We drove right to the Clemente's estate upon arrival in Spain. The Rhodes and the Bertellis are already there. Everyone is waiting for us.
Mother said they're waiting for me. "The Rhodes girl, Evelyn, my, my. She loved you when you both were small. She thought of you as her sister."
"Oh," I whisper. I don't remember Evelyn at all. Mother explains Evelyn was only five when I was kidnapped, so she hopefully doesn't remember me very much, either.
The car pulls up to the guarded gates, and we're driven inside. Pierre is giddy with excitement. "I can't wait to see Evelyn... and Warren, I guess."
I look at him weirdly. "What's wrong with Warren?" Warren is the back-up heir to the Italian Mafia, but he is still trained like a real heir. Death isn't taken lightly in the mafia.
Alexandre helps me out of the car and sets me softly onto the ground. "Nothing's wrong with him, flower. Pierre has a crush on Evelyn, and Warren does, too. They're both immature. Evelyn can do better."
I giggle at Alexandre's stoic words and Pierre's gob-smacked expression. "My own brother! You're supposed to be on my side!"
The door opens, and a maid greets us with a smile and ushers us into the house. The foyer is bustling with servants and guards and mafia families.
A maid takes my baby pink coat before I can object, leaving me in a white, lace, long-sleeved dress. It stops at my knees, but I have white stockings on, too.
Mother suddenly greets a woman with a great big smile and an air-kiss on her cheek. The woman turns to me. "Lila, I am Mrs. Monet. You are so grown now!"
I smile politely, but I don't like this. She's acting as if we haven't seen each other for just a few months, when, in reality, I have led a horrible life up until this point.
I'm ushered into a dining room and seated between my parents. A pretty, brunette girl with soft features sits across from me. I'm awestruck by her beauty. She smiles at me.
Evelyn.
"Friends! That's what we are," The girl smiles at me.
I don't know her, but Mama stands next to her with a smile. So, I smile and nod at the strange older girl.
Dinner is dull.
I feel all stiff. The room is stuffy with stuffy mafia people. The adults talk about business and the younger ones have their own groups and conversations.
Evelyn and I look like lost ducks.
I see Pierre glance and smile at Evelyn from time-to-time, but she always blushes and looks away, and Warren glares at my brother sharply.
Evelyn sneaks out when dinner begins to be cleared, even though one of her brothers tries to say dessert hasn't been brought out yet, but she's already left.
"Why don't you go with her, Lila?" Mother suggests. I don't really want to, but I know not to disagree, so I nod and follow her.
Evelyn is in the garden. I sit next to her on the bench. The moon illuminates us. The air is thick with humidity. I'm already sweating.
Evelyn seems startled by my presence. She mumbles something incoherent. With nerves bundled in me, I sputter out, "We were friends."
"Yes... we are friends, I suppose. We were both kidnapped." What does being kidnapped have to do with being friends?
"Mhm. Weren't you in England?" What was her kidnapping like? Did she have a normal life there, or a controlled one like mine?
"Yes. You?"
"I think Russia— the Center... well, and an asylum."
"The Center?"
"An assassin organization."
I know I've said too much. Her eyes widen. Great now she thinks I'm crazy crazy crazy oh why do I have to be crazy?
I mumble more things, and eventually she switches the conversation and I ramble about clouds and killing and crazy crazy crazy
But the doesn't seem to think I'm crazy. She smiles and laughs. She is solemn and understanding.
"... without the mafia. I want peace," I say.
She smiles. "I do, too."
I think I like Evelyn Rhodes.
***
The villa we're renting near the Clemente's one is small. At least, that's what Father called it. It's the opposite of small, though. Ten bedrooms, a massive tub of water— Mother called it a pool— and we can swim in it.
The villa is right on the ocean. I have never seen the ocean before. I suppose I've been flown over it, but I was always unconscious during plane trips.
I really want to swim, but then Mother showed me my swimsuit. It's really pretty, with little rosebuds and a pink base under it, but it doesn't cover my legs or my arms.
My legs have scars and scratches on them. My arms are burned. I've seen many other girls at the Center. Many have scars like me, but some lucky, older ones have soft, smooth skin.
I'm utterly jealous of those girls. I only want to be pretty.
Pretty
Girls
Are
Safe
At the Center, many of the pretty ones were taken away each night. They came back in the morning crying, but they were not punished. Not ever.
I was dragged away... I was hurt in Sir's office... but I was still punished on top of all of that. Why was I hurt?
Was I not not not pretty?
I blink. I sit at the edge of the sandy beach, watching the waves roll around. They're waving at me. I smile and wave back. "Hello. How are you?" I ask the wave.
The wave grins at me. "I'm good. Why are you all alone?" It asks.
I shrug and sigh quietly. "I snuck out here. I don't want to be with anyone now."
"Oh? Why?"
I shrug. "It's too much. I don't know these people, but they all know me. I don't remember them. It's like I'm suffering from amnesia and I can't remember my whole life."
The wave is silent for a long time after my small outburst. I get nervous and worry that it left me, that it no longer wants to listen to my problems.
More waves start rolling in. I move backwards on my bottom to avoid being hit by the water. "Wave— or whatever your name is? Are you there?" I ask.
The wave returns with a warm movement. "Yes, I'm here."
"Oh, good. I thought you left me alone. I don't want to be alone. You're such a great friend for being water."
The wave smiles. It playfully splashes my bare feet. I giggle and pull my feet underneath my legs. "You're so silly," I laugh, sticking my hand in the sand. It's warm. The texture is soothing.
The sun begins to change into different hues. It's orange and yellow and pink. I love sunsets. They're much better than sunrises, and normal daylight sun.
"Do you want to join me out here?" The wave asks, swimming around. I smile, but I shake my head sadly.
"No. I don't want to go put on a swimsuit."
The wave grins. "You don't need a swimsuit! Come on, join me right now! We'll have so much fun together."
I stand, and walk forward. The water beckons me inside. "Swim, swim! Swim with me! Let's go out to sea!" It shouts. I step into the water. It's cold, but I don't jerk away.
Farther and farther I go until my entire body is covered by water. The wave smiles at me. It keeps rolling farther away from the villa.
I keep walking to it until I can't. I can't swim. I kick my feet but it's so hard to keep my head above water. But what would happen if I stopped trying?
Sink into the water.
Let the water take you away.
Stop breathing. Sink in.
Just as my feet stop moving and my nose begins to be filled by water, I hear voices. My vision becomes fuzzy. I see darkness as arms wrap around me.
———
Hello, loves!
I'm so sorry for this late chapter! I've been experiencing terrible writer's block lately, and my mind is all over. Hopefully that doesn't show in my writing though ;)
Please vote and comment!
You're all angels!
Au revoir,
Eva