STOLEN || 18+ (Monsters #3)

.97. Attention

"For most of history, anonymous was a woman."

- Virginia Woolf

(This one hits hard^)

. . .

Leyla Campbell

"How about..." Giovanni paused dramatically. "First January."

"No," Dante and Fabiano replied at the same time.

I leaned back in my chair, done with my dessert, watching them struggle to settle on one date. Gabriella had asked for food in her room, and the new maid had complied. She was a lot older than Rosa had been. And she was nice with kind eyes.

But she was not her.

"Why not?" Giovanni demanded. "It's the perfect date. Right?" He turned to me.

"Whoa." I sipped my wine. "Do not drag me into this."

His pretty eyes narrowed, a strand of perfect brown hair brushing against his strong jaw.

It was entertaining to watch this. We were settled around a small square table on the balcony, I had asked to eat there. Dante was sitting across me, his back to the city. Giovanni and Fabiano were on my left and right.

"How about first July," Dante muttered, blond hair fluttering in the wind. It looked like it'd rain tonight. "I like July."

"No," Giovanni said, tugging at a strand of my hair gently.

"Why?"

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

Fabiano pinched the bridge of his nose. "You both are useless." He took a bite of his cake. I took one sneakily, which three of them instantly noticed. Giovanni slid his piece of cake towards me.

"I don't see you coming up with a date," Dante said, sipping his whiskey. His eyes had lightened, but the darkness was far from gone. He slid his cake towards me, too. Only Fabiano seemed to have a sweet tooth in the family.

I stuffed my face cake.

Fabiano leaned down towards me. "Choose one."

Mouth filled, I just looked at him. "Hm?"

He brushed his thumb on my bottom lip, removing a tiny bit of frosting. "Give us a date."

I swallowed the cake, gulping down water as I choked. "Well," I said, wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt. "How about..." I drummed my fingers on the table. "Six March?" I asked.

They looked at each other. Dante shrugged. Giovanni nodded. "Okay. Six March it is."

I rolled my eyes. They just didn't want to agree with each other.

. . .

I sat on the bed, looking down at the book. Gabriella had sent me the phone in this book. I had bought another one of it - yet I couldn't bring myself to throw this one out.

Gabriella strolled inside the room. She looked at the book in my hand.

"That's my top," I said before she could say anything. The dark brown oversized t-shirt was mine.

She shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I don't care." She stepped closet, taking the book from my hands.

She sat down on the bed, looking at the bookshelf. "Do you forgive them?" She asked. "For everything?"

"For keeping me here?"

"Yes," she said. "I know they've hurt you."

"They have..." I sighed. "I've been hurt worse so, does it matter?"

She tilted her head. "A papercut still bleeds, you know? Just as a giant wound does."

"It hurts less."

"It shouldn't hurt at all."

I sighed. I had felt this conversation coming and I could not blame my sister for it. Anyone would be confused.

I sat down beside her. "It hurt," I said. "I was terrified when I first came here. I was terrified when I first saw them."

"Then why are you with them?"

"Because I fell."

"Leyla," she sighed. "I understand that they are nearly not as bad as our father, but you do realise that they aren't...normal, right?"

"I'm not blind, Gabby." I chuckled. "I know they aren't normal. But I'd be lying if I sat that I'm normal. Maybe fucked up people fall for each other, I don't know."

She stood, walking to the bookshelf, running her fingers on the books. "You're a forgiving person." She looked at me. "I want you happy. I don't care if it's with them or with anyone else."

"I am near to happy as I can get."

She leaned against a wall, folding her arms against her chest. "You forgive them?" She asked again. "Have they even asked for forgiveness?"

"Does it matter?" I asked. "Everything bad they did to me was because of their anger. Which does not make it right, or excuse it, but I am choosing to let it go." I stood up, smoothing down my dress. "They make me happy. It's been a long time since I've felt that."

She shrugged. "They should ask for forgiveness. They should be kissing your ass all day long."

I sighed. "You're never going to forgive them, are you?"

"When they took you," she said, voice hesitant. I frowned. "I thought they would hurt you - worse than anyone has ever hurt you. I was terrified." She looked down. "And father..." She gulped. "He turned his attention towards me."

I froze. Everything in me froze.

"Gabby-"

She smiled. "It was horrible."

I rushed towards her. "What..." I couldn't get the words out. All these years, I took all that abuse so that my sisters would never have to feel it but now...

She looked at me. "It makes my skin crawl."

I pulled her to my chest. "Gabriella."

I held her till she stopped shaking. She didn't sob, or even sniffle, she just shook.

"I'm glad that Astrid will never have to go through that," she whispered.

"So am I."

I held my little sister in my arms while rage brewed inside of me. I wanted to scream at the world.

Why us?

I closed my eyes, tears slipping out as they always did.

Why us?

Why anyone?

. . .

:(