Falling Angel | a Mafia Story

Chapter IX

"Smile the worst is yet to come,

we'll be lucky if we ever see the sun"

When I woke up the next morning it took me a moment to shake the disorientation from my bones.

I had no recollection of how I had gotten into my bed, only a faint memory of anxiety lingering over me.

Lifting the covers and slowly rising, I had to take a second until the heavy pounding in my head subsided, but it only slightly dulled after a minute or so of sitting on the side of bed, before I could stand.

The curtains in the room where drawn shut and there were occasional peeks of sunlight breaking through as the fabric rippled in the soft breeze that came from the garden.

Walking over to the window I moved the heavy velvet aside, blinking into the dazzling day that lay before me. But dread slowly started to crawl its way up my body, as I noticed the noon sun hang high up in the sky, practically taunting me for having slept away the entire morning.

Shit.

Rushing back to the bed, one look at the clock confirmed the time of day, but wonder struck me as I realized that somebody must have turned off my alarm, which had resulted in me sleeping in and neglecting my duties in this household.

There was no reason for haste, now that I was late anyway, so I took the time to gather a fresh pile of clothes and wash myself in the bathroom before going downstairs so that I could try to explain my tardiness without getting ripped to shreds.

I almost didn't recognize myself as I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

My eyes were bloodshot, red and puffy, and even though I had just gotten up from a full night's rest, I looked like I had not slept in days.

I was washing my face when my eyes landed on my hands. They had taken on a violent red, with wild scratches littering the pale skin, and my mind flashed back to the blood that had soiled them the night before. Or rather hadn't.

Now, with a clear mind I had no trouble identifying the panic attack that had struck me yesterday, but as always, during the heart pounding and hallucinations my brain had not been able to pick up on these clues.

Once dressed and as much composed as could be I stepped outside of the door and made my way down the stairs, wondering how I could excuse the negligence that I had shown.

But as I entered the kitchen, I was greeted by Ellie's distraught face rushing towards me and crushing me in a tight embrace.

The small woman in front of me bombarded me with questions, all the while pulling me towards the counter and sitting me down on one of the barstools.

"Oh heavens, I heard what happened," she ranted, her voice excited and frightened all the same. "Poor Dario, that must have been terrifying."

Taking my hands into hers she squeezed my fingers, looking up at me with earnest gratitude in her dark eyes.

"Anabelle D'Angelo! You really are an angel for saving that boy!"

I could feel the colour rising to my cheeks and in an attempt to change the subject I rose from the stool, looking around for a task at hand.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry, I slept in, you should have woken me up," I tried to apologize, but she just waved off the matter and continued rambling on about the shock she had endured when she first heard of Dario's state.

Bless this poor woman's soul!

Listening to her with one ear, I couldn't help but worry, after all, just because Ellie so graciously excused my being late for work, I was fairly certain that Antonio would not be as forgiving.