"I don't know why my father had this stupid idea!" Samuel complained, as soon as Daniel closed the door behind him. "Why do I have to show the HQ to the poultry farmer's son? Am I some kind of tour guide?" he continued measuring Daniel and making him uncomfortable.

"Don't be stuck up, Samuel! As the future Governor, you must be prepared to deal with all people." Clara said with a smile and patted his arms crossed over his chest. "My name is Clara." she stretched out her hand to Daniel waiting for him. His motionless made her feel uncomfortable. "Well... Let's go?"

Clara walked slightly ahead, showing the various HQ areas and explaining about its construction. The round design, she said, was built to shelter the most important people protected. In case of some bombardment, the tallest and narrowest buildings where lived the servants, cleaners, cooks and other servants protected the HQ. Those would be hit first.

"Unfair, don't you think?" She gazed through one of the narrow windows of the main hall and observing Daniel by the corner of her eye.

"Too much" Daniel answered, looking at the small buildings that surrounded the HQ.

"The walls are made with a mixture of concrete and steel, so thick they can withstand the heaviest bombardment." Clara ran a slender hand across the wall.

"How do you know all of this?" Daniel asked, looking in her direction for the first time since they had left the Governor's office.

"Because her mother is General Monteiro." Samuel's tone was sharp when he stepped between them.

"Upstairs are the bedrooms." Clara went on, walking again and being followed by the two boys.

"Who sleeps here?" Daniel looked up at the top of the staircase bisected, each part leading to a different wing of the building.

"Only the people who rule here." Samuel kept his hands on his back and observed Clara and Daniel with a frown. "The rest stay in the other buildings."

"Do you sleep here, too?" Daniel asked Clara, who felt her cheeks burn at the boy's gaze.

"Of course she sleeps here! Didn't you hear when I said only the ones who rule here stay in this building? She is General Monteiro's daughter and, like me, someday she'll take over her mother's place." Samuel faced Daniel who held his gaze though he was slightly lower than the other boy.

They reached the ballroom where several people set up tables and chairs, decorated walls with masks and streamers for the party that night. A massive table in the background seemed to be prepared for the most important people there.

"And this is the place I love the most!" Clara opened one of the huge heavy doors of the place to a room with walls covered by shelves from top to bottom. "The library!"

The three of them advanced into the middle of the room as Daniel watched in wonderment at thousands of volumes on each shelf. Nana had taught him to read but in yellowed, time-worn books, very different from those that his fingers wandered. Thick or thin, with leather covers, with gold lettering on all subjects: mathematics, physics, novels, history of Brazil...

"Brazil... It was the old country's name from where we live nowadays," said Clara, standing beside him, seeming to read his thoughts. "Before the great epidemic, I mean. As they said, there was a lot of mankind knowledge on those boxes there," she pointed to what looks like small TVs on some desks. "They saved all the files in the 'cloud', whatever that means. But after the solar storm, all the electrical appliances burned and after all, only the books remained."

"Where are the other people?" Daniel looked at some opened books scattered on a table. "I mean, there are other important people who live here, isn't it?" he added, looking at Samuel who was motionless in the middle of the library, his face frowning and crossed arms on his chest.

"Everyone's getting ready for the ball. We should do the same, Clara." replied the boy, casting a glance at Daniel. "Mainly you girls, with those 'girls' things'!

Clara only breathed a long sigh, looking with regret at Samuel and his disagreeable expression. Then, she turned to Daniel, with a slight glint in her eyes:

"Samuel is right. I'd be dressing like the others for this is the first carnival ball in many generations!"

"And my birthday, don't forget!" said Samuel, frowning at her.

"Your birthday. Sure" Clara sounded tired. Maybe tired of Samuel's attitude.

Samuel and Clara walked Daniel back to the hall leading to the kitchen. Alone, he returned to find his father helping the cooks preparing their meals. He paused beside one of the many benches and helped separate egg whites and yolks for a cake as his father had instructed. He remembered everything he had seen that day. All the cleanliness and whiteness of that place, with well-dressed and well-cared people, so different from the world he was accustomed to with red dust, crumpled and worn clothes. Why that should be so different? He thought to himself when he felt someone watching him. He looked up from the work he was doing to meet a beautiful brunette on the other side of the bench, picking fruit and staring at him.

