Thrill

CHAPTER THREE

"Come on." I uttered with a sigh, opening the gate and motioning Andrea to step through. He fiddled with his own scarf, walking through the gate and not hesitating to lead himself down the familiar path we had walked down numerous amount of times. 

I followed along, making sure to lock the cold gate behind me. Completely ignoring what I had said about being careful earlier on, Andrea picked up his past, lifting his hands up as he ran down the gate, making aeroplane noises. I shook my head, unable to the suppress the smile which powered onto my lips.

"Stai attento!" I raised my voice, telling him to be careful. It went ignored as he continued with his pace. I sighed.

Inhaling the fresh air, I could feel the cold air hit me in the face. I just couldn't wait until it was summer, or spring at the least. Then I would be able to feel the warm breeze, see the sun shining and of course, most importantly - ride my bike daily.

I glanced up, catching Andrea talking to someone. Herman, specifically. My brows instantly furrowed as confusion stroke up inside of me. My brother, who was not normally present on Mondays, was leaning against the stable door, along with his close friend, Caleb. 

Seeing him, I quickly diverted my gaze away and focused them on the ground, inwardly wondering what had earned both of their presence today. I walked along the path, which wasn't as slippery as the streets were, and stopped when I figured I was standing close enough to them.

"Ah, Anna, you made it here safely." Herman's low, deep voice entered my ears. I hesitantly glanced up at him, giving him a tight-lipped smile. Herman, now he looked like a complete mix of my parents. His hair was blonde and curly, like my mother. However, he had my father's brown eyes and his sharp jaw.

"Of course," I quietly uttered in response, focusing my gaze back on the ground.

"I was just telling Andrea that father hired a new worker," Herman shared. My head shot up immediately, brows furrowed as I questioned him with my eyes.

"Un lavoratore?" I repeated, making sure I wasn't hearing things.

A worker?

"Si," He answered, motioning his head over to the stables behind him. "He's inside, taking care of the horses. I've shown him around and told him what to do... He shouldn't be much of a bother, unless you bug him, that is."

I half-smiled at his attempt at a joke. My brother and I had never been close. There was no-one to blame for that, just the stupid traditional town and its rules that barley made sense to me at times.

"Okay," I quietly mumbled, still registering the fact my father had hired someone for whatever reason of his.

"Yeah," Herman murmured, clearing his throat. "I told him that you would be coming here and working alongside him on certain days, so he's aware of your presence."

I nodded, clutching the scarf closer to me. "I think I'm going to head inside... it's cold."

He hummed in agreement. "Freezing."

"Andrea," I glanced down at my younger brother but found him nowhere in sight. He most likely had already skipped his way into the stables, where there was warmth and he wouldn't have to suffer from the cold.

"He went inside," Herman told me, almost as if I didn't know.

"Oh... Okay." I mumbled awkwardly. "I-I'll go join him."

With nothing left to say, I didn't hesitate to make my way over to the stable entrance doors, thankful I could escape the awkward air that had managed to settle between us. I really resented the town's ways at times. Why was it seen almost as a sin to be close to your male family members?