Together again ✔

32I Famiglia è per sempre

It's been ages since I last updated so you might want to go back through and read the previous chapter 😂

A week.

A week of hiding in my room, of barely any sleep, of every word spoken that of a cautious whisper.

I had tried to avoid my brother's and dad as much as possible, not even allowing myself to make eye contact with any of them at meals.

It had been awkward to say the least, but they gave me my space, at least until Kyle seemed to have enough for it.

Like every day so far this week, I was hauled up in my room, busy learning the carpool karaoke choreography to No Control when James Corden was with One Direction, when there was a loud knock on the door.

Instantly, as I was afraid to be caught dancing like an ape in the mirror, I paused my music, smoothing back my hair as I straightened. "Come in!" I exclaimed, only for my voice to stop sharply as I realised what I'd just done.

After a week of ignoring my brothers, I'd just invited one of them into my room.

However, upon realising it was too late to say anything, I allowed the door to open, revealing Kyle stood there.

My brother didn't even say a word to me as he shot me a smirk, eyes flickering to the phone in my hand, causing me to blush bright red as I realised he had caught me jamming out.

Without a word, my brother proceeded to flop backwards onto my bed, while I watched cautiously, not entirely sure of what was happening.

However, Kyle didn't appear to want to actually give me any explanation, as he pulled out his phone and proceeded to turn it on, not even giving me a second glance. What the hell was going on?

"Um, Kyle?" I asked, sounding awkward even to my own ears.

"Yeah?" my brother replied, still not looking up at me as he remained invested in whatever was happening on his screen.

"Can I help you?"

At this question, my eighteen year old brother finally glanced up, gaze locking with mine.

"Um, yes, you could actually. A can of Sprite would be nice," he said, tone deadly serious as he returned to his phone.

"Sure," I mumbled sarcastically, only to then grab my phone and flop down on the bed next to Kyle.

He was the second youngest of my brothers, so I didn't really blame him for what my family were involved in, and he clearly wasn't about to leave anytime soon so I decided to just roll with it.

"You know," Kyle said as I filled in another space in paper.io 2, "We miss you."

"I haven't gone anywhere," I murmered, too absorbed in my game to recognise what he was saying properly.

"You're joking, right?" Kyle chuckled incredulously, as I felt his eyes on me.

"Nope, can't say I am," I shrugged dismissively, continuing to focus on my phone.

"You've basically left our lives. You're hiding away in your room, because you think we're the bad guys for having a job that gives us money. A job, may I add, that doesn't hurt innocent people. If you're so against it, then what are you doing lying on a bed which has been bought through the funds of shipping drugs, or playing on a phone bought through intercepting someone else's shipment?"

Silence. How was I to respond to that?

Especially if I knew he was right. My family had a job that kept us all living in amazing conditions, and when doing this he harmed neither me or anyone else who didn't deserve it.

I wasn't about to complain about all the luxuries I had compared to my old life.

So, as I saw Kyle was still staring at me expectantly, I came out of my game, switched off my phone, and placed it on my bed beside me.

"Alright. What are you actually doing up here, though?" I sighed.

"Getting you to spend a family day out with us."

REUNITED

A movie night. That was what my family had planned. And to be honest, I was more than happy to comply considering the movie was Night at the Museum- a classic.

I was actually surprised my five mafia brothers and mafia dad were willing to watch this with me, but I decided to take it.

At that moment, I was sprawled out across the large couch, Kyle sat next to me as he was the sibling I was most comfortable with at that moment, my legs were resting on his lap as he was just on his phone, ignoring the movie.

My brothers were all sat on various seats around us, Caleb lying on a beanbag on his stomach right in front of the screen.

To say I was fully invested in the movie couldn't have been more accurate, I'd only ever seen the trailer but it was so good. Caleb also pointed out an actress in it called Rebel Wilson, and I swear then and there I was in love.

Screw age gaps.

However, despite the fact the movie had me completely entranced, I was still fully aware of my brothers, especially as I felt their gazes occasionally drift over to me.

It was only when, for the fourth time in the last two minutes, I could see Ace staring at me intently from the corner of my eye that I finally spoke up.

"Yes,  Ace? May I help you brother dearest?"

I could feel all of my brother's and dad's eyes on me, and to be honest, I was kind of annoyed at myself for randomly speaking up like that. There wasn't any reason for it, and now I'd just made it awkward.

"You can, actually," my brother bit back. "Why are you ignoring us? We've already given you a good explanation as of why we do what we do."

Silence.

For the second time tonight, I wondered how I was supposed to respond to that.

If I was being honest, I didn't actually have a solid reason, but the whole thing of discovering who they really were had created a mental barrier for me. After David, I had become so cautious around everything dangerous and violent, that this was instinct for me.

To ignore them, to shut them out, because for me, anything related to violence never worked out.

"You're living is violence and lying. I- I love you guys but I've always learnt to be careful with this sort of thing. I've learnt to adapt to violence and what I'm doing at the moment, is kind of like my survival instincts kicking in," I forced out after a short pause, not too sure how to phrase what I was trying to say.

My statement was met by silence, but I was more than aware of the eyes upon me, as though my family were trying to read my mind, cogs turning in their head as they considered slowly how to respond.

"You think we don't understand that feeling? Being taught to hold a gun at 5, to throw knives at 7, to kill mercilessly at 15, to be thrust into a life of violence whether we like it or not? We have no choice in the life. We're too deep in to pull out," Luca spoke up, and without even glancing at him, I could tell that he was being more honest than Simon Cowell.

Unsure of how to respond, I swallowed back the small lump in my throat as I slumped back.

"I'm sorr-" I began

"You have nothing to be sorry for," my dad quickly interjected.

"So we good?" I asked with a small smile, my breath hitched as I waited for my family's reaction.

"Always. After all, famiglia è per sempre, bambina."

THE LAST CHAPTER'S COMPLETEDDDD

Just the epilogue and then the book's finished 🙃

Damn that also means just one more part and then I'm leaving wattpad

-Elin