Chapter 8
Although Nella was unable to tell what time it was, she knew it had to be the wee hours of the morning. In another two or three hours daylight would appear. Like Olivia, she had been too overwrought to sleep.
At last, unable to stay in bed any longer, she rose, went to the bathroom in case anyone might be listening, emptied her bladder and made sure to double flush so that people who might be listening would think she was occupied there for awhile, and then she began exploring the building wherein she and the girls were. She avoided the large bedroom where she knew Eduardo would be sleeping. Her bare feet on the floor made no sound, and she had taken a sheet from the bed to cover her nakedness.
She wandered from room to room, realizing she was in a large hacienda, one that must have been built many years before. It was when she found the front door that she was startled by another apparition in white, and she realized it was Olivia, also wrapped in a sheet, looking for a way out.
Nella shook her head when pointing at the door, as if to say it might creak when it opened, or the sound of bolts being drawn back might be heard in the house. She led Olivia to the large morning room to the left, and there they found French doors leading out onto a small balcony. Olivia opened one of the doors, the two girls stepped out, Nella closed the door behind her, and the two of them stepped down on to the dirt three feet below the stone balcony. They began walking quickly, their bare feet unused to the ground, the pebbles, and the grit, and as a result they were hobbling before they had gone a half mile. Nella pointed to some turf covered with high, wild grass, and the two of them began walking through that, finding the going somewhat easier. They passed a number of small peasant huts, and Nella noticed there was a lot of clothing left outside on lines to dry overnight. She and Olivia dropped their sheets and put on two peasant dresses they found, but they were unable to find coverings for their feet.
The two girls hurried away, moving upward, following a dirt road, thinking this had to be the logical way away from here. They walked for more than three hours, and they saw the sun rise to their right, in the east. They were heading north, and ahead of them they saw huge mountains, and realized they were in a valley surrounded by the mountains. Eduardo had referred to it as El Valle. The valley.
The trail they were on led through the mountains, and to get out of this valley one had to cross all the mountains. The two girls moved quickly, as quickly as possible. The pebbles in the road cut their feet, but neither girl was willing to slow down. As the day went on, they saw peasant carts traveling the road, and they tried asking for a lift, but none of the peasants understood English.
It was a little before noon when the large white Rolls-Royce came zooming along the road behind them and pulled up. The two Blass brothers jumped from the car and ran to the girls, both of whom were all but crippled by now. They grabbed them and tossed them into the car, then turned around and headed back the way they had come. It took less than an hour-and-a-half to get back.
The other four girls were seated on the large divan in the huge bedroom when the two girls were brought in. Eduardo turned to the four and said, "I want the four of you to see what happens when you try running away. Aside from the punishment, their feet are torn to shreds. But now will come the real pain."