Minecraft 1. A promise

**Hello! Bailey here with a new story. I feel like I have thousands of unwritten stories on my computer. Half of them are just a couple of paragraphs. There are a few in there that I actually like and these are them. All if these have no ending. They are just ideas that I write down but never finish or even really begin. I take OCs! The chart is below. This is chapter one, or story one. **

-X-

An arrow, a single arrow. It was all I saw. I didn't know at the time what this arrow would bring, it had just confused me for a moment, shaking slightly, lodged in the wood of my door frame. Tipped with flint, two feathers striking down the body of it and a small initial carved into it. _**LJ. **__LJ for what? _I wondered briefly, staring down at the arrow.

Then someone screamed and realization rushed unto me. We were under attack, of course we were. I ran into our small wood and cobble house, tripping on the ledge on my way up, my movements clumsy under the panic that was steadily rising in my chest.

"Mama!" I yelled, my eyes darting wildly around the kitchen area. It was empty. I raced across the oak planks to the open door of my parent's bedroom. Empty.

"Ebony!" My sister's shouts came muffled from under my parents bed. Not empty.

"Maisie," I say, a small amount of weight being lifted of my chest. My little sister's brown eyes were filled with tears and her chin was trembling.

"Somebody screamed, Ebony, is somebody hurt?"

"Yes, I think, I don't know. I think it is the rebels." _Pa said they wouldn't be this far South. _I thought, panicky. "Listen, May, where did Mama go?" I ask, as another scream pierced the air followed by shouts. They were fighting.

My sister looked fearfully towards the door and answered, her chin wobbling, she was trying very hard not to cry. "She w-was going to-to g-get water. She w-went to the w-well. We w-were making a-apple tarts. She t-told me she'd b-be back." She was crying now.

Fear lodged in my chest, my mother was outside. I stood up and walked down the short hallway to a single chest. I undid the latch, my fingers slightly shaking.

"E-ebony!" Maisie called after me, crawling out from under the bed, her eyes still leaking round tears. I could hear more fighting now the sound of swords clashing together, and more screams.

I open the chest and take out two of the three stone swords. They were my father's but he had taught me enough to know how to use them. I set it on the ground and dug around; I find a leather armor jacket. It was big, there was one for my brother and one for my father. I take the one for my brother.

I turn around and face a set of wide eyes, Maisie was looking from me to the sword. "Did Pa or Eric return from the mine?" I ask.

Maisie shook her head and threw herself into my lap. "Y-you c-can't go out there, t-they'll hurt y-you. P-please Ebony." Her kid hands clenched tightly around my waist her fingers digging in so deep it hurt.

"Shhh May," I say, patting her head and trying to unwind her arms from me. I succeed and she looks at me, her eyes ever producing tears and snot running down her nose. "Listen, I need to go get Mama, then we can come back here and get you," That was my plan, _then what?_ I ask myself. "Then we can go get Pa and Eric from the mine." _We won't be fast enough, _I think as I say the words; still, I would let Maisie believe it. _We will have to…What? Run, leave them? _"After that we go someplace safe," I tell the fearful eight year old face. "While I go get Mama, you need to stay here, turn off the lights and stay under the bed all right?"

"No! Stay with me, Ebony, I am scared."

"I'll be right back; it will only take a second." _Would it? _I pushed my doubts away, yes it would.

"You promise?" She asked, her wet face drawn in seriousness.

I chew the inside of my cheek, a nervous habit. "Yes, I promise." I take one of the stone swords and hand it to her, hilt first. Her eyes flash with fear.

"You'll be right back! I don't need it!" She shrieked, almost convincing herself.

"I know," I say, trying to make my tone calm even though my anxiety was only getting worse with every arrow that I heard _pang_ outside. _anyone of them could hit Mama. _No. "It is just in case, just hide and they shouldn't find you." Suddenly doubt clogged my senses, _should I leave her, what if someone finds her? _ If I ran fast, I could find my mother, I know I could.

Maisie took the sword as I stood. Then she dropped it with a small thump and hugs me, her face buried in my shirt muffling her words. "Come back." She says softly.

