Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Bellcolor
T he University of Bologna is a wet dream for any person of privilege. But for me it’s like a nightmare coming true before my eyes. Crowds of teens cluster across the plaza, alongside their parents and mountains of luggage.
The demons accepted for freshman year at the university arrive before the school year begins, to get acclimated and get to know their classmates. Some of the demons from the upper classes were carefully chosen to make the process easier. At least that was how my father explained it.
My father teamed me up with Valentina Bandini, a Chicago mafia princess. Not only would she be in the same class as me, we’d be roommates too. Valentina is American, but everything about her is as Italian as my dad. Her father Mateo often does business with mine, and they both thought the match would be appropriate. I scan Valentina’s appearance and can’t figure out what the pairing means.
Valentina’s wearing the school uniform, just like me, but it doesn’t hang off her the way it does for me at all. The short black pleated skirt accentuates her curves and her seemingly-endless legs. She’s wearing sky-high heels and stands at least head and shoulders taller than me. The only button on the cardigan that carries the university symbol is on the verge of popping thanks to her bountiful bosom. Her brown hair is long and curly, drawn back with a diamond-studded bow. Her face is carefully made up, emphasizing her white eyes, her turned-up nose and her sensuous lips.
Great, you teamed me up with a beauty queen whose looks will only stand out more next to her ugly friend. And my ugliness will stand out more thanks to her beauty. Thanks, Dad.
Valentina’s glance at my appearance tells me she isn’t too pleased about this ridiculous pairing either. She probably imagined hooking up with the university elite, the way she did in high school, and now all her plans were getting flushed down the drain.
“Mateo, good to see you.” My father smiles and holds out a hand towards Valentina’s father.
“And you as well, Mr. Fermi, I’m honored.” Mateo politely shakes his hand.
I curtsy to him and introduce myself, with Valentina doing the same. Looks like we’re both uncomfortable with each other and the choices forced upon us.
“I apologize for the brief introduction, but we’re late for a meeting with one of the lecturers. Valentina, Bellcolor will be joining you in your room later, and you’ll be able to get to know each other better.”
“Of course, Mr. Fermi, I’d be delighted,” she answers with a polite smile, and I roll my eyes.
My father pulls me in towards the university building, and I trail after him with a sulky expression. “You couldn’t find me a roommate I’d have something in common with?”
“Valentina has many fine qualities, Bellcolor. How have you managed to write her off as unworthy already?”
“She certainly seems that way…”
“Her father’s the head of the Italian mafia in Chicago. She was raised traditionally and what matters most to her is loyalty. Her father and I have been in business for many years. He’s someone I trust very much, and he’s certainly made the same point clear to his daughter.”
“When I was thinking about a bodyguard, I didn’t think you’d actually assign one to me, let alone a woman. How’s she supposed to protect me? Stab my attacker with her stiletto heel?”
My father laughs. “While mafia women are meant to hold to traditions, and the men like their women delicate, that’s not the case with Mateo. He trained his daughter well. There’s nothing she can’t handle.”
“Great…”
My father comes to a stop before an ancient, heavy wooden door bearing the name of Professor Sapienti, and knocks.
“Come in!” a low baritone calls from within, and my father opens the door and pushes me inside.
“Oh, Mr. Fermi, good to see you!” Prof. Sapienti calls out happily, hurrying to shake my father’s hand.
“And you as well,” my father replies with a smile. “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Bellcolor Umbra Fermi.” He gestures to me with one hand, and I smile hesitantly.
Prof. Sapienti examines me for long moments, mainly pausing on my eyes, or more accurately their pigmentation.
“Interesting, very interesting…” he mumbles, snatching a magnifying glass from his desk and examining my eyes more closely. Here we go… I wasn’t pleased to be anyone’s lab rat.
“As I told you over the phone, Bellcolor’s transformation is still incomplete. Now that you’ve seen her with your own eyes, is there anything you can tell us about that? To your knowledge, has anything like this ever happened before?”
