Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 23

November 4th, 2019

My eyes were straining to see in the dark, the streetlamps providing barely any light to guide us by. It was a little after eleven, and I had Javi's hand tightly gripped in mine. He was starting to slow his pace but I couldn't really blame him. He was only six years old, and I'd kept him out and about for over 12 hours already.

"Sorella, I'm tired," Javi mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"I know, Javi, it's just a few more blocks," I told him. He nodded, scurrying to catch up with me.

After walking for a few more minutes, I heard faint shouts and curses coming from an alley on my left. Javi tugged on my sleeve.

"Someone's there," he whispered. I bit my lip. New York was dangerous at night, I didn't want to investigate a possible bad guy, but at the sound of a cry, I knew I should at least take a look.

I led Javi down the alley, tightening my grip on his hand. The rain was really only a light drizzle, so we weren't soaked but we weren't damp either.

The closer we got, the louder the voices grew, shouting and swearing and grunting. The voices seemed familiar but I couldn't quite place them.

We reached the end of the alley, and across the street, illuminated by the dusty orange glow of the streetlamps, were all eight of the Adams boys. Not to mention Harry, Cyrus, and Logan. They looked angry, bearing various weapons and deadly expressions. The triplets were wearing some sort of spikes on their hands and Alan and Eli were both brandishing knives. Each of them looked deadly in their terrifying way. I recognised Xander, and then there was the oldest brother, Cato, who was tall with brown hair and cloudy green eyes. I briefly remembered him from that one time I'd seen him at Alan's house. Both of them looked equally menacing.

Alan was wrestling with someone on the pavement, looking completely furious with his opponent, his knife tightly gripped in his bloodied hands. Eli was losing to his opponent, dirt and dried blood streaked his face and hair, his knuckles wrapped in cloth like his brothers'. He looked much scarier now, a complete one-eighty from his usual laid-back demeanour. Colton, however, fit right in, his dark attitude making him the perfect fighter. Calvin, though usually quite cheerful, was also taking on a fight, a devilish grin on his face. And then there was Cayden. I'd never seen him so angry before, he'd always been so shy and innocent but there he was right in front of me, beating a kid on the ground, his fists completely bloodied.

I moved closer, momentarily forgetting about my brother. Their opponents, I realised, were Neo's family and several of his group members I recognised from school. I was able to identify Felix, Des, Vanesa, and Emilio. Neo was in the centre of it all, fighting Alan - and losing.

My mouth parted in shock. I felt Javi's hand slip away from mine as he suddenly ran towards the fight. Every inch of my body immediately screamed 'PANIC' and I hurried after him.

"Stop!" Javi cried, waving his arms wildly. "Stop! No fight!" He was running towards Eli. The fighting ceased, every head turning to stare at the tiny six-year-old that had just stupidly run head-on into the midst of the fight.

I reached Javi, snatching him by the shoulders and yanking him backwards, my whole body trembling. Everyone was staring at us, making my nerves flare. I was sure my face was flaming pink but I hoped the darkness hid it. I took a few steps back, my hands still gripping my brother, but I was unable to break my gaze from the scene.

"Mia?" Neo and Alan called out at the same time. I wasn't sure what to say. I continued to inch backwards, my eyes darting between a million different locations before settling on the gleam of silver in Alan's hand. He dropped in instantly, a guilty look on his face as it clattered to the ground. Neo took this time to push Alan off of him and scramble up, heading towards me. His expression was pleading yet gentle.

"Va Tutto bene, lo giuro. Lascia che ti accompagni a casa. Per favore, non-aver paura," he said steadily, his warm brown eyes maintaining contact with mine. I couldn't move, I just searched his eyes warily. "Please Mia,"

He was right in front of us and quickly pulled me into a gentle hug. I stiffened at first but relaxed into it, my fingers clenching the fabric of his shirt. To say I was terrified was a major understatement. He led me back towards the alley, spinning me round to face away from the fight. "Let's go," he murmured in my ear. He took Javi by the shoulder and we left promptly without another glance back.

I was too shocked to say anything as we stumbled along. Neo kept his hand firmly on the shoulder of my jacket until we got a good two blocks away. His fist slowly released me and I shuffled several inches away from him. Javi was released as well, who scampered back. I spun to face Neo, my eyes studying his injuries.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. He nodded, his eyes swiftly locking with mine.

"Are you?" I didn't answer for a moment, as I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling. I was really trying to keep an open mind here but I couldn't get the images out of my head.

"I don't know," I finally answered. Silence stretched between the two of us, neither of us wanting to initiate the inevitable.

"Are you scared of me?" Neo whispered. At that moment, he looked so innocent and vulnerable, like a broken kid. But was I scared? He'd been doing just as much as the Adams had been, but it felt different for him. Neo didn't feel as cold or as merciless as the others.

"No," I told him. "No, never," I tried to sound confident. He flashed a half-hearted smile.

"Let's get you home, yeah?" I nodded, feeling his hand snake around my waist protectively as we started walking. I didn't even feel scared, I just felt safe.

~Translations~

Va tutto bene, lo giuro. Lascia che ti accompagni a casa. Per favore, non-aver paura - it's okay, I swear. Let me take you home. please don't be afraid