~Beneath The Surface~

Passage 3 ~ Amelia

As we approach the mansion, which was surrounded by security guards, Luca opens the car door for me and I step out. "This conversation doesn't end here," he whispers.

Despite the fact that they had put in place strong security systems, he had to go above and beyond and hire over a dozen guards all around the place.

The old man hadn't changed at all, but it had only been two years so i didn't expect much.

The guards let me pass through the gate, which immediately shuts behind me. The first thing I notice is a lovely fountain surrounded by patches of green grass and gorgeous purple lavenders, my favourite.

It may sound strange, but this fountain is where I spent the majority of my childhood. Growing up, I didn't have many friends, so I had to make do. I spent a few days planting those lavenders, with the help of the gardener, of course, and let me tell you, my mother was not pleased whenever I came into the house full of mud.

But it was their fault that I didn't have any friends, that they wouldn't let me go beyond those gates. I didn't mind at the time because it was all I knew. I assumed that all other parents were equally strict with their children out of love, but as I grew older, I realised that wasn't the case.

When I hear the door open, I'm taken out of my thought train; it's Valencia, our maid. I approach her with a friendly smile, and she welcomes me with a warm hug.

"Welcome home, Miss Di Marco."
"Glad to be back, Valencia."

okay, that was a big lie, I don't even want to be here. I'd much rather be studying in England or spending time with my friends in Korea. During my internship in London, I was on the verge of becoming a lawyer at a well known law firm. Heck! I'd rather be in France right now, and believe me, I've had some bad experiences there. But now I'm here.

Before I ask about my parents, I quickly take in the familiar surroundings as I enter into the house "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Clause?"
Valencia laughs and responds, "They're not yet home, but they'll be here soon."

"WOW! I travelled all the way from England on their commands to find them abstent. That's wonderful." She says quietly to herself

But, just as she finishes her sentence, the door opens and three figures enter.

"Well, well, well," Leo begins, "is this my older sister, Amelia."

"Hey to you as well, idiot." I say, and then my father speaks up.

"It's been a long time, child. Sit down, we have a lot to talk about." He says sternly. I don't say anything about the fact that he just called me a "child," as I usually do, and I just go along with him.

I cast a glance at my mother as she walks behind her husband. She hasn't changed a single bit. Even though she's still quite young, I notice a few signs of wrinkles on her forehead. She was also tense, and she hadn't looked at me since she arrived.

I quickly take a seat next to Leo and across from my mother, who is sitting next to my father.

"Son. Get up and leave the room. It's not your time to be here." My father says.

"But I want to hear all the amazing stories about England." Leo protests.

Even though he's 15, he can be quite childish at times.

"Are the people there as strange as they they seem to be?" he asks, but then he receives a stern look from my father, prompting him to get up and leave.

"Not everyone is as strange as you see in those old movies on TV, and their food isn't half as bad as they say." I say before he opens the door.

He then laughs and walks away. Of course, the food in England was nothing like the food I'd had in Korea, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I can't reveal my whereabouts just yet.

After a brief pause, my mother speaks up for the first time since I arrived. "How did the 'studies' go aboard?"

"It was actually going really well actually. I got an internship at a law firm, and they were so impressed with me that they offered me an official role," I pause for a moment, then say, "could've been a great opportunity, but then I got a call saying I needed to come to Italy right away, so who died?" I inquire sarcastically.

The most vexing part is that they couldn't even call me. They delegated the task to someone else. Don't get me wrong: I adore them, but they sometimes (always) take their jobs too seriously, especially Papa. It's extremely aggravating.

"No one died, but someone will die soon if they don't watch what they say, especially if that person took off without informing anyone, leaving us all worried! What on earth were you thinking?! You know how dangerous it is out there, especially for a family like ours." His voice grew louder with each sentence. "God only knows what could have happened to you. You could've gotten yourself killed." He says more calmly.

"You know I can take care of myself now that I'm no longer a child." I respond

"Three years, Amelia! You've been gone for three years and haven't contacted me or your mother. You haven't even attempted to communicate with your siblings."

Oh my goodness, when is this going to end?!
"Well, I did send you a post card the second week, telling you where I was." I continue.

"It doesn't matter if you wanted to study abroad; instead of fleeing, you could have simply asked us." My mother continues, "I had to lie to Amira about where you were."

"Technically, I didn't flee. Speaking of Mira, where is she? And when will Sungjin arrive? I heard he's visiting." I ask.

I miss my little princess, Amira; she's the most wonderful younger sister anyone could have. And, seriously, Sungjin is the best older brother a girl could ever ask for! I spent half of my time in Korea with him, and every moment was filled with laughter and jokes. He's a big part of why I went to Korea in the first place. Sungjin spent the majority of his life in Korea because he was second in charge of the 'family business,' and so he was obliged to stay in Korea. Also my mother is half Korean (from her mother's side) and half British (from her father's side) and my grandmother was ill so someone had to check up on her every now and then.

But I couldn't tell them any of that, so I pretended I didn't know anything and hadn't seen him in ages.

When I ask about my siblings, my mother's expression changes and she forgets about the ridiculous act. Yes, I could tell it was all a ruse.

"Mira had grown tremendously. She will begin school in a few weeks. You should have seen her face light up when I told her. It was so adorable."

My father abruptly clears his throat, reminding his wife that they were still enraged. "As for Sungjin, he'll be here in three days." she says more calmly than before.

"I can't wait!" By mistake, I say it in Korean. Shit.

I knew there would be two ways the truth would be revealed. Luca would either open his big mouth and snitch, or I would screw up and expose myself. I'm guessing the latter. "Umm..." they look at me with a frown and I say, "I....took Korean lessons in England?" It came across as more of a question than an answer.

"Since when- never mind," my father, who is still baffled, says. "Anyway, I've had enough of you for today; get out and take a shower; you almost smell as bad as Leo. Almost." he says half-jokingly, "Yes sir." I stand up straight and salute him as if we were in the military, and he reciprocates. Then I turn around and actually go to take a shower, it's been a long day.

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A/N
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