actua

“But you did win.” She smiles up at me and I smile back. I was totally relaxed now, well almost totally. We were still inside of the Jango borders, the country that our home land, Alania had been at war with for the past three years. The part we were in wasn’t as heavily guarded as the more populated areas, but sometimes patrol vehicles would pass by. Then we would be in trouble.

I sighed once again when I saw the tops of the faded red brick buildings of our little town. Thats when I first heard them. The gunshots. The screams. The crashes. Tabby heard them the same time I did and we both stopped walking. We stood there for a minute, until we smelt the smoke. Then Tabby started running towards home. I watched her for a moment before coming to my senses. Gunshots equals bad. I chased her and reached her as soon as she reached the first building that marked Alania territory. I grabbed her arm and she tried to shake me off and keep running but I held on to her. When she opened her mouth, probably to scream, I cupped my hand around her mouth and pulled her closer to my body. I waited till she calmed down to let her go. She turned around, looked at me with fear in her bright blue eyes, and whispered, “Mama.”