MAFIA POSSESSION ( Completed)

SEPARATION

This is a fucking disaster! My life is ending! I can’t do this!” Sophia shrieked, pacing back and forth on my father’s perfectly green grass as my sister Eliza looked through wedding magazines. “My mother has lost her damn mind. How can she expect me to do this?”

“I imagine the same way my father expects me to marry Anthony,” I answered, both bored and tired of stressing through unwanted wedding preparations. 

“This is a nice dress,” Eliza said timidly, the fire in her eyes all but dissipated. Poor girl, she’d been daunted with the task of picking out the wedding dress for a panicked Sophia. “It’s got a nice lace pattern…” She tried again, holding the magazine up so we could see it.

“NOOO!!!!” Sophia shrieked again, this time a notch louder, hurting my ear drums and not even bothering to look at the dress all at the same time.

“Sophie, listen…” A pause.  “At least your mom has the decency of letting you pick out a dress. Think of how nice your pictures will look… They’ll last a lifetime.” My lips quirked up as her hazel eyes widened wide with horror at the thought.

At least I was able to still find small pleasures in life despite how dark times were getting. The look of murder she was giving me was totally worth it.

“I’m going to kill him! I’m going to wait till he falls asleep on the wedding night, then I’m going to slit his throat!” Sophia looked both wild and crazed with the promise of murder. “A knife…I need a knife!”

I closed my eyes, feeling the sweat on my forehead trickle down my skin as the sun blared fiercely, sparing no heat on this summer day. That’s right, summer. Sophia’s wedding was one month away. It would be at my aunt Emilia’s estate— a small ceremony— only those in my family’s inner circle.  It was meant to be an intimate wedding, is what my mother and aunt would say. But we knew the truth…what it was meant to be, was a secret.

The whole of this ordeal was such a sham that my family should just have the help take care of it all—the decorations, invitations, food, dress, and entertainment.  Why should we have to deal with it? Wasn’t it enough that we were giving away our lives?

Eliza threw the magazine on the table, fed up with the fact that every dress she’d chosen thus far had none too kindly been rejected.

“Can I at least know who you’re going to marry?” My sister whined, eyeing Sophia with much irritation.

“No!” Sophia and I practically caroled in unison.

“This is not fair! You told Bella, I’m your cousin too!” My sister whined some more, betrayed.

“Yes, but it’s a higher probability that you’ll open that big yap of yours!” Sophia said with absolutely no sympathy. 

Eliza frowned.

Feeling the need to change the subject before my sister threw another tantrum, I said, “Soooo….are we going to stay outside in the garden all afternoon? I feel like I’m getting a farmers tan…” And I pulled at my T-shirt for good measure.

Eliza didn’t look to relax at all. In fact, her jaw tightened with tension as did her best to glare at us both. Who could blame her though? We all were keeping secrets from her.

Although the wedding was no longer top secret to immediate members of our family, my father had still prohibited Sophia from sharing the details of her future husband. He said it would protect the groom’s family, he said that those particular details were on a need to know basis…and apparently my sister and I didn’t need to know.

Thank God he didn’t know I was the first person Sophia told.

“I’m tired of all the secrets around here! You guys act like I’m not trustworthy!” Eliza huffed as she got up from the chair, her small nose scrunching and eyes narrowing resentfully.  “I’m going inside. Good luck with your wedding dress,” She mocked as she stomped away.