Il Silenzio - Segreto de Moretti

C h a p t e r 1

Seeing my mother's necklace shine in the sunlight triggers different emotions in me. Joy, grief, anger and happiness. I swivel the chain back and forth in the light so that the light is reflected around the wall. It's funny that this necklace no longer hangs around her beautiful neck. It will never be there again. I breathe deeply and suppress the rising tears. It's still hard to accept my mother's death.

I missed her so much. I had never felt so lonely in my life as I do now. There was no one left to hold me and make me feel the way only a mother could. Inhale her scent and listen to her voice while she was firmly pressed against me and says that everything would be fine. She was the only one I believed those words. But there was no one left. The Angelson family was limited to me and I didn't know how to classify this feeling. It was almost like being in a strange world and you're the only one who doesn't fit in it.

I fastened the chain to myself and went to the mirror and looked at myself. I smiled but it looked more like a face. The grief was clearly visible and again I had to fight with the tears. I held up my hair and realized that I looked so much more like her. She had always had her hair tied together. Slowly I dropped my hair and turned my gaze away.

I had to hurry, I didn't have much time before I had to go to work. As always, actually. My five part-time jobs challenged me a lot but I was dependent on them. Financially, I was poor. The jobs were barely enough to pay the rent but it had to be enough. My whole future was at stake. Just a few more years, and then I'd be done with my studies, and I could afford a better life. A life my mother had wished for me. I went to my bag and threw it over my shoulder and closed her bedroom door. I had to go, I had already lost too much time.

A sound made me freeze. What was that? Did something fall over? I went to the direction of the sound and saw a shadow through the leaning door. Immediately I jumped back. Was that a burglar? Please don't! Why now, of all days? Nervously I looked at my watch. I had exactly thirty-five minutes before I had to be at work, the police need an average of fifteen minutes to get there. Five minutes to catch the perpetrator and at least two hours to report the case and give my testimony at the station.

I didn't have time! I'll chase the burglar away by myself. I quickly went to the kitchen and took a knife. Let's see how fast he'll run away. I quickly ran to the room where he was and shouted,

"If you don't leave immediately, I'll kill you."

The man in front of me was tall, muscular and incredibly attractive. He was completely dressed in black, as usual by burglars only he had a suit on, which irritated me. Didn't they usually wear a ski mask? The man looked at me in surprise and then to the knife in my hand.

"I repeat. Get out of here!"

And then something happened which was too fast to be able to react. He had disarmed me and pressed me against the wall with a lightning speed. The air was ripped out of me. He wasn't really gentle.
He pressed the knife against my neck. That's great! Just great Alice! Now you're dead. Damn it, I should have called the police!

"Who are you?"

His deep voice caused goosebumps. He was intimidating, but I pretended to be brave. I had to if I wanted to survive.

"Why would I answer that, you thief? Get out of my house!" He looked at me confused.

"Your house?-" I interrupted him quickly.

"Yes, from my house, what did you want to steal? Money? Jewelry? I already called the police. If you do something to me, you'll spend the rest of your life behind bars." The pressure on my neck grew and I swallowed.

"I hope so. Then they'll see that you broke into my house."

"What?" His phone rang and interrupted us. Angrily, he yelled at the person on the phone in an other language, it should be Italian or something. Angry, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.