Gaia Azzaro
I was the mafia princess of the Camorra but only in the eyes of the world. There was never anything special about me, except for my top of the world flaws. I was invisible my whole life until the Brigadier (Capo) of the Russian Bratva se...
"Y-you don't know?" I ask laughing, still giddy to find a flaw in her perfection. "H-haven't you had it before?"
Her lips curled down, her shoulders sagged as she shook her head. All the laughter vanished from my mouth and I gasped in shock. Aunt Vera makes the best orzo, why doesn't she give it to Carina?
I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was looking.
"W-would you like to?" I ask tentatively.
Carina gulped nervously and, as always, looked at the house warily, biting her lip as she nodded. Her pretty features still knotted in twists.
I eyed the big glass and her small body. Maybe I am bigger than her because I drink it every day and she doesn't. I was torn between wanting her to taste it and having it all by myself. So I chose the middle field. I ate 2 of the sweet toasts and washed it down with half of the orzo.
When I handed it to her, she didn't complain about drinking from the glass I had my mouth on. I felt bad, so I wiped the rim for her with the sleeves of my dress, making her smile.
Her eyes widened when she took the first sip and gave me a wide grin. Unlike me, she savours it, slowly lapping it up like a cat. When she finished, she smacked her lips, running her tongue over them.
"Thank you." She said slowly.
"Why don't you ask your m-mamma to make one for you too. W-we will drink it together and I won't have to s-share."
Carina became sad again, looking towards the house. Her eyes watered as she shook her head vehemently and sprinted back to her shabby house.
PRESENT DAY
Today I was wide awake, judging by the lack of movement. It must be the morning. Last night was filled with terror. Women wearing nothing but the leather straps around their flawless bodies followed by men who were behaving like I was invisible slowly filled the cages. The men didn't pay any attention to me, but the women's eyes were on me all the time. Do they think I'm lesbian and throw me in a different lot? I shook my head at the thought. It was really idiotic as if they would support the sexual orientation of the women they steal.
Trixie waved her fingers on my way, giving me a Cheshire grin as she winked at me. My brows furrowed at her in confusion as she reached for the cuffs. My jaw dropped when she started to blindfold and then cuff the man's wrists. I clenched my eyes when she reached for the man's pants.
The room was booming with their moans. The chicken wings and coke heaved up to my throat, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. The thick smell of lilacs and musk was making me dizzy. I had never favoured the strong perfumes. My unspoken whining over my condition had come to an abrupt halt when I heard the sound of whips cutting through the air.
I was shivering in fear of having the same fate as them. No matter how many times I had tried, I flinched every time a whip cracked against the flesh, accompanied by a loud moan.
The house robe I still had on had a hoodie on its back. I hitched it over my head and curled into a ball so my entire body was blanketed by the mini terry robe that reached my knees at my full height.
The moans were too loud to ignore, and blocking all my senses was difficult. I cracked my eyes open and concentrated on the nooses of the sex swing, swaying in rhythm. Forcing myself to focus on the first memory I could put my hand off, I drifted off to sleep, thinking of it over and over again.
AGE 6
Uncle Giovanni, our driver, was taking us to the playground near our house. It's a small walk from my house if I take the back exit, but Mom says that's only for the low-life servants. The driveway to our house alone is so big, the walk around the statue in the middle of the roundabout makes me jaded.
It's been three days since my brother has come home. He remains in his room all the time. The few times I knocked there to invite him to play with me, he frowned and shook his head. Then his attention was back to the textbook he had been reading since he came. I had thought he was mute, but then I heard him thank aunt Vera for the breakfast. That means he just doesn't want to talk to me. I felt like Carina at the moment.
I had only known that I had a brother because I got a birthday present in his name. The girls in my school don't like their siblings, but I always wanted to have one. After sharing my orzo, I didn't get a chance to see Carina again because my mother was always home. Today, I shouted loudly to announce that I was going to the playground so hopefully, she will come too.
I glance at my brother again. Even now in the car, he is reading with a sullen expression on his face, I wonder if would do the same in the playground. His curly black hair was curtaining over his eyes, but he didn't attempt to move them or even bother to blink. I craned my neck to see what he had been reading. I shivered in fear when his angry gaze landed on me, he closed the book loudly making me flinch.
He narrowed his brown eyes at me and cocked his thick brows in question.
"W-what are you reading?" I asked, wringing my fingers on my lap as I jumped back to my previous position. When he opened the book, I peered at it again, feeling more confused.
"What is t-that." His brows knitted, and he frowned at me like I was a nuisance to him. A similar expression Mamma gives to Carina and Aunt Vera. Valerius, mom, and I had the same brown eyes and black hair. But I'm not as boring as them.
"It's in Russian." he spoke dryly, going back to reading. He was done with the small conversation now.
When we reached the playground, I hopped out and rounded the car to open Valerius's side of the door. I tugged on his wrist, but he didn't budge. I can yank everyone in my class like they were one of my dolls, but Valerius is bigger than me, bigger than anyone his age. Just like me.
"Let's go V-Val or someone else will t-take the swings." I plead with him, pulling harder, From here I can see the swings already going high up and down with a squeaky noise but I know they will run away if they see Val.
"We have a swing at home." he pointed, still not looking at me.
"But that's not the swing I want." I groan, trying to haul him up with both hands. I had told my mother that I wanted a swing in the house. I got it the next day, but it was a stupid patio swing with a canopy, and she occupies it all the time.
When I heard the taps of Carina's shoes, I chucked Val's hand with a loud huff and closed the door. The sound of Carina's shoes tap is different because they are mine, bigger than her size. I scratched the back of my neck, tossing her an awkward smile. Today she was wearing only my t-shirt as a dress that reaches her knees. Her socks were pulled in place beneath her knees, one with an elastic hair tie and the other with a scrunchie. She stopped in front of me, giving me a smile. The other kids always laugh at her for her dirty ill-fitted clothes, but she just doesn't care.
I heard the door to the car open and shut. Val must have changed his mind. I didn't need him as much as before, because Carina had managed to sneak through the back exit.
It was supposed to go smoothly. Carina would stand in a queue, give me her turn and clap her tiny hands when my swing would reach high. But instead, that day changed everything for us.
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