Guns and Roses

02: Party Until You Forget

I was back up in my room since there was no point in staying at a party I didn't want to be at. My conversation with Alex didn't continue after the sister reveal since he just stuttered and walked away, shocked. I sighed and continued the picture of my mother I was drawing from memory. It was when we went with my nonno, γιαγιά, and Marco to the beach for her birthday. On the last birthday we could celebrate together.

I was adding the finishing touches when there was a knock on my door. I stood from my bed and opened it, revealing Alex with two other guys and a girl. "Can I help you," I asked skeptically.

"We got off on the wrong foot," Alex said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's start over. My name is Alexander Evariatus Tarver." He held his hand out for me to shake.

I took it in a strong grip. "My name is Gaiana Kallisto Thanos."

He smiled and looked back at his entourage. "Gaiana, these are my friends: Jason Carter, his girlfriend Kiara James, and Luca Romano."

Jason had brown hair that was shaved on the sides but long on the top. His eyes were a blue-grey that was playful and full of energy. Kiara was a pretty brunette with whisky-colored eyes. She had energy similar to Jason that surrounded her. Then there was Luca who had dark brown, borderline black, hair and dark chocolate eyes. His eyes were calculating, dark, and mysterious, instantly drawing me in. Luca had a dangerous aura surrounding him. He was the only one out of the three that was covered in beautiful pieces of art. Since they were all by the pool, the guys were shirtless while Kiara had a bikini top and shorts on. This allowed my eyes to glance over his amazing tattoos. Sure, Alex and Jason had a couple here and there but Luca was like a masterpiece.

I smiled and Kiara gushed. "Ooh! I love your accent! Are you from New York?"

I laughed, "Yeah, I am."

"That's so cool! So, how are you liking California so far?"

I shrugged and backed up, letting them all into my room. "I've only been here for a few hours, but I like it so far. The weather is the best part," I laughed.

"Yeah," she giggled. "Nice and warm compared to New York, right?" Kiara and I sat on my bed while Jason sat on one of the chairs in front of us. Luca was walking around, analyzing everything and Alex was looking at my drawing.

"Who's this," Alex asked.

I was silent for a second as I watched him trace the outline of our mother's face with his finger. "That is our mother, Korinna Isidora Thanos."

He was speechless and his eyes filled with wonder and sadness. Kiara placed her hand on my leg. "We will give you two a moment." Then she led Jason and Luca out of my room.

"She's beautiful." He looked up at me. "You look like a replica of her."

I smiled. "Yeah. Everyone said that. Our grandparents, Uncle and Aunt, and even total strangers would tell her that."

"What happened to her? Where is she?" Alex plopped down next to me with the drawing in his hands.

I huffed and felt tears gathering in my eyes. Flashbacks of that day came back and played in my mind's eye. "She was killed my Freshman year. Someone broke in and killed her in our kitchen while I was at school."

I looked up and saw tears in Alex's eyes. He looked lost in his thoughts. "So, I won't have a chance to meet her," he mumbled. His eyes focused back on me and he asked, "Why did she leave me?" I watched as a tear fell from his eye. "Did she not want me," he asked in a broken voice. I watched as this stranger, who claimed to be my older brother, quickly fell apart. I bit my lip, debating on what to do. We were rarely emotional around each other back home, so I was lost. Without thinking, I quickly scooted over and pulled him into a hug.