Everything seemed hopeless where she stood in the middle of a field in the middle of the night. Everything had changed so quickly...Her dear mother and father was dead...gone. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her whole body felt weak, her heart felt broken and her mind not in contact.

What was she supposed to do now? She was an orphan, a kid. Powerless.

- Oh, Belle...what are we supposed to do now? Melissa cried out.

She couldn't think straight, nor did she know what to do. So instead,her eyes searched their way up, to the sky where the beautiful moon and stars were shining. The stars were beautiful, just like the moon, it's lights seemed to calm Melissa down for a bit, making her feel less lonely and think more clearly, reminded her of that beautiful night. She was still upside down, yet, calmer. She took a deep breath and thought for a moment what her father had taught her about survival. A fire, she needed a fire, and food and sleep, that was the most important things. Although, she knew it would be too risky putting up a big fire on an open field like this, not only because she was an easy target for wild animals, but also an easy target for people, including the men that were hunting her down.

She rode off once again, riding as fast as she could, as long as she could, until the land wasn't familiar anymore. Melissa didn't care where she was going, the only thing that was on her mind, was to escape. There was no return now, Melissa knew that she couldn't return to her home, nor to Georgetown, because the men would surely hunt her down. She wasn't stupid, she understood what her parents had done, they had taken a loan, and seeing how revengeful the money leaders seemed, they wouldn't just let Melissa go. She knew if they got their hands on her, they would kill her for sure.

Million thoughts ran through her mind. Fire.... food...sleep.... run....fire...food....sleep...killed....lost...gone...what? No more. The survival things her father had taught her, was taking up her whole mind, but the last things she could think of was to survive. For the first time in her life, she had absolutely no one but herself to rely on. Some tears streamed down her face again while she was sobbing out in the dark night. Belle took her further and further away from where she was meant to be. Home. But it wasn't her home anymore. It was a graveyard. Filled with ghosts that would hunt her dreams forever. Melissa didn't even control where Belle took her anymore, she didn't care. Belle just kept walking and walking and walking, while Melissa couldn't take her mind of the sight of her dead parents. It still felt like a crazy dream to her, that she would soon wake up and her mother and father would already be standing outside their house, waiting on her to accompany them on their journeys. Melissa cried once again as she remembered that their trips and adventures would never happen again. The love of her parents now only existed in her memory and it would always remain there. Mentally.

The night was long and seemed endless. Melissa still hadn't stopped a single time to either sleep or eat, she was tired and mentally exhausted but didn't want to stop, she was far to afraid of the men. Belle had taken her so far away from her home that Melissa had no clue of where they were. As the sun finally showed up over the horizon, Melissa could finally see a little more clearly of where they were. They were standing on a big open field with the sun straight forward. Around them were trees and further away some houses and what looked like a road with some signs on it. Melissa figured that it was their best shoot, maybe a town could help her? She steered Belle towards the sigh and stopped right in front of it. There was a bunch of directions that she could follow, but one sign pointing straight forward caught her attention, the sign said "Grand Junction", a town that felt good, so she followed the sigh and headed towards the town.Towards a new lonely life.

It wasn't very far away, and after about ten minutes she was there. The sun was all up now, walking on the rode took her right outside of town, above her head where a huge sigh with the text Grand Junction. It was here. Melissa looked forward and saw a bunch of houses and small farms, as she rode inside town people were already outside, walking the streets, chatting and shopping from different sort of sellers who were screaming across the streets with their products. To the right there was houses as well as to the left. The medical store and the towns office were to the right as it stood "drugs" on a huge sign over a smaller house, a general store could be seen to the left and of course, straightforward there was a big sign saying "Saloon" on it. Horses was mounted outside every house and as Melissa rode through the town it felt pretty good, safe to be with people, even if she didn't know them just yet. The sun warmed her, and Melissa suddenly realized that she was wearing nothing but her pajamas and a long jacket her mother had gave her just before her mother got shot. Feeling embarrassed, Melissa realized that she needed new clothes. But how? It wasn't like she had any money with her. She looked around, searching for a solution. As Melissa rode to the end of town and got to the saloon house, she noticed a house further away with some clothes hanging outside. She hated the thoughts that appeared in her head, stealing? It was something her mother had told her to never ever do, but what other choice did she had? It was either that or walk around in her pajamas in town.

