The Outlaw's Secret

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

***** PLEASE NOTE that I personally don’t like cussing, however in order to make this more realistic, I have to. You have been warned and the worst it will get is hell, damn, whore and possibly one more. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED =D*****

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, slightly awed. Dragging my fingers down my face slowly I was amazed how beautiful I was. Still, it wasn’t enough. Ever since I was a child I dreamt about looking like my mother. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was beautiful and an upstanding citizen, everything I was not. Quite honestly, I had no clue where my looks came from, certainly not from my father; he was tall and dark with more Hispanic in him. Completely different from me whom had red hair and fair skin…Truthfully I was amazed at how much I had changed; a year ago, I still had the chubby cheeks and sweet innocence of a little girl.

Now, I thought sadly; I am far from innocent. 

I have killed and seen brave men killed. How did I fall so far from the governors’ sweet daughter? My eyes stared back at me in the mirror, looking far too wise for a girl of eighteen. A dog’s lonely howl vibrated through the air, matching my mood perfectly. My eyes strayed to the open window, watching the white clouds drift across the sky as I remembered how I first met Joseph, Fleur, Red and Jason….. 

“Penny!” I screamed desperately. How could my loyal pony dump me out in the middle of the desert? The sun beat down on my head mercilessly. How will I survive? Surely the sun will kill me with its intense heat. I started walking, hoping that I would find some source of shade; some means of escape from the scorching sun. My head started spinning, making my vision blur when I threw out a foot to step down…….only to find that there was no ground under my foot. 

I fell down the deep ravine, the air rushing past me as I hurtled towards the bottom. In seconds I felt the impact. Pain shot up from my leg, and my head and my stomach…. The last thing I was aware of amidst the pain was a voice……

Joseph saved my life that day. When I had fallen I broke my leg, ribs and I got a concussion. Joseph could have left me alone to die in the desert, but he didn’t. He took care of me and let me join his gang. Admittedly I wasn’t too keen on being a highwayman, but when I compared this lifestyle to my other, less interesting life, I realized that I would choose to stay with Joseph any day.

“Kania, are you ready yet?” Jason yelled, his voice slightly muffled by the door. I started, knocking a container of face powder onto the floor. A low cuss fell from my lips as I bent down to snatch it up; throwing the case onto the table with a clatter.

“Jason, shut the hell up!” I yelled back, my temper flaring slightly.

“Damn, it must be her time of the month.” He muttered quietly.

“I heard that! You will pay for that later Jason George Crowd!” Jason cursed as he stomped down the hall. He knew I wasn't joking. I walked over to my closet, and I pulled a dark red floor length gown out. Closing my eyes for a second in shame, I untied my robe, letting it drop. I slipped the dress over my head; opening my eyes.

My reflection stared back at me in the mirror; I looked like a whore. The dress was low cut with rouge and eye makeup to finish the look. Curse you Fleur for picking out this dress….

I grabbed one of the pistols off of my vanity and I slipped it into my pocket. Grabbing the second one, I lifted my dress to slide that one into the gun holster I had strapped to my thigh.

Life was certainly more interesting now… I thought ironically as I closed my door locking it tightly. My steps echoed in my ears as I descended the stairs quickly. Jason and Joseph were standing at the bottom of the staircase expectantly; their faces close together as they talked.