He shook his head. “Yes, she is! She is, Kyan!” I pushed him backwards. How dare he lie to me like this?!
He shook his head again. “They found her today. They had to bury her right away because...-because her body was decomposed so badly. But, it was her, Abby. I was there. I helped them take care of her. I put her into the grave, Abs. It was Lulu. I promise.” He hugged me tight. “It was her. I promise.”
Numbness. Tears streaked down my face. I couldn’t move. “They killed her.”
“Shh.” He pulled me in and his warm breath tickled my ear. “Don’t say it. If they did this to her...”
“Okay.” I got it. If they murdered Lulu, they wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of me as well.
“The Preston’s don’t know we found her. But, they will soon. Probably tonight. Norris was there.”
Red flashed before me. “Norris? He probably killed her! You didn’t let him touch her did you, Ky? He didn’t touch her, did he? Please tell me he didn’t...touch...her.” Sobs erupted from my soul.
“No, shh. He didn’t touch her. I wouldn’t let him touch her. He was just called there because it’s his job to report village deaths. You know that. Shh.” Kyan’s strong arms led me to the couch and settled me down. He rocked me as I cried. I knew something was wrong. From the moment they had told me that Lulu had been sent to Olympus, I knew. She would have found a way to contact me, before she left or as soon as she was safe in the City of Greaters. Lulu was smart and resourceful. She would have found a way or made one herself. I knew it. On some level, my very soul recognized that hers was gone.
Kyan rocked me for what seemed like an eternity, but the last place I wanted to be was out of the comfort of his arms. But, finally, he pulled away and went into the darkness of my bedroom. I could hear him shuffling around in my dresser. He pulled me into the room, lighting the candles along the walls. He’d laid out clothes for me to change into. I nodded and he stepped out. I carefully slipped out of Laney’s dress and hung it in my closet, separate from all of my other clothes–the ones that will never be good enough to hang in its vicinity.
Automatically I dressed myself, removed the pins from my hair, and then loosened the braids, leaving a trail of flowing mahogany down my back. Kyan was pouring hot water that had been heating over the fire into a mug. The steam stretched long into the air above it before disappearing. My eyes were swollen and stung with each new tear that leaked out.
“To help you rest.” Kyan extended the mug to me. The water was a warm yellow color and I knew it was from Evelyn. And, no doubt, it would help me rest. Testing the water with my upper lip, it was cool enough to sip. The bitter liquid slipped silkily down my throat. Before long, my eyelids began to slip shut on their own.
Kyan guided me to my room and helped me into bed before stretching the covers over me. I cuddled into them and sighed. The tears had finally stopped. But, the gaping hole in my chest still screamed out in pain. One thing was for certain, I would not marry Zander Preston. He could go to hell.
He didn’t have anything to hold over my head anymore. Lulu was dead. Buried in a proper grave now. I didn’t care if he killed me himself or had Norris do it for him. I wouldn’t let them get away with Lulu’s murder. I fell asleep thinking of Crew, how I wished things could be different. How I wish we had the freedom to choose our future.
∞
I WOKE LONG BEFORE MORNING and stepped out into the main room of the house. The fire still raged against the wood it furiously consumed. A white piece of paper sat atop the mantle.
I had to leave to get ready for work. Please stay home and rest today, Abby. I’ll check on you when the day is finished.
–Ky
He must have added wood to the fire before leaving. Its warmth didn’t quite reach where I needed it to. I put the kettle over the flames to heat more water. A small white packet sat atop the wooden counter next to the mug I used last night. It must contain Evelyn’s sleeping mixture.
I refused to take more of it. I would not sleep the day away. Even the strong herbs couldn’t ease the ache in my chest. I was going to the orchards. There was no way I would let the Preston’s win this. They would not get away with it. I didn’t care how powerful they were or might become. And Norris. If he did kill Lulu, he would live to regret it. I’d personally make sure of it.