"I will." I tell her.

I was wrong.

-X-

I stepped outside, equipped with my brother's jacket and one of the stone swords. Nothing was happening in the ally between my house and my neighbor's house. I could hear fighting though, and it was close.

I jog to the street, towards the Well ignoring my fluttering heart and desire to stay and hide with Maisie. I see arrows everywhere, sticking out from fences like warning signs. _get out of here, danger. _The sounds of fighting were coming closer and I see a body. Laying there was Mrs. Larden and cradled in her dead arms was her new baby boy. Someone had stepped on him though, and his skull was smashed. I thought briefly of the night my mother helped Mrs. Larden with him. I choke back my horror and the memories of Mrs. Larden and continue on.

As I crossed the street I saw chaos. "Notch help us." I muttered. Children ran from house to house. Mothers and fathers alike screamed for their children. Men in black iron armor and iron swords fought everywhere, smashing and burning the houses. On their chest was a single black **X**. The mark of the rebels. They were swinging their swords, killing any that crossed their paths, some of them laughing as they did so. People were running, trying to get past them. Sometimes when they got close to the fence of the village one of the men would take their bow and shoot them down, an arrow protruding from their backs. _One marked LJ?_

I skirted around the houses, hoping to avoid them and the fiery madness. I ran quickly and turned the corner. I gasped. Hattie Shire, the miller's daughter, was shoved up against the wall, one of the men in the black iron, had one of his hands running up her leg while the other one silenced her screams. He was completely focused on her and it made me sick. I was never friends with Hattie, two years older and a hell of a lot prettier, our paths didn't often cross. Still, her head was turned to me, her baby blue eyes filled with not yet fallen tears and horror. Her eyes blinked once as if to tell me to go, to leave her. My feet lurched, I'd like to say I was a courageous hero, that I killed the man with hardly a second glance and saved poor Hattie. That I saved her from something that made her wish she was dead, but I didn't, I turned and ran. I left her, just one of the many things that would come back to haunt me was that moment and that man and Hattie Shire, the miller's daughter.

The ally ways I was running behind were burning, I dodged the flames, trying to remember which turns to take to get to the Well quickly. Up ahead, I saw what had been causing the flames, a man in black iron with gleaming flint and steel in his hands, he was burning a garden. He saw me and sneered, at least, I think he did, I could only see his mouth and bits of his eyes from his half helm. I felt a race of panic, knowing if I ran behind me I'd be greeted with flames and eventually, Hattie Shire. He came at me, sword swinging. I chose to run left, the opposite way I needed to go, but if I could lose him. I could double back around.

Unfortunately, the thought was lost. I felt him lunge for the back of my shirt and his fingers grabbed at me, bringing me down face first in the mud. I turned on my back, my fingers reaching to grasp my sword that had flung just out of reach.

He bent down and his fingers closed around my neck. His breath was hot in my ear as I tried in vain to squirm around him but his knees were pinning my wrists, his ankles holding my legs down. "You deserve this," He hissed. My lungs where screaming, my neck sore from his clenched fingers. "Loyalist like you should have a fate worse then yours girly," Dark spots clouded my vision, closing me in, my heart hammered desperately, fear and panic shooting it into cannon-like thrums. I could see only black and his voice echoed in my ears, "Say you pledge to the true King David and I will let go." My eyes fluttered in panic, he chuckled, crushing my throat. "Go on," He said through gritted teeth, "Say it." My fingers flailed around, digging into the dirt, in one last desperate attempt my fingers closed around a wooden hilt. My heart thrummed painfully, my lungs on fire, burning me from the inside out. I gave it all I had and swung the sword up, begging Notch to let it hit home.

Air.

It was my single thought. The air choked me almost as bad as the rebel man's fingers had. I sat there coughing and wheezing, my lungs seemingly never getting enough air. My throat was swollen to the touch, my throat was on fire but I had air. And even with the ashes mixed into it, it had never tasted so good.

