In Red

Chapter 13

"HARRIS? IT'S JOSEPH, LEONARD'S SON... YEAH, WELL, YOU FOUND out where I live and I got your number. We all have our means... What's that about hurting these girls?

My sense of family is none of your business. I'm gonna take all of them that want to come with me, and if you dare touch the ones who prefer to stay... I'll kill you. You understand?

When?

What made you change your mind?

You better not be lying..."

Joseph hung up the mobile phone and saw that a girl, virtually adorned as a bride, had come to the kitchen. She dropped the jar she was holding, smashing it in a thousand pieces, spilling the white liquid that it contained. Terrified, she ran away.

Joseph slowly got up from the table and approached the mess. He touched the familiar substance that remained in one of the concave pieces of the scattered earthware and tasted it. Its flavor took him back to a happy period in his life.

He searched for the cleaning utensils and cleaned everything up, until the only trace that was left of the incident was the fewer number of jars.

Then, he went to see Roxanne, who was, as expected, in her room.

"Your sister, the one in white..."

"Blanche."

"Blanche. I accidentally scared her, but before I go over and apologize... clarify what happened... I think I better speak with you first, in case I make things worse."

"All right."

"OK. Let's see... I am inclined to think what scared her was the fact that I was talking on the phone. May that be it?"

"Yes, most probably."

"Do you know what a phone is?"

"Yes, I do. Well, I've never actually seen one, but Mama told me about them. You see, Joseph... our mother spoke to me of lots of things they completely ignore."

"I think I'm gradually getting some idea. However, I still don't see why it terrified her so. You have experienced a bunch of new things these days, I'm sure, and I've never seen you react that way." He thought of her escape from the castle at night, the shot... "And you had infinitely more reasons to."

"In my sisters' eyes, everything is related to the witch. Their whole lives revolve around the curse and the dangers breaking the rules can bring. Any strange element we must see as a trap from the witch to make us fall under her power forever. If Celeste and I have gone out and aren't dead, it's because we've become her slaves and have come back to make them give in to temptation so that they too end up cursed forever. If you're here and use bizarre devices, it's for the same reason. It's what we've been told to believe and to fear."

"By your parents?"

"By our father. Mama couldn't do anything to prevent it. She actually risked too much by telling me the truth. I promised her I'd never tell the others, for our lives would be in danger if he found out."

"But it's such a childish approach..."

"Probably. But it's the way we've been brought up. I assure you they're beliefs deeply rooted in those girls."

The young woman in red couldn't avoid some hesitancy in her last three words.

"So your mother was somehow a prisoner here also."

"Yes. She never met anyone, like you, to rely on. And she, above all, feared for our safety if she upset Father.

She explained to me that she didn't have the means to get us all out of here, mainly because Father owns all of the territory and controls all comings and goings. And outside the territory, the other owners are friends of his, so they would stand by him. I don't know if things now, after all these years, might have changed and that's why you act... the way you do."

Joseph watched his sister fascinated, indignant and proud of himself for being so different to his father.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, you're quite right. Circumstances have changed... And, Harris has given me an understanding that they're going to change a lot more."