Fate In Ink

chapter 12

The house was somber and quiet when Solana and I returned; all I heard were the pigs honking below us and the chickens flapping their wings, running across the dirt and sand.

Solana sank to the low table and placed her head over her arm. She heaved a great sigh, the dark bags under her eyes growing more prominent. She massaged her shoulder and closed her eyes, the exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"You must be tired," I said and sat next to her.

"I didn't expect it. It was sudden. Salome rarely goes out of the house on her own." Solana sighed again and rubbed her hands to her face.

Indeed, I would frequently see Marco and Salome running around the house or in the backyard. I didn't even see neighbors - who were at least a mile away - who were sick or had come close to her. There wasn't a chance for her to acquire it from anyone.

"Unless..." I muttered.

From what I heard, the flu might infect a person and make them a carrier without showing any symptoms. The flu incubates for about two days, too.

"The other day, there were lots of people near the river, right? Non-locals, no less." I scratched my chin in contemplation, and Solana sat up, her eyes blinking in curiosity. "I think one of us might have caught the influenza from somewhere there, and then carried it here, infecting her. Does she eat well?"

Solana shook her head. "She prefers playing."

"I see. It might affect younger ones more strongly than us. More so if she doesn't eat much," I said. "It was a good thing it didn't infect Susanna. I don't think babies could handle that kind of virus."

"You know an awful lot about this."

I shrugged. At this point, I didn't know if I was even trying to hide the fact that I was still amnesiac and all that. Things started happening and I didn't think I could just lay back and chill while everything else was plunged in chaos.

"Thank you," Solana said. She pulled her hair back and tied them up into a low ponytail. She looked down and fiddled with her nails, tapping them with each other. "And I'm sorry. For being overly hostile."

I giggled. I bumped my shoulder with her and she jolted from her spot. "Nah, it's no biggie. I understand why you did it. You're being cautious and all for your family, and I couldn't hate on that. In fact, it just shows you're a good sister."

Solana's lips curved into a small crescent smile. Her cheeks rounded up, hiding the high cheekbones she usually sported. She glanced at my direction, then her gaze fell back down. "Has anyone told you that you speak strangely?"

"I've been told," I laughed. "By the way, I have secrets to tell you. It's something I'll probably tell the family as well, but you have the privilege of knowing it first. You know, girl-to-girl."

Solana leaned closer to me, as if lending her ear.

"I'll tell you while we cook for Salome. Let's go."

****

"So you're telling me that you have started to remember bits of your past, and that your last name is Rivera," Solana said. She stirred the broth inside the clay pot and sprinkled salt into it. The fresh aroma filled the air and tempted my stomach to devour the chicken swimming in the broth. "And when you were gone last night, you woke up near the home of the Riveras and now the Doña Valentina Rivera is offering to become your mentor?"

I nodded, then shook my head, thennodded again. "That was a simple way of putting it, but yes."

Solana frowned. She scooped the broth with a spoon and brought it to her lips. I gulped back my hunger, but my stomach had other plans. It grumbled mightily, and Solana laughed. She added a few more pinches of salt and told me to get a cup to put my food on.