What Remains of the Old World

Chapter 9: The Farm

 Eventually they reached a field and saw a house and a barn in the distance. They then see a woman working in the field. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. She then looks at the car. A smirk appears on her face, as she walks over to the car. She then rests her arms on the door once the window was rolled down. "Looky here. If it isn't the international criminals." She says with a chuckle. "Not funny, Li." Diana says. "I'm just tryin' to lighten the mood, Dy! Figured y'all could use some humor after all that mess I saw on the news." Leonie says. "Yeah, well, it didn't help... at all. It was actually incredibly insensitive." Diana says bluntly. "Aw shoot. I'm awful sorry. Guess I'm still not all that good at humor... or timin'." Leonie says. She then clears her throat. "Anyway, why don't ya'll come on inside so I can get you some grub. I'm sure ya'll are starved and pro'lly thirsty after all that driving." She says. "Yeah. You're pretty dead on there." Diana says. "Well then, no point in stayin' in that car! Get on out here!" Leonie says. They all get out of the car, but Serenity gets out on the opposite side and leans against it. Leonie then turns her attention to Adira. "Hey Firecracker. Been a while." She says. She then motions her toward Deacon. "This pretty li'l thing your boyfriend?" She asks. Adira notices Deacon's face turn red. "Uh, no! No. Deacon and I are just friends, Aunt Leonie." She says. Leonie laughs. "No need to get all riled up, Firecracker. I was just teasin'." She says. "Anywho, what's with the two-hundred-year-ol' brooder over there?" Leonie says turning to Diana as she folds her arms and points to Serenity. "Some kinda sorcery bring her back or somethin'?" She asks. "Eh, it's a long story involving genocide and cryo-sleep." Diana says. "Ah. No need to say any more. Always had a feeling that Millicent was a dirty liar. Ah, but I think that's enough chit chat for now. Why don't ya'll come on inside before ya starve?" She says, leading them to the house. She then glances behind her, and notices that Serenity is still leaning against the car. "You too, brooder!" She calls. Serenity stretches for a moment before following them.

 "Feel free to have a seat on the couch while I fix y'all something." She says. Serenity didn't want to feel cramped like she was in the car, so she leans against the wall. Everyone else sits on the couch. "I know what most of you would like to drink, but what would you like, Pumpkin?" She says, looking at Deacon. "Tea, please!" He says. She lets out a chuckle. "Can do. And you, brooder?" Diana asks, looking at Serenity. Serenity shrugs. "I'm fine with anything." She says. "I guess that's a tea for you too, then!" She says, walking into the kitchen. She then fixed them some food, and eventually, they finished eating. "Thank you so much, Ms. Leonie! You're an amazing cook!" Deacon says. "Aw, that's sweet of ya, Deacon. I guess ya pick up a thing or two when you grow up on a farm." She says. "Speaking of, this place seems amazing! Why did you leave, Mrs. Diana?" Deacon says, looking at Diana. "Eh, farm life just wasn't for me. So, when the opportunity came, I went off to college. Sure, I... had a lot of fights there, but it was where I met Corwin. So overall, it was one of the best decisions I ever made." She says. "Glad ya managed to find someone that made ya happy, Dy. Corwin's perfect for ya." Leonie says. "Do you have a husband Ms. Leonie?" Deacon asks. "Nah. Would be nice to have some company and extra hands, but love ain't really on my to-do list." Leonie says. "Oh. I guess that makes sense." Deacon says. "Well, that's enough about me. What's life like for you back home, Darling?" She says. "Oh... Well... Nothing special. Mother and sister are... distant. And... I'd rather not mention past relationships." He says. Leonie's face turns to one of sympathy. "Oh, I'm awful sorry about that, hun." She says. She is silent for a moment. "Say, you ever ridden a horse, Darlin'?" She asks. "No. I've never even seen a horse in person." He says. "Well, you wanna try?" Leonie asks. "Sure! That sounds fun!" He says. Leonie chuckles. "Okay. Firecracker, why don't you go out there and teach him?" She says. Adira seemed surprised that Leonie chose her. "Me? Are you sure I'm qualified to teach someone how to ride a horse, Aunt Leonie?" Adira asks. "Of course. You're amazing at it. Maybe even better than me. Just look at how you handle Betsy." She says. "Well, yeah... But, I don't know. I'm not sure if I'd be all that good at teaching." Adira says. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Adira." Leonie says. "Well, okay. I'll try. Come on, Freckles." Adira says, as she goes outside. Deacon follows her.

