For the first time after her memory loss, Clara had a restful night's sleep. Free from the threat of the blank of her memory and the mists that used to envelop her until they almost suffocate her. When she opened her eyes, she found Daniel's eyes gazing at her with a special twinkle in his, a kind of calm and charm mingling. He was on his side, his contours partially illuminated by the light of the bonfire remains.

"You're making me feel awkward."

"I can't stop staring at you." he kissed her on the forehead. "I'm afraid if I stop looking at you, you may not here anymore. I wonder if all this is true or if I'm crazy."

"I'm real."

Clara took his hand and laid it on her heart, now beating a steady rhythm. It put a smile over Daniel's face and Clara was sure it would kill her at any moment.

He lifted himself up on his elbows and turned her on his belly up. Leaving a trail of kisses down her neck to her shoulders and again to her mouth was enough to speed up her heartbeat. When Daniel took his lips out from hers, he looked at her tenderly, and that was enough for Clara to be on fire again. She caught Daniel's hair and again both lost in those sensations, trying to make up for lost time.

Clara woke up later, with the morning light entering through the window's crack and the happy bird's song celebrating the end of the heavy rain the day before.

"Good Morning," Daniel said in such a good mood, entering the room the moment she sat on the bed, stretching.

"Good Morning."

Clara rubbed the eyes. Was it a dream or was he really there? For a moment, she feared to open her eyes again and found herself all alone. Slowly, she did it and for her surprise, Daniel was still straight ahead. He was already dressed and combed, looking at her again with desire and a mischievous smile.

"You better get dressed, or I'll be forced to go back to bed and let our coffee burn," he said, handing her clothes.

"Coffee?" Clara asked as she tucked the T-shirt under his watchful gaze. It seemed he wanted to memorize every part of her body.

"Since our last meal was yesterday's breakfast, I imagined you would be as hungry as I am." And seeing the satirical look she threw at him, she pulled him by the waistband of his trousers. "Not that kind of hunger! The physical one. You know? Stomach's rumbling and everything else."

"Oh... this kind of hungry"

Clara got up after putting on her boots and tying her hair back as he again tucked a loosened hair strand behind the ear.

"Come on. Let's eat."

The morning air was fresh with a faint scent of wet earth as a gentle breeze blew. Bands of birds crossed the cloudless sky, looking for food. Clara had discovered that Daniel had risen early and had prepared a stew with carrots, potatoes, and fish.

"There's a river nearby. That's why there are so many birds."

He offered her a bowl of stew with a spoon, also serving himself and sitting beside her on the floor near the fire.

Clara lifted the bowl to her lips and only then she realized how hungry she was as the liquid settled on her stomach. She took the potatoes with her fingers, noticing that Daniel was examining her, barely touching his soup.

"What?" She asked, feeling embarrassed. "Now I realized how hungry I was," she added, taking a piece to her mouth.

"Yes. I can see," he said, bringing his bowl to his lips as well.

"So, how have we met each other?" Clara asked excitedly, taking more of the stew and then sitting down next to Daniel, who was only watching her with an expression she already knew. "No, I didn't remember everything yet, just that night, of the attack. My memory is coming back in pieces..."

He also put a little more soup, then sat down looking at the flames that still burned in front of him. Daniel seemed to recall facts from the past that had long been locked somewhere in his mind.

"We have met when we were fifteen. My father had a farm near the Citadel, and the Governor had nominated him as the official farmer."

Six years earlier

It had been a hot day, which had forced Daniel and his father to start very early to harvesting, weighing, separating, and packing the eggs that would go to the Citadel that afternoon. Daniel had never been in the Citadel although his father used to go there once a week to deliver the eggs with a small truck given by The Governor himself. "He says our eggs are the best!", - his father used to say with great satisfaction since Daniel was a little boy. When his father was away, and he was younger, Daniel was under the care of Nana and her husband, Oswaldo. The couple had a small farm where they planted a little bit of everything. It was not uncommon for Daniel's father to exchange eggs for other supplies they did not produce in their own lands like milk, fruit, and vegetables. But now, at fifteen, his father had decided he would take him to help with the unloading. "I'm getting old and I need to prepare you", he used to say.

