There were no people in sight, and I heard the sound of water flowing somewhere near us, making me realize how thirsty I was.

However, the realization of what we were facing made me forget my own discomfort for the moment, as Dad, Liam, and I shared frightened looks.

"Ben?" Mom hobbled up to us. She noticed our looks of fright and nodded. "I'll get everyone else." I looked back on Bryan, Bella and the kids, who were a little farther behind us.

"Hey, give me a second, guys." Bryan said, looking up, and then heading towards us. "Is it what I think it is?"

"Yes." I nodded as Bryan stood next to me, his eyes reflecting mine.

"What are we going to do then?" He asked as Bella, Amy, and Luke ran up to us asking what was going on.

"We have to tell them. They need to know." I whispered to my parents. I hated seeing my younger siblings hurt, knowing that they shouldn't understand everything they did by this age. But they did need to know what was going on, in order to keep them safe and close to us.

And so, Dad began telling the story behind Black Death. "In the thirteenth century, a deadly plague came across Europe, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa, killing nearly 20 million people," he explained. "And we are in that dreadful time. This plague sweeps across the different countries like wildfire, killing everyone in its path."

"Ben . . ." Mom scolded Dad with the look saying that they are just kids and they shouldn't know this much.

"They need to know, Maggie. As painful as it may be to hear, they have to know so that we can keep them safe," Dad explained with a poignant frown.

"How long did it last?" Bella spoke up.

"Eight years, I think," Bryan said.

Dad nodded. "But, it is assumed that we are in England right now, considering what Kyara has explained to me." Then he whispered low enough for only me to hear, "What part are you at in the story?"

Believing that he was talking of Edmund's story, I whispered back, "Just about to get to the part when he meets Genevieve."

Dad nodded, understanding.

"Some people believed that the plague was a punishment from God because of their sin and worldliness, assuming it would end the world. It nearly did—almost one-third of Europe's population died," Bryan said, bringing Dad and me back to the previous conversation.

"That must have been really terrible," Bella said, miserably.

Amy had tears in her eyes, but I could see Luke trying not to cry. He had the tough face on, like the one he sometimes had after he gets really hurt and tries his hardest to be a man and not cry.

Amy; however, always shared her feelings, but this time she said nothing, and wiped her tears away as I looked at her. Then I noticed that she and Luke were holding hands, clenched together. I felt chills roll up my arms and down my spine. This meant that they were both more petrified than they ever have been.

Their sweet faces, once full of childhood innocence and joy, had been replaced by something so terrible that I couldn't bear to look away. They were frightened, terrified, in utter horror that they and their family could actually die.

"We really need to find that cell phone before things get worse and one of us ends up with the plague," I said, wretchedly.

Bryan was the first to nod, and then everyone else nodded as well.

"So, are we almost at the castle?" Mom asked.

"No. . . um, we got lost. . . Sorry." I shuffled my feet a bit.

And then it was completely silent. All that was heard was the sound of stomachs grumbling.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Bryan asked, breaking the silence. Well yes, obviously we are all hungry. No need to rub it in, Bryan.

But then I noticed what I had heard about ten minutes prior. The sound of water. If there was water that meant our thirst would be quenched, and that could also mean that there could be fish, meaning food!

"Water!" I said as I ran towards the sound, everyone following close behind me.

Finally, the ground started to feel damper, there was promising moss sprouting on the trees, and then our prayers were answered, and we spotted the flowing stream. I ran so fast I could feel myself becoming thirstier every second because of the exercise. I hadn't realized how dry my mouth was until now, until that beautiful stream flowed in front of me, glistening in my eyes. Once I reached it, I fell straight into it and gulped up the clear water. I didn't care that I was wet. I didn't care if the water didn't taste like it was purified, all I cared about was that wonderful taste; that chilly and moist touch; and that fresh smell of what I had been waiting for.

"Kyara, don't drink the water. It's not purified. You'll get sick," Dad said, and I looked up wiping my mouth.

"Oh," I said. "I'm thirsty though."

"We all are. But we don't want to get sick. I'm sure the town is close, so we should head down the stream to the river, which I'm sure is also close."

I nodded.

Liam jumped in after Dad finished his last sentence and covered himself in cold water. Then Bryan waded in, and Luke followed shortly thereafter. The others walked around the water.

I followed, still in the water pushing Liam down as I got up, trying to act funny.

"Hey!" I heard from behind me as I splashed on towards Bryan. The sound of more splashing was coming from behind me but was getting louder and louder and I knew he was getting closer to me.

Then I felt those familiar arms around me, and the next thing I knew, I was face down in the water, Liam on top of me. I rolled over, pushing Liam off and started laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Liam managed to get up and then helped me up as I sputtered with laughter.

"Hey. Don't you dare think that I won't get you back after you do something to me." He winked, and I hugged him.

"PDA!" Bryan yelled.

"Kyara," I heard Dad say sternly, but with a hint of teasing in his voice.

I let go of the hug, smiled at Liam, and then started splashing again toward Bryan, who had kept walking and hadn't stopped. The sound of water falling was beginning and I assumed we were getting closer to the river. I looked at Liam, it seemed like he was thinking what I was.