I washed my face and plaited my hair carefully so that it curved around my head and draped over my shoulder. Donning a long sleeve black t-shirt and black and white plaid button-down over top, I shrugged on my jeans, tugged on my work boots, and chugged a hot cup of coffee before pouring the water over the fire. Steam angrily tried to escape up the chimney. I snuffed out the candles and strode toward the orchards.
My eyes searched for any sign of that serpent Norris, but he was nowhere to be found. No doubt the Preston’s thought I would cower in my cabin today. Sorry, folks. Hated to disappoint them, but they would not win this fight. Zander was missing as well. I scoured the area for him, but he was conveniently missing. Guilty, much?
Kyan grabbed hold of my elbow. “What are you doing here? You need to go home, Abs.”
“I won’t crawl home. That’s for damn sure.”
He released me and stepped back, blowing out a pent-up breath. “Fine. But, you need to keep hold of your tongue. Don’t go making accusations yet, and...” He stepped closer and whispered, “Don’t say anything against Norris. He won’t hesitate to put you in your place. I don’t want you hurt because your heart is broken. Okay?”
His brown eyes searched mine for lies. “Fine. I’ll try.” It was all I could promise. With a stern brow, he nodded.
“Laney is packing because of her ankle. Can you climb?”
“Yep.”
“Get to it.” He motioned for me to get started on a tree to my left. “Crew!” he yelled.
Crew stepped into the row a minute later, looking back and forth between me and Kyan before fixing his eyes on our team leader. “You’re with Abigail today.”
As I climbed up into the tree, I heard Kyan tell Crew, “Watch out for her today. I’m trusting you.”
Crew nodded and walked beneath the tree I was climbing up in earnest. He grabbed a bushel and as I began to hand down the few apples I’d picked, our eyes met. Betrayal rested in his honey colored eyes. “Why didn’t you show?” he asked softly.
“You don’t know?” I felt my brows pinching together.
He shook his head, his eyes never leaving mine.
“They found my aunt’s body yesterday evening. She’d been murdered and dumped into a shallow grave.”
“But the Councilman said...”
“Yes. He did. He lied.”
Realization washed over his strong features. The sun highlighted his sable hair and made his skin seem as pale as porcelain in the morning light.
“I’m sorry, Abigail. I thought you just decided not to meet me. I see that there are many secrets in the Preston household.”
It was my turn to nod, gritting my teeth until my jaw hurt. Because if I opened my mouth, I would start crying all over again. And, I wasn’t confident that I’d ever be able to stop this time.
Crew and Kyan watched me closely all day. I had worked like a woman possessed. Our team had carved through twice as many trees today as we did yesterday, even with Laney’s nimble climbing and picking. I was nowhere near as graceful. Stubborn determination fueled every motion, making me swift and sure, efficient. After we stopped to take lunch, the sound of hooves digging into dirt came closer and closer to our position in the row. Norris.
The demonic stallion reared and Norris whipped the beast’s flanks hard with the crop he had so disgustingly slid down my cheek. “Where is she?” he barked at Kyan.
“What do you want with her?”
In a flash, Norris dismounted and stood menacingly over Kyan. But, Kyan stood tall, didn’t waver even for a second. “Are you refusing to give me information, boy?”
“No. I simply ask what you want with her. We are making
amazing progress today and I would hate to report to my superiors that you’re interfering with the numbers we’re producing today.” Kyan shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes were fierce. I could see it all from my perch in the treetop above.
Norris stepped into Ky’s personal space. “I don’t like threats.”
“No. You love them. You love to threaten hundred pound auburn headed girls. Are you brave enough to threaten a man? Huh? You’re a sadistic bastard and you need to take your ass and your horse out of my orchard. Now! Unless you want me to drive straight to the Council and request an emergency meeting.”
Norris stepped back and grabbed the horn of his saddle. “This isn’t over. No one threatens me.”
“Out. Now.” Kyan barked, pointing in the direction of the orchard’s exit. Norris mounted quickly and kicked the black beast in the belly, causing him to rear up in Kyan’s direction. With a sneer on Norris’s face, the beast galloped angrily away, a trail of light brown dust rose in his wake.
