Chapter 3 #3
Steady as a rock? I have nightmares every single night. I wake up screaming Lucy’s name, convinced she’s burning, but if Mr. Lane wants to lie for me, I’ll let him.
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Mr. Barone says with a decisive nod. “None of this crying and feeling sorry for yourself for men like us, right, Damiano?”
“Right,” I say uncertainly. Men like us? What does that mean?
Mr. Barone’s eyes are sharp and assessing. He’s wondering if I’m strong enough for…something.
“I think we’ll take a beautiful family portrait together,” Mrs. Barone tells me with a smile.
I start to feel like a racehorse up for sale, but I push that thought away and focus on what matters. “You should meet my sister, Lucy. I’ll go and get her.”
Before I can get out of my seat, Mr. Lane holds out his hand to stop me. “Mr. and Mrs. Barone are only interested in adopting a boy. They already have a daughter.”
I look from one adult to the other, an ominous buzzing starting up in my ears. “But Lucy is my sister.”
Mr. Lane fixes a placating smile on his face.
“Damiano, this might be difficult to hear, but brothers and sisters are often adopted separately, and it’s the best thing that can happen to them.
Lucy is such a sweet, pretty girl, and a family who desperately wants a girl is going to be along very soon to choose her. ”
I stopped listening at adopted separately.
I leap to my feet, the chair shooting out behind me and crashing into the wall. “No one’s taking Lucy away from me.”
Mrs. Barone’s eyes widen at my outburst, and then they narrow. I can see her reconsidering. I’m going to ruin everything if I don’t calm down. No one wants to adopt an angry boy who loses his temper all the time.
I sit back down and force myself to take a breath. I need to be smart about this.
“I’m sorry about that,” I say, trying to keep my voice level. “I just love my sister so much. Can I ask your daughter’s name?”
Mrs. Barone looks at Mr. Barone, who gives a slight nod. She turns back to me. “It’s Ariana. She’s eleven.”
“I can’t wait to meet Ariana. I love being a big brother.” I smile warmly at Mrs. Barone, and I see her start to relax.
“You do?” Mrs. Barone asks.
“I’ve had a lot of practice. Since our mom died…well, Dad didn’t cope very well. Drugs,” I explain.
Mr. Barone gives me a sympathetic nod, though I notice his sympathy doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Since then, I’ve been looking out for Lucy. She’s ten, and she’s told me so many times how she longs for a sister to play with. Lucy’s so sweet. And smart. She’s doing better than me in school. Sometimes she even helps me with my homework.” I laugh, and Mrs. Barone laughs with me.
Am I selling this? I think desperately about what else I can say to convince them to adopt both of us. How many wealthy couples come in here? Almost none. I can’t let this opportunity slip away, but one thing’s for certain.
I’m not leaving without Lucy.
“Did I mention how pretty Lucy is? If you just meet her, I know you’re going to love her.”
I can see Mrs. Barone wavering. Mr. Barone is harder to read.
“Well…” Mr. Barone says, and that’s all the permission I need.
I leap from my seat and rush out the door.
I run down the corridor, shouting Lucy’s name. “Lucy! Where are you?”
I find her in her dorm room, sitting on her bunk bed. She looks up in surprise from her book. “What’s wrong?”
“I think we’re getting adopted,” I say, slightly out of breath but smiling at her. My heart is racing. This is it. This is our chance. “Come and meet them. Wait. Let me just…” I gently pull the band from her hair so that her curls tumble around her face, and then I finger comb them into place.
“What’s going on? Adopted by who?”
I put my hands on her shoulders and gaze deep into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
She nods without hesitation, and warmth expands in my chest.
“Good. There’s no time to explain. You don’t have to say much, but smile and be polite, okay?”
“To who? Why us?”
“Why not us?” I examine what she’s wearing. The jeans are fine, but her shirt is old and stained. I reach into her drawer for a clean pink baby doll T-shirt. “Quickly. Put this on.”
I help her out of the stained T-shirt and into the clean pink one.
Her hair crackles with static as I pull it over her head and smooth it down.
Going down on one knee, I examine Lucy’s face.
She’s pale and too thin, with shadows under her eyes, but she’s still the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.
She just doesn’t have much chance to show it right now while the world is being so cruel to her.
I rub my thumbs across the apples of her cheeks to put some color in them. “Bite your lips,” I tell her.
She does, and they redden a little.
“Perfect.” I stand up and hold out my hand to her. “Let’s go, and don’t forget to smile.”
Lucy puts her hand into mine, and I take her down the corridor, hoping I’m leading her toward a better life. No, I know I’m leading her toward a better life. Rich people can give Lucy everything she deserves.
They have to take us both. They have to.
The Barones are waiting for us to return. Mrs. Barone looks uncertain, but Mr. Barone smiles at Lucy as we enter. “You are pretty, aren’t you? Just like your brother said.”
I gently squeeze Lucy’s hand, and she remembers to smile back, but I can feel her trembling slightly. She’s scared.
“And you’re determined not to be separated?” Mrs. Barone asks me, a crinkle of worry between her brows.
A jolt of anger shoots through me that she’s asking me that again, and in front of Lucy. I thought I made that clear. “It’s my duty as a big brother to look after my sister, no matter what. I wouldn’t be a very good big brother if I walked away from her or let her be taken from me.”
Mr. Barone nods approvingly. “The boy has a strong sense of family duty. I like it. That’s what I’m looking for.
” He steps toward me and clasps his hands behind his back, and I sense that this is it.
The moment that will determine our future.
