Genetic Perfection ( Repo! the Genetic Opera Fanfiction)

Just Keep Breathing

Chapter 11: Just Keep Breathing

Destiny. I never could have imagined that I would end up in this situation. When I was a child, I dreamed of finishing school and becoming as famous as Blind Mag and Marnie Wallace, the singing divas. But their fame was cut short by death, while I have been unlucky enough to continue walking this earth until the Largo family grows tired of me. I have no control over my fate; it rests in the hands of a murderous mess.

I glanced at Luigi, who was staring out the car window. He hadn't made eye contact with me since I woke up from my three-day sleep. Two genterns had been by my side constantly since the confrontation with Amber in the apartment. Amber was clearly terrified that I might act out again, but as long as Luigi leaves me alone, I won't have to.

The past three days felt like mere minutes, yet the world kept moving forward.

The car came to a stop, and I looked up to see the grand pillars outside the opera theater. The genterns pushed me out of the car, and I was met with blinding camera flashes. When my vision returned, I saw Amber and Pavi ahead, making their way into the theater.

I began walking down the red carpet, but it wasn't long before Luigi's arm wrapped around my waist. He couldn't meet my eyes in the car, but now he was too close for comfort. The paparazzi went wild as we approached the doors. No one would suspect that this was a funeral, but not just any funeral - it was the funeral of the once-godlike Rotti Largo.

As we entered the theater, it was filled with people dressed in white. We walked down the aisle, and I looked at the faces of the people we passed. Plastic smiles adorned their faces. Then, something sent shivers down my spine. I saw the face of an old client, Nicolai, who used to visit me weekly. He seemed to be sitting next to his wife. No matter where I go, I can't escape that world. As we moved closer to the front, I noticed more men who used to visit "The Knife." My breath grew shallow with each pounding heartbeat.

On the stage sat Rotti Largo's preserved body in a glass coffin. His body was encased in thick, shiny wax, forever preserved.

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The funeral seemed to drag on for hours. Speeches were given by nearly every person in the audience. Then, the three siblings took the stage. Pavi and Luigi said few words together, while Amber spoke at length about her father before making the announcement we had all been waiting for.

"My father will never be forgotten, and Gene.co will live on. It will live on under new management... me," Amber said, her smile gleaming under the stage lights. The audience erupted in cheers.

Well, I suppose it had to be her. The brothers were completely unpredictable.

"Malta will now sing a song in memory of my father while we pay our respects," Amber said, her eyes locked on me, a smirk playing on her lips. I hadn't prepared anything, and I didn't even know any songs about death, only ones from "The Knife." Was she trying to embarrass me because of what I had done, or did she simply hate me?

I walked up to the stage, feeling like each step took me further away from my destination. As I reached the microphone, I watched people form a line to pay their respects to Rotti. I guess they were too focused on that to notice that I was about to sing.

"Don't worry, Malta, the band will follow your song," Amber said, grinning at me with her arms crossed.

I looked at the people, beginning to walk in a solemn march to pay their respects.

"This is Marnie Wallace's song 'Breathe,'" I said, gripping the microphone stand.

" I hear the sound, echoes beneath
Angels and skylines meet
And I'm straining to reach 
The light on the surface, light on the other side

I feel the pages turning
I see the candle burning down
Before my eyes, before my wild eyes
I feel you holding me, tighter I cannot see
When will we finally

Breathe, breathe, breathe
Breathe, breathe, breathe

I feel the pages turning
I see the candle burning down
Before my eyes, before my wild eyes
I feel you holding me, tighter I cannot see
When will we finally

Breathe, breathe, breathe
Breathe, breathe, breathe'

As the song came to an end, I glanced around at the somber faces in the room. People had paused in their movements, captivated by my performance. Luigi and Pavi stood in awe on the other side of the stage, while Amber shot me a venomous glare. The crowd soon shifted their attention back to praising the god of gene.co, forgetting about the song entirely. However, the three siblings continued to fix their gaze on me. I stood alone on the dark stage until the audience dispersed for the wake.

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"Malta," I heard a sorrowful voice call out as I entered the foyer. I scanned the room to find my mother, desperately attempting to pull off a transparent white dress with nothing underneath. Great, now everyone will know about my past as a prostitute with a mother like this. How embarrassing.

"I told you not to talk to me," I muttered, turning away from her and attempting to blend into the crowd.

"Malta, please listen to me," she pleaded, grabbing hold of my arm. 

Pavi stood before me, his eyes partially concealed by his thick face, gleaming with anticipation.

"You have to stay for the auction," Pavi insisted, gripping my shoulders and turning me around to face Amber, who stood on a platform, holding her former face in her hand.

Just what I wanted to see, a bloody flap of skin after a funeral. Disgusting.

The auction began, and bids skyrocketed as people clamored for a piece of Amber's face. I suppose being the new leader of Gene.co made it even more valuable. Amber had promised change within Gene.co, but would they truly stop their murderous ways? She had pledged to donate her face to support Zydrates Anonymous, but we all knew that once you were hooked on the 'Z,' there was no turning back.

In the end, Pavi emerged as the winner, adding the face to his collection of many. Applause erupted as Amber delivered a lengthy speech about change and leadership, before the room filled with drinks and refreshments. This was undoubtedly the strangest funeral I had ever attended.

Pavi left me amidst the sea of people to retrieve his new face. Despite the crowd surrounding me, I had never felt more alone.

"Everyone, we have one more announcement for the day!" Luigi's voice boomed through the microphone, capturing everyone's attention. 

"There you are, Malta," my mother said, grabbing my arm.

"Go away," I whispered.

"Malta and I are getting married," Luigi declared.

"Arranged since birth" my mother whispered gleefully.

My heart seemed to stop altogether at this revelation.

"Out of this darkness, light will emerge," Amber proclaimed, standing beside her brother with a grin on her new face.

Why didn't they just let me die?