One: TWO BROTHERS AND A DEER TRAP

Hazel wrung the warm, wet cloth and replaced it on her father's forehead. The old man shifted slightly in response and a tear escaped his eldest child's bright blue eye. The right, green eye never cried, one of the many peculiar things about the nineteen year old girl kneeling by her father's bedside.

The old and frail man, who had once been robust and proud, was now wasting away on the small bed. He had suffered for seven months now after an infection to his lungs did not clear after treatment. The physician had tried everything but to no avail, and Hazel had been preparing for this day for a while now. His breaths were shallow and farther apart, the task in itself seeming extremely agonizing to the old man. Another tear cascaded down Hazel's cheek and she quickly wiped it away when she heard footsteps toward the room. She rarely permitted herself to show any weakness, she had to be strong for her brother.

"Is papa feeling any better?" a whispering voice sounded in the room.

Hazel turned and smiled at her younger brother, shaking her head. "No Henry, I am afraid Pa is still the same."

He knelt beside his sister and took his father's thin and pale hand, "We are losing him, aren't we."

"Where is that wretched woman?" Hazel said instead, deliberately avoiding to answer her brother's question.

Henry shrugged, "Probably at the inn, drinking pa's money away."

Hazel played with the pendant around her neck as she always did when she was emotional, that woman had no boundaries! Nor shame! She knew her stepmother could care less than not for her father but to disrespect him like that even in his last days, she had to be a true witch!

When her mother had passed away ten years ago and her father had brought a young, blonde woman home a month later, her father had obviously thought it a good idea. He had two small children to take care of and needed help, taking another wife seemed just the next step in getting that help. What he had not known, however, was not every woman was kind and loving enough to care for another woman's child, let alone two. Fuelled with the anger of discovering her own bareness, she had hated the two siblings every day since she arrived. Her father had been oblivious to her vile behavior, of course.

"I hate that woman!" Hazel clenched her fists.

"She wishes to send me away, after you marry Mr. Worthington," Henry said, his eyes cast downward at the wooden floor.

"Send you where Henry, this is our father's house!" Hazel's eyes widened in dismay.

"The orphanage," the boy replied quietly.

"I am not marrying that man Henry! Why, he is seven years older than father! And spends all his time in that God-forsaken inn!"

"But Helen has promised you to him," he replied. "I cannot come with you and have to stay at the orphanage until I'm of age."

"Who said that? Helen!" Hazel seethed, "I will wring that woman's neck with my bare hands I tell you!"

That was a futile solution, and she knew it. Not only would she be sinning, she would be hung and leave her brother behind! The very thing she was trying to avoid. So the woman's life would be spared for now, until a better solution arose to get rid of her.

"What will we do Hazel? Everything Father owns will be in her name now."

Hazel sighed and looked back at her father, foolish, foolish man! How could a man be ruled by his loins to the point of forgetting his flesh and blood?

"We have to leave, Henry."

"And go where?"

"Anywhere far from this place."

"But this is our home!"

Hazel twisted the pendant again, "This stopped being our home the day mama died. And if we stay, there is no telling what Helen will do to us."

Henry nodded at his sister's remark, "As long as we stay together, right?"

"Always," smiled Hazel and looked at her father, silently thinking 'father, don't go.

....

"Hazel!" the drunk woman stumbled upon a stone and cursed, "where is that damned, wretched girl!"

"I bet running around with a rifle, is that not all she does?" the older man bellowed in drunken laughter.

"Wait till I tame her to be a good little wife! No more running around looking like a lad, I say, and no more hunting either!"

"You have your work cut out for you with that one!" Helen exclaimed.

"Oh, you know very well I love a challenge! If you ask me, it is lack of a sound beating that lass suffers from! You done gone soft on her over the years. No daughter of mine would do half the things that girl of yours does."

"You forget, dear old friend, she is not my daughter!"

They both laughed and stumbled to the door and Helen fumbled to open it.

"Hazel where are..." she stopped mid-sentence as she took in the two siblings weeping by their father's bed.

Hazel looked up with red eyes but there were no visible tears on her face, typical of the girl, Helen thought. Henry was quietly sobbing and his shoulders were shaking as he kept his head pressed to the bed. Helen did not need to be told what was going on, it was clear her husband was finally dead. The wail that escaped her mouth was loud enough to rouse the neighbors.

"Oh Phillip you selfish man, how could you leave me all alone in this world!" Helen screamed and threw herself to the floor.

