Running ✔️ [UNEDITED]

Chapter 1: The past

AN: I'm trying out a new theme. Hope you guys like it! Disclaimer: I own this story and plot so any similarities between this story and any other is purely coincidental! Enjoy.

14-15 years ago:

6 brothers and their father were anxiously waiting outside the hospital door with the rest of the family. The three older ones had their hands over the younger siblings, trying to spare them from the filth that spewed from their mother's mouth.
Suddenly, the doctor came out of the room, and everyone stood, eager for the news. The doctor seemed a little perturbed at the large family staring at him but tried to hide it.
"Congratulations, Mr Vinceti," the doctor smiled, "it's a girl."
Silence.
Everyone began smiling, silently making plans as to how they would shower their little Princess with gifts, love and affection. Vincent- the father- had tears of happiness pooling in his green eyes, and he eagerly followed the doctor to see his new child. The rest of the family tried to follow, but Dr Hans hastily told them that Juliette- the mother- was still quite weak and needed adequate rest. Grudgingly, the uncles, aunts and grandparents allowed Vincent and his sons to go first.
Alessandro- the oldest brother- felt an uneasy feeling settle in his gut. His instincts were rarely wrong, but he dismissed it quickly in his excitement.
Years later, he would come to regret that.

Juliette was sitting up on the hospital bed, looking pale and sweaty, yet her eyes shone with happiness. She was clutching a squirming bundle of cloth and, instantly, the boys crowded around them.

The baby girl had faint wisps of black hair plastered on her head, and a small smile adorned her adorable face. When she opened her eyes, everyone gasped. They were a deep oceanic blue that seemed to look into your soul and was filled with enough light to outshine a thousand suns. She giggled softly, and her family cooed, each making a silent promise to protect their little sun at all cost.

The nurse came in and told them that Juliette needed her rest and that they could come back in some time. If Axel (third oldest brother) had been paying attention, he'd have noticed that the nurse didn't have a badge and her eyes were glinting evilly.

Years later, he'd come to regret that.

After a few hours, the Vincenti family began to get restless. Their instincts were screaming 'DANGER!' and they were getting worried.

All of a sudden, the thick silence was pierced by Juliette's screaming.

"JULI!" Vincent shouted, withdrawing his gun and sprinting to the room, the family hot on his heels. He tried opening the door, but it was locked.

"Out of the way!" Tilly, Juliette's sister, bossily shoved Vincent, holding her trusty daggers. She kicked the door, and it blew off its hinges and entered the room.

They saw Juliette yelling curses and trying to get up, but she was chained to the bed. The window was open, and the cradle was empty.

No, no, no, no, Vincent was chanting in his head, heading towards the cradle, praying he was going to see his baby girl.

It was empty.

A hurricane of emotions swirled through the gang leader—shock, sadness, guilt, grief and, finally, anger.

"Lockdown the hospital," he said in a deadly calm voice, "Alert the police and the rest of the gang. AND FIND MY DAUGHTER!"

X

They never found her.

Over the years, Alessandro, Axel and Xander threw themselves into the mafia business, keeping up a cold facade while crying on the inside. They spent every minute trying to track her down, but it was like she vanished into thin air. Drake became the mother hen of the group. He hid his pain by worrying about his siblings. Xander and Olly got into many fights, and the former kept up an angry pretence over his pain while the later masked his sadness with humour and jokes.

As for Juliette and Vincent, the pain of losing their only daughter caused their health to deteriorate as they became empty shells of themselves. Soon, it was said they died of broken hearts.

END OF INTRO

Hey guys! Welcome to the story! This is just an introduction. I wanted to accurately describe the events leading up to the next chapter before fully delving into the story. The next chapters will be longer! Also, I don't like swearing, so there won't be any strong words here. I'll probably be updating this every other day.

Quick question: shall I do a chapter with the character introductions, or shall I go straight on with the story? Comment with your answer, please!