Together as One: The Story of the Teams

Chapter One ~ The Bacca Girl Pt. 1

I stare out of the window, intrigued by the birds flying by outside.

"Ann, what are you doing?" Mama asks from behind me.

I spin to face her, and she smiles at me.

"Watching the birds," I reply, showing a gap-toothed grin.

"Why don't you go play with Jerome?" she suggests.

"Good idea!" I exclaim, scrambling to my feet.

"Go outside and play!" Papa chuckles.

I grab the wooden axe that my dad gave me and head outside, the warm jungle air hitting my face and rustling my dark brown fur.

Baccas like me live in these communities, high above the floor of the jungle. We're basically completely safe from monsters because they can never get to us.

Jerome, my ten year old best friend, comes into sight. He's only a year older than me, but that doesn't matter.

"Ann!" he exclaims when he sees me.

"Let's go play!" I shout, my slight Brazilian accent coming through.

Jerome grabs his wooden axe and together, we leap from the treetops to the vines below us, laughing.

"You can't catch me!" Jerome giggles as he swings from the vines of our tree to the next.

"I bet I can!" I yell after him, following close behind.

Time passes in a blur, and eventually the sun begins to sink below the trees.

"Bye Ann!" Jerome says as we're about to depart. I nod and hug him goodbye. He hugs back and I run towards my house.

"Ann! You're home!" Papa says, smiling down at me.

"Did you have fun?" Mama asks. I nod and she picks me up.

"Jerome and I climbed the trees and swung from the vines," I say. I'm interrupted by a yawn, and Mama smiles.

"That's wonderful. Now, let's get some sleep. Young baccas need their rest."

She takes me to my bedroom and lays me down in my bed. I put my axe on my side table and Papa comes in to my room. Mama kisses me goodnight and goes back into the kitchen while Papa takes a book from my shelf and opens it.

"All the baccas in the jungle sleep. The axes are laid down and the fish are put away for breakfast. The jungle is quiet and the vines do not stir. The cows and pigs are resting, and the ocelots scurry no more. Sleep, precious bacca. The morning will come soon enough," Papa reads.

I smile and drift off to sleep.

I'm woken in the middle of the night to my shoulder being shaken. I open my eyes and see Mama standing above me.

"Ann! Wake up!" she whispers.

"What's going on, Mama?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Bad people are here, honey. Hurry," she explains, urgency in her voice.

I crawl out of bed and quickly brush my fur. I pick up my backpack and put my brush inside, along with my wooden axe and a package of cookies.

I scurry out of my room and Mama hands me a couple of fish, wrapped carefully in large jungle leaves and tied with string. She tucks some bottles of water into my bag as well, and Papa runs up to me.

"This was supposed to be for your tenth birthday, but you need it now," he says, handing me a beautiful diamond axe. Us Baccas call her Betty, and she's a very sacred weapon to our people.

"Why do I need it now?" I ask, tears forming in my eyes.

"To protect yourself," Papa says simply. I take the axe in my hand, the weight comfortable. It feels just right, like it was made just for me.

"You aren't coming with me?" I whimper, looking up at my parents.

"No, baby. We need to defend the village," Mama says.

I hug them goodbye, tears wetting my fur.

"I don't want to leave you!" I sob, holding onto them as long as I can.

"It'll be fine. We'll find you again," Papa says, nudging me out of the house.

I start running away from the village as fast as my legs will carry me. Baccas and men fight each other everywhere I look. My people fall to the ground with blood staining their fur, and I cry harder. Fires spring up from our houses, filling the air with smoke and ash.

I turn around and keep running, intent on not turning around.