Nothing More Than Us[A Plague Tale: Innocence]

Meet Me Disastrously

She had to be brave. For her father fighting in the Inquisition, for her mother who had gone missing, and more importantly for herself; because she was alone and afraid of all the things that had been placed on her shoulders. At least she had some sort of solace of where her father was—often, other Inquisition soldiers stopped by and demanded supplies on the behalf of her father, saying that their family owed it to them. Their small house was in the middle of a French forest, which now was their territory. The only reason that had been spared from any sort of violence was because of her father's position and that they could provide the soldiers with anything they wanted at any given time, but that was changing and rapidly. When her mother was around, it wasn't as scary when the towering soldiers burst through the door, but now her mother was gone. She disappeared one dark night a week ago today, and now the young girl was stuck doing all the chores that her mother did for the soldiers, even if she had never been taught how to do it.

Denice had to learn all on her own, which brought constant stress. She could not bring herself to eat, so she slipped the soldiers a bit extra. It still wasn't enough, however.

Quickly, the girl checked the house for the supplies she needed that day. For a while now, she believed that she was running low on a bit of everything: all the alcohol, vegetables... they had not been able to restock for a while. She did not know how the soldiers would react. Would they be mad? Or even worse? She grabbed what she thought would be worth it from her shelves and stuck them into a crate. It was a lot for a fifteen-year-old to do, but she knew that her mother would want her to continue helping her father. Her mother wanted to help her English husband, even if it meant neglecting her own daughter, who did not have much already. Nobody liked the girl with both French and English blood in them, which meant she did not have many friends due to her parent's choices. When the soldiers came the first time, demanding that her mother provide food from the garden: the woman did not even hesitate.

"It's not even enough for Winter," Denice sighed as she wrapped the last of the vegetables in a cloth and placed them in the crate. It was a big decision, but the last of the food either went into her pot for tonight's dinner or in the crate.

Another thought ran through the girl's mind. Maybe her mother was just out to buy more food from the village? It was a day or two journey there and back. She just thought that her mother would tell her before she did such a thing. Everything was unclear for her.

Denice wanted to go check the garden for the possibilities that there were a few crops still coming in from the recent harvest, but she doubted it. Plus, the other day shortly after her mother had disappeared, she had heard weird noises and believed it to be some sort of animal. Maybe some sort of predator that Denice did not have the courage to go out and face. However, the past few nights had been calm... she could go out and check if she really wanted, but she would be the busiest.

Placing the last turnip in the crate delicately she released a long sigh before sitting down at the dining table. This was probably how her mother felt... constantly tired and worn out. Thinking about it, Denice did not think she ever saw her mother sit down or rest, even at bedtime: before and after they began to help the soldiers.

A knock came to the door. Denice froze. Was it the inquisition? They must be there for the supplies...

Sucking in her breath, she stood and smoothed out her dirty dress. She would probably look like some sort of poor heathen to the man. She did not have enough water for a bath. Just enough to drink off of. Taking a quick glance around the one-room home of hers, she rushed to the door and answered it. Yet, it was not who the teen expected to see at the door.

It was another young woman. A teen around her age with brown locks tied together by a dirty pink ribbon that twirled down into a long braid. She donned leather, but what on earth was she?