The stream started to widen out, turning into more of a river. Trees started to get thinner as they backed away from the edge of the water, until there were barely any to be seen. There was a small waterfall, falling into a quite large river. Then, as I neared closer to the river, I saw it. Up ahead was the castle. It was a side view of the castle, and I realized that we were on the complete opposite side of it than we were last night. I laughed at the thought, and then yelled for everyone else to come look. Liam had been gazing at it, smiling with me, but Bryan had completely missed it, because he had jumped into the river, which looked to be quite deep.

"And there it is!" Dad said when he was next to me. "Kyara and Liam weren't both dreaming the same dream! And this means that this is the Thames River!"

I rolled my eyes. Dad knew so much about geography and history it was crazy. My mind couldn't even begin to remember all the facts he does.

Liam's arm was around mine. "You want to join Bryan?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Let's go!" I said taking Liam's hand and jumping with him into the cold but refreshing river.

I couldn't even feel the bottom as I made my way to the surface, and when I did, I shook my head, spraying water from my hair all over Liam. He returned the favor and then dunked me under the water. I gulped for air because I was half laughing under the water. Then, when Liam let me go and I could get fresh air, I dunked him and then swam away towards the shore.

"Join us!" I roared to my family. Luke didn't take a second to retort, as he ran straight into the water. He was a great swimmer, so I didn't think twice about going to help him.

Amy and Mom sat down together. Dad looked at Mom, who gave him a "go for it" look and he jumped over my head. Bella; however, stood there, at a loss for what to do.

"Come on Bella!" Bryan bellowed at her.

"I don't really want to." She said looking at the water, uncertain.

"It's fun! It's not that cold." I said, smiling up at her and I swam back to Liam. "It's actually quite refreshing!"

"I think I'll just hang with Amy and your mother." She complained about the depth of the water, the strong current and the freezing temperature, making more excuses on why she shouldn't come in. While she was complaining; however, Bryan snuck up out of the water and silently walked over to where Bella was, who had not noticed a single thing because she was looking upstream. We were all staring at him, and I was slightly laughing. Hearing my giggling, she stared at me and looked around at the water. She seemed confused because we were all looking behind her. She turned around quickly, but it was too late. Bryan scooped her up in his arms and raced into the water.

"Bryan, n—" She screamed, but the water stopped her from finishing her exclamation.

Bryan slowly came up, still holding Bella.

"Oh, my goodness, this water is so cold. Bryan, I hate you!" Bella screamed, laughing slightly and spraying water at him.

"Oh, don't be chicken." Bryan smiled, letting Bella swim on her own.

"You'll get used to the cold soon enough," I said to Bella.

"Hey kids! Are there any fish in there? Because we need to eat somehow," Mom hollered at us.

"Yes!" Dad said, and I looked at him uncertainly. "I've felt a few swim by me."

"I haven't felt any." I raised an eyebrow. "And how are we supposed to catch them? Aren't they really fast?"

"I have." Bryan said, paying no attention to the second part of my statement. He dove under.

Liam swam a little upstream and dove under as well.

Both didn't come out for an unreasonable amount of time, and I was about to go under and try to find one of them, when Bryan finally broke the surface.

"Kyara's right. They are impossible to catch."

Liam then popped his head up and said, "I almost got one, but ran out of breath before I could catch it." He tried again, going back under.

Dad went under as well, and I looked at Bryan, pursing my lips.

"They won't be able to catch one. Plus, how are we supposed to make a fire? We have no matches or anything," he said.

I nodded. "We need to get into town."

Luke swam toward Bryan and me and asked if he could try and catch fish. Both Bryan and I were quick to say "no."

Then Liam came up and started coughing. I swam over to him. "You okay?" I asked, after he finished coughing.

"Yeah, but they are literally impossible to catch," Liam said, referring to the fish.

Dad projected through the surface, then, and shook his head, sadly. "We need to get into town. There might be several deserted homes because of the plague. We have to try and make a living there. It's impossible to get fish and we need shelter, especially because it may take some time to find the phone." He said, matter-of-factly.

I nodded and looked around as everyone else did the same.

"Yeah, I'm super hungry," I said, and everyone agreed.

I started swimming toward the bank and pulled myself up out of the water. Everyone followed my lead.

I already felt myself drying off. The heat was radiating through my clothes and heating my body as well, and I didn't feel cold at all. It must be summertime here.

"In order to get to the town, we are going to have to swim across the river," Dad began. "There probably isn't a bridge anywhere close by."

I groaned. I didn't want to get back in the water, but I was hungry, and I'd do anything to get food, so I jumped back in the river, and followed Dad in pursuit of the other side.

"I don't want to go in! It'll be cold," Amy whined.

"I'll swim with you." Mom said. "We'll dry off pretty quickly. It's warm out."

Amy sighed and then started toward the water. Mom followed, limping slightly. Her bruise was becoming less definite, but I knew it would take a few more days until she could walk completely normal.

Liam caught up to me and started doing the butterfly stroke, quite well, I thought to myself.

"Is there anything you can't do?" I asked, laughing slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"You can do the butterfly, play almost any sport. . ." I trailed off, wondering what else he could do.

