Rina ZanteA gentle tap came to my arm, closely followed by a voice."Rina. Wake up." I must have told her I'd wake because she left. Her voice came not long afterwards. Forcing my eyes open."Rina! Get up from that bed now." I heaved off the bed to sit upright, a low grunt leaving my throat. I didn't feel like leaving this bed. Right now, I badly wished I could turn back the hands of time to eight hours ago. "My goodness. You are still sitting there." "It's okay. I'm already getting up." Gosh. Standing up was like hauling an elephant. My entire body seemed to have tripled in size. As though pumps and pumps of liquid lead had been injected into me. I couldn't quite get it—the reason. Yet, I didn't worry much. I did have a heavy dinner, and unwisely very late. Working against the urge to doze off, I turned around and arranged my bed. Along the line, I had an overwhelming sense of presence and upon investigating, I came face-to-face with Mammà's scathing look. She held the glar
Rina ZanteI readjusted my head on Mamma's shoulder, receiving her gentle caress across my lap.The nausea and dizziness had long died; though I still felt weak. Whatever the problem was, my senses had been activated. Particularly that of smell. I'd found it difficult to have breakfast. Minus the nausea, the smell of baked beans and sausage had reeked. They'd filled my nostrils. "Miss Zante?" the nurse called, drawing my attention and signaling my turn to see the doctor. Mammà helped me up. Joining hands with her, we walked over to the room across. A middle aged man welcomed us with a smile. Doctor Mario Tommaso as written on a plaque, on the table. He ushered us into our seats, and still carrying a smile, he asked, "How can I help you?""It's my daughter. She woke up feeling unwell," Mamma said. The doctor's eyes swept to me. Without him speaking, I stated my case. Told him almost everything, reserving my sore breasts to just myself. I couldn't imagine laying such complaints
Vincenzo Moreno". . .the blast which occurred on Wednesday is said to have claimed lives in the tens. The number, sadly, will likely rise. Currently, the operations of Gaspare Moreno Airways are at a standstill. Investigation is ongoing to break the perpetrators to book."The focus shifted to what used to be one of Padre's babies. The mighty structure had now been reduced to a charred mass, litters of scraps and the color 'ash'. "Many have decried the situation, stating their loved ones were involved. . ."I frowned just as the rest of the words trailed off. A guy then popped up on the screen, his mouth moving,"I can't believe this is happening. The day before, I spoke with my sister's husband, Carl. We had big plans for the trip to Thailand. Now, he is no more. What's even crazier is the fact that I wouldn't have been here speaking to you if not for the stomach bug I had."The reporter carried on, "Many can't bring themselves to speak. The only pointer to their hurt being a downcas
Rina ZanteHe'd paid a visit again. Evil in its truest form. Not hidden under the veil of pleasure, but raw, crude evil. His room oozed of dark vileness. The heavy stench flying into my nostrils, striking up a maternal instinct within me: the health of my baby. The stench could harm it.I boiled in rage. Angry, I had seen the baby as mine, not ours. As though I'd impregnated myself. As if I had wanted a child in the first place. My dark emotions reinforced the evil by thickening the putrid air.Evil was glued to his skin. His face red, the heat emanating from it almost cooked me alive. Yet, I didn't falter outwardly. Inside, my system shook. But, I didn't leave his room because I had nowhere to go. "It's yours," I tried again, now at the point of pulling out my hair in frustration. "The child is yours, Vincenzo. I haven't slept with anyone else." He knew I was right but the demon in him would rather be cast to Hades than let him admit to that. However, I didn't back down. I woul
Vincenzo MorenoI knew for a fact I liked Rina. I admired her with every bit of my being. The breath she exhaled—I could comfortably take in. The floor she walked on, a spot my lips could kiss. It beat me how the feelings hadn't died considering I had slept with her. Rather than lose interest and see her as nothing more than a cheap fuck I had at my disposal, I became more drawn to her. More fascinated with her. I couldn't place a finger on the defining feature, but Rina was everything a guy would want in a woman. I threw my closet open and picked up an outfit. Flinging it to the bed, I stood akimbo and stared. I imagined Rina seated here. On the bed, with a magazine in her hand. She looked up from what could be a write-up about Women's Health. Not that I knew what she liked; but she looked like someone who read such. She blessed my sight with a beautiful smile and there I was, crawling close. Going to offer a token of my love to her. It was a kiss motivated by anything but lust.
Rina ZanteI pulled the tapestry aside and ushered myself into the genesis of my problem. La stanza Nera. Unlike the other two times I'd been here, I was indifferent. The echo of my footsteps didn't make me quake inwardly; neither did the insane width here pushed me into agoraphobia. I set the bucket on the floor and started working. I'd changed: nothing moved me anymore. The past—to put it correctly. I had now become immune to the unwanted flashbacks and the hurt that came with them. I worked all the way to the end of the room, down to the dining and the corridor next to it. A feeling of an ominous presence fell on me, but upon looking up, I found no one. Just the living room holding my gaze. However, I couldn't be fooled. Someone had been watching. This wasn't my mind making pranks, because Vincenzo had long proved to be a psycho. I could bet on anything precious to me that he'd been here, watching. Which brought anger in its darkest shade to my heart. I could kill him. If gi
Rina Zante“What are you doing here?”He screeched to a halt and formed that look I very much hated. Bewilderment with a tinge of anger tensed his brows. But for a moment. He was able to break free from the spell and speak. His voice, everything I didn’t want to hear again. “We need to talk.”I waited to hear him say the stuff that’d make me lose it and deal heartlessly with him. His silence, however, did the trick: throwing me off my beam of patience. I started out, choosing not to flare up yet till he gave a more valid reason to. And he did just that when his suffocating form blocked my path. I pulled away, folding up as though being near him would leave a dent on my skin. “Really? This is what it is now? Playing hard to get?”I raised my gaze to him. Hatred and fury dripped from it. “You don’t have to look at me that way. I didn’t kill anyone,” he said; but rather than wipe the glare, I kept looking at him. He cussed, raking his fingers through his hair, ruffling it up. “Look
Rina ZanteAs soon as we stepped into the hallway, an alarm bell went off in my head. I fastened my feet to the ground, bringing Mammà to stop as well since we held hands. She glanced at me, looking more confused than me. "Where are we going?" I knew the answer. I just didn't want to believe it was true. When she'd told me I'd got to see something, I'd never in my unimaginative mind thought this was the something. She wore a blank look before turning around to continue walking. "Mammà," I whispered, a sense of urgency woven in my voice. "What is it? You want him to go scot-free? To keep coming after you?" Her face softened, wiping the bitter frown off. Letting out a sigh, she spoke in a calmer tone. "We have to do this. It's the only way to bring an end to the madness.""But…" I was sure as hell my defense would annoy her. Therefore, I went for a more cowardly-looking alternative. "What are we going to tell her? That her son is a…" I trailed off when it became clear to me—from Ma