“Huh” As she slowly came to, she looked around to find familiar surroundings “This is... My room?”

As she removed the covers from on top of her, she slid her body from the mattress and looked around for a moment “A dream?” She thought aloud hopefully.

As she finally made her way out of the bedroom, she walked towards the kitchen. There standing beside the stove, a tall woman wearing an apron merrily whistled to herself while cooking. She was the spitting image of Daisy, although her face was clearly more mature, but equally kind.

In a chair by the table was a man, glasses on his face and newspaper in hand, his eyes following each line expertly.

“Mom? Dad?” Daisy called out, confused.

“Oh, pumpkin your up!” Her mother gleeful smiled as she looked at her daughter.

“Yeah...” Still dazed by her sudden change of scenery “What’s going on?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Her mother tilted her head innocently.

“I mean... I was just outside with Maddox, how did I...”

“Don’t mention that boys name!” Her father roared.

“Why?” She was so confused now! “So, I was just out? Then why am I in here!” as she started to panic “I need to get out and find him quickly!”

“You will go nowhere!” Her father bellowed again.

“Why!?”

“I can’t have my only daughter being connected to that boy! I tolerated it till now, but after all this you really think I’d allow you to see him?”

“... But Dad, he didn’t do anything” She begged to her old man.

“Is that what he told you is it? The nerve...” He ruffled his newspaper in irritated.

“But Dad its true! Mom you know what Maddox is like, he’s harmless” She pleaded to her mother, hopeful of some support.

“I’m sorry hunny but your fathers right, it’s too dangerous around him, whether he’s innocent or not” Her mother’s expression was more pained than her fathers, as if she understood the pain her daughter was going through.

“Mom!” Daisy pleaded but was interrupted sharply.

“It’s settled then! Now go back to your room!”

“But!” She took a deep pause... “What will happen to him?”

“The chiefs son returned back in a bad state, if it wasn’t for one of the village boys causing so much alarm, I doubt they would have found him alive... If he dies, I doubt your Maddox will see the sunset again...”

“Then I’ve got to go!” A look of determination shot other her face as she headed towards the door.

“I said!” Her father had enough, slamming his newspaper to the table with a bang as he got up, blocking the path to the front door.

I know Dad! But if his life is in danger, I need to warn him!” She couldn’t let things end this way, she knew he had to be innocent!

“Daisy Kobayashi! If you step outside that door you’re no longer welcome in this home!” Her father rattled his final ultimatum, his body shaking with anger as he spat out the words he didn’t want to say.

“Dear!” A loud shattering sound echoed from the kitchen as a plate slipped from her mother’s hands.

… “Fine” She had decided.

“Excuse me...” Her father looked at her with broken eyes.

“I said fine! if that’s what you want!” She barged past her old man as he showed no signs of resistance, her mother called her back as she slammed the door behind her. A few quick breaths and her footsteps began to quicken as she turned the corner away from the place she used to call home. *Crash* Her body smacked into something solid as she turned, sending her flying onto her backside “Ow...Ow...Ow” She muttered as she opened her eyes to see what she hit. Laying opposite her, a boy with tattered clothes sat on the floor clutching his head.

“M...Maddox!!” She cried out in joy as she flew herself onto him.

“Ow...Ow... Get off would ya!” He moaned “So this is where you’ve been all this time, you could have told me...”

Suddenly a sharp realisation emerged “Maddox we need to go now!”

“So first you disappear and now you want to go, what’s up with ya?”

“No time to explain!” She took hold of his hand as she threw him up off the ground “Woah! Wait a minute...” He complained “First we need to get to my mother”

“I know, I know!”

“What’s gotten into you Daisy?” She was dragging him along as this point, as they reached the shed, she took hold of the two shovels and passed one to Maddox. With a somber look on her face, she asked “Shall we?”

“Hmm” he nodded.

They returned to the tree, his mother still laid there as he left her, eyes closed as if she was only resting, he couldn’t look much longer.

“Hey, let’s dig behind the tree yeah? I don’t want to move her till we have to you know?”

“Yeah, I got ya”

The pair started digging just behind the old tree. An hour or so had passed without event, finally they were finished. In front of the home she made for the three of them to live, behind the old Birch tree, Sheila’s body was finally laid to rest. As the pair began to fill in the earth, a series of bells chimed from the church.

“What’s that for?” Maddox questioned, a tear still hanging in his eye.

“I have a bad feeling about this...” Daisy’s suspicions raised, if what her parents had said was true, this could be very bad if they were spotted “Maddox, let’s hurry so we can go!” she persisted to Maddox’s annoyance, throwing down his shovel in frustration.

“Daisy! What has gotten into you!” he chided “Here! Now! You’re telling me to hurry!”

“I’m sorry Maddox” she didn’t mean to upset him, she decided to tell him what her father told her back at home “... So if those bells are ringing, it can only mean one thing” she finished.

A bead of sweat ran down Maddox’s cheek “Understood, sorry for yelling...” he tailed off.

“No, it’s ok, I was insensitive” she looked towards him sadly.

He turned to look down at the shallow grave they had made together, his mother had been covered for the most part but there was still a lot of work to do.

“Ok, let’s hurry, as soon as we’re finished, I’ll grab Kuro then we’ll go alright?”

“Ok, sounds like a plan” she agreed.

Eventually the grave was filled in, Maddox bent down to pay his respects before picking up Kuro once more on his back, as the trio headed into the woods.