"So? I'm good at sports. Not much else," he raised his eyebrows at me.

We had reached the other side of the river and when we got out I whispered in his ear, "You're good at loving me."

He blushed, and then gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

Dad had already started through the trees, as Bryan came out of the water next, closely followed by Luke and Bella. Mom and Amy were the last to join us.

"We should probably catch up to him, so that he doesn't get lost," Mom said and started after Dad, with Amy next to her for support. Then everyone else started following.

Liam took my hand as we neared the trees. I clutched it tightly and smiled at him, slightly. I was happy, yes, but I was also a little nervous and scared. We were in a difficult time—maybe the most difficult one yet, but I did have Liam with me. And I would not let him go.

We caught up to Dad and the rest of the group and started toward the town that was now able to be seen through the trees. The first thing I saw through the completely opened, metal gate was the cathedral—it was the most beautiful thing in area and in the center of the town. Beyond were several homes—ones Liam and I had seen about five hours ago—made of pure wood, two to three stories in height, but not many townspeople were around. There were a few stragglers here and there, but not many. Most must be in their homes—which was strange, considering it was midday—or they had mostly cleared out.

We tiptoed through the gate, as if the town was haunted, and still hardly anyone was in sight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Mom said, her eyes glazed over with fear.

"We need food and water; our only hope is to go into town," Dad said.

Mom's eyes darted to Dad's and she returned to her normal, hopeful expression. "You're right. I'm probably imagining things."

And so, we carefully made our way through the town.

"Where is everyone?" Bryan said, and I could hear him gulping down fear.

I nodded and followed Dad, who was in the front of our pack. I felt like I was in a pack of wolves, and Dad was our alpha. We went through an alley between two houses and found a well. A woman walked up to the well and didn't even look at us, though we were quite visible and a large group. She fetched her water, and then went back to where she came from—to the left of us and into a house that was made of perfect white washed wood.

"That was weird," Bryan stated. Most everyone in the group seemed frozen. What was going on? Why was everyone acting so strange?

"Come on," I said and started toward the well. I was thirsty and pure water seemed like it would be satisfying. I sure hoped I wouldn't get sick from the stream water.

Liam, still holding my hand, walked with me, and Bryan followed, with Bella still holding tightly to his hand. I didn't know who else had followed, because I didn't look back, but I assumed most had. Liam helped me pull the bucket out of the well and I scooped some water into my mouth with my hands.

Everyone took handfuls of water and then Dad lowered the bucket back into the abyss after all our thirsts were quenched.

"We should stay on the outer side of town," Dad said. "Maybe at an abandoned farm somewhere because we don't want too many people asking questions about us."

I nodded, and he led us to the right, out past some houses.

Right before a hill, I saw a bridge off to our right, and I laughed slightly at how we had gone through the water for no reason. But how would we know that a bridge was there?

A few others noticed the bridge too.

"That's just our luck," Bryan said, and we all laughed feebly.

Then we started up a hill and I finally noticed a few buildings cluttered on a field. I saw a barn and some more fields beyond and knew right away that Dad had let us up to a farm.

"Did you know about this place already?" I asked, confused on how he knew a farm would be over here.

"No, I was hoping there would be based on my historical knowledge of the medieval era. Farms are always placed outside the city."

I shrugged and smiled slightly, but as we neared closer to the farmland, I noticed some type of animal in the distance, and my smile turned into a frown. I knew when a horse was sick—we had a few growing up, and Mom was a vet—and this horse seemed very sick, meaning that the people who used to be here, must have left a while ago. The horse was thin and out of shape, and it was tied up by a few long ropes, to the fence. I could see its eyes were fading, trying to stay open. When it saw me, it tried to swing its tail, but it couldn't do it without neighing heavily.

He didn't budge when I put my hand on him and started pulling off his ropes.

"He needs food and a vet. Mom, can you save him?" I asked.

Mom came up behind me and told me to go get water in the well that I had not seen until now. It stood right next to the house and I ran up to it as Mom started feeling around the horse's body. As I reached the well, Liam, helped me yank the bucket out of the water.

Then I asked him, "Can you go into the house and find something to put the water in?"

"Yeah," he said and hurried inside.

Bryan, Amy, Luke, and Bella walked past me into the barn and I could hear Bryan's heavy groan of dismay.

"There's two cows in here, Mom," he yelled out to her. "They don't look too good either."

Mom scrunched her eyebrows and muttered something to herself and then whispered what seemed like instructions to Dad.

Liam then came out of the house, carrying a large wooden bowl and put it on the ground next to me. I filled it up, and then put the bucket back in the well and walked with Liam, with the bowl in our hands, back to Mom who was leaving the horse and heading toward Bryan.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Cows are more important right now. The horse will be fine if you give him food and water. He just hasn't eaten in a few days," she said. I looked around for piles of hay or patches of grass but noticed only dirt. All the hay and grass had been eaten or torn from the soil. The cows must have gotten to it all. But the poor horse had probably not eaten in days.

Liam and I reached the horse and helped it drink. He drank the whole bowl. Then Bryan and Bella came with a big pile of hay. They dropped it next to