Eli POV
After three hours in the air, we finally landed in New York, which calmed me down a bit. On solid ground, I had places to run to or hide in if shit were to hit the fan.
There was another black range rover waiting for us next to the plane, which actually didn't even surprise me anymore. These people were rich as fuck and I had just decided to expect them to be royalty or something.
Before I could even turn, some people in suits had already put my sad little bag in the trunk of the car, leaving me standing there looking like an idiot with shit in my hand.
Alessandro opened the door for me looking a bit amused. I just nodded and sat down. He followed soon behind and told the driver to start.
We drove for a while down the busy streets of New York as I just gawked at the city. It was a lot like Chicago, but there, I could enjoy the city without the suppressed memories jumping back to mind. We didn't go downtown, which made me realize, they must live somewhere a bit more private.
"So... why Eli?" Alessandro asked after a while of staring at the back of my head.
I shrugged at first as an immediate reaction, but after some consideration, started explaining. What was the worst thing that could happen if I just explained my name?
"I knew I wanted to leave the country at some point, and in a lot of places, there is a version of Eli, Elia, or Elias," I said simply with finality.
Of course, that was a big part of the reason, but it wasn't all of it. I then sighed trying to remind myself, that he was not Frank or my mom. I could run if I needed to. I didn't have to push so much. Still, I didn't like sharing about myself.
"In the bible, there's this prophet, Elia. He pissed off a king and then just sat on a mountain. The king sent a bunch of people to him, but Elia just burned them. Like full-on burned them alive. I always thought he was pretty cool, you know, lighting bitches up and all," I rambled a bit, but I could see Alessandro smile a little at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, and also he rode a fucking flaming carriage through the sky butt naked. How fucking cool's that?!" I exclaimed.
I have this thing, where I make a lot of jokes when I'm uncomfortable. It's a real problem.
"So you like fire?" Alessandro asked with humor in his voice.
"Oh yeah! I'm a full-on arsonist," I replied in a completely serious tone, earning a chuckle from the well-dressed man to my left.
Alessandro POV
As soon as we landed, I could see Eli relax a bit. They didn't glance around as much and actually talked to me. I didn't like the cursing, but I had to admit, they were pretty funny.
For most of the ride, Eli just stared out the window at the passing sights. No matter how hard I tried, I could not read this kid. Even, when they talked, I had no idea if they meant what they said. This kid gave me absolutely nothing to work with, which was kinda impressive.
I couldn't wait for the others to meet Eli. Lorenzo will probably be way too concerned about their petite figure and small, slightly visible scars on their face. I didn't want to bring them up, but it looked like, Eli had been in some fights, and I didn't know how to feel about it. They didn't seem like the kind to just get in fights, like Antonio, or me, when I was younger.
Antonio POV
I had no idea what to expect. Alessandro texted the family group chat when they landed and informed us about Eli's name and pronouns. I mean, obviously, I was excited to finally get to see our bebè again, but I had no idea, who would walk through that door.
I could tell my brothers felt the same way too. Matteo was constantly talking with Alessandro making sure everything went smoothly, Lorenzo made sure everything was ready for Eli to come home, and Gabriele didn't really know what to do.
He was just two when our mom left with Eli, or I guess then it was Serena, I don't fucking know. Gabriele didn't really have a lot of memories of them, so he didn't know what to expect. He grew up with us telling him about Eli(?), but still, he doesn't remember them. Still, I think he was the most excited out of us all. he wouldn't be the youngest anymore.
I was actually studying when Lorenzo called everyone downstairs.
Eli POV.
The car stopped in front of a fucking castle. It was old stone, but absolutely gorgeous, with at least three stories and a huge yard. The driveway was probably longer than the walk from my apartment to the store. There was a fucking water fountain in front of the house for fuck's sake.
my mouth was wide open in shock as I stared at the mansion in front of me. These people were actually rich.
Alessandro placed his hand on my shoulder making me jump. I looked up to see his startled face, to which I just gave a tight smile and lifted my finger.
"No touchy touch, without wordy words," I joked earning a smile from Alessandro.
I went to get my bags, but Alessandro was faster. He grabbed both of my bags like they were air and smiled at my stunned face.
"You could let me carry at least one of them," I suggested following my new brother, I guess, to the huge wooden doors.
He just shook his head in response.
The doors opened like magic, with a cute older woman waiting there with a smile. She had on a casual black dress.
"Welcome back home sir. Let me take these for you," She said grabbing my bags from Alessandro, who nodded swiftly.
I guess the woman was a servant of some kind.
I gave her a smile, which she returned.
"Hi, I'm Eli," I said with a small wave.
"Hello, miss Borrelli. My name is Anna," The woman said kindly with a heartwarming smile.
I gave her a once-over, and seeing she didn't seem that threatening, I responded:
"Please don't call me that. I'm Eli and if you must, use Mx. Also, I have no idea what my last name is."
Anna just nodded and with a small 'welcome home', she left carrying my bags with her. I didn't even get a chance to say thank you.
"She seems nice," I said turning to face Alessandro, who had just watched our little interaction.
"She is," he simply said before continuing to walk into the house.
I guess they don't take their shoes off then.
I followed Alessandro into the house as he called:
"We're home!"
I flinched a bit at the sudden loud noise, which didn't go unnoticed by Alessandro.
