VALENTINA
~Je te laisserai des mots by Patrick Watson
I have not been released for at least two weeks, the day I was punished was also the last day my father visited me.
I don't know how long I can hang around here. I'm hungry, thirsty, tired and I don't have any more strength either. The chains will leave marks, and worse than before.
I heard footsteps approaching my cell. The heavy metal door was opened, which got out a squeak from it. "Your time is over, today is a special day." It wasn't my father, but one of his workers. He opened the chains and held me like Valerian the one day.
He then let go of me with his hand so that I fell to the ground. I felt Marcel kick my legs, but I felt nothing because my leg was still slightly numb. "Get up, we won't wait for you."
I hate Marcel. He thinks just because he's my father's right-hand man that he can treat us like shit. I would like to just shoot him, but I can't waste my thoughts on that now. I got up in pain and tried to stand as best I could, I looked at Marcel and gave him a venomous look.
I limped out of the cell. It was dark, and the corridor was only lit with light lanterns. Since I had no shoes on, I also felt the cold ibex under my feet. At least Marcel held the door open for me. I walked out to the hallway and went to my room.
When I got to my room, I stopped against the wall and braced myself. "Get dressed, the ceremony is about to begin." I turned to Marcel and finally wanted to say something, but the door was closed.
I went to my bed and pushed a box out below. I took my pain pills out, immediately took two, and leaned against my bed. I've never had such pain before. It feels like someone is pricking it with a hot needle.
I get up off the bed because I can't spend all my time on it, although in my condition it would be necessary. I thought about what kind of ceremony Marcel meant. My father does a lot of events, which one will this time? I know it can't be a good one. The last one ended up with two people losing their lives.
So I put on the dress that was on my chair. After I get dressed. Two women came into my room. One concentrated on doing my hair, the second my make-up. For a short time, I could only sit and do nothing. But it didn't feel really good because of the pain in my body. My eyes were closed, I sensed the presence of the two when there was a knock on my door and someone entered without my permission.
Marcel just stood by the door and didn't shoot it close. "You both can go." he made it clear to the two women. They bent slightly and sewed up all their things to walk out of my room.
Marcel closed the door again and came close to me when he held out gloves to me. They were made of a smooth silk fabric that was light blue. Just like my dress that only went down to my knees. "Put them on."
"Because nobody should see my bruises?" I raised my eyebrow. "If you don't keep your mouth shut, I promise your bruises will be your smallest problem." I swallowed hard and stopped talking.
"As I thought." I wasn't afraid of Marcel, but fear of the punishment that would come my way, even more of my father. I put on my gloves and walked out of my room with Marcel by my side.
We came into a large hall. A lot of people came. Mainly assassin. Exactly when I came in, my father took a glass and a spoon in his hands and lightly hit the glass with the spoon so that the whole hall came to rest.
He put the spoon aside and instead took a microphone, which got handed to him by one of his men. "Today we have gathered to celebrate a special day. My oldest beautiful daughter is now grown up. Vera. "
I saw Vera walk slowly into the hall. She was wearing a white dress. I hit my mouth when I realized what he was up to. He pulls it off with the marriage.
I quickly put my hand back down. If anyone saw me, it wouldn't end well. Still, I'm shocked. At least once, I have thought that our father would think about how we feel.
Vera doesn't want to get married. She never wanted that since she found out that father and mother had also been in a forced marriage. Mother didn't know who she was getting married to, and now she is being abused and humiliated by her husband.
When I was little, she told me that he wasn't like that from the start. Since Vera's birth, which is ironic. He didn't want all the other children after Valerian, and let us feel like we have forced him to get into bed and have children.
I looked at Vera, which just turned to face the audience. She had a white veil, her brown hair was arranged high and the dress was quite old-fashioned, certainly not her choice. It was long-sleeved and had a slight neckline. But it suited her perfectly, even if it might be from the 18s.
In her hands, she held the sadness, the nervousness, and all the anger. You could see how tightly she embraced the bouquet, which consisted of white flowers. If she were holding roses, her beautiful white dress would be smeared with blood.