- Forgive me mother for what I'm about to do. She said while heading towards the house.

No one seemed to be around, so Melissa quickly hopped down from Belle, over the fence and grabbed the first pair of clothes she saw, which was a brown dress that seemed almost like her size. Melissa jumped over the fence, up on Belle and rode off further away from the house where she couldn't see anyone. Behind a bush she then took of her old clothes and putted on the dress. It was a little big for her, but it didn't bother Melissa, no one would notice it anyway.

When she was done, Melissa made sure that no one had seen her. Guilty and embarrassed of what she had done, Melissa convinced herself that she had no other choice.

As she headed back to town once again, for some reason she didn't know, Melissa realized, She hadn't eaten for very long and was getting quite hungry. She stopped outside the saloon once again. The building was old and the wood dark brown, the house had some typical saloon doors, two smaller doors that was moving in both directions. Melissa thought for a while, wondering what the hell she was doing outside a place like this, the dangers she knew. People will always be people and her mother had always told her to stay away from towns like this, the streets was always rooming with outlaws and weird people that couldn't be trusted. In fact, Melissa couldn't trust anyone right now, perhaps not even herself.

She jumped down from Belle and parked her further away from the other horses, were there was some grass and a water horn. Belle gladly drank and ate while Melissa headed inside. As she opened the doors and got in everyone inside looked weirdly at her, and she knew why. Melissa was a kid and she was now entering a grownups place. There was a bar to the left and tables all over right and left. A couch in the back and some stairs to the top floor. The bartender looked at her as she walked towards him. Melissa didn't know what she was doing or why she was walking towards him, maybe he had some food to offer? Seeing as she was a kid. Everything was a big blur and the people's eyes in her back carved under her skin. Having eyes on you and drawing attention is not very nice.

Some men further away on a round table was smoking and looked at her as well. When Melissa bravely was right in front of the bartender, she had absolutely nothing to say, at all. It was all silence, the bartender looked at her and waited for some words to come out of her mouth, but Melissa was like frozen, she couldn't move or say anything. What did she expect?

- Are you lost little girl? Do your parents know that you're here? The bartender asked.

- Um.....I....Melissa stumbled.

- Do you need any help? He asked as he wiped an old whisky bottle.

Melissa looked around herself, people were staring at her. The bartender tried to talk to her, she panicked, didn't know what to do or say so she ran outside the doors and ran back to Belle, jumped up in the saddle and rode off, outside of town. What a failure, but Melissa didn't know what she expected to happen, being brave was not her strong side and neither was talking to strangers. Her stomachs made some sounds and she stopped further away from town, tired, hungry and lost. Melissa wanted so badly to go back to town to do something, anything that could help her situation, so she forced herself back. This time she wouldn't be in the saloon, instead she was going to try the general store, maybe some kind human being would offer her some food? Melissa once again parked Bell outside a old rusty house and looked through the door into the general store. She gasped to what she saw through the window. Three angry looking men with guns and nasty smiles. One, with a scar cut into his face. Melissa almost fell down the stairs back to Belle as she saw the three men in the store. The three men that had killed her father and mother, the men who was hunting her down, the men that wanted to kill her. Her heart started pounding fast.

Inside, their footsteps against the door could be heard. They were about to open the door and get outside, where she was. Melissa couldn't move. She just stared at the door as she could see it open. Her heart pounded fast. Confused and scared her feets stucked into the ground. The men opened the door and their eyes met hers. The man with the scar looked at her and laughed with his evil voice Melissa had heard at the farm. His voice was old and rusty, sounded like he had smoked for many years. His voice echoed in her head and his words he had told her last night, "mommy and daddy are gone now, so why don't you give us the money and we won't kill you". He killed them. He was the reason that her lovely parents were gone. But Melissa couldn't do anything, she was just a kid, she was yet again, powerless.

