Cleo's POV:
I'm currently sitting on the couch with Axel clinging onto me tightly. I'm looking at the family with a pissed off look on my face. The atmosphere is tense that you'll need a chainsaw to cut through it, and you can hear a pin drop from a mile away.
I decide to speak as it seems that nobody else has anything to say. "What the hell is the matter you all? You almost gave him an anxiety attack!" I say carefully, not to wake the sleeping four year old.
"Anxiety attack?" Antonio says in a confused tone.
"Yes an anxiety attack!" I yell. Axel flinches in my arms and I rub his back until he relaxes and goes back to sleep.
"But...he doesn't have anxiety." Luca whispers.
I look around at everybody's addled expressions with a perplexed look on my face.
*Are you kidding me right now?*
"You guys aren't serious right now right?" I say to no one in particular.
They all give me a look that tells me they were one hundred percent completely serious.
I let out an loud sigh and let an irritated expression cover my face. "You guys are completely fucking clueless." I deadpanned.
"He has the signs. Restlessness, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, feeling of impending danger or panic, he's tense all the time, blasé blasé." I list.
"Let's not forget the anxiety attack that happened literally 15 minutes ago, the nightmares that he has, and oh! Here's a big give away! His selective mutism!" I say looking around the room.
"What do you mean selective mutism? That's because he's hearing impaired." Angelo says.
*Is that the only thing he heard?*
I let out another sigh before turning to Angelo with an impassive look. "Im surprised you out of all people couldn't pick up on the signs. You are the doctor here. Do you know what the causes of selective mutism are doctor?"
"Yes I know what the signs are Cleo." He says matter of factly.
"Then list them brother dearest." I say rubbing my fingers through Axel's black hair.
"Problems with sound processing."
"Check."
"Self-esteem problems."
"Hmm."
"Poor family relationships."
"Shocker."
"An anxiety disorder."
"Check."
"A traumatic experience."
"Check."
"What? No he hasn't!" Lorenzo impedes.
"Shut up." I say glaring at him. "Continue." I say to Angelo.
"Untreated psychological issues."
"Check."
"Family history of anxiety disorders." He finishes.
"Hmm. So do we see a pattern here?" I say to everybody in the room. Nobody speaks a word, seeming to be deep in thought.
"You guys need to pay attention more. Do you know why he has anxiety? Hmm? Do you know about the nightmares that he gets almost every night? About the bad men in trucks coming to get him? About how they took his twin, Theo. About how his 'mommy and daddy were sleeping in the car' when this happened?"
Everybody look at me with a shocked expression on their face. "W-What did you say?" Hestia speaks for the first time since the predicament.
"He said we were sleeping in the car?" Dante ask.
"Yep." I say watching them try to put the pieces together in their heads.
"But that's not right. He couldn't have remembered that. He was only a baby." Alessandro states looking deep in thought.
"But what if he did." I say look him in the eye. "What if he remembers everything about that day."
"That's impossible. Right?" Leonardo says.
"Is it?" I say squinting my eyes a little.
*God. This is sad. Poor little buddy.*
"That would mean that he has..." Dante says still deep in thought.
"You're almost thereee." I say looking at Dante with a smirk on my face. When it clicks he looks at me bewildered expression. I raise my eyebrows at him waiting for him to say it. The expression on his face almost making me want to laugh. Almost.
*Leave it up to you to want to laugh in serious situations.*
I can't help it okay.
"Photographic memory?"
*Ding ding ding! We have a winner!*
"Bingo." I say with an impassive expression.
It goes silent for a good minute before somebody decides to break it.
"Woah. That's fucking cool." Antonio says under his breath. It would've been difficult to hear if the room wasn't graveyard silent. Lorenzo slaps him in the head and the conversation continues.
"I'm sure we would know that he has photographic memory." Leonardo says.
"No you wouldn't." I snap. "Neither of you even pay attention to the poor boy. He tried to tell you about his nightmares. Neither of you listened. You brushed it off. He tried to tell you that he was scared. You didn't listen. You don't know what goes on inside of his head, and it's not because he didn't tell you, it's because you didn't listen. And now that I think about it, he probably doesn't even speak to any of you because he is mute. He doesn't speak to you because he knows that you don't care to listen."
*You tell 'em sis.*
"We do care." Angelo says looking down at his lap.
"Could've fooled me. I've been here for three days and I've barely seen any of you speak to him." I say back.
"That's not true." Hestia says with tears in her eyes.
"Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not. What do I know right?" I say getting up with Axel still in my arms. "I'm going to take him to his room. Think about what I said. About everything. And get him an eidetic memory test."
I walk out the quiet room and go to Axel's bedroom. I try to put him down on the bed but he tightens his grip on me. I sigh and take off my shoes, which was difficult with a four year old attached to you like a monkey. I lay down with him and he relaxes slightly, loosening his grip on me. He wraps his arms around my waist and I get my phone out. I take this time to answer some more emails and message some of my members.
I look down at the four year old and see little bags under his eyes, indicating that he doesn't get much sleep. I wish that I could take it all away. I wish I didn't know how he felt. I wish that he didn't feel this way. But I can't. I can't take away his trauma, but I can help him through it. I can hold his hand through his pain and hope for the best.