I looked at her, at that moment I caught Vera's gaze, which radiated nothing but emptiness. I don't want that for her at all, but I know if I present myself as a hero and ruin the wedding, it will take place without me.
Nobody can do anything, neither one of my siblings, especially not my mother, my father had no respect for her from the start, even though it is the most important rule in the house for him. Respect is power. You need to respect forward me whether you like it or not.
I looked to my left, where my "bodyguard" stands for tonight. "At some point, you'll be there too, and that earlier than you think. Who knows, maybe I'll be so nice and take you as my wife. " Marcel filthy smile in my face and I just felt sick. The thought of going married to Marcel leaves me with a shiver down my spine.
He would treat me like the last piece of shit. In this situation, I only think of the days in New York. I don't know why I remember exactly those days when I didn't want to get to know people. But it was the best day of my life.
I haven't talked to a person for a long time, like that, I can't deny it. To imagine being back in town and doing what I want would be my dream. But everyone can dream.
I can dream of friends, family, children, a man who loves me. But since the last time I fell in love, it ended with a disaster that I see every night and can never erase. Look from my father who was full of blood, the five people lying lifeless on the floor.
A family that probably had their whole life ahead of them and only had to die because I couldn't keep my hands off love, because I couldn't hold back from loving. I don't want someone to die because of me, because I can't get control of myself and my emotions, so I just hope that people don't like me.
A hand fell on my shoulder as I winced. I looked to my left, where I saw Valentin and Valerie. They stood there and looked at me. "Are you okay?" I nodded, but they knew something was bothering me anyway.
"We can't stop it, even if we try. It will turn out to be bad for all of us." Valentin explained to me. He has always been the one in the family who listened to his head more than listening to his heart.
"She's going to marry someone she doesn't love."
"We all will." My gaze dropped. Valerie was right. We'll all gonna stand there and marry someone we don't love or even know.
But that doesn't hurt the most, the fact that I'll probably never be happy hurts more. "Do you want to get married?"
Both looked at me again. I never talked to them about it. I had only talked about such a thing with Vera. "Of course, but when I think of marrying someone I don't love, it's difficult." agreed Valentin with Valerie.
"Everything will be fine." Valentin's pressure increased on my shoulder. I just nodded, even though I already knew he said something, I wanted to hear.
All three of us looked at Vera, who just looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I am proud to say that my first daughter is now ceding the marriage and spreading the blood of the Alvarez. Cheers to the marriage." My father raised his champagne glass and all the guests imitated him.
He put the empty glass on a tablet and took the red ribbon from his jacket. The bond of marriage is something different from what you see.
The woman gets a thin red bracelet from the father tied on the wrist, so he agrees to the wedding one hundred percent. Then he puts the veil off her face and the woman stands in front of everyone at the altar. She waits for the man to come to her. Which was exactly the case of what happened now.
My heart tears apart when I think about Vera losing a tear under the veil. I want to prevent it, but my hands are tied together. I could see our father coming to us as he walked off the stage.
Without a word or a smile, he stood upright next to Marcel and watched the groom slowly feed my sister. A song played, and the hall became quiet. The piano and the violin played elegantly.
The groom stood across from my sister and took her hand. A man, who was the pastor, stood between them. "We have gathered here to make the covenant with the two wonderful people..."
He started chattering the usual bullshit. "As in good and bad days, blah blah blah." Then the word with the rings fell. It was a mission for my brother Valerian, whom you saw for the first time today. He walked to the man and my sister with a small box and presented the rings with a bow, which is tradition.
Then he came to us and stood between me and my father. "Now you can kiss." The groom put his hand on her cheek and came closer to my sister to complete the marriage bond. Then suddenly someone stood up in the audience and everything stopped. I don't know whether I should be happy, relieved, or desperate.
"Vera doesn't marry him, please. Be with m..." He couldn't go on because a gun was held to his head. "Father, no," Vera yelled from the altar and yanked herself from the grip of her not-yet husband. But my father didn't listen and pulled the trigger. Then the young man fell on the floor and blood rafted across the floor.