When he was out of sight, the dust settled on the leaves and ground all around us, Crew reached his hand up to me and I made my way down and out of the tree. Sweat dotted his brow and lip and I realized that I was sweating, too. It was in the mid-sixties outside, but a threat from Norris can cause anyone to sweat.
Kyan hadn’t moved from the spot of the showdown. Hands on his hips, he looked over at Crew now towing me along behind him. He finally spoke. “Thanks for keeping quiet, Abs. I know it was hard for you.”
His arms fell to his sides as he released a pent up breath. I nodded. It had been hard to keep my mouth shut. I wanted to scream at him. To stick my finger in his vile face and tell him that I knew. I knew he murdered Lulu, stuck her in a shallow grave because he was too damned lazy or stupid to dig a proper one. He’d probably enjoyed it, too. He reveled in the misery that he inflicted on others, whether physical or mental. I wanted to spit right on his scarred face and unleash hell on him.
Ky, Crew, and I agreed that Norris wouldn’t be back this afternoon, but Crew offered to sneak away with me out a back orchard entrance before the official quit time is called. Kyan agreed. I could tell he wanted to escort me, but he would have been missed. It would have called attention to the plan.
And so, we worked. Climb. Pluck. Drop. Crew plucked and pulled all he could reach, took my baskets and emptied them, and loaded the bushels. Then two gangly teenaged boys assigned to us today came by and carried the bushels to the packers so that they could proceed with the rest of the process.
“YOU CAN’T GO BACK HOME. Kyan told me to take you somewhere else. But, I’ll admit, I’m not sure where to take you that would be safe from Norris or the Preston’s,” he spat their names just as I would have.
“The swans. It’ll buy some time and maybe after they find my cabin empty, they’ll leave me alone. Maybe they won’t even bother looking for me again.” I shrugged, not believing the words that had just leaked out of my mouth.
Crew lifted a brow and pinched his full lips together on the side. I rolled my eyes. “I know. They don’t give up easily and now that Lulu’s been found, they’re going to want to cover their tracks.”
He stopped and grabbed my hand. “I’m afraid of what that means for you.”
I nodded. “So am I.” It was the truth. There was nothing else they could take from me, except my life. I wasn’t afraid of death, only the way I would leave the earth. I didn’t want Norris’s violence to usher me out of it.
In no time, we were on the outskirts of the park. The long standing swan had finally capsized, having finally relinquished control to gravity and fate. For some reason, my heart clenched at the sight. The dirty plastic had always, on some level, given me hope. Hope to fight against what plagued me. To keep standing up. Now, I felt like even that swan had given up on me.
We sat at the end of the small wooden dock, careful to avoid splintering wood that spiked up and the planks whose nails were pulling up from their anchors. The last thing I wanted to talk about was the mess that had become my life, so I did what I do best—I created a diversion.
“So, tell me about Cotton. Is it very different there from Orchard Village?”
He glanced sideways at me quickly and shifted uncomfortably. The thought crossed my mind that maybe it was even worse. Maybe he would divert as well.
“Uh, what do you want to know?”
“Are there a lot of people in your village?”
He cleared his throat and his voice deepened once more. “Yes. There are a lot of people. I live in a large village.” Crew’s honey eyes met mine briefly before he looked back at the lapping water surrounding us. Soft peaks rose and fell all over the lake. It was the largest and closest to our village. In the summer, we would all swim here in the evenings when we weren’t working and on our day of rest.
“Are the girls in your village friendly?” I blushed. I hoped he knew what I was asking.
“Yes. They’re nice enough.” Crap. He didn’t get it.
“Is there one in particular that is especially nice to you?” I nudged his knee with mine and smiled.
“Ahh. No. There is no one.” His cheeks reddened against his pale skin. He shifted again. “I know that you’re not interested in Zander. What about Kyan? You two are close.”