Dark hair tied in her cap and velvety brown skin as dark as her eyes in a wonderful contrast with her broad white smile. She looked slightly older than him and it made him shy. The few times he had accompanied his father to the village near their farm, he had found many interesting girls. Even kissed a few in brief encounters behind the destroyed buildings, but he was still shy when he met someone who looked at him like that girl was doing right now.

Discreetly, she came to his side pretending to look for some utensil on the shelf and then whispered in his ear:

"Meet me in the pantry. Five minutes."

Daniel followed her with the eyes and after a few moments, tracked down the same path. He arrived in a dimly lit, tiny room full of shelves with various food and potatoes sacks against the walls. Suddenly, one arm pulled him into a dark corner and a warm, sweet mouth cover his. They kissed and caressed each other, then the girl broke up saying she needed to get back to work, but invited him to meet her later in a room upstairs.

"Second floor, the second window on the right, after the kitchen," she said, adjusting her apron. "I'll take care of some kids while the parents go to the party." With a peck, she left him alone in the darkness.

He stood there for a few minutes to calm down. That was crazy... and intense! After a few minutes, Daniel also left the pantry and went back to his task. Kenji would yell at him if he knew what he had done and what he was about to do that night with that beautiful brunette, he thought with a small satisfied smile.

The ball had already begun, and Daniel had foiled his father. Now he was just below the window which would lead him to the gorgeous brunette. Thinking about the way he would make it, Daniel searched the trees nearby. A branch led to the balcony where he could see a soft light flowing, his target. Longing for his date, he climbed the tree taking care not to fall and, after a few seconds, finally jumped on the balcony. The curtains were closed and swaying in the breeze. Daniel stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath to contain his emotions before stretching his arm and entering, sure he would find the brunette.

"You?!" they asked in unison.

Daniel could hardly believe it when he came across Clara standing in the middle of the room. She looked beautiful, in a long violet dress, adorned with a few gemstones and plumes at the neckline that went from one shoulder to the other, revealing her lap. Her hair was bound only by a small hair clip on the top of the head and some dark curls fell over her shoulders. She wore a mask that covered her eyes, adorned as the same as the dress.

Both stared at each other for some time, both surprised and he, confused. Had he misunderstood?

"But... the... You..." he stammered, pointing to the window and the girl, still trying to understand what went wrong when he saw a funny expression on the girl's face. "What?"

"Wrong room, Don Juan." Clara barely contained a laugh.

"But here... it's... Second floor, secon... "

"First floor." she interrupted, smiling with amusement. "This is the first floor. But okay, it's becoming a habit. I have to remind myself to ask the gardeners to cut off the branch from that tree."

"What do you mean "habit"? Daniel asked, confused.

"Do you think you're the first visit for Gertrude while she takes care of the children?" Seeing that the boy did not understand, she continued: "Brunette, beautiful, spectacular smile... during the day works in the kitchen..."

Clara realized that she had left him awkward, so she took his hand and made Daniel sit on the bed. She walked toward a dressing table and went back with a black, unadorned mask.

"Here, turn around. I'll give you a little help."

She sat down next to Daniel as he turned his face. Raising her arms over his head, Clara placed the mask and skillfully tied the ribbons over his hair. The soft touch of her fingers was enough to cause shock waves all over the boy's body. Sitting beside her was enough to feel the soft heat emanating from her which confused him even more. He was tense and breathless, hesitating to turn around since he knew how close they were. Even Clara had remained motionless for some time. Then finally she laid her hand gently on his shoulder, making him face her.

"Using this mask you can climb the stairs to the second floor. They'll think you're at the party."

They stood there for some time, sitting side by side on that bed not saying a single word. Both looked at the floor when Clara got up and, smoothing her skirt, continued happily, seeming to regain her good mood:

"Be careful with her... Gertrude loves younger boys!" She walked to the door holding it ajar, motioning for Daniel to pass. When they were both outside, she said closing the door: "Go upstairs, third door on the right. Good luck!"