Her head spun at the movement and she felt nauseous for a short moment. She took a deep breath for the feeling to pass, then began crying aloud again.

"Oh Phillip, who will love me now! How could you just leave me all alone like this?!"

Mr. Worthington stood in the corner of the room, not knowing what to do. Helen could feel his eyes on her as she sobbed on the floor. She clutched her skirt, tearing it from the hem upwards as the volume of her cries increased.

"What is happening here?" Margaret burst into the room.

"Oh my word, Helen!" she exclaimed when she saw her friend's state kneeling on the floor.

"He is gone Margaret, the man has gone and left me alone in this world! With children to feed! How could he do this Margaret, tell me, "Helen put her hands over her heart as her body shook dramatically with supposed grief.

Margaret knelt and embraced her friend, stealing a glance at the two children who were now staring blankly at their stepmother. Helen fisted strands of her hair and pulled, letting it loose from the pins holding it up. The nausea returned again and she stopped crying for a moment, taking another deep breath. This time it did not help as she immediately emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor.

"By God, your grief will kill you too, Helen, if you do not calm down. You want to follow your husband to the grave and leave these children as orphans?"

....

....

Hazel glared at Margaret as soon as the word 'orphan' escaped her mouth. How dare the woman imply Helen was any kind of parent to them! Just moments ago she had been in the inn, drinking with filthy men while her husband was on his deathbed! She had no right to pretend she cared about him nor had she any right to claim she cared for his children. She and her brother had become orphans the minute their father got the deadly illness.

Hazel clenched her teeth as her nose flared in anger, all she had wanted was to grieve in peace. Surely, they could all afford her that? Instead, her vile stepmother was making a spectacle of her father's death!

She stood and ran out of the room, leaving Henry behind, calling after her. She could not bear to be in that room a second longer, or she would lash out at Helen when all she wanted was to grieve. Murder would be the least of her concerns then. Hazel noticed John's coffin shop was still open and she made her way across the street. That was the last thing she needed to take care off on the funeral arrangements for her father.

"John, are you in?" she called out as soon as she entered.

John's desk was empty and the place was quiet. The silence somehow suited the business of the place.

"Hazel, is that you?" John called out from the back room.

"Yes John, can I see you for a moment?"

"Sure, I'll be out in a second. Take a seat."

Hazel looked around, deciding she didn't want to sit down. The front office was quite small, serving only to receive potential customers. The back room was where John worked and all the coffins were stored. It was a small business, but served the small, religious town well. Most of the town residents wouldn't bury their relatives in any other but John's coffins.

"Hello dear, what can I do for you? I know this is my business but I always hate it when people walk through that door, "the old man chuckled.

There was warmth in his grey eyes that almost matched his hair, and Hazel wondered why her brother had always been afraid of the man. She concluded that all the children were afraid of John because they associated him with death. She almost laughed at John's statement, her father's death meant John had more coins in his pocket. How funny life was!

"My father is dead," Hazel saw no reason to procrastinate the matter.

"Oh my dear child, when?" the old man's face fell with sadness and sympathy for her.

"In the hour," Hazel replied.

"The doctor saw him?" John asked, obviously trying to hold on to hope that Hazel had been mistaken and needed a professional confirmation.

"Yes, I sent Henry to fetch him as soon as I felt his cold hands."

"I am so sorry child, if there is anything I can do..."

"I just need a coffin John. I wish for my father to be buried in the morning."

"Morning?" John asked, surprised.

"You are not taking a day for mourning?"

"I have been mourning my father for the last week, I knew he would not recover John. Besides, I see no reason for Helen to have an audience for her theatrics!"

John was silent and Hazel took out silver coins and placed them on the table. The old man simply pushed the coins back in her direction, shaking his head.

"No, you keep it child. Your father was a friend."

"Everyone who dies in this town is your friend John," Hazel smiled slightly.

"Some are closer than most," John smiled.

Hazel took the coins and placed them in her pocket, "Thank you John. I will see you in the morning."

She turned to go and John spoke up, "Have you seen Father Abram?"

"Yes, after I saw the doctor. All has been arranged John, "she answered, turning to leave again.

"You do not have to put up a strong front all the time child, you need to mourn."

"I cannot afford to act like a child anymore that is for Henry to do now" she said then closed the distance to the door, shutting it after her.

Her words rang true, Henry was the one she needed to take care of now. There would be no time to act like a child when it was clear no one would take both of them in. Hazel was of age, everyone would expect her to marry and have a husband to fend for her. No, she had no time to mourn.