"C'mon you yelled right next to my ear," I whined with a playful smirk.
I then heard footsteps coming closer to us. I really didn't like it, when I couldn't see who was coming. I was really good at recognizing footsteps and unfamiliar ones always got me on edge.
Four boys emerged from around the corner, Most of them with smiles plastered on their faces. They all looked very similar to Alessandro, so they were all really good-looking. I guess those genes just skipped me.
"These are your brothers," Alessandro said signaling for them to introduce themselves.
"I'm Lorenzo. The nice one, so you can talk to me if you need anything," The first one said.
I had no idea how old they were, but I guessed Lorenzo was the second oldest. He had the same eyes as me, and almost identical hair color. I guess, they really are my brothers. He had a warm smile on his face, but I knew how those could fail. He didn't seem as threatening as Alessandro, but he was almost just as jacked as him.
"I'm Matteo," the second one said with his hands crossed in front of his chest.
Matteo had almost black hair, even darker than Alessandro's, but he had the same brown eyes as me. Tho his weren't as shiny as Lorenzo's, but a bit darker. They reminded me of my own brown orbs. He was a bit less muscular than Lorenzo, but he seemed a lot scarier.
"Antonio," the third one said.
He was clearly younger, than the three older ones, but still older than the last one. He was the most jacked of them all, and he was intimidating in a whole other way than Alessandro. He looked more like the type, that would beat you up in an alleyway. Antonio had the same gray eyes, as Alessandro, but the same hair color as me. His eyes were somehow really empty, like a void of some kind. I just stared at them trying to figure him out until the last boy spoke.
"I'm Gabriele, the youngest one," he said with a huge smile on his face. Maybe even bigger, than Lorenzo's.
He had the same hair as Alessandro, but the Brown eyes I was so used to seeing in the mirror. His were really bright and full of life, it almost made me frown a bit. He was just a kid. Older, than me, but still, just a kid.
I gave them a smile and a thumbs-up before speaking:
"Hiya, I'm Eli and I guess I'm your responsibility now," I joked a bit, earning a smile from the boys.
I knew, that, if shit were to hit the fan, my best bet is to find ways to run and hide. There was a forest behind the grass yard, where I could shake them if needed.
As I looked at the five boys in front of me I only had one thought.
I should've brought my stash.
After the very awkward introduction, the boys led me to a dining room. It was another huge space with a long wooden table and a chandelier. It had a great view of the humongous yard and a gorgeous natural aesthetic. The chairs were dark green velvet and the walls were dark wood or the same stone that the whole building was made out of.
I was in continuous awe looking around the house, while still trying to keep myself as neutral as possible. At least until I figured out exactly where the limits in this house were.
Everyone settled in their seats and Lorenzo told me to sit next to him. He seemed pretty nice. He was calm, and he always had a warm smile. The only thing I didn't appreciate was how he couldn't stop staring at me. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with all the eyes on me, watching my every move.
I sat between Lorenzo and Antonio while Gabriel and Matteo sat opposite us, and Alessandro was at the head of the table.
The sweet old lady, Anna, had already set the table for us. I couldn't remember when was the last time I didn't have to cook myself let alone set the table, so for a few seconds, I didn't know what to do. I ended up just doing what the others did and sitting down, trying to be as comfortable as possible.
As soon as we sat down Gabriele and Antonio started inhaling the fettuccine that sat before them. I saw Lorenzo roll his eyes and glare at them, while Matteo just smirked.
I looked down at my plate. It was filled to the top with steaming hot fettuccine alfredo. I could see the cheese and the cream on the plate almost making me throw up. I had this love-hate relationship with food. I hated it, there was no love involved. The worst ones were the creamy things. I just couldn't seem to keep them down, and if I did I usually had a panic attack and needed a smoke.
The smell from the plate pushed itself into my nose, a smell, which so many others would find delicious. I'm not an animal, I can tell when food is good, and this food is amazing. I just couldn't eat it. Still, I didn't want to be rude, so I waited.
"Is something wrong? You're not eating," Lorenzo asked beside me making everyone turn their heads toward me and my plate.
"So, I can eat?" I asked wanting a straight answer before I ate their food.
"Of course, you can. Actually, you have to, so eat," Matteo said strictly, but I could see the slight worry in his eyes.
I internally rolled my eyes at that. I didn't need pity, I just needed to know what I can and can not do.
I saw Lorenzo's eyes study me as I nodded and turned to my food. I grabbed the fork trying to seem as natural as possible with five pairs of eyes on me as I tried not to think about eating. As the food touched my mouth, I forced my lips up into a smile.
"Oh, fuck me," I said with a laugh surprising everyone at the table.
Gabriel almost spat out his water, while Antonio just smiled to himself. Matteo tried not to laugh, Lorenzo chuckled loudly, while Alessandro tried to fight his lips from curling upwards.
"This shit is bussing," I said pointing down at my plate earning a few more laughs as I took another bite.
"Why thank you," Matteo said with a proud smile.
"No one else ever seems to appreciate my cooking," he continued glaring at the others earning a small hint of a smile from Alessandro.
"Appreciate your brother," I scolded the two boys sitting opposite me, to which Lorenzo and Matteo laughed and Antonio stuck his tongue out.
And that's how you take the attention off your eating.