The Caged Bird

Chapter 17

Mafia. I had asked Alex for a laptop and he gave me one, not knowing what I wanted to do with it. I had searched for the term. I was finally getting answers, so I thought. Multiple hits came up. I thanked Evelyn silently in my mind for teaching me how to effectively use the internet.

Although I knew I still had not mastered it, I knew now better how to use certain sites, like Google.

I looked at the hits. The first hits were mostly about a game called Mafia, but I knew that was not what Alex and Edric meant with mafia. They talked about The Business and that meant a kind of organization.

So, I looked further.

Then, I stumbled on some hits about definitions. I read them and what I read; I could not believe it. They said the term mafia referred to a criminal organization that had its own culture, politics, and economy. This organization did business in different areas like gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, trading in weapons, and fraud. Some of these terms I did not understand and searched even further.

In the end, I had even more questions, but mostly I was shocked. Had my brother engaged himself in a world of illegal activities and wrongdoings? 

That did not sound like my brother. He could not possibly be part of this. Right?

"Alex." I croaked out.

"Alex."

"Alex!" I screamed. I panicked. I needed answers.

I heard quick footsteps approaching me. "What's wrong?" He asked with a bewildered face, thinking something had happened.

"Please tell me this is not true. Please tell me my brother was not part of the so-called mafia what you all are talking about." I looked at him with pleading eyes. Hoping this was all a misunderstanding from my side.

"I- uh..." He stammered, nothing sensible came from his mouth.

"Tell me!" I demanded. I did not recognize myself for a moment. Never in my life had I ordered something.

Alex sighed. "I'm sorry Ava. I'm sorry that everybody kept you in the dark. I'm sorry that I'm the one that has to tell you that your brother was indeed involved with the mafia. In fact, he was very close to standing at the top of it in this part of the country... I'm sorry."

I could not believe it. My sweet and caring brother who always stood up for me against our father was entangled with this... this dark world.

"Do you know if he also hurt others?" I asked timidly.

"In the position, he was in, he could not have avoided it. I have never seen it myself, but I think I'm right to assume he has." Alex answered me softly.

I wanted to tear the place apart. All my life I have been living in a lie. Everybody held mirrors up in front of me. Showing me only the world I lived in and not that of others. Not that of the outside world. Not of my brother's world.

The worst part, everybody was in on it.

Everybody kept me ignorant.

I put my hand around my glass with water. I wanted to take a sip to calm myself down but did something totally different. I smashed it against the wall.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Alex flinch. "Out." I breathed out. Alex did not think twice and scrambled away. I took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. My fingers itched to pick up every vase in this place and shatter them into a thousand pieces.

All my life I was raised, no trained, to be a proper lady. 

Proper lady, my ass I thought. 

I had to act properly, but everyone around could act how they wanted. Even the law did not stop them. They lied, hurt, and degraded everyone who stood in the way of their own greed. And there I was a mindless sheep who let herself get manipulated, even by my own brother.

I was angry, furious. But I had no one to get angry at without shitting my pants. I knew for sure if I took out my anger towards Edric, my satisfaction would be only short-lived. And I also had to think of my child. I did not want him to hit me which could possibly lead to a miscarriage.

Frustration grew inside of me.

I looked at the glass that had shattered to horcruxes a few feet away from me. I tried to pin all my anger on the see-through pieces that lay in front of me.

It was when Stella entered, I had taken my eyes off the mess I made. She gasped but was quick to try and clean it up.

"Leave it," I said coldly.

"Don't be silly Ava, what if someone got hurt. It's better to clean it up." She said in a nervous manner.

"I said, leave it." Making clear I was angry.

She looked at me with wide eyes. Opened her mouth and closed it again and made her way out of the library.

I fell back on the couch. Putting my arms around my stomach and put my legs up towards my chest. I had sat there for a long period of time when not Alex but Edric walked in.

"What happened here?" He asked bored and cold.

"I got angry." Not stuttering a word.

Both surprised about my manner of speaking. "Well, that's a first," Edric muttered, but it held more interest than his former words.

• • •

I was holding two white roses in my hand as I heard words about both my father and brother. Words I did not understand, stories I did not know. The speeches all flew by me until one of the people who spoke started about my mother. A figure I missed all my life.

"I remember it well; the day Ava was born. I, as the righthand of Lucius, had to stand guard in the hospital room short after Sofia gave birth to her baby girl. She knew she would not make it and made Lucius swear to protect their daughter no matter what and I think he kept this promise to his grave." The guy spoke further.

Sofia. I never knew the name of my biological mother. Every time I had asked about her my father would get extremely furious. It was when Mary had explained to me why it was better to not ask about the woman figure I missed in my life.

Also, I had to hold myself in when the man was speaking about my father's promise of protecting me. My father had sold me off. In no way was he protecting me by doing that and do not get me started about keeping me locked up in that mansion of his.

I thought I would be a mess at my family's funeral, but I was quite calm. From time to time a stray tear would roll down my cheeks. My anger was still fresh in my mind and was built up even more with hearing this information about my mother. Even this they kept from me.

When the last speech was given to the large crowd, I felt a slight push against my back. It was Edric, signaling me to get up and drop the roses on their coffins.

I stood up from our seats and walked towards the two holes in the ground, the two graves where my father and brother laid down. Letting the rose fall on my father's coffin was easy. For a long time, I loved him, but now I was not sure if I ever could love him again as I did before.

But letting the rose go above my brother's coffin was difficult for me. No matter how big his lies were I still loved him. It was then I cried. As I let the flower slip from my fingers, tears streamed down my face.

Edric, the good husband he was in public, put his arm around my shoulder and guided me back to the cars.

My last family members were now really gone. I was now truly alone. 

Thanks for reading and stay safe!