Elena
I bet on more fights. It wasn't like I was completely discounting the advice of the old man. I just needed the money.
Pablo had called me twice, asking for small change he could use to buy groceries. Of course, I knew this was a lie, as Pablo had a pension that he used to keep himself going.
The only reason why he wasn't comfortable was because he had a gambling problem. I learned that the problem had been with him long since before his wife died. He married again to my mother, and then once she died, the gambling addiction returned.
I didn't know whether to feel bad for him or to chalk it up to a complete lack of trying, but I had to do something. I appreciated the man for keeping me safe and making life fairly easy for me, and so no amount of money would make me stop.
I was able to bring in some cool cash from the latest battle, but I didn't see Damon again. I wanted to tell him thank you for giving me a ride, but he seemed so elusive, and judging from his demeanor from the phone call that he received, I thought it was best not to call him. He sounded, after all, like he had received bad news, and I didn't want to pry.
And more than the thank you, I also wanted to apologize for behaving so strangely. But I came to realize that ever since he showed up, I was having more of those flashbacks.
It was a memory that I'd rather forget, but it didn't seem like I could separate it from my life entirely. Another call from Pablo came, pulling me out of work.
"Your phone has been ringing for an hour now," Estella said as she thrust my phone harshly into my hand. A quick glance at the screen told me that Pablo had been calling for over 17 times. "I'm in trouble," I muttered to myself.
Mortified, I didn't want to listen to another round of Pablo threatening to come here or telling me that I should send him money. Judging from the number of calls, it would be a mixture of both.
I chose not to call him back, not because I didn't want to listen, but because I was 100% sure that Guiseppe would have a field day yelling at me, especially since he was disgraced by Damon the last time. I turned off my phone and hid it in my apron pocket before getting back to work.
***
The remaining days of the week came by in a blur before coming to a pit stop on Friday morning.
I remembered that I hadn't done my assignment. Perhaps if it was another professor, I could have easily wiggled out, but it was my dreaded Professor Giovanni.
I had no choice; I had to come up with something fast, otherwise, he would flunk me from his class. I needed his class as it was the one with the most credits for my semester. I made a frantic call to my classmate-turned-friend Paula.
"Yeah, totally," Paula said. "You can copy mine." With a sigh of relief, I thanked her profusely.
"But why didn't you do yours?" she asked me.
"I've been so busy all week. You know I didn't exactly stay till the end of his class last week before I ran out," I explained truthfully. He released us, but in normal Giovanni fashion, he would drop a snippet or two or maybe an assignment after a few people left.
According to him, it was his best way of catching people who were unserious with his class.
"Why did you run?" she asked. "My job, remember?" I replied. "Oh," she said. "Yeah, it's okay, it's fine. When are you going to come to campus?" she asked.
"Right about now.”
“Professor's class starts in three hours. Hurry!" she urged.
Feeling grateful for having a friend such as Paula, I ran into the shower and got ready for the day. After throwing on a random t-shirt and a random pair of jeans, I rushed out of my apartment. I was only halfway down the stairs when I realized I hadn't picked up my bag and that I was still wearing my fluffy house slippers.
Blessed Virgin!
I rushed back up the stairs and quickly changed my slippers, making sure to grab my bag. I double-checked and triple-checked to see if my laptop was inside so I could avoid any funny stories or business. Getting to school was easy, as was finding Paula.
"Here it is," she said as she opened the file on her laptop.
Hers was a sleek silver gadget, while mine was a black, boxy, ruggedly old one that was no less than 20 years old. Updating the software was a constant pain, but I decided that when I had more money, I would buy another. Hopefully, I would do it under Pablo's nose, as the moment he found out, he might probably sell it and use it to gamble.
In no particular order, I transferred the file to myself and began work on changing some of the words. I worked on it for almost an hour before I was satisfied that the professor wouldn't flag it for plagiarism. Paula herself breathed a sigh of relief once I was done and leaned her head on my shoulder.
Two hours later, Professor Giovanni called me as he went through my email that contained my assignment. My heart thundered in my chest as he kept silent and slowly scrolled through the pages of my altered work.
