Ordo Noctis

Chapter 16

Venice was as beautiful as I remembered. The colorful buildings and charming environment feels like home. As we walked through the streets together, it was crazy to think that in the four times I'd traveled there, my parents had been just a moment away.

Mars and I were pointedly ignoring most events from last night, including the fact that the person that raised us was a murderer, and the fact that we had ended up holding hands while sleeping together. I was perfectly fine with not addressing that subject.

We decided to visit Mars's family first, because they were closer. As we approached the house, he became more and more visually agitated.

The Romanos lived in a large house, with lots of windows and flowers on the windowsills. Mars took a deep breath and stepped up to the door, ringing the doorbell.

A woman with brown hair answered almost immediately. "May I help you?" She said in Italian.

Yess! I finally remembered to translate! Sorry, sometimes I forget not everyone speaks this many languages.

"Um, h - hi," Mars stuttered, also in Italian. "A - are you Sonia Romano?"

The lady laughed. "Oh, no, I'm just the maid. She'll be in the parlor. Can I show you in?"

Mars and I looked at each other, and I shrugged.

"Yes please," he said after a moment. The woman smiled and stepped aside to let us in.

The inside of the house was just as fancy as the outside. It had marble floors and a beautiful mosaic ceiling. An intricate chandelier hung into the center of the room. The round-shaped foyer had six doors leading into different parts of the house. The maid led us into the first one on the left into what I could only assume was the parlor - I wasn't very educated in rich-people vocabulary. And these people were quite obviously rich.

A squat woman with a kind smile and short brown hair appeared from behind a red sofa. "Who is this, Carla?" She had a sharp Italian accent.

"They asked to see you, Mrs. Romano," the maid replied.

"Ah, thank you. Would you mind getting us some cucumber water?"

"Of course." The maid exited the room, leaving us alone with Sonia Romano.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm - I'm Mars," he whispered.

"Mars! What an interesting name."

"And I'm Star," I introduced myself.

"It's nice to meet you two. Why have you come to see me? Usually all of our visitors are my husband's clients." She laughed, then peered closer at Mars. "Have I met you before? You look very familiar. A lot like my husband Francesco, actually."

Mars looked to me for guidance, and I gave him a reassuring nod. He seemed to steel himself, then turned back to his mother.

"I'm actually... your son."