Page 16 of Little Sparrow

“Trovata,”One voice says to the others.

I’m unsure what that means, but it doesn’t sound good because of the evil laugh that comes after. It gets worse when I hear knocks on the panel in front of me before it’s ripped away, and the villain is in front of me; the shadows make him look like a demon with a big white eerie smile. Grabbing me by the hair, he drags me out. “Come on you little bitch,” he grits. The accent is so familiar to Dante but I can’t tell. My mind won’t grasp anything but to struggle against him, this must be the fight or flight instinct people talk about.

A scream escapes my throat as he yanks me through the doors, my knee scrapes along the edge of the wardrobe on my way out. My Dad is staring at me, horror written all over his face and tears building in his eyes. I can see the shine in them even from my distance. His eyes widen, and his mouth opens and closes. “Don’t touch her, she’s just a girl,” he says between sobs. Holding a knife to my father's throat, the man behind him smiles “Tsk tsk, you lied to us. We don’t like liars.” The one grasping my hair pulls out a phone and taps along the screen. I try fighting against him, but he jerks harder.

My room is trashed, the drawers are pulled out and thrown on the floor, the mattress half on my bed frame as though they were looking for me underneath. Clothes scatter across the floor, most of them crumpled in a small pile.

“Got her boss. What do we do with Dad?” My body turns to ice as I realise what they mean. I fight, I scream and grab at his arms to dig my nails in, but he’s fully covered in thick clothing. My nails can’t penetrate his skin. They rip my hair out the more I move, and I stare my dad in the eyes. My heart is beating so hard it feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest. I’m willing for my dad to fight back too. But he doesn’t.

“Keep being you, Rose. Don’t change for anyone.” Those were the last words he will ever say to me as the other man behind him slices the blade across his throat. The blood sprays out toward me as my dad’s scream turns to gurgles while he chokes on his own blood, leaving drops of red over my clothing. “NO” I scream. The thud of his body dropping on the floor causes a sob to escape deep inside my chest, sickness rises in my throat, and tears burn as they fall down my face. His eyes stay wide open, staring deep into my soul. I try to pull myself over to my dad, but the man just chuckles before I feel a small prick in my neck, and my world darkens.

Chapter thirteen

Rose

Calabria, Italy

WhenIwake,I’mchained to a bed by my ankle. My hands move over it to find the lock, but I can’t open it, no matter how hard I pull. I don’t have the key. When I twist around to check my surroundings in the small bedroom, it’s just a single bed with a thin sheet and flat pillow, a set of drawers opposite the window, and a small mirror hanging on the wall. The heavy cuff on my ankle clangs loudly as I try to move off the bed and towards the door. The sound of the chains drags along behind me. The chains stop me before I reach the handle, and I trip forward. Didn’t even graze the door handle with my fingers. Disorientation flows through my mind from the drugs still in my system as I attempt to grip onto the door frame to steady myself. Still, I only grasp the air. I drop to the ground in defeat.

A key in the lock turns, and I scatter back towards the bed as fast as I can, feeling the cold of the wood flooring through my thin clothing as my body slides along. A large bald man wearing a suit enters with a smile. “You’re awake.” He says in the same thick accent as the other men, but I say nothing.

He squats down in front of me without reaching out. “You’re scared?” My breaths are heavy, and I clutch at my clothing as I curl into myself, the dried droplets of my father’s blood flake as I clutch the fabric of my white shorts. I try not to show my trembling.

“We will take care of you.” His hand touches his chest as he introduces himself. “I’m Leonardo Barelli. You don’t know this yet, but you are a very special girl. Do you know why?” I keep quiet, not wanting to give away my voice that I don’t trust not to give away my fear of him.

“You’re so special that I had to give you a little collar around your neck. You will thank me in the future.” I reach up to my neck with shaky fingers and feel something around me with a small smooth clasp at the back, but I can’t undo it.

“What is it? Who are you?” My voice comes out raspy from my dry mouth.

“I’ve already told you who I am. I’m a friend of your mother. Your name is Rose, and she always called you little sparrow, yes?” I nod once. She had always called me that as a child. I hadn’t heard it since she left. Is she here? I can’t help but search behind him for her, but all I see are men with weapons. All eyes zeroed in on me. Hands ready on the guns holstered on their hips—so many guns.

“Rose, I need that necklace to stay on. Touching it will only cause you discomfort. You will do as I say, and I will treat you well. Maybe even take those chains from your ankle. I’m sure you’d like that?”

My eyes flick down to my bare leg, and the cuff around my skin has left angry red patches where I had pulled on them too much. I want them gone, but I don’t know who this man is or why I’m here.

“You’re the reason my dad is dead?” I choke around the words, and a suffocating fogginess spreads over me.

“No, Rose, you are. He wasn’t your real father. They thought he could protect you, but I can look after you better, keep you safe.” He answers, completely calm. I’m shocked into silence. He can’t be serious. My vision blurs as tears build again. He must be lying. My dad wouldn’t keep that from me, but maybe he would.

“Don’t be sad. You’re special, Rose. You have a power inside you. Everything you are, what you can do. Ultimately caused his death. Until you can control it, we can’t let you roam free here. Do you understand?” This man keeps questioning me, and I just want to go home.

One word captures my attention, I knew about the dream walking and healing, but surely that’s not worth taking me for. “What do you mean, a power?” My body vibrates with a need to know. My captor is willing to give me the answers I crave.

Leonardo shakes his head and stands. “No one told you? You’re half demon, descending from the succubi. Very rare.” I can’t believe him. I know myself; I’m not evil.

He clears his throat, not taking his eyes off me. “Maria will help you settle in, bring you food and take care of you until you are ready to train. You will work for me to earn what I give you.”

A tall woman with her hair in a low bun walks in, holding some black clothes and a bottle of water. I didn’t realise how dry my mouth was until I saw it. I can’t help but snatch it from her hand in desperation. Leonardo leaves us, and Maria checks my ankle silently with cold latex gloves. Instinctively, I flinch back at the contact, but she pulls my foot back, I bite the inside of my cheek to hide any reaction. The bottle of water I had been given is almost immediately gone as I gulp it down, desperate for the liquid in my body, but I’m too scared to ask for another. Drinking it too fast will just make me sick, but I know I need food. My stomach rumbles at the thought.

Chapter fourteen

Dante

London, United Kingdom

Peoplebumpintomeas I leave the London underground. The chatter of groups nearby is almost drowned out by the car horns stuck in traffic. How did Rose live here? I almost pass by the old-style American diner—a 50’s theme. The same restaurant name as the tag I had seen. I hope it’s the right place. She had invited me, and I came. It took a few days to reach my mother’s family and convince them not to turn me over to my father to avoid a war. Then I decided to travel here. I just need to see Rose in person, hold her and make sure she is okay. She hadn’t come to see me in dreams since our kiss. If I freaked her out, she needs to tell me herself.

I still claim not to know where my mother is to my uncle, just that we got separated, but she will contact him as soon as she can. They are suspicious, but I’m family, and family always comes first. Right now, Uncle Tomasso thinks I am looking for my mother in countries she had always wanted to visit. The first stop I had planned London. It’s the only reason he let me leave early.

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