“If it has, it wasn’t written in any history book. The Council wouldn’t let such a mutation be remembered.” Mutation? Gee, thanks. Referring to my situation that way doesn’t sound as bad coming from a stranger’s mouth.
My father clears his throat and Prof. Sapienti hurriedly apologizes for his choice of words. “I’m sorry, dear, sometimes I just say the first thing that comes to mind, without considering my words. But you’ll get used to me.” He laughs and waves his hand dismissively. “And her skin is impervious?” Is he, or is he talking to himself?
Before I realize what’s happening, Prof. Sapienti jabs me with a pen I hadn’t noticed he was holding, and I let out a yelp of pain. Damn, is this what I have to look forward to every time?
“Sapienti,” my father hardens his tone of voice, a warning that can’t be misread. He pulls me to his side, and I rub my arm trying to soothe the pain.
“Oh, oh, I apologize. I had to see for myself,” he continues mumbling unclear syllables to himself. Is the entire faculty as crazy as him?
“Well, what is your conclusion?” my father presses on, hoping to squeeze information out of him. Prof. Sapienti turns his back to us and paces across the room like he’s looking for something. My father and I exchange glances, and he caresses my back in an attempt to calm me down a bit.
“A-ha!” he exclaims, and lifts his finger in the air. He approaches the overflowing library and starts knocking the dusty books sloppily arranged on the shelves off, one after another.
He flips through a book that looks so old I’m truly worried it’ll crumble in the Professor’s hands if he’s not careful enough. He pauses on a yellowing page and runs a finger across the words, mumbling to himself and stopping to ponder what’s written.
“What have you found?” my father sounds impatient.
Prof. Sapienti looks directly at me and once again scrutinizes me. My body tenses under his gaze, and I’m sure I’ll go mad if he doesn’t speak soon.
“Protective abilities have never been documented in the demonic realm. In the angelic realm, though—” He hasn’t even finished the sentence and I’ve already gone completely still.
“Angels? But she’s not an angel, that’s not possible,” my father replies angrily, snatching the book out of the Professor’s hands.
When he finishes reading that same page, he lifts his gaze, and now he’s the one staring at me like I’m a museum display. I let out a frustrated breath and defiantly cross my arms over my chest.
“Care to share with me?”
“Only angels have the powers of protection and healing…” my father reads out in disbelief.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“It doesn’t mean anything yet,” my father hurriedly clarifies, slamming the book shut. “Aside from being impervious, there’s nothing divine about her. Sapienti, I must ask you to continue researching the matter before we raise any speculation before the Council, absurd though it may be. Can you commit to that?”
“Of course, Mr. Fermi, I’d be glad to investigate the matter further. I’ve lived for so long that I’d honestly believed there was nothing new for me to discover, but life does have a tendency to surprise even us immortals, after all.”
“Agreed. I expect a full report on anything you find,” my father ends the discussion, shoves the book into Prof. Sapienti’s hands and hurries to pull me out of the office after him. I don’t know how I feel about being the Professor’s new research subject, but I have no choice, not when I myself don’t know who or what I am.
My father said only angels have protective abilities, and the Professor confirmed it’s a divine ability that’s undocumented in the demonic realm. If that’s the case, and I’m a demon, what does God want from me?
My father leaves me at the door to my new dorm room. He seems anxious to leave, and all I want is to cling to him, to keep him from leaving me in this damned place.
Funny, just a few days ago I was praying to leave home and start a new life away from my father, and now all I want is to stay somewhere familiar. Better the Devil you know, they say, and I guess it must be true after all.
I watch him move down the bustling corridor, and when he disappears around the corner I take a deep breath and open the door to my room.
Valentina’s arranging her side of the room. She picked the right side for herself, while I got the left side with the window.
