I ran through the woods to meet him. My heart was pounding, I knew it wouldn't be long before they would be after us. I skidded to a stop in front of the tree that I knew I would never see again after tonight, the tree that for the last year has become home. The tree that knew everything about me. Everyday since my real family had left he would come find me here and drag me back to the old rickety house that never felt like home, even though once I was in there with the doors and windows locked, I would always find a way out and follow the beaten path to the tree. I decided to share one last secret with the tree so it would finally know everything about me so it would know why I was never to return to it. I could hear footsteps, but I did not try to run, these footsteps were the familiar ones of the boy who no matter what I would say or do to him stayed with me,who promised he would always keep me safe, the one who had loved,cared,and protected me since my family had left twelve years ago, during the war that separated one child and their beloved ones apart by the cold gray sea. I was the oldest of my siblings but still only four years old when I was ripped from their lives, after that day I would no longer leave the house, I knew what was prowling the streets and I promised myself I would never come face with one of them, but he would not let me, he had put up with a lot from me, and had made the journey everyday to bring me food and make sure I was still alive, he told me after two weeks I was to learn how to take care of myself.I finally realized after that even though I might have been forced to live here, that I was not forced to live like this, my parents obviously had left me here cause I was the strongest, the best one at a chance at survival. The years passed, I learned how to find my own food and live in harsh weather but he was always there for me, just like he was here now, still being the one to make sure I was alive, trying to keep me out of trouble when it was mostly him in trouble. He came at a stop on my side pulling me out of the memories of the past, he was right on time to, cause I knew if he hadn't I would be facing the memories of when we had found them, and when the destruction started. The masked ones, that's what we called them, they were who separated us, the ones who forced us to live here. It was only a week ago when we came upon them,he knew how to translate their language, but even I didn't need the conversation to be translated to know what they were planning, the little words I did know of their language made me know they were planning on destroying us. After that day we've been on the run, we are the last ones of the separated families, the last ones of anybody of our kind. Soon they will find us but not before we do everything in our will power to destroy them first. I lean down to the tree my tree and whisper my last secret to it, and the the words I have said to one to many people in my life, "goodbye I love you." He grabs my hand as I pull up knowing one day I'm going to have to look in his eyes and tell him the same words I have just spoken, and then he leans down and does something he has never done before, he kisses me, only to be interrupted by the sound of the leaves being moved, he smiles and looks at me and says, "you ready?" I nod and the next thing I know is that our are feet picking up off the ground running.