The Carlidia Renaissance- Cable Girls Reimagined (LCDC)

Chapter 2

Lidia's POV

I was directed through a gloomy dark hall, shuffling in my dress that I arrived in, all the while wondering- who would want to see me? Did Doña Carmen somehow see my horrified expression through that thick crowd? Was it Sofia, to visit me and see how I am? Or, hoping against hope, was it Carlos in an unrecognisable disguise, having somehow wriggled through the sticky situation we put ourselves in?

To my surprise, it was Francisco who was on the other side of the glass as I was hauled in. Thank God, he looks fine, I thought, but there was something about his look which deeply unsettled me.

Not breaking eye contact, I slowly sat myself opposite his glossy figure, and my hand reached out to grasp a telephone identical to the one he had in hand and brought it close to my face.

"Lidia!" he cried in relief. "Thank god you're okay. How are you?" he inquired.

"Not too bad, considering the circumstances. How's Eva? Is everything okay back home?"

"Eva is fine, I just spoke with her, you don't have to worry" he reassured. "How have they been treating you over here?"

"I'm locked in a cell, I can't honestly say since I only woke up a few minutes ago, having fainted soon after I got here."

"Fainted?" he breathed. "You sure it's nothing serious?" he asked worriedly.

"I fainted upon seeing your old stepmother's face as a prison warden, promising me a hellish time in here" she recalled.

"Wait...Dõna Carmen's alive?!" he almost shouted, wide-eyed with disbelief. "I thought she was dead, and that we could finally stop worrying about her schemes." he admitted.

"Well maybe you can, but I certainly can't." I said in a tone that was almost bitter. "Forgive me, it's not fair of me to speak to you like this. I'll figure something out, like I have done in the past" I said apologetically.

"I hope so, do let me know if there's anything you need" he smiled, not quite reaching his eyes.

I decided to bite the bullet. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me anything else? Don't lie to me, I have known you since we were kids." I reminded him.

He sighed a long sigh, as if in defeat.

"I don't know how to tell you this, because I still can't quite believe it myself," he began.

I leaned forward, urging him on.

"I'm so sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this, but his body was found by a fascist soldier, bleeding from a bullet through the head, and they ruled the death as a suicide."

A chill ran through me, knowing exactly who he was referring to. "No" I shook my head wildly. "It can't be, you must have some mistake" I say desperately, my heart throbbing wildly in my chest.

Francisco gave me a rueful look, as if he wanted to tell me that but couldn't do so without lying.

"Come on, do you actually believe that Carlos would willingly kill himself? That's absurd." I challenged, still not wanting to believe what I just heard.

"It confuses me as much as it confuses you. You spent a longer time with him in the past few days than I did, are you sure he was mentally stable?"

"Yes!" I snapped "How can you even ask that after I owe him my life? He has a daughter, and the hope of seeing her again is more than enough of a reason for him to live!" I almost shouted.

Francisco looked taken aback by my sudden outburst, and sighed into the receiver. "Look, I should probably leave you to process all of this, I know it's a lot to take in. Meanwhile, you don't have to worry about me or about Eva, I'll take care of us both." he finished. "Goodbye Lidia, I'll see you again soon. Please stay strong for us, I'll be doing whatever I can to get you out of here."

He smiled a genuine, loving, smile at me as he put the receiver in its place. He pressed his other hand to the glass in a desperate attempt for human contact, and I pressed mine over his in response, only the glass separating our touch. It would have been nice to hug him and to have been reassured that everything is going to be fine.

But I'm back where I began. Alone, having to look out for myself whilst starting a new life.

***Damn, this was not easy to write. That scene (Carlos in the fascists' presence) from the last episode deeply disturbed me (literally went to cry in the bathroom afterwards for 15 minutes 😬, I know, crazy) and didn't want to remember it. But it had to be done if I was to rewrite what happened.

I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Feel free to vote and comment your thoughts here, as always. -B***