Stuck with you

Kate's POV The outburst on the street terrified me, but all I could do was stay by the road and keep selling my homemade cookies, my gaze falling on every passerby who ended up ignoring me. My name is Katherine... I mean Kate. Nobody calls me Katherine anymore. I'm not the rich man's daughter anymore, either I know you're probably wondering how I got here. It's a long story. Papa always said there are some long stories that are meant to be told short, and others not at all. I guess mine is the second kind. I feel like I'm better off without telling it, even when I think otherwise. I tried to escape the strong light shining above me. It was summer — my favorite season of the year. I know some people wonder why summer, but I guess it's just me. I'm a lover of nature. And a lover of God. I never realized I could be a lover of something — or someone — else too. "What are you selling?" a woman approached me, disgust in her tone. They always did. "Fried rice," I answered, avoiding her eyes. I never really looked into the eyes of anyone in this town — maybe because I was new here. She frowned. "Isn't this the black cookie girl?" she said. I smiled, looking up at her now. "So you saw it, madam." She looked furious, as if I'd just slapped her, then walked away without another word. This was what I called discrimination. Papa always told me I don't belong to anyone, so I don't have to try to belong. I agreed. Yes, I'm a girl who lived in New York City twenty years of her life and now lives in Colorado Springs among those who doesn't seems to want me around want me around. I never really understood what it meant to feel pain until life happened — until my dad died and I was left with nothing, robbed of my rights by my uncle. I know I shouldn't have left, but somehow I knew I had to, at least for a while. The struggle here was endless. I never felt content anywhere around me, but I didn't want to dwell on it. I just wanted to survive. That was Papa's dying wish — that I must survive. Thanks to God, the good person among all here cares. My gaze fell on my cookies then back to the street. The street was busy, overwhelming, before an older woman came running. "They're here!" she shouted. I knew who they were. They'd come before. This roadside trade was forbidden , supposed to serve only as a trade fair, but the neighborhood I lived in, there was no other way to survive. The troops moved in fast, faster than anyone expected. Panic broke out as people scrambled to clear their goods. I just stood there, watching. I couldn't help it. Among them was a handsome man — Black, and somehow familiar. Colonel Marcus Steele. He was the mayor's son, and Garrison Commander of Fort Carson. He stood and stared at us for a while. "Destroy everything." His voice was cold. The soldiers moved immediately, smashing goods, striking anyone who tried to stop them. The sight was sickening. I didn't even realize I'd shouted until the word left me. "Stop!" Everyone turned — toward me, then toward Colonel Marcus. His look was intimidating. "You can't treat us like animals when you're the real animal here," I said, my voice shaking. "You don't care how we survive. This is how we survive." I turned away from him quickly, unable to hold his gaze. For a long moment, everything went silent. Even with my eyes on the shattered goods scattered across the ground, I could feel him watching me. "This is my last warning to all of you," he said to the crowd. Then, looking directly at me: "Seize her — and everything she has." My head began to pound. I couldn't think of anything to do before the soldiers were already on me. I tried to meet his eyes one last time, but I gave in and looked away. _______ Marcus POV I would've sworn I'd hurt someone before the afternoon was over. I hated repeating myself, and somehow these people always made me. The heat of the sun did nothing to improve my mood. I could tell we weren't welcome the moment we arrived. "Destroy everything," I said, infuriated. I watched the soldiers get to work. But in the middle of it all, a voice cut through. "Stop!" Everyone froze. I followed their gaze — it landed on a woman. [description of how she was dressed goes here] Then she spoke again, this time at me, even though it wasn't straight. "You can't treat us like animals when you're the real animal here. You don't care how we survive. This is how we survive." Her words hit harder than I expected, though I didn't let it show. I'm not a man known for mercy. But this woman… I watched her turn away from me. She wasn't from here — my instincts told me that much. But her boldness was unlike anything I'd seen. I found myself almost smiling. Then I turned back to the crowd. "This is my last warning to all of you." I meant that. I turned to look at her again. "Seize her and everything she has” I hadn't meant to say it. But I did. I turned and headed back toward my residence.