~ongoing~ ~unedited~
After eleven year old Parker is faced with her stepfather's death, she has to move in with her five older brothers. Her newly discovered family has secrets they are hiding from Parker, but Parker is keeping secrets of her own...
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"Well, she certainly is built like a prepubescent boy." I hear one of my three unidentified brothers say.
Honestly, I've heard far worse from James, so his words don't really affect me....plus he's not wrong.
"Ares!" The one beside, I now know as Ares, exclaims. He slaps the back of his head in the process.
"What? it's true." I hear Ares smirk rubbing the back of his head.
I just remain standing next to Matteo, awkwardly playing with my fingers. Well... this is off to a great start.
The sound of a throat clearing diverts my attention to Lorenzo who sits at the head of the table.
"Parker, I apologize for Luca and Ares's comments. Please sit so we can get introductions in order." Lorenzo speaks.
While in the presence of all these boys, I notice his voice sounds much more dominating. I feel like he just got ten times scarier. Remind me never get on his bad side.
Not wanting to upset Lorenzo, I scurry to the furthest seat away from him. It just so happens to be next to the one who thought I was supposed to be a boy. This boy offers me a smile and pulls my chair out for me.
Maybe he's not so bad after all.
I watch Matteo take a seat near Lorenzo at the end. Once Matteo is seated, Lorenzo clears his throat again, effectively taking the three pairs of eyes off of me. Thank god.
"Boys, please introduce yourselves." Lorenzo demands.
The boy next to me looks to be bouncing in his seat, so him speaking up first came as no surprise to me.
"Hi Parker, I'm Luca and I'm eighteen years old. It's nice to no longer be the youngest anymore. Plus, I've always wanted a sister!" He chirperly states.
I just offer him a barely noticeable wave, while giving him a quick glance. He is without a doubt the youngest of the brothers. Luca has chestnut colored hair that flops over his forehead. I notice he has freckles and dark green eyes. He is quite built but, I can tell all his brothers have him beat in the muscle department. His personality is a little over the top for my introverted nature but -at least he seems welcoming.
The one who slapped Ares goes next.
"Hi sorellina, I am Bruno and I'm twenty-two years old. I'm sorry for my twin's comment earlier." He says assertively.
Did he say twins?
I look up from my hands to make eye-contact with Bruno, seeing he's already looking at me. I quickly glance to Ares and back to Bruno. Oh my gosh, they're...
"Identical" Ares sighs seemingly very annoyed.
Bruno and Ares obviously share the same features. They both have hair slightly darker than Luca and their eyes have a more grey shade to them. The main difference between the two is Bruno definitely has more tattoos than Ares. Whereas Bruno is still muscular, it is clear Ares workouts out more. Ares also has more - are those scars on his face?
"I'm Ares, older by five minutes." He grunts.
Jeez, is he always like this? He is almost if not scarier than Lorenzo.
"Bambina, can you introduce yourself please." Matteo urges.
I internally roll my eyes, they already know who I am - is this really necessary?
"I'm Parker, I'm el-eleven." I say applauding myself on my minimal stutter.
I don't always stutter, only when nervous -which seems to be quite often nowadays.
"Thank you, Parker. Let's eat." Lorenzo replies.
As If on cue, three maids walk in each carrying two platters in their hands. They walk with purpose as they set each platter in front of their seemingly assigned person. I wonder if they rehearsed this.
As soon as the plate is placed, the same maids pull the dome like lid off. Steam is released into the air and my stomach growls at the sight in front of me. A mouth watering steak sits in front of me. It's bigger than my face! On the side there are mashed potatoes and asparagus. I turn to thank the maid but see she already left.
The sound of forks and knives scraping divert my attention back to the table. All my brothers are happily devouring their - no doubt five star - meal.
This has got to be a test. They would never actually give me a meal so heavenly. Maybe they want me to wait for the leftovers?
"Parker, why aren't you eating?" Matteo asks, startling me from my thoughts.
I look up from my plate to see everyone has paused their actions, now looking at me.
Shoot, what do I say? I don't want to upset them already.
I open my mouth, but immediately shut it. They probably want me to remain silent.
"Parker, when we ask you a question we expect a response." It's Lorenzo who speaks now.
Judging by the bone-chilling tone he just used, I'm going to assume he's definitely not testing me.
"Umm.. 'm not hungry." I respond not taking my eyes off the meal in front of me.
Lies. I am so hungry right now.
"I don't care, you need to put some meat on your bones. Eat." Lorenzo demands.
You don't have to tell me twice.
Instead of replying, I simply pick up my fork and knife. Staring at this gigantic slab of meat infront of me, I quickly glance at Lorenzo. He nods his head encouraging me to eat. Here goes nothing.
Taking my first bite of food, I practically scream in joy. I have never tasted anything so rich in flavor. Wait a minute.... they aren't yelling at me. Why aren't they yelling at me?
Normally, James would yell at me for eating. But, he's not here anymore. I guess, I can finally eat again.
Unfortunately, my excitement of finally being able to eat again was short lived. I only managed a few bites of steak. I tried one asparagus which was surprisingly amazing. My potatoes however, remained untouched. I am way too full right now.
Thus, I set my utensils down and lean back in my seat.
"Tesoro, Is that all you're eating?" Matteo asks.
"'m full." I mutter nodding my head.
Matteo sighs, sending me a disapproving look.
"lei bisogno di mangiare di più, non sembra sana." Matteo says turning to Lorenzo.
(She needs to eat more, she does not look healthy.)
What the heck are they saying? I bet it's italian, I remember mom speaking it. Gosh, what I would do to know italian right now.
"Conosco fratello, dagli tempo" Lorenzo responds.
(I know brother, give it time.)
"Bene." Matteo huffs.
(Fine.)
Well this blows. My brothers are talking in a different language right in front of me - how unfair. Did they forget I'm sitting a mere five feet away from them?
"Parker, seeming as though you are done eating, we need to talk." Lorenzo announces.
