Stolen

"I'm telling you, she's here in town!" Rio says as she takes another bite of her dinner.

Alice pauses, her fork halfway to her mouth, eyes narrowing. "Agatha Harkness? She's still hiding here?" She shakes her head, setting her fork down. "Most of the time, she disappears right after the robbery, only to pop back up in a few weeks. Why would she stick around this time?" 

"She's injured," Rio says, "There was blood in Jen's house." Alice gives her a skeptical look. "So you're saying she could be hiding... right here, in our garden?" Rio lets out a soft laugh and nods. "It's possible."

Alice picks up both their plates and puts them in the sink. "I’ve been thinking," she says, wiping her hands on a towel. Rio raises an eyebrow "About what?"

Alice leans against the counter, "I feel like we're falling behind." She says. Rio looks at her with a curious look and then replies "Because we're not married yet? Alice, I know you've always wanted a big wedding, but there's still time. Why do you care so much about that?"

Alice turns to face Rio, her face full of confusion. "How can you not care? It’s what I’ve always wanted; a house, a garden, a husband, kids. That’s how it’s supposed to be. That’s what makes everything real."

"I don't know, I've never been thrilled with the idea of spending my whole life with a man that probably hates me." Rio sighs. 

Alice shoots her a look full of confusion, "Allright, i'm going to bed, sleep tight." Rio does the same.

---

Rio is awoken by a loud bang. She mumbles a confused "What the fuck?" and quickly moves to the window to see what caused the noise. At first, she doesn’t see anything, but then a figure appears, running away from the scene where there is a fallen chair in sight. It takes her a moment to process what’s happening. When it clicks, she throws open the window and yells, "Hey!"

The person stops and turns around. For a brief moment, Rio catches a glimpse of their face. The figure wears a black hood, making it hard to see clearly, but with the sun nearly rising, Rio makes out enough: she’s beautiful. For a second, Rio doesn't know what to say next and the woman uses that to her advantage to run away. By the time Rio notices, it's too late.

"Alice!" Rio yells. Alice comes running into her room. "What is it? Why are you screaming like bloody murder?" 

"Someone kicked our chair and it fell over," Rio says, pausing for a moment. "It was a woman!" Alice looks puzzled. "Why are you happy about that?"

"What if it's Agatha Harkness?" Rio says, smiling. Alice just stares at her, "Again, why are you happy about that?" Rio shrugs. "I don’t know, if someone’s going to mess with our stuff, I’d rather it be her." Alice shakes her head, clearly not sharing Rio’s fascination. "You can’t be serious, Rio. She is a complete psycho, why would you want to meet her? And by the way, she most likely skipped town by now."

"She is injured," Rio says, repeating her point from last night. Alice raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You think that’s going to stop her? If she doesn’t leave, she’s as good as dead." Rio pauses, considering Alice’s words. There’s truth in what she says. If anyone found Agatha now, after everything that’s happened, she would be in serious trouble. Alice has a point. "Yeah, you're right." Rio says before heading outside to go for a walk. She hears Alice muttering something along the lines of "some nerve she has, knocking over my damn chair." and it makes her laugh a little.

Should she report this to the sheriff? Probably. But she’s not going to. Instead, Rio heads to the bakery in town to buy some bread. It’s the only bakery around, and though the bread isn’t great, the next closest one is miles away. It’ll have to do.

Rio steps inside and before she can say a word, the woman behind the counter speaks up. “Evanora’s Bakery, how can I help you?”

Rio's eyes scan the options before settling on a simple white loaf. “I’ll take this one,” she says, pointing. The woman nods, wraps the loaf in a paper bag, and hands it to her. Just as Rio reaches for her coin pouch to pay, something stops her. There’s a strange familiarity in Evanora’s eyes, something she’s never noticed before. She’s been to this bakery countless times, and ordered bread more times than she can count, but this detail has somehow escaped her until now.

Rio hesitates for a moment, caught off guard by the thought. But she quickly shakes it off, handing over the payment to Evanora with a polite smile. "Thank you," she says, brushing the feeling aside as she takes her loaf and heads for the door. 

Maybe it's just because I didn't sleep so well last night, Rio thinks. Or maybe she's just looking into things too much.

Rio can’t shake the uneasy feeling, so she decides to take a walk through the forest. The day has been strange enough, and the quiet woods might clear her head. As she walks along the path leading to the forest, she spots the sheriff from the day before heading in her direction. She offers him a polite smile, intending to pass by, but he stops her. "Rio, was it?" he asks, his tone casual but deliberate. Rio nods, surprised he remembered her name.

The sheriff glances at her with a very peculiar look, "A woman like you could do better with someone who knows this town, ever thought about that?"

Rio feels a wave of discomfort but hides it behind a neutral expression. "I’ve got my own life, Sheriff."

He smirks, clearly unbothered. "If you change your mind, I’m right here." The insinuated question hits her like a slap. Her eyes widen, practically jumping out of her head in shock. So that’s what this is about.

There is no way in hell she would marry a man like this, a man who looks down on women and sees them as lesser. She knows what he means, and she also knows her mother would be overjoyed to hear her daughter was courting the local sheriff. Even though every inch of her being wants to refuse, she says, “Sure, I'll do that.”