Daniel saw when her figure disappeared after a curve. When he finally came out from the trance, he did exactly as she'd said. He knocked on the door once and looked anxiously for both sides, fearing that someone would show up, but soon Gertrude pulled him inside. The room was dark and, bringing her index finger to his lips, she gestured for Daniel to make no noise pointing to the bed where two children slept peacefully as she led him by the hand to another room.

After a pleasant time with Gertrude, she kicked him out saying he had to go back to the party to avoid any suspicions. His father probably was looking for him at that moment. So, with the last kiss, she closed the door.

Putting on the mask again, Daniel went down to the ballroom from where he could hear some lively music. He stood at the door and observed: the room was crowded with people, all elegantly dressed and wearing masks, without exception. Some were seated at the tables decorated with flower arrangements while others danced in the middle of the hall to the sound of music that came from a band in the corner. He had never been to a party before, let alone at a carnival ball, and he considered it so colorful, noisy, and joyful, to the sound of carnival songs.

Walking along the side of the hall, he went to a huge table where several dishes were arranged. He had never seen so much food and such varied presentations in his life. Fruits, pies and even a roasted pork were lavishly displayed alongside a stack of plates and cutlery that he stared at in confusion: they did not use cutlery in their house. He looked at a couple sitting at a nearby table noticing how they cut the meat and put it to their mouth with a fork. At the same time, Daniel stared at the cutlery he held, wondering if he could use it like them.

"You came back fast!" he heard a voice speaking cheerfully by his side. Clara was there, taking a plate to serve herself. "The fork will not bite you." She cast an amused glance at the cutlery still in Daniel's hands and making him withdraw slightly, ashamed. "Like this," she showed him how to use it, cutting a small piece of pie was on her plate and taking it to her lips. "It's not so difficult! You can do it!" then, she went away, being lost in the crowd.

Daniel stood there, watching her as Clara walked to a long table on the opposite side of the room, and sat down next to a woman who was an older version of herself. For sure she was her mother who, with a tense countenance, looked at the crowd on the dance floor and the Governor next to her. Then he found Samuel's icy gaze paying attention to him. It was clear he did not like Daniel and, at heart, he knew it was likewise. He felt there was something wrong with the other boy although on that occasion he could not identify exactly what it was. Daniel was trying to take the first bite when was pulled by a girl following others in a row between the tables.

They dragged Daniel to the center of the room where people were jumping and dancing to the sound of the song when it changed to something different. Other instruments, like violins, played a waltz. The girl who had pulled him, pick up his shoulder whirling around the hall like Nana and Oswaldo used to do on Sunday afternoons. Only at that moment, he noticed the yellow mask matching with de dress with the same color. His focus was no to step the girl's toes. A hand rested on his partner's shoulder.

"My turn." he heard a voice saying as his companion turned and was pulled back by a female arm. He could not hide his surprise when Clara appeared in front of him. She assumed the other girl's position who looked puzzled, still standing in the middle of the hall. "Find another partner, Gabriela!" Clara ordered a little irritated before focusing in Daniel. "There are so many interesting women here. Why did you dance with such a dull girl? Come on!

"She wasn't so bad."

"Oh yes! Sure!" Clara huffed.

They continued to dance and talk over the course of the song. Clara was a good dancer and even taught a few steps he did not know, although he had stepped on her feet several times. Instead of getting angry, she laughed, throwing her head back and saying he had to practice a lot. Daniel could not deny that he felt something different for her. Holding her delicate hand between his so full of calluses and rough by the work with hoe since he was young was like touching the purest silk. Her waist was so thin that he was afraid he might damage at any moment. Sometimes he could see Clara's mother, who was scrutinizing them, perhaps trying to identify who her daughter's newest companion was, turning to the Governor to tell him something. The old gentleman must have told her who he was, because the General's countenance changed, frowning in complete disapproval. He saw when Samuel stood beside her chair, talking to her and looking toward them. When he left the table, Daniel already knew where he was going to.

"I believe our dance isn't pleasing your mother," he said to Clara as he heeled Samuel's steps.

"Tell me a new! Nothing I do pleases the great General Monteiro."

