Kaila walked around the marketplace, getting fruits and vegetables. She hummed a song she made up in her mind as she went along. She let her mind daydream about her and a boy she had a crush on. She closed her eyes and imagined that they were running in a field, hand in hand. Her hair was blowing in the wind and she felt her heart leap with every single bound she took. Then, he stopped, and he touched her face. Her heart skipped a beat as he leaned in closer and closer and – BUMP.
Kaila fell back, her basket and food falling to the ground. “I’m so sorry,” Kaila said. She looked up to what she had bumped in to. It was a raeda, or a carriage. An important-looking man looked down at her. “Are you alright, darling?”
She saw him, and he caught her breath. He had a chiseled jawline and nose, his hair was neatly combed and brown. His eyes looked so brave that she felt safe right by him.
“Are you alright?” He got down from the raeda and helped her up. Kaila held on to his hand as he lifted her up. He’s strong too, she thought.
“Thank you, sir.” She managed to say.
“You are very beautiful, where do you live?” He said.
“J-just down that street and to the right,” She said breathlessly.
He smiled and squeezed her hand.
“COULD YOU HURRY IT UP?” A woman screamed from inside the raeda. “I WANT TO FIX THIS WRETCHED HAIR BEFORE THE PARTY!”
The man groaned and muttered something under his breath. “Coming…”
He looked at her. “Later, darling?”
“Yes,” She said. Suddenly that juvenile crush on, what was that kids name anyways? It didn’t matter anymore, she felt she had found the love of her life. She picked up her basket and food while watching the raeda drive away.
~ ~ ~
“I’m feeling very strange lately.” Octavia complained. “I feel like I have to use the restroom all the time, I feel cranky, and I have been getting strange cravings.”
Josiah blushed. “I don’t really know about womanly things like that…”
Octavia laughed. “It’s probably nothing.” She playfully punched him. He did nothing. She punched him again. He raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled. He smiled and turned away. She knew that if she punched him one more time he’d wrestle her down. She punched him once more. He looked at her, grabbed her arms, and pinned her to the ground. She laughed and tried to wriggle herself out of the pin, but it was to no avail. All of the sudden there was a knock on the door.
“Now you have to release me, how else will you get the door?” She said sassily. He smiled in defeat, but squeezed her arms gently before getting up.
“Hello!” Old Acacius said. “Good news! Emperor… erm, what’s that old crabby man who kills everyone off?”
Josiah grinned. “Nero?”
Acacius nodded rapidly, or as rapidly as a man his age could. “Yeah! Nero. Anyways, that man is not the emperor anymore. And thank God he’s not, otherwise we might all be dead.”
Octavia walked to the door. “Does that mean that the persecuting of Christians has stopped?”
Acacius frowned. “Well, I do not know that. But I think that maybe that would be so. I’ll have to ask Sethe. She knows all the news around the world.”
Octavia looked at Josiah surprised. “I wonder if it’s safer for Christians than it used to be.”
Josiah looked deep in thought. Octavia knew they were both thinking the same thing. How nice it would be to go back to Rome to see all their old friends. Octavia thought of Aliza. It had been three years since they had seen each other. What had become of her? Was she married? Where did she live? She almost forgot Acacius was there. “Anyways, there’s a meeting tonight at my place. Hope you can come.”
Josiah nodded and closed the door as Acacius walked away.
“Do you think-” Octavia began.
“I don’t know…” Josiah said. There was a silence, but it wasn’t awkward because they both were so deep in thought that neither of them needed to say anything.
~ ~ ~
Kaila floated home. He was so handsome, she thought. I wonder if he likes me! She opened the door. Her mother was sitting down. “Kaila you were late.”
“I’m so sorry Mama, I was a little delayed.”
“THAT’S ALWAYS YOUR EXCUSE! WHY CAN’T YOU BE USEFUL FOR ONCE?” Her mother got up and screamed in Kaila’s face.
