Farfalla

6.) La Donna in Rossa

The sun has yet to rise by the time my eyes open. I blankly stare up at the ceiling before it hits me. The grief. The anger. Sadness. Numbness. I allow myself one minute. One minute, to let the hole in my heart grow and ache for everyone that I have lost. My mother, father, brother. And Anndrei.

The edges around the hole in my heart stretch and tear even wider. I can't breathe. It's like I'm choking and I can't think straight. As the pain becomes even more unbearable, the minute ends. I shut down, as I always have, and push these dark thoughts to the back of my mind.

Footsteps sound outside the door and I sit up, the covers falling to my waist. The door swings open and none other than the great Cicero, enters.

He leans against the door frame and crosses his arms, muscles bulging through his black v-neck. What a meathead. He has something in his beefy hand and I cock my head to the side. I watch him as he stares at me and a sneer crosses his face.

"Get up." He throws what's in his hand at the end of the bed, and I can see that it is clothes similar to the kind that I am currently wearing. Black shoes with socks accompany the clothes.

"You have five minutes to shower then you will come with me. Get to it." He grumbles and snaps his fingers at me.

A laugh bubbles up from my belly and escapes through my lips. I chuckle and throw my head back. It is too funny that he thinks he can speak to me any type of way. Dio mio. I wipe a tear from my left eye and end my cackling with one last laugh.

"Okay let's get shït straight, buddy. You do not speak to me any way that you please. And you definitely do not snap at me. I don't appreciate being treated like a dog and you won't either, because if you do it again I'm going to take the laces out of your shoes, tie it around your neck and keep you on a leash until you realize who the master is." I refuse to be dominated and this fùcker is going to realize this.

Cicero's eyebrows shoot to his hairline and he grits his teeth. Grumbling under his breath, "Whatever, just hurry." He turns and exits but I know he is just waiting just outside the door.

I slowly rise out of the bed, my bones cracking simultaneously. Trudging into the shower, cold water pounds my body but I don't feel it. I'm numb. I am unaware of how long I've been in here but my fingers look like raisins so I decide to shut the water off and get out. After dressing, I go to the door and brace myself for whatever happens from this point on.

"I said five minutes, not 20." Cicero barks at me once I step outside.

"Cool." I mumble. Man bun grits his teeth but keeps his mouth shut. He turns on his heel and begins to lead the way.

We walk down the hallway and then the stairs. And then more stairs. And then more stairs. "Jesus fuckïng Christ. Is there an elevator? How big is this place?"

"Pretty big. But not bigger than my dïck." Cicero turns his head to look at me and winks before flashing a shït eating grin. Ew.

We enter a stairwell similar to the one I was forced down yesterday. Wow, they just have dungeons all over the place. The stairs creak beneath our shoes as we near the bottom. What is this place?

There is gym equipment everywhere; weights, treadmills, pull up bars, you name it. But we continue walking, through another doorway into what looks like an abandoned ball room.

"Okay so you guys have an underground lair? I'm not sure how I feel about this." As I scan the room a woman dressed in all red, standing in the corner, catches my eye.

Cicero rolls his eyes and nods toward the woman in red. "That's Masha. She's gonna tell you what to do and you're going to listen. Tu mi capisci?" The woman approaches us and her face comes into view.