"It's fine," he said in his thick Italian accent. "But it's not remarkable." He looked at me. "I expect more from you with the next one," he said as he dismissed me.
I had a spring in my step as I closed off from class and made my way to the arena. There was no work for me that day because somehow, in a stroke of luck, the restaurant had suffered a mini fire outbreak.
I was glad that I wouldn't hear Giuseppe's voice yelling at me to do something that was not in my job description.
Just as I was about to turn into the alley that I was familiar with I spotted from my Periphery a black car that was moving slowly by the roadside. The alley was too deserted so I made the call to take a longer around by sticking to the main room.
I had walked for about 20 minutes and still saw the car moving slowly. I was certain the car was following me, so I broke out into a light run prepared to turn off at the next alley.
Just as I broke out into a run I bumped into a wall that sent me falling on my butt.
“Ouch!” I said I rubbed my ass I feel like pain in my elbow.
“ I'm so sorry Mia Bella.” I had a familiar deep voice say. I froze a bit hearing Isabella until I looked up defined him looking at me with concerned eyes.
He stretched out his arm and held me get up even though I didn't take it pulling me to my feet as though I weighed nothing.
“Baby who is this?” I heard a female voice ask behind Damon and soon the source of the voice came out to reveal a tall blonde woman. Damon smiled down at the woman before looking at me and offering me a small look.
He leaned over to the lady and whisper something in her ear causing her to laugh as I saw his freehand disappear behind the girls ass.
I rolled my eyes and side stepped them preparing to leave.
Suddenly I heard it again. It was definitely the sound of the name. Isabella! I heard him shout in my direction.
I stopped frozen and fear and trepidation as a cold sweat broke out over me.
Was I found out? I asked to myself as I prepared to run.
Elena I stepped forward under then again the sound of Isabella still rang in my ears. “Mia Bella.” Damon said again behind me and I let out a breath of relief. “You dropped this.” He said. And his hand was the keys to my apartment. I snatched out of his hand and mumbled a “thank you”, before resuming my trip. The car that was moving slowly had also disappeared thankfully. I got to the arena on time and met up with Paul, Edmond, and Julian once again. This time, my three friends brought out a collective of €100. "We're going to give this to you and again, place bets for us," Julian had told me the night before on a phone call. "Whatever it is you did last time, do it again," he said. Together, we bet upwards of €300. Of course, I had contributed most of it because I still had quite a bit of money from the previous win even though most of it had gone to my stepfather's problem. I didn't really know much about the night fighters, but with a quick glance, I knew who was going to win
Elena Taking a step back in an attempt to create some distance, I failed miserably, twisting my ankle in the process. I didn't fall too far as he caught me by the waist and pulled my flush against his sweaty chest. He smelled divine. Sure, there was the musk of sweat, but there was also something expensive about his scent. I couldn't quite place it, but I knew he wasn't a man of small means. The question I had intended to ask him flew out of my mind as I stood in close proximity to him, his presence overwhelming. I wiggled out of his grasp as the announcer approached, likely to tell him about another fight scheduled for another time. I tried to catch his eye as I left, but he seemed engrossed in his conversation. I hurried out of the room, feeling flustered and uncertain about what just happened. ** I was back to square one. I had no money, and my job being needlessly demanding, I was also in desperate need of a timeout. Two days ago, Pablo called me while I was in class. I had l
Elena Sicilia was an excuse. It was the perfect excuse to escape work and the ever nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I was being followed. However, going there would also mean that I was facing another problem, which was Pablo. Just basically from the pan into the fire in my case. And so once my paycheck came in I all but ran back home and hurried to pack a few clothes and also quickly made my way to the train station. I was so absorbed in my thoughts when I didn't notice I had bumped into someone. “I'm sorry,” I apologized as I picked up my bag. “No problem,” the man muttered with a strong Italian accent. The accent itself wasn't a problem, it was the twist. It was strong with some of the raises of the Avalian drawl. I looked up at him. He didn't seem to be someone I knew, but his face betrayed some form of recognition. He was elderly, and on his head was a cloth cap. “You should look where you are going, miss. You don't want to end up in trouble,” he said as he hande