“I’m so sorry Mama…”
“Sorry just isn’t going to do it!” Her mother slapped Kaila. Kaila winced in pain but was used to it. Ever since her mother got out of the prison cell by offering incense, she seemed to be going crazy. Kaila sighed at the thought of the time they were in the prison. She painfully remembered Rebecca. She missed her more than anyone. She missed the Christians, all of them. She felt bad that she offered incense to the Roman god.
“Kaila, look alive!” Her mom said sternly.
“Mama, do you want me to brush your hair?” Kaila said quietly.
“MY HAIR LOOKS FINE!” Her mother caressed her tangled hair.
Kaila smiled and went on her house chores. Her thoughts returned to the man in the raeda. I wonder if he’ll come to my house. Maybe he’ll take me far away form my abusive mama.
“KAILA YOU IDIOT! DID YOU FORGET THE HERBS?” Kaila’s mama screamed.
Kaila sighed. “I’ll go back out to the marketplace.”
~
Kaila walked to the marketplace and bitterly thought about never going back to her home. Maybe she should just stay in the streets. It seemed like a better life than her home.
“Still out here?” A man said.
Kaila turned to look at who said that. It was the man from the raeda. “I forgot something,” She blushed.
He grabbed her basket. “But maybe that can wait, maybe we could talk.”
She nodded breathlessly.
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“I’m Kaila. Who are you?”
“Senator Adrian. Is your name related to the name Kelila, meaning crown in Hebrew?”
“I think so… I don’t actually know,” She laughed.
They spent the rest of the night with each other, laughing and talking down the streets of Rome. Kaila never wanted to go home.
“Would you like to come to my home?” Senator Adrian asked.
“Yes!” Kaila said happily.
The ‘house’ looked more like a castle to Kaila. The night turned to a week, and soon she found herself living in his house. Things were going so quickly, Kaila never had a chance to get her things from her house. But it didn’t matter. Kaila knew she had found her true love.
One day she went to the market just to look around. She didn’t need to buy anything since Adrian had everything in his castle – I mean, house.
“Hi Kaila!” A young voice said.
Who is that? Kaila thought. When she turned to look, she saw Jacob, Rebecca’s younger brother. “Jacob!” She smiled. She opened her arms wide to him. He gave her a big hug. She tried to swallow down the tears in her throat.
“Kaila!” A woman said. Kaila looked up and saw Bethesda. The tears escaped. “Bethesda!” They ran towards each other and hugged, both crying and laughing. “Calm down, ladies!” Jacob said. They laughed.
“So how has your family been?” Bethesda said.
“Well, good, I guess…” Kaila lied. “No, they’re not good at all. My father’s gone almost all day and my mother is going crazy… ever since we were in jail it’s like she has lost it.”
Bethesda paused sadly at the thought of those moments. She changed the subject. “Have you been to the meetings lately? I don’t believe I’ve seen you.”
Kaila’s eyes widened. “You’ve been to the meetings?”
Bethesda blushed.
“I’m sorry,” Kaila said quickly. “It’s just I’m shocked… I didn’t have the guts to go back there.”
Bethesda smiled. “I needed to go back there. I need Jesus in my life, or I’m a mess. I was wrong to betray the Christians.”
Kaila stared at her feet. “I better go now, Adrian is probably waiting for me.”
“Adrian?” Bethesda asked.
Kaila’s eyes widened. Did I actually say that? she thought.
“Oh, nobody. Nice seeing you two!” Kaila ran off.
Bethesda shook her head and laughed.
GAHHH YOU DON’T KNOW HOW FUN IT WAS TO RIGHT THIS. I’m super excited for all this! I’ve done a lot of research on the time period, 69 A.D. I’ll be honest, for When the Time Comes I didn’t do as much research on the times, but when I saw that Nero got killed in 68 A.D., I was very excited (that doesn’t sound weird does it?) because I knew that the killing of Christians would probably come to a stop. Nero was one of the only emperors who killed Christians. Christians weren’t openly accepted until Constantine, but they weren’t killed. Anyways, leave me your thoughts down below! I love hearing from you guys. What do you think will happen to Kaila? Do you think Senator Adrian is a nice man? Do you think Octavia and Josiah should go to Rome? Thanks for reading this!