[GIOSEFFO]
I made my way to the balcony of the venue to be alone. No one was here, only the moon provided light in the surroundings. I positioned myself in the darker corner.
“Gio,” one of my cousins, Taddeo, called me. He found me quickly even though I didn’t respond to him.
Taddeo is perhaps one of my closest friends. Since I met him, we’ve been inseparable. He has a mischievous side but is also marked by seriousness and a similarity to Uncle Morgan, his father. That’s only natural because Uncle Morgan is his dad.
Unlike my other cousin, Raffaele, they’re both too noisy and mischievous. I can’t stand being around him, and I guess the feeling is mutual. I know and can feel that he doesn’t want to be with me either. I sense his fear for me. If we weren’t related by blood and family, he might have distanced himself from me.
I have two other cousins, Valerio and Arcel. Arcel is Taddeo’s younger brother. I don’t interact with them much because they are younger than me. I don’t know if they can already comprehend what’s going on inside my head. So in the end, Taddeo is the one I’m often with.
“You’ve been sought by Aunt Cosima for a while now. I didn’t realize you were here.”
Undeniably, apart from the kidnapping and other threats we’ve faced, my cousins have an easier life than me. They may have had traumatic experiences like mine, but their lives are still comparatively simple. I’m not complaining because I’ve accepted this a long time ago, but sometimes I can’t help but wish that it could have been me.
I wish I had grown up with Mommy. I wish I hadn’t put them in danger. I wish I hadn’t been protected by Grandpa and Grandma, and that they hadn’t died that way. I looked up and sighed.
“Why? I’m bored inside. I’ll just stay here for a while,” I leaned my elbows on the balcony railings and gazed into the darkness.
Taddeo just looked at me before shrugging. “Alright, I’m going back inside. I’ll let Aunt Cosima know.”
I didn’t say anything further and let him leave.
The night breeze blew, it was cold, but it didn’t bother me. My emotions were like thick ice, impervious to the chill.
I heard footsteps. I closed my eyes abruptly and turned to the balcony, thinking it was Taddeo again.
“I told you, I’m staying here,” I declared.
I paused and involuntarily furrowed my brow when I saw the young girl in the white ballerina dress from earlier. She still resembled a beautiful swan.
She gave me a sweet smile, and I quickly averted my gaze. Why was she smiling at me?
I heard her tiny, delicate footsteps as she approached where I was standing. From the corner of my eye, I saw her go to the railings to gaze at the moon. There was a considerable distance between us, but it was just right for me to observe her closely.
“Why are you hiding in the dark?” Her question caught me off guard. I couldn’t believe she was asking me that.
I looked at the young girl, still puzzled. I couldn’t understand why I was paying her attention, especially considering that I often ignored others who tried to engage me in conversation.
“Are you hiding from someone, or do you just dislike the light?”
I remained silent, even though she was addressing me. I simply watched her as she smiled and looked into the distance. She was smiling, but her eyes told a different story they held a sadness that contrasted with her outward expression.
“It’s more peaceful in the dark than being exposed in the light. You might attract attention, and I hate drawing attention to myself.”
I didn’t even understand why I was talking to her, let alone responding to her seemingly pointless questions. I noticed her smile widen when I spoke.
“Is that why you’re wearing a black raven costume?”
I kept my mouth shut. I had nothing to say. Her words didn’t make much sense, and I had no patience for inane and nonsensical conversations.
“I’m wearing a white ballerina dress, just like in my favorite movie,” she said fondly. “I insisted on it, even though Mommy didn’t want me to.”
I side-glanced at her, and now I could see the sadness in her eyes. Did she even realize it wasn’t an age-appropriate movie?
Though I remained silent, I stayed there, listening to her. When she stopped speaking, it was as if I wanted to speak, just to hear her angelic voice. Stupid me.
“You know, light exists because there’s darkness. Evilness exists because of purity. White and black, they complement each other,” she said, looking at me and flashing a smile so wide it almost made her eyes squint. “I just thought of mentioning it because my dress is white, and you’re in black. I choose to stay in the light, while you hide yourself in the darkness.”
“You are not making any sense,” I said to her, unable to contain myself. Slowly, I saw her smile fade away, and I immediately regretted what I had said. “I’m sorry. I’m not good at making conversation because I don’t interact with others often. I just wanted to be friends with you.”
“I don’t offer friendship,” I regretted it again when I saw the sadness in her eyes.
I turned away to avoid seeing the disappointment on her face due to my words, but it seemed to linger in my mind. I was about to speak when I heard my name being called.
“Amelie!” a woman shouted. She came onto the balcony and hurried to the child. She didn’t pay any attention to me, her focus solely on her daughter. “I’ve been looking for you! What are you doing here?”
I could feel the anger in her voice, and the child didn’t escape my notice, her fear still apparent.
“Mom…” I looked at the older woman, particularly when she grabbed her daughter’s wrist roughly. I was about to approach them to intervene when I realized who the woman was.
Astrid Pearce. My eyes widened when I saw her. Her appearance had hardly changed even two years after what she had done to my grandparents and me… even to me.
“Let’s go.” Astrid walked away with her daughter. It was clear her child had something more to say, but she didn’t listen.
The child looked at me again and waved before smiling. “Bye-bye,” she said.
I couldn’t pay her any more attention because my focus was on her mother. She probably didn’t recognize me, even though she had noticed me due to the darkness of my location.
What a small world, huh? A swan caged, a princess longing to be free from her constraints but lacking the freedom. She’s indeed a beautiful white swan, but somewhat tainted. With a mother like that, I knew she wouldn’t stay pure and good.