Los Carnales

Chapter 1: Hypocritical Sinners

Luca sat next to Camila in the pew of their church, eyes laser focused ahead on the priest. He paid close attention while Camila watched the priest give his homily though had her mind elsewhere.

In a white tight knee length skirt that clung to her frame and accentuated her curves, a white u-cut shirt with large blue buttons on her sleeves, white scarpins on her feet, and a white cross with blue diaminds on her neck—Camila stood out next to Luca who wore all white everything as well and dressed up in a vest and slacks with polished shoes. They sat at the back of the church—Luca liked to keep an eye on his gang and wanted to see who was or wasn't paying attention—while thirty members who could make it to this side of town sat ahead all decked out in soft blue tones.

Camila sighed softly through her nose and didn't find that she was enjoying mass today the way she usually did. Even if she wasn't required to go, she'd go anyway, but she really didn't want to be there with a bunch of hypocrites who made the word of God look like a joke to them—something to hide behind to come off as holy people while they dove into the dark depths of sin on a daily basis. She found herself shaking her head subconsciously at that. This wasn't to say Camila didn't sin, everybody does it, she just didn't sin the way they did. Camila never killed or hurt anybody despite knowing how to use a gun, she didn't participate in any of the drug trafficking, she wasn't greedy. I mean, sure she had sex before marriage, swore, and drank but it could be worse.

She earned herself the nickname 'Candy' for being the sweetest and softest person Estrabao Cartel has. Luca was the exact opposite. He was mean, unforgiving of betrayal, had a God complex, judged everyone inferior to him, embellished in the Estrabao family's riches, and would bring serious harm to anyone who tried anything with his little sister. Luca had a different father but the same mother, so they were only half siblings but grew up super close until he became a not so fun person anymore. They no longer lived with their parents since taking over Estrabao Cartel—founded by his uncle in 1990—because Luca moved them away to Fort Lauderdale to keep them safe from all the violence. In that large mansion they lived in? It was just them alongside members closest to them.

"Our youth have grown up in a society that has glamorised violence and desensitised them to the loss of life. This week in Liberty City, Reece Smith, a 24 year old young white man is on trial for breaking out of jail, going into a local barber shop with guns blazing and killing an innocent 13 year old boy, Isaiah King. He was my good friend's son. Violence among youth in the United States has reached critical mass. More specifically, the African American community is disproportionately affected by violence and crime..."

"Why so distracted, Karla? What are you thinking about?" mumbled Luca, still not taking his eyes off of the priest. She hated being called that, hut nobody would call her by her middle name like she preferred. It was either Karla or Candy, that was it.

Camila whipped her head, flipping her straight hair off of her shoulders before folding her arms over her chest. She threw one leg up to overlap the other, crossing them out of habit for when she was uncomfortable or insecure that her privates were on display.

"Who says I'm distracted?" Camila replied in a hushed tone, face absent of any emotion.

"Nobody has to say anything, eres mi hermana y sé cuándo estás distraída. Qué tienes?" (you are my sister and I know when you are distracted. What's wrong?)

"Nada, Luca, nada. Solo estoy pensando en lo que Aleesia y Dinah y yo van a hacer cuando salgamos de aquí. Estoy aburrida, quiero divertirme," she told the truth but kept a major part out of it. (Nothing, Luca, nothing. I'm just thinking about what Aleesia and Dinah and I are going to do when we get out of here. I'm bored, I want to have fun.)