....

The ceremony was short and fortunately, Helen behaved. She was standing next to Henry and his sister, dressed in a black dress and veil. Henry had cried when the coffin was lowered into the grave, holding his sister's hand through it all. Hazel had just squeezed the young one's hand but remained motionless and focused on the ceremony. A few people had attended, their father's lack of friends and relatives clearly showing, but the two siblings had each other and that is all that mattered. From now on, all they had was each other.

As people walked away from the cemetery, Henry and Hazel stayed behind to pay their last respects to their father. Helen was nowhere to be found, and for that, Henry was glad.

"So, what is the plan?" he looked at his sister.

"We are leaving, we head west after we collect our bags from John's shop."

"When did you..."

"While you were sleeping. I packed everything and hid it behind John's."

"But we don't have any money!"

"Sure we do, it is not a lot but it will do until we get to the last town on the Western map. I will have to find a job."

"You are no good at cleaning houses Hazel, and who will take in the both of us?"

"Who said anything about housekeeping?" Hazel raised a brow.

"And I will take care of you."

Before Henry could say anything else, his sister continued, "Come on, before Mr. Worthington comes to collect his prize."

The two walked back to their house and found Helen and Margaret standing at the door. Helen scowled at them, "What took you two so long?"

"We were not in a hurry to say goodbye to our father like you were," Henry replied and Margaret gasped.

"Such poor manners to the woman who has cared for you since you were a child!"

"It is quite alright Margaret, no one understands what I have endured for the sake of my Phillip." Helen sniffed. "But I shall have no more of that, I know Phillip would have wanted me to be happy."

Hazel finally looked up, "And pray tell, what would make you happy Helen?"

"To see you happily married of course, and Henry to be in a good home."

"This is my home," Henry raised his voice slightly, but Hazel squeezed the hand that was still in hers and he stepped back.

"An orphanage is not a home Helen, surely you know that. Or have you forgotten you, yourself, are a product of such a place!" Hazel challenged.

Helen stiffened, "I will not have you judge me Hazel, and you do not know what you speak of. But you will have a better life than most, Mr. Worthington is a man of means, he will care for you well."

"We are still mourning Helen, or have you no respect for that?" snapped Hazel.

"Of course I do!" Helen said, alarmed at the public accusation, "I am mourning too, I just lost the love of my life!"

Henry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and waited for his sister's response instead.

"We are holding a fast for our father, we will be at the chapel until dawn," Hazel said instead, "unless you care to join us?"

"Oh no, I would like to mourn my husband in the privacy of my own home."

"Or in the tavern," Henry mumbled.

"What was that Henry?" Margaret questioned and Henry shook his head.

"I didn't utter a word."

"Now, if you will excuse us, we will be going to the chapel now," Hazel continued, pulling Henry's hand and walking away from the two.

"Did that seem odd to you?" Margaret whispered.

Henry looked back in time to hear his stepmother reply, "That girl is always odd." Then they walked inside.

He focused on the road ahead and turned to Hazel, "So what now?"

"Are they still outside?" his sister asked.

"No, they went into the house."

"Good. We will go to the chapel and say our prayers for a safe journey, then come back to collect our bags before we head West."

....

It was dusk by the time the two were miles away from their hometown. Hazel's shirt was damp with perspiration and she was grateful for not ever wearing women's heavy clothing! She glanced at her brother and the younger boy was no better than her. They had been walking for hours without rest and the boy looked like he would collapse any moment.

Hazel spotted a large tree a few paces ahead and she walked in that direction, dropping their bags against the trunk.

"We can rest here for the night," she said, looking around the woody area, "I will look for some firewood so we can keep warm."

Henry nodded and slumped against the tree's trunk, closing his eyes as he did so. Hazel walked away from him and began to collect a few dry twigs she could see on the ground. It was fairly difficult with the dimming light, but the twigs were everywhere and she only had to feel for them on the ground. The breeze was cool enough to promise a chilly night, but with a fire they would be warm enough.

Hazel knew well they had trespassed on someone's property and therefore she did not worry about any wild animals in the woods. Fairly dense woods such as this one would have small animals such as rabbits and squirrels, the largest being deer. Any bears or other predators would have been hanging on the owner's walls by now to reduce competition over the deer.

Hazel thought back to her small town, it was still fresh in her memory although they were far from it now. Trespassing through people's fields and property had given them both protection and shorter routes for their journey. She hoped she never had to see her stepmother or Mr. Worthington ever again! If only her mother were still here.

