Separated by the Sea

Castello dei Chiaramonte

Dez POV
The light shining through the window next to my bed woke me. I rubbed my eyes and looked over at the clock. It was 9 am. If I was at home, I would have went back to sleep and wouldn't have gotten up until 11 or 12, but I was a guest at someone's house, so I didn't want to sleep all day. Besides, I was curious to see what Piero had planned for the day. I picked out an outfit of blue jeans, a pink shirt, a white leather jacket, and tan boots that folded down and had a layer of a white cotton material. I pulled back sections of my hair and held them in place with clips and bobby pins. I then put on a thin sheet of makeup and touch of shiny lip gloss. I stuck my tongue out at my reflection before heading down the long staircase. Downstairs, I followed the noise to the huge dining room. Everyone was chatting happily over coffee and sweets of several types. Crescent rolls, muffins, other breads that I'd never seen before. They didn't stop talking when I entered, but they did glance at me. 

Piero was on the far side of the table and he rose when he saw me. He walked over to me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good morning. Do you want some coffee and something to eat?"

"Yeah, whatcha got?"

He put a hand on my back and guided me through a door and into a large kitchen. There were at least five trays filled with an assortment of sweet breads. My face lit up with excitement. I was a major sucker for sweets, especially muffins. I reached for a huge blueberry and chocolate chip muffin and laughed crazily. "I haven't had one of these in FOREVER!" I took a huge bite off the top and chewed with a smile as creepy as the Joker's. Piero laughed in disbelief and he looked at me like I was a space creature. "Do you want some coffee with that?"

"Mhm," I agreed with my mouth full. "Zheez are sho good." 

"Yeah, my mom is a great cook. You should see her food on Thanksgiving. It's a masterpiece."

"I bet it is," I replied as he handed me a hot cup of coffee. We exited the kitchen and I sat down in the empty seat next to his. Unfortunately, Clover happened to be sitting in the chair right next to mine. Not that I didn't like her, but she made me slightly uncomfortable. She was so happy and she talked way too much. "Hey, Destiny. How did you sleep?"

"I slept great!" I responded with a touch of sarcasm. If there was one language I was fluent in, other than English, it was sarcasm. It must be a California thing because she thought I actually meant it.

"That's great. Glad to see that you're having a good start here."

I smiled and nodded just to be polite and sipped my hot coffee. I looked over the top of my coffee and surveyed the table. Across from me Malia was talking with Theo and she giggled at something he said. Ugh. She is so fake. On her right, Reece was talking with Francesco, Piero's brother. At the end of the table sat Piero's dad. To his left, Mariagrazia nibbled on a croissant and to the right of him, was Piero's mom looking quite elegant. Next to Eleonora was my mom and they were laughing. I hoped my mom wasn't making fun of me, because she does that a lot. Next to my mom was Jay, stoic as ever, Clover, and then me. It was a full table and the room felt lively. I felt a little left out because I didn't know the others as well. Piero must have seen me stirring my coffee boredly because he asked me, "How do you feel about going to a castle today?"

I raised my eyebrows. "A castle?"

"Yup. I have a meeting there tonight and I thought you'd like to come with me."

"Just the two of us?"

"No, Gian and Igná are going to meet us there."

"When will we leave?" 

"In about an hour."

"Should I bring anything?" 

"You don't have to. They'll have everything there."