I see Kehnta. Bloodied, bruised, and tired. My heart sinks and time slows as he's being half carried and half dragged through the doors, kicked opened by two of Valik's men I might add. I hear papa ordering the twins to head up stairs, and I see Kehnta being slammed on a chair in the middle of the café.

I rush past the other Casti men that started piling in the café to get to Kehnta. There must have been 10 of them, but I didn't care. It took a second for my body to react this quickly, but I rushed to him to see if he's conscious. "Kehnta! What happened? Are you ok?" My voice shakes and my hands brush back his bloody hair, staining my hands red. His breathing is heavy, and he looks confused. One eye is closed to keep the blood from getting in, a part of his lip is busted, and he has scratches around his face. His body is contorted from pain in different areas, he looks defeated. Finally, he looks at me and becomes even more aware of where he is. He tries to get up to embrace me, but the two men at his side hold him down.

"Kehnta's been in an accident. How about you step away from him for a second, I have to talk with you, Maria." I hear Valik's sly voice from the front doors and I quickly turn. He's walking casually to an empty table near Kehnta. He sits with the upmost of casualty and gestures for me to sit across from him. "Please." He continues. Looking back at Kehnta for reassurance and I see him eyeing Valik with utter hatred and fire in his eyes. Fearing any more possible harm to come to Kehnta or my family, I sit.

"What are you doing here, Valik? And what have you done to Kehnta?" I hear papa's booming voice coming right up to us. Papa stops right beside me and looks at Valik with a fierce look on his face.

"Ah, Señor Garcia, please sit as well. You can be a witness." With a hand gesture, a Casti man from nowhere pulls out a laser blade and holds it to papa's neck to urge him to sit. He complies and sits in a chair between us on one side. "Oh, let's not forget the twins. Come on out and stand by to hear this as well. After all, it involves the whole family." Valik looks at me dead in my angered eyes with ease. The twins rush between the space between where papa and I sit. Valik continues with a smirk, "Shall, we get your mother to hear as well?"

"What is this about, Valik?" I say with a dangerous tone. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have a proposal for you myself, Maria. You see, I'm not all too happy about this new engagement and not being able to offer myself in time. So, I want to give my own proposal." He says with a slanted grin.

"Asshole barely grew balls to say something now." I hear Kehnta press out through his pain, but one of the two men punch him square in the stomach. He cries in pain, which causes Jesse to whimper in pain for him and grab hold of Miggy. Papa balls his fists and my aggravated face breaks to fear and concern. I gasp and lowly cry "Stop!" to Valik. With a raised hand from Valik, the man steps back. No questions asked.

"Now, Maria, back to my proposal." He pulls out a pen and folder with paper from under his arm, and lays it on the table for me to take and read. "In it, states that you will spend a year and a day with me on my estate. In exchange, I will provide your mother with the best medical care I can seek and buy for her health to return. Also, Kehnta here will be left completely alone and free to stay here to help your family while you are gone."

Listening to him, I take a second to scan the document and read its contents. After, I look up at him with doubt. "What if I don't do this? I don't think you will let me say no without a consequence."

"You're right. If you should not agree, I will see to it that not only Kehnta's, but yours and your family's lives will be nothing but shtako. I will make life a complete hell for everyone you love and care about, as well as for any future family you may decide to have with this." He waves a hand to Kehnta at this last part. "Really, Maria. Which would you rather have? A whole life of misery or just a year and a day with me? It will not be all that bad. You will just live with me, but you can't see your family or friends during your time with me."

Feeling trapped and exhausted from all the time he already spent making my life hard, I question "Why are you doing this? My whole life you've tormented me, but now you put me in a situation where not only my happiness but also that of my families is at stake. What have I ever done to you to deserve this?" My eyes slightly water from agitation. Although my voice remains strong, it's full of defeat. "Why can't you just leave us alone?" My father grabs my hand as support.

Valik looks at me with anger and his jaw clenches. He looks annoyed at me for not giving him a straight answer. "You are so naïve. I'm doing this because I can. I want you to be a guest in my home, I want to provide medical coverage to your ailing mother, I want to bring hope and strong support to your family because I can. I have the resources and standing point to do so. You will not have that if you marry Kehnta and live a sorry life with so little. Accept this proposal, and I swear that by the end of the year and a day if you are not compelled to stay with me any longer, then you can leave and live life without any more oppression from me or my men. You and your family… and Kehnta."

I look at the paper once again. My head is heavy and swirling with this big decision. I feel my papa's hand tighten on my own and I look at him, I see that he disagrees with this. His face looks so much older than what it is. Wrinkles of frustration, filled with a life full of hard work with misfortune and heartbreak. I look up at the twins by my side. They seem so much more mature than the 10-year-old children they are supposed to be. They never had a childhood, working hard when they should be joining the other children in school and play. How can I deprive them of it any further? I can't be responsible for the ruining of what little childhood they have left. Then I look at Kehnta. I love him with all my heart and I want to be with him, but I can't ruin ours or the lives of what children we wish to have together. At least at the end of the year and day I can go back to my family and resume a more peaceful life with them.

