Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1)

by Casey L. Bond

  “That one is much easier. Ky’s my best friend, and my team leader. I’ll take you to him.” I smiled, took a few steps and waved for him to follow.

  “Kyan is a male,” he stated, though it sounded more like a question.

  “Yes.” I drawled.

  “Women and men are allowed to socialize here?” His eyebrows raised.

  “Of course. We all work together in the orchards and some are friends.”

  A look of confusion knitted his brow, my face mirroring his own. “Which village are you from?”

  “Cotton.”

  “And, are girls not allowed to speak with guys in your village?”

  He blushed, a ruddy color filling his pale white cheeks. “Only on special occasions. They divide the fields by gender to prevent fraternization. Occasionally they have a banquet dinner or dance in which all can attend and socialize. Other than that...”

  We walked into the orchard and down one of its many rows. “How strange. I wonder why the rules in your village differ so much from our own.”

  He shrugged. His white t-shirt clung to his biceps and his jeans hung perfectly from his body. The work boots he wore were barely scuffed, the warm brown leather pristine. Weird. We never received new shoes. Only worn ones recycled from other villages. Sometimes the soles were worn through when we got them.

  He caught me looking at his shoes, turned red again and quickened his pace. “I got lucky. This pair came in our shipment about a week ago. It looks like they’d barely been worn and they were my size, so I grabbed them before anyone else did.” He smiled.

  “You’re lucky.”

  He nodded.

  “Hey, what’s your name?” I asked.

  “Crew.”

  “Well, Crew. It sure was nice to meet you this morning. Thank you again,” I put my hand out to shake his and he looked unsure. Finally his hand met my own, his warm and soft. It wasn’t calloused like Kyan’s, or even mine, from working in the orchards. Very strange. He pulled his hand back and cleared his throat, looking uneasy at me from the corner of his eyes.

  Kyan appeared from around a tree. “Hey, Abby.” He hugged me lightly and placed a small kiss upon my temple. He’d done this a thousand times, but somehow, with Crew watching, it felt strange and I pulled away from him quickly, awkwardly. My face was on fire. Kyan was rattled by my abrupt withdrawal. I could tell. I knew he’d been angry that I’ve been pulling away from him in general, but physically doing so was something else. Something between us had changed. He looked past me to Crew.

  “Ky, this is Crew. He’s been assigned to your team.”

  “Oh, hey man. Welcome and thanks for your help with our harvest.” The two locked hands and sized each other up the way guys do, each straightening up to full height. Crew was taller than Kyan, but only by an inch or so. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. Really, guys?

  “Sure, man. Show me where to get started.”

  Despite my obvious reluctance, Ky pulled me in for another quick hug and then said, “Abs, can you start right down there with Laney?” I could see her blonde hair contrasting against the some of the still green leaves about 10 trees down. I nodded and waved to Kyan and Crew, making my way toward Laney.

  “Remember the favor you owe me,” Crew called out behind me. I looked back and smiled, and then saw Kyan. His face hardened as he looked from me to the newest member of our team. I just hoped he didn’t go all ‘big brother’ on me.

  “I will.” I shouted back, hurrying to Laney’s tree.

  ∞

  “LANE, I’VE GOT TO REPORT for prison duty.”

  She laughed. “Prison duty? The Preston Prison. I like it. Hey, who was that hottie you were with this morning?”

  I rolled my eyes. “His name is Crew. He’s from Cotton.” I wasn’t sure why her question annoyed me, but it did.

  “Is he available?”

  “I’m not sure. I didn’t ask. I figure he’ll only be here for a few weeks max. Sorry.”

  She giggled. “It’s fine. I was just wondering. Not for me.” She holds up her hand, “He was looking at you like you were already his. If his eyes could have claimed you as his intended, you’d be married already!”

  “What? Whatever. That’s ridiculous.”

  “Abby, you should have seen him and Kyan from a distance. I thought they were going to come to blows over you. They went all caveman. My female. No, my female,” she grunted, strutting around like she actually had muscles to fill out her tiny arms.

