"Ok where are you taking me", I asked her.

She didn't answer.

We had been walking on a stone path in the middle of the woods for quite awhile.

"Uh, hello", I shook her shoulder trying to get her attention.

She was mumbling to herself.

"Hey!", I said a little bit louder feeling more confident in the new situation.

She didn't answer again still in thought.

I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "Answer me", I commanded.

She whipped around to glare at me. She held both of her hands, mentally a tad scared of me. "What do you want?", she yelled with that horrifying little voice that could probably brake a wine glass.

I completely lost my confidence to an eight year old. I had suddenly got a bad case of cotton mouth and wasn't staying anything anytime soon.

She whipped back around in a furl of anger and pigtails.

I stood my ground because I wasn't done with this conversation that she deemed empty.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where I am, how I got here, and what was that!", I yelled finally loosing my head.

She stopped suddenly in her tracks. Her head bowed and her hands still ring together. "You don't need to know", she murmured.

I choked on some air not believing what I was hearing. "Excuse you", I started to raise my voice, "I'm the adult here missy, and don't think for one second that you can patronize me an-"

She grabbed my shirt color glaring at me. Of corse she only could do that because she caught me when I wasn't expecting it. Still I was surprised how strong she was.

"Look", she hissed. "Age might have been a big proportion of who's boss in your world, but it doesn't here".

She grabbed my head and turned it to the side.

There standing on the mountain looked like a big billboard with initials and numbers under the initials.

"What is that?" I asked, rubbing my cheek where she head yanked my head to the side.

She sat down on a stump and started picking at the bark ,"The mark board".

"What is that", I said again redundantly.

" it's what the Dianites use to count kills. Whoever has the most kills is the most feared and is the leader", she stuck her head up in the wind, trying to dry her doughy eyes.

My mind tried to wrap around what she just said and I tried to make sence of it ,"wait so they kill people for like-" I stammered trying to keep from gagging from the wrongness of it ,"like for sport, like hunting".

Hope nodded.

She propped her knees on the stump and layed her head on them. "Well ,at least the Dianites do", she explained ,"the Mianites went in hiding after the incident".

Her eyes started to tear up.

I stood quietly as she sniffed and tried to keep in her sadness.

She wiped her face and stood, then she gestured me towards herself, like a little kid would when they were about to tell you a secret.

I walked over and knelt down so I was now looking at her straight in the eye.

"You need to swear you won't tell anyone about what I am going to tell you", she whispered.

I nodded yes.

"Good because if you do, I'll be forced to kill you", she said. I could tell she wasn't joking.

"You know why they tied you up and tried to kill you"

I nodded my head no because I honestly didn't.

"They thought you were part of the godless"

"The godless", I repeated.

"Yes", she answered louder.

She then caught herself and started whispering again ,"The godless are a rebel group against Dianite", she crossed her arms ," since the only two Mianites in this world had gone into hiding ,were the only good keeping Dianite from making there messed up version of a democracy".

"Ok", I kept on nodding my head trying not be annoying ,"What's Mianite and Dianite".

Hope slapped her head in stupidity ,"Aww shnickys ,no one explained to you about the gods". She groaned ," ok, there are two gods in the world Mianite and Dianite, capeesh".

It sounded like something hard to explained so I said yes.

"You in the modern world", she paused, not sure how to go through what she was about to tell me. Honestly a little girl shouldn't of had to say what she was about to say, "died", she said holding out her hands, getting ready to catch me if I fainted.

I made a high squeaking noise that I never heard myself articulate before.

"No, no, no ,no. Its ok because the gods gave you a second chance", she started ramble on, seeing that I looked quiet pale and she was going to have a problem if I fainted, "and sent you to the gods domain where they live, so they could keep a eye on you and make sure you didn't screw up again", she put her hands down.

I guess I must have had the same expression on my face when I learned I died.

She smiled like I had never seen her before. Instead of feeling that she was grumpy and mature she looked happy. Like a normal kid. She reached out her hands ,"need a hug".

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say.

I must have died in the cab wreck, I thought to myself.

I looked up at her slightly smilling rocking on her heels of her leather boots. Even though she just met me ,she seemed to care.

I looked up. My attitude changed that day. I didn't react as I was expected to. I was here now, and just like my favorite characters in my video games and books. I was going to be a hero.

"I want to join the godless", I let out.

She stopped smiling. She had a look of surprise on her face. "You don't even know who the godless are. You sure", she exclaimed.

I was never more sure about anything in my life.

I stood up, like a protagonist being fed his role in life. "Yes".

She held out her hand like Tom did ,"partners".

I wasn't sure what to say or do. This hand seemed more trustworthy. More innocence. There was this glimmer of curiosity in her brown eyes for the future, and whatever future that little girl was hoping for, I wanted to help make.

She held up her arm with her other hand. "My arms getting tired", she joked slightly giggling.

I shook her little hand. Her smile made me smile. It was very contagious, even with the tooth gone.

"good now I can trust you".

She hit me on the shoulder like Natalie used to.

The her little brown eyes looked at up the sky. "Its gettin' dark we should probably find somewhere for shelter before the wriders come", her eyes lit up ," first survival training ,you find some shelter and I'll make a fire".

I smiled.

Her teaching methods weren't very effective, but it made her happy. I searched around for a place for us to stay the night.

I walked off the path to the direction that Hope went to find fire wood. If I got lost I could easily find her.

There I found a big tree with a hole in it and a huge piece of bark used as the door. Hope came back with a handful and twigs. She piled them a few feet away from the tree and opened her pink backpack.

She then got out a lighter and to my surprise the leather tube that was holding the glass sword.

She tossed it to me ,"you'll learn how to fight tomorrow".

I evenly taught myself how to fight. An archer rarely can use a have sword

She grabbed some sketch pad paper and wrapped it up in a ball. She lit the paper with her lighter and started blowing on it, scattering the ash to make the rest of the paper warmer. Hopefully to get a spark on the log.

I paid close attention to every move she made making the fire, and she noticed, which is maybe why I earned her trust so easily. When the fire was finally made she came over and sat by me.

We both sat in the crevice of the tree.

Nature was peaceful in a world that seemed to be run in chaos. "So", I asked. "Do the modsteps know about the godless and that your in it".

"Nah, well", she curved her head to the side. Her voice was stable now. Just like that she felt normal, "they have a good idea, but no proof", she zipped up her backpack ,"unless they can get Tom to believe them, they can't do anything".

"Is that why they don't like you", I asked getting on a touchy subject.

"There supposed to be my guardians", she said doing the same thing with her knees like she did on the stump. "All they do is drink though, so yea".

We then lied by each other in the crevice of that tree. I would here her little breaths and it reminded me of my sister.

I felt like youth could be easily squandered here and get laying there being as kiddish as possibly was kinda refreshing.

I sighed, "keep with me kid, keep with me".