UPSIDE DOWN

~ 30 ~

Sylvie

"No, please, just please, Andrea, I need my brothers" I scream for them, I yearn for their presence right now. They'd never let this happen to me if they were here. 

"Please, just take me to my brothers" I cried, the tears not stopping. 

"Please, please, PLEASE" I scream for the last time before a rag was stuffed into my mouth. 

A sense of dread filling up every nerve in my body. 

I choked on the cloth, my heart racing by the second. Air, barely making it into my lungs. 

"Ready for another round, sweetie" I hear that voice again, and I close my eyes. 

please just take me away, please. 

Andrea, Aurelio, Francesco, Matteo, Luca, please save me. One of you, please save me. 

I jolt up awake, feeling the cold beads of sweat lining my face. 

Someone is touching my hand right now, I feel the touch. Not being able to recognize it, I quickly push myself away as I stumble down the chair that I was asleep on and my head hits the wall in front. 

"Sylvie" I hear a chorus of voices. I pull my legs closer to my chest, hugging my knees despite of the pain in my head. 

I just need my brothers please. 

"Don't hurt me please, I just need my brothers, please" I barely whisper, holding onto myself tightly. 

"Hey bambina, it's me Luca" I hear a faint voice, a voice that I can recognize. Slowly peeling my eyes open, I find Luca's eyes. 

An instant relief spreading over me. 

I jump into his arms, as he wraps his arms around me. Burying my head in his neck, I close my eyes and breathe in his scent. 

It was a dream. I realize that I'm safe and that I'm ok. Everything will be ok. 

"You're ok Syl, everyone is right here. You're safe" He repeats those words in my ear, again and again until I calm down enough to loosen my grip on him. 

He lifts me up and places me on his lap, sitting on a chair nearby. "We're about to land, sir" I hear the assistants voice. 

Luca silently places me down on the seat next to him, but I refuse to let go of his arm. Clinging onto it tightly, as if, the moment I let go, he might actually slip away. 

"Don't leave me, please" I say, leaning on his shoulder and placing my head on his chest as he wraps an arm around me. 

"Never, Bambina" He whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead. 

I felt soo weak in the moment, I should just walk it off. It isn't a big deal and I'm acting like a child. I shouldn't be this dependent. 

I'm putting my brother's in danger. And it's all because of me that they're flying to somewhere else far away from home. 

I'm nothing but a burden on them. 

You're just a pathetic excuse of a child. I hear mama's voice ringing in my head.

And suddenly every word she ever uttered started to seem true, all of it was clearly evident. I'm nothing but a waste of space. 

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the plane landed and the doors to exit are opened. 

Luca pulls me into his arms before walking to the door and then down the stairs. Quietly moving towards the pickup cars waiting for us, he gets into one of the cars with me.