I notice that my luggage has already been stacked by my bed, and I walk up to it to start arranging my things, just as Valentina’s doing. It takes about an hour to sort the room, and the whole time there’s this awkward silence lingering between us. It seems we’re each trying to think of what to say to the other, and neither of us can make sense of the jumble of thoughts in our heads. Finally, we turn to each other simultaneously, going silent and waiting for the other to say something, and finally we burst out laughing.
“Well, this is awkward!” she exclaims.
“Tell me about it,” I roll my eyes and laugh.
“My father threatened me, literally threatened me, not to screw up with you. He thinks it’ll do his business good. Your dad scares him.”
“The head of the Italian mafia is scared of my dad?” It sounds completely unreal.
“Yes, your father’s reputation precedes him,” she whispers, as though someone might hear us.
“Truth be told, I’m a little intimidated by you,” I smile, hoping not to offend her.
“Me? Why?” she tilts her head in askance.
“Because look at you! You’re gorgeous, and I’m sure you were popular. Now all your university years are wasted because of me. I mean, look at me!” I gesture to myself and another burst of laughter erupts from her.
“I don’t know what you think of me, but being the daughter of the head of the mafia doesn’t exactly win me many friends. Most people were afraid to get close to me, and those who were brave enough to befriend me always wanted something from me.” She seems sad, and I feel bad. Maybe I really did rush to judge her. “My only friends were my family, because we’re a big family. I saw the university as an opportunity to break through that family wall and build myself a world all my own. Boy, did I get that one wrong, huh?” she laughs.
“Yeah,” I nod in agreement.
“So how did he do it?” she jumps on the bed and stares at me expectantly.
“Do what?”
“You know, how did your dad take your life? My father invited every demon in Chicago. He held a fucking ball for my death-day! If that’s not nuts, I don’t know what is.”
“Ah…” The words stick in my throat.
Valentina continues staring at me, and when the words don’t come she contorts her face. “Your dad screwed up that bad? You can tell me. I told you, my dad gave me no choice but I think we can use the opportunity to become true friends. We still have some control over our lives.”
Maybe she’s right. We’re stuck with each other anyway, so there’s no reason not to really try to be friends. Besides, I think she’s taking her father’s threats seriously, and I can trust her.
“What did your dad tell you about me after my dad approached him?”
“He said your father was looking for someone to protect you. He didn’t mention exactly what I’m meant to be protecting you from , but I assume there are demons out to get you if you need protection at a demon university?”
“Something like that… I mean, I don’t even know myself. I just know I haven’t completed the transformation yet, and the head of the Council wants something from me. And let’s just say I didn’t get the sense from him that it was a good thing.”
“Wow! You met the head of the Council? What’s he like?” She jumps excitedly onto her bed and it almost hurts to shatter her illusions of Libretto.
“He’s… very serious.” That’s all I can say without getting in trouble. I think the Council members won’t take kindly to someone speaking poorly of them.
“My father’s met them a few times. It’s a huge honor. I’ll be inheriting my father’s businesses, so I’m looking forward to meeting them too.”
Yeah, just don’t hold your breath, I think, and freeze instinctively. My father isn’t here, I remember. I can’t believe my thoughts are just mine again. I cheer internally and Valentina doesn’t suspect anything about my strange behavior.
“That’s nice,” I finally answer, trying to be blasé.
“So you didn’t tell me how your death day went,” she reminds me of the question I was trying to avoid.
“It didn’t go the way my father planned,” I admit. “I beat him to it by one night.”
“What do you mean?” she raises an eyebrow and leans in.
“I took my own life,” I whisper, lowering my gaze.
“Wow… the Devil must love you,” she blurts out.
“What?!”
“The unforgivable sin. Think about it, in some ways it’s even worse than murder, isn’t it? You’re like the valedictorian of this place.”
I like Valentina. With one sentence she managed to erase the shame of what I did that night.
“I guess you’re right,” I smile, feeling uplifted for the first time in a long while. “But as you can see, it didn’t exactly work in my favor. I decided to kill myself using pills I thought were mood stabilizers.”
