Luberto

Searching

I dove under water, swimming towards The Island. I didn't know where to search if he wasn't here. Where could he have gone? Had he run off, or was he taken? I wouldn't put it past Ercole. When I finally reached the shore of The Island, I ran up the hill, climbing the ladder made of old doors and washboards. I reached the top,  and there was nobody there. The eerie silence only broken by the sounds of seagulls squaking above me. I remembered that night, the night Alberto had run away, I'd stood in this very spot, looking at the human stuff scattered around the floor, and the torn drawing of Alberto and I on our Vespa. I'd seen the marks on the wall, a sad reminder of how long Alberto had been alone here. A new Poster now covered the marks, it looked to be hand drawn by Alberto. Giulia, Alberto and I were on a Vespa. Giulia on the back, her hands in the air, Alberto driving, and me in the middle, my arms wrapped around Alberto's torso, my head resting against his back with my eyes closed and a smile on my face. The detail was incredible. It was in full color, the buildings and people around us drawn perfectly. I ran my fingers across the careful pencil lines. Tears welling up in my eyes again. I turned, sweeping all the items on the table next to me on to the floor. I then turned to a shelf, doing the same thing. I sank to my knees in the middle of the small room. I lifted my head and called into the wind,

"Where are you Alberto?" 

Alberto's POV:

Once again, I woke with a start, struggling against the ropes that held me. I thrashed and kicked, tying to free myself.

"Let me out of here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I didn't stop screaming until my lungs burned. The sound echoed, bouncing off the stone walls.  I continued fighting against the ropes, I struggled until I felt the ropes beginning to cut into my skin. I felt blood down my hand, but I ignored it, continuing to struggle. I felt the ropes begin to loosen, and I fought harder. The door behind me opened again, and I stilled, I didn't want to give away that I was trying to escape. I covered the blood on my hands and stared ahead.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why am I here?"

"You are Bruno's favorite. He tracked you down, not the rest of us." He punched me, and my vision grew blurry from the tears in my eyes.

"You think I wanted him to come looking?"  My captor stepped in front of me, his face centimeters from mine, with his brown hair brushing against my face. There was anger in his brown eyes.

"Maybe not. But still. You were able to recover. You found friends and a family. Where as I was left to rot!" He turned away in anger, pulling something out of his jeans pocket. Another cloth. This was the first good luck I had gotten at my captor. He was tall and skinny, with pale skin. I prepared myself for the cloth against my face. Because now I knew who had taken me.

"Does she know?"

"Bria? No." He pressed the cloth over my mouth and nose, and I faked a deep breath in, closing my eyes and slumping over. I was going to get out of here