The Hidden One

III

"None sense! Let's take you at my sister's villa." Annetta said as she pulled Marcella with her as fast as she could before the guards recognize her. Annetta hidden Marcella with her hood itself and took care of her as if she was hurt. A guard confronted them and looked suspiciously and asked her.
"Scusa, could you tell us who's in the hood?" The guard asked as he tried to reach up for the hood to pull it over. "NO signore! She is really sick I'm hiding her face because the sunlight hurts her precious eyes."
"Let me see." The guard said as he went reach the hood, Marcella's pulse was racing. "Annetta! What are you doing outside?! Don't you see she's ill." A beautiful looking woman shouted at Annetta as she winked at her, playing along. The guard got confirmed that it was true and Annetta ran along pulling Marcella with her. "Let's take you home safely, my child." The women who defended both of them said. They got in a villa they removed the hood from Marcella's face as Marcella looked around with her first experience, since a long time,
She has seen a beautiful villa full of expensive furniture and paintings. "Mia sorella, who is this?" Annetta's sister asked her. "If that plan didn't work to hide you from trouble I'm not going to take care of it for you."
"Paola, this Marcella Acerbi, she is the daughter of long lost friend of Giovanni Auditore, Fausto Acerbi." Annetta explained but she was stopped by someone calling Marcella's name. "Claudia?"
"Oh mio dio, mio dio!! Marcella it is you!" Claudia said as she went to hug her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you again after a long time!"
"Sì I know but, where's your mother?" Marcella asked her. "She's in no good after what happened..." Claudia cried. "I was there, I tried to help but I didn't make it." Marcella cried and continued. "I loved your father as much as how I loved mine."
"We know amica mia." She cried as they hugged each other.

After a while Paola noticed her clothes and she was desperate to tell her that she need to change, so she did. "Mi dispiace Marcella, but those clothes does not fit you well, you must be feeling cold in it."
"I knew that she wouldn't like it, Marcellina." Annetta laughed as she was folding some few cloths in the kitchen. "I know, that was the only thing that I found when I was sheltered in some place." Marcella lied as she was wearing Ezio's white shirt along with her other clothes.
"I can fix your robes but the armor are complicated to fix, you need to tell a profession to fix this for you." Paola said as she took Marcella in her dressing room and tried to find a suitable dress for Marcella. "Ah bella! you would look beautiful if you wear it... for now." Paola said as pulled a mint green dress with its corset darker than the dress itself. She tossed the dress to Marcella to wear. "Try it on."

She started changing her clothes, except Ezio's shirt, since it was too cold to get undressed and put them neatly on the armchair. As she tried the dress on, she looked at herself in the mirror and got amazed how different she looked, how tall she grown and how beautiful the dress made her feel. The last time she saw herself in a dress from the day she ran away from the Auditore family. "I told you, you would look beautiful." Paola said as she adored Marcella's face when she noticed a tear streaming down her face. "Do you see yourself now after a long time, Marcella?" She asked and Marcella nodded speechless, still amazed. "Now enough being vein with the mirror, Marcella you need to feed yourself, you must be starving." Annetta said and Marcella nodded as she heard her stomach growling. They went in the dinning room and Marcella already realized the smell of food, the last meal she ate was before she ran away. She sat down along with Claudia, Annetta, Maria and Paola and started to eat. "Buon appetito!" Paola said to everyone in the room as they said to each other too. "Marcella slow down, you're going to choke if you keep eating like an animal." Claudia said as from her look, she was recovering slowly after her father's and brothers' death. She was enjoying Marcella's visit, watching her eating so content.
"Scusa te mi amica, but this is really good." Marcella said and Annetta was so pleased. While they were eating the dessert they heard the door shuts closed.