Page 36 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“It’s okay Russ, help her. You can do it,” Charmaine said and squeezed his shoulder.

“Do what exactly?” Lucio asked Charmaine instead of Russell.

“I dunno. Russell told me he can feel Dolly when she is in trouble and he can… um,” she stumbled through her lie.

Stop explaining. Telling him you don’t know is fine.

“Be quiet. Just shut up!” Russell demanded of Lucio and Charmaine. Russell went into his backpack. Charmaine stepped back, not knowing what magic tool Russell carried. Nzinga had all kinds of things she used in the forest with them. Lucio stepped forward, curious as well.

Russell removed an old and raggedy doll. Her left eye was missing. She had marker marks scrubbed over her face, and her dress was soiled. He gently put the doll on Dolly’s chest. “Darlene. I love you. Do you hear me? I—I love you. I want to see you again. I want you to come be with me. I miss you...” Russell said through his tears.

“Is that Russ?” Dolly asked.

Darlene smiled. “He’s here. He came for us.”

“What?” Dolly asked. “Russell doesn’t know…?”

“About me?” Darlene finished. “Who do you think took care of him as a baby? You? You were jealous of him and a crybaby. I took care of him when Mommy had to cook when he couldn’t sit up and Mommy needed me to hold him while she peed. I taught him to hold his cup. Not you. I told him about vampires. And he understood. He didn’t tell me to shut up saying those things or tell me it wasn’t true. He knew both of us were separate, not one. Then when he was three, you got mad, said you wanted control, and pushed me to be bad. Russell couldn’t stop our fighting. Mommy and Daddy couldn’t understand us, or what was happening. All because you were some big selfish baby!” Darlene said in disgust.

“So they took you to the psychiatrist. The one Lucio thinks is a professor. He used his fucking lyrical board and taught you to lock me away. I pretended when he came to teach me about myself. I knew who he was, and what the vampires were trying to do. You are the dumb one. Not me. I never said a thing to Lucio or you. I didn’t even think it. I didn’t want anyone to know. I just made my plans to escape.”

“Escape where? Go where?”

“Sicily to kill the big bad daddy who is coming for us now. If Lucio didn’t use Russell against us, we wouldn’t be stuck here right now!”

Dolly tried to process the information. There were so many questions she had, but even she knew they were out of time.

“What is Russell trying to do now?” Dolly asked.

“What the professor told Lucio to try with us, something he kind of knew he could use as leverage when he had Russell kidnapped and taken to Vegas. The professor knows too much about us. We should kill him, too.” Darlene decided.

“Explain it, Darlene. To me. Explain what Russell is doing?” Dolly asked.

“Using love. He is trying to calm me. Make me feel loved,” Darlene said.

Darlene smiled. “He was so cute. Only three in his little wheelchair. He’d say,Darlene. I love you. I want to see you again. I miss you.”

Dolly listened to her brother calling for her.

“Okay, I understand,” Dolly said.

“No, you don’t,” Darlene scoffed. “You never have. That’s why I hated you and why Russell secretly hated you. He knew what you did to me. He knew that you were too stupid to protect us. That’s why he left his people in Utah and lived in the hood with you, and even put up with Tyrone hitting him.”

“Tyrone didn’t touch him—” Dolly stammered.

“He did! You just pretended in your head it didn’t happen!” Darlene shouted back.

The truth was a fatal blow to Dolly’s heart. She let tears drop despite her new strength. She felt small and insignificant. She’d done nothing to save or protect any of them from the beginning. It had always been Russell and Darlene.

“I’m sorry,” Dolly said.

There was a roar like thunder in the distance. The darkness was closing in. It must have been Vittorio, he knew someone was in his midst and he was coming.

“Darlene.”

“Hmmm….?”

“We helped Lucio, right?” Dolly asked.

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