I'm knocked out of my thoughts when my phone message notification ringer goes off. And of course it's the group chat.
Bad Bitch City🫦🥂
Mitra👑- Cleo bitch why haven't I seen u yet?🤨
Damien🕴🏼- Yah u got here three days ago and I haven't seen u at the warehouse. Where the hell are?🧐
Cleo💆🏻♀️- Sorry. I've been busy with the upcoming launch, but I'll see u Monday when u get out of school. I promise.
Damien🕴🏼- But Monday's so far awayyy☹️
Mitra👑- Shut up Damien she's busy! We'll see her Monday.
Damien🕴🏼- Okay😞 Just don't over work yourself Cleo and I expect to see u Monday.
Cleo💆🏻♀️- I won't. I love u guys❤️
Mitra👑- Love u too sis🤍
Damien🕴🏼- Love u bAbYgIrL😘
Cleo💆🏻♀️- Ew. Bye.
I exit out of my messages and go back to replying to emails. I know I told him I won't over work myself and I won't. I mean it's not like I'm working 24/7. Just when I have free time.
After an hour of replying to emails I decide to watch a movie. I decide to watch The Devil Wears Prada since I've never seen it.
*Damn Meryl Streep is hot!*
Oh my god.
*What! I'm just saying.*
You're always "just saying".
*No but like...have you seen her in Death Becomes Her? Whew!*
Karma. If you've seen her then I've seen her. We're the same person.
*Well duh.*
I sigh and try to focus on the movie, but she decides to speak again.
*All of these women are hot though.*
I get it Karma they're hot! I'm watching the damn movie and I'm not blind! So shush.
*Alright alright reLAX.*
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After I was done with the movie I was slightly disappointed. This might just be the most overrated movie I've seen.
I look at the time and see that it is 12:30. I should probably wake sleeping beauty here up.
*But he looks so peaceful.*
It's been three hours. If he doesn't get up soon he'll be up all night; he doesn't need a shaky sleeping schedule. Plus he needs to eat. It's lunch time.
I shake Axel a few times and he wakes up with a disoriented look on his face. "Hey bud. You need to get up." I chuckle.
He sits and stares off into space for about two minutes before I hear a conversation downstairs.
"Hey do you think Cleo would want to go to the mall with us?" Luca ask.
"I don't think she would. She's probably upset with us." Antonio answers.
Damn right I'm upset.
"Yah. You're right. Let's not bother her." Luca says.
Well at least ask.
"When are we leaving?" Antonio ask.
"Uhhh 10 minutes. So be in the car or you're getting left." Lorenzo says.
Oh hell no. I'm getting out of this house. I will not be stuck here.
I turn my head towards Axel and he's staring at me with a confused expression. I smile at him and ask "Hey you want to go to the mall? Get some toys and food?"
He nods while rubbing his eyes.
I get out of the bed and put on my shoes. "Well you better put your shoes on because we're about to leave now."
After hearing that he hops out of bed, puts his shoes on and rushed toward the bathroom.
Well okay then.
I wait for him to finish his business and sit back on the bed. He comes out very soon so I ask "Did you wash your hands?" He nods his head and I look at his with a raised eyebrow. He smiles sheepishly and runs back into the bathroom.
I wait for him to finish washing his hands, which takes longer than the first time. He runs back out rubbing his wet hands on his jeans. "Ready?" I ask. He nods and run out the door.
When I walk out after him, I see him already at the top of the staircase. I walk towards him and hold out my hand, and he grabs it almost immediately. Seeing his little hand in mines almost makes me wanna melt. We walk down the stairs and wait by the door for the others.
I look at my phone and see that it is 12:38. Alright so a couple of more minutes.
"Are you hungry bud?" I ask looking down at Axel.
He nods while still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"We'll get food when we get to the mall okay buddy?" I say as I hear multiple footsteps approaching us.
When I turn in the direction of the approaching footsteps, I see four fucking giants.
Luca.
Antonio.
Lorenzo.
And Angelo.
As soon as they lock their eyes on me and Axel they freeze in there spots.
"Well well well. What do we have here?" I say putting my hand on my hip. Axel looks up at me and mimics my form, putting his free hand on his hip also. We both stare at them, me with an impassive look and Axel...well Axel with a...constipated look.
*I...I think he's trying to look serious, but trying not to laugh. Pshhahahahaha!*
Shut up Karma don't make me laugh.
"Well? Where are you going?" I say looking at the four frozen giants.
"U-uh to the mall?" Luca stutters.
"Are you asking or telling me?" I say to my twin.
"Telling?" He says trying to avoid eye contact with me.
"Well how come neither of you asked if we wanted to join." I say.
"We...we thought you were upset with us." Antonio says.
"Oh I am still upset, and you not inviting us to the mall is not helping your case at all. Now let's go I'm hungry." I say walking out the door with Axel.
"Wait wait wait. Did you ask dad if you could come with us?" Angelo ask.
"Nope and I don't care to ask." I say going to my Lamborghini.
"Well who's gonna let you leave?" Lorenzo calls out.
I stop and turn towards the group. "Who's gonna stop me?"
(A/N: There is so much shit going on guys🙂🔫 I have graduation in a month! I got through the whole 12+ years! YAY ME!❤️ I'll try to update as soon as I can. Love you guys😘)