 They then walk into the barn, and Adira gestures to one of the horses. "Well Freckles, this is Roger. He's the gentlest horse Aunt Leonie owns so he should be perfect for you." Adira says. The horse was black and white with a long white mane and light blue eyes. "Wow, he looks so majestic! Can I pet him?" Deacon says. "Yeah. Go ahead. He doesn't bite." She says. He then pets the horse and gasps. "His fur is so soft!" He says. Adira chuckles. "Yeah. Aunt Leonie works really hard to keep all the animals here well-groomed." She says. "Does she have any help at all?" Deacon asks. "Not unless we come over. She did have help from my grandpa, but he's been gone for a while." She says. "Oh. I'm so sorry." He says. "It's fine, Freckles. We shouldn't focus on that depressing stuff right now. Right now, I want you to have fun. So, just sit tight, and I'll get Roger saddled up." She says. "O-okay!" He says. She then brings the horse out of its pen and puts a rein and saddle on it. "There we go. He's all set. Ready to get on, Freckles?" She asks. "Yeah!" He says. 

 After explaining how to get onto the horse safely, Deacon manages to mount it. She then teaches him how to use the rein to change the direction of horse and how to make him go forward or stop. "There you go, Freckles! You're getting the hang of this quicker than I thought you would. How's it feel?" She says. "Well, so far, it's fun! He's so friendly." He says, petting the horse. Adira chuckles. "Ready to go a little faster, Freckles?" She asks. "Uh, yeah. I think so!" He says. He increased the horse's speed little by little, and eventually, he reached a speed that he was comfortable with. He rode around for a long while, but eventually they decided to go back inside because it was getting dark.

 "Ya'll sure were out there for a while. Did ya have fun, darlin'?" Leonie says. "Yeah! Roger is an amazing horse! He's so friendly and gentle." Deacon says. Leonie chuckles. "Glad to hear it. Always feels nice to make someone happy." She says. Deacon yawns. "Yeah. It does." He says. "You feeling tired, Hun?" Leonie asks. "Maybe a little." He says. "Alright. Well I got an extra room for you to use. It used to be pa's, but... Well, I don't wanna bring up that mess. Ya'll already have enough your minds. Feel free to stay in it with Adira, darlin'. If you're comfortable with that." She says. "Yeah! I'm more than fine with that! Thank you, Ms. Leonie!" He says. "'Course Darlin'." Leonie says. She then looks toward Serenity. "Uh, sorry brooder. I don't really have any other rooms, but you're welcome to get some shut-eye on the couch." She says. "Eh, it's fine. I'd already been sleeping on the couch at Diana's place." Serenity says. "Well, guess that means everyone's all set. 'Night ya'll." Leonie says. They all say goodnight, and Serenity lays on the couch.

 It had been a while, and Serenity had tried her best to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. She then hears a noise and jolts up. "What's wrong, Serenity?" PAM asks. "I heard something. Do you detect anything, PAM?" She says. PAM is silent for a moment. "It seems my signals are scrambled. That's... unusual. Be careful, Serenity." PAM says. "Will do." She says, quietly, as she cautiously moves around the house. An arm then goes around her neck. She manages to push the person behind her back into a wall and frees herself. She then whips around to see a person with motorcycle helmet obscuring their face. They plunge at her, and she starts to fight them. She then feels a prick in her neck. "Agh! What the hell?!" She exclaims. Her body then starts to involuntarily relax. The person then shows their hand. "Anesthesia in the fingertips. Pretty neat, huh?" They say. Serenity grunts, as she falls to the ground. They then kneel down to the ground. "Goodnight, Serenity Clemente." They say, as Serenity's vision fades.