Yang 11: The Family Business

Yet another character introduced. This chapter serves to introduce a character that will be recurring later on.

"Lorenzo! Lorenzo, get in here!"

 

Enzo followed the sound of his father's voice, wondering why he sounded so excited. Dashing through the front yard of his aunt's house, he ran as fast as he could, curiosity propelling him forward. Through the front door, past the foyer, and into the living room ran the boy, his eyes sparkling with the shared enthusiasm from his father's voice.

 

"Yes, Papa? What is it?" He didn't even know why he was excited, he just was.

 

"Enzo, today is a glorious day! You have to hear this! Where are your brother and sister?" His father glanced about, momentarily confused.

 

Enzo quirked an eyebrow. "You didn't call them, dad."

 

Confusion cleared up instantly from his father's face. "Ah, yes, you're right. Demetrius, Noelle, come here!" The stairs thundered with rapid steps, siblings racing down them to get to their father first. "Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Their father said, his dismayed face spectacularly contradicting his amused voice. "We're in your Aunt Rosabella's house, respect her property! We can't have her kicking us out, now can we? We wouldn't have anywhere to go."

 

Enzo stared at his father's face as he said this. His father took on a dark visage, a look that was rarely on his face. He knew he didn't like to talk about it, how his father was unable to provide for his children, but Enzo knew his dad loved them and that was all that mattered. Moments later, his dad's face cheered up, and the excitement took hold of Enzo once more as well.

 

 "What's the big news, papa?" Noelle asked, gazing up at her easily-excitable father. She was playing with one of her raven side locks, twirling it about her finger. She and Enzo's older brother, Demetrius, looked mildly interested at best.

 

Papa knelt before her, rolling up his dress-shirt sleeves and cupping her face in his hands as he grinned, shaking her lightly. "This is glorious, fantastic, magnificent! This is life-changing news! It means that life as we know it as going to change! Can you imagine it? How exciting!"

 

Enzo rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. Papa usually did this, always oozing with child-like enthusiasm, but he knew that his father more often than not fell through with his claims. Sometimes, Enzo wondered if everything was alright in that mysterious, whirling mind of his. No one said anything for a few moments, and Enzo knew why.

 

"What exactly is it?" he asked, feigning disinterest. "Just tell us already."

 

His father's grin grew even wider. "I've got a job!"

 

Noelle gasped, Demetrius' eyes widened, and Enzo said, "Whoa." Papa's eyes flickered to each of his children's faces, gauging their reaction. He could tell they were stunned.

 

"Papa, is this for real?" Noelle asked, her question abrasive and to the point. "You've said you've gotten a job a few times before, and those have hardly turned out favourable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers the time y--"

 

Papa clasped his hand over her mouth, smiling brightly. "We promised we wouldn't mention that, didn't we, Noelle?" Noelle nodded, and her father released her mouth.

 

"I'm just saying," Noelle began, in that typical, annoying ten-year-old fashion, "You haven't exactly given us reason to believe this time should be any different."

 

"Oh, but it will." Papa's eyes gleamed with a soon-to-be-revealed secret. "Would you like to know why?"

 

"Not particularly," Demetrius murmured. A glance from his father made him keep his tongue, however. Enzo made to say he was interested, but he didn't get the chance.

 

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyways." Papa paused, for dramatic effect. "I am going to be...a cop!"

 

Enzo didn't see that one coming. "A cop?  But why? Isn't Nonno Giovanni a member of the Arma dei Carabinieri, the military police? And don't you dislike him? Why would you want to become a cop?"

 

Papa's voice took on a sombre tone. "I don't dislike him, Lorenzo. I simply don't get along with my father." Demetrius' snort could almost be heard. "And regardless of whether or not your grandfather is a member of the Carabinieri, the position is mine to hold."

 

"But Papa," Noelle piped up, "Why did we suddenly lose all our wealth? We didn't have a care in the world when Mamma was alive, what happened? Did it have to do with you and Nonno Giovanni having a falling out? And how did you manage to get the position? Nonno Giovanni is the Chief of Staff, one of the three highest positions, right under Comandante Generale, and the Vice-Comandante Generale. There's no way Nonno Giovanni would've allowed you to become hired."

 

"Never you mind how it happened, just be glad it did." Papa frowned, leaving it at that.

 

"So what does that mean for us?" Enzo asked, genuinely curious. It finally looked like their father would have a steady job. Things were looking up already.

 

"It means," a feminine voice intoned, causing them all to look towards the front door, "That I may yet get my house to myself."

