Eli Borrelli

27: No going back

Alessandro POV.

We were all so confused when Eli asked us to the living room. Even more so when they started a gameshow host bit, but slowly it started to make sense. They passed around song lyrics to all of us with markings all over the papers in different highlight colors for us to read.  

All of us had different songs, and all of them were straight from a nightmare. The first one I had was three minutes straight of Eli begging for someone not to hurt them anymore. There was so much pain and panic in the words, that I felt like crying. They described being imprisoned, drugged, and afraid for their life.

Before the last verse, there was a small note on the side of the paper. "to a different person"

With that clue, it was painfully obvious how the last verse was to someone else completely. It was a prayer for something 'up above', to save them from their 'hell on earth'.

As I finished reading the first lyrics I saw a lonely tear falling onto the paper. I could only imagine what had happened and even the little bit I got from the lyrics was something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I took a moment to compose myself. I took a deep breath and shakily turned the page around to the next song.

The title read: 'Hellfire' and the song was something so rough I wish I hadn't read it like that. it described horrible ways to hurt someone. Things I wouldn't have even dared to imagine. And at the end of every verse were the lyrics: 'next to my life, hellfire would be paradise.' 

After carefully studying the two songs I was given, I looked around at my brothers who weren't looking any better than me. I locked eyes with a completely broken Matteo. He was crying his eyes out just staring blankly ahead. He motioned to me with his papers and as a silent transaction, we swapped papers.

Eli POV.

After handing out the lyrics, I dipped. I wasn't going to just stand there as my brothers dug deep into my soul and tried to make sense of it. Instead, I went to the art room where I found Diego wrapped up in the painting he had started, over an hour ago.

"Hey short stuff," I called, as I fell onto the couch.

"So, how did it go?" Diego asked.

It was actually his idea to give my brothers the lyrics. It was sometimes so annoying how healthy he could be. He wanted me to tell my brothers everything and get help, which was sweet and all but also infuriating. I knew he was right, but I wasn't ready.

"Oh, I wasn't gonna stay there, are you mad?" I asked with a smirk.

Diego just rolled his eyes but didn't comment even tho I knew he really wanted to. He just continued to work on his painting, not taking his eyes off it for even a second. It was like he was in a trance, but not the painful kind. The kind when everything around you just melts away and you're completely at peace. I slowly got up and walked up behind him to take a peek at what he was working on.

It was a drop of water falling into a still lake. It was definitely not ready, as Diego said, but it was still gorgeous.

"Oh, I brought you some new stuff," Diego suddenly remembered and turned to face me.

"Thanks, little buddy, but I'm sober now," I said ruffling up his hair.

"You were serious about that? I thought you just said that to make me feel better," Diego said taken by surprise.