Time Cursed

CHAPTER 13

  “Mama! We have arrived!” Lilliana called out to a woman sweeping in front of a small dwelling. The woman looked up and smiled. She was not as tall as Lilliana but she had Lilliana’s coloring. Black hair pulled up into a bun, dark eyes, olive skin and a sweet smile. The woman dropped the broom and ran to Lilliana embracing her tightly. “Ah my sweet daughter, we have missed you this past week! Please come in you must be tired. Your sister…” The woman paused as her eyes found Arlana staring at her intently.

  Lilliana frowned when her mother paused mid-sentence but as she followed her gaze she laughed. “Oh Mama! This is my friend Amber. The one I wrote you about. She has saved us from shame with Senora Draco! I hope you do not mind. She has no memory of who she is and I could not bear to have her sit on her own on her day off.”

  “Oh, of course, welcome Amber. Please call me Lucia. Lilliana wrote much about you. I take it you still have no recollection of where you come from?” Lucia said with a sympathetic smile warming her face.

  “No Senora. Thank you for accepting me into your home.” Arlana said shyly. This woman was so warm and kind. In the past week there were aspects of personalities of everyone she met that would remind her of vague images but sadly this woman’s personality and attitude towards Arlana had no inkling of recollection. It made her sad. Could it be she had no mother? Nor a woman who treated her so warmly? Arlana tried to shrug the thought off but it stuck to her as a fly does to a web.

  “Come inside you two! We were waiting on your return to eat. Lumina will be happy to see you.” Lucia replied.

  They went inside the small stone house. The room they stepped into was cozy and comfortable. All the windows were open which made it bright and airy feeling. The main focal point was a large table filled with food. A young boy was seated at the far side of the table. A large man sat next to the boy. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of conversation. The boy looked to be telling a story to the man and although it was hard to make out what he was saying the man seemed to respond appropriately to it. An elderly woman sat at the far end of the table. She was small and stooped over the table as though her back refused to straighten.

  “Lorenzo and Lalo, Lilliana is home. She has brought her friend, Amber, with her. Such a strange name Amber.” Lucia said with a smile.

  “Thank you for inviting me into your home.” Arlana said feeling awkward.

  “Lozo! Lalito! I have missed you!” Lilliana said as she ran over to them and gave them each a hug. “Amber this is my older brother Lorenzo and my baby brother Lalo. Lorenzo! What are you doing home? I thought your ship would not arrive until next week?” Lilliana inquired.

  “Yes, well we managed to get here faster than anticipated. My captain should be here any moment.” Lorenzo responded in a strong deep voice that startled Arlana. It was as though she had heard that voice somewhere before. As she looked at Lorenzo he smiled “Mother said that Lilliana had made a new friend at the Giordano’s home but I had assumed it would be one of the other servants. Not one of the Dona’s family members. I am Lorenzo. Please you are most welcome to my family’s home.” He gently grabbed Arlana’s hand, bent down and raised it to his lips. As they gently brushed her skin he looked up at her with just his eyes. Arlana held her breath in surprise. He winked and let her hand go. She let go of her breath and blushed. “Um, no, I, uh, work with Lilliana. I have yet to meet the Dona. She has not been there since we started.” Arlana said with a little laugh feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.

  “Lozo! You are so odd sometimes. How are you my blood relation?” Lilliana said, obviously embarrassed by what he had just done. “Amber, ignore this idiota, he is trying to impress you. Why I have no idea but the girls in this village follow him around like bees to honey. Poor taste is all I can say about those girls. Lozo, leave my friend alone! She is already taken!” Lilliana said slightly agitated.

  Arlana nodded her head trying to concentrate on not blushing. She had no idea how to respond. Thankfully Lucia changed the topic. “Everyone sit down. It is time to eat. I will go get Lumina. Lilliana your great Aunt wanted to sit next to you.”

  Lilliana smiled and sat down next to the elderly woman. “Zia Isabel! How good it is to see you! This is my friend Amber. Perhaps you could help her. She has no memory of who she is.” Lilliana looked at Arlana “Zia Isabel is said to be a seer. She does not speak much but perhaps she will know how to help.”

  Arlana smiled at Zia Isabel. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Zia Isabel looked at Arlana and her eyes widened. “It cannot be! You cannot be here! Leave! You are not welcome here!” She yelled at Arlana making the sign of the cross the whole time. Arlana gasped.

  “Zia! This is my friend! What are you doing?” Yelled Lilliana. Zia Isabel stood up and quicker than Arlana ever thought a frail woman could be pushed Arlana away from her. She grabbed a knife off of the table and ran towards Arlana. “You cannot be here! He promised your kind would never return!” She yelled as she raised her arm ready to stab the knife at Arlana.

