Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) (13 page)

“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 them. 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?”

His eyes lit up and his lips rose in a slight smile. “Well, my parents invite friends and neighbors to our home. Usually there is cake and sometimes even musicians. Dancing lasts into the night. Wine and food flow freely...” He trailed off.

“Wow. I know that your father is a councilman, but how does he do it? We barely have enough flour to make it through the month, let alone bake an extra cake or...I’ve never seen live music before. I can’t imagine it. Zander usually brings his machine for parties, so I’ve heard recorded music, but never live. I bet it’s amazing. I would love to see your birthday celebration one day. Of course, that will never happen, but...”

“Maybe you will one day.”

Right.
“You think they will let me leave my duties here to travel to Cotton so that I can attend your party. Your father is powerful, but even he can’t move mountains, Crew.”

“Of course. You’re right.” Defeat hung heavy with his words.

“So, you don’t see your parents much back home, but do you have friends? Who do you hang out with?”

“Hang out?” He laughed heartily. “I hang out with my brother, Cam. He’s eighteen, but will turn nineteen next month! And, he’s fun. Where I am quiet, he’s boisterous and loud. Where my hair is dark, his is nearly golden. We are almost opposites, but that’s why I love him.”

“Why isn’t he here with you? Was he needed in Cotton?”

“Yes. Um. He was needed there. He was also just recently married, so...”

“He didn’t want to leave her.”

“Yes. He would have missed her greatly. Their marriage is one of love. As the second born son, he has less of a responsibility to my father and his position, and so is afforded the luxury of marrying the woman he has loved since we were children.”

“Wow. I’m sorry, Crew.”

He turned to me. “Why are you sorry?”

“I’m sorry you don’t get to have that. That you don’t get to marry for love, or choose someone you want for your forever.”

“My forever?” I wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. So, I nodded. I meant it. I felt as though he was as helpless in this aspect of his life as I had felt being pushed into marrying Zander. Of course, that was before he and his horrible family killed my aunt. Now he was the last man on earth I would marry. One second with him would be like an eternity in hell and I would rather die and face the tortures of hell, than give my hand to Zander Preston.

∞

Footsteps crunched through leaves that
now littered the path a short distance away and we looked over to see Ky crest the small ridge. The footfalls that seemed large and determined, I can now see are frantic. He ran to us and stopped at the end of the small pier. “Get your shoes on. They’re about to tear the village apart to find you. Norris told the Council that you have been kidnapped and are missing. It’s just a rouse to flush you out. You have to hide. I’ve got to figure out a way to get you out of here.” Ky breathed frantically.

“I can’t let them hurt the village because of me. I’ll go back.”

Kyan shook his head and Crew launched to his feet and threw his socks and shoes on. I did the same. The hole in the toe of my ragged tennis shoe mocked me. Crew had servants and I had holes in my shoes and wore plaid shirts and jeans all of the time. I remembered how confident his parents looked in their eveningwear at the dinner party. They must consider me a real joke. Not that I cared what his parents thought. But, Crew’s opinion did matter. I liked him, a lot.

Crew’s eyes locked with mine as I stood up and started forward. “I don’t think you should go. Kyan is right. We should try to get you out of this village. Are there other villages nearby? Somewhere we could take her? Hide her?”

Kyan shook his head. He knew it as well as I did. “No. The Orchards are extensive and though there are two more orchards in this region, we have no way to travel that far. The old pickup trucks are nearly dead and someone would notice them or an animal missing. Not to mention that there is little fuel left. Those who keep the livestock pay close attention. We wouldn’t be able to take a horse without someone noticing. There’s no way to sneak her onto the railway either. She’s stuck.” Kyan cursed and crossed his hands behind his head, as if trying to squeeze another idea out.

“No. It’s my decision. They may be powerful, but they can’t hide Lulu’s murder. The village won’t stand for it. And, I need to address the council. I need to speak my peace.”

“This isn’t a good idea. What if Preston has the council convinced that you’re in danger, or are one. His roots run deep.” Kyan paced.

Crew’s hand brushed under my own and he intertwined his fingers with mine. “I agree. I don’t think this is best.” I began to protest, but he put his free hand up. “But...if you feel that you must do this, I will stand beside you. I’m sure Kyan will as well.”