Chapter 5 SUNRISE AND A GARDEN

Valentina was conscious now, holding their mother's hand while Valeria slowly crawled towards them.

Macavelli joined them and all three sat there –two just staring while Valeria sobbed, crying for the three of them.

"Macavelli, take care of the body, burn it, bury it, I don't care." Their father said as he returned to the study minutes later, cleaned and dressed up.

"I'll be back in a week. Keep those brats in line and make sure the shipment goes as planned, I expect no mistakes."

"I will kill you." Valentina whispered but their father heard it because he threw his head back and laughed.

"You?" He asked condescendingly.

"Men have tried and failed, a girl cannot kill me."

"I will kill you." She said again with an emotionless face but he just adjusted his collar and walked out the door.

Macavelli stood and tried to carry their mother but Titi brandished her knife.

"Don't touch her. You have no right to even look at her." Valentina said, the hate in her eyes only second to the hate she felt for their father.

"It wasn't Mac's fault, Titi, father would have just hurt him like he hurt you." Valeria held her sister's hand but she didn't put down the knife.

"He should have tried to help, but he didn't, he chose not to."

"I tried to..."

"Yeah, you tried to help when he had already killed her."

"I didn't know it would get that far, I didn't think he would kill her." He ran his hands through his hair. He really needed a drink, the buzz he felt from the last one was nowhere near enough, he needed to be stone drunk.

"He was strangling her yet you didn't think his intent was to kill her?" She

"He only hurts her, he doesn't ever..."

"So it's okay for him to hurt her then?"

"No one would make him stop. There was nothing I could do. I have no money, no power, no connections, nothing. Anything I do would only backfire, he's strong and the only way to beat him is to be stronger than him. I've been trying to build myself so I can usurp him. It's the only way to really be safe."

"Well now she's dead."

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Your apology is useless, and from now on you're dead to me."

"Don't say that Titi, please, both of you stop fighting." Valeria said weakly.

Macavelli's jaw clenched and his expression hardened –the face of a young Mafioso.

"I need to take care of the corpse, you heard the Don."

"You and your Don can rot for all I care. I won't let you dump her like she doesn't matter, she deserves better." She stroked her mother's hair and pulled Valeria closer.

"We will clean her up, have a wake and give her a proper burial. We don't need your help." Macavelli clenched and unclenched his fists then he walked away.

"You should have let him carry her at least Titi. Will we drag her out of here?"

"No, I'll call Luca." Luca was their best friend, a year older than their brother. Their families were close allies.

"Isn't it too late?"

"He'll come Ria. As long as it's urgent, he always comes." She picked up the phone on their father's desk and called the emergency line Luca had given them both, she had memorised it.

He had been officially initiated a year before their brother, and though they didn't spend much time together anymore, they could always count on him. He picked up the phone on the second ring and Valeria was awed at the calm with which her sister narrated the events of the last hour, she would have broken down.

She wanted to be like her sister. Titi was smart and strong, she behaved more like an adult than a ten year old most times.

Violence had always been part of their lives as a family and as a part of the mob, while Valeria had been shielded from the worst of it, Valentina took it all in stride.

"He'll be here soon. Come on let me tuck you in, it's quiet now so you can sleep."

"No, I want to stay and say goodbye to mother." She protested, albeit weakly and Valentina nodded, their mother would have wanted them both there.

When Luca arrived about an hour later, he helped them carry their mother's corpse to a bathroom. She was cleaned and her clothes were changed. Then he put her in the coffin he had brought, the reason he had taken so long was so he could get one for them. They filled it with flowers from their mother's garden where they had decided to bury her. Macavelli came in and Luca let him help in digging the grave while Valentina sang like their mother always did for them. She sang till her voice became hoarse. Valeria sobbed silently, that was all she could manage in her state.

When it was sunrise -their mother's favourite time of the day- she was lowered into the grave, it was covered up and more flowers were planted on the freshly dug Earth.

Macavelli left immediately, but they stayed a while.

"Are you okay?" Luca asked.

"Will you be fine on your own? I have to go back now before my absence is discovered."

"You can go Luca, thank you for your help "

"You know I'm always here for the both of you no matter what." He kissed them both on the forehead.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Luca, the famiglia comes first is the oath you all swear when you're initiated. If you're told to kill us both, you would without batting an eyelash, Macavelli would too."

"I know what oath I took Valentina. I didn't choose this life, none of us did. But I can say with absolute certainty that I would never harm any of you. My loyalty lies with you first because you're the closest thing to a real family I have. Someday, I will leave this mess we call a life, and I'll take you both with me."

"Goodbye Luca." Valentina turned away from him and he knew she didn't believe him.

He didn't blame her, a lot of people took that oath seriously, he had experienced it first-hand. He had watched his brother kill their mother to secure his position as their father's heir. He didn't want this life, and he would do anything to get out. He knew he couldn't be rash though, he had to bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity or he would end up six feet under.

Valentina helped her sister back to their room. They were so exhausted, they both lay together and immediately fell asleep.

END OF FLASHBACK.

AUTHOR'S NOTE; if you have any question, you can ask in the comment section, I'll reply when I can.