But the air was getting heavier, the houses were completely in fire and if the fire had spread…_Oh Notch no. _I got up, my mind racing. I chewed the inside if my cheek, glancing towards where the market should be and the Well in the market. _What are the chances of finding her?_ I thought. And then the fire roared and caught my attention. _Please don't tell me the fire has spread. _ I took off towards our house.

Taking the alleys back the way I came wasn't too hard. I avoided people and braced myself when I rounded the corner where Hattie should be. She wasn't though, she and the man were gone. My mind was in panic because I could see smoke coming from my street. My mother forgotten in the fear grasping my head.

_N,o no, Maisie no._

I turned the corner and realized a person was on my tail. I ran, my footsteps hammering the gravel with every step. I pass Mrs. Lardon, wincing as I heard the person behind me step on her. The fire had gone all the way down here. I take the turn in my street and see the house. Or more accurately, what was left of it. _Notch no, Maisie no._

The roof had collapsed, the orange flames licked greedily at the wood. The wood was cracked and blackened. I remember how scared Maisie was. Would she have run? But at the same time I knew she hadn't. I knew she hadn't because I told her to stay and I promised I'd come back.

I promised.

The words were blackened with guilt and grief. It choked me, made tears run down my eyes like rivers, hot burning rivers of guilt. It hurt. _Maisie hurt more. _My thoughts echoed in my head. _Why did you leave her Ebony? Why? You killed her. _

"No." I said, my voice cracked and swollen. Suddenly the weight of the world seemed impossibly heavy and the thought of jumping into the flames still burning the oak planks of my house didn't seem so crazy. The sound of a sword being unsheathed was probably the only thing that stopped me from doing it.

I faced the person behind me, the large **X** marking the chest. It was a woman. I hefted my sword, the need for revenge suddenly undeniably great. Her figure was blurry from my tears. I blinked them away and charged.

Seconds later my sword was through her heart and she was no longer moving. I had killed her and yet, I felt like I was the one who died.

I promised.

What a stupid thing, a promise. I felt like it was meant to be broken.

_Why didn't you come back Ebony?_

I did.

_Too late._

I know.

_Why did you leave?_

Stop.

_Why am I dead?_

Stop

_Ebony don't go!_

Stop.

Silence.

Oh Notch, I promised.

-X-

**Thanks for reading! That is the end of this story, no continuation. This will probably not be updated regularly. As promised, the OC chart:**

**Gender:**

**Personality:**

**Description:**

**Backstory:**

**Age: **

**Interesting quirks: **

**Weapon (optional)**

** Skills: **

**Reviews are always begged for!**

**-Bailey**


	2. A Baby Could do it

Cyrus looked at the small lever to his left. He placed his hand on it, gripping it uneasily. His eyes scanned the complicated circuit of redstone before him. His eight hours of work would all be tested with this one pull. He breathed in and out, one steady breath and thrust the lever upwards, sending the signal across the powdery redstone trail.

_Tick, tick, tick._

And then nothing. Cyrus put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes in his exhaustion.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He kicked the stone wall behind him, instantly regretting the motion as his toes stubbed painfully. He took a deep breath and studied the redstone mess again. The endless trails of redstone mixed with the repeaters suddenly looked more complicated then he had thought. "Forget it," He muttered and wiped his mouth chuckling. "Eight hours of work," He looked up and raised his hands. "Eight freaking hours!" His voice echoed in the cave of his workspace.

He sat down with a huff and shook his head. _What was wrong now?_ He wondered. He pulled the lever again.

_Tick tick tick. _

Nothing.

The signal was carrying, so what was wrong? Why wasn't the piston retracting?

"Oh Notch," He scratched his head. "Whatever, I give up." It was a lie; Cyrus didn't think he could ever give up but maybe for tonight or today. Whatever time it was. He could eat and sleep. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, the blue of them more pink from the constant rubbing of his redstone stained hands.

He walked out of the stone workspace, throwing one last glance at his project, his mind still going through possibilities of why it wasn't working. Then he turned out the lights with the pull of a lever to the right of the door, sending a signal and making the lamps to turn off. He exited and closed the door.

His living space was a small wooden house built into the side of the mountain. In here was his bed and kitchen. It was a small room. He had one window, a little sun coming through it signaled the sun was either setting or rising. He guessed the latter.

Cyrus washed his hands in a cauldron of water, getting the dirt and remaining redstone dust off. He dried them on a towel and opened his food chest. It was running low, it was always running low. Cyrus hardly had time for resource gathering, his mind was always occupied with his next big project and any time he was away from his workshop, gardening or something stupid like that. It was such a strain, he needed the redstone. He loved it. Unfortunately, redstone had to be mined, food needed to be gathered, and wood needed chopped.

Because of his constant battle of creating and nearly dying from starvation or lack of wood to keep his house warm he lived a busy life. This is also why he had set up that stupid flyer last time he was at the village just a few hundred blocks west of his mountain house. No one had responded to the flyer, not that Cyrus had expected someone too, not really. The villagers weren't exactly fond of him, they called him the lonely hermit that lived on a mountain and bothered them for food. Which, for the record, Cyrus only did once. Whatever, he didn't mind being alone. As long as he had redstone, he was satisfied.

He crunched on a small piece of bread and an apple long gone mushy and tucked in his red covers, falling asleep after a few minutes of longing to go back to work.

-X-

_Knock, Knock, Knock._

Three sharp raps, almost irritated raps. Cyrus bolted awake, flinging his covers aside and for a moment in his sleepiness he thought _how did the zombies get passed the traps? _But of course, no mob could get passed the traps; Cyrus thought even humans might even have trouble with them. So who was it? He stepped to the door and it opened, he hadn't meant to step on the pressure plate but it swung inwards, letting in blinding light and a human.

It was a girl, a young girl, maybe sixteen. She had blond hair tied in a knot on the top of her head. She wore a black leather jacket over a gray shirt and jeans. A sword hung at her hip, golden by the looks of it. She had a small round face, highlighted by dark eyelashes and eyes as green as emeralds.

"Uh," Cyrus said,_ why was she here_? "What do you want?"

The girl's eyes did a quick assessment of him; it made him want to squirm. She must have been taking in his blue/pink jeans, his cyan shirt that looked brown by now, his brown hair, probably a mess from sleep, the stubble on his face and barefoot feet.

Her eyes returned to his own and she raised an eyebrow and held up a crumpled piece of paper, written on it the words **Help Wanted **in his own charcoal hand. "This was you wasn't it?" Her voice held an irritated tone.

Cyrus looked at her to the piece of paper, back to her. "You're here for the job?" He asked skeptically, his eyes taking in her leather jacket and sword, she didn't seem the redstone type.

"Yes," She said, like it was obvious, and then again, maybe it was.

"Uh," Cyrus said again suddenly uncomfortable. "Come in, I guess…" He trailed off and held the door open for her. She strode in, staring around his home with a judgmental look.

"Here," He said, rushing to pull up a chair and clearing the table of a bit of redstone and a button. She sat placing her hands in front of her, tapping them in a bored sort of way. Cyrus sat across from her, and for a moment let the awkward silence hang.

"So, what is your name?"

"Abra," She said automatically, "As in cadabra." Her eyes were daring him to laugh, he could tell. Cyrus didn't laugh.

"I am Cyrus."

"Yeah, I know." She said tapping the flyer where his name was printed.

"Right," Cyrus said, mentally face palming. "So, you are interested in helping me, right?"

"Will I get paid?"

Cyrus paused, momentarily confused. "Uh, yes,"

"Of course I am interested." She put on an unnaturally bright smile.

Cyrus sensed some kind of mock, but shrugged it off. "Okay, I plan on having you all during the week if I can, weekends off. You'll be paid, two emeralds a week sound good? Or you can have it in gold, which would be eight gold."

She seemed to consider a moment. "I'll be paid in gold and what exactly would you have me do? The flyer just says redstone assistant. I know the basics…Enough to disable the trap that wanted to fling me into that pool of water anyway."

Oh, maybe that was why she was so irritated. "Sorry about that," Cyrus said. "It's to keep the-"

"Yeah the mobs, I know."

"Okay," Cyrus said yet again. "You wouldn't exactly be doing the redstone, I need you more for resource gathering and things li-"

Abra cut him off. "Wouldn't exactly be doing the redstone?" She looked angry. "I came all this way and read about five books on redstone to do _resource gathering_?" Her eyes were a flashing green. Suddenly not some much like emeralds and more like fire.

"I-I mean you would help me just-just…" He trailed off because what he needed her for was resource gathering.

"Right," She said crossing her arms. "I get to help with the redstone or I leave."

Cyrus debated in his head, watching the girl, apparently he needed to put _Redstone resource gather _on his flyer. Abra looked, well, intimidating. She could be useful in the workshop, but she'd probably be more of a nuisance. She was just a kid after all. "I raise it to twelve gold a week and you do the resource gathering." He paused, eyeing her; her eyes were glaring at him in a rather frightening way, he looked away. "You can help me in the shop after you get everything I need." He mirrored her pose, leaning back with his arms crossed.

He watched her work it through in her head, her eyes squinting angrily at him. He honestly couldn't tell if she would take it, he expected that she would storm off. No deal. He guessed she need the gold more then he thought because she finally spoke. "Fine, twelve gold. I get to work with redstone after I am done being your babysitter." She extended her right hand.

Cyrus wondered briefly what he was getting himself into and then shook.

-X-

A day later, Cyrus sat, watching out the window for the girl called Abra. His hands fiddling with a repeater as he did so. Across from him, on the bed, was the list of things he needed. In truth, it wasn't everything he needed but he didn't want to scare her away on her first day besides, there was enough to keep her busy until she had to leave.

He tapped his fingers and set the repeater to two ticks, then three, then a glance out the window. He looked longingly at the door behind him, the one that led to the workshop. The girl was getting late and he could almost hear the redstone calling him. He flicked the repeater's ticks back down to zero. _Who was Abra? _That was a question he hadn't thought to ask. He had initially thought she was from the village and her parents lived somewhere there but now he wasn't so sure. Was she some runaway? What if she had broken the law? Where were her parents? All these were questions he intended to ask the girl when she arrived.

He looked back at the door to his workshop then flicked the ticks back up on the repeater. He glanced back at the window and there she was, stepping carefully around his water trap and avoiding the pressure plates that decorated his lawn. She wore a backpack today and cyan shirt, it was chilly so she had her leather jacket still and her jeans were black.

He opened the door just as she was poised to knock. She looked surprised and then her expression changed back to its regular, slightly intimidating one as if she were daring someone to do something, do anything. She raised her eyebrows. "Hello."

"Hi," He said, "Ready for work?"

She pursed her lips, "No, I came to try and sell you toothbrushes!" She put on another unnaturally bright smile.

Cyrus, paused, confused, not exactly getting whatever he was supposed to get. "Uh,"

Her smile vanished and she looked exasperated. "Forget it; yes I am ready to work."

"Okay then," He said, stepping aside to let her in. "Come in,"

She walked in and he shut the door behind her. She stood with her hands in her pockets, staring at him. "So…What do I do?"

"Actually I was hoping to ask you some things I forgot yesterday."

She shrugged, "Okay,"

Cyrus wondered how to approach the awkward questions. He decided just to launch right into them. "How old are you? You look like you're not even old enough to live alone."

"I'm nineteen. I just moved into the village."

Cyrus raised his eyebrow, he was surprised. She was only two years younger then him. "Where did you used to live? Before you moved I mean."

"I lived in Kathe."

So a city girl then. "Do your parents live there?"

Abra rolled her eyes. "How many questions are you going to ask? Do you want my record? Birth certificate maybe?" She had her arms crossed again.

Cyrus raised his hands. "I was just asking."

"Yeah, well, I'll do the work. Isn't that enough?" She asked.

Cyrus raised his eyebrows wondering why she had gotten so defensive. "Fine, forget I asked." He turned to his bed and snatched the list off of it. "I wrote down what I need, mostly simple stuff. Nothing you shouldn't be able to do."

She took it from him and read it. "A baby could do this." She said promptly and finished reading.

_That was the idea. _"Great," So, I have tools for you. I think you should start with getting the wood. I have a stone axe," He strode across the room to his tools chest and took out a newly crafted stone axe and handed it to her. She took it and hung it on her belt, next to her sword. "Right, once you've got at least half a stack, bring it back. Plant saplings for every tree you cut. The forest near my house is small; every tree that chopped needs to get replaced."

"I got it." She said, sounding slightly irritated.

Cyrus was getting tired of her bad mood. "Okay, then you should be good. Just tell me when you're done. I'll be in there." He gestured to the door of his workshop.

"Okay." She said.

"Great." He answered, clapping his hands together.

She rolled her eyes before stalking out the door.

_What in the nether is wrong with her?_ He wondered briefly. He'd met wolves with better attitudes then hers. _Whatever, leave her too her chopping, _Cyrus thought with another glance at the workshop door. _I've got work to do. _

-X-

Abra returned with the wood two hours later, slamming the door to his workshop and making him jump halfway to the moon.

"Sorry," She muttered without much sympathy. "I got the wood,"

Cyrus peeled his eyes away from his redstone and stood up, absent mindedly wiping his hands on his jeans. "Uh good," He said, his mind not really on Abra but on his redstone.

She snapped him out of it. "So? You want me to go get the eggs now? It's the next thing on the list."

"Right, yeah, sounds great. The coop's out back."

"On it." She muttered. Cyrus didn't tell her that the 'coop' was a hole in the ground with a half finished fence around it. Or that the coop only contained three old chickens. They laid eggs all right, but Cyrus was always too desperate for food and just ate the egg rather then letting it hatch.

Abra left, banging the door again. With the force of her pushing it closed and the pressure plate made the walls tremble and Cyrus fear that she would crack the door. She didn't though; the noise was just incredibly loud. _Bark is bigger then her bite. _Cyrus thought. Maybe that was true, but Abra still scared him.

He turned back to the red circuit, he had rewired the beginning but for some reason the pistons still weren't working how they were supposed to. It was very irritating; Cyrus still had half the circuit to rewire so he got to work, hoping to get it done before tonight.

-X-

"A coop or a bird hole?" Abra asked, opening the door to his workshop, managing not to slam it this time.

Cyrus answered without looking up from his work, "It's not much, a working progress."

"Right," She said, rolling her eyes. (Which, she was incredibly good at) "Don't worry; I saved your chickens from dying in that nether hole."

"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked, looking up at her. She had dirt on her knees and some pieces of her hair had fallen out of her bun, sticking to her forehead from sweat.

"I fixed the fence with some of the wood I just got, expanded it, gathered the eggs, hatched them, then I found some seed in the grass and fed the older ones and they laid some more eggs. Then I hatched those, got a drink and came in here."

Cyrus stared at her. "I told you all you had to do was get the eggs."

"Your chickens were dying in there, it didn't take that long. You'd think you would already have done it."

Cyrus studied the girl, her green eyes as bright as ever. Had she done something nice for him? Her badass attitude did not seem like it would care if he had only three chickens or where they lived either. It was surprising. "Thanks," Was all he could say.

She shrugged, "What are you doing in here anyway?" She asked, plopping herself on the single chair at his desk.

He cringed as her elbow scattered some of his notes but brushed it off, he didn't really need them in alphabetical order anyway. "I am trying a new trap." He said dismissively, not really wanting to explain the complexity of the project.

"All this for a trap?" She asked, wide eyed. "You already have a thousand outside."

"I am going to try and sell this one."

"Sell? Like to the villagers?" She asked.

"They'd be a start but you know how that village is, it won't take any new technology," Cyrus stood up, "I am hoping to take it to Kathe but this is only part one," He said gesturing to the project. "And I am having trouble with it already."

"Hmm," Abra said, thoughtfully. She stood up and starting walking around the redstone, her feet coming a little to close for comfort to Cyrus's carefully laid dust.

"What are you doing?" Cyrus asked as Abra squatted down and studied the circuit closer. She ignored him and with a huge swipe of her hand brushed some of the dust away. "Hey!" Cyrus said, "What in the nether do yo-"

"Wait." She held up a finger to silence him and walked to one of him chests. She rummaged inside for a moment before pulling out a redstone torch.

"What are you doing, those can shut of the circuit." Cyrus explained and then bit his lip as she placed it, cutting off the signal. "Great," He muttered. "Anything else you want to ruin?"

She shot him a heavy glare from her bright emerald eyes and turned back to the circuit. Cyrus watched, lips pursed as she placed a cobblestone block and then a small lever.

"That's not going t-"Tick_, tick, tick. _The flash of a torch and then the pistons moved.

Abra looked at him happily, smiling the first real smile he'd seen.

"How, I mean, I…" He trailed off, looking in awe of the thing she had fixed within seconds that would have taken him weeks to figure out. Of course, the torch, he should have thought of that, he could see it now. He shook his head, "How'd you know what to do?"

She -still smiling- pointed to her head. "Come on Cyrus, a baby could have done it."

Cyrus couldn't help it, he grinned. _When was the last time I've done that? _He wondered. Suddenly, he didn't mind the company, didn't mind it one bit.

-X-

**Thanks for reading! This one was a lot longer then the others. Please tell me what you think. :)**

**Still requesting OCs! **

**Please follow, favorite, and review if you liked it!**

**-Bailey**


	3. A Lesson

"I can't do it."

"Yes you can, go on, baby, take the shot."

"No Daddy. It's not hurting anyone."

"And what happens when it sees your Momma one day? Or your little sister playing out in the field? What's it gonna do then Ria?"

The girl pursed her lip, glancing up at her Daddy, then at the thing hiding by the barn. "It's gonna hurt them."

"It's gonna do a lot more then that, baby. Now, take the shot."

The girl position the arrow then hesitated. "Couldn't we just tell it to go away?"

"Nuh uh. If you get anywhere near it, sugar, it's gonna mess you up real bad. It don't understand what we're telling it, it won't listen. They're no good, baby girl, no good."

"Maybe we could trap it, then let it loose in the forest."

"So it can go and hurt someone else? No Ria. These things are monsters, they don't think like we do. Now you listen and listen good. We have to kill it before it kills us. You understand?"

The girl nodded, and then pulled her arrow back.

"You got it, baby, center the target, let it fly."

The girl stared at the creature, it's green skin was nothing short of horrendous and its crawling little legs made her shiver but then it turned its head and stared at her. The girl wasn't sure if it could really see her, but she thought it might. Its beady black eyes showed no emotion that the eight year old could detect but something about it said that what she was doing wasn't right. Surely they weren't as bad as her Daddy said, it didn't look that scary, just ugly as the nether. It turned its head the other way, and walked a few steps on it's odd little legs. There was something comical the girl found about the way it walked, so she laughed and relaxed the arrow.

"What you laughin' at?"

The girl giggled. "Did you see it, Da? Did you see the way it walked?"

Her Daddy narrowed his eyes at her. The girl saw that he clearly did not find it funny. He ripped the bow from her hands and before the girl could yell at him to stop, let loose an arrow.

The girl saw as the green creature blinked white, and the fell sideways, disappearing into the grass. "Da…" She said sadly and felt tears well up in her eyes. "He wasn't going to hurt anyone I knew it, Da! I knew it! He was nice, he wasn't going to-" The girl's Daddy slapped her, not hard enough to make it do more then sting for a moment. It was meant for the shock factor, and it worked.

The little girl stopped speaking and then started to cry. Her Daddy had hit her for the first and last time.

"Ria." He said calmly. "They are not people. They are not he. They are not she. They are evil monsters. They will kill you. There is nothing good in them. Nothing. They will sacrifice themselves for murder, you understand that? That is all they care about. Murder. You can not show them mercy because they won't show you any. They aren't funny, not now, and not when you're lying, dead, in the grass. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"They're monsters, Ria, monsters." Then he took her little hand, told her to stop crying and they walked away.

The girl knew her Daddy was right and she remembered his lesson, at least, for a little while.


End file.

Minecraft, Adventure