Lucia's POV:
My head was pounding and my bladder was full. Moving my jaw even slightly felt as though it was on fire and my mouth dry. I instantly felt grit and cold concrete push harshly against my throbbing face when I suddenly moved trying to get a better view of my surroundings.
I attempted to open my eyes but failed before realising that already they were wide open. The darkness felt heavy and I soon felt myself become submerged deeply into the never-ending void, not being able to see my own two hands right in front of me.
I shuddered in fear as I thought to myself, 'Where am I? Where are the others?' I tried to roll over onto my back from the awkward position on my stomach to see if I could get a better view of the vicinity. It didn't help as I felt my wrists suddenly throb from the amount of pressure I was forcing on them, along with the chains adorned with spikes wrapped firmly around both my ankles and wrists.
'Oh god, oh god, oh god' I panicked inside my head. I knew that wherever I was, it was very dark but I could faintly hear the sound of rustling coming from the near corner of the however small room or cell that I was put in.
The rustling became louder and louder and closer and closer over the next few seconds. I braced myself for something or someone I couldn't see by shutting my eyes tightly and reluctantly rolling myself into the fetal position as I could still feel the spikes piercing my dirt stained skin.
"No, no, no, no, no, no" I repeated as I could feel their warm putrid smelling breath lightly feathering on my face.
"Lucy, Lucy wake up, Lucy" I could faintly hear a familiar voice shouting towards me as my heart pounded when I woke up from the daze I had been in after waking up so suddenly.
As I got more aware of my surroundings I realised then that Nova was the one in front of me. I threw my hands around her neck and pulled her in for a hug, nestling my head in her neck while she stroked the back of my hair helping to calming me down. After a few minutes of her telling or more reassuring me that we were okay and we were safe I released her from my grasp, instantly feeling the need to give her one more hug. I then threw my hands around her yet again, but this time the hug only lasted a few seconds.
"I'm sorry V, I didn't mean to scared you" I apologised wiping the cold sweat from my forehead onto the back of my hand as Nova gazed at me looking frazzled.
"You didn't scare me L, I'm just worried for you, that's the first nightmare you've had in a while." She said as I nodded my head guiltily.
I had nightmares almost every day ever since that dreadful week, if it isn't a person with me in there, it was me screaming but nothing ever leaving my mouth, or even something else, but no matter what, it was always dark. At first Nova had been helping me get through them, but I soon noticed that dark circles had formed around her eyes from waking up in the middle of the night, so I tried to suppress the nightmares enough for Nova to get a goodnight sleep, wether that was drinking buckets of coffee or simply never falling asleep in the first place.
Ever since we moved there almost two weeks before, they were getting worse, more vivid, more real. I was waking up at ungodly hours of the night puking my guts up from exhaustion and not being able to fall back asleep in fear that it will happen again. I usually used to skip eating dinner altogether but when I woke up, acid would be the only think that would come out. I then made sure to have at least a sandwich before bed but I had learned that it made no difference and had to deal with the sickening ordeal almost every night.
"I'm sorry still," I said taking a glance at the clock on my bedside table causing me to feel even more guilty for waking her up at 7:28am on a Saturday morning when I had promised her breakfast in bed the night before for attempting to cover me, although it didn't particularly work as well as I thought it would.
"Well, I know you never fall asleep after a nightmare, so, you could make it up to me by showing me how to make those pancakes that I love with the sprinkles and chocolate chips inside." She said grinning with an excited look in her eyes.
I chuckled and gave her a small smile back. She then pulled the thin blanket off my body while grabbing both my wrists, pulling me off the comfort of my bed as I whined and grumbled tiredly, begging her playfully to let me sleep.
By the time she dragged me to the kitchen it was just turning 9:00am and I was so glad that school was done for the week. I couldn't take another day of forced stuttering and the most uncomfortable fake braces sitting my mouth.
When I came out of my daydream Nova was snapping her fingers informant of my face trying to get my attention. She had laid out most of the basics for the pancakes, like the sugar, flour and eggs and and placed the pan on the stove.
While making the batter and Nova scrolling through her phone we heard the doorbell ring. We weren't expecting anyone to be coming over and we were still in our short shorts and cropped tank tops. We weren't embarrassed of anyone seeing us, so we opened the door a few seconds later after looking through the peephole and turning off the heat on the stove.
Opening the door I wasn't surprised to see Marco, Amalia and the others standing silently behind them. I wasn't even going to ask how they know where I live, they'd probably just say 'I have a guy' or 'I know everything', something sketchy. After all, they were the Mafia.
"No and goodbye" I said simply before any of them could utter a word. When I went to close the door and turn around Santo had wedged his foot between the door frame and the door itself. He swiftly flung the door open, narrowly missing Nova's face and let himself and the others inside. When they advanced towards the living room I could see Luca glare at an unknowing Santo, but I wasn't quite sure why.
Following them towards our living room Nova grabbed my hand, squeezing it, as if to give me reassurance that we could trust them, but I still wasn't too sure.
"Sure, make yourselves at home" I sarcastically said taking an empty seat as I saw each of them sitting carelessly on the sofa and splaying their legs onto the glass coffee table in the centre of the room. All except Santo who was seated bent forward, with his legs wide, resting his forearms on his thighs and playing with the many rings on his hands. 'Distinguished as alway' I thought, mentally rolling my eyes.
"Well, what did you come here for? I'm sure its not for my amazing hospitality" I spoke sarcastically towards them all but mostly Santo as he was the one that ran things.
"You aren't going to ask how we know where you live or how we know where your lounge is?" He asked smirking at me and raised one surprisingly neat eyebrow. While Marco was looking at me with excitement in his eyes, but it ultimately looked as if he was constipated.
"You have your ways I'm guessing," I spoke locking eye contact with him while speaking.
"You guess right. And as for your first question, we're here to take you and Nova's belongings and move it into my house, so that I can keep an eye on you two, but mainly you" he responded still not breaking eye contact as neither of us were willing to back down.
"You're kidding me, no that's not happening, we're both staying right here" I instantly disagreed. Forgive me for not wanting to move into a house with the damn Italian Mafia.
"I wasn't asking" he told me as he glared at me for not complying with his terms. As we kept arguing back and forth I could see the eyes of everyone in the room watching us with amusement.
"No, nein, net, how many times do I have to say no?" I asked impatiently while walking towards the front door. "Now leave" I said flinging the door wide open and motioning for them to walk out.
Santo stood as the others became a little more alert. "Fine, we'll leave, but if we do the deal is off. You and your friend won't have our protection and will have to continue being the pathetic excuses of people you are in school, when you both know that you could make them terrified to merely look in your direction. So look me in the eyes and tell me that you want us to leave. Look me in the eyes and say that you don't want to be powerful, to be in control, and we'll leave" he said, looking at me with determination and knowingness.
I missed being able to fall asleep and have dreams of flying or visiting places I had never been, I missed not worrying if there were people in the shadows waiting for me to let my guard down, I missed making new friends, I missed my family but most of all I missed life. Being able to live in not fear but happiness and joy.
Looking towards my best friend, I silently asked her what she thought when she thought for a few seconds. As she nodded her head so slightly that I was the only one that could see, I took a deep breath in. "Okay, but we bring all my cars" I said letting my breath out and seeing Nova shake her head with a small smile on her face in amusement.