Memories
POV: Elena
My scalp hurts, my father's hands are pulling hard and I whimper as he drags me to the basement.
I see Eloisa hugging her mother, she's crying because I'm monopolizing our father again.
I hear my mother cursing me as she tries to calm her princess.
I feel the stairs slamming into my legs as I'm dragged down.
My father throws me down hard and walks over to his toolbox.
"Take off your clothes," he orders and I obey, not wanting to anger him.
I stand in my underwear as he lights his cigarette and walks over to me.
Tears fill my eyes and fall as he repeatedly stubs the cigarette out on my skin.
"I should be putting my daughter to bed," he grumbles and slaps me, "But here I am, once again trying to teach you to be part of our family."
I hate that word. I never asked to be part of the family.
I stay quiet while he talks, it's always worse if I talk back.
He spends about an hour with me in the basement. An hour beating me, burning me, and cutting me. An hour teaching me.
When he's done, he leaves me in the freezing basement and goes to take care of his princess.
I try to get up from the floor, but my body protests and it takes me a few tries to get up.
I'm on the first step of the stairs when I look up and think I'm dreaming.
Silas sees me, tells me to be quiet, and runs to help me. He catches me, but a laugh interrupts us.
My father laughs at both of us, at Silas's attempt to save me.
He calmly walks down the stairs, Silas puts me down, and tells me to hide somewhere in the basement.
But I'm frozen, my body can't move. All I want to do is ask Silas to run away, to save himself.
I see the two of them fighting physically, my father is stronger than a sixteen year old boy. But when a gun appears my blood runs cold.
Silas points his gun at my father who is not intimidated, he holds the pistol and the two fight again, until a shot is fired.
I look at the two of them in fear.
My world shatters when my father smiles and Silas falls to the ground holding his stomach.
I run to him, hold his wound and he screams in pain. I look at my father and scream for him to call the ambulance, but he just smiles at me and walks away as if nothing had happened.
Tears fill his eyes and I wipe them away with my free hand.
"Please don't let me die," he begs and I cry.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine, you idiot," I say with tears streaming down my face.
I squeeze his wound tighter and he groans in pain.
"You shouldn't have come," I say and a sob escapes me.
He smiles and it destroys me.
"You said everything would be okay, so stop crying," he says and I nod.
I wipe my tears away and he starts to close his eyes.
"Silas, don't fall asleep, please, please," I beg desperately.
"Promise me you won't cry anymore," he whispers and coughs up some blood.
"I promise, I promise anything, but keep your eyes open," I beg.
He doesn't open his eyes and I start to freak out.
"Silas, wake up, come on, wake up, please, let me see your smile," I scream and shake him.
I try to listen to his heartbeat but I hear nothing.
"SILAS, WAKE UP, WAKE UP," I scream at the top of my lungs in desperation.
I'm pulled from my nightmare like a fish out of water.
My screams and Silas' blood are still real, my pain is real.
A hand touches my face and I get scared. I jump out of bed to get away and end up falling, but I don't care.
I look around and see my relatives in my room. Except Eloisa who is too used to my screams to wake up.
"Elena, it's us, honey." Grandma's voice is calm and I realize that she was the one who touched my face.
"Did I wake you up?" I ask, getting up from the floor.
"I can say that we all did," she answers me with a sad smile.
"I'm sorry," I say looking at my hands, "I'm fine, you can go."
"You were screaming like you were dying, how can you say you're fine, damn it?" Leonardo shouts angrily.
I look at him angrily and show him my finger. I'm tired of his attitude.
"Out," Lorenzo's voice is authoritative.
Leonardo huffs and stomps his foot.
I look at the others, expecting them to leave too, but they don't.
"I know you're worried, I guess," I say, confused. "But I'm fine, it was just a nightmare."
"It didn't feel like a nightmare," Vicente says, looking deeply at me. "More like a memory."
The color drains from my face. I close my eyes, trying and failing to build my mental walls, destroyed by the memories.
For a few seconds, I return to that basement. I see Silas' body and all the blood. I see myself hurt and begging for someone to save him.
"Elena," Giorgio calls, his voice soft. "You can tell us whatever you need."
I feel his words enter my ear like a siren's song.
"We're here, bambina. We're here to get this weight off your chest," Giovanni says, coaxing me even further.
My eyes are closed as I slide to the floor holding my head. Hot tears wet my cheeks.
"He died right in front of me," I say softly and open my eyes.
The twins are kneeling in front of me and looking at me encouragingly with my story.
My mind tries to warn me about something and I try to focus on what it wants to show me.
The boys see me hesitating and try again.
"Don't think too much, bambina, you know it's not good to keep this in," Giorgio says.
"We're here to help you," Giovanni says and the warning in my mind gets louder.
No one can help you. You know the consequences.
I look at them more closely and remember what their job is in the mafia. Interrogation.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," I say wiping away my tears.
The twins look at the others and shake their heads before standing up. They know they won't get anything else from me.
"I need to go back to sleep, I have class tomorrow," I say and walk to the door. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine."
Everyone notices my change in posture, but they don't say anything. They're respecting the agreement I made with Grandpa and I appreciate that.
Dante is the last one to leave the room and stops at the door.
"They weren't lying when they said it was okay to talk about what's bothering you, Sorella," he says and closes the door.
Can I really trust them?