"Here, let me take a picture of you before you leave, so your picture will be the first image in this new memory," Valentina said to Natalia, after she had finished dressing up for her day with Daniela.
She quickly posed for the camera, just like Valentina taught her to do.
Click!
She switched poses.
But in the middle of taking the second picture, they heard a knock on the door.
"It's time!" Natalia clapped, and hopped in excitement.
"Go kill it!" Valentina drew closer to her, and ruffled her hair playfully.
"Bye!"
She ran to the door, and didn't give any time for Sonia to say hello to Valentina, before practically dragging her away.
Valentina let out a sigh as the door closed.
Tapping the screen, she previewed the only picture she was able to take.
"I hope everything goes well, Natty," she whispered, her heart still greatly unsettled.
Valentina spent the entire morning after breakfast was brought to her, listening to the radio, whilst testing and adjusting the short skirt and halter neck combo she had turned the gown into.
By afternoon, she was well and truly bored.
Just as she laid in bed to see if she could sleep away the rest of the afternoon, she heard a knock.
"Who is there?" She called out.
"Val?"
Her eyes squinted as she recognized the voice.
She rolled out of bed, and walked to the door.
"Elio?" Her gaze shifted. "And—"
"Mammamia! It's just as you and everyone said," Marcello whistled, and stretched out his hand to Valentina.
"I told you! Isn't she perfect?" Elio grinned from ear to ear.
"She is indeed perfect! I'm Marcello, Bella. And I'm fully at your service."
"Oh here we go again," Valentina thought, as she stretched her hands out to shake him.
But instead, he held her hands, and brought them to his lips.
"Okay, that's enough." Elio swiftly stepped in with a frown turning his face to a scowl.
"Why are you here, Elio?" Valentina asked, as Marcello returned her hands to her.
His face brightened again. "To break you out."
She blinked, and for the first time since the two boys came over, she studied their dressings.
"Why are you dressed as cowboys?" Her gaze trailed from their boots, all the way to their hats.
"Bellaragazza, that's because today is an incredible day in Aurivilla." Marcello beat Elio to an explanation, ensuring his presence too was felt.
"Huh?"
"Aurivilla," Doesn't she know what it is?" He leaned in, and whispered to Elio.
"I don't think so," he whispered back.
"You know I can hear you right?"
"Oh!" they straightened up at the same time.
Elio cleared his throat. "So Neravalle, which you're in right now, is the name of this place where we stay. But, Aurivilla is Luce's city. A city of about a thousand people. Pretty big, right?"
She folded her hands across her chest. "What does any of that have to do with me?" She asked dryly, pretending not to be impressed at the fact one man had an entire city.
"Because today is the biggest horse race event in the entire city. Today is the day boys become men, and men become rich men. Today is the day I really wanted to change Natalia's and your life by extension, but she refused to hear me out. Today is—" he drum rolled with his mouth.
"Cavallo day!" The boys yelled in sync.
Valentina couldn't help the laughter that burst out of her. "You do know you didn't have to be that dramatic about it, right? Besides, Natalia isn't around. I'm alone."
"Oh I know. I see everything that happens here, Val baby. She's with Danny. That's why you'll be coming with us. We even brought you your own hat, and boots. That way, no one will recognise you, and we wouldn't get in trouble with Luce for breaking you out."
"Hmmm—"
Valentina weighed the pros and cons in her mind.
She didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize her leaving soon. But she was almost losing her hair with boredom in the room.
Her eyes snapped when she thought of the one thing that would totally make her come along.
"Can I bring my camera?!"
"As long as you'll be there too, Bella. You can bring anything you want. Anything!" Marcello said in a breathless voice, like a lovesick puppy.
"Control yourself."
"Shut up, Elio!" He retorted.
Valentina chuckled. "Alright." She stretched out her hand.
Both boys reached out to touch her at the same time, but she pulled away before they could.
"The hat and boots?" She lifted a brow.
"Oh!" They replied in sync.
Elio took two steps back, and grabbed a box from the ground. "Tada!" He pushed it towards her.
"Do you even know my size," she laughed heartily as she accepted the box.
"Val baby, I know everything about you."
"Everything," Marcello added like a backup vocal.
Valentina couldn't stop laughing. "Thanks a lot for this. I'll go dress up now."
"Take your time, Bella," Marcello said.
"Yes– I mean no! The race is starting soon."
She gave them a reassuring smile, and shut the door.
Valentina swiftly set to work. First she grabbed a pair of blue jean shorts from the pile of clothes Sonia brought them, and then she paired it with a white sleeveless button shirt which she tucked into the shorts.
"Ugh! I wish I had a belt," she whined, already envisioning the outfit look in her head.
Valentina loved to play dress up. Whilst growing up, she looked forward to Halloween the most, because it was the one time she could be any person other than the girl who was locked up in a castle.
Now as an adult with freewill and autonomy, she simply loved to dress.
She opened the box, and gasped when she saw a huge belt.
"Perfect!" She screamed out.
"Are you okay, Val baby?!" Elio knocked on the door.
"I'm fine!" She yelled at the top of her voice so he could hear her.
The belt came on, and then she tried the brown cowboy shoes with cool fire design on it.
"Okay Elio, you do know how to pick a girl's shoes," she whispered, as they fit snugly in her legs.
Next she put on the cowboy hat over her hair she had plaited in a bird nest kind of way.
"No one's going to notice you now," she said, and laughed.
Her hair was usually the most recognisable feature she had, because of its vivid shade.
"And length," a voice said.
"And volume," another added.
"I get it," she giggled, silencing them.
Finally, she reached into the purse that had been returned to them the previous day, and grabbed the 5ml bottle of perfume they always left in it.
She sprayed some of it, and then finished the look with a gloss smacked on her lip.
"Val baby!" Elio called just as she picked up her camera.
"What an odd name," she thought with a shudder.
"I'm coming!" She screamed out, and ran to the door.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
"Seimozzafiato!" Marcello stumbled back, and almost fell to the ground.
"Val, won't you have mercy on our poor souls?" Elio cried out poetically.
"Okay, you two need to stop. It's uncomfortable, and overstimulates me when you get all weirdly complimenting. We're just three cool people sneaking out. Let's have fun. And look, if I lower my hat like this, my face is totally covered. No one will see!" She giggled sweetly.
The two men nodded like zombies, but even as they began to walk away, they couldn't take their eyes off her.
It was her looks, her scent, her walk, the way she smiled, and laughed heartily.
Valentina Quinn had come into Neravalle, and nothing was ever going to be the same again.