 

"Zia Rosabella!" The children ran forward, embracing their aunt as she raised her shopping bags above her head so that the contents wouldn't be crushed.

 

"Whoa, calm down, kids. You wouldn't want to squish your presents, right? Or would you?" She chuckled, taking a step back to free herself from their clinging grasp. "You little monsters would probably break my house too, if you got the chance. I've got something for you too, Raphael."

 

The rest  of her words were lost upon them the moment she uttered "presents". They swarmed her like a rabid pack of dogs, hands snatching and jumping. She tossed the presents above her, three paper shopping bags launched into the air as she stepped back. With a hand on her hip and an amused expression on her face, she let them claim their presents; they already knew which belonged to whom.

 

Demetrius swiped the large, black paper bag before it landed. Noelle mimicked the feat, snatching a royal blue one as swiftly as her older brother. Enzo nearly caught his, but he was tripped up by his younger sister, merely for her amusement. He fell to the ground with a thud, his present bag skittering across the floor.

 

"You shouldn't leave yourself open, Enzo," she giggled, watching as Rosabella and Raphael pick him up each by the shoulder.

 

"Noelle!" Raphael's tone was sharp. "Respect your older brother."

 

"Sorry," Noelle grinned kittenishly, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Enzo knew she didn't mean it.

 

"Right." Rosabella shrugged off her fashionable leather jacket as it slumped to ground. An image of an emerald green serpent with glittering rubies for eyes was emblazoned upon the back of it. She grinned,  and placed a hand on the hip of her form-fitting, mini black dress.  Enzo claimed his present, and the three immediately began digging in the paper shopping bags. "For Demetrius, I don't think words are necessary."

 

Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a small, black box. Removing the lid, he pulled out a keychain. Dangling on the keychain was a key, and instantly he realized what his present was. Demetrius gasped, disbelieving. "A motorcycle."

 

"Your motorcycle. It's waiting outside for you. Along with the helmet. I'll take you out for a ride in a bit. As for your very own leather jacket..." She produced one from behind her back, handing it to the boy.

 

"There's no snake on it," he observed. He looked impressed, a small smile appearing on his face for once. His aunt knew him well.

 

"Sorry, you don't meet the qualifications for the group. Nothing personal." She gestured to Noelle. "Your turn. You'll find a bow and arrow, as well as a coupon redeemable for training at the local Archery Club, to kill your boredom in more interesting ways."

 

Sure enough, she pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows from the bag. Noelle had the biggest grin on her face, and her eyes sparkled with the beginnings of a mischievous idea. "Thanks, Zia Rosabella. It's perfect!"

 

Rosabella ran a hand through her thick, glossy hair, amused with herself. "Of course it is. I picked it. Lorenzo, I'm sure you'll like yours."

 

Excitement coursing through him, Enzo ripped apart the package. From within the shabbily-wrapped parcel paper covering, he lifted a book from the bag: Mysterious Myths by an author named Mankind. There was a fantastic illustration on the green cover, soaring creatures and crawling beasts. There were even a few tentacles displayed from the little lake in the corner. A bird was flying by the brilliant sun in the center at the top of the cover. Enzo's eyes glazed over. "Whoa."

 

"I know how much you like using your imagination, and I know you, like your siblings, haven't gotten much education due to your financial situation. So I thought, "Why not let him learn something that engages the imagination?", and immediately started looking about for the perfect book. It contains large sections of information about nearly every mythological beast: its country of origin, origin myth, attributes and related myths, and so on."

 

Enzo picked open the book, skimming through pages. "The font is tiny," he said, squinting at it.

 

"How else did you expect to have every myth explained in detail compounded into one book? At any rate, when I saw it at a Brazilian library, I thought you'd enjoy it."

 

"I do, grazie mille, Zia Rosabella!" Enzo clutched the thin encyclopedia to his chest, glowing with pride over his new possession.

 

"Di niente, my little nephew. Noelle, go test your new hobby out in the backyard. Demetrius, wait for me outside, we'll go for a ride in a bit. Lorenzo, go up to your room and study your book. I'll test you next time! I've got to speak with your father privately, now."

 

The children complied, dispersing in different directions; Demetrius towards the door, Noelle towards the expansive backyard, and Enzo towards the stairs and the second floor. Halfway up the stairs, he heard both the front and backdoors slam shut, and the hushed voices of his father and aunt in the living room. Curiosity getting the better of him, he snuck down to the base of the stairs, clinging to the bars as he knelt and strained his ears to hear them.

