Twenty-One

BUT Arianna remained frozen. She could hear Ruel's worried voice calling her name, but she couldn't react.
"Arianna? Arianna? What happened to you?"
Her eyes finally focused on his worried face. She tried to smile but failed.
"I seem to be right about Mt. Olympus, huh?"
She tried to smile again as she moved her numbed limbs, but she cringed when he placed the bills in her hand.
"Go home," he told her gently. "That's where he'll get your goods."
*Goods.*
She cringed more, her insides trembling because to her, goods meant something more than her vegetables.
But she managed to reply. "Y-Yeah."
"Arianna? Are you okay? You're very pale."
She looked at him. "I'm going to be fine. I'm going home, anyway, so I can take a rest."
"What's wrong? You don't look good. I'd like to take you home," he said, looking in the direction of the guards at the gates.
"I'm okay. I'm feeling better. I guess I stayed up too late to sleep last night," she lied. "'Bye, Ruel. Thanks for wanting to help. I'm going home now."
His voice stopped her from turning the bike back. "Arianna?"
"What?"
"Can we meet tomorrow? Let's just have a snack, and talk a little. After all, I cannot visit you—"
"Ruel?"
"Huh?"
"If you want us to be friends, you have to finish school first, find a job and do what you have to do before you come back here." *If we'll still be here*. "If you keep pushing now, I might really get mad at you."
The hope on his face was instantly replaced by sadness and disappointment. "O-Okay."
"I'm really sorry," she said, trying not to show him the guilt and pity she felt.
But she really didn't have time or energy for this. She had no plans to be in a relationship for a very long time.
Who would want her after news got around that she sold herself to the Señorito?
"Alright, I'm going home."
He called again. "Arianna?"
"What?!"
He jumped a little but relaxed when she sighed and shook her head. "When you're ready to accept suitors, I'm going to be the first in line, huh? Don't forget me."
Her eyes rolled. "Alright. My goodness, the drama!"
She laughed and rolled her eyes, relieved she hadn’t seemed to have hurt him so terribly.
He smiled. "Thank you."
She left him there and he watched her leave. She furiously pedaled the tri-bike back to the hacienda while she continuously shook inside…

TOMMY hurried down the stairs when he saw her slide the tri-bike into the yard.
"Ate Arianna? Why are you back so early? Did something happen?" He was looking at the veggies in the bike and the obvious evidence she hadn't sold anything yet.
"Why are you here? I thought you'd left?"
"I brought food back. The Chairman distributed eggs and bacon meat to the workers and I brought mine home. I'm going back to work now. But... what happened?"
"Everything's sold," she said as she tried to hide her face from him by looking away.
She still felt cold, so she must look pale. She felt internal shakes still and she was trying hard to control herself. She didn't want him to worry.
"It’s going to get picked up here."
"What? Who?"
She sighed and mustered a smile on her face before looking at him. "The main house paid for the vegetables because there was a shortage of them this morning," she said.
"The mansion? Shortage?" Tommy’s face clearly said he would rather believe zombies had come than the mansion had a shortage of vegetables.
How stupid of her to give him that reason. She knew the Señorito lied about it, too.
Punishing her.
"Who said they had a shortage?" Tommy asked suspiciously.
"Just a man from there. He saw me outside and stopped me and told me to go back because they needed this," she replied as she started to get the vegetables into bags. I’m not really sure what it’s all about but I have to follow. All right, go back to work. I have to get these all bagged."
"Ate, it's not like—"
"Oh my gosh, go! You are out here on paid time. Go back to work, Tommy. Let's not abuse the Chairman, okay?"
He did not want to leave and wanted to interrogate her more, but upon mention of the Chairman, he reluctantly obeyed.
Their mother was back in bed, resting and listening to the radio when she went inside to get sacks from the kitchen. She'd been awake early this morning to cook breakfast and trim plants in the garden and was resting because Arianna came inside the room to get dry clothing.
She was sweaty from fast pedaling to get home.
"I thought I heard your voice outside with Tommy. You're back very early.”
"My veggies were bought right away. Mama, I'm just leaving for a moment. I’m just cleaning up for a little bit."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"Might be to the mansion," she said as she stopped by the doorway to answer. "They paid for the veggies and they're picking it up from here. But no one has taken it yet. I'll just take them there and I'll return their change. I was paid too much."
"Ah, is that so? Oh, go. We don't want them to complain that the fruits are not fresh anymore."
But even her mother was puzzled by this strange transaction. She had a frown on her face.
Why would the mansion buy their veggies when they have tons they could get off their own land?
"Are you feeling well?" she asked her.
Mama smiled at her. "Yes. I was a little cold, so I might stay here for a moment until it gets hot outside."
"Okay."
She went to their tiny bathroom to wipe the sweat off with a towel, change into a dry t-shirt and ripped and very faded jeans, brushed and tied her long hair up in a bun, and came out.
Back on the bike, she pedaled away.
She didn't believe the veggies were going to get picked up. Who in their right mind would believe the mansion would need this?
But Mama and Tommy didn’t need to know any of this. She still wasn’t sure if she would actually bring the produce to the mansion or wait on the road and if they didn’t pick them up after an hour or so, she’d pedal these to old neighbors who could cook them for lunch.
These veggies couldn’t go to waste.
She continued to pedal, thinking, confused, and scared.
Then she realized she couldn’t go to the mansion.
If her mother and Tommy had thought this odd, then those in the mansion more so. They would ask questions,.. and what would the señorito think? That she was being deliberately stupid in putting attention to herself?
No, no, no. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.
Why did he have to spot her outside? What was he still doing here in the hacienda, anyway? He had not stayed this long before.
A clipping sound disturbed her frantic thoughts and she raised her face toward it.
Then Yna instantly froze.
In the distance, she saw the approaching horse and its rider. She stopped pedaling, and looked around, terrified now, wanting to ask for help.
But there was no one else on the road or out of it. The hut was a few ways away from the other huts of other tenants. Desolate fields surrounded them.
She just realized how far away from any help they were. There was a time when they were asked to move back to the more populated part of the hacienda, but none of their family members worked the land regularly, so they were embarrassed to do so, and they didn't want to leave their small garden plot.
They had worked hard on it and it was already helping them so much to earn a living.
No one came here unless they needed something from Mama, or they were visiting.
And that was a very rare occasion.
So at the moment, the only souls in there were her on her bike and Señorito Enrique riding on his horse towards her.
She couldn’t escape. He had seen her, he was here for her.
She would only make it worse.
She was aware of nothing but the horse getting closer and closer. Its legs were about the same height as her sidecar.
If she stood on the pedals of the bike, the animal's head would still be high above her head. It was one of the breeds that were more expensive than a car.
But she was more terrified of the rider than the beast.
Both rider and horse got near, then stopped beside Arianna on the bike, unmoving. Her body was numb as she watched the frowning face of the rider.
"Get off the bike, Arianna," he commanded in a voice that was soft but full of authority.
She didn't even think to object.
Trembling, she got off the bike.
Then, Señorito Enrique bent and took hold of her upper body in a powerful arm.
In an instant, he was lifting her up to the horse, securing his hold on her with his other arm on her waist.
She found herself sitting in front of him, her back pressed against his muscular body as she was forced to lean against his hard chest. One of his arms remained wrapped around her.
"Easy..." he said softly to the horse as its hooves stamped on the ground restlessly.
His mouth was so close to her ear and the side of her neck that she felt his warm breath.
She couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine.
Señorito Enrique was turning the horse now, leaving the bike on the road to carry a petrified Arianna with him to wherever he was going.