  Arlana felt an arm around her waist lift her up and pull her out of the house. She was set on the ground and spun around. Lorenzo was looking at her intently. “Are you alright?” he asked with concern.

  Arlana couldn’t breathe. What had just happened? Before she could respond the old woman was running out of the house towards them. Who would have thought she was so spry? Arlana wondered in awe. “Come we must go!” Lorenzo said and grabbed her hand and ran.

  When they finally stopped the house was no longer in view. Arlana’s side ached and she was out of breath. “What was that about?” She asked through gasps of air.

  “I had hoped you would know. My Zia has always been odd but never violent. At least not that I am aware of.” Lorenzo said with a small frown on his face. “I am sorry she attacked you. Are you alright?”

  Arlana looked up at him and smiled feebly. “Yes I think so. Thank you for saving me.”

  Lorenzo looked at her and nodded his head. He grabbed her hand again and began walking further away from the house. Arlana pulled at her hand “where are you taking me?” She asked nervously.

  He stopped and looked at her, “back to the villa. Zia is in a state and it would not be safe for you around here until she leaves. I will escort you home.”

  “Please I can manage on my own. Your, um, captain will be expecting you at home.” Arlana replied feeling embarrassed that she had to be escorted home.

  “I’d rather he not meet you. I had hoped he would meet my mother and well he would be a good match for her. He could provide for her and then I would not have to worry about her so much anymore. My mother is a very pretty woman but next to your beauty she would pale in comparison. Although it would not have been my method for removing you from the scene it still works for me to keep you away.” He said more bluntly than she had anticipated.

  Arlana blushed or perhaps she thought she just stayed in a perpetual shade of red. It was frustrating that she seemed to be this shade of red all the time. If only she could remember who she was. Was she always a blusher? UGH! She thought as she threw her hands up in frustration! Why are these men acting so strange around her. With as uncomfortable as she felt when they called her beautiful she had to believe that this was not a common thing said to her where she came from! She started walking towards the Villa. She knew she should thank Lorenzo for his complement but she was so frustrated she couldn’t say anything. She glared at him as she passed him.

  Lorenzo looked at her in confusion. She figured he must be wondering why she was acting like this and she didn’t care. She didn’t even understand it.

  As she walked away he began following her. She was grateful for the protection but she also wanted privacy. After walking like this for fifteen minutes or so she stopped abruptly and Lorenzo bumped into her. She turned and looked at him, “I’m sorry for my rudeness. I am just so frustrated. I don’t know who I am and the only thing that seems to happen without fail is m
en acting like I am some beauty that causes their brains to think of nothing but me! I can’t help but be offended and I don’t understand why! I should be happy that I am pretty but it doesn’t feel right. I feel like I am being lied to so that I can be treated unfairly!” She said with an ever increasing volume. She stopped and looked at Lorenzo. His look seemed to be of solemn understanding but the corner of his lips seemed to be quivering ever so slightly. “WHAT!” she yelled at him. At that moment he began laughing. So hard that he had to bend over and put his hands on his knees. “I’m sorry it is just…” He began laughing again. As she watched him laugh she thought about what she said and how she was feeling and began to laugh herself. The more he laughed the more she laughed. So much so that she had to lean on him to stay standing.

  When they finally were able to calm down a bit she looked at him and he at her and began laughing again. “Goodness, I must sound ridiculous!” she said through laughs. “You truly did! I can’t lie about that!” Lorenzo said once he was able to breathe again.

  Arlana looked at him and smiled “I’m sorry, I don’t know what is wrong with me. I just lost it and how stupid was that? I am so embarrassed. Thank you for not taking me so seriously. I think I have been put in so many awkward situations all week that I needed to be laughed at. No wonder Lilliana talks about you like she does.”

  Lorenzo quirked his eyebrow up and asked “How does my sister talk about me?”

  Arlana looked at him and blushed. “She makes you sound like a, well, um, a clown. No not quite a clown. Um more like a clown who thinks he is a, um, Lothario.”

  Lorenzo frowned. “Really? Is that what I seem like?” He asked with a pensive look.

  “No, you just seem like a nice guy who doesn’t take things too seriously, not even yourself.” Arlana said quickly trying to appease the situation

  “Hmm. No I think my sister is close. I am no clown though.” He said with a wink.

  Arlana laughed again.

  Lorenzo walked Arlana all the way back to the villa. “Thank you. Please tell Lilliana I will see her later.”

  Lorenzo smiled “I will. It was a pleasure to meet you. Once your memory is back I doubt that I will see you again but know that you are a remarkable woman even without your extraordinary beauty.”

  “Thank you” Arlana smiled. As he turned to walk away Arlana frowned. “Lorenzo?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why do you think we will not see each other again when my memory returns?”

