"A witness? Who?" Alan asked.
"Me. I was on a video call with Richy before he...well, before he faked his death" She told him. "He told me he was The Man Without a Face and that he was the one who attacked Jessy. But after that he told me Phil had threatened to kill him if he didn't do it"
"So you're saying he was blackmailed?" Alan inquired.
"Yes. I know he wouldn't have hurt Jessy if he had the choice" She said.
Alan was silent for a minute before he said; "Alright, fine. But you need to come down to the station so we can discuss this further, okay?"
"Of course, as soon as I'm finished with what I have to do in Forest-Edge I'll get back to Duskwood and we'll talk then" Y/n said before hanging up and getting out of bed.
She sighed before making her way to the kitchen, where Richy had set up the table and was now dishing out the large variety of food evenly between three plates.
Richy, hearing her come in, looked up at her and smiled. "Breakfast is served" He said. "Oh shoot, I forgot to ask if you're a vegetarian or not...Are you?" Y/n told him that she was/wasn't a vegetarian and sat down. (If you're a vegetarian Richy would have instantly removed the meat off your plate asking if you wanted a clean plate with no oil on it from the sausages and bacon)
Richy sat down before gesturing to the fresh bowl of watermelon slices. "Would you like some watermelon with that?" He offered, Y/n nodding/shaking her head in response.
"So, where is Carlos?" Y/n asked.
"Carlos went out to do some small shopping, he'll be back in a minute. The closest shop is just down the hill, Carlo's sister owns it." Richy told her.
"Oh, I see. So, have you thought about coming back with me to Duskwood?" Y/n asked, eager to get an answer.
Richy looked down at his plate, suddenly losing his appetite. "I have..."
"...And?" Y/n asked, expectantly.
"I'm not ready to go back just yet, Y/n. I don't think you understand the pressure of what you're asking me to do" Richy shook his head, looking up at her. "I can't go back"
The room was silent as Y/n and Richy thought about different things. Richy was wondering why Y/n cared so much that she searched for him ever since Jake told her he was alive. Y/n was trying to think of a way to convince Jake that maybe they could just leave Richy be and put the whole thing behind them, would Jake be okay with that?
"Do the others know?" Richy asked, his voice so quiet Y/n could only just about hear him.
"No" She answered. "No, I didn't tell them. Jake didn't want me to"
"Jake seems to like to boss you around a lot, doesn't he?" Richy rhetorically asked. "The minute he tells you to do something you do it. Why?"
Y/n broke eye contact and stared out the window, seeing Carlos walking up the hill towards the house. "He's my friend, Richy. He also saved my skin a couple times too so...I'll do anything for him" She answered.
"Would you do anything for me?" Richy asked, sounding hopeful.
"I'd do anything and more" Y/n smiled at him causing him to smile back just as Carlos entered the house through the kitchen door.
"A mi hermana le gusta mucho chatear" Carlos grumbled, taking his shoes off and heading to the counter to put the small bag of groceries down before sitting down and giving Y/n a smile. "Did you sleep well, señorita?" He asked, kindly.
"I did. Thank you very much for letting me stay" Y/n thanked.
"Don't worry about it at all. It's hard living up here in the mountains, away from civilisation, with only the company of a snorer" Carlos joked, looking at Richy who rolled his eyes.
"And your sister" Y/n added.
"And my sister" Carlos chuckled. "She doesn't stick around much either though. I only really see her when I'm shopping for supplies"
"Oh, well you should invite her up here sometime. This place is amazing" Y/n looked around the large cabin.
"Muchas gracias, my father and I built it from scratch just a few years ago. We built one for my sister too" Carlos said, before gesturing to the food. "Ah, Richy. You're a real cocinero profesional" He chuckled again, before digging in.
Richy shrugged. "Well, I've had a lot of practice" He replied before he and Y/n also began to eat.
After eating and chatting some more Richy stood up and began to gather the plates to clean them. Carlos grinned at Y/n. "Why don't I show you around the stables while Richy cleans up?" He offered.
Carlos led her down the hill, offering his hand on the steep so she could steady herself. Carlos then showed her the stables, where three horses lay in their own separate stalls, one had his eyes closed as he rested in the warm stable shielded from the winter weather outside.
Carlos stopped at the first stall where a chestnut horse lay. The horse show them and immediately stood, walking closer to them to receive pets from a smiling Carlos.
"Come closer, he likes humans" He beckoned her closer. Y/n took a hesitant step closer to him and the horse, raising her hand to softly pet the horses forehead. "This is Dorito, the calm" Carlos moved to the next stall and looked in at a white horse who was fast asleep. "Next door to him is Galileo, the face-maker" He stopped at the last stall, where a tall black horse had her head poking out of the stall, looking lively and full of energy. "And last but not least is Adios"
Y/n chuckled at the names. "Dorito? Like the-"
"Like the snack you have when you're at a party, yes" Carlos laughed. "He's the colour of one of my favourite flavours of Doritos"
"My favourite astronomer" Carlos smiled. "Adios's name is quite self-explanatory. You say 'hi', she says 'bye'. She is so fast, it's like time can't keep up with her" Carlos said, petting her. "Would you like to go for a ride later? Richy is coming too. I'll tell you all about the secrets this town holds"
Y/n thought for a moment before making her description. "Sure, I'd love to" She smiled, making Carlos' smile widen.
After walking back to the cabin and getting back into the warmth, Carlos told Y/n all about his family, his life in the mountains and the benefits of living away from all things familiar to you.
The afternoon soon came and Richy joined the two as they walked back down to the stables. Richy and Carlos tacked up the horses and Carlos handed Y/n Dorito's reins.
Seeing she looked a little nervous, Carlos placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing, Dorito just loves to follow the other horses. He's very sensible so you can trust his to keep you safe" He said.
Dorito nudged Carlos' hand making him chuckle softly and pet the horse before he went to get Adios.
Richy held both Dorito and Galileo as Carlos helped Y/n onto the horse. After teaching her how to hold the reins, steer, stop, and go, Carlos and Richy got onto their horses and they were off on their journey.
Y/n stayed in the middle, Carlos in front while Richy rode behind them. The trail was small but when it widened out Richy came up beside Y/n.
"What do you think?" Richy asked.
"I think I want to live in the mountains and have horses of my own" Y/n joked.
Richy laughed. "It's very fun, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I never thought I'd try it out but here I am" Y/n smiled, petting Dorito. "And Dorito is taking good care of me"
"Want to go faster?" Carlos looked back at her.
"Uh.." Y/n suddenly grew worried. "You mean gallop?"
"Okay, yeah. I'll try it out. How do I gallop?"
"Dorito will follow after Galileo, all you need to do is stand up, bend your knees, and lean forward a little. You can place your hands on either side of his withers to help you keep your balance"
Y/n nodded, standing up and bending her knees. "Okay, this seems pretty easy"
"¡Vámonos!" Carlos yelled, his horse immediately picking up speed.
Galileo sped up too, making Dorito follow his lead. The three galloped through the forest, cheering and laughing in excitment.
"YA-WHOO" Carlos shouted, as Adios showed her full speed, their fleeing silhouettes becoming smaller and smaller as they rode away.
This was the best experience Y/n had ever since she met her Duskwood friends. It made her think back to what they would be doing right now while she had the time of her life. She hoped they were well, she hadn't seen them in person yet but she had been keeping in touch with most with Jessy and Dan.
Maybe she should visit them soon, Jessy had been talking about how much she wanted to meet her in person and allow Y/n to see Duskwood for herself.
(The next part is being written and is currently unavailable at this moment)
