Voices(Alex)

She was sitting at the long wooden table snapping peas while her mother hummed contentedly in the kitchen.

"Alexandra, would you please take your father his lunch? He's out in the fields today." Despite the hard life they lived, her mother was as beautiful as the wild flowers that covered the meadow. Her eyes always seemed to be smiling and there was always a song coming from her full red lips.

"Yes, mamma," came Alexandra's cheery reply as she took the basket from her mother's outstretched hand. She scurried outside welcoming the sun's warmth on her face.

She liked taking her father his lunch, it gave her a chance to be outside. Being all closed up inside the cabin made her nervous. Her mother was aware of this characteristic in her thirteen year old daughter, and therefore tried to give her plenty of opportunity to go outdoors.

As she neared the end of the trees that framed their household property from the fields, she came to a stop. To her surprise her father was not alone in the fields. He was standing in the mist of several men mounted on horses. Seeing that the situation looked rather serious, Alexandra took shelter in the trees, careful not to draw attention to herself. The angry words that were being spoken sliced through the air causing even the birds to cease their chatter.

She was just about to move a little closer to hear what was being said when the men drew their guns. Before she could shout a call of warning to her father, the men opened fire on the unarmed farmer.

"There, there, child. You're alright now," the soothing voice broke through her nightmare. Alex clung to it like a lifeline, pulling herself out of the horrid memories.

"Don't coddle her so," came an agitated voice, "she's a prisoner after all."

"Now, Salmurk, you know that's not true. The council hasn't decided anything yet and until they do she's our guest."

"Ach! How can you speak of such things. My house will never show hospitality to the likes of her kind." The sound of a horse pacing surrounded Alex. "We should have done away with her already. Instead she lies here on our bed like a long lost relative." The voice did nothing to hide how much it detested her. Alex began to run through a list of names of the people that wished her dead.

"Shh! She'll hear you. How can you group all humans together like that? Did you not see her face when she laid eyes on us? I thought her spirit would leave her right there. She's but a child, barely out from under her mother's care. What threat is she to us?"

"How quickly you forget what the humans have done to us. Do you not remember the fires? How they herded us together as if we were cattle? Many species have been wiped out because of the humans. I cannot forgive that easily."

"Why don't you go look for Glottack."The soothing voice was trying to change the topic, " He was gone again last night. Maybe talking to him will take your mind off of things. You can argue your case about the girl tonight at the council meeting." The sound of horses walking about filled the space surrounding Alex, and then. . .Silence.

Alex tried to stir herself awake but her mind and body rebelled. Too much had happened too fast, her senses were overloaded. She needed rest.