The Legend Farm

The deal

Stepping back, I watched them huff with anger.
"You told them that you thought we killed your ex?" Berk pointed his finger at me.
Sawyer turned slightly toward Berk, "Ethan, Berk. It was Ethan." Sawyer whispered to Berk, causing Berk to exchange an eye squinting look before looking to me again.
"Hey, I think it was good of Alana to do that, I mean, she's finally speaking her truth about us." Mike nods at me.
"Mike, get out of here and go do your chores." Berk ordered while his eyes stayed glued on me. Mike hesitating, he sighed heavily before leaving the room, leaving Berk, Sawyer and I alone.
"Listen, I was upset, okay?" I defended myself.
"So you're gonna accuse us of murdering somebody?" Sawyer's voice heightened, a vein revealing itself from his neck.
"Who else could I suspect?"
"You know what we deal with here." Berk says softly.
I crossed my arms, "I wasn't fixing to tell the police about that, they'd put me in institute." Berk and Sawyer exchanged emotionless expressions before returning their eyes back on top of me.
"I'll make a deal with you." Berk begins.
"Why would I make a deal with you? Now that I've been questioned and let go, I can just be on my way to my job with my new apartment." I replied with more of an attitude than I had originally meant to reply with, however, this didn't stun either one of them.
"Because for the past few weeks, you've been under my house. My roof, my rules." He pauses before looking out the window. "It's already nearly noon, you reckon you can get to where you need before night fall?" He questioned with a hum. I took a deep sigh, my chest rising and falling dramatically.
"What's the deal?" I asked.
"You finish these chores today, I'll put in a good word with your new boss." He smirked as my face dropped, giving me a piece of paper with writing down it. How could he know about my new boss? I looked over to Sawyer to find an answer as he tried to contain a fighting grin that came across his face.
"One of the talks we had, I told Berk about your new job and where you were going to work at. Come to find out, he's good friends with the guy." Sawyer shrugs.
"Small world, huh?" Berk said with a belly full chuckle. Ignoring the comment, I examined the note.
- Milk the cows (yes, all sixteen)
- Get groceries
- Clean the house with Celeste and Polly
- Run an errand with Mike
- Brush the horses with George

"Sixteen cows?" I scoffed loudly before glancing up at Berk and Sawyer.
"Well, we did have seventeen, that was until last night." He replied.
"All this work and all I get is a good word?"
"I'll be paying you with two hundred bucks once it's all done, along with the last supper." Berk adds on. That's when I felt it build up inside of me, the guilt that I should've felt in the interrogation room. My stomach turned with a sickness as I saw their now much more gentle faces, almost as if they felt bad. But not for me, for themselves.
"Of course. I'll get properly dressed and get on with it." I nodded. They hesitated, as if shocked to see me agree so quick, before leaving me alone in the room. Throwing on a pair of already stained denim overalls, along with dirty boots, I was prepared and walking down the stairs.

"This is absolutely disgusting, no offense." I spoke aloud as I squeezed the cow's udders. Sawyer chuckled up a laugh from deep within the bottom of his stomach as he copied the same movements on the cow next to me.
"Hey, I ain't the cow! You take that up with yours." He said as a toothpick loosely hung off his lips. As I continued squeezing out the milk, he sighed before placing his hand over mine.
"What now?" I groaned with frustration.
"Take it easy! You gotta be gentle with these beauties." Sawyer said, gently squeezing my hand, causing me to squeeze with more ease and softness.
"I didn't know you had to be so specific." I replied as I eyed the movement of our hands.
"Well, once you start caring for something, you never really stop." He responded. For a moment, I felt his eyes land on me, but avoiding them before they went back to the cow. He stood up and gave the cow a gentle pet on the head.
"Thanks girl." He smiled at the brown eyed cow.
"You're welcome." I smiled back proudly.
"I was talking to the cow." He replied, picking the bucket up and walking by me. I stood there stunned for a moment before closing my eyes, circling my tongue around the inside of my cheek. Fair enough, Sawyer, fair enough.