The Awakening by Brittany C. Finney (accelerated reader books .txt) 📕

The awakening was happening. Tonight. The Meshens would come out to hunt and if we were there, he would shoot us with an arrow or stab us with a sharp fish spine.

I held out crumbs of bread in the palm of my hand and fed it to the boney dog that was probably going to die soon. Ribsey.

The Meshens had cats. Golden furred cats that would leap out and tear up your flesh. They were taught to fight. Hunt. Those cats were awful. Would do anything to harm a Pioneer. One like me.

My mother came running out of the house in ragged clothes and yanked my arm. "There is no time for messing around. We shall be prepared. It's happening tonight."

And I stepped heal to heal with my head dropped down as I walked in our tiny house.

Our house was cold. No heaters. I dispised being poor. There was nothing we could do though. My mother could get a job but she already watched my six other siblings Hazel, who's 14, Mabel, 12, Linda, 9, Carly, 8, Elizabeth, 5, and Jimmy, who's 3, while I work 4 hours planting, harvesting, and cooking.

My five sisters would do the same as Jimmy would play with his toy train and hug his soft bear.

I hated this life. But wishes are useless. I grip a loaf of bread in my hands not noticing and look down to see that it's all crumpled up. How would Pete ever accept me? I've liked him since I was 15, now at the age of 18, we're enemies.

"Hey loser got my bread?" he smirked. "Oh um ya here." Wished I could've put poison it it but a minute wasn't enough. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. A man about 19, 20 years old bangs a long wooden stick on a symbol. God what time is it?

*10:00 PM*
"Honey don't be afraid. Shh." my mother comforts Jimmy and Elizabeth, the two that don't know what's going on but are shaken. Hazel, Mabel, Linda, Carly, and I glance back and forth at one another.

They're here.

I suddenly feel faint. Everything turns black.

When I wake up what seems like 3 hours later, my house is quiet and very dark. I turn around to see gushes of blood and arrows through the cushions. I pace back and forth. No no no no no. It can't be.

But it is, there lay 7 bodies on the floor. I scream so loud my ears start ringing. Tears flood down my cheeks. Wait a second... 7.. There was 8 of us..

"JIMMY!!! JIMMY!!!!" I yell. There he is, pale faced crying silently and rocking back and forth in the corner of the room.

I run over to him. I hug him tightly in my arms and then we get up.
"Look Jimmy, we need to stay calm, and silent, now did you see anything happen?"
I ask him and he looks terrified.

"Tall guys boom boom and hit mommy and girls." He sighs and then cries.
I can't help but feel petrified. I'm alive, when I fainted they must've thought I was already dead.

"Jimmy, come on."
His little feet follow me slowly as we step around the dead bodies.

Publication Date: 01-15-2013

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