"So, dear guests, I ask you to leave the hall." Shouted Marcel. Everyone listened to him. They knew that it would not end well. We as a family all had to stay.
My father didn't even wait until everyone was outside, he rushed to Vera and grabbed her by the hair. When the door closed, the room was lit like a fire. Everything was black and dark red, with no colors. The Hell and the devil held my sister in his hand.
I looked around me, everyone was silent, you could only hear my father's screams. "You Bitch. You are unfaithful and are a slut who is only looking for sex." He throws Vera down on the floor from the stage. She crawls backward with her hands in panic. "This family is going down. They no longer know what respect means, but that will change."
"You will all learn to obey rules and learn not to break them." He took his gun out of his belt, landed it with his thumb, and aimed it at his own daughter without mercy. She froze.
We can't go to her because Valerian held me and the twins were held by mum and Marcel. "Father, she will learn." Came from Valerie. "You see? Not a single hint of respect for your father. I never asked for your opinion and still, you open your fucking mouth." He came to the three of us who were still being held. He looked at us one by one. "Valerian rule number 3?" my father looked sternly at Valerian.
"No relationship / sexual closeness as long as the father does not choose the partner, and you are married." And exactly as it was written on the paper, the sentence was correct.
"Who broke the rule?"
"Vera."
"WHO ELSE?" yelled my father.
"Valentina."
"Are you proud of it?" My father looked at me. "No, father." it wasn't true. I didn't sleep carelessly with Francesco. He was my first and last love who was killed by my father, like Vera's lover now.
"Do you regret it?" he yelled again.
"Yes, father."
"Prove it." He held out the gun, which was still loaded. "Shoot your sister. No mercy." my eyes widen. The twins protested, but with an order, they fell silent.
*
He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me in front of Vera, where I could see her face. Her tears ran down, and the mascara was black under her eyes. My father put the gun in my hand. I pointed the gun at her head and lose a tear. I was shaking, which caused the gun not to stand still.
Vera was right on her knees in front of me as if I were a monster that is taking her life. "If you want to be an assassin, shoot." shouted my father. Vera looked at me and held me by the hand that held the gun. "It's okay... it's not your fault."
"SHOOT." shouted my father again. Voices that just didn't fit in my head. I can't kill her. She's my sister. "I ..." but before I could say anything, Vera pulls the trigger, and she fell on the ground, died. I twitched and saw her body no longer kneeling in front of me, but lying.
"I hope you have finally learned your lesson Valentina and if something like that happens again in the family I will show no mercy anymore."
I didn't shoot. I didn't shoot. She was it herself. My hands are shaking, and I looked at the gun that was still in my hand.
I looked at Valerie, who was just crying in mother's arms. Valentin looked at the floor and Valerian looked to the side. Nobody looked me in the face, not even a look.
I now turned my gaze to my fourth sibling. I knew the hell was bad, but I didn't know it was unbearable. A pain is spreading in my chest. "Marcel bring them to the cell and Valentina you can go to your room." He took the gun from my hand and walked away with my brother and mother.
Marcel took the twins with him, and I still stayed in the same place and didn't move. I was alone with the two bodies of a couple who just wanted to love each other.
I fell on my knees in the blood of Vera that flooded the floor. I looked at my hands, which were now full of blood. "I killed her." I looked at my hands and cried. She was young, but she still had everything along with her. She wanted to get married so badly and leave this family behind, but now she can't. She trusted me. Most of all and now she is in front of me and her murderer in her blood.
I went to Vera, who had still opened her eyes. I went to close them with my hand and just watched her. Then I interlaced my fingers with hers. "It shouldn't have happened." She should have lived. Get what she deserves, because she deserves the world. The love, affection, passion, and trust. What she got was shit. A bunch of filth.
My head sank to her stomach. "I didn't mean to, please forgive me, Vera. Please. Sister, I didn't want it." I cried out everything I had inside me.