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“You’re not allowed here,” someone said in Spanish.
“La Señora quiere ver el templo,” Lucero turned and gave an awkward smile to one of the guards.
“Pues puede ver el otro. Sabes las reglas,” he snapped, telling them they should leave.
Lucero apologized that they had come to the wrong temple and she promised the guard she would take Noelle to one of the already finished ones.
Noelle and Lucero spent the rest of the day chatting and having fun. Only a few weeks since they’d met, but they were already well on their way to becoming best friends.
For Noelle, that was the strangest thing.
Her only friend had ever been Blue.
It wasn’t entirely odd to her to find someone she could get along with so well.
Similarly, Lucero couldn’t believe her luck that she’d been able to find a friend in Noelle—was always so surprised by how kind the other girl was to her, a servant. And so she decided she would do her best to be her loyal companion and help her escape the hell she found herself in.
As the time came for Noelle to go to bed, she stopped in front of the door of her apartment and turned to Lucero.
“I’ll ask around if you can move in with me,” she suddenly said. She’d gathered that while Lucero’s position had changed, the condition of her lodgings was still poor. “There’s too much space for just one person and I would feel more at peace if you were by my side.”
Noelle didn’t say that she feared for her friend as much as she feared for herself. She didn’t want Lucero to be in danger for her association with her, but more than anything, she dreaded thinking of her living in her tiny and dirty quarters.
She was such a frail girl, and despite being a beauty, her body displayed the evidence of her harsh existence.
Lucero had ash blonde hair and light skin—both features she’d inherited from her unknown American father. Yet the rest of her spoke of her native ancestry—black eyes framed by thick lashes, dark eyebrows, full lips and high cheekbones.
She was beautiful, even with her scars and unkempt appearance, and Noelle had seen how some of the guards leered at her.
The last thing she wanted was for her friend to be unsafe.
She might be protected by the mark Sergio had carved into her chest that signaled her as cursed by the gods, but that would only hold as long as people feared Sergio. If anything happened to him and he was on his death bed… Noelle had no doubt mayhem would descend upon the hacienda.
“I’m not sure it will be allowed,” Lucero blushed, averting her gaze. “But I thank you for thinking about me.”
“You need to make sure you’re safe, too, ok? I worry about you,” Noelle whispered. “Always lock your door at night. You never know if one of the guards will get any strange ideas. I see how they look at you…”
Lucero nodded.
“Don’t worry. All my life I’ve been fending off the advances of men. I’ve gotten rather good at it,” she smiled.
“I’m glad,” Noelle told her sincerely. “You’re a strong woman, Lucero,” she squeezed her hands. “And one day you’re going to be able to be in control of your own life. I promise you that.”
“Is it strange that I believe you?” Lucero whispered.
Noelle shook her head.
“Good night,” she leaned in and kissed her cheeks.
“Good night, Noelle,” Lucero returned the kiss, hurrying down the corridor.
Noelle entered her apartment and her first thought was to take a relaxing bath. With her injuries well on their way to healing, she could finally enjoy a hot bath and not worry about reopening some of her wounds, nor the water stinging her skin at the lightest touch.
Despite her still confining circumstances, she felt lighter than she had in a long time.
Yet it was all too soon. For nothing could prepare her for what she encountered right in the middle of her sitting room.
Her eyes widened in shock as she drew to a halt.
