I look around me only to see people dying in the streets. I start to feel sick. Something catches my eye. A young male about my age, maybe a little older, looking at me, his face scarred, and his clothes torn and ratted. I notice that there is a knife sticking out from under his shirt. He probably thinks that I am to well dressed in my hand-me-down dress. It once belonged to my mother. I love this dress. It reminds me of her.

He scares me. The way he just stares. When the Vedek walks away from me, he moves closer. I start to get scared even more. I look around for the Vedek, but he is nowhere in sight now. The boy stops about 30 centimeters from me.

"Your a long way from home. What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to become a Vedek." I say. He can sense my fear.

"You sure you want to become one? You don't look like Vedek material."

"And what do I look like. A Freedom Fighter?"

"Yeah, you could. If you wanted to."

I look away. He knew my dream. The dream I had to avenge my family's death. Then again, most Bajorans must have had that dream. I start to walk away from him, when he grabs my arm.

"Kala, think about it. Think of what you could do for Bajor."

I shot him a stare that could kill even the strongest of creatures. "How did you know my name?"

"I have my ways. My name is Strazzan Mana. I am a member of the Shaakar. We heard about you from someone in your camp. They told us that you were going to become something you shouldn't become. A Vedek. We also heard that you are good with a knife."

"Not that good. I'm better with a phaser."

"Where did you get practice with a phaser?"

I look around one more time for the Vedek. Still he is nowhere in sight. "Can we go somewhere a little more private? This is not something I want a Cardassian Trooper to hear or see."

He nods. We walk to the back of a nearby hut. I open my duffel, and pull out a phaser. Mana looks shocked.

"Not many soon-to-be Vedeks carry a phaser. Where did you get it?"

"It belonged to my mother. The night before they took her, she told me to hid it in the hills. The Cardassians came while I was hiding it, and they took my family. The next day, my family was executed. They never did try to execute me, or bring me up on charges of being a Freedom Fighter, just my family. I don't know why I'm just babbling on like this."

He smiled. For some reason, I could trust him. I smiled back. I rerolled my duffel. Mana looked out the window that was on the other side of the hut. He looked back at me.

"Your Vedek is looking for you."

"I should tell him the news."

"What news?"

"Your smart, but not to smart. I want to join you, and the Shaakar."

He hugged me. I looked into his eyes. I could see the worry in his eyes. This wasn't there before. For some unknown reason, I feel in love with him, right then and there. I walked out of the hut. The Vedek ran up to me.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you."

"In there." I pointed to the hut. I explained that I wasn't going any further with him. I didn't tell him the true reason. I just said that I made a foolish mistake by agreeing to become a Vedek. He didn't like it. I gave him a final hug, and he left.

I went back into the hut with my duffel slung over my shoulder. Mana was clearing a place in the other room for me to sleep that night. Over dinner he explained that we would have to make most of that night, because we would be leaving early in the morning.

I couldn't sleep well that night. Sometime around midnight, Mana walked into my room. I got up to greet him. I don't think that I have ever been so much in love with someone. He hugged me. I enjoyed his presence. He took my chin in his hand, and pulled my face close to his. We spent the rest of the night in total bliss in each others arms.

The next morning we left before the sun rose. Mana told me we had a long hike on our way. I was going to learn how to fight on the way, as well as other things I would never forget...I LOVED HIM....

The End... for now