Hey i'm here again guys! Here's the next chapter update i hope you huys enjoy it! So sorry for the wait! (got a lot going on...)Don't forget to leave me a review with your opinion, i'll try and awnser any of your questions if you have them. (Also i'm a little nervous about the silence on my last chapter seeing as it was an important sad chapter...hehe hope i didn't mess it up or anything though mabye i'm overreacting...)

Chapter Six: When Things Change: Part One

Two Month Later

The north end of Cerignola was a beautiful place, all but untouched by the corrupt city leaders and the murderous outlaws. It had at one time been home to the richer end of society until the reign of terror that had affected the rest of the city got to it, now it was nothing more than a few streets with a ghostly atmosphere. With its lush greenery and large empty houses it was the perfect place for a few unwanted citizens to gather in secret.

A boy with a hat to cover his red hair hurried through the deserted streets of the north side. He seemed in a great rush though he paused every now and then to look over his shoulder and carefully gauge if there was anyone following him.

On his fifth time looking over his shoulder he caught a glimmer of movement out of the corner of his eye and dove swiftly and noiselessly around a street corner. He waited breathlessly to hear the footfalls on the wet streets telling him that he had been seen.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting and holding his breath, a small fuzzy white animal waltzed around the corner to rub against his ankles and purr.

"Bella." He sighed with relief as he knelt to pick up the kitten, "Don't scare me like that, girl." He scratched her forehead with his finger and smiled at her quiet meow, "Well I don't know how you got out of my room, let alone all the way out here, but we have to get back to the house."

So, tucking the white kitten into his jacket, he returned to the street and proceeded down it in the same cautious fashion as before.

—The Abandon Mansion—

Shimon Cozato arrived at the seemingly abandon mansion after around thirty additional minuets of walking and paused a final time to take in the site of their secret work.

Ever since the death of the flower merchant Franco and the shop owners Martin, and Maria the three friends had discarded their trouble-free hate of the outlaws and had instead taken on the roll of defenders, becoming a group of vigilantes rather than idle citizens.

Their work was simple—yet anything, but easy. They spent much of their time in the city, watching and waiting for opportunities to strike at the outlaws and to outwit even the smartest of them. And though it rarely ended in an actual physical fight, the friends were not unprepared for such outcomes and they stayed ready and alert at all times.

Their work had at first gone unnoticed; the outlaws had considered them no more than a few rebellious children, easily dealt with. Yet as the days turned into weeks and the strikes against them grew more serious the outlaws began their intent search for the offenders leaving no stone unturned. They searched even the north end though rumors of ghosts haunting the mansions there deterred the outlaws from getting very far.

Since they had no way of knowing how many stood against them the outlaws made up wild numbers of people against them and suspected most of the citizens of being in on it when in reality it was only three teenagers.

Well three teenagers, a little girl, and a white kitten. Cozato smiled down at the kitten whose head poked out of his jacket.

Then the smile dulled and disappeared from his face altogether.

It had been three anyway, but after tomorrow it would just be two.

Cozato sighed and moved to the set of vines creeping up the side of the mansion and to an open window around three stories up.

When he pulled himself into the open window the last thing he expected to see sitting on a chair there was Katlin, yet there she was face forward staring straight at him a slightly goofy smile for an expression.

"Katty?" Cozato looked at the closed door to the room with more than a hint of surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"G. and Giotto are busy so…I decided to wait here for you to come back." She made an effort and gave him a small smile.

Katlin, the young daughter of Martin and Maria had been made both homeless and an orphan all on the same night only two months before.

She had come willingly with the three of them when they had gone to the north side and she now lived in the mansion. She had been given her own room and they had all taken extra care to play small games with her as often as possible. Only the girl had become rather withdrawn and kept to herself most of the while so the games were typically one sided, she had distanced herself even from her former hero G.

It had only gotten worse three and a half weeks ago when Katlin had seen her fifth birthday without her parents. As cheerful as they had tried to be, she had been buried in a deep sadness. This was her closest attempt at socialization with them in some time.

Cozato felt a sudden flare of guilt for the news that he had to break to his friends.

"Oh…is that Bella?" She lifted one small finger and pointed at the squirming white ball of fluff poking out of his jacket.

"Yeah." Cozato pulled the damp kitten out and placed her in Katlin's lap without warning. The girl didn't seem the least bit upset about this, she began to dry off the kitten with the corner of her shirt even humming as she did so.

"So what are Giotto and G. busy with?" Cozato asked walking towards the closed door.

"...Work…"

The way she breathed the word under her breath made Cozato pause. He knew what it meant of course, but it made him abruptly sad to think of her sitting here alone and wondering where they are and what they're doing.

A thought came to him as abruptly as the sadness.

He looked slowly at the five year old girl. She was sitting on the old chair facing the window, her once bright and curious green eyes now filled to the breaking point with sadness beyond her years. He knew what she needed, yet he couldn't help but wonder what the others would think of it.

He spoke softly to her as he turned to open the door, "Come on Katlin. I can get you something to eat when I feed Bella."

"Alright." She stood up stiffly and followed him into the hall beyond.

As he watched her his previous idea was reinforced by the simple thought, "What a terrible place for such a young girl."