Chapter 3 La Terra’s Sad Evening

Seraphina’s POV

"You think you can mess with me?" Ricardo roars, one hand twisted in my mom's hair as he drags her across the marble floor of our sitting room.

I’m frozen, watching in horror as she screams, her nails clawing at his wrist, but he only yanks harder.

"Huh! Or you think I won't find out?” he bellows at my dad, pointing his gun at my mom’s temple.

“Ricardo, stop this!” Dad struggles against three of Ricardo’s armed men, his eyes blazing with helpless fury. “This is madness…” he exclaims.

“MADNESS?” Ricardo’s voice cracked with venom. "I trusted you, Edward, but you BETRAY ME!"

"I told you, I didn’t do it…"

"You didn’t do it, eh?" Ricardo sneers, turning to his men like he just heard a joke. "He says he didn’t do it." The men chuckle. "He thinks I’m a fool. But I’m no fool!" He yanks harder on my mom’s hair, making her scream and try desperately to free herself. "You will die, cabrón. But first, she goes. Then I’ll take your girl with me. Who knows how much she’s worth in the market," he laughs wickedly.

"No, please… don’t do this, Ricardo. Don’t do this!" Dad pleads.

"I’m gonna do it, pendejo! And you’re gonna watch your wife die. No one messes with me, no one messes with RICARDO DELGADO MENDOZA!" He pulls the trigger, and the whole room echoes in a deafening bang.

“No!” My scream joins dad’s as mom’s body crumples, blood blooming across her temple.

"Isabella!” Dad calls, breaking into tears, "You bastard! I’m gonna kill you!" he yells at Ricardo, struggling against the men restraining him.

"Kill me?" Ricardo scoffs, ignoring the threat as he blows away the smoke that curls from his gun barrel.

In a sudden surge, dad breaks free, slamming his elbow into one of the men’s ribs. He snatches the man’s fallen gun and fires at Ricardo. It all happens in a blur, too quick for the men to react.

The man holding me down panics, lets go of me and rushes to Ricardo, who’s down clutching his chest. Dad shouts at me to run, but before he can do more, the men overpower him again and rip the gun away.

Confuse and in tears, I stare at mom as she takes her last breath. Her eyes are on me, her mouth slightly open as if she wants to say something.

Suddenly, a hand grabs my arm and drags me out of the house through the side door. It’s Dante.

Gunshot rings from inside the house as he shoves me into the car and slams the door. He pauses for a second and glances at the house, before jumping in and speeding away.

Curiosity makes me stretch up in the back seat to look through the rear window, wondering if dad is ever coming. Just then, I see some of Ricardo’s men leap into a car… their headlights flare as they give chase.

“They’re following us!” I scream.

“Stay down!” Dante barks, swerving through the narrow streets of La Terra. I press my hands into the seat and curl lower. He twists the wheel, darting into alleys and skidding past corners while they chase us.

For what feels like eternity, we play cat and mouse in the maze of La Terra’s underbelly. Eventually, the headlights fade.

Dante drives to a place I quickly realize is a deserted boatyard the moment he stops the car. Rust hulls loom like giants, shadows stretching long in the moonlight.

“Mateo!” Dante calls as we alight from the car, urgency evident in his voice. “It's me, Dante Alvarez!”

A man steps out from behind a shed, smoking a cigarette.

“Thank goodness!” Dante sighs upon seeing the broad-shouldered man.

The man drops his cigarette and matches it. “Dante. Bad evening for favors. My list is full, no more packages”

“Come on, carnal, it's just her” Dante says, pulling me forward. “She needs to leave this country, tonight”

Mateo’s eyes sweep over me, then flick back to Dante. “To who? She’s too young for this...”

“She’s Edward Caldwell’s daughter. Ricardo will kill her.” Dante shoves some money into Mateo’s palm, “Take these.”

Mateo counts quickly, then snorts. “Not enough”

Desperation flashes in Dante’s eyes. He rips the golden locket Mama gave me from around my neck and shoves it into Mateo’s palm. “This too.”

Mateo weighs it, thinking.

“Please,” Dante’s voice cracks. “For friendship’s sake”

Silence creeps upon them for a moment. Finally, Mateo nods. “Fine. She leaves with us tonight.”

I grab Dante’s arm, shaking my head. “Don’t leave me, please, Dante…”

His rough hand cups my cheek. “I have to, Seraphina. I have to go and check Papa. I will see you… soon.”

His voice breaks. He hugs me tight for what seems like forever, before handing me over to Mateo and heading back to the car.

In tears, I watch as he storms back into the car and drives off.

A moment later, the boat is ready. We’re eight passengers, plus Mateo… that makes nine. I’m the youngest. The boat barely fits us all, but it sails gently.

After hours on the water, everything around us grows dark. La Terra has disappeared into the distance. No land, no boats, nothing floating. We’re on our own now, and the engine’s hum is the only sound until the weather starts to turn.

What begins as a gentle breeze quickly turns into a storm. Our boat is slammed by a series of waves, breaking into pieces as everyone is thrown into the sea. Mateo helps me cling to a broken board, but soon I’m dragged under again… fighting for my life until everything fades into darkness.

When I open my eyes, the morning sun is burning. I’m drifting on a shattered plank, far from what’s left of the boat. I can’t see Mateo. Maybe he’s gone too, maybe among the bodies floating in the distance. How I survived, I’ll never know.

Fear claws at me as I cry until there are no tears left. Water stretches around me on every side, no path forward, no way back home. All I can do is wait… and hope.

Hours later, another boat appears with strange looking men. Rough hands haul me aboard, and I find some young women inside.

One of the men, with sharp eyes, studies me like I’m not

hing more than merchandise. “Lucky find,” he mutters. “The Landlord will pay well for her.”