That moment, Daniel saw when Samuel's hand rested on Clara's shoulder, pressing her tightly so it would stop her.

"It's time for you to dance with someone of your line, Clara." he pulled her away while glaring coldly at Daniel. "Enough of charity with this "farm boy"."

Daniel did not like the demeaning tone which Samuel had uttered the last word. In fact, that had annoyed him, but no more than see him dragging Clara away as if she were his property. What would happen between them? She showed clearly that she did not like him, but he seemed to get power over her.

Next week Daniel again accompanied his father to the Citadel helping him to unload the truck. When Kenji was talking with Tenorio, Daniel took the opportunity to meet Gertrude again in the pantry. On the way out, however, he got lost. Instead of going into the kitchen, he opened the door to the corridor where he had been in his first visit and hit someone on the other side.

"Ouch!" he heard a little-muffled scream.

Stretching his head out, he found a girl bent over her own body, both hands on the nose.

"Oh! Sorry, I... I didn't mean..." The words died when he recognized her.

"You?" Clara asked, rubbing her nose and as surprised as he. "Daniel, right?"

"Y-Yes. Right," he said, laying one hand on her lower back. "Are you ok?"

"You hit my nose with this door! How could you expect me to be okay?" The girl shouted, giving a nudge to get rid of his hand and seeing she had embarrassed him, spoke with composure: "It hurts!"

Clara let her hands fall to the side of her body, wrinkling and wiggling her nose to make sure it was not broken. Daniel watched her in silence, trying not to laugh at her expression and made her even more annoyed. But, after a while, she laughed what made him laugh too.

"Wow, my side hurts from laughing!" she crossed her arms upon the abdomen. "So, today's the day to bring the eggs?" Daniel nodded as she stared at him seriously. "Do you want to go to the library again?"

"Library? I don't know if it's a good idea," he said, straightening, still leaning against the wall.

"You seemed to like it so much the last time you were there... I thought you could give a new meaning for your visit." Noting that he was in doubt, she added: "Don't worry about Samuel. The Governor's health is getting worst. He spends most of his time with his father in the office. He will not bother us. So what do you say?"

Daniel considered for a moment, staring at the kitchen's closed door on his left and turning the gaze to Clara who remained leaning against the other wall, waiting anxiously.

"Ok. Let's go."

Clara showed an old book, full of maps of what used to be the world before the great epidemic. She explained about the conflicts and the wars, showing where the countries were while Daniel absorbed everything in silence contemplating her gestures and features, her smile and the way she brushed the hair whenever a strand insisted on falling on her eyes. He was so overwhelmed with her he had to fight hard to keep the focus on her words.

After some time both returned through the same corridor and stared at each other in silence for a few minutes, both shifting the gaze to the floor.

"Well... next week we could do it again. If... if you want it too." Clara broke the silence and seemed embarrassed. "We could meet here and go to the library. What do you think?

"Yes, of course. It's a... great idea!" Daniel agreed, barely containing the anxiety for the next meeting.

"Nice! See you!" she returned through the corridor while Daniel stood there, watching her until she disappeared in the hall.

Over the next few weeks, Daniel kept up the routine: he accompanied his father to the Citadel, met Gertrude, and could not contain the anxiety of seeing Clara. In fact, after two months, he constantly thinking about her, even in the most trivial tasks, such as picking the corn, feeding the chickens, or helping his father to prepare the meals. Being with Gertrude was fun, but he missed something he could not explain. Plus, it bothered him to remember the way Samuel treated her as if Clara was just a pet.

"You will grind your fingers too, son!" Nana exclaimed, approaching where Daniel ground the corn for the polenta they intended to bake that day. She stared him with an amused expression. "I see... it looks like you have an affair, huh? I bet she's from the Citadel!"

That made him blush and keep the attention to his fingers.

In the next visit to the Citadel, Gertrude waited for him in the pantry as usual. She was always intense in their encounters, and this time it was no different. Barely Daniel put her feet there, the girl kissed him intensely. But as soon she noticed Daniel was not returning in the same intensity, she walked away looking at him through the semi darkness surrounding them.

