Carnevale (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 1

Cinzia stared at the thick, pillowy mist, effectively smothering any views she might have had of the city. Although, she supposed, in a city shrouded by secrets, it would be fitting that her first view was to be shrouded by a blanketing haze. She stretched out her hand out over the side of the boat to wave through one of the swirling tendrils of fog.

"Don't reach out so blindly! You have no idea what lies behind the wall of mist." Cinzia pulled back her hand to the safety of her side, with a guilty smile directed towards the short sturdy captain, who had warned her. 

"We will be docking soon, Filippe! Please bring the lady's bag up!' A scrawny man with unkempt, mousy brown hair and a sullen expression, appeared from below decks, lugging her heavy suitcase behind him with what looked to be quite a lot of effort. Cinzia smiled gracefully at Filippe, who scowled and shoved her luggage in her direction. She raised her eyebrows and picked up her bag, with a lot more ease than the cabins boy had had. She flicked her long dark chestnut hair over her shoulder carelessly, and made her way off the boat as the captain announced that it was safe to depart. 

"Will you be needing any help with your bag?'

Cinzia shook her head, thanked the man and stepped off the reasonably well-kept ship and onto the wooden dock. The only knowledge she had of where her uncle lived was that he lived in one of the manors boarding St Mark's Square. Cinzia waited patiently for a few minutes, before realising that she would have to wait a good half hour, if she wished to catch a gondola. She picked herself up off of her suitcase, dusted off her dark blue and green skirts and made her way in the directon of the closest canal. 

"Miss Bonicatto? Is that you? Your uncle sent me to collect you." Cinzia peered through the haze, in the direction the voice was coming from. A gondola pulled up beside the cobble path she was standing on and a young man with blond hair, greeted her. Cinzia smiled and got into the small canal boat.

"I am Pascal, pleasure to meet you." Cinzia grinned at him.

"I'm Cinzia, please don't call me Miss Bonicatto, it only reminds me of what I left behind. May I say, you are, by far, the politest person I have met today!" Pascal smiled at her and dipped his oar into the murky blue water, propelling the sturdy gondola along the channel. They chatted comfortably as Pascal navigated the winding canals. 

After a few minutes, the boat stopped outside of a large, white and pale blue house. Pascal moored the gondola and stepped onto the small platform, stretching out an olive-skinned hand, to pull Cinzia up out of the boat. She took the offered hand and picked up her luggage. Pascal helped her carefully out of the gondola, before knocking three times loudly on the painted door. 

A woman with short, curly, black hair opened the door and greeted Cinzia and Pascal.

"Good afternoon, I am Maria, Pietro's maid. You must be Cinzia, what a delight it is to finally meet you! Sofia and Nico are very enthusiastic to see their cousin. Even Sofia's friend, Angelique, wants to meet you! And you are just in time for Carnevale! Angelique's father, Conte Rizzo is holding a masquerade ball and Angelique got you an invite, she and Sofia have been going on all week about how they are going to take you mask and dress shopping for the ball. They are also determined to get you a date for the ball!" The excited maid rambled on, hustling Cinzia and Pascal inside. She beckoned to Cinzia to follow her up a long circular staircase.

"Oh, Pascal, dear, Master Boriello wishes to speak to you in his study." She smiled encouragingly at Pascal, who waved to Cinzia and smiled nervously at her. Cinzia smiled back, before he disappeared up another flight of stairs. Cinzia hefted her suitcase off the floor and followed Maria up the marble stairs, trailing her hand along the oak banister to her right.

Maria continued down a long hallway, towards a pale blue door. Maria knocked, waiting a moment, before twisting the elaborate lion door handle and pushing the door into the room. She slipped inside, indicating to the girl behind her that she should stay there

Cinzia waited patiently outside the room. She turned around in a full 360, stopping only once to examine a painting on the opposite side of the hall. She peered at the delicately painted scene infront of her. The painting depicted a sunny garden, filled with roses and a girl seated on a swing. Cinzia jumped as she heard the door open behind her. 

"Cinzia? You can come through now if you want." Maria turned so her back was against the open door, her hands folded neatly behind her back. Once Cinzia had entered the room, Maria spun gently on her heel and closed the door quietly behind her. 

Cinzia smiled shyly at the pair infront of her. If you had simply seen them together in a market, you wouldn't have presumed that they were twins. The boy had black hair that framed his face,gradually getting longer, evening out at the nape of his neck. He had deep chocolate brown eyes that were rimmed by long, sweeping charcoal eyelashes. Overall, his face was kind and handsome and in every way dark and mysterious, something anyone would be instantly jealous of. Sofia, on the other hand, had light coppery curls, that draped across her shoulders and hung down her back. Her eyes were a bright, clear green, that automatically drew you in. The couple both had full lips and pale, almost alabaster, skin, that looked perfectly healthy. It was often said, that at 17 years, the Boriello duo, were a pair to be envied. 

"Hello! I'm Nico and this is my 'lovely' sister, Sofia." The dark haired boy grinned cheekily at his sister as she scowled half-heartedly and shoved him lightly.

"I'm Cinzia, it's a pleasure to meet you two finally!" Cinzia laughed as Nico dodged one of Sofia's outstretched hands and gently pushed her midriff. Sofia stepped back, brushed off her blouse and smiled, guiltily at Cinzia, who was watching the duo with amusement. 

"I hope your boat trip over wasn't too rough?" Sofia asked. Cinzia shook her head.

"No, it was lovely actually! It turned rather misty towards the end of the trip, but otherwise, no it was fine!"

"Venice is always foggy on the outskirts. Angelique should be over very soon and we are going to take you for a tour of the city!" Sofia grinned and shot her arm out, catching her brother by the collar of his shirt. Nico sighed,

"I don't want to have to discuss current clothes trends or who Angelique's date is or who you two are going to set up with Cinzia." Nico shot an apologetic look at Cinzia before wriggling out of his sister's grasp and escaping through the door. Sofia rolled her eyes in an almost sophisticated way. 

"Sofiaaa!! I want to meet your cousin!!" A high, delicate voice rolled up the stairs and into the room. Sofia raised her eyebrows at the sound of her friend's dramatic statement. Cinzia waited until Sofia had wandered out into the hall. She stepped down the stairs with Cinzia just behind her. A tall, elegant blonde was standing at the bottom of the stairs, her hair tied up in a neat and precise bun at the back of her head. Introductions were made and Sofia clapped her hands impatiently, announced that they were going to shop, whether it killed her or not and pushed the girls promptly out the door and hailed a gondola. 

Just as the gondolier pushed off the platform, Cinzia realised, that as Angelique smiled at her, for the first time since she had left home, she might actually enjoy herself.