91 Days: After the End

Day 24: To Preserve The Memory

"Do again, Miss-isa!" Franz exclaimed, his hands clinging to my dress with anticipated excitement.

I chuckled at his innocent face as I nodded, the boy lightening up before passing me the matchbox. I took the used candle close to me while gesturing for Franz to take his seat across from me.

Lighting the candle with the match, the cadence sparked into a small flickering light dancing on the wick.

Looming close to the light, I gave Franz a small smile before coughing to begin changing my voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to present to you an amazing magic passed down from my family!"

With a slight bow while accompanied by Franz's applause, I licked my thumb discreetly before hovering it over the flame and after a second pinched the wick of the flame.

After a moment of anticipated silence, I separated my pinched fingers and showed the slightly sooty but fine fingertips to Franz, the boy once again astounded as to how my fingers weren't burnt by the candle's flame.

"Magic, Miss-isa!"

"Of course it is," I simply say, patting the boy on the head before the backdoor in the kitchen opened to reveal Angelo, his straw-colored eyes looking at our forms with devoid emotions.

Franz was immediately up in a heartbeat, his form speaking volumes that he didn't like Angelo one bit before running off. It couldn't be helped, after all, who wouldn't hate the person who made their mother angry and distraught by just their presence alone.

"What were you doing?" He spoke up, probably to just start a conversation in the awkward silence of the kitchen.

Unlike Nero, Angelo was a hard person to understand. He had many layers to himself, each obviously a mask he had carefully woven to blend in with the crowd he mingled in. Such a man like him... It would obviously be difficult to write such a complex character like him.

But then again, it wasn't like I had even progressed in my writing. Ever since the encounter with the Galassia Family, I had lost contact with all my family. They must already know that something's gone wrong but have no means to contact me.

So, for now, until this issue simmers down then I had no choice but to stay in hiding with the two people who started this bloodlust in the first place.

"Franz got bored since Fio was out at the market. Seeing as Nero's asleep and Cerotto's accompanying Fio, I decided to entertain him."

"With a candle?"

"With a candle," I confirm to which Angelo passes me an unreadable glance before walking towards the table and sitting across from me.

He began to take the candle and matches before mimicking my earlier magic trick. "You mean this trick?"

"Yes. Apparently, he has yet to realize that it's all about science but not that I can blame him. If it means keeping him occupied then why not?" I shrug as I rose and began to fix us both refreshments.

"I guess kids love these kinds of things. Even Luce had me do the trick countless of times just to figure out how it worked," He admitted before I handed him the glass of water.

I could only inwardly wince at how he spoke of his dead brother as if he were talking about a mere stranger. Which was ironic given that he had destroyed an entire mafia family just to avenge his deceased family.

But then again, they had been dead for quite a long time already, he might have already moved on after he had achieved his revenge and yet...

Why did he have the eyes that showed he gained nothing out of this bloody road he had taken.

Although Nero had lost everything, he still didn't look the part.  Is it because he had one family left to go back to which was Fio and Franz? Compared to him, Angelo had no one. He had not only lost his family but his 'brother' Corteo as well.

The two who had lost everything, like two sides of the same coin, each had taken a different approach to their loss in different means.

"I believe I owe you an apology," I finally spoke up, the realization of what my curiosity had gotten me into spurning me to ask for forgiveness.

I couldn't possibly do such a thing to their memory. After what they had been through, it wasn't right to use them for my story.

I believe it's better to admit that my father had indeed been correct. It was obviously way out of my league.

"For what?" Angelo eyed me to which I pulled out my small notebook from my bag and took Corteo's letter tucked inside it.

"I believe I have kept this from you for far too long. I wanted to prove my father that I had what it took to become a successful writer but this-," I give him the letter, "-is something that I cannot bring myself to write."

After saying my piece, I give Angelo a slight bow to excuse myself and soon after left the kitchen to leave him to his thoughts.

--*--

"They what?!" I could hear Fio screaming from downstairs, my eyes opening groggily to the outburst.

Angelo and Nero had left a while ago to scout the town and know if it was safe to return to Lawless. This obviously did not sit well with Fio when Nero told her this which forced the two to sneak out when she went to the market.

I guess that would explain why Angelo was sneaking in from the back door of the kitchen.

Of course, it was Cerotto who had gotten an earful from Fio, seeing as he had been in on it when he accompanied her to stall her trip home. I had been forgiven by Fio, considering that I actually didn't know anything about this plan they had concocted. Nero probably didn't want me getting caught up in their schemes again after what happened in Lawless.

"And you let Nero go alone with that bastard?!" she continued to yell angrily, Cerotto practically trying to placate her with assurances but all failing miserably.

I couldn't blame her, Angelo just couldn't be trusted after what he had done to them. But that was merely based on his relationship with them. To me, Angelo was still in a gray area, considering he didn't really do anything to make me hate him.

I'd like to believe though that he was doing his best to be a better person, seeing as he had plenty of chances to attack us and yet he didn't. That, or maybe he just wasn't motivated enough until I arrived with the picture in tow.

"Mah, let's just leave them be, Fio. I'm sure Nero won't let Angelo get the best of him. All of us learned it the hard way after all..." I overheard Cerotto say which was enough to silence the woman, proof of which was the silence that followed after he spoke.

Turning to face the wall, I sigh at this predicament I had gotten myself into and forced my eyes close in the hopes of sleeping it all away.