Chapter 3
Y ulianna – Age 13
I was practically bouncing around my room as I waited. Every Friday at nine o’clock, Eddie and I video chatted. It had become our ritual, and I made sure that I looked fabulous.
“You look stunning,” Frida said, and I smiled at my friend.
Frida was two years older than me and hired by my mother to be my handmaiden. She had moved into the room next to mine, and her official duties included helping me get ready for meetings or studying when I was struggling. In reality, Mother just felt bad that I spent most of my time alone. Frida might have started as a paid friend, but we’d grown close over the last year, and now I couldn’t picture my life without her.
“Do you think this is okay,” I asked, smoothing my dress.
My parents would never let me out of the house wearing this outfit. I was thirteen and not a child anymore, but makeup or anything revealing got me sent right back up to my room to change and wash my face.
My father once told me that I looked like one of the streetwalkers when I came downstairs in a dress that was shorter than my knees and had a low scoop front. I’d never cried so hard and hated him for saying that.
“What man will want you if you parade yourself around like that? A man wants his wife to be a virgin, untouched by another man. Do you understand?”
“Vadin, she looks beautiful. We’re going out to a family dinner. She’s not going to a party. I think she looks perfectly grown up.”
“It doesn’t matter. My daughter will not leave the house looking like that.”
I stared down at the dress that my mother and I had shopped for and both loved.
“But Father, it doesn’t show anything. I don’t understand,” I said, and he turned his angry gaze on me.
“Don’t talk back to me, Yulianna. You will do as I say. Go upstairs and take that dress off right now, or you’ll remain here.”
I balled my hands.
“Then leave me here. I’m a prisoner in this house anyway. Why would I care if I have to stay in this stupid place another night? I hate you,” I yelled and ran off before he could hit me. I was in for it when they got back.
My father hadn’t spoken to me for an entire week and then grounded me when he did. We never saw eye-to-eye on anything and hadn’t for as long as I could remember. When I was younger, I wanted to run around outside and train with my father’s soldiers to fight, but that was unladylike. I wanted to ride horses, but it was too easy to get hurt. Instead, I learned the piano. The one thing I refused to give up was my art, and at least to date, my father hadn’t found a reason to stop me from painting or sculpting.
“I really do. It’s a stunning dress, and I love the raspberry color,” Frida said, and I had to agree.
It was a sweater dress with a large fluffy collar that folded down and showed a glimpse at the very top of my breast. The charm that Eddie had given me the last time I saw him was visible to the camera on the dainty chain. The silver snowflake glittered with diamonds and a tiny blue stone in the center that he’d said reminded him of my eyes.
The butterflies in my stomach were all over the place as I began to pace.
“Would you like me to do your hair? I could braid it for you.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m too excited to sit still for longer than a minute.”
Frida laughed.
“You do look like you have ants in your pants.” My cheeks got hot when the laptop started to ring on the bed. “Okay, I’ll go and give you the signal if your parents are heading this way.”
“Thank you, Frida. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said as she slipped through the adjoining door that led to her bedroom.
Sitting down in front of the screen, I opened the chat program and there he was. I was barely able to contain my smile.
“Hi,” I said, and he ran his lip through his teeth.
“You look beautiful, Ana.”
I rolled my eyes. I’d continued to pretend that the nickname bothered me, but I loved hearing him call me that. No one else did. It was our special thing.
“Thank you. You do as well,” I said, and I wanted to slap a hand on my face as Eddie laughed.
“I’ll take being beautiful. Are you still coming out here next month for the meeting?”
My smile fell, and I shook my head. “No. Father says that he will only be there a couple nights and then he is flying to another meeting that would be too dangerous. I begged him and said Frida would come with me, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“Do you think he knows about us?”
“Maybe, but he should be happy. Your father is a powerful man.”
“It’s not enough. I’m not Russian.”
“Eddie….”
“No, it’s fine, Ana. I know how your father feels. No matter what he or my father says, it’s unlikely they’ll arrange a marriage for us.”
My heart sank. “We have to find a way,” I said as Eddie looked over his shoulder and laughed. Another guy came into view and waved.
“This is Marcus. He’s my best friend.”
“Hi, Marcus,” I said, waving.
“Hey, you really are as hot as Edmundo says.”
Eddie swiped at his friend. “Shut up, man. Listen, I’m heading to the movies with some friends, so I have to go. But I’ll call when I get home,” he said.
“Oh…that sounds like fun,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I wish you could come, Ana. I miss you.”
“Aww…you miss her…you’re so cute,” Marcus teased, making kissy noises in the background.
“Shut up,” Eddie growled and glared at his friend. “Sorry, but yeah, I better go.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”
“What are you doing for the night?”
Looking around my huge, empty room, I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I have so many things planned that I don’t even know what to list first,” I said.
“Come on. We gotta go. Everyone is waiting for us,” Marcus said.