Daniel's mother had died when he was a little boy from a serious infection and over the years, he hardly remembered her. So he had Nana as a second mother since the lady did not have her own children.

"You will not take him dressed like this, are you, Kenji?" Nana asked, observing the boy standing in front of her.

"What you mean?" asked Daniel's father, entering the small kitchen of his house with a sack in his hands he placed on the table while examining his son.

Daniel also did not understand what Nana meant. He was tall and thin, now taller than his father by almost a head over him since Kenji came from a Japanese family and was medium height. His mother, on the other hand, was a descendant of very tall Italians, as Nana said. Daniel looked at his shabby, dirty clothes that seemed to have shrunk; then he outreached and the shirt-sleeve was halfway up the arms.

"It's the boy's first visit to the Citadel, and you intend to get him dressed in this way? Look at his clothes! They barely fit him!" Nana pointed also his trousers that were also halfway down the boy's shins. "Now way Maria would allow her son walk around this way! Never!" She continued, mentioning the name of Daniel's mother, which made his father feel a little ashamed for not having noticed this before.

Daniel's father was a countryman and practical: working every single day, tending the chickens or taking care of corn fields. Involved in his work to guarantee their livelihood he had never worried about that. And the way his father was examining him now, Daniel was certain he had not even realized that the years had passed, and he was getting gray hairs while his son was becoming a man.

"Come here, my dear. I brought clothes from Oswaldo and as you are almost the same height, I believe they'll fit into you. And for God's sake, do your hairs!" The lady gave him some clothes and a pair of shoes and shoved the boy into the only room in the small house as he looked at her intrigued. "And wash up first. We don't want town people to remember you for the scent of chickens, do you?"

Nana poured water into an old basin on top of an old furniture, flooding the place with a sweet mint scent. With a slight smile, she closed the door behind her. Daniel did as instructed and after bathing, put on the clothes she had given, which fit perfectly to his long, slender body. He looked his refection at the small, cracked mirror hanging from the wall as he combed his hair back. In fact, he had grown a lot last year. Although he still had some boyish traces, a thin beard covered his jaw, emphasizing the transformation he was going through: ceasing to be a boy and becoming a man. He took a deep breath as almond and black eyes stared back through the mirror, a small strand of straight and shiny hair falling on his forehead. Daniel was excited. Was the Citadel everything his father had told so? Would there be unimaginable foods and... sweets made from eggs his father used to provide?

After putting on his shoes, he finished buttoning his white and black plaid shirt, rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, and left.

His father and Nana looked at him as soon as he set foot in the kitchen again: Kenji stared at him amazed. Only then he realized that his boy had become a man. Nana looked at him proudly and walked up to him, straightened the collar of his shirt and said:

"You look great, my son! You'll let the girls breathless!" She patted his cheek. "Behave yourself, huh?"

"Let's go?" Said his father, taking the bag from the table again. "We're running late."

Kenji and his son headed to the little truck loaded with egg. The father started the engine and soon the vehicle started its journey. Nana watched them going down the road, raising red dust as they advanced toward the Citadel. They went through the hills along dirt roads, surrounded by vegetation and dotted here and there by abandoned vehicles and houses in ruins. A smell of grass was in the air and when they climbed the last hill, Daniel saw up ahead a huge wall looming in the green of the vegetation.

He sat up straight on the bench while his father continued to drive the car, trying to see what was behind the wall. But as they approached, he saw the wall was so high it seems endless. They stopped in front of a huge metal gate, and at the top of the wall, only a few black spots against the cloudless blue sky - guards - who ordered to open it.

Slowly the doors opened, and the father got in with the small truck. The gate closed again as they advanced. Two rows of heavily armed men waited on each side of the vehicle. Another one, wearing a cap, came up to identify them and Daniel noticed that they were all dressed in black, carrying a white "C" printed in the middle that identified them as Citadel's the troop.

