Set in Stone: The Rose Secret

Chapter 12: Farm Stead 🐷

Mike brought me a towel, hot tea and sat me down on the couch. "You got pretty beat up", he mentioned. "I will get Antonia" he said.

The small farmhouse was cozy and filled with rustic decorations. The particular room I sat in had earthy oak floors and a peach coloured painted walls. Small pictures hung in a collage and a few tapestries on the walls. In the corner was a small fire place which spat flames into the humid air.

I cuddled into the soft couch which I seemed to sink in. I let the pillows cradle my shoulder and sipped some steamy tea. Antonia led by Mike,  strut in the room. With a worried face, she sat in an old rocking chair near me. "White, what happened", she softly spoke. "I'll tell you later" I spoke as I shivered. Antonia wore a grey knit sweater with a torn pair of jeans. She had a apricot coloured bandana neatly in her hair and held her book in her hand. Mike left the room closing two glass double doors.

Antonia's eyes lingered to the stormy sky. She gazed at the pattering rain and the bulky clouds. Momentarily she turned to face me. "So do you want to tell me what happened or do you just want to play Monopoly?" She Huffed. "Either is good" I half smirked.

We sipped our hot drinks and began to shake at the sound of booming thunder. "Call Sasha" I asked. Antonia immediately went for the phone which was hooked up to the wall. She dialled, then pressed the phone up to her ear. A tiny whisper of a voice sounded on the phone. "Hey Antonia, big storm, eh?", Sasha said.

The rest of the conversation consisted of a lot of "uh-huhs". Soon Antonia hung the phone back up on the wall. "She will be over in six minutes", she told.

Then randomly, a taller brown haired and overly dressed girl appeared infront of me. It was Liannetta, Antonia's exchange student from France. "Didn't she go back to France", I mouthed. "I thought so." She answered.

Liannetta was a snobbish, no good, goody two shoes who came over in the fall. "Why are you here?", Antonia said with her hands on her hips. "Your mother invited me" she smiled. "Comment avez-vous été? Oh j'ai oublié! Vous ne comprenez même pas ce que je dis! Ce n'est pas comme si je voulais être ici non plus! Ma mère m'a fait" she spoke. "Pardon"? Antonia cluelessly asked. "Uhmm translation: How have you been? Oh, I forgot! You do not even understand what I am saying! It is not like I want to be here either! My mom made me" she re-stated (in English). "Je mange tu tete" Antonia responded with little knowledge of the French language. "My head is way to precious for that", Liannetta huffed. Antonia snapped her teeth together angrily.

To interrupt the brawl, Sasha entered the doorway. "Liannetta"? She squealed. "I'm back!", Liannetta hissed, sounding like she was building up a ball of spit in her throat. "I will leave you three to mingle about and I will go try to find a decent channel on the tv" Liannetta scowled.

We all giggled knowing she wouldn't be able to turn on the tv with the power out. Sasha sat down besides me, clamping her hands together. "Whats so urgent"? She questioned. "Ya White, what is so urgent", Antonia yelled as they both shrieked at the sight of my bloody shoulder which the towel slipped off of. "Did you get in some sort of a tree fight? Or did the Steve triplets get you again"? Sasha screamed. "That story is not as important as what I am about to tell you", I said getting ready to tell them the whole story.

Like school children during story time, they silently listened. I told the story from the beginning. After I spoke my last word, they looked at me with confusion. "How am I supposed to react"? Antonia asked.

When I was about to answer, Liannetta ran into the room and sat on the rug. She looked calm, hence her inability to watch tv. "So tell me, how did you escape from the cellar", she asked. "You heard me?", I yelled. "I can hear you through the air ducts around this house!", Liannetta scowled. "I can hear you from all the way upstairs! No wonder someone else did not hear", she yelled again. I sighed showing her I did not want her here. "Answer me", Liannetta said. "I guess found an exit into a field close to here. That is how I ended up at Antonia's house", I answered.

"Show me" Sasha commanded. "Wouldn't hurt", I said out of breath. "I will go get some umbrellas", Antonia said. I folded the towel and left it on the carpet, my shoulder still was in pain. I left for the mud room, then putting on my drenched slippers that I guess I had put on before I went into the basement. "Want some rain boots", Sasha replied holding up some tall plastic blue boots. "Sure" I shrugged. The boots were a bit big, my feet slid around in them but they were better than my pink fuzzy slippers. Liannetta crossed her arms. "I am coming", she said confidently. "In those shoes"?, I asked eying her camel fur high heels. "Ya", she replied. "They will get dirty" I said. "I know, its better than wearing those ugly boots. My mom can buy me new ones anyways" she laughed.