  “Uga, uga.” I laughed. “Later!” I yelled. I took my last bushel to the end of the row and started toward the Preston house. Mrs. Preston met me at the door. “Oh, Abigail. I’m so glad you’re here.” Her plump lips puckered dramatically.

  She grabbed both of my forearms and jerked me inside. “This house must be spotless. Perfect. We are hosting a very important family from Cotton. So,” she pulled out a piece of paper. I cringed. The list was twice as long as I’d ever seen it and I had two fewer hours to complete the tasks that it contained. “Here is your list. And, they will arrive at 4:00pm on the dot, so you must finish early.” I was pretty sure a fly just flew into my mouth and back out. She didn’t even look back at me, just swished her skirt and heels right out the front door. Heels? Really? Even she had to walk the dirty pathways.

  I grumbled as I started but pushed hard and was finishing the kitchen floor at 4:00pm, ‘on the dot.’ Sure enough, Mr. Preston entered, as I was replacing the mop and cleaning items in the small closet, followed by another gentleman approximately his age. The newcomer had sharp, strong features. His jaw was chiseled and square, clean-shaven. Hair the color of midnight was peppered with gray along the temples, his skin pale and clear. He was tall and broad of shoulder and even though older, his body was well maintained.

  That wasn’t what was so different about him, though. His eyes. They were streaked with honey, like Crew’s, but surrounded with deep brown, almost black. His eyes pinned me to the floor, like a bug. When I was a child, I knew a boy who used to pin bugs to pieces of paper or bark, or anything he could find, really. It had been disturbing then. It was equally as disturbing now, especially as I felt like the bug and not the pinner.

  “Never mind the girl. She’s a servant in our home at present.” Mr. Preston tried to steer the stranger further into the house, and away from me. Preston glared at me, but my feet wouldn’t move.

  “Your name?” The stranger’s voice was thunderous and I flinched at his sudden demand.

  “Abigail, Sir.”

  “Abigail.” It was as if he was pondering my name and its match with my face. “You look very familiar. Forgive me,” his eyes softened, slightly, and he extended a hand to me. I took it and shook quickly. Mr. Preston cleared his throat and nodded toward the door. I took my leave as quickly as my feet would carry me. But not before I heard the stranger say, “It seems your village has a secret, Councilman.” What secret?

  After dumping the contents of yet another bucket of dirty water, peppered with soaked dust clumps, I started in the direction of home. Darkness hadn’t fallen, so no one would have been dismissed from the orchard and for a moment, I almost turned in that direction, but decided against it. Kyan would get angry. Lulu as well. As I stepped out of the hayfield and into the outer edge of the woods that surrounded our cabin, I saw them.

  Zander smirked at me as he approached with Crew at his side. Crew looked anything but happy. His jaw clenched and his hands were tucked in his front pockets. “Good afternoon, Abigail.”

  “Crew.” I acknowledge first with a smile and a nod, although he wasn’t the one who had addressed me.

  “Abigail. Really? You can’t ignore me. Besides, I have wonderful news. Crew and his family will be staying at our house for the duration of their visit.”

  Crew glanced angrily at Zander, who chuckled and looked back at me. “Crew, Abby is our current...help. She cleans our home.”

  “It’s temporary.” I barked.

  Crew stood quiet, taking us b
oth in.

  “If you say so.” Zander shrugged. “Do you think my Mother will want to go back to cleaning it now that she has you? Why do you think Father won’t put you back in the orchards full time now, during harvest time, of all times? It has nothing to do with your...injury.”

  “Injury?” Crew questioned.

  “Shut up, Zander. I got hurt and was taken out of the orchards, temporarily.” I made sure to emphasize that last part. “So, I have to work at the Preston’s house until I can return full-time. His father allows me to work the harvest for two hours in the morning, before I have to report to their house.” I shifted my weight.

  Zander grinned, feasting happily on my discomfort. He loved to put people in their place–beneath him and his perfect family. And, he knew he had just put me in mine. In front of Crew. The look on Crew’s face bothered me, though. He looked at Zander, at our surroundings, but refused to make eye contact with me. Does he think I’m beneath him now, too? How in the hell did a Lesser manage to become less than their lowered designation? I’m not sure, but I think I just did.