"Good morning, officer," said Kenji.

"Good morning, Kenji. Who's the boy?" the man scrutinized Daniel with a frown.

"My son. He came to help me today. You know, the years are passing by and I'm getting old. I must prepare him to replace me." he finished with a smile as the officer's features softened and a small smile appeared.

"The time goes by for all of us." the officer turned to the other men and gestured broadly: "Release! The way you already know, right?" he continued to his father, leaning one hand on the vehicle's window.

"By heart!" Kenji replied as the officer patted the door of the vehicle showing that he should go.

Once they moved, the view amazed Daniel. The truck bypassed a square with a huge fountain in its center, and further along, there was a paving stone alley bordered by a set of four-story buildings, each one in a circular form. Ahead of the circular buildings a new square, bigger than the first, containing a flowery and well-tended garden, where several smaller fountains gushed water up. Behind it was an imposing building with a polished mirror reflecting the sunlight almost blinding Daniel, who protected himself with a flat hand. That was supposed to be the main building. It had only two floors, but unlike the first ones that were tall and narrow, this one was large, with a huge balcony upstairs, furnished with tables and chairs.

"That's where the Governor, his advisors, and his family eat when the weather is fine."

Daniel listened with astonishment to his father as he contemplated such beautiful buildings.

Kenji turned into the first lane where the first buildings were and followed by the alleyway. Although smaller compared to the main street, they well maintained the path, with several pruned trees and small gardens. People were walking on the sidewalks. He was astonished, and at street level, there were a few establishments. He read "Chemist's shop" in one sign, "Barber", "Perfumer". It was practically a city!

After following the lane, Daniel again saw the main building closer, and they stopped at the door by one of its side. A tall, slender man with a thin face framed by an onset baldness and mustache approached. He wore a white apron and the red of his cheeks showed he had been in contact with the heat for a long time.

"Kenji! You're finally here!" exclaimed the relieved man as soon as Daniel's father got out of the truck.

"What happened, Mr. Tenorio?"

"The Governor... he asked about you a thousand times today!" The man stood between father and son, pushing them inside. "He's worried if we'll have enough time to prepare all the food for the party!"

"But I have to unload..."

"Matilda! Carola!" shouted Tenório for the cooks working frantically as they entered the huge kitchen. "Help unload the eggs! Now! Go! Go!"

Both cooks greeted Kenji and Daniel, wiped their hands on their aprons and hurried toward the small truck. Daniel could see how enormous the kitchen was while they were being led by Tenório. A gigantic wood-burning oven stood on one wall where fierce flames heat pots so huge that Daniel thought they could cook a child. There were also metal tables topped with shelves and many objects used in a kitchen: small pans, bowls, baking sheets, pots, cutlery. Food was being prepared on the kitchen bench by several people running backward and forwards. They all wore a white apron and a cap on their hair.

"Sorry, my boy. Tenório" said as they reached the end of the kitchen and entered an extensive corridor. "I'm the Chef who runs this place. This is your son, isn't it? What's his name?"

"Daniel." He looked in awe at the immense pictures hanging on the white walls. Never in his life had he seen paintings so large and colorful. In fact, he had never encountered a picture before, had only heard his father comment on them when he met the Governor years ago. "Where are we going?"

"The Governor wants to see your father. He wants to be sure that everything's all right for tonight," replied Tenorio as they passed through a door so high that a giant could pass.

They crossed a large double headroom hall. At the upper position, there could be seen a glazed dome by where the daylight came. It hung a huge crystal chandelier that now looked like a sea of stars reflecting the light that came from outside. In the center, there was a huge marble staircase leading to the upper floor while long red curtains hung from the walls. Although it was mirrored on the outside, Daniel could see inside that there were thick walls. A few slots that served as long, thin windows showed the glasses that covered the exterior of the building. Their shoes made a noise on the polished marble floor while Tenorio led them to a heavy door at end of the hall.

