𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚 | 18+

64

I cry into Rebecca's shoulder as she holds me tightly. Her and Luca came to pick me up about five minutes after Ezra left. I'm still trying to understand everything that went down in a metter of half an hour.

"He'll be okay. He always has been." She reassures me, rubbing a soothing hand up and down my back.

We're at Nonna's now, who is making ravioli for me because she said I looked like I hadn't eaten in days when in reality I had dinner with her last night. But I'm not one to turn down free food. Let alone homemade.

"What if he won't be okay this time? What if they get him?" I sob. I feel her shudder against me, because I know that it hurts her as well. They were cousins, after all.

"He will make it out alive. Don't worry. Non ti preoccupare." She tells me. I only sob harder because the mere idea of him dying makes my chest physically hurt.

I take a deep breath and lift myself from Rebecca's shoulder, eyeing the big wet stain I left on her shirt.

"Sorry." I croak. She shrugs.

"Fa niente." I'm hoping that doesn't mean "you'll be buying me a new one" because I don't have any European money.

I lay down on the couch, I refused to go upstairs to the bed I shared with him, and bury my face in the cushions. Hopefully I'll suffocate myself.

I hear Giovanni step into the room and take a seat next to me. I feel his hand run down from my shoulder to my elbow in a soothing manner.

"Cosa dovremmo farci?" He asks Rebecca.
[what should we do?]

"Non lo so. Andiamo a cercarlo?" They both talk very fast.
[I don't know. Should we go look for him?]

"Si. Qualcuno deve star qui con lei, non può stare da sola. È pericoloso."
[Yes. Someone has to stay with her here, she can't be alone. It's dangerous.]

"Ci sta la Nonna."
[Nonna will stay.]

"Ah, beh, certo. Ma se le trova qualcuno? Posso chiamare Valerio. Ci sta Volentieri."
[Well, of course. But what if someone finds them? I can call Valerio. He'll happily stay here.]

"Va bene. Ci posso stare anche io. Valerio non sa confortare la gente. Anzi, peggiorerebbe la situazione. Lei, porella, ha bisogno di qualcuno."
[Okay. I can stay as well. Valerio doesn't know how to comfort people, he makes things worse. She needs someone.]

"Allora Valerio viene con me. Porto tutti. Dobbiamo trovarlo."
[Then Valerio will come with me. I'll bring everyone. We need to find him.]

I feel Luca lifting himself off the couch and I wonder where he's going.

"Where's he going?" I ask Rebecca.

"He's going to find Ezra before he gets too far." She explains. I nod and wipe my hand underneath my eyes.

"Can I help?" I want to assist in any way possible. I want to help him.

"No." She shakes her head. I nod slowly.

"I need to call him." I jump up and go to grab my phone but Rebecca pushes me back down on the couch. I look at her in confusion.

"You can't call him. If they have him, they have his phone, too, and they'll be able to track your number." She tells me. I feel the tears sting in my eyes again at the idea of having no contact with him whatsoever. It kills me not to know if he's okay.

"Then I'm going with Luca." I announce, standing again. I walk fast enough to be able to avoid her hand trying to grip my arm to pull me back down.

"No, you're not." Rebecca stands as well, following me.

"Just let me help!" I cry, spinning around to face her. "I want to do everything I can to help him!"

"The only way for you to help is so sit your ass back down and wait. By going, you would get in the way. You haven't been in training and you don't have the skills to be able to participate and help!" She fires back, clearly annoyed with me. "Trust me when I tell you that I wish with everything in my heart for Ezra to come back, and I'm sure you do too, but I know that the others know what they're doing and have everything under control just the way it is. Luca already left anyways and the doors are locked." She says, returning to her sitting position on the couch.

There truly is nothing I can do.

————————————

Six hours later, I hear a car pull into the driveway. I jump up from the couch, eager to see Ezra, and run to the door. My heart beats in my chest while I swing it open and wait as men pile out of the van one by one. I scan each and every one of their faces as they exit and remain confused when one of the men slides the van's door shut.

Luca walks over to me with a defeated look and shakes his head. I see the shimmer of a tear in the corner of his eye and immediately burst out crying.

My heart shatters and my whole body sinks.

He's dead.

I don't register what happened in the next few minutes, but now I'm standing in the middle of the living room with Luca's arms wrapped around me as I pour my grief into him.

"Abbiamo trovato la sua macchina, era rovesciata sul lato, ma lui non c'era."
[We found his car, it was tipped over on its side, but he wasn't there.]

"We couldn't find him." He tells me, after having exchanged a few words with Rebecca in their native language.

I don't know how I'll survive without him. I've gotten so accustomed to spending all of my time with him, so what will I do now that he's gone?

He was my everything. He still is my everything. The light of my life. He has my heart in the palms of his hands.

word count: 1030
☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎☂︎

kind of a short chapter, I know. I was sad while writing this and I wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.

What are ur thoughts so far?

Stay safe<3
-S