A few tears escaped from her eye with that sad thought and she did not look ahead as she closed her eyes to wipe her face. The pain was sudden and acute, and Hazel screamed in the silent forest, falling to the ground. She clutched her leg and heard the clinking sound of the metal chain attached to the clamp in her flesh. Hazel realized she had obviously stepped in a deer trap.

....

Henry heard his sister's scream and jumped to his feet, looking around. He could only hope no one had heard her scream echoing in the quiet woods.

"Hazel, where are you?"

He heard whimpering but it seemed to be coming from every direction now that it was dark. But he tried again.

"Hazel, you have to talk to me so I can know where you are."

"Over here," she groaned, obviously in pain," find a stick and tap the ground before you walk on it."

Henry did so and took careful steps," What happened?"

Hazel groaned again before replying," Damn deer trap! I should have thought of that before."

Henry followed his sister's voice and could make out her form in the darkness. He hurried his steps toward her and knelt beside her small, sitting frame.

"I need help removing it."

Henry's heartbeat sped and he bit his bottom lip, "But it will be painful..."

"I cannot leave it embedded in my ankle with all that dirt and rust, who knows what else! I will be fine Henry, it won't hurt at all. Just help me pull it off."

Henry nodded even though Hazel probably didn't see his act of agreement, and traced the trap on her foot. The two, jagged sides of the trap were in her flesh and he could feel the blood oozing out. But he had to be brave for her, so he took his vest off and wound it around his fingers.

"Are you ready?"

"It only hurts because it is still around my ankle, pulling it off won't cause any harm."

"Alright," Henry nodded again and put all his strength into pulling the metal apart.

It took several minutes to accomplish but the trap finally gave way, leaving fresh blood in its absence. Henry quickly tied the vest around the wound to cease the bleeding.

"Help me stand and collect the wood so we can make a fire."

He did so and took the pile of twigs under his arm, so he could support his hopping sister on the other. They walked back together slowly to the large tree, which they could still make out. The night was dark with not a single star in sight, and the larger trees were providing a canopy that was not helping either. The siblings got to their shelter for the night regardless of that, and Henry started on the fire.

By the time he was done, Hazel was already asleep, to help ease the pain Henry supposed. He wondered at that, if it had been him, he would not have slept at all! But his sister was tough, he just hoped she would be alright. He knelt in front of her with their water bottle and a clean shirt which he tore to make a bandage. After washing the wound, he bound it again with the clean cloth before letting sleep claim him too.

.

Dawn came and the two made their way out of the woods, continuing their journey. The day was the same but considerably slower due to Hazel's injury. When night came, the siblings rested by a tree once more after eating.

The third day was even slower but Hazel and Henry went on, never stopping except to drink water for refreshment. By the fourth day, Hazel had a fever and Henry worried about her collapsing during the journey, and in the middle of nowhere. They should be nearing a town by now, if the wide road they had reached was anything to go by. He took one look at his sister and noticed her eyelids were drooping, not a good sign at all. They had to rest.

No sooner had he decided that when Hazel dropped with a thud to the ground.

"Hazel!" he screamed, then dropped to his knees beside her, checking if she was still breathing.

Thankfully, she was. But her temperature was higher now, to a dangerous point. Even he could tell that was not good. Henry shook the wattle bottle, there was still a lot left from when he had refilled it last. He took out another one of his smaller shirts and dampened it, placing it on his sister's forehead. He removed her vest and shoes and fanned her for a bit, all the while looking up and down the road for any sign of life.

The road showed it was used frequently enough, but he had no way of knowing when another carriage would pass by. Despite being of a bigger built than her, he could not carry his sister; they would never go far. So his best bet was to wait in the road until someone passed by and aided them. He prayed a quick prayer that no robbers would spot them, and for his mother to watch over his sister. He had no idea what he would do if any serious harm came to her, so he had to have faith God would help them.

A few hours went by and Henry realized it would be dusk soon. Still no one had passed by! He was already tired and considered leaving his sister to see if he could find a house nearby. From where he stood he could not see a building for miles, but he had to hope he would find help somewhere, and soon. Exhaustion pushed him to rest for only a few minutes, adding to his guilt for not thinking of walking around earlier. If only he could sleep for twenty minutes or so, then he would find help for his sister.

It was only a matter of seconds before sleep claimed the boy, and he lay there in the middle of the road.