[Luca fanfiction] Love in Portorosso

Chapter 8

"Where are we going?" Luca asked.

"Come on. I got something to show you."

Alberto led Eimi and Luca into the night streets. His head was still buzzing with wonderment from all the things he had learned from Giulia.

"Hey, you won't believe this," he said, pointing at the sky. "Those aren't fish."

"What?"

"Yeah. Giulia and I explained it to him," Eimi said. "They're fires. But, like, one million times bigger."

"Uh, no, they're not," Alberto said, cutting of his friend.

Luca didn't know why Alberto was being that way. It's like he doesn't know anything about the world and stars. At last, they reached their destination. The mechanics garage they had visited the other day. They looked in the window and saw the beat up scooter sitting there, with a little sign that said FOR SALE.

"Soon you'll be ours, sweet Vespa," Alberto said with a sigh. "Take a look. I thought of every single thing we're gonna need. Also, I added flames."

"That's so cool!" Luca said. Then he starred to draw on the window. "Oh! And we can bring a telescope, too!"

Alberto also stared at Luca's drawing and then added some lightning coming out of it. "Yeah! That shoots lightning!"

"No, no, no. You look through it," Luca corrected him. He erased the lightning and Alberto looked disappointed. "Giulia says there's an even bigger one at her school. Wait. What if we visit her there?"

"Why would you wanna do that?" 

"It kinda sounds interesting," Eimi said.

Alberto wasn't having it. "The whole reason we're getting a Vespa is to live on our own. We don't need school. We don't need anybody."

'Couldn't we just try it? Just for a few days?" Luca asked.

"Luca, we can't go to school. What do you think is gonna happen when they see your face?"

But before Luca could answer, something long and metallic slammed into a nearby wooden door with a sculptured of a sea monster. It was a harpoon. Someone had just thrown it. That someone was Ercole.

"Hey, look who it is," Ercole said, his voice full of mock camaraderie.  "And with no Giulia to hide behind."

Eimi watched as Ercole approached in the dark, Ciccio and Guido right behind him. She wanted to run but Alberto had held her close. She knew there was no way her friends were going to leave.

"Come on. Let's go," Luca insisted.

But Alberto stood there. "No."

"Something's fishy with you two. I mean, besides the smell," Ercole said. "You're hiding something, and what are you doing here, girl?"

Eimi saw that Ercole had turned his head to her.

"Is it that we're smarter than you?" Alberto asked. "I mean, we're not really hiding that. It's just kind of obvious."

Ercole glared at Alberto. "You know, people think I'm a nice guy." He reached out and grabbed Alberto roughly shoving against a wall. Ciccio and Guido held him by the arms. "Always joking around. But really, I'm not."

"Stop!" Eimi yelled.

"Wait your turn, piccoletta," Ercole said. He turned his gaze to Alberto again.  "I want to make myself very clear. This is my town, number one and number two, I don't want you in it."

"I... I said stop!" Eimi thundering picking  the harpoon and pointed at Ercole's chest.

Ercole grinned and took a step closer to Eimi. "Put that down, girl. You'll hurt yourself."

But Eimi didn't put it down. "Let him go!" Luca said, terrified.

With a nod from Ercole, Ciccio and Guido shoved Alberto back. "Go. Now," Ercole hissed. "Before I change my mind."

Eimi and the two boys backed off, then ran. Eimi tossed the harpoon to the side.

"Nobody wants you here, idioti!" Ercole shouted after them.  "Keep running!"

Somehow, they had run all the way back to their house without anyone following them. Luca was out of breath.

"You okay, Eimi?" Alberto asked Eimi.

"I think so," Eimi softly said. Panting lightly, Alberto helped the young girl up. With a smile, Alberto and Eimi knew why. They had form a relationship.

"Why did you make him mad? We should've left," Luca insisted.

"No, no, no. We're fine," Alberto said. "I had it under control. All you gotta do is follow my lead, remember?"

Before Luca could say anything, Alberto stormed into the backyard.

The following morning, Eimi was awakened by Giulia doing her trumpet imitation again.

The day's training regimen consisted of Alberto sitting in the family kitchen, filled with bowls of all kinds of pasta. And eating all of them with a fork.

Alberto was frustrated, but determined to master the fork. He would eat all of them necessary to get that Vespa. After the pasta session, it was outside on the streets for Luca to get in some bicycle practice. He was on the fish car bicycle, of course, struggling to stay ahead of some kids walking along eating watermelon.

On the fishing boat, Alberto watched in amazement as Massimo pulled up the heavy fish net with one arm. He wanted to do it just like Giulia's father, so Alberto tried to pull a newt from the water with one arm. It was a lot harder than it looks. As he pulled on the net, Alberto saw a shadow in the water. He recognized it instantly. It was a sea monster! Before Alberto could do anything, Massimo was already in motion, for he had seen the shadow and reached for his harpoon. Alberto gasped as the fisherman hurled into the water. A moment later, Massimo retried the harpoon, only to discover what he captured was a large clump of seaweed. He sighed heavily, and so did Alberto.

Alberto was about to get back to pulling up the fishing net when he got a good close look at one tattoo on Massimo's arm. It was a sea monster getting harpooned.

Eimi started trusting one chain and making some unique sea monsters. She started carving wood with her knife and making it into a sea monster. Smiling, she placed the sea monster carving into the rack where the rest of the polished trinkets of sea monsters hang. 

Another day went by and Luca was once again training on the bicycle. This time he was out on the streets of Portorosso. More confident than ever. Luca pedaled furiously passing a group of kids eating gelato ice cream.

During that time, Eimi spend a little more time with Alberto but soon got jealous of Luca who was learning more Information in the books.