- Well, well, well, look at this boys, just when we thought we'd lost the little shit, she turns up right under our noses. The scar man said.

All three of them laughed and it all echoed in Melissa's head. Her heart pounded and pounded and pounded. She wanted to scream at them, shoot them, rip their faces off, but she knew that she could never have the courage for that, even after what they had done. Yet, that didn't stop Melissa from wanting them all to burn or get into some accident that would kill them all.

- What are we gonna do with her? One of them asked.

The scarred man looked at Melissa, while he still stood outside the store and Melissa down the stairs, frozen and terrified.

-Her father was a piece of shit, her mother was a piece of shit, so she must be a piece of shit, right? Besides, her parents owes us a lot of money and I really don't like when people don't get us what's owed. He said and took a step down.

- My father and mother were good people! You are the real shits here! Melissa screamed, surprised what she had just said.

- What did you say?! The scarred man asked.

It just came out of her mouth without her stopping it. The men stared angry at her, and Melissa could tell that these men wasn't going to let her go, she had to do something, but her whole body was frozen. Her knees felt weak and her body screamed at her to just run, but it was impossible.

- I say, we kill the little shit. One of them said.

Melissa's heart skipped a beat as he said those awful words. Paniced, she looked left and right to see all the nasty looking men, they smiled their evil smiles. Suddenly, the men stepped down the stairs and that was enough to make Melissa stand up, jump up on Belle and ride as quick as she could out of town. The men followed her lead and wasn't far behind. The people in town looked weirdly at them as they chased Melissa out of town. Melissa had a few meters between her and them, still she was terrified of what they would do. Suddenly, a gunshot could be heard behind her, the men was shooting at her but was missing every shot they took. She breathed heavily and just focused on riding Belle, trying to ignore the shots that could be the death of her.

- You are dead you little shit! The scarred man screamed.

Melissa didn't even understand why they was so keen to kill her. Probably because they were revengeful men and her parents had angered them more than she could understand, maybe her parents had some another business with those men, business that wasn't finished? It didn't matter at the time, the only thing Melissa had, once again in her mind, was to escape. She rode further away from town and could see the men in the distance, screaming at her to stop and that she was dead. Everything went so fast and Melissa didn't even noticed that suddenly there was a man walking straight out on the path in the forest where she was riding. She stopped so fast and so hard that Belle bucked her off and Melissa landed right in front of the man. The man saw her and immediately helped her up. She looked at him as he helped her up, trying to talk to her. He had black curly hair with big green eyes, he was about a head taller than Melissa and he looked very friendly. But Melissa of course knew that she couldn't trust anyone.

-  so sorry! I didn't see you, are you alright? The man asked.

Melissa has made some distance from the men chasing her but now she could hear them in the distance, coming from the forest further away. She once again panicked, looked around her to solve the situations. The man looked confused at her and as much as she hated to trust a stranger she had no other choice.

- You have to help me! They're trying to kill me! Melissa said while taking his hand.

The man heard the men coming out from the forest and understood that she was in danger. He grabbed her hand and pointed further up on a field.

- Come on, my house is just up that path over the hill! He said and grabbed her with him.

Both of them ran up to the top of the hill and then ducked down on the other side. Melissa could hear that the men kept riding straight forward and a big relief landed in her chest. Behind the hill laid a little farm. The house were of wood, it was a path from the forest leading to the house. Around the house were small fields with crops, there was also a little cattle, some chickens and a horse outside the house. The man she barely knew led her towards the house and then went inside. He locked the door and led Melissa towards the kitchen. There Melissa sat down on a chair and the man fetched her some water. Melissa took the water and drank it all up at once. The man looked surprised and gave her some more. First none of them said anything, Melissa just sat there, still a little confused over the whole situations while the man sat beside her. Waiting for her to say anything that would explain the situation. Her mind was racing with different thoughts and the fear of the men showing up once again was carving into her chest.

- My name's Sam Andrews by the way. The man eventually said.