“You better go. I don’t want you to be late for the movie.” Eddie hesitated and then nodded. “I miss you too, Eddie. Bye.”
“I promise I’ll call. Bye, Ana.”
He hung up, and I stared at the blank screen as tears filled my eyes. I wasn’t angry that he was going out with friends. I was sad. My life was spent in this house. I was home-schooled and didn’t have any friends other than Frida. I’d never even stepped foot in a movie theater before, and other than the dinners I attended with my parents, I never left the grounds. These calls were the only thing in my week that I looked forward to—the only thing that made me feel like I was a normal teenager.
I flopped onto my side and stared at the wall. I wanted so badly to taste freedom—to run away and never come back. I loved my mother, but she was powerless against my father’s will, and all he wanted was to keep me locked away until he could marry me off to some man I would hate.
If it was the last thing I did, I needed to get out of this place and never come back.
Edmundo – Age 14
Marcus nudged my arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
I looked away from the window to my friend and nodded, but I was no longer interested in going to see the new action movie.
“I don’t believe you. Is this because of Ana?”
Looking toward the driver, I shook my head, hoping that Marcus would get the message and stop asking.
“Who’s coming tonight,” I asked.
“Angelo, Dario, Enzo, Lucas, Stephanie, and Lorenzo. Mario and Mario’s sister Patricia. Maria is also coming, and I think Tony, but I’m not sure. He was trying to get out of a family dinner.”
“Sounds fun,” I said.
“Sure, about as much as a funeral, based on that tone.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m just not in the mood, man.”
He gave up, and I went back to staring out the window. I couldn’t get the conversation with Ana out of my head. She’d smiled and tried to hide it, but she was upset. I’d hurt her, and I never wanted to do that. When Marcus mentioned the movies, I’d jumped at it without asking when. I should’ve backed out the second I learned that it would interfere with my call to Ana.
We pulled up in front of the theater, and Marcus jumped out. Maurice turned to look at me.
“I’m not leaving the parking lot. So if you don’t feel well and want to leave, I’ll be here.”
It was his subtle way of saying he knew I wasn’t myself and would help me escape.
“Thanks, Maurice,” I said.
Getting out, I spotted our group and walked over. Patricia stared at me and blushed whenever I looked in her direction, but I wasn’t interested. Her father was connected, and my father kept hinting that she would be a good match, but I didn’t want her. There was only one girl that I wanted to marry, and I had to find a way to make that happen.
Ignoring the glances and whispers, I entered the theater only to be hit with the smell of popcorn. I loved it, but it made me think of Ana when she asked me how it tasted. She’d never even been to a movie. I couldn’t believe it.
There were so many things that I took for granted that she had never experienced. She’d never been rollerblading or swimming in the ocean. She hadn’t ridden a bicycle until the last time I was visiting with my father and found one in a shed. It was in great shape, and I had spent the entire time teaching her how to ride it. The smile she’d given me, as well as the hug, had set my heart flying.
“Can you get me my usual,” I asked Marcus, and he nodded. We didn’t have to worry about paying. The owners knew who we were, and everything was billed to our families.
Needing some space between me and Patricia, who had inched closer, I went to the bathroom. Even after I was done and had washed my hands, I waited until I knew the movie was about to start before exiting. Thankfully, they were gone already. I made my way to the box, but the entire time, I just wanted to go home.
It might be stupid. Marcus told me every chance he got that I’d lost my mind, and it was never going to happen. But it didn’t matter what he or anyone thought. And I didn’t care about our age. I felt what I felt and had since the first time I saw Ana four years ago. Not a single day had gone by that I didn’t miss her, want her, and dream of her. She was my soulmate. Fourteen or not, I felt her heart as if it was my own.
When I got to our seats, Marcus was in one seat chatting to Maria. The spot beside him was open, but on the other side was Patricia. Shit. I should’ve suspected a setup.
I sat down, ignoring her and closing my eyes, hoping she would get the message. She didn’t.
“Hi, Eddie.”
“Don’t call me that,” I growled, and she shrank away from my angry tone. “Never call me that.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I was just wondering if you saw the first movie,” she said.
“I wouldn’t be here to watch the second one if I hadn’t,” I snarled back.
I felt like an ass for being such a jerk to her, but I wanted her to go away. Better yet, I wanted her to tell her father that she hated me and never wanted to marry me. Maybe then Papa would knock off the contract talk.
“Oh…okay. Are you doing anything fun for summer break?”
“Traveling. I’m hoping not to be in Italy much,” I said, which was also a lie.
At least the part where I wouldn’t be around much. I had two trips planned. One to Portland, Oregon, in the USA, to visit an academy called Wayward. I wasn’t really interested in going, but Papa insisted it was the best place for me to finish high school. All I heard was that it was farther away from Ana. The other trip was to Australia for a week with my father.
“That’s a shame. I thought maybe we could hang out,” Patricia said, leaning closer.
“I’m not interested in hanging out,” I said.
