“Is this your sister?” the woman asked.

“She’s my wife,” A’shai stated proudly as he stuck out his chest all the while still shielding Liberty.

“Ohh,” the woman responded with a slight chuckle, slightly caught off guard by his mature response. “Well I’m Ms. Beth, and your names are?”

“I’m A’shai, and she’s Liberty,” he responded.

“It’s very nice to meet you both. You have a very pretty wife, A’shai,” Ms. Beth responded.

A’shai nodded his head, his lip curled from mistrust as he eyed the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Ms. Beth.

“Where are your parents?” Ms. Beth asked.

“They’re around here somewhere,” A’shai acted as though he was searching for them. “They’re probably looking for us right now. We better get going.”

Ms. Beth stopped them and said, “If you need some food… you know while you wait for your parents… I can help.”

A’shai shook his head and replied, “We’re fine. I told you our parents are coming soon.”

Liberty tugged at his arm while whispering, “Come on, Shai. I’m hungry. Let’s just eat something. She said she can help us.”

Knowing that Liberty was running on an empty stomach put A’shai’s back against the wall. He knew that they had drawn too much attention to themselves and he wanted nothing more than to keep moving, but he could withstand the hunger… however, he would never expect Liberty to.

“Okay,” A’shai said.

Following Ms. Beth towards the crowd of children that were assembled in a single file, A’shai looked up at the large steel cargo boat. Graffiti decorated the side of it. The word… MURDERVILLE… had been tagged in black and red. Had A’shai been able to read maybe he would have understood where his feelings of apprehension were coming from. The boat’s ominous moniker gave off all the signs, ringing a silent warning to the children standing in line waiting to board it. It was the worst decision that the two would ever make, and it was the ill-fated day that changed their lives forever.