silent

53

• AMALIA •

I wake up when it's still dark. I have a bit more energy, but I still feel horrible.

     What was the point in me having this surgery if I still feel like I'm two seconds away from imploding?

I manage to pull myself up this time, glancing around the room. My dad is asleep in one of the chairs and Xander is passed out in his own bed.

I really need the toilet now. But my dad looks so peaceful that I don't want to wake him up, so instead I force my legs over to the side of the bed, making them swing. I hold onto the board at the end of the bed as I attempt to jump off, but I lose my balance and fall.

     I let out a small, quiet sob, muffling it with my hand so I don't wake anyone up.

     I inhale a sharp breath when the door opens, relaxing a little bit when I see my grandad. I see him glance at my bed, but his puzzled gaze lingers when he notices it's empty. He must see my foot, or maybe my head, over the bed, because he walks over to me quickly.

     "What happened?" He asks, alarm flashing in his eyes as he swoops down and lifts me up, setting me on his hip for a moment before laying me back down on the bed.

     I bite my nails and don't respond, shoulders shaking with silent tears.

     "Hey, it's okay, princess." He whispers, wiping my tears as he sits down beside me. "You're okay. Did you fall?"

     I nod.

     "What were you trying to do?" He asks calmly.

     I look at the bathroom.

     "You should've woken somebody up, Amalia." He says, voice partially scolding. I sob again, and suddenly his expression softens and he leans down to kiss my forehead. "It's okay. You're okay now. Go back to sleep, okay?"

     I nod again, and when I sit back and close my eyes once more, sleep welcomes me.

•

I wake up the next morning feeling much better than I did yesterday. I peel my eyes open and look up, startling when I see the foggy silhouette of someone standing above me.

     "Hi, Amalia." The woman says, and it takes me a moment to realise that it's my Aunt Briana. "I need you to make as little noise as possible, alright?"

     I furrow my eyebrows and go to sit up, but she shoves me down harshly by my shoulder, then pins me down with the heel of her hand. She fumbles for something at the back of my bed, and when I see the same mask the surgeon used to put me to sleep, I begin to thrash.

     My eyes search the room frantically, but none of my family members are here apart from.. Xander! I'm about to call for him when a hand claps over my mouth, as though she knew what I was about to do.

     She replaces her hand with the mask, holding me down as she forces it over my mouth and nose. I try to scream, but nobody can hear it.

     I don't even know if any sound comes out.

     I try to fight off the sudden exhaustion, but I was tired before anyway. My head is aching, and when I try to move the throb only increases.

     I bring my hand up and try to hit her away as she holds the anaesthesia mask over my face, coming up unsuccessful.

     After that, I give in, pausing my squirms and instead closing my eyes. I don't know why she's here or what she's going to do, but at least I'll be away from my family, and that'll mean that they'll be safe, since chaos and horror always seems to find me. This is nothing but an example of that.

• LORENZO •
• FIVE MINUTES EARLIER •

"Can Lorenzo Romano please come to the main desk."

     I furrow my eyebrows when I hear the announcement boom over the hospital, then try to think back on wether I didn't sign something on one of the many forms they gave me.

     I glance at a sleeping Xander, then at a passed out Amalia. I don't want to leave them, but it'll be fine, I think. I'm sure I'll only be a moment.

     I stand up from my chair and leave the room, making my way down the empty hallway before reaching the main desk. A nurse at the front looks up at me and smiles. "Hi, how can I help you?" She asks.

     "My name was just called. I'm supposed to come here for something."

"Oh, right." She says. She glances around, as though she's paranoid, then pulls out a small file and passes it over to me. "You need to sign all of these."

"Can I do it in my children's room?"

"No!" She exclaims suddenly. I furrow my eyebrows. "Sorry." She laughs, then clears her throat. "No, you can't. You have to do it here."

I sigh. "Have you got a pen?"

"No. Let me go get one." She says.

She returns a minute later with a pen. I take it from her quickly and scribble my signature everywhere she tells me to. At least five minutes pass before she takes the file and puts it back under her desk. She glances at her phone on the counter before nodding. "Thank you, Mr Romano, you can go back to your child now."

I walk away, back to Xander and Amalia's room. I pause in the doorway when I see that Amalia's bed is no longer there. I glance at Xander, who has an anaesthetic mask over his face. I rush over to him and take it off, my head spinning as I search the room.

My phone begins to ring in my pocket. I grab it hastily, not even checking who it is before I answer it.

"Enzo?" Pietro questions. "Briana escaped. Be careful."

My eyes widen. I drop my phone onto the floor, completely frozen. I can still hear my brothers voice when I collapse onto the chair behind me.

AUTHORS NOTE—

That's what all of ya'll get for the death threats.

     Sorry not sorry <3