Letters of Loath

Rose

I'm not sure what happened. Somehow I am in a new room, in a new house, in a new country. I'm not used to the sultry air and scorching sun of Rome, I long for the cool breeze of Toronto. I drag myself out of bed to wash away the cool sweat covering me, my new bathroom is majestic to say the least. The stone floor contrasts the marble walls and the walk in shower has countless shelves. I pull on the neatly ironed school uniform and head down the giant staircase to grab breakfast. There's an array of food placed in the middle of the kitchen island and Nico is sat on a bar stool, shoving maple syrup doused pancakes down his massive gob. I grab a bowl of fruit, sliding it across the counter to my seat and popping a strawberry in my mouth. I do have to admit the fresh fruit is a plus.

"Morning Rose." Nico greets me and I nod in return. I'm not quite sure what to think of him; I've only been here for a week and he tends to stay in his room if he's not out with his friends. He has not been cruel to me though, so I do not have any prejudices against him. We look strangely similar, despite our contrasting mothers; my mother had pale skin, green eyes, hundreds of freckles and the most amazing red curls; his has brown eyes and black hair. We both resemble Matteo - I guess I should call him our father - who I do not much like, mostly due to his affair with my mother. I wish I could keep her last name, Cameron sounds so much better than Blackwater, but it is easier to get respect here with Matteo's name. Her funeral was a week ago, I was shipped here almost immediately after the DNA test told the court who my father was, and I was forced to live with a complete stranger and his family. 

The beep of the chauffer snaps me out of my thoughts and I grab my bag before pushing through the giant archway of a front door. I run down the steps to the circle driveway, followed closely by Nico. The silence in the car is deafening and I feel my heartbeat increase tenfold as we enter the giant gates of the school. They look like gates to a prison, decorated by large spikes and swirling iron. I stare out of the car window at the apparent school, that honestly looks much more like a castle from some princess book. As I watch the stylish students climb out of Limos and Ferraris, I realise that Parioli really is the place of the rich. I'm just glad that Nico goes to an international school, so most of the kids speak English, hopefully I won't have to sentence them to my rough pronunciation and incoherent stuttering.

"See you later." Nico mutters, climbing out of the car to be immediately greeted by his group of entitled friends. I exit the car and follow the map up to my first class; hundreds of eyes follow me as I try to inconspicuously navigate the halls, and miserably fail. Whispers spread quickly and soon I hear hushed words of 'bastard' and 'illegitimate' following me around. I am not surprised.

Maths is first and I am glad for the distraction. I am placed in the back corner by a serious looking man with a thick French accent. The girl next to me is quite tall with cropped brown hair and emerald eyes. They remind me of my mother's. Her eyes were always so bright, so full of life, it is hard to believe how dead they are now, fogged over by clouds of quietus. I try to focus in the lesson but my mind is still running circles as it tries to work out the new environment. 
"Hey," The whisper beside me makes me jump, "Do you have a spare pen?" The girl beside me has a soft American accent and slight gap in her front teeth.
"Um, yeah, sure." I reply, handing over a black biro. 
"Thanks," She grins at me, "I'm Marcy Jay."
"Rose Ca-," I cut myself off, "Blackwater. Rose Blackwater."
"So you're Nico's new sister then?" She enquires.
"Half sister, but yeah." I reply, waiting for a snide comment, or to be completely ignored.
"Cool, our brother's are friends. My brother is Lyo, the one with green eyes like me." She smiles, deep dimples appearing on both of her cheeks. I smile back and we return our attention to the teacher.

Break comes around quicker than I'd like and I stand in the massive courtyard, searching for Nico. When my eyes eventually find his messy brown hair I'm unsure of whether to go over to him. Would it damage his reputation even further? Making a quick decision, I turn on my heel and return inside to search for the library. I traverse the hallways with my head buried in the map, getting lost at every other turn. This school is like a damn maze. I hurry around another sharp corner and collide with a large figure. He stands ominously above me as I sit on the floor, trying to stop the world from spinning around me. I dizzily gather my belongings and climb to my feet, the boy watching me stumble around before snidely remarking in a slightly Italian, but mostly American accent,
"Watch where you're going."
"No need to be rude." I retort, pushing myself to my feet; he rolls his eyes at me and strides past. So entitled, must be one of Nico's friends.