"What's going on, my dear? You've been kind of different these last few weeks. Are you sick?

"No" Daniel wished to be so sure as he intended.

"Is the General Monteiro's daughter, isn't she?" Gertrude asked, holding him by the shoulders.

That question had caught him off guard. Daniel got rid of Gertrude's hands, taking a few steps toward the other side as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to find a convincing answer. But how... How did Gertrude know? This thought made him turn to the brunette, barely disguising the panic in his eyes. If she knew others might know too, including Samuel.

"Hey... Keep cool!" She rested her hands on his shoulders. "I know every time you get out of here, you'll find her in the hallway, and from there you'll be in the library. I followed you a few times," she admitted, slightly embarrassed. "And to be honest, I think she likes you, too."

Daniel felt his heart leap into the chest as if a spark had ignited inside him, warming his insides. Gertrude let out a small laugh at his reaction and added, with amusement:

"You, men, are so blind! I can't believe, you didn't notice!" he nodded which made her smile widen.

"Aren't you angry?"

"Oh, silly boy!" she squeezed his cheeks. "Why should I be? We're just having fun, remember? There's nothing to worry about. We had good times during these months, but now your heart belongs to other." And getting serious, she warned: "Be very careful, Daniel. You may be playing with another child's toy that is possessive."

"What do you mean?"

"Samuel, who else? Although they don't have a relationship. I don't even think he really likes her, but I don't know... He gives me the creeps. - she said with a grimace and then, smiling again. "Well, but let's make you presentable, right? After all, the lady must be already waiting for you." she straightened his shirt over his shoulders and smoothed out the cloth as best possible. "Well, that's it!"

After helping him, Gertrude straightened her hair, smoothed her apron, and left, leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts. Was she right about Clara? Would she feel the same way he did? Would she think of him as much as he thought of her? And so, excited without knowing the reason, he left the pantry and headed for the hall, unconscious how much he was smiling.

As usual, Clara was already waiting for him leaning against the wall and playing with a hair strand. She looked at him as soon as he opened the door.

"What happened? Why are you so thrilled?"

"Nothing. Let's go?" he asked, putting his hand lightly on the girl's lower back.

At the library, they sat down at a table where several books were scattered. But in the center, there was one in particular with animal's pictures.

"The Brazilian fauna." Clara explained, sitting beside him and pointing to a figure in the center of the page, a bird with an orange and black plumage on its tail, with a kind of fan in its beak: "Mountain Rooster."

Daniel watched her long, delicate fingers on the pages as she showed each animal. He was aware of the soft warmth of her body.

"So..." Clara turned the page. "Is serious the relationship between you and Gertrude?" she asked, staring at the book, trying to sound casual, but betrayed by the movement of her leg under the table.

"Gertrude?"

"Come on! I know you guys are sneaking around!" Clara said amusedly, watching him in the corner of her eye.

"You mean you've been following me too?" Daniel asked, arching an eyebrow. What was that bad habit they had there?

Clara did not answer immediately keeping her gaze fixed on the book, but Daniel could note when her cheeks blushed. Was she jealous?

"Blue macaws." she continued as if that conversation had never existed, placing her hand in the center of the page. "Did you know when they find a mate, it's for the rest of their life?"

In an unthinking gesture, Daniel took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips, turning to stare at Clara. She turned her face too, looking surprised by his gesture and flushed a little more. Releasing her hand from Daniel's fingers, she rested it on his face, making him feel like an energy running all over his body. Then, without losing her gaze, Clara approached him and gave him a soft kiss on his lips, as soft as a summer breeze. She moved away, staring at him as if testing the reaction. Realizing that he had not resisted, she wrapped her arms around his neck, then Daniel took her lips. Gertrude's kisses were sexy, hurried, and greedy. Clara's was sweet, slow and delicate, seeming to last for an eternity in which Daniel could get lost.

When they parted, both were gasping. Clara had a faint smile as she stared at the book opened on the table. They remained seated while Clara resumed the explanations about the figures. Daniel came closer, entwining their fingers, enjoying the company. She was so clever that after a few minutes he could not hold himself and kissed her again.