“But Mario says you love boats, and we just got a new one. We could take it out for the day.” Patricia placed her hand on my arm, and I jerked it away, spilling some of my popcorn all over the floor.
“Don’t touch me.”
This wasn’t the first time Patricia had tried to get my attention. We went to the same school and had multiple classes together. I’d been able to avoid her flirting before, but now she was pushing boundaries, and I needed to put an end to it.
Patricia pressed her leg up against mine. “Eddie….”
I jumped up out of my seat. “I said, don’t touch me.”
“Dude, fucking chill. That’s my sister,” Mario said, and I glared at him.
“Then tell her to stop touching me,” I shot back.
“Are you calling my sister a slut?”
“I’m not the one touching her. So, what do you call that?”
It was unfair. She hadn’t done anything terrible or more than what any of the other girls who had tried to hit on me did. But she wasn’t getting the hint and had become more insistent rather than leaving me alone.
“Take that back,” Mario said, standing.
My hands balled into fists just as a bright light shined on us.
“What is going on over here,” the man working this section asked. I looked at Mario and then at the usher.
“Sorry, I’m not feeling well. I need to go,” I said, and Marcus jumped up to come with me. “You can stay.”
“What the hell, man? We never get to hang,” Angelo complained. “Why are you ruining it?”
I ignored him. Angelo never knew when to keep his mouth shut.
“I’m not staying if you’re leaving,” Marcus said.
Why couldn’t people just leave me alone? Even my best friend was pissing me off.
“I’m ordering you to stay. I just need some sleep.”
The guys mumbled about what a pussy I was being. They could shove it. I didn’t give a fuck what they thought of me. One day, I’d own this area, and they would take orders from me.
“Are you sure,” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, I need some space.”
Patricia was sulking. Her arms were crossed as she glared at me, her eyes filled with tears. Maybe going to Wayward and getting away from her wasn’t a bad idea. I no longer felt terrible about being an asshole to her. I wanted nothing to do with her or her family, and if I played nice in any way, then I knew where it would lead.
“Okay, I’ll stay.” Marcus slowly sat down but kept his eyes on me like I might yell ‘joke’ and order him to come with me.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I left as the opening trailer started but stopped when I passed the concession stand. Getting an idea, I walked over and got one of everything, including a new popcorn, before heading out.
Maurice was sitting on a bench under a tree while he read his newspaper. It was a habit that he refused to give up despite all the papers being available online. He noticed me before I reached the car and got up to open the back door.
“Decided to go home after all?”
“Yeah, I’m definitely not feeling well,” I said, and he looked at the bag full of candy.
“Clearly,’ he said, making me smile.
A weight lifted off my chest as we got closer to my house. Pulling into the driveway, I barely waited for the car to stop before jumping out and running for the door.
“Hi, Mama,” I yelled as I flew past the kitchen.
“Edmundo, is everything okay?”
“Yes, Mama,” I said, not slowing my pace and taking the stairs two at a time up to my room. Racing in, I closed and locked the door before opening my laptop to call Ana.
It rang three times, and I began to panic that she wouldn’t answer me. What if she was angry? What if she didn’t talk to me again? What if….
“Eddie, what’s going on?”
Ana picked up, and I sighed with relief, but she hadn’t turned on her camera.
“Why can’t I see you?”
“I don’t have my camera on.”
I laughed. “I assumed, but why?”
“You don’t want to see me right now.”
“Ana, please. I really want to show you something and I want to see your face when you see what I got,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I thought you were going out?”
“I didn’t want to.”
The camera turned on, and one look at Ana’s face broke my heart. She’d been crying. I’d made her cry.
“Ana….”
“I told you I look hideous.”
“No, you’re a beautiful angel. But I hate to see you sad.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “I had something in my eye.”
I smiled. “Clearly.”
“Shut up,” she said softly, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them.
Her hair was piled on top of her head, and she no longer had on any makeup. The reddish sweater had been swapped out for pajamas. I’d never seen her look more beautiful.
“Next time we talk…I want you to look just like this.” She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m serious. Look, I want to say I’m sorry. I never should’ve gone to the movies on our night. Stupid Marcus and his bright ideas.” She burst into tears, and I wanted to hold her so bad. “Ana, don’t cry.”
“We don’t have much time left, do we?”
“What do you mean?”
“Four years, and we’ll be forced apart.”
“It won’t happen. I’ll find a way, Ana. I swear I’ll find a way.” I smiled at her. “Look what I got.” I held up the bag of popcorn and then dumped the wide assortment of candy out on my bed. “The next time I see you, I’m going to have at least one of all of these for you to try.”
“Eddie, I love it…and I love you.”
My heart swelled as I stared at the screen. I’d said the words so many times in my head, and it meant everything to me that she said it first.
“I love you more.”
We sat there gazing at one another. It felt like hours waiting for her to say something else. Her mouth finally tugged up at the corner.
“Impossible,” she whispered, and I would’ve given anything to hug her.