We Were Villains

17

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The next few days were miserable - I felt miserable. I missed my mom and I didn't understand why someone wanted to kill her. Things like this swirled around in my head rent free the last few days. I wanted my mom back. Michael could rot in Hell, but I wanted my mom.

Tightening my pony tail, I sauntered down the stairs and into the kitchen, but stopped when I heard the hushed voices of my older brothers.

Angelo's voice was sharp as he spoke. "No, Mattia. I'm not going to force her to go to school if she doesn't want to. I'm not forcing her to do anything that she doesn't wanna do."

"I know, but you should talk to her about it. You can't just let her stay home forever," Mattia said, sounding exasperated.

Angelo let out a frustrated sigh. I heard the sound of his plate clattering into the sink. I wondered what was bothering him so much.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Eavesdropping again, little sister?" Luca's voice was teasing as he pulled me into a hug. "Come on, let's get you some lunch."

"I'm not -"

"You can't fool me, baby," Luca said, chuckling. We walked into the kitchen, both Angelo and Mattia quieting. "Good morning. Our little sister is hungry. Mattia, make us some food."

Mattia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, you little shit?"

I chuckled, swatting Luca away from me, not wanting to be associated with his rudeness towards Mattia. Our older brother was actually a good cook, I didn't want to lower the chances he'd cook me something. I scoffed and glared at Luca, lips threatening to break out into a wayward grin. "Don't speak to him like that," I shook my head, glancing at Mattia. "I'm sorry for our brother, he really is a scoundrel. I love your cooking."

Angelo snorted with laughter.

Mattia shook his head with a exasperated sigh. "I can't believe I'm related to you two scheming mongrels."

I touched my heart. "I am not a scheming mongrel."

"Sure you're not." Everyone chuckled and I felt my heart swell with something I wasn't familiar with. Something I hadn't felt in a very, very long time. "What do you want to eat, bambina?"

"Anything is okay," I said, smiling. "You don't have to cook me anything though, I'll just grab a bowl of cereal."

Mattia raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to eat, Alessia?"

I hesitated for a moment, feeling a little shy. "Anything's fine. I was just going to grab some cereal."

Mattia shook his head. "No way. I'm going to make you something special." He began rummaging through the fridge and pantry, pulling out ingredients for an omelet.

I watched him work, feeling a sense of comfort wash over me. Cooking was never my strong suit, but watching Mattia, I felt a sense of admiration for his skill. As he whisked the eggs and chopped the vegetables, I felt a sense of safety around my brothers.

Mattia slid the omelet onto a plate and handed it to me. "Thank you," I said, smiling at him.

"Anytime, bambina."