Chapter 2

I take off running towards my father and sister stopping only once I reach them

"What's going on ?"

My father ignores me and walks into the house picking up Daniel who has been sitting at the front door watching this whole scene.

"Bernadette what's happened?"

I'm now feeling rather nervous

Bernadette sobs she's talking but I can't hardly understand her through the tears and gasping

  "Dad..the war..one man..every house..he's going to die!"

By some miracle I understand what she's trying to say

"Are you saying he's being called to fight? that's impossible he's a veteran, he's already fought for them!"

Bernadette nods while continuing to cry, I look to my right, I can still see the soldiers!

"STOP!

They keep moving

"Stop you bastards!"

They stop

I then begin running towards them as clumps of pig slop falls off of me.

"Mah-my father can't fight in your war or anyone else's, the man has no hand how is he meant to fight without a hand?" I say out of breath

"This is an absolute honor for your father girl" The bald man tells me while looking down upon me from atop his large black horse

"It was a honor the first time he fought for your king but now the honor is gone."

"Shut up now farm girl before I make you"

"Get off your horse and do so, I'd love to see you try"

He goes to slap me when the soldier to his left shakes his head as a way to say no

He grabs the bottom of my chin tilting my head up and says

"you listen here you're safe up on this hill you can laugh and pour pig feed down your body all you like. Make no mistake though your father will be sent to war he will fight for are marvelous king and he will die, most likely within a week and then you and your pretty sister and your whore sister and your retard sister will be left with nothing. Then years from now when you've prostituted yourself from one end of this earth to the next we will meet again and you will fall to your feet begging me and my men to pay you, to have sex with you and I'll do just what I'm about to do now."

He spits in my face and rage runs red hot through my veins

"I'll ki-"

I feel a hand go over my mouth and arms pulling me back, the soldiers turn around laughing and continue on there way

I kick and scream but Mary Margaret holds me tight in her grip until the soldiers are out of sight

She releases me and I grab hold of her perfectly kept brown hair ripping a decent amount out and taking it with me as I rush towards the house.

"Charlotte" I can hear my sister screaming from behind me but I ignore her.

Once my feet meet the front door I begin hysterically screaming

"Father!"

"What's wrong Charlotte" he pokes his head out of the kitchen

"What do you mean what's wrong those men just told me you were going to war but that can't be you wouldn't"

"I would and I am" he says in a stern voice

"No you're not I won't let you"

"You don't let me do anything daughter, this is my home, you are my family and I make the damn rules!"

He slams his hand into the wall and Daniel begins to cry, I get my quick temperament from him. Mary Margaret walks through the door and directs her attention towards me

"look what you've done now Charlotte"

Fran takes Daniel in her arms as my father turns around walking towards his room

"I'll help you pack" Mary Margaret says

"Your  goin to help him kill him self, wow bravo round of applause for the biggest idiot to ever breathe"

"Take that back"

"Stop it Charlotte" Bernadette says with tears rolling down her eyes but I'm not going to stop I'm right and Mary Margaret is wrong!

"Shut up cry baby, and Mary Margaret I cannot take it back once the truth is out there it's done nothing more I can do it's impossible to take back."

"You are fighting the entire house Charlotte! Stop acting like a child for once"

These words out of my fathers mouth sting like a wasp, I can handle it from my sisters but not him.

"Fine then go and die I don't care!  I hope you do we would all be better off without you" I say as I turn around leaving the house, I of course don't mean a word of what just came out of my mouth but I often let my temper get the best of me.

Fran starts to follow me when Mary Margaret grabs her arm telling her I'm better off on my own for awhile.

{~~~}

soon I reach the bottom of are hill, I sit down in the grass staring at the village, looking at the lights hearing the people. We only go into the village when need be, I'd love to explore this village and many others maybe even see a town or city, I want to see it all. I'm thinking about all of this with a smile when I remembered why I'm sitting here in the first place.

What am I supposed to do how can I fix this we have no other men in are family for me to send in his place.

"One man from each house..one man from each house.. one man from each house" I say on repeat to myself

What if we don't need a man at all?

If I were to dress as a man I could cut my hair, wrap my chest, I could change the way my voice sounds and if I died well then my father would live and still be able to take care of my sisters and Daniel.

Yes that's exactly what I'll do!

I wait until everyone in my hill top home are fast asleep, I first fill up the bucket and bathe myself getting all the dried up slop off me. After I sneak into my fathers room lucky for me he's a heavy sleeper, I steel his letter from the army and clothes from his younger years, with sheep shears I cut the pants and arms of shirts to my length, then I cut my hair like a boys. The only thing left for me to do  is make a chest wrap which shouldn't be to difficult. For the first time in my life having small boobs is a good thing. I take my pillow case off my pillow using the sheep shears, a needle and thread I make my wrap. Quickly I get dressed and take a look in the mirror, I look like a scrawny little boy, I can hardly recognize myself.

As I make my way to the stables I can hear the rooster crowing, So quickly I hop up on a my horse Violet and we ride out.

A stray tear falls down my face as I leave my home and my family fairly certain I'll never see either again.