“Elise—” Adelaide’s voice died away as shouts and gunfire suddenly echoed out nearby.

“Quickly, grab Oscar!” Elise scrambled with her sister to catch their wayward little terrier, and when Adelaide had hold of him, she positioned herself slightly in front of her.

“What’s going on?” Adelaide asked.

Elise’s heart was pounding as she stood, listening to the shots and knowing they were getting closer. The fighting had come terrifyingly close lately, which meant that some of their neighbors had chosen to move away; many of the houses had been left deserted in the wake of war. It was deceiving sometimes, the way noise echoed through the trees and from the nearby farmhouses, but there was no denying this was moving toward them now, and fast. There had been activity in the very near distance all day, and in previous days, but this was different. Hot bile rose in Elise’s throat as fear threatened to paralyze her. Are we about to be in the middle of it all? They should have evacuated days ago!

“We need to get back to the house,” she said, launching into action and clutching her sister’s hand. “Quickly!”

They started to run, but no sooner had they started to move when soldiers suddenly appeared, running directly toward them with their rifles raised.

“Get back!” Elise shouted, yanking Adelaide with her. “Behind the tree! We need to hide.” She knew the big, gnarled oak wouldn’t save their lives if they were caught in the crossfire, but it felt a lot safer than standing away from any shelter.

“Are they British?” Adelaide asked as they crouched down, partially hidden from view.

“Yes,” Elise whispered back, staring at the large group of soldiers as they ran past. “It must be an entire regiment!”

Please don’t stop at our house. Please don’t stop.

The last thing she needed was to deal with soldiers commandeering their home. Gunfire echoed again and more soldiers appeared, and she looked across to their house, wishing they could make it; so close yet still so far away.

The fighting had been near enough to hear up until now, especially if the wind was blowing toward them, but this was the first time she’d felt as if they were in the thick of the war. And she hated not knowing whether they should make a run for it, or hunker down where they were to stay safe.

“What are they running from?” Adelaide asked.