Papa interjects with anger in his voice, "What makes you think I'll let MY daughter agree to this? Have you any respect? I'm her father and I have the rightful say to draw the line!" Papa banged his fist to the table, angry at Valik's audacity. I agree with Papa to an extent. If I was younger I would have completely agreed with him. Papa comes from a very traditional household. That's also why he was happy with Kehnta's proposal to me; he got Papa's blessing.

However, Valik doesn't come form that background, and when a Casti man is faced with disrespect (especially from someone inferior from himself) they can react rather violently. I internally cringed at Papa's outburst and begin to worrying at Valik's reaction. Given my past experiences, it can not be good.

Valik turns to my father with restrained malice and says "This isn't the old times from before the "Ark Falls", Señor. In this world one could lose a hand for showing someone of high liro such as myself with disrespect. Your daughter is not little anymore. If she has the guts to stand up to me, then by all means she has the guts to make her own decision. I'm offering a deal to better everyone's life at my own cost. Now I will let your insult slide, but in the future if this deal does not go accordingly I will not be so graceful. You forget what I'm capable of, you do not want to be on my bad side.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The dark promise in Valik's tone could not be more evident. This whole time, I saw this situation as a passing phase of some meaningless teasing and harassment. But it isn't and with this I made my decision.

With dread in my heart and uncertainty plaguing my mind, I sign the proposal. "You will take care of my family while I'm gone. I'll be with you for a year and a day, at the end we settle this bad blood that's been going on for too long." I declare as I glare deep into Valik's eyes.

He just smirks and nods. "Agreed. You don't need to worry about your family. Let them relax, you just hold your end of the bargain. No leaving to see anyone, just live with me, follow a few house rules, learn from me, and everything will settle." He takes the signed document. Pleased at his accomplishment, he gestures to the two Castis' beside Kehnta and they move away.

I take the opportunity to rush to Kehnta, to hold him and comfort him. But he does nothing, he doesn't look at me or say anything. "Kehnta?" Now he looks at me, but it's a look of betrayal. I can tell that my decision greatly angered him and I don't blame him. Kehnta gets up and struggles to the kitchen, leaving me dumbfounded. As I watch Kehnta leave while still on the floor, Valik comes up from behind me.

"You have an hour to pack what you need and to say your goodbyes." I hear Valik say then he turns to leave. All his men follow him out the café and wait outside. His command barely registered to me as I recover from my haze, rising to stand.

"You shouldn't have done that." Is all Miggy says before he heads upstairs upset. Jesse hugs me with tears streaming her face, "I don't want you to leave. What if you don't come back? Please, Maria." I hold her tightly and let the tears I've been holding back flow through. I feel a warm embrace come around us, and I see that papa is holding back his emotions.

"What have you done? He is going to hurt you or worse. What were you thinking?" He says in a harsh low voice.

"I was just thinking of what was best." I say looking up to my father, "I didn't want all of you to suffer for my choices. I wanted this to end. I will be back in a year, then everything will be much better." I look into my papa's sad, disappointed eyes. "Please, forgive me." I plead as I break from them and head upstairs to my room. In the kitchen, I see Kehnta. Miggy is wetting towels for Kehnta to wash his face with. My little brother only looks at me with exasperation, but continues to wet towels in the sink. Kehnta stares at me with wounded eyes and furrowed brows, but turns away to continue wiping his face, ignoring me.

I rush up the stairs in time so he wouldn't see the silent tears trickle down my face. Once upstairs, I glance to my parent's room. The door is open so I can see right inside to view my mother sitting upright and staring right back at me. She must have heard the commotion, but didn't understand what was going on. She urges me to come to her.

I embrace my mother with so much heartache that I almost thought it would drag her down with me. But she stays strong and resilient to be my rock. She holds me and lets me sob onto her. My shoulders shake from my sobbing, yet she stays strong to comfort me. I calmed down enough to take deep breathes and look her in the eyes. "Madre, I have to leave for a while. But I promise that I will be back. I promise to do what I must to take care of you and ensure you get better." My mom's eyes widen from shock.

"Where are you going and for how long? Why are you leaving? Mija, don't leave." She grabs holds of my shoulders firmly, not painfully, but to where she can hang on to me this time. She frantically shuffles, but I urge her stay seated.

"Mama, please, don't move. I promised to live with Valik for a year in exchange for you to get better and for the family to be taken care of. I already agreed and there's no turning back. But I promise to be back in a year. I'm sorry, I was only thinking for what was best." She calmed down a bit, but she still looked grief-stricken. She just stayed silent and stared at me for any sign of this being untrue, she didn't find one.

"No matter what, you make sure to come back to us. To me. And whatever you do, do not trust Valik. He is his father's son, that much I know. I know because I have seen how his father was, and see so many of the same things in that boy. Don't trust him, and protect yourself no matter what." I have never seen my mother look so serious in my life and it scared me.

What have I gotten myself into?