“That’s what your dad told you? How melancholic! My dad told me they were vitamins.” She bursts into laughter. “So you believed you were crazy your whole life? No wonder you tried to off yourself, sis. If you’re told something long enough, you ultimately start believing it. There’s research proving that consciousness is so strong even our bodies can start showing symptoms the mind believes in.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
“So that’s why you—” she pauses. I don’t need to be a mind-reader to know she meant to ask if that’s why I look like this.
“Yeah, I’m not exactly a demon. The overdose did something to my body, you could say I’m waiting for their effect to wear off so I can complete the transformation.”
“So what does that mean? You’re vulnerable around demons who’ve already completed their change?”
“Something like that.” I decide not to tell her anything about my impervious body. It seems like every time the subject comes up, the demons around me insist on trying to wound me. My skin may be impenetrable, but it still hurts like hell.
Valentina gets off the bed, determinedly places her hands on her hips, and confidently declares, “Well, don’t worry about it, girl, that’s what I’m here for! I promise you, no one will mess with a Bandini!”
I burst out laughing and fall back onto my bed. Valentina joins me, lying at my side, and we giggle together. Maybe I’ve found a friend after all. My first best friend. “So why did you do it?” Her voice suddenly gets a little too serious for the light atmosphere.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. I mean, in the moment it seemed like I had known, but in hindsight, having had my whole life turned upside-down, I can’t answer her question.
“I understand…” she weakly comments.
“Really?” I rise up on my elbows and look at her.
“Yeah, I know what it’s like to feel like life is too big for you. We’re just eighteen, and our dads expect us to conquer the whole world. Considering the lifetimes of experience they have on us, that’s a little unrealistic. Too much pressure. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
“Yes, exactly that. What you said.” She’s managed to express what seemed so complicated to me. I give her a long glance and smile at her. Her smile is amazing. I might’ve fallen in love with her a bit just now. She really is amazing.
I look at the bed we’re lying in, and a thought occurs to me. “Say, if we don’t sleep, why do we need a bed?”
“For the full college experience, I guess.” The side of her mouth curves and it takes me a second too long to understand what she means. She bursts out laughing. “Don’t tell me you’re a virgin!” She bounces on the bed excitedly.
“Will you keep it down? I think the whole campus heard you!” I punch her in the shoulder and she fakes being in pain, dropping back down on the bed.
“We’re going to fix that tonight, sister! Prepare yourself!” She groans dramatically, excessively. I cover her face with a pillow and try to stifle her, and she punches the pillow with her fists.
I’m startled when she stops moving, and remove the pillow from her face.
She lies there still, and I start panicking and jostling her body, calling her name over and over. She opens her eyes and shouts “Boo!”
I gasp, and fall onto my back. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“You thought I was dead?” she bursts out laughing. “Sorry to say, hon, I’m here for the long run!” She smacks the pillow in my face and I hiss out a curse. She gets to her feet and puts her hands on her hips. “Come on, we’ve got a major oversight to correct!”
“What are you talking about?” I ask her.
“There’s a mixer tonight in the main hall!” she says with an excitement I don’t share. The first and last time I was at a party with people my age left a bitter taste in my mouth. Valentina doesn’t notice my concern and continues, “We’re going to get you a hot demon to liberate you from your virginity, because there’s no way I’ll be friends with a prude.” She contorts her face. “Wait, you’re not one of those sentimental girls saving themselves for ‘Mr. Right’ or something, right?”
“I’m not a prude!” I feel the need to defend myself. “I just… haven’t had the opportunity, that’s all.”
“So come on, we’ve got a lot of work to do if you want a demon with an impressive cock to get into those granny panties of yours!” she shouts, pulling my white cotton underwear until I’m sure they’re about to tear.
“Cut it out!” I shriek. I can’t believe eighteen-year-olds still go for atomic wedgies. I thought I’d gotten out of that in kindergarten. She’s unreal, this Valentina, but I’ve just fallen for her a bit more.
She allows me to feel normal.