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“Good morning,” I greeted her once her stream of words died off. She smiled at me in return.
Once I was seated, she presented me with the world’s biggest omelet. I quickly realized it wasn’t just eggs she’d whipped up. There were potatoes and vegetables mixed in. It tasted delicious, and I ate as much as I could.
Santino hovered near the door, sipping on a cup of coffee she’d handed to him earlier. I stuck to tea, grateful I could find the right word. Not that it was hard, since the Spanish word for it was nearly the same as the English one.
Mariana tutted when she saw I’d only eaten half the omelet. “Guapa, tienes que comer mas. Estás demasiado flaca.”
I needed to work on my Spanish, since most of the people working in the compound seemed to speak it instead of Guyanese Creole. For someone who remembered as much as I did, learning a new language should have been a walk in the park. But I’d always been more interested in numbers and mostly ignored everything else. Something that came back to bite me in the ass now.
After Mariana motioned to my plate and made eating motions with her hands, I forced down another few mouthfuls. Once she was satisfied I had eaten enough, she released me back into the clutches of Santino. Mariana pinched his cheeks, and he mumbled something under his breath but didn’t tell her off.
She waved at me. “Mantente fuerte, cariña.”
I nodded at her and smiled, the universal sign for “Ihave no idea what you said, but will pretend I did, anyway.”
I left the homey kitchen for the stark-white walls of the hallways. The rooms we passed looked almost identical, decked out in white and gray, all immaculate and sterile. Even if I wanted to run, there was no possibility that I could find my way out, since there were too many hallways and doors, all looking the same.
We stopped in front of my office, and Santino unlocked it. He pointed to the desk and left, the click of the lock loud in the silent room. At least nobody was standing inside anymore, keeping watch. I guessed they realized right away what a scared loser I was and left me to it.
With no other option, I sank down into my chair and continued staring at the never-ending spreadsheets.
I’d had a slight hiccup on my first day when I realized the accounting software was in Spanish. But since the interface was identical to the one I’d used in my old job, I could navigate it without knowing all the words. And Santino had found a dictionary somewhere, which helped translate what I couldn’t figure out.
I guess having your life threatened is an effective incentive to work quicker.
Nobody had come back to get me yet, so I used the time to try and find information on their hard drives. I soon discovered they’d locked me out of most places, making it impossible to find anything.
I’d hoped I could figure out how they operated, maybe find out if they had anything to do with Archer’s disappearance. After all, they’d snatched me from the same place that Archer had last been seen alive. It might have been a coincidence; or they were the ones who had taken him.Where are you little brother?
Santino barged back inside the small office, not bothering to knock. He escorted me to the kitchen in silence, something that suited me well since I wasn’t in the mood to talk.
Mariana greeted us with a warm smile when we entered. “Cariña.” She gestured to the same barstool I sat on for all my meals, and I plopped onto it with relief, even though I’d been sitting all day. “Sientate.”
I was confused why she would call mecariñawhen she knew my name. But if she wanted to call me Han Solo, I’d probably respond, as long as she kept feeding me her delicious food. I didn’t even have the energy to smile at her. Working sixteen-hour days wouldn’t be feasible for much longer. I worked long days back home, but they had been a walk in the park compared to what I was doing at the moment.
The food she pushed at me looked delicious and tasted even better. Santino was sitting next to me, shoveling the contents of the plate in front of him into his mouth.
Mariana asked him a question, and from the look she shot me, it was clear she was asking something about me. How I wished I knew what she was saying. If only I could talk to her. She might even be able to get me out of this place. Because I hadn’t given up yet. If there was even a slight chance I could get away, I’d take it.
Santino finished faster than me and answered the rapid-fire questions Mariana threw at him. His posture and expression were almost relaxed, and I wondered what their relationship was. She was old enough to be his mother, but since they looked nothing alike, I figured they weren’t related.
The second I took my last bite, Mariana sprang into action again and pushed a giant piece of cake in front of me. But I was full, and there was no way I’d be able to eat it. I tried pushing it away, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I sighed, resting my hands in my lap. “It looks amazing, Mariana, but I’m so full I think I’m going to explode. Why don’t I eat it for breakfast tomorrow instead?”
Santino must have taken pity on me, or he was simply impatient to get his babysitting job over and done with, because he seemed to translate what I was saying for once. He’d mostly refused, saying he wasn’t my personal translator.
Mariana nodded at whatever he said, then pinched my cheek before she put the cake back into the fridge.
“Dinner was delicious. Thank you very much.Muchas gracias.”
She beamed at me and hugged me. I nearly cried at the simple but kind gesture.
Santino deposited me back in my room. A grunted word that sounded a lot like “sleep” announced his departure.
The bed was freshly made, and the bathroom was clean. The towel I had carelessly left on the floor was gone, replaced with a new one.
I pulled all the blankets off the bed and made up my corner of the closet. The illusion of safety my little cave created allowed me to calm my frayed nerves enough so I could rest for a few hours.