"Wait here," he said, turning to knock on the door and then entering, leaving both alone. "Come on."

ompared to the hall outside, the room they entered was not so big, but it must be about ten times the size of their house, Daniel thought. Also on its walls hung great paintings, curtains and the same thin windows were in the other room. But at the end, there was a huge dark wooden table where a gray-haired man was sitting in a high-backrest chair, covered in red velvet. He stood up and walked toward them.

"Kenji, my friend! I was worried that something might have happened!" The man patted on the back of Daniel's father. "Oh, and this is... Don't tell me, is he your son?"

"Yes, Sir. He's my son, Daniel."

"But you're a grown man!" exclaimed the old man, coughing a few times and bending over until he was breathless. Kenji helped him with Tenorio helping him to the seat. "Sorry for this. Well, I can see everything is settled! The party will be perfect! And if you wish, you can stay too, Kenji.

"Oh, Sir, I don't know," said his father, somewhat embarrassed, besides the Governor's chair.

"Come on, no excuses! Try the delights made with your eggs!" And turning to Daniel, he said: "Let your boy have fun! I bet you've never been in a carnival ball, have you, boy?"

Daniel looked to his father and to the Governor and back to his father, not knowing what to answer. In fact, he did not even know what a ball was. Sometimes Nana and Mr. Oswaldo would practice dance steps in their backyard, usually Sunday evening. He even learned little with the old lady when he was younger, but that was the closest he had come to a "ball".

"Did you summon me, father?" a voice asked behind Daniel, drawing everyone's attention.

When he turned, Daniel came upon a very tall, thin man with a fair complexion, a few freckles on his face, and red hair. He stood in the middle of the hall, elegantly dressed in gray trousers and a white social shirt, so white it was blinding. Daniel did not remember seeing any piece of clothing as clear and perfect as that, tailored to this boy, without a single stain or wrinkle. He watched the others with a haughty, almost arrogant pose, resting his hands behind his back.

"Oh, yes! Precisely!" replied the Governor. "Samuel, you remember Kenji, don't you?

"Yes, of course." replied the boy, casting his haughty look to Daniel's father and greeting him with a discreet nod.

"Today we're celebrating my son's eighteenth birthday and that's why we'll have a carnival ball. It has been since many generations we don't have one, but after he and his friend found a book in the library with illustrations about it, we thought it was a fantastic idea. It's the best way to define an important transition." said the old gentleman, leaning his hands on the table as he observed the boy standing like a statue. "From now on, he's ready to take my position, as long as anything happens."

The Governor coughed again. Kenji and Tenório tried to help him, Tenório fanning the old gentleman with his hand while Daniel's father offered a glass of water. But what got Daniel's attention was the coldness with which Samuel observed the scene, not even moving a muscle. His blue eyes looked like two ice stones that could freeze everything around him with just one look.

And then, behind Samuel, he spotted another figure, almost hidden by the size of the young man in front of her. No one seemed to notice her presence, so quiet she had entered. The girl took a step toward the Governor, being stopped by an arm that Samuel stretched out in front of her without even bothering to look at her. She stared at him with a clear expression of indignation, perhaps also not understanding why the son did not help his own father. The girl looked back at the table and on the way, crossed her gaze with Daniel.

She was of medium height, slender, with dark brown hair tied in a braid that fell down her shoulders almost to her waist. A few strands had loosened and framed a delicate face, her slightly flushed cheeks and pale brown skin that matched perfectly with the deep brown of her eyes. She wore a simple white dress, bound only by the waist with a drawstring which made her looked like an angel to him.

"Daniel? Daniel?" he heard his father's voice in the distance, taking him out of the trance.

The boy turned to his father, who was still next to the Governor and seemed to expect an answer.

"Yes, dad?" he answered, not knowing what else to do.

"The Governor told you to take a walk through the HQ with Samuel and Clara," Kenji said, sounding a little impatient at his son's stillness. "Go. You can go now" he waved his hand away.

Slowly Daniel turned to where Samuel and Clara stood and the three of them walked quietly toward the door.