Elena He sat in front of an old restaurant I used to frequent when I was younger, drinking a cup of tea and trying to avert his eyes when I saw him. He was definitely not someone from around town because if he was, he would most likely be eating the restaurant's signature pasta. Feeling as though I was cornered, I picked up my pace and made a mental note to take another route from the farmers market when I was going back. Luckily for me, there were no more incidents on my way back since I took the other side, but I was still apprehensive. With every couple of steps I took, I would turn to check. "I need you to help me pick up something from Antonio," Pablo told me when I got back home. "Antonio? Who's that?" I asked as I stepped into the house. "You don't know him? He's my friend. He was supposed to meet up earlier, but he said he had a problem. Anyway, go help me pick up something. You don't need to know what it is," Pablo said, waving his hands as though to send me away, which
Elena Somehow, in my mind, the monster lurking outside would hear me and burst open my door. But this was real life, and there was no monster outside to burst open my door once I opened it. I met an empty hallway, and silence greeted me. I slowly walked down the slim staircase and made my way into the living room. I stopped once I reached the atrium. There was broken glass on the floor from the door, and a few potted plants had been injured in the fight. I turned to the living room, and my heart fell at the sight in front of me. Pablo sat hunched in his usual spot in the living room. From his bruised and bloodied knuckles, blood dripped onto the tiled floor beneath him. I was willing to bet that his face was just as bad. "What happened?" I asked, setting a bowl of cold water beside him, ready to clean his hands and face. Silence was my response as I wiped off the blood from his knuckles. Just as I was about to move to his face, he flung backwards and snatched the cloth and my hand.
Elena Instead of picking up the call, I simply turned off the landline and hung up. "What was it?" Pablo asked behind me. "Wrong number," I said, forcing a smile as I brushed past him to get to my room. I needed to leave. My presence might put Pablo in danger, and even though he wasn't the best of fathers, he had raised me and provided for me since I was 15, for which I was grateful. Looking around my room, I decided I needed to leave the day after. Without much motivation, I got up and stuffed the little clothes I brought back into the bag. It didn't take me too long, and by the time I was done, I almost considered leaving that night. Shaking my head, I banished the thought from my mind. It was too risky for a young woman like me to travel so late. Sicilia was not the problem; Rome was. If the following wasn't bad enough, if anything happened, it would be hard to get out of it being so late. I sat back on the bed, biting my fingernails and thinking of a way out of this. The me
Elena Unfortunately for them, I had many stops to go, and I had discovered that the bus had many other people that were going to the same place I was. I hit a stroke of luck when a flood of people highlighted before me, and so I got ready as well. I pulled out a scarf from my bag and covered my hair with it so I wouldn't stand out too much. The bus stopped, and we all highlighted. In the distance, I could see the car, but it was obstructed by many people, so I was glad. Luckily for me, most of us were walking in the same direction as my house, and it was very easy to move with them. I wanted to do a happy dance when I saw the bus move and was followed by the car. As soon as the car left and was a long distance away, I sped up my steps to my apartment. Only when I got home was I able to release a breath of relief. I struggled to find my footing once school resumed. There was so much to do, and the stark contrast between my way of life in Sicily and my way of life in Rome was more
Elena The next few hours went by in a breeze and I didn't see Damon when I came out. He had probably left with the woman but I didn't care, at least that was what I told myself. The next day school came by in a flash and it was back to work yet again. “They should give you employee of the Month.” Damon said as I was walking to the restaurant. He was sitting in the outdoor dining area with his legs crossed. He was clad in black slacks, brown loafers and a knitted white shirt that left his collar and the top part of his chest open revealing some of his tattoos. I close my eyes briefly. I shouldn't let Damon get to me. I told myself. “I don't think we have stuff like that here.” I said. “Come sit.” He said as he potted the seat next to him. While I hadn't resumed for work yet I had time so I decided to indulge him. “ You are so guarded.” He said. “Did you go through some sort of childhood trauma question?” He asked with a sly smile. I shook my head.” I can smell men like you comi