  “Oh,” Zander’s eyebrows raised. “And, Abby, you should reconsider my proposal. Lulu’s not here to shield you anymore.”

  “What? What do you mean?” She’s not here to shield me? Then it dawned on me. No smoke was rising from the direction of our cabin. She wasn’t home. She was always home before me, cooking dinner and buzzing around the house.

  “What happened to her?” I tried to push by them, tears clouding my vision. Rough hands clamped around my upper arms.

  “Abigail. Calm down. Nothing happened to her. She’s just been sent to Olympus on some official business,” he paused. “Indefinitely.”

  I began to shake and blinked to release the tears that pooled heavily in my eyes. Those pools nearly turned red with rage. “Indefinitely? And, let me guess, you and your father had nothing to do with it?”

  “Oh, we had everything to do with it. Like I said, you should really reconsider. She would want to see your wedding ceremony.”

  I ripped my arms away from him. “I will never marry you. One minute you treat me like scum on your shoe and the next you threaten me? Unbelievable, even for you Zander.”

  He grabbed me again. Big mistake. “Let me go.”

  Crew stepped in. “Release her, now. You’ve had your fun with her, now let’s go. Surely you’re joking, anyway. Why would you take a servant as your wife when you could have any female in this village?” He clapped Zander’s shoulder and nodded for them to continue on their way.

  “True. I could have any other girl in the village, or in yours,” he released my arms. “But, there’s fun in the challenge of breaking something so strong. Don’t you think, Crew?” His fingers slithered into my hair.

  “Get off me,” I shoved him as hard as I could and he stumbled but didn’t fall. He and Crew laughed as they walked off toward the Preston house. If I had been paying attention, I might have noticed Crew looking back at me as I fled. I seethed toward home, knowing now I would find it empty.

  SITTING IN THE DARK, THE old rocking chair creaked and groaned with every motion. Back and forth. Back and forth. Creak, squall. Creak, groan. I was on the porch when Kyan came running toward the house. Somehow, he saw me. Maybe it was the motion of the rocking chair that caught his eye. He scooped me up and held me tight. Tears had been flowing from my eyes all afternoon, but when Kyan showed me that he loved me, in whatever capacity this was, the real crying began in earnest.

  “They took her,” I sobbed and knotted the fabric of his shirt, dragging him even closer.

  “I heard she had to leave and wanted to see if you were okay.”

  I shook my head. “They made her leave. Sent her away.”

  “Who?” He pushed me back, just enough to look at my eyes.

  “The Preston’s. They want me to agree to accept Zander or they won’t bring her back. I’m not even sure if they’ll bring her back even if I do accept his hand.”

  “You’re not marrying Zander Preston.”

  “I don’t want to. But, what am I supposed to do? Lulu is in Olympus. I can’t just leave her there.”

  “Has she ever been sent to the city before?”

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe this is one of those times. Maybe Preston’s capitalizing on her trip to trick you into agreeing to marry Zander?”

  I shrugged. It didn’t matter. Lulu was all I had. And they took her. I needed to get her back. Kyan didn’t leave me. He guided me inside, lit all of the candles and fixed dinner for us. I could barely eat, and though he noticed, he kept silent on the matter.

  He went to the creek for water so that I could wash up before bed and then took Lulu’s bed for himself. Though a wall separated us, I felt like we could see right through it, see each other. Right into one another’s eyes—one another’s souls.

  ∞

  THE NEXT MORNING, THE SUN was working overtime. The air was hot and dry. Apples were baking on the branches and falling to the ground. They were rotting faster than we could pick them. The children were busy. Running in and out of the trees, they plucked the rotten fruit from the ground and placed them in buckets. Some squealed happily until scolded by their caretakers or parents. Their buckets were filled quickly and by the day’s end a huge pile of rotten apples lay at the end of the orchard.

  Kyan grinned and nodded his head at the pyramid of steamy, spongy fruit. Gnats and bees were busy buzzing around the pyramid of rot, making the most of the feast. Laney grabbed my hand and I told Crew to hang back with us for a while if he had nothing better to do. He did.