“He’s my best friend. We’ve been friends since I came here as a child. He thinks he harbors some sort of feelings for me, but mostly he’s like my protector. I see him as a big brother. Nothing more.” I pulled my tennis shoes and socks off and dipped my toes in the now-very-cool water. I shivered as my body adjusted to the cold.
He nudged my shoulder. “I think he might feel differently.”
I shrugged a response. It didn’t matter. I didn’t see him that way. Time to change the subject. “When is your harvest?”
“At the end of summer. In late August or early September depending on the crop.”
“Is that why your hands are so soft and your skin so pale?”
“I suppose so. Look, why don’t we talk about something else. I’m enjoying my time away from my village. So, I don’t really want to discuss it further.” His voice hardened. I’d never heard Crew speak so sternly.
I nodded. We sat in silence for a few awkward moments. “You said you came here as a child? Where were you before?”
“With my parents. They decided after having me that they couldn’t raise me, or didn’t want to, so they sent me to live with Lulu. She raised me.” My voice clogged with tears again and I tried in vain to blink them away.
Warm arms encircled me and pulled me in. I relented, much like the swan, and sank into the momentary comfort that Crew so freely offered.
“How old are you, Abby?”
“Seventeen. How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
I looked up at him, surprised. “Twenty? How have you avoided getting married? ” I thought about the Preston’s. “Most of us are married by eighteen. It’s rare for someone to be single at twenty.”
“In my village, people marry later. Most everyone is permitted to choose their spouses, but village leaders sometimes use their children’s unions to increase their power and influence. My family is no different. Unfortunately.”
“Being the son of a Councilman must be difficult.”
He nodded. “At times. I wish I had more freedom. Instead, my entire day, even the clothes I wear are usually dictated by my father or mother. In the village, I rarely see them, though. Maybe once a month, but their servants see that I wear, eat, and go where they tell me.”
“Servants?”
He nodded and glanced at me quickly. “Yes. We have servants.”
“Wow. You must think we...that I am very poor. The Preston’s have people who help them occasionally, much like the woman who cooked and served dinner the other night, but no one on staff permanently. No servants.” Even the word felt strange on my tongue.
We all worked hard, but not for one another usually, unless there was a special circumstance–my back was one of th
em. That was the only reason I had become a servant for a short time. We worked for the good of the village, for its prosperity, or rather for the prosperity of the Greaters for which it provided.
“Have you ever met anyone from Olympus, or any other Greater city?”
His golden eyes flashed at me. “No. Have you?”
“No. My aunt, when she was alive, was in charge of Village Supply. She arranged the shipment of raw materials from the Greaters. Of course, they would get the goods from other villages and send it to us, but she worked with them. She had to go to Olympus a few times. I wonder what the cities are like, what a Greater looks like. I can’t even imagine how they live compared to us.”
Crew didn’t answer, but removed his shoes and socks, rolled up the legs of his jeans. His legs were muscular, but pale and dusted with sable hair matching his head. “I’m sure the Greater cities differ from our Lesser villages. It seems that even those differ from one another as well.”
“I guess so.” I swished my toes around in the water, making little ripples that fanned out across the surface.
“You’re seventeen?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“When is your birthday?”
“In the village, we celebrate birthdays in the winter, out of the growing season.”
Crew chuckled. “Okay. But when is your actual birthday?”
“I don’t understand.” I searched his eyes and his mouth opened.
“Your birthday. Mine is April 4th. When is yours?”
I stared at him. I had no idea of the date of my actual birth. Cotton certainly had strange customs. We had no time or supplies to waste celebrating birthdays individually.
He cocked his head back. “You don’t know? You don’t know your date of birth?”
I shook my head. “No. We celebrate together as one each year. To celebrate individual birthdays would deplete supplies that are hard for us to obtain from the Greaters in the first place. Not to mention that we are too busy working for most of the year for us to take time to celebrate birthdays for each person. It just doesn’t happen. Cotton is so different. How do you celebrate your birthday on April 4th?”
Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) Page 11