Found and Forgotten

Chapter 4

Zeta POV

I'm sitting in my room, which is beautiful,  thinking about the events of today. It seems like Massimo is trying. Enzo seems distant, but he was always quiet. Didn't they think I was a burden? Isn't that why I was given away? Maybe I need to look into it. My father told me I was a burden and my brothers thought the same. But maybe it was just my father.

The mansion is how I remember it. Guards everywhere. I didn't know exactly what they do, but I know it's not legal. But that's a problem for a different day. It's not like I have a choice where I live anyway.

I felt both relief and disappointed when none of my other brothers were here to greet me. It shows me they likely don't care, hence the disappointment. However, I'm so emotionally and physically exhausted that it was relieving to not have to deal with the reunion.

I'm currently trying to rest before dinner. I can't avoid the reunion there and I'm nervous. I'm not sure how they feel about being back. Enough families have treated me as a burden for me to know they probably feel the same way.

I tried to lay down for a nap, but, without the medicine from the hospital, my sleep anxiety returned. When I started to doze off, I was startled by a nightmare. One I haven't had in a while; the one where I was abandoned at the orphanage. Great. This house is affecting me already.

I decide to change into some comfy clothes that are also acceptable for dinner. I play games on my phone while I wait for dinner as my mind is overwhelmed with thoughts of my parents and best friend as well as how dinner will go.

A knock at my door disturbs my thoughts. I open it to reveal one of the twins. I am currently forgetting which one. I'm going to blame this stupid concussion for that.

"Hi. I'm Dante." He broke me out of my thoughts.

"Hi" I respond quietly.

"Do you like your room? Matteo and I spent all day yesterday deciding on it." He stated

"I do thank you. I love the green." I replied. This is going better than I thought.

"Ha. I told Matteo you would like that better. He wanted to do pink and purple. But even as a little girl you hated those colors." So he didn't completely forget me.

"Yes, green is much better" I say with a slight smile. I look up to see we are approaching the dining room. My anxiety increases the closer we get.

As we enter the dining room, I see Massimo at the head of the table with Enzo to his right. Matteo is to his left, followed by an empty chair and then Gianni. Next to Enzo is an empty chair and next to that is Xander, who looks very annoyed by the way. Dante sits in between Matteo and Gianni, leaving me in between the two giants. Great.

As we sit down, Massimo now at me. The maids begin to place down our food, ravioli. We all being too eat in silence with small murmurs here and there. I get down a few and start to get full. My adoptive parents tried to help my appetite but could only do so much to remedy 10 years of lack of food.

Matteo asks if everything is okay as I set my fork down. I let them know Im just not very hungry. For some reason, this makes Xander get up and leave. Gianni follows soon. It's very clear they didn't want me here. Massimo apologizes for them and also that he is leaving to catch up on more work.  Enzo follows suit. It is just me and the twins now.

Matteo speaks first: "Dante said you like the room we designed. I'm glad."

I thank him. It did make me feel loved that they did that for me. That didn't make our interactions any less awkward. Deciding I had enough, I excused myself to my room.

I showered and changed for bed. As I got under the covers, another wave of grief hit me. I wish I could call Akira. She's the only one who could comfort me with all this change. I feel alone all over again. And I hate feeling alone.

It doesn't help that it seems like they didn't even miss me. Like they never cared if I was even alive. Massimo seems to care some. Or at least has shown some sympathy for my current situation. The twins don't seem to mind me being here. But still, no one has made me feel wanted.

These thoughts race in my mind until I finally fall asleep.

I am laying on the dirty mattress in the floor. I haven't had food in days. My torso is bruised. I burnt the eggs and my foster dad decided to use me as his personal punching bag. He repeated the words I already know. I'm worthless and nobody wants me. The door bursts open and my foster father is back with the belt.

I wake up panting on the third strike of the belt. This particular nightmare is a memory from when I was 7. While I've done a lot to recover from my past, the nightmares continue to haunt me as do the scars on my stomach and back.

There's no point in going back to sleep now. Two and a half hours of sleep is enough I guess. I go out on the balcony for a bit and stare at the sky, thinking of my loved ones I lost. I tell them that I miss them and I love them before going in due to the chilly night. I dive into Pokemon to avoid any more emotions for the night.

Xander POV

It's 3 a.m. and I'm stuck awake. I never have been someone to sleep well. I decide to go to the gym for a workout hoping it will exhaust me to sleep. I don't know why Massimo thought it was a good idea to bring her back. I don't think it is safe and I HATE change. I don't need some little girl here to take care of. Especially one with such a recent trauma. I avoid her at all costs. I just don't need anymore complications in my life. An hour later I'm returning to my room. I decide to head out to the balcony to cool off. I'm shocked to hear my sister on her balcony a few doors down saying I love you to the sky. Why is she awake now? I decide I don't care and go back inside, but half an hour later the curiosity is still bugging me. I decide to see if her light is on. It's not. So I decide to peek inside and see her engrossed in a game of Pokemon. I tell myself I don't care, but I feel a warmth and crack a small smile. I didn't really forget our Pokemon bonding time when we were kids, but I chose to stop thinking about it after she left. I still play sometimes though. Maybe she's not so bad. Not that I plan on finding out. It's better to not get involved and live how I was before her return.