The next two lessons pass by without incident, only a few whispers here and there. The nightmare of lunch arrives and I end up in a long queue to get food. The girls in front of me gossip, unaware of my meek presence behind them. 'Apparently her mum's dead', 'apparently her dad had an affair', 'people are saying her mum hid her from her dad', 'I heard she was locked in a tower like Rapunzel'. The rumours are half true, half ridiculous; it's the true ones that hurt, reminding me painfully of the fact my mother is gone, and she's not coming back. I feel familiar pools of salty water well in my eyes, sentencing me to certain embarrassment. I can't cry on my first day of school.
"Hey, Rose right? Mind if I cut in with you." I hear the soft American drawl of Marcy save me from my own thoughts and turn to greet her thankfully.
"Not at all." I smile and she joins the me, skilfully cutting the growing line. She asks me about my day and we chat until eventually reaching the food. She directs me to where she usually sits and introduces me to her two friends. Cyrus Sutton greets me with a quick smile before returning to his book, his buzzed hair not doing much to cover the acne splattered across his face. 

The girl sat next to him is stunning, her name - Paige Golding -  matches her bright blonde ringlets and sea infused eyes. Her Australian voice greets me with endless questions and inquisitive remarks. She's kind and funny and I'm glad to make another friend.
"Look at Lydia today, she's so pretty." Marcy swoons, almost drooling as she watches a short girl with thick brown curls and deep sienna eyes walk past.
"You like her?" I ask.
"Duh, what's not to like. She's so hot." She exclaims.
"Can you not drool over my sister right in front of me." Cyrus grumbles, a thick Italian accent carrying over his book.
"Sister? How old is she?" I inquire.
"She's Cyrus' twin sister, same age as us. Talking about age, what do you want for your birthday?" Paige asks, a sly grin comes over Marcy's face as she scrolls through a seemingly endless list on her phone, showing us pictures. I stare in horror as I realise the prices of these things she's casually listing off. 
"I'll get you that bag then." Paige offers, pointing to a designer brand. How rich are they?

"When's your birthday?" I ask.
"This Saturday, 19th of September. Don't worry about getting me a present." She consoles me, obviously seeing my shocked face. She soon starts discussing her party with Paige as they scheme about themes and kegs.

I'm shocked at how quickly I made friends, it's mostly because of Marcy's kind nature and my luck meeting her. I return home in the car alone as Nico goes to Lyo's house. I push the front door open quietly, hoping that Matteo and his wife Cecilia aren't home. I guess I should probably call her my stepmother, I don't really want to though, so for now she's just Cecilia. I'm lucky as neither of them have returned from their fancy law firm yet, they usually work late anyway. I run upstairs to change into my bikini to swim off the stress of the day. The pool in the garden is definitely a plus of living here. 

I dive into the clear water, the coolness saving me from the thick, sticky air. I swim a few laps before hearing muffled voices above the water. My head resurfaces slowly next to the wall, which hides me from the boys' view; I hear Nico's voice, followed closely by a familiar mix of American and Italian, blended together into a beautiful melody. That tall boy from earlier, the rude one that I bumped into. Why does he have to be here? Nico honestly needs better friends. I pull myself onto the edge of the pool and sit with my legs in the water.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, staring daggers at the boy stood next to Nico. Both of their heads snap round, Nico's unchanging manner conveying boredom, opposite to the other boy's expression. His eyes squint with confusion before recognition washes across his tanned face.
"She's your new sister?" He turns towards Nico, his question slightly rhetorical, Nico replies with a quick 'yes' anyway. There's a quiet moment, an invisible string passing above the water between us, his pale blue eyes scanning my exposed body, barely covered by the dark green fabric. I watch as he pulls his loose shirt off, exposing defined abs and thick arms, I know I shouldn't stare, but I can't pull my eyes off of him. The tension is suddenly cut with a loud splash as water splatters over us both.

"The water's not bad." Nico remarks as he resurfaces, a wide grin playing across his face. He is closely followed by the other boy, his brown hair shining more of a golden colour in the sunlight as he lowers himself slowly into the rippling water. They splash each other, catching me every now and then, and I hear Nico call him Elio a couple of times. So that's his name. Elio.