  “Memories are tricky and cannot be thrown back on you. Let’s just say that you are playing a part that is not yours right now and when you discover your role you will be too far from Lilliana or me to meet with us again.”

  Arlana frowned in confusion. “Have we met before? Do you know who I am?”

  Lorenzo smiled a sad smile and turned and walked away.

  That night as Arlana prepped for bed his words still ran through her mind. He was a strange man. The more she thought of him the more his place in Lilliana’s family made no sense. Yet by the time they arrived at the Villa, there was something about the way he treated her that made her understand why Lilliana loved him so much. She too wished that if she had a brother that he would treat her as well as Lorenzo did today.

  Lilliana came bursting through the bedroom door. “Oh Amber, I am so sorry! If I would have known you would be treated that way I never would have brought you home with me. Will you ever forgive me?”

  “There is nothing to forgive, you didn't know your Zia would react that way to me. I hope I didn't do anything that offended her. Everything was going great before I met her, and your mom was so wonderful.”

  “Oh, I don't know what got into her. My mother wanted me to tell you that on our next day off you are welcome to come back and that she would make sure Zia had other plans that day, far away.”

  “I would love to see your family again and get to know them better. And yes, that would be good if maybe your Zia wasn't there also,” Arlana let out a nervous laugh.

  Lilliana joined her laughter. “I almost forgot, I have good news! The printer in town agreed to put in an article about you. He is going to write about your having lost your memory of where you came from and put in your description. Hopefully someone will come forward with information and we will be able to find out who you are!”

  “That is wonderful news! But, what about Senora Draco, won’t she be upset that we didn't tell her the entire truth when she hired us?”

  “Uh, I hadn't thought about that. Well, we need to find out where you are from. I will just have to tell Senora Draco the truth tomorrow, early, before the papers go out. It will be alright, your well being means more to me than any job ever could.”

  “Thank you Lilliana.” Arlana knew that if Lilliana lost this job it could hurt her family dearly. “I appreciate what you are doing for me, I will go with you to Senora Draco and we will speak to her together.”

  The next morning Arlana and Lilliana woke early to get ready and meet with Senora Draco. They wanted to catch her before they needed to start on their daily chores. Arlana had cleaned both of their uniforms when she had returned from Lilliana's house the day before. Lilliana put some last minute touches on Arlana's hair. They wanted to look their best and they were both very nervous about confronting Senora Draco with the truth.

  “Let's go, I don't think we can get much more presentable,” Lilliana laughed.

  “Ok, here goes nothing,” and they headed to the main house. Senora Draco was always the first one there making sure everything ran smoothly. As they entered the kitchen they were surprised to see so much hustle and bustle. There was staff everywhere pulling sweet breads out of the oven, preparing meat platters and trays of fruit. They practically ran right into Senora Draco.

  “Oh good, you're both here. Amber I need you to go and pick some more flowers for the dining room. The field by the entrance gate is full of sunflowers, please pick four or five. Lilliana, please go fetch me some more eggs from the hen house.”

  “Of course Senora Draco, but may we first have just a few minutes of your time?” Arlana spoke softly. Lilliana looked like she was about to hyperventilate and the color was rising in her cheeks.

  “Amber, do you two not realize that the Dom and Donna have arrived?”

  “Um no, I'm sorry.”

  “There is no time for talking, you need to get to work. We will talk later.” With that Senora Draco hurried past them into the main room.

  Lilliana and Arlana stared at each other solemnly. “I guess we should go,” Arlana said while motioning her head to the door.

  Lilliana whispered, “If you see the paper, burn it, hide it, whatever you need to do to get rid of it.”

  Arlana nodded to her and they both went their separate ways.

  Arlana headed out towards the field. She walked down a dirt and gravel path that went around to the front of the house. She thought she heard footsteps up ahead and squinted her eyes to see who was walking towards her. “Hello!” She heard someone shout. She thought about ducking out when she recognized the voice as Antonio's.

  “Amber, is that you bella? Come over here to me, I have need of your assistance.”

  “Oh no, Oh no, Oh no,” she whispered to herself. Her eyes peered out trying to see if Marco was anywhere near him but he was nowhere in sight.

  As he drew closer she spoke up, “I'm sorry but I cannot be of assistance to you as I am on orders from Senora Draco to get something for the Dom and Donna who have just returned.”

  “Cannot or will not? It has been too long since I've seen you and I need you now. Before I go to that house and face my so called brother, I need you to make me feel better.” Arlana's eyes widened as he took a step towards her. The smell of alcohol and smoke reeked from his breath. His eyes were glossy and his clothes were disheveled as though he had been wearing them for days. She tried to dodge him but he grabbed her hair and pulled her body close to his. He turned her head to the side and started kissing her
neck. Arlana screamed.