  When the adults and supervisors were gone, and dusk had settled into the valley, we paired off into teams. Kyan and me versus Crew and Laney. “What do we do exactly?” Crew asked nervously. I decided a demonstration was the best explanation. I picked up a browning, wilted apple and chucked it at him. It was so hot and gross that it exploded when it hit his thigh.

  For a moment, he looked stunned, but that only lasted a minute before he narrowed his eyes and grabbed an apple of his own. I tried to run but was too slow. His apple hit me directly in the calf. It was on. Apples flew everywhere. Their sweet smell and our laughter floated into the evening air. Laney tried to hide behind the pile, so I knocked the whole thing over onto her. She squealed and laughed, running away from the apple-anch.

  Crew and Kyan exchanged blows. Kyan had perfected his strategy over the years. He launched multiple apples at once. But, Crew’s aim was more precise. I ducked behind a nearby tree and barely avoided one of his stinging blows. We laughed and threw until we ran out of breath and collapsed on the ground in gasping giggles. It was one of the best evenings I’d had in a long time.

  When we were spent, we all took off in different directions, but somehow, Crew had gotten lost. His trail connected with mine. “You took a wrong turn back at the old dead tree.”

  Shaking his head, he grinned. “I’ll never figure out this maze of trails.”

  “You will. Maybe. I mean, you won’t be here long, right?”

  He stared at me. “Right. Well, thanks Abby. You could have let me wander around.”

  He turned to leave and I remembered how he’d treated me when I met him and Zander on the trail. Perhaps I should have given him bad directions after all.

  ∞

  THE NEXT FEW DAYS PASSED in a blur, but on Friday morning, a fierce red-streaked sky greeted me on the way to the orchards. My eyes were trained on the bleeding sky the whole way there. I passed Crew before heading toward Laney, and his eyes fell on mine and then sunk to the ground. He didn’t even want to look at me now. I guess Zander had done his job well. Crew and his family were staying at the Preston’s so I was sure Zander had divulged all sorts of information about our village. And, apparently about me.

  His skin was raw, bright red where it had been pale. And, I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Ky slapped him on the back. “You’re baked, dude.”

  Crew smiled back and then pinched the bridge of his
nose. “I know, man.”

  “How do you pick cotton in the sun all day without frying to a crisp?”

  Crew’s smile dropped. He shifted his feet. I looked at Laney and she nodded back at the pair. “I...our healer mixes this lotion using a local bark that blocks the rays of the sun so we don’t get burnt. I’m one of the palest in our settlement, so I use most of the lotion she makes, though.” He smiled sheepishly.

  “Wow. I wish we had some for you. Looks painful. Here’s a hat, though.” He took the hat off of his head and tossed it to Crew. Crew put it on backwards, exactly how Ky had been wearing it. He looked up to see Laney and me looking at him and then quickly corrected the cap, the bill shading his face. But, I was pretty sure his neck turned a deeper shade of crimson for a few moments.

  “Did he seriously not know how to wear a ball cap? Cottons are so weird.” Laney looked at me from her perch in the tree, dropping the apples into my wire basket. “I heard Lulu had to take a trip to Olympus. Are you okay in the house by yourself?”

  “Sure.” I shrugged like it’s no big deal. “She has to go every so often. It’s not the first time I’ve stayed by myself.” I wasn’t about to tell her that Kyan had been staying in Lulu’s room overnight. Paige Winters would have me whipped within an inch of my life and Norris would no doubt be grinning as my blood spurted across his sickening face. I cringed at the thought.

  “Oh! You’re coming tomorrow night, right?” I looked at her blankly. “Oh, maybe I forgot to tell you. We’re having a bonfire party for those from the other villages who are helping.” She leaned down and dropped her voice conspiratorially. But her voice was so loud, I was sure everyone within a ten tree radius heard our conversation. “It’s going to be so much fun. It’s at the old park after dark tomorrow.” Her blonde curls bounced with her excitement as she clapped her hands together.

  “I don’t think I—”

  “Oh, no. No. No. No. You are coming with me, Miss Abby. Don’t even think about weaseling out of this. We never get visitors here and we are going to be most hospitable.” An evil grin erupted on her face and I suddenly wondered just how friendly she intended to get with these people.