Valentina blinked awake, and with a heavy breath, her eyes opened.
Her consciousness was welcomed by darkness. Pitch darkness that pressed against her chest, making breathing a daunting task.
She shut her eyes right back, and hugged her body, as she rocked back and forth to keep her thoughts from conjuring shadowy figures that would only further heighten her fear of the dark.
"Val?"
Natalia’s voice trickled into her ears.
"It’s okay Val. I’m here too."
She felt her warm arms wrap around her, shielding her from the demons of the dark, the same way she protected Natalia from the dangers of the light.
"Where are we?" Her voice, breathless and shaky, revealed her fear.
"I don’t know. But it’s fine. We’re together," Natalia reassured her.
A flicker broke through the suffocating darkness.
What’s that?
Valentina’s heart cramped, as she listened for more sounds.
It wasn’t just a sound that accompanied the flicker.
She held her breath at the creaking sound of a door, followed by quiet footsteps.
One gentle buzz, and bright lights filled up the entire room.
"It’s fine now Val. Light has come," as she spoke, she looked up to see who the intruder was.
Her breath caught against her chest on seeing the man in an all white suit, with contrasting dark hair sleeked all the way back by thick gel.
His face was without a crack of smile, or a trace of warmth.
Dark eyes that matched his dark hair scanned the room, until it came to a rest on the chair he was looking for.
He dragged it right across the center of the room, its scraping sound synching with Valentina’s erratic breath.
Fingers steepled, he crossed one leg over the other, as he sat down.
"Vittorio Moretti," he announced his name, with an air of importance that caused Natalia’s hold around Valentina to tighten.
His gaze swept up with masculine grace, straying towards Natalia.
It stayed there for a few seconds, before moving to Valentina. The little he could see of her, because Natalia covered her body from his view.
Pulling out a pen and notepad from the large pockets of his coat, he flipped the pages open.
"I’ll ask the questions. You both give me the answers."
His voice sent chills down Natalia’s spine, but made Valentina curious.
For a moment there, her delirious mind had really thought that the man from earlier before had something to do with this.
However, the voices were different. The scent, although similarly masculine, was different too.
She continued to bury her face, still recovering from the effect of the dark.
"Name?" Vittorio began.
"Na– Natalia Esposito," she stuttered.
He wrote it down, but his brow remained lifted..
Natalia just stared. He disturbed her in ways she couldn’t fathom. Perhaps it was the iciness in his gait.
"Your friend, miss Natalia?" He looked up when she didn’t get the hint.
"Oh, she can’t speak now. The dark. She’s scared of the dark."
Vittorio’s head spun around.
"Uhmm, I meant it’ll take some time before she recovers from its effect," she swiftly explained in more details.
He wrote something down on the pad, which made Natalia curious.
"Name?"
He didn’t specify, so she knew it was up to her to comprehend his questions.
"Her name is Val. Valentina Quinn."
"And why were you both at Giovanni’s home?"
"I– we," she scratched the back of her head, thinking of what to say. "I–we– I mean I wanted to meet my–"
Shit!
Valentina pinched her from behind, and then covered Natalia’s reaction with a cough to make everything seem natural.
Vittorio’s gaze regarded both girls, his sensitive nose smelling something fishy.
"Val, it’s okay. The light is on now." She swiftly got the message, and continued the act.
"I don’t appreciate being kept waiting." The brusque voice of Vittorio cut through her like a sharp knife, jolting her attention back to him.
"Our purse. The one I was holding?"
"He didn’t respond. She wondered why, until she recalled him saying he was solely asking the questions.
Natalia felt Valentina’s touch of encouragement from behind.
She wasn’t the best of liars, but she knew they couldn’t trust just anyone with the truth of their presence.
Taking a deep breath, she went with the flow and allowed the lies roll out her tongue in a ramble.
"The purse I was holding contains pictures of Mr Giovanni, a phone, and a camera. We were asked at the gate not to take any pictures, which was unfortunate because Val is a photographer, and I’m a big fan of Mr Giovanni. We watched the documentary on how he saved those girls from a trafficking ring. I wanted to take at least one picture with him, so when we heard about his birthday and retirement party, we took the chance." She was out of breath when she was done.
However, Valentina’s touch reassured her that she had done well.
Vittorio didn’t say a word, but instead scribbled on the pad.
"You’re from the United States."
"We are." She nodded.
"So two girls travelled all the way from the states just to take pictures with Mr Giovanni. Do you consider me a foo–"
A buzzing sound grazed his ears, distracting him for a moment.
"The boss is back. He wants to see the girls."
Without wasting a breath, he rose to his feet, shoved the pad back into his pocket, and straightened the creases that had formed.
"There is someone that wants to see you both. Your friend needs to get up."
It wasn’t just a statement. The bone chilling way it was delivered told Natalia it was a command.
She turned to Valentina. "Hey Val, we have to go."
"I heard," she replied. "You’ve been great. I’ll take it up from here."
With the mask still glued to her face, she slowly lifted her head up.
The man had turned his back on them already, and was now walking out, so she couldn’t see his face.
They helped each other up, their bodies joined together like conjoined twins.
"What’s this place?" Valentina whispered as they made it through the doors of the room they had just found themselves in.
"I don’t know."
Valentina looked around. It was all white. The long corridor splitted into corners and turns.
Even the walls were white too. The ceilings,the same.
Is this heaven? What is this?
As they took a turn, they saw men leaning against the white walls, stretching their necks towards the end of something unseen.
Their heads bowed upon catching a glimpse of Vittorio.
The girls exchanged quick glances.
"What is he?" Natalia’s eyes asked.
Valentina shrugged.
The path they took ended at the door in front of them.
Vittorio walked in first, and the girls followed behind.
White.
Valentina looked around. It was just like the corridors. All white. Even the men in the room all wore white.
Well except–
She gasped!
In the center of the room, two men tussled violently.
They threw punch after punch. Each punch broke the barriers of a spot in the skin, spouting blood across the floors, the ceilings, and the walls.
Valentina’s stomach churned at the sight before her, yet it was so violently intriguing, she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
One of the men landed one dangerous strike straight to the neck of the other man.
His eyes rolled to the back, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
The men cheered, and began chanting the name of the victorious.
What ever kind of barbarism is this?
Natalia held on tightly to Valentina.
Her friend hated the dark, and she hated blood.
The door to an adjourning room slid open, and a man emerged from within.
Nothing announced the importance of the intruders’ presence more than the silence that ensued.
With one hand, Luciano adjusted his tie. With the other, he rolled his sleeves, one at a time.
Raw power emanated from him. And judging from the awe in the eyes of the men present, they reverenced this man.
He stopped in front of the man on his knees, and pulled out a gun from his back pocket.
Valentina couldn’t see his face, but he felt oddly familiar.
Using the tip of the gun, he loosened the mask on his face from behind, and allowed it drop to the ground, freeing up his hair.
"Pr-ay for my soul, bo-ss. Ple-ase," blood spluttered out of the dying man’s mouth, as he looked into the Gray-stormy eyes of Luciano.
Luciano leaned in closer, pressing the gun against the bulb of his throat
"May your soul rest in piss," he whispered.
Bang!
Blood splattered, shooting everywhere, especially the face and body of Luciano.
He turned, as the room broke into cheers, and shot his gaze straight at Val.
Their eyes locked.
"Dear God!" She breathed out.
It was him.