Melissa looked at him, realizing that she was in a strangers house, the one thing her mother had taught her never to do. But this man looked very young himself, almost in her age, which was fourteen. Besides, she had to trust this man, at least for the moment.

- Melissa Summers. She said and drank the rest of the water.

- So, who were those men? They seemed pretty angry, what did you do? Sam asked.

Melissa once again looked confused at him, she hadn't done anything, they on the other hand had taken away her whole life, in a heartbeat everything she ever loved was completely gone.

- I didn't do anything, they just chased me....She lied, not being ready to tell a complete stranger that she had just lost her whole family.

-Really? Well, I guess it's none of my business, are you all by yourself? He asked with a concerned voice.

It was like Sam saw right through Melissa, like he knew straight away that something was definitely not right here. Like he read straight through her mind and swapped to the chapter where her parents died. Melissa didn't answer his question, she just looked down with sorrow eyes and the tears came. She couldn't hold them in, even if it was embarrassing to cry in front of Sam who she didn't know at all. Sam looked once again with concerned eyes at her, like he really had empathy for her even if he didn't know what had happened. Yet, it was almost like he did know, almost like he understood that her parents were somehow gone in one way or another. Melissa kept crying and Sam kept looking at her.

- I see....Sam said and stood up.

He grabbed some bread from the desk while he filled the glass of water once again. Then he putted it in front of Melissa.

- You look hungry. He said and then sat down.

Normally Melissa would never take offers like these from a stranger, but she was very hungry and couldn't think straight at the moment. So she grabbed the bread and started eating while whipping her tears.

- Why are you helping me so much? She asked and crunched on the bread.

Sam shrugged his shoulders and then smiled a bit. His smile was bright and warm.

- Well, you must be in some kind of trouble and since you are not willing to answer my question about that you're all alone I figure....Well I figure something must have happened to your....your family. Sam said and looked with sorrow eyes at Melissa.

He did it again, saw right through her. Maybe it was very obvious that something terrible has happened to her, but still, Melissa sort of liked Sam already, it felt like she knowed him when she didn't, like they were already friends.

- I....well they....um.....well it doesn't matter now, they're gone and there's nothing to do....Melissa said and looked out through the kitchen window. Her parents deaths were on repeat in her mind. As she looked out through the kitchen window she could see her father's dead body. Dead. On fire. Gone.

- So, you live here alone? Forgive me, but you seem pretty young. Melissa asked, surprised how brave she was to finally talk to Sam.

Sam smiled his warm smile once again.

- I'm sixteen actually, so I guess I'm not that old. My father and I used to live here but he passed away a couple of months ago unfortunately... Sam said and looked down for a bit.

Melissa felt guilty and rude. Maybe that's why he could tell so well that Melissa had lost something precious to her? Because he had lost the exact same thing. He could read her like a book and suddenly, she understood why.

- I'm sorry.... She said and looked at him.

Sam looked up and smiled his heart warming smile once again. He didn't seem like some weak person, he seemed like a kind and hard working man with a broken heart.

- No it's alright, he was weak and in a very bad condition, at least I got to say goodbye to him, and he left me this beautiful farm to keep me alive. Sam said.

They sat there for a moment, silently, both of them thinking deep. Melissa ate up her bread and drank up the water, it filled her stomach, at least for now and she was thankful to Sam for that.

- You don't seem pretty old as well. Sam suddenly said.

Usually, Melissa would have thought it was weird of a man, or a "boy" to ask her how old she was, but Sam felt very different from any one else, besides she had asked him, so why shouldn't she answer his question?

- No, I'm fourteen, turning fifteen in three weeks. Melissa said and smiled at him for the first time.

Sam smiled back and for a moment, they didn't seem like strangers, they seemed like good friends, just enjoying a meal together. Sam was very easy to talk to, he wasn't like any other boy she'd ever met. Sam stood up and grabbed a glass of water himself, he walked over to the kitchen window and stood there for a moment, looking out, thinking of something Melissa couldn't understand. Suddenly, Sam looked out through the window more closely, like he saw something, or someone.

- Are those your friends? He suddenly asked and pointed out through the window.

