Venetia
I heard the bullets, but didn't actually see them. I felt something very painfully hit my arm and I let out a cry.

"Venetia? Are you okay? What happened?" Clark asked desperately.

I gasped as I looked down at my arm and saw a hole on my upper arm from which blood was quickly rolling down my arm and onto my dress, staining it for all eternity. "I... got..." was all I managed to get out before I fainted, falling off the horse.

Clark
I felt Venetia's arms leave my body and heard a thud on the ground. I turned my head and saw no Venetia. I immediately pulled back on the reigns to bring a galloping Bahadur to a halt and slid off of Bahadur, improperly dismounting him.

I guided Bahadur by the reigns (I didn't want to lose our ride, my Aunt's house is 15 miles away) over to around where I heard the thud, assuming that the thud was Venetia falling off. How did she fall off?!Where is she? Where is she?

I hastily searched the area with no luck finding her. Then my eyes landed on a patch of yellow grass that had small patches of red spots, trailing into some nearby woods. Is that blood? I kneeled next to red spots, and touched it with my fingers. When I took my hand away, my fingers were red too. It is blood!! Could it be Venetia's blood?! If it is, then she could've gotten shot by the gunshots that I heard!

I followed the trail of blood leading downhill and into the woods. I looked around the trees and saw Venetia laying face up against a fir tree with blood sputtering out of her arm, onto her muddy dress and the dirt floor. Dropping the reigns I broke into a run over towards her and I said, "Fuck!", seeing she had gotten shot.

No wonder she fell off the horse, all that blood must've caused her to faint, I thought as I unsheathed the knife that I used earlier and quickly but careful not to cut her, I cut off the bottom half of her tulle dress, displaying her short legs and slightly lavender colored glass heels. Her dress's skirt is thicker than my uniform's shirt, so it should take more blood than my shirt if I used my shirt instead. I wiped away most of the blood and dirt away from the wound. I then made a tourniquet using the fabric to stop the bleeding before she lost too much blood.

I gingerly picked her up, careful not to cause her any more pain. I carried her towards Bahadur, who was standing where I left her observing her surroundings. I placed Venetia at the base of a tree near Bahadur, propping her up against the tree. She unconsciously winced a bit as I carefully placed her injured arm in her lap.

I walked out of the forest, careful not to get injured, someone has to look after Venetia. I saw that the guards that had been chasing us were now gone and I walked back over to Venetia before tying Bahadur's reigns to a low branch attached to the tree that Venetia was leaning against.

I looked at Venetia's dress and noticed that there was a hole similar in size to her wound. I'm guessing that's where the second bullet went.

I sat down next to her, cross legged, and took the hand of her uninjured arm in my hand, caressing it as I thought up ways to get us both out of here and to Aunt Mabelle's house before the guards came again and wanted posters with our faces were being put up.

I was suddenly jolted out of my thoughts when I felt Venetia's head fall onto my shoulder. I relaxed and I looked at her as she opened her amber eyes.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Pain. Pain. Pain. " She groaned as she slowly closed her eyes.

"I have some bad news: You got shot. So it would be a good idea to leave now."

Her eyes widened. "I know. I can feel it. Do you have any painkillers?"

"Why would I have painkillers?"

Using her good arm/shoulder she shrugged. "It was worth a shot." It was silent for a moment and I looked at her. Her

"You're not going to die! Well, your arm might, but that's not the point, it only hit your arm, it can't kill you."

She took a deep breath, to calm herself. "Your right. Sorry."

We both stood up and after I had gotten Venetia up on the horse, we started down a thin dirt trail which was lit by moonlight. I relaxed as I walked, listening to clip-clop of Bahadur's hooves.

Venetia soon broke the comfortable silence, indicating at the makeshift bandage on her upper arm. "Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't, I'd probably be dead by now." She said, looking down at her dress which had medium-sized puddles of blood on it.

I took her hand in mine, and calmly said, "of course I saved you. I-". Tell her! I took a deep breath, readying myself. "I love you." I finished, and paused for an answer, waiting for her reaction, I'd never told her that before now.