Emiliana   Loud harsh steps stormed through the hallway like a giant's footprint  before a heavy hand slammed several times against my door making me jump.  “Em, open the door!” Instantly recognising the close, I peeled myself away from my book before unlocking the bedroom door. Oli’s bright blonde hair flicked and flopped over his face in disarray as he pushed past me. Turning around with such fury, he clutched my face and stared deeply into my eyes. Worry was etched around them, framing his concerned face. “What are you doing here?” I swatted him away, a look of confusion and disgust stared back at me. “I heard what happened.” “From who?”  “Does

Emiliana   It was the following morning and I had time to think over the events of yesterday. Giovanni’s truthful but hurtful words resonated with me. I had kept quiet ever since we entered the apartment, I hadn’t responded to his apology. In turn, I hadn’t been able to sleep that night, partly due to the fact that Luciano had returned, and the fact that Giovanni hadn’t taken up his post as my sleep keeper that night. I knew it was a matter of time before Luciano would make a reappearance, however, it still shook me to the core. I was unprepared and as much as I tried to remain resilient in front of Giovanni, I was a mess inside. I wasn’t greeted with my usual coffee that morning either. It was like he was punishing me for something I had not done yet or waiting for things between us to turn much swe

Emiliana Your birthday is the beginning of your own personal new year. Your first birthday was a beginning, and each new birthday is a chance to begin again, to start over, to take a new grip on life. — Wilfred Peterson____Twenty three. That’s how many years I had under my belt and that’s the number that was displayed everywhere. Banners, balloons, napkins. Everywhere I looked, I was surrounded by the number as a reminder that I was still so young.I hadn’t wanted a birthday party this year. I wasn’t actually anticipating being in the States for it. I wanted to be out exploring Europe and the rest of the world. Yet here I was, wandering around my

Emiliana I stood in awe at the brooding man in front of me. Raw masculinity radiated from him in surges and I could feel the waves of powerful anger threaten to flip and turn on anyone in his sights. “What are you doing?” They were the only words I spoke before Giovanni swung my body over his strong shoulders.“I think it’s time to go.” He announced. I felt all the muscles along his back ripple on every shift of his taut body. Anger radiated from him and I wasn’t sure why he was aiming it at me.“No, Gio!”“Don’t argue with me, Principessa.” He growled as the cold air hit my bare legs and blood rushed to my head. We were outside now, no long

Emiliana Five masked men dressed in black with guns aimed at us marched into the room. A spray of bullets ricocheted through the air, tearing through the delicate drapes and bouncing off of the chandeliers above us. Screams pierced the atmosphere as we all scattered or froze. Amongst the chaos, I made out masked faces glancing around the room, repositioning their guns on every turn of their bodies. White fog began to spread across the floor, covering my ankles before rising up to my chest. I felt Naomi’s hand clasp mine, shaky fingers linked together as we stood frozen in fear. My lungs had completely lost their ability to function, I tried to look around but the thick mist was dizzying and suffocating. All I could see was the vague