Melissa's heart skipped a beat as she realized that the men were back, they had found her. Some panicked reached its way into her chest once again. Shaking on her legs, she stood up and waddled to the window where Sam stood. She looked and gasped when she saw them. It was them. All three of them. The scarred guy in the middle and the other two beside him, walking with guns towards the front door.

- Oh no......Melissa said and backed away.

She backed towards the back door and was about to go out when Sam grabbed her hand and stopped her. She looked confused at him, and he shrouded his head at her. He shushed her and led her towards a couch. There Melissa ducked behind the couch while Sam gestures to her to stay put where she was. A loud knock could be heard from the front door and Melissa's heart almost stopped. Sam sneaked to a cuffert in the kitchen, grabbed a revolver and loaded it with four shots. Then, he walked towards a door where the men still stood at the front door, knocking violently.

- Hey farm boy! Open up! One of them screamed, and Melissa knew which one it was, the one who terrified her most, the scarred man.

Sam was very smart and didn't open the door at once, instead he stood inside the door to protect himself and Melissa. For some reason She couldn't understand, Sam was trying to protect her, even when they were strangers. Melissa stayed down behind the couch, begging to God that they wouldn't bash in the door and find her, begging that they wouldn't kill Sam.

- Who are you? Sam asked from the inside.

- None of your concern, if you don't open this door we'll bash it in. One of them said.

Sam seemed very fearless, he didn't back, didn't run, didn't even shatter. He just stood there, calm and collected while talking to three angry outlaws that could kill him within one second. Sam pointed the gun towards the door in case they would bash it in and loaded the gun.

- I sure would like to see you try, I'm armed so if you bash in that door I'll put a bullet in all three of your heads, now you tell what your business here is or I'll shot all three of you. Sam said with somehow a calm voice, yet strong enough for the men to calm down and stop with the knocking.

- We're looking for a little piece of shit, a girl, not very old, maybe fifteen years old, we saw her horse further down the road. Have you seen her farm boy? One of them asked with an angry voice.

Sam looked over to where Melissa was hiding, and Melissa got terrified. Million thoughts ran through her mind, what if Sam was working with them? Was he going to give her up? Was she going to die? Had she been wrong to trust Sam, a completely stranger with her whole life? She sat down frozen while Sam changed his gaze to the door once again.

- I haven't seen no girl, now get out of here before I'll blow your heads off. Sam said.

- If we find out that she's been here, just now, we'll be back, you can count on that boy. The scarred man said with his deep and growly voice.

Then all three of the men backed down the small stairs and mounted their horses further away. Sam had managed to send them away, with no violence at all.Threats, yes, but no violence. Melissa was impressed, and as Sam putted down his revolver in the cuffert once again, Melissa stood up from the couch and looked surprised at him.

- Either those are really bad men, or you did something to really piss them off. He said.

- How did you do that?

- What do you mean?

- I mean how did you keep your cool like that and just send them away? Melissa asked and walked up to Sam so she stood right in front of him.

Sam shrugged his shoulders and closed the cuffert.

- They're just loudmouths, they know when you're scared and takes advantage of that, if you keep it together they know that they won't get to you that easily. He said and looked straight into Melissa's green eyes, like he once again saw right through her.

Melissa nodded and tried to memorize the wise words Sam had told her, it was very clever of him to think like that and it seemed to work, seeing that he got them to walk away with only his words.

- They killed my parents....Melissa suddenly said, she didn't mean to do that but somehow thought out loud.

Sam turned around and looked at her, but it was like he already knew that they had done something terrible to her, his eyes showed empathy. Her tears burned inside her eyes and some rolled down her cheek.

- Those bastards.The world sure is a dark place, I'm so sorry. He said and putted a hand on her shoulder.

Melissa whipped her tears and smiled at him, he had been so kind to her. He had already saved her twice, given her food and now he was comforting her. Warthm filled her body as Sam's hand laid still on her shoulder. She could tell that Sam was a very kind person who was just as lost as she was. Who had lost something precious, just like her. Family.