My Tragic Mafia Life | ✔️

11

But the students and Josephine waited—for the plead to arise. To ask for his help. A heavy stare full of contempt and compliance crept around its fine line between and hatred and brotherhood. It sliced  the flickering tension between both Dante and Camillo. They knew there would be a fine line in this request. And it would be Dante, not the others, to make the call.

Dante said. "Would you help? For this peace of yours?"

Camillo blinked. "I'm all for peace, Dante." He bit further. "Aren't you tired off all this stupid fighting between our families? It's just a bit of forgiveness." He pushed again, his arms slackening to his side against the school uniform. "Are you willing to amend our families?"

"I will consider it..." A slight pause, on Dante's end, before a rageful storm ripped across hateful eyes that left his friends tensing. "...when my parents forgive you, my brother rises from the dead, and hell freezes over."

Camillo's smile subdued. It bloomed into something that left Josephine unnerved. He turned vicious.

The students wore their usual uniforms—but with no medals, no adornments nor emblishments declaring their dignity in the school. No sign of anything else but the cheap fabric running over gleaming muscles. Enough so to replace the distraction that marked Josephine's confusion at the situation.

Camilo drawled. "But you ask for my help."

"Yes." Was all Dante said.

"But you still hate me."

"Yes."

Josephine's blood raced across her chest. She was excited, this thrilled her. The tension, the quivers, the anger... She had never been so excited and impatient and attentive at school.

Camillo was staring at Dante in quiet question. He heeded his words, but there was that instance of unpromising peace that was forsaked his plans.  But he was still standing by."Then talk, Dante. I'm here. You have your chance. Now go. What do you want?"

But it was that green-haired girl who spoke. "Names. The name of your family who deceived us."

Camillo's lip curled. "I do not have the resources for such a thing. Nor the patience, or the time."

"How is that any help?" Beatriz bit.

"Right," The green-hair added, "because your entire family's too busy folding every bill in that those hundred vaults of yours."

There was that flash of surprise that crossed the group's face—then vanished. Vanished, and then swallowed by pure fury as Josephine couldn't clearly understand the level of what those words meant to the students leveled on Camillo's side. They all simmered in angry stances.

Camillo threw her a snarl that had the girl draining of color. "Traitors were invited as a courtesy, not as consultants. How dare you speak like this after everything I've done for you and your family."

"Pretty funny. Considering what you've put her through." The hoop-eared girl said, her arms wrapped around her midrift, voice full of anger.

But now that Josephine watched them all, she noticed that onyx-hair wasn't one to stop on her own senses. Josephine could tell that she couldn't help it. Didn't even try to fight the red-hot temper that razed her senses as she sent a hurdle of spit towards the female. "Valencio-loving vermin."

Beatriz's dark eyes scorched as if on fire. "If news of this alliance spreads to either of our families, she'll be bleeding out right alongside you, so I think Isla damn well gets a say in things. So I suggest you tug in your tail and get your manners in place, Valentina."

"My family will do far worse things than hurt you," The onyx-haired girl, now named Valentina, counted coolly. "So I suggest you take the same advice, Beatriz."

Josephine hadn't known, and wished she did. The secrets that drove each character, each pawn before her. Nothing had come up in after school gossip. None of their trifles. It was as their problems were from another world.

Josephine wanted to rip into that world, shredding each person one by one.

The twins snarl rippled throughout the wind in the grassy yard, echoed by Valentina's own growl.

Isla quivered her lips, dusting her green hair behind sagging shoulders. "I left you on my own accords. Leave Dante's request out of this."

Valentina went on, her tongue gloated and meek."Oh wow, the Valencio's are here. And they want peace. But don't worry, in their presence, all our families problems turns into pretty birds and fly away."

"So you don't want to help us." The hoop-eared girl said dryly.

"It was not enough to be with me, was it?" One of the twins said, using shame as his tactic towards Isla. "You once asked Camillo if you could have more, and when he said no ..." His mouth tightened. "Maybe everything was a game. You wanted for peace when you were with me, and now that you caused all this, why bother for more? Is this just another joke for you?"

Josephine watched, her stomach twisting to every word that came out of their hate-filled throats. She huffed breathlessly, each slew stirring something in her heart. Something exciting. Something made her smile.

Beatriz let out a hateful smile. "And how is that peace working out for you, Camillo? All pretty birds that fly away?"

Camillo didn't lose his grip, not as he angled his head to Beatriz, and hissed. "I'm trying."

"Tell that to my parents. Tell that to the innocent boy you slaughtered, my own brother." Dante said. "That you're trying."

Josephine lost her smile.

So it's revealed. Camillo's family, or maybe Camillo himself, killed Dante's brother.

Do you guys actually think he did it? Or is there something more to discover?

What do you guys think of Isla? Valentina?

More characters are to be named soon.

-Mel

Vote. Comment. Enjoy.