Sound of Your Voice

T H R E E

"Life is full of surprises." -John Major

"Well, you have a brother. And two sisters. Liam is 20, Ruth is 23 and Nicola is 25. Have you ever heard of One Direction?" His question causes me to choke on my water. How could I of missed that? Geoff's last name is Payne, and he mentioned someone named Liam at baggage claim. Was this all a joke? If I hadn't seen my mother and sisters charred bodies and my burned down house I would've thought that someone is playing a sick joke on me.

"Liam... your son, he's Liam Payne... from One Direction?" I ask between fits of coughing.

"Yes, I thought you knew. Are you okay? Is this all too much?" Truthfully, it is too much. It's been too much since I found out about the fire. Too much right from day one of this mess, but I scold myself for my rude internal comments and take a deep breath.

"No, of course not. I just wish the police had told me beforehand."

"I can understand that. I know I don't have much I can relate to with you, but trust me when I say I'm still not used to the media attention that follows with Liam's success." Geoff puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me a sympathetic look. I really am so grateful for him being here. I don't know where I would be right now if my father really was dead. I'm 17, still a minor, meaning I would most likely of be in foster care. I make a mental note to myself to find some way to thank Geoff after I get settled in. I take another drink of my water to stop myself from crying for what seems like the hundreth time today and turn my head to look out the window just in time to see my new home.

"It's Joey." The limo driver says out the window and rolls it back up while the gates open slowly. I have never seen a home so large in my life. I am absolutely stunned looking at this building.

"You live here?" My question is humorous to Geoff and he lets out a low chuckle.

"I wouldn't if it weren't for Liam."

The limo pulls up to the front of the house and before I can open the door for myself, it is opened for me and a hand is waiting to help me out of the car. Taking advantage of the gesture, I step on the pavement and shield the sun from my eyes with my hand. I inhale slowly and close my eyes before exhaling out of my mouth. The sound of a door opening causes me to open my eyes.

"You must be Giovanna." A silvery voice that can only be matched to one person brings my heart to my throat. Striding towards me is Liam with his arms wide open, swallowing me into an embrace.

"This really is surreal. I've heard about you but to be fair I didn't think you'd be this beautiful." His words echo in my ears as he pulls away from me to take a better look at my features. I bring my arm to my shoulder to readjust my purse and smile. I've seen him on magazines and on tv for interviews but seeing him in person sheds a new light on what he looks like. I've never noticed the small things about him before, like the few freckles that are most likely photoshopped out in the media.

"Let's get you settled?" Geoff interrupts my thoughts and leads me indoors. As I walk through the doors, the air conditioning causes goose bumps to appear on my bare arms. I fold my arms across my chest and curse myself for not wearing a cardigan over my sleeveless shirt. I make my way upstairs, following Geoff and Liam to a pair of double doors.

"This is one of the guest rooms, the biggest one actually. I figured it'd be best to give you this one since it has it's own bathroom." Geoff places my bags on the king sized bed and stands awkwardly, watching me as my eyes scatter across the room. "I'll let you get unpacked, we'll be downstairs in the living room if you'd like to meet us once you're finished." With that, I am left alone and I finally let out the tears that have been prickling behind my eyes all day. I want to get everything organized but my feet aren't following my brain's orders. I want so badly to call my mother and tell her everything that has happened. I've ignored every emotion that has tried to expose itself these past four days and now that I am truly alone, they all come out at once. I can feel my knees shake and I no longer bother to stay standing. My sobs grow heavier as I land on my butt on the floor, sitting with my legs crossed like a kindergartner. My heart is pounding and breathing becomes extremely difficult. I am infuriated with myself for not being home that night. My mother did everything to make sure my sister and I had the life we wanted and I re-payed her by letting her burn to death. How could I of been so selfish? I begged my mom to let me sleepover a friends house that night. I pushed and pushed until she finally gave in and said yes. Why did I have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't I of just listened to her and stayed home? I've heard that burning to death is the most painful thing any human could ever experience. I can only imagine the sight of their living bodies engulfed in flames, screaming for any kind of assistance. My innocent, sweet baby sister calling my name is the only thing I can hear. 

"Giovanna? Giovanna! Can you hear me?"