***

Ace's POV:

~~~~ I'm in the stable, on the floor. I'm hungry and tired. I watch the horses eat and I envy them. My throat is dry. I don't have portable water to drink. Christina's put a lock on the tap. I have no right to enter the farmhouse to drink water. No employee wants to help me.

I'm cold and alone. I cry and cry for help. The pain is almost unbearable.

I feel a presence hovering over me. I open my eyes, little Heather. Always so beautiful with her freckles. She has clear pity for me. She smiles a little to make me feel better. I watch...