Sleep didn’t come back.
It rarely did after the dreams.
Adriano lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, listening to the silence settle and unsettle itself at the same time.
Tomaso had long gone back to sleep.
The house was still.
But his mind wasn’t.
So eventually—
He got up.
The night air in Valdoro felt colder than it should have.
It’s not freezing.
Just… different.
Quieter than usual.
Even the wind seemed to move carefully.
Adriano walked without direction, hands tucked into his pockets, his steps slow but steady against the stone paths.
No destination.
Just movement.
He didn’t hear the other footsteps until it was too late.
A shoulder slammed into his.
Hard.
Enough to shift him slightly.
Adriano stopped and turned.
“Watch where you’re going.”
The words came out calm.
Flat.
But clear.
The man stopped too.
Slowly.
Then, they turned back.
Enzo Marino.
Even in the dim light, there was something about him—something sharp, restless, like water just before it breaks.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…you’re new,” he said.
Not a question.
Adriano didn’t respond.
Enzo took a step closer.
“And you should learn how to speak properly.”
A pause.
“Especially here.”
Adriano held his gaze.
Unmoved.
“You’re the one who walked into me.”
Silence.
Short.
But enough.
Enzo let out a quiet breath through his nose.
Not amused.
Not angry.
Something in between.
“…be careful,” he said.
Then turned.
Started walking again.
Adriano didn’t move.
Then—
“I’d say the same to you.”
Not louder.
Not aggressive.
Just enough.
That made Enzo stop again.
He didn’t turn immediately this time.
But when he did, his gaze lingered longer.
Studying.
Not just looking.
Something about Adriano didn’t sit right.
Didn’t fit.
There was a stillness to him that didn’t belong in someone his age.
And beneath that—
Something else.
Something he couldn’t name.
“…hm.”
Enzo said nothing more.
Just turned and walked off into the night.
But the feeling stayed with him.
***
The Marino estate stood just beyond the main town, along with the others.
All five families—
Positioned a mile away from Valdoro itself.
Close enough to protect it and far enough to stand apart.
Stone houses, each distinct but equally imposing, lined the elevated stretch of land like silent guardians watching over everything below.
Enzo didn’t bother easing into the conversation.
“You should have seen him.”
Marco looked up slightly.
“Seen who?”
“A boy,” Enzo said, pacing slowly.
“New.”
Davide frowned.
“There’s a lot of new people coming and going.”
Enzo shook his head.
“No.”
A pause.
“Not like this one.”
Marco’s expression shifted slightly.
Just slightly.
“…what do you mean?”
Enzo stopped walking.
“There was something about him.”
His gaze hardened.
“An aura.”
The word sat heavily.
Davide exchanged a glance with Marco, but Marco already knew.
He didn’t say the name.
But it was there.
Adriano.
And for some reason—
That didn’t sit well with him.
Enzo scoffed lightly.
“And yet, people like you,” he added, glancing at his nephews, “walk around like you don’t notice anything. You’re supposed to be the ones carrying that kind of grace.”
Marco didn’t respond.
But his jaw tightened slightly.
Davide sighed quietly.
Because now—
It wasn’t just a feeling.
It was being said out loud.
***
Adriano kept walking.
Further this time.
Past the familiar paths.
Past where the town usually ended.
He didn’t notice how far he had gone.
Not really.
Until—
He stopped.
The air changed.
He felt it first.
Then saw it.
An estate.
Large.
But broken.
The Veraldi house stood like something forgotten on purpose.
The gates were rusted, one side slightly open as if it had been left that way years ago, and no one had bothered to fix it.
Vines had claimed parts of the walls, crawling up stone that had once been clean, now cracked and worn.
Windows stood dark.
Empty.
Some shattered.
Some just… watching.
The kind of place people avoided without needing to be told.
Adriano frowned slightly.
He hadn’t meant to come this far.
Hadn’t even realised he was walking in this direction.
He took a step back, ready to leave.
Then—
He felt it, a pull.
Not strong.
Not forceful.
But there.
From inside.
His gaze shifted to the wall beside the gate.
A wooden plaque hung there.
Old.
Dust-covered.
He stepped closer.
Reached out.
Wiped part of it with his hand.
The dust cleared slowly.
“Vera—”
“…what are you doing here?”
The voice cut through the moment.
Sharp.
Adriano turned.
Marco stood a few steps away, his posture tense, his expression already set into something guarded.
“This place isn’t for wandering,” Marco added.
Adriano straightened slightly.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Now you do.”
A pause.
Neither moved.
“And you are?” Marco asked.
Adriano looked at him.
“I think you already know.”
That didn’t sit well.
Marco’s eyes narrowed.
“Then you should also know to stay away from places that don’t concern you.”
Adriano’s gaze turned briefly back to the house, then to Marco.
“Seems abandoned.”
“That doesn’t make it yours.”
“Doesn’t make it yours either.”
Silence.
Tight.
“Chiara talks to you once, and you think you belong here?” Marco said.
There it was.
Adriano tilted his head slightly.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
A beat.
Then—
“Marco.”
Matteo’s voice.
He approached from the side, glancing between them.
“…of course it’s you,” he muttered.
Then to Adriano—
“Don’t worry,” Matteo said lightly.
“He’s always like this.”
Marco shot him a look.
“I’m still older than you.”
Matteo made a face.
“And yet…”
He let the sentence hang.
Adriano almost smiled.
The tension eased.
Just slightly.
“I should go,” Adriano said.
Matteo nodded.
“Probably a good idea.”
Marco didn’t respond.
Didn’t stop him.
But his gaze stayed on him.
Adriano turned.
Started walking.
Hands back in his pockets.
Calm.
Like nothing had happened.
But after a few steps—
He glanced back.
Just slightly.
Marco was still watching him.
And somehow—
Adriano already knew he would be.
Marco didn’t look away, even after Adriano disappeared down the path.
Because something about him—
Didn’t sit right.
Didn’t feel right.
Didn’t belong.
And yet—
He had been standing in front of that house.
Like he did.
Come se fosse già stato lì.
Like he had been there before.
So sorry that I haven’t been able to post regularly, exams are coming up.
It’s my first time uploading a story to this platform.
I hope you like it and I would love to get some feedback.
Thank you.
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