The Unknown Family

Night time talks

The wet road. The dripping red. The smashed glass. The burning sensation. The terrified screams. The limp bodies.

"L-li-Liv. H-help." The voice was quiet. Too quiet.

Then, "Just try and make her comfortable."

"No! No! NO! NO! NO!" The screams.

"Theo! Don't leave me!" The pleas.

"I love you Liv!" The last words.

I woke up from the bed with a cry. The green room was darkened by the night sky outside, the stars and moon the only light that passed through. I sat there, hugging my aching knees close to my chest as the tears poured from my eyes.

I missed him.

I missed her.

I missed all of them.

The girl had the plan, she just didn't know where to start with solving her problems. Does she backtrack and find a way to stop her doing the same thing again, or go on with life with the hope the past won't come back to bite her in the ass.

Deciding I needed more comfort than the book could ever give me, I unplugged my phone and opened the small window that led to the roof above the garage. Climbing out, I walked across the garage roof and sat down. Staring at the time on my phone, 05:29, I waited one more minute before I dialled the number he had me memorise.

By the end of the first ring, the phone was answered.

"Theo?" I question.

"It's nice to hear your voice again little one." His whispered tone came out soft and kind. I was the only person he talked to like this.

"I miss you." I mumbled through the speaker.

"I miss you too. How's things? Megan still dressing you up like a doll?" His quiet chuckle travelled through the phone.

"I don't live with Megan anymore." I said, wondering why he wasn't informed of my move.

"What?" His tone had changed from kind and sweet to cold and demanding. "Where are you?!" He whispered shout questioned.

"My social worker got in contact with our real dad. He took me in straight away, apparently he's been looking for me for ages." I tell him.

"You mean Giovanni?" Theo asked.

"You know him?" I respond.

"Yeah. Given where I am, it wasn't hard for them to find Giovanni for me. He's gonna become my legal guardian again when they let me out." He explains.

"Theo, is he your dad too, or is our dad actually your dad?"

"Huh?" Was all I heard making me giggle.

"If you mean am I related to Giovanni, then yes." He chuckles.

Sighing momentarily, I asked the question I always hated. "When will I see you again?"

"I-" He stopped before answering, "Giovanni has some connections, they're trying to shorten my time here. So, maybe a week. Possible two. At least." He said.

I broke down into tears at this news. For once, the answer to that question wasn't 'I don't know'.

"Hey, hey, calm down." He cooed through the phone. "Liv, seriously, your crying loudly and if the guard finds me with a phone in my cell I'll be stuck in juvie for another month." He said as he tried to quieten my tears of joy.

"Okay. Just, please don't do anything that can let them keep you there." I begged.

"I wouldn't. Not when you need me." He soothed. "Now, why did you call?" He asked.

"I, I miss them." I muttered.

I heard him sigh through the phone, before his broken voice responded. "Don't cry. You know how they hated it when people cried."

"M'kay." I mumbled as I wiped my eye with the sleeve if my pyjama top.

"I need to go, the guards coming back." He says with a fright.

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you too. Bye." And with that, he hung up.

After sitting on the roof for another half an hour, I got up and crawled back inside my bedroom. Checking the clock to see it was six in the morning, I decided to get ready. Heading to the bathroom and stripping my clothes, I just stared at my self in the mirror.

The faint pink line on my stomach, heading towards my chest. The memories of the burn on my back, near my right elbow. The little pink lines on my thigh, only a few centimetres long each. Those scars of the day I will never forget.

Getting in the shower, I spent most of my time harshly scrubbing my skin. Trying to wash the past off of my body. I got out the shower and dressed in a pair of white jean shorts, and a red top. The thing with the scars is, they don't actually bother me. I use it as a reminder of how I was strong. Strong when all I wanted to do was crumble and fall. The only scar that I had trouble with was the burn. It was second degree, but I don't even care anymore.

You just have to get over it.

I made my way down stairs to the kitchen -after getting lost twice- and found that everyone else except Vito and Luca was already there eating pancakes.

"Morning!" Leo chirped once he saw me in the doorway, but his smile faltered slightly at the sight of my leg, but didn't say anything.

"Morning." I respond with a small smile as I took a seat next to him, the pain in my knee slightly increasing, but not unbearably.

We sat in silence as we ate away at our food, and Giovanni drinking his coffee. But after the conversation I had this morning, I had to ask:

"Giovanni, do you know exactly when Theo will be coming here?" And there was a clatter of cutlery. From Leo, Andrea and Rina.

"Teodoro is coming here? I thought he was in juvie!" Rina gasped as she looked towards Giovanni and I for answers.

"He is Rina. But yes Liviana, he will be coming here, and I estimate about a week." I happy grin broke out on my face as I cut up another piece of pancake.

"Um Dad. Were you not going to tell us that our brother was coming home!?" Andrea said as he threw his hands up in the air.

"I told Vito, he was meant to pass it on." Giovanni responded.

"Pass on news like that!" Leo yelled in disbelief.

"Yeah, you know what the busy season is like with work." Giovanni answered. This seemed to be enough as they all shut up.

Once I had finished my food, I got up and put my plate in the dishwasher I had found last night after dinner.

"Liviana, you, Rina and Andrea are going out later to get you some more things." Giovanni said as I was leaving the kitchen.

"Okay...what time?" I asked.

"Be ready to leave at noon." Rina answered.

Nodding my head I left the room and went back upstairs to write.

But the world had fucked her over so many times before that it was only natural it would sent the past to come back and bite her in the ass.

Some people just have to drown a bit before they learn how to swim.