The Debt

Chapter 2

          The ball had been everything I was hoping for. Men, actual men had wanted to talk to me. Not just your average teenage boys who were too immature to have a decent conversation with. I loved every minute of it all. At some point during the ball Angelo and Stefano had disappeared but that didn't stop the three of us from have a magical time. We were just giggling to ourselves when the musicians stopped playing their fine music. We all looked around in confusion before a man with a happy look on his face erupted in a speech. 

          "Friends, family and new aquaintencs I am delighted to announce the reason for todays grand affair; though I host these without reason a lot. My home has opened its doors once again to a celebration that was not my own. My son whome I love so very much is engaged to be married to a beauty of a woman who will no doubt make us very proud to invite into the family. Son? Come on up here m'boy!" he cheers merrily, maybe having had one too many of those punch drinks? Still it's one of those kind of occasions that allow such behaviours, I guess. 

          A man steps towards his father to greet him when a gunshot was fired. It caused many to scream, but some were not so shocked. Many had a wicked grin about their face, others were mortified. Screams could be heard coming from a girl in a beautiful peach coloured dress. She runs up to the son who had been shot, getting blood on herself but she doen't care. I look toward Selena and Madeleine who have gotten up from their seats and run up to the girl. 

          "Selena!" I yell, trying to catch up with the girls but there were too many people in front of me. I carefully push through the crowds of people until I get to the front but my sisters were no where in sight. I try to think logically and decide to stand outside and wait for them to come when they are ready. I do just that and no sooner did I step outside did I hear an argument arise. One of whom I recognise but can't remember where from. I follow the voice until I see a bunch of guys all holding up guns at each other. 

          "You had no right to do that. That was not the time nor the place for such dramatic shows such as that. You do realise that you could have ruined our chances of everything we have worked hard for these last couple of months?" says a man with a furrowed brow and a mighty bad look upon his face. 

         "I'm sorry Sir, I just couldn't stand there and watch such a beast of a man get away with so much! My sister Cal, my sister . . ." says the poor man, kneeling on the ground in front of the man who seems to be in charge of the group. He appears to look amused at the scene in front of him. He kneels down to look at the distraught man with a grimace.

          "My dear Luca . . . you showed that you can't hold your cool when you needed it the most. I cannot trust you won't pull such things again," he states coldly, the cold breeze of the night sending his fringe into his eyes which he quickly flicks away. The leader nods to the man next to him with a quick movement of his head. This gentleman has a scar running from his cheek to his lip. Ouch. The gentlemen in one quick gesture took his gun and smacked Luca across the temple with it, causing me to gasp loudly. Luca falls to the floor with a loud thud. Is he . . . dead?

          "Look what we have here men! What's a beauty like yourself doing out here, by yourself?" he questions, holding his gun in his hand for a second before putting into his pocket. I gulp as three of the brutes look toward me giving me wolf whistles. Most of them are staring at my body with looks I can't decipher. The man in front of me is obviously a very muscly man, with an extremely handsome face. He's stone cold though, he doesn't show any emotions other than what I can call hate. 

         "I-I-I . . . got separated from my b-brothers and sisters," I stutter, finding myself nervous being around all these people by myself. My eyes dart to the man on the floor and decide to not end up like him. Call it instincts or whatever . . . something wants me to leave. So I'm going to try to do just that. 

          "I . . ugh . . better g-go," I whisper to myself more than the guy in front of me, but he won't give me a break. His large hand blocks my path and I bite my lip nervously. 

         "You should know better then to go off by yourself. It's not - . . ."

         "I said I better go," my brain more then me states quickly, pushing at his arm to let me pass. He looks shocked that someone had dared defy him for a second, but his hard demeanour was quickly re-instated. He looks at me for what seems like ages before he moves his arm out of my way. I step to leave but he grabs the top of my arm.

          "Be careful who you talk to like that. Where I'm from Ladies like yourself need to learn their place," he informs me like a child that has done wrong. 

         "Forgive me," I say, pulling my arm out of his grasp, "But where I'm from, gentlemen like yourself have manners," I state just as cool as he had before walking off to find somewhere else to stand to wait. Obviously some other young people had found themselves alone and had come out to wait, so I stand near another lady with strikingly black hair. 

          "How could you act so calmly in front of him? I'm sure I would just about die," says the girl in front of me, looking extremely nervous to be in such proximity to a man like him. I smile with a confused frown and step nearer to her. 

          "What do you mean? Who is he?" I ask and she looks at me like I have three sets of arms or something bizarre like that. What have I said?

          "That's the leader of the Russian Mafia's son! He's a brute and works very hard to have only the hardest of men around him. How could you not know who he is? Everyone takes a wide birth around him in parties such as this," she explains to me, and I look to the ground. How could I not know about this kind of thing. The son is talking to his men but he stares me down and I get uncomfortable. I don't like the look on his face. 

          "This is my first outing with my family such as this. I'm Siena," I say, giving the girl a warm smile. She giggles at me.

         "I'm Maria. You must be the youngest daughter in the Donatiello family? I knew I recognised you from somewhere. We used to be friends!" she says and I look at her for a second before I shriek with pleasure. I haven't had a friend for so long, literally seven or eight years. How could I have forgotten my friend Maria!

          "You were always a bit of a scatterbrain, I - . . ."

          "Siena! Girl we have been looking for you all over the place! I - . . ." Stefano begins but he sees Maria and stops dead. He blushes! Looking back at Maria she looks down and I swear I saw her cheeks redden just a little behind the make up. 

          "This is Maria, Maria this is my brother Ste," I say, giggling to the point of no return. 

          "It's Stefano. You know how children can be with their silly nicknames," he mutters to himself as everyone else comes to join us. Selena is crying as she pulls me into a hug. 

          "I'm sorry! I thought you were behind me! Please don't hate me. Katie is my best friend and I had to - . . ." she begins but I stop her before she has a fit. She instantly calms down as I tell her that I'm okay. Maria is also reunited with her friends and family. I yawn against my better judgements and everyone starts to mock me. 'Time for beddy' and 'the child is tired'. I love my family but they annoy me so much sometimes. When I get into bed (after saying goodnight to Pappy of course) it's the best night sleep I've had for a long time.