The World Behind Us

CHAPTER 4

The next morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It's just one day, just twenty-four-hour. I didn't feel good that morning. Yesterday was pretty messy. After Alejandro told me it was ok, I just went into the guest room and I don't know when precisely I started giving myself this daily pep talk. I have a good life, the kind of life that anyone would kill to have or would give anything to experience just one day. But still, I find a way to make it miserable. I constantly remind myself of the temporariness of humans and their effects on each other's life. Rhowen was everything. She was everything to me. Last night, I sleep in tears just because I remembered her.

That night, Alejandro came into the room. He just watches me sleep. I know because even if he's move was silent I'm use to him. I know everything about him, just like he knows everything about me. He was smart and dominant. We joke so much about him being Christian Grey. This makes him laugh. He barely smiles in daily life. He got that resting bitch face.

I finally decide to wake up. I sat on the side of the bed and instantly feel queasy. Is that even a word? I ask myself. You're talking to yourself, so who cares? I reply. I put on some clothes neatly place on the Victorian sofa. I just put some lipstick and mascaras because I know too damn well Alejandro hate lot of makeup. I was standing in front of the mirror. My heart start racing a little more than usual and my guts feel as if they had partied last night. I take a deep breath and no. That didn't help... After I flushed, I went down stairs. Alejandro was here , giving me his back, he was talking with Jack his right hand man. Jack look at me and slowly Alejandro turn around. Without a smile or a word, he thanks jack and face the stairs.

"Good Morning Mio Amor. Feel better today?" I love his Italian comfort voice.

I need to stand on the second stair to be at his height. He was so tall.

"Yeah", I whispered.

When we get to the veranda, Martha was waiting for us. She looks at me, at my dress, back at my face. I can tell by the way that she's eyeballing me; she's trying to decide whether she needs to be Good with me or shady and mean. I must look like shit because she opts for shady and mean.

"Good morning, Ms. Mclean." Her tone was cold like an Iceberg.

"Good morning Alejandro," she says jovially. "The Daily Brianian is a bit late today. When did a Brianian get late?" she try to make it sound like a joke.

Alejandro gently pulls the chair for me and then asks: "would you like something hon?"

I wasn't feeling well even if I told him so and my eyes still hurts because of yesterday. I didn't want to eat. I just smile and said no.

In the days that followed the death of Rhowen, I remembered having "feverish activity" as Alejandro called it. All my uncles were here, the fives as we called them. I was sitting on couch in the living room at my parent's house in the tailor position hugging a pillow. I was lost in the vague while the fives passed countless phone calls, activated all their professional and friendly networks. There, we had waited a few days, "the time to examine the file". Once back at the starting point, dad had heard the same arguments before. No proof. No clues. No track. My dad little brother, Edgar Mclean had then called the Edgartown police department : no,their own investigation leads them to a suicide. They were sure to have questioned all of Rhowen's classmates and teachers and family. There, I did not need to hear my mom to understand that Dad's insistence was starting to get on her nerves . The Edwards did a good job in staging Rhowen's death to look like a suicide. They were good at this job. They are used to it. I was safe. We were safe.

"Mio angelo, smettila di preoccuparti. È finita. Passa a qualcos'altro." 

 Alejandro is like those Italian mafias. He is an Italian mafia. Even if he is a very successful businessman and a king-in-become, he and the Edwards enjoy this. I don't know why and I don't care. The less I know the better. The thing that bugs me is that he knows very well I don't know Italian or Brianian and he keeps talking to me in both languages.

 "You know I still don't speak Italian; Or Brianian." I replied politely but bothered. He smiled and said:

 "I was saying that you should left this behind. Everything is fine now." 

Fine? How can everything be fine? I killed a person. An innocent person! But he was right. Today, this time was over. I was left alone with my nightmares. I was a danger for everyone. Who knows when my powers will still play tricks on me and make another victim? I don't want to take that risk. Not again. Pull yourself together, Juliette. 

On a whim, I took the keys of one of Alejandro's cars, left the house and told headed to my parent's house. If I stayed one more hour in this house, I quickly packed up some stuffs. Essential stuffs like some water and some foods. I need to be quick because when Alejandro knew what I am doing he will stop me by any means. I remembered that my cell phone had a tracking chip inside which helps Alejandro knows everything I'm doing I choose to disable it. And leave it on my desk table with Alejandro car keys. I get to the broom closet. Everyone from Perth has that fake broom closet which was a disguise for a portal to the other world. Just as I was about to open the door, Alejandro's voice stopped me. He was at the foot of the grand staircase. I turned around and looked at him. At this moment, I feel so sad but I knew he was for his good. "Je t'aime Alejandro" I let those words fly with tears in my eyes and, as fast I can, I enter the portal and the door closed in a loud noise.