Hidden Truths

Chapter Nine ~ Enough

The small Italian boy had just woken up when he heard his bedroom door creak open—his shared bedroom. He didn't react, but wanted to  follow the older man. After he knew he was alone, he decided to get up and check in on those servants Antonio kept in the 4th floor, just in case maybe he was paying them a visit.

~

"Okay, today is different, I have guests. They think you guys are spoiled brats, and I need to make sure they continue to think that. So exclusively for today, you each get a room and whatever you want. When they leave I expect you to be working a tenfold."

"Who do you have as a guest?" Alejandro asked, hip by he wouldn't be punished for asking.

Antonio thought this would be a good time to practice being nice.
"It's Francis, he's coming with Matthew, and you should be staying out of Matteo's way, he is  not to get suspicious."

"Sí señor," the kids said together. Then they were dismissed to get their own rooms. This was the best day in some of their lives so far.

"Hey Mari—"

"We can have rooms beside each other!" Maria smiled at Carlos, then turned to Alejandro. "Maybe you can have a room next to Santiago."

She exited with Carlos, who gave Alejandro a sad look.

Meanwhile Santiago was nowhere to be found.

"Maria! This isn't what it looks like..." the man's hands flew up in the air, and his head jerked back. Santiago was silent.

"You know what? I should go...really, I don't mean to interrupt," the girl was on the verge of tears. She ran out with Carlos following her.

"I didn't mean to, we aren't...I'm not—"

"Gay," Santiago sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...Just, um, stay safe...I-I'll be, well I have to go away." The boy ran. He didn't even come back for headcount, Alejandro had to make an excuse.

"So Carlos, we haven't spoken in a while, how's it been?"

"Two of my best friends are gay for each other, and well...no one ever told me, it was always about Al and now it'll always be...them, and I...I don't know sorry," he never the best with words.

"It's not because they're gay that I'm...you know, mad, I mean we hadn't even broken up yet," she explained.

"Well, I didn't expect anything like that...Santiago seemed mad and like, I thought Al would be mad too," he shook his head. "So, eh, you want to do something tonight? I don't mean go outside I mean like, you want to have a slumber party?" it's not like he wanted to get together with her, it's more like she was his only other friend, right?

"Yea, sure, we're gonna watch telenovelas right? Then I can braid your hair," she smiled, his hair wasn't really long but hey.

"Everything but the braids, I'm in. Then maybe we can watch the stars, since we can stay up late," he suggested.

"Oh," did she really want to do that? They always did that in their spare time. "Maybe next time," she was considerably quieter for the rest of the walk upstairs.

~

"You seen Santiago?" Alejandro was asked for the third time, did they suspect anything? Did they know?

"I have not seen Santiago!" he lost his temper. Then someone spoke from, the ceiling? There was a crack and there was Santiago.

"Sorry."

He left and Al rolled his eyes then went up to catch him before he did anything stupid.

"Santiago! Come back here," he ran upwards in a vent and tackled the other boy as they fell through the broken part of the vent.

"Maria move," Carlos shoved her away from the collapsing vent.

"What the fuck were you thinking going into that vent?!" Al had yet to notice the other two.

"You were the one who followed me," the other mumbled.

"That's because you ran away last night! And you come through the ceiling saying sorry' what the heck am I supposed to do? You sounded depressed or something!"

"Why would you care? You—"

"If something happened to you, that, that would be on me."

Maria remembered something like this being said to her...she decided to continue walking, with it without Carlos.

"I already told you! Nothing is on you, if I die that's either on me or Antonio!" suddenly he got up and was angry.

"No Santi—"

"Argentina's fine Mexico," he mumbled.

Alejandro's well known temper might come out soon...

"You know what?" the boy took a deep breath, "you think it's my fault? My fault that I fucking care about everyone? You think I can just stop thinking about you guys?! You're the only family I have left and everyone wants to take a risk. Well guess what? I'm not that type of guy, okay? I don't take risks, I get mad, I follow the rules," another breath, "but if none of you want to appreciate anything and try to go kill yourselves, be my fucking guest. It's not my fault you wouldn't shut up, and that we kissed. I didn't mean any of that! And you," a girl halted. "You date me for what? 30 years, then the second I do something with someone else you're hanging with my best friend all of a sudden? And my best friend...tsk. Such a bystander. Heh, you don't care about any of this do you? You think this is some sick game. Well the moment you realize it isn't, don't come back. Oh and tell Dani to go try and live with Gabe, he might last a week or two," had Alejandro said too much? He didn't care. He stormed off to get his stuff and move into a room as far away as possible from any of his 'friends'.

From a distance the other colonies were watching, along with Spain. From a distance.

"That kid," Antonio shook his head and smiled.