It was bound to happen at some point, right? 

"I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Rio asks the sheriff, her voice steady despite the uneasy feeling creeping up on her. "Lance. Lance Jamenson," he replies, tipping his hat with a slight smirk. Rio forces a polite smile and nods. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Lance. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again soon." Without waiting for a response, she continues down the path, her heart pounding. What a strange day.

As she walks deeper into the forest, an unsettling heaviness settles in her stomach. Something feels off. She brushes it off as nerves, but it doesn’t go away. After what feels like an eternity of walking, she hears a faint crack in the distance. Her first thought is an animal, and she’s ready to move on when she distinctly hears someone mutter, "Shit."

That wasn’t an animal.

Rio freezes. "Is someone there?" she calls out, her voice louder than she intends. Then, just ahead, she spots a flash of a black cloak. Her heart skips a beat. It’s the same cloak she saw outside her house.

"Agatha Harkness," she whispers under her breath. Agatha turns to flee, Rio's voice rises: 'Wait! Don’t go, I swear, I won’t hurt you!' Agatha freezes, "And who says you won’t?"

"I do!" Rio replies, exasperated. "Didn’t I just say that?"

Agatha lets out a bitter laugh as she steps closer. Now they’re both standing on the road, barely two feet apart. "My name is Rio Vidal," Rio says, her eyes locking on Agatha’s face. She’s stunning. How could someone like her be a criminal? Her dark hair is half up, half down, and she’s wearing a dark blue dress that—holy shit, is that blood? "Are you okay?" Rio asks, her voice laced with concern. Agatha shrugs casually. "Yes, I’m fine. Why?" Rio gestures toward her dress, eyes wide. "You’re bleeding."

"Oh, that?" Agatha waves a hand, as if it’s nothing. "It’s from a few days ago. I’m fine." Rio looks skeptical, her gaze lingering on the bloodstains.

"Do you need a doctor? I can get you one." Agatha shrugs, her smirk not faltering.

“I don’t think even the good people of this town would love to patch me up.” Rio pauses, unsure whether to help or stay away. “Not everyone here is cruel,” she says softly.

“Maybe not,” Agatha says, her gaze locking with Rio’s. “But even kindness has its limits.” Rio’s mouth goes dry as her eyes lock with Agatha’s. There’s a flicker of recognition there, something she can’t place, but it shakes her more than she cares to admit.

Agatha works on rebuilding her defenses and says, "Most people aren’t this nice to me unless they’re trying to get into my pants. So, is that your plan?" Rio nearly jumps at the accusation, her cheeks burning red. "What? No! You’re hurt, that’s all."

"Why would I wanna... do that anyways? I'm not a man," Rio says, trying to tell a joke. Agatha raises an eyebrow, "You know relationships can be between two people of the same gender... right?"

Rio stays quiet for a moment, her thoughts racing. "That... I don’t—" She stops herself, unsure of how to respond. The idea catches her off guard, and for the first time, she feels a strange kind of uncertainty about everything.

"Anyways, Riley, it was nice to meet you, but I should really go before they find me," Agatha says, already turning to leave. Rio stares at her for a moment, a little dumbfounded. "It's Rio," she corrects. "Yeah, that’s what I said," Agatha replies casually, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she walks away.

Rio watches her, still processing everything. It’s only when she shoves her hands into her pockets that she realizes something’s missing. Her coin pouch, and the bread she bought earlier, are both gone. "When did she take that?" Rio mutters, her hand still patting her empty pocket. She can't believe this woman. Frustration begins to boil inside her. Of all the nerve, stealing from her after they just talked. She clenches her fists, glaring down the path Agatha disappeared on.

"Unbelievable," Rio muttered, staring down the path where Agatha disappeared. And yet, even as irritation bubbled in her chest, she couldn’t shake the thought: who was this woman, and why couldn’t she look away?

As Rio walks back home, her thoughts continue to race. The unsettling encounter with the Lance earlier, the pressure of what’s expected of her, it's all too much. Her mind keeps circling back to Agatha, and can’t help but wonder if there's more to this woman than just the rumors and her reputation.

But then there’s Lance. His smirk, his insistence, ... it all feels suffocating. She knows she should be grateful, that this is what her mother and society expect of her. And yet, every inch of her being rebels against it. The thought of being tied to someone like Lance fills her with dread, yet she can’t deny that it might be the safest and best option.

Rio leans against the wood of her cabin, trying to make sense of it all. And just then, a familiar voice breaks through her thoughts.

“Rio! You didn’t tell me about your little encounter with Lance! I had to hear it from Lillia. Lillia, of all people! Now, tell me everything!”

It’s Alice. Rio jumps, her thoughts crashing back to reality. She forces a smile and tells her about it. Then, after a few minutes, Rio feels like she has to get out of this coversation. "I have to go to town for some errands, okay? I’ll be back soon," Rio says, pushing past the nagging feeling in her chest. She doesn’t know where she’s really going, but she can’t stay here with Alice, talking about dinners with men she’ll never love.

As she steps outside, the world feels just a bit too small.