UPSIDE DOWN

~ 10 ~

Sylvie

I was hoping all of this is just a nightmare, and I'm still asleep and all of this is just a bad dream. I'll just go away when I open my eyes. 

But it wasn't. 

It was real. It was all happening right in front of my eyes, and I was wide awake. 

I was staring the flowers in the grocery store, the one that Andrea brought me to. He asked me to pick up some flowers to lay on mom's grave later when it's time for her funeral.

I just pretended like my whole world came collapsing when Aurelio told me what happened. 

A few hours ago

The blinds in the house were left open last night, so the sun woke me up before anyone lese had the chance to. 

I sat up straight stretching my arms in the air and proceeding to crack my back and shoulders. 

I look around to find out that I'm the last person to wake up and everyone has already folded up their mattresses, "you're finally up," I hear Matteo's voice as he walks up to me. 

His eyes are red and puffy and have bags underneath them. Had he been crying? Before I could ask about it, I see Luca storm out of the house wearing a white full sleeve shirt and some random old jeans. Even he looked like he'd been crying. 

He grabbed his keys from the counter and barged out of the house, slamming the door behind him. 

"What happened?" I ask facing Matteo, "Why don't you take a shower and freshen up first" He says placing his coffee mug down and lifting me off the mattress. 

"No, tell me what happened first." I demand, something feels off and I really want to know what happened. 

"I promise I'll tell you after you take a shower" He avoids eye contact the entire time, it's unlike him. He never does that. 

"Promise?" I ask knowing that I won't get anything out of him right now. "Promise." He replies taking me over to my room. 

An unsettling feeling weighs down on my chest as anxiety makes it's way up crawling under my skin. I always hate this feeling of uncertainty. 

I take a quick shower and put on the first dress I find in view, I wheel myself out of the room after applying the cream for my bruises, they are almost gone now, two more days and my hands will finally look normal. 

I go over to the kitchen to find it empty, and proceed to check the dining room assuming it's time for breakfast, but I find absolutely no one there. The plates are still flipped and placed as new, and no breakfast is served at the table. 

I go over to the living room trying to find them, only to walk into all of them sitting like someone just died. 

All of their heads snap towards me and they all look at me with concern and love, as if I will break any moment.

The anxiety raising in me by the minute, I need to find out what happened.  

"What wrong?" I ask in a low voice, Aurelio walks over to me kneeling down in front of me, he doesn't have red eyes as bad as the others, but he looks like he hasn't slept for a few days. 

"I need you to listen to me ok, something happened to Grace" My mind slips into panic the moment he utters those words. What happened to mom? 

Did she go back to drugs? Did she start talking to that man again? Did someone hurt her?