 

"...Why are you buying these things for my children? You know how I feel about flashy things, Rosabella, especially given the current situation I'm in."

 

"Don't be proud, Raphael. This isn't about you. It's about your children, my nephews and niece. Do you want your pride to get in the way of children's futures? You weren't this proud hours ago when I spoke to Father about you, getting him to agree to allow you your new position."

 

"...."

 

"Look at me, Raphael. Look at me. We're family. I'm here to help you, because you and Father are too pig-headed and stubborn to see each other's point of view."

 

"I see his point of view, Rosa, I just don't agree with it. I don't want that kind of life for my children."

 

"Which is exactly why you must do it for your children. Live this life so they don't have to. Besides, I got your children those things because they need something to do all day aside from staring at the four walls and watching the most boring soap operas."

 

His father sighed. "I can't, Rosa, I can't. It will compromise my morals. How am I supposed to teach my children to be kind and respectful if their father is anything but? What would Desiree say?"

 

"Your wife would want you to provide for your kids, the way you're not doing so right now. She never got to see the darkest side of our family, even if she did see some of it." She paused, and Enzo wondered what was going on. "To be honest...I think Father had something to do with Desiree's death. I don't know why, I can't explain it, but I just have this gut feeling. He never did like her, as she wasn't a true-blood Italian like us, instead being American. I always thought that was a silly reason to dislike a person." She snorted. "You know how Father is."

 

"Which reason? Her being American, or her not being Italian?"

 

"Both."

 

Raphael seemed to mull that over for a few moments. "You suspect Father had a hand in it? The vehicle she was in was utterly totalled. Desiree was just a charred, unrecognizable remnant of herself...she was so beautiful, so lovely, and then she became...became....that..."

 

Enzo thought he heard his father's voice break. Small, thudding sounds...was his aunt patting his father's back?

 

"Calm yourself, Raph. It is unbecoming of a Retaliano to cry. Be strong, for your children."

 

"Tears are not a sign of weakness, Rosa. It's a sign of being too strong for too long."

 

"Be that as it may, your children are not liable to see it that way. Put on a front for them, a facade if need be, but do not show weakness. That was something Father always instilled in us. Desiree would've agreed, you know it to be true."

 

"I try, Rosa, I try! Whenever I'm with them, I'm always smiling, always happy, always pleasant. They bring about that change in me. They make me forget the pain of losing Desiree for moments at a time. But then I look at them, see her face in theirs, her startlingly blue eyes in theirs. And then I feel it again, feel her stare, her loss. Sometimes, not even their presence can heal my heart, love them as I do. Have you seen their eyes, Rosa? All three pairs of theirs, all that same shade of blue as Desiree's, all just as unsettling and piercing as hers. She could see straight through me, into my thoughts, into my soul. They all have those same, beautiful blue eyes." He chuckled brokenly. "I'm glad they didn't inherit my brown ones."

 

"I've seen them. I've seen hers." Her voice seemed to indicate she was smiling. "They're identical."

 

Lorenzo inched forward, stealthily creeping closer with his back pressed to the wall, tilting his head slightly to glance at the scene before him. Rosabella sat with her legs crossed, a supportive hand on Raphael's back. Raphael himself was hunched over, head in his hands, fingers curled in his raven hair. His father was talking.

 

"I don't know how much longer I can hide the truth from them, Rosa. They're smart kids, they'll find out sooner or later. Demetrius is already cold and distant towards me, and I fear Noelle may go the same way. She displays such callous behaviour, I question whether she behaves more like Father than either Desiree or I. I don't know about Lorenzo -- he could be a wild card, but I feel as though he's my rock. He's what keeps me anchored, what keeps me going. I don't know how things will change, but things will change, and I don't know how I'll handle them. I've already got enough change in my life when Desiree died, and now Father refuses to give me my portion of the inheritance." He sounded almost bitter. "Blood means nothing to him. His concept of a "family" is anyone who obeys him unhesitatingly, without question. I wasn't going to do that blindly. Nor should you, Rosa."

 

Rosabella paused, her head tilting slightly to the left, moving by the slightest margin. Enzo froze -- did she see him? No, she couldn't have, her eyes were nowhere near him. A moment later, her head turned back to the original position. The movement was so miniscule, Enzo had to wonder if it had even occurred.

 

Rosabella gazed at her brother, smiling cryptically. "I've got my own ends to achieve, Raph. I'm not following Father blindly, I assure you.  Nor did he send me here to convince you, if you were thinking that."

 

"I don't know what to think. But your words have seemed to point in that general direction."

 

Rosabella laughed, readