THE HIDDENS

Chapter 5

My eyes open. I am teaching today. The main classes are tending animals and hunting. Hunting is something I am really exited about.

"Ok everyone time to eat, leftovers from dinner yesterday" I announce cheerfully. I see Millie siting beside Lilna with a little doll. I walk over to them. "What's your dolls name, did you make it in sewing?" I ask.

"Yep and her name is Tamki."

"Why Tamki?" Me

"Why not"Millie

I chuckle "You are right why not".

I've learned that she just turned 3 and lives to talk. Lilna looks up to her copying everything she does. I'm sure those 2 will become best friends. I sigh coming back to reality. Right now I have to eat and then teach people. 27 people. Princess waves goodbye and I have to say I am a bit jealous. Nobody has ever ridden Jenny but me and I want to look for my parents. Either way today we will go hunting. Currently that means learning aim but whatever. And setting up traps for small game. And to work on aim we must first have bows and arrows. So
today we are just making the tools.

Here is all of the kids. Class list.

Anya 9 girl

Anderson 10 boy

Billy 4 boy

Toby 7 boy

Mack 8 boy

Joe 5 boy

Lonnie 6 girl

Martha 11 girl

Jimmy 9 boy

Bounty 8 girl

Gina 6 girl

Malou 6 girl

(Gina and Malou are twins).

Tom 7 boy

Jay 5 boy

Lilac 8 girl

Lundi 9

Ashes 12 girl

Tiger lily 7 girl

(twin with Tigre)

Tigre 7 boy

Opmic 9 boy

Hansy Anne 8 girl

Ferd (not Fred) 7 boy

Esota 12 girl

Cleara 9 girl

Clearain 9 (twin with Cleara) girl

Saja 11 girl

Younger kids not in classes

Santy 6 months girl

Marlo 1 boy

Kimmy 9 months girl

King 2 boy

Lilna 2 girl

Millie 3 girl

Classes go well, and we are making weapons in hunting. But all day I think about Jenny and Princess. Finally dinner is cleaned up and I hear the barn doors creaking open. I race down the ladder.

"Did you find anything,people or were they are living???" I ask loudly.

Suddenly her shoulders slump and she looks up sadly.

"Im sorry to disappoint I didn't find anything" She responds.

"I never found the foot prints you mentioned"

Then I remember why. She doesn't know tracking or hunting and wouldnt have realized my markers,a broken branch to her is just a broken branch. I look up.

"Dont worry I will just check over there tomorrow,its fine" I say.

She looks happier as she climbs up the ladder.

"Are you sure?" she asks the worried look returning.

"Yes" I answer.

After she is up ther I quickly feed Jenny and hurry up myself.

The next day.

Its my turn to go look again for my parents. I tack up Jenny and leave before evryone but Princess is up. Whispering bye I jump on my horse and ride out into the snow. Free once again. Now that I know where the tracks are we gallop towards the forest . Once we find them I slow down and follow. After about 2 hours it finally starts to be looking up. By now everybody would be awake, when I started out it was  quite dark. Suddenly I see fire and shadows. We creep twords them( Jenny is an expert at being quite from hunting.) Then I look one more time before racing towards them. My parents are there and older kids and adults of all ages. My mom sees me and yells

"Aino its you"

I race to her tears streaming down my face.

"Mom"

"Wait were is dad?"

Out hunting he will be back soon.

"Wait mom"
"Yes hon what's the matter?"
"I'm confused why are you here why didn't you come back to us." I feel resent and anger creeping into my voice.
She looks sad as she looks at me her honey golden eyes showing the tears welling up.
"Sweetheart we only just escaped, the rest of them who aren't here were taken. The soldiers for the empire were coming to re catch us so we hid here. We would have been home by now but we ran out of food."
Everything seems fine after she explains to me and we hug each other and talk the rest of the time.
Soon everyone was with us as we headed back to the barn. And not a moment to soon just as we closed the barn door a blizzard started outside. And we hadn't been keeping track but today is christmas. This is the best gift I could ever get.