Oblivion ✓

B| Childhood

Many years earlier

THIRD PERSON

"Cugino, hai 22 anni, Vito, viviti un po'," [Cousin, you're 22, Vito, live a little], Alessandro said, his voice light and teasing, a burst of laughter escaping."Fatti una bevuta, fai festa, scopati qualcuno. Il mondo non finirà se ti prendi una serata di pausa." [Get drunk, make a party, get laid. The world won't end if you take a night off.]

Vito hesitated, his fingers tightening around the phone as if trying to hold onto something solid. The noise of the street outside his window seemed to fade as he focused on Alessandro's words. "I know, but someone has to keep things together at home."

Alessandro's laughter quickly died down, his tone turning more serious, yet still laced with understanding. "Non devi portarti tutto sulle spalle, Vito. Sono sicuro che ce la faranno per una sera." [You don't have to carry everything on your own, Vito. I'm sure they can handle it for one night.]

Vito sighed, the weight of responsibility heavy in his chest. The sound of distant car horns and people talking from the street below seeped in, but it felt far away, like it didn't belong to him. "How? Matteo and Riccardo are only 9 and 10 years old, Valentino is 15, and there is no way—" His phone suddenly buzzed, cutting him off. "Wait a second, someone's calling me." It was a call from Principal Storm.  Vito glanced at the screen, a knot forming in his stomach. He rubbed his forehead quickly muttering, "I'm sorry, its important, we have to continue our call another time. Greetings to the rest."

"Glielo dirò," [I'll tell them,] Alessandro replied, his voice filled with reluctant amusement before he hung up.

Vito didn't hesitate. He immediately answered the incoming call, his mind already racing. "What did he do?" he asked, the tension clear in his voice.

Principal Storm's voice came through sharp and urgent, cutting straight to the point. "Vito, such a pleasure to talk to you again. I hope you had a lovely weekend."

Vito's stomach twisted. "What happened this time?" he asked, his grip tightening on the phone once more.

"He thought it would be nice to bring a living object for his biology class, and as much as we encourage new creative ways of improving our lessons, this one we can't encourage..."

Vito felt his blood beginning to boil. "What exactly did you say he brought?"

"A dog."

Vito's heart sank as the words registered. A dog, so either Medusa or Xerberius. His mind raced, picturing the chaos that would ensue, trying to make sense of how on earth Valentino could have thought it was a good idea. "Are you telling me that Valentino brought a dog to class?" Vito's voice was tight with disbelief, his knuckles white from gripping the phone, and he already knew what kind of dog that must have been.

"Yes," Principal Storm replied, her tone somehow amused, but clearly trying to keep the situation under control. "It was a large dog, Vito. Not just a little pup either—this was a full-grown, seemingly trained animal, but still very much out of place in a school setting. And that's the main reason why I called, the teacher is highly afraid of dogs and accuses Valentino of doing it intentionally." So Medusa.

Vito was silent for a moment, trying to process what he was hearing. Of course it was intentional; it was his brother they were talking about. "I'll be there right away. I'll talk to him. Thank you for telling me." Vito ended the call, his mind reeling. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He grabbed his jacket, his heart pounding with anger. Why on earth did it have to be always Valentino? Couldn't someone else be the troublemaker?