“You’ll be an obedient son and look out for this family? ”
I straighten up and look him in the eye. I know the answer is yes. I’ll do whatever it takes. “I will, sir.”
“You’ll love and protect both your sisters? Not just Lucy?”
“Of course.”
“You’ll take after me, your new father, and join the family trade?
” His eyes bore into mine. “What I’m building, I want to leave to my son.
My wife is regretfully not able to have any more children, and we decided that we want a boy who can start learning what it means to be a Barone right away.
You’ll be the eldest, and the head of this family one day. ”
Head of the family. The weight of that settles on my shoulders, and it feels like purpose.
“What’s the family trade?” While they were asking so many questions about me, I forgot to ask anything about them.
The corners of his lips turn up slightly. “I own a lot of property. I’m a businessman. Negotiations. Alliances. Deals.”
There’s something he’s not saying, but right now, I don’t care. “So I’ll have to be a persuasive talker to follow in your footsteps?” I risk a roguish smile, guessing that he’ll like that.
Mr. Barone laughs and wags a finger at me. “That you will. I can tell you’re already well on your way in that department, young man.”
“Such a charming boy,” Mrs. Barone tells me with a fond smile.
Lucy and I are asked to wait outside the office, and I pace up and down, wondering if I made the right impression on them. Lucy stands back against the wall, watching me with worried eyes.
“I don’t think they want me, Damiano,” she says quietly. “I think they only want you.”
I stop pacing and crouch down in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “They want you,” I say fiercely. “Don’t you dare believe otherwise, even for a second. I won’t let them take me without you. I promise.”
A few minutes later—minutes that feel like hours—Mr. and Mrs. Barone emerge from the office, and they’re smiling.
“Welcome to the family,” Mr. Barone tells us.
“Both of us?” Lucy blurts out, hope and disbelief warring on her face.
“Both of you. Your brother was very persuasive,” he adds with a chuckle. “Mr. Lane tells us that there’s some paperwork that needs to be completed, but we can bring you home tomorrow morning. There will be a car waiting for you at nine o’clock.”
My heart does a victory lap around my chest. I did it. I actually did it.
As soon as we’re alone, I pick Lucy up and swing her around in my arms, laughing in joy and relief. “Tomorrow, Lucy. We’re getting out of here tomorrow. In less than sixteen hours, we’ll leave this place forever.”
Lucy doesn’t say anything as I set her back on her feet. She looks dazed, like she can’t quite believe it’s real.
“Are you pleased? Are you happy?” I ask, needing to see her smile.
She thinks carefully for a moment and then looks up at me. “You’re happy, so I’m happy.”
It’s not the wholehearted excitement that I was hoping for, but it’s enough for now. It’s understandable that she’s hesitant after all the disappointment she’s suffered. As I smooth her curls back, she smiles at me a little.
“Things are going to be much better for us from now on,” I promise her. “You’ll see.”
I take Lucy back to her room, press a kiss to her hair, and go for a walk around the facility. The two women workers call my name in greeting, but I walk past without a word or a smile.
Heavy chains have fallen from my shoulders. I’ve loathed feeling shackled into good behavior by this place, but I no longer have to pretend that I don’t hate every single person here but Lucy.
It only takes me a moment to find the boy I’m looking for, the sandy-haired piece of shit who’s been leaving bruises on Lucy’s body. I follow him into the boys’ bathroom, my footsteps quiet on the tile floor.
He doesn’t notice me until I’m right behind him.
I approach him slowly, letting cold fury fill my expression. “Good news, Mark. I’m getting out of here.”
“Mason,” he corrects me automatically, but his eyes flicker with fear as he realizes we’re alone.
“Good news for me. Not good news for you.”
Mason tries to get away from me, but I reach out and block his escape with my arm. I’m taller than him. Stronger. And I’ve been waiting for this moment for two weeks.
“Did you think I don’t know you hurt her? Did you believe I didn’t care?”
“Who are you, um, talking about?” His voice cracks.
As I drink in his fearful expression, a powerful new sensation expands inside me, from the top of my head right down to my toes. It feels like black flames flickering in bright daylight, casting shadows instead of light.
It feels good.
I have to be strong to protect Lucy, now and always, and that means being willing to do dark things.
“Do you know the only thing I like about this hateful fucking place?” I ask, stepping closer. “There are no locks on the dorm doors. I’m not leaving until tomorrow morning, so I have all night to get to you while you sleep.”
I’ve fantasized long and hard about my revenge as I’ve laid awake at night, and I know exactly how I’d do it.
Leaning close to his ear, I whisper, “Strangling isn’t noisy.
No one will hear you choking for breath.
It hurts, though, and it takes a long, long time to die.
Your dorm mates will find your cold body hanging from the top bunk when they wake in the morning.
Your face and lips blue. Your tongue sticking out.
He did it to himself, they’ll tell each other. So sad.”
“Please,” the boy begs, his voice breaking. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t mean it.”
Bullies will say anything to wriggle out of the consequences of their actions. It’s pathetic. “I saw the bruises on Lucy’s body. Unless you want to feel me wrapping a sheet around your scrawny neck in the dead of night, you’ll find Lucy and apologize to her.”
Mason nods frantically and tries to get away, but I seize his arm and offer one last piece of advice. My fingers dig in hard enough to bruise.
“If you breathe one word of this to anyone, remember that you’re locked in here with me, and I will use every minute of every hour to make you regret your pathetic existence.”
I watch him run away, stumbling in haste to escape. Satisfaction washes over me, dark and intoxicating.
I can protect Lucy. No one will dare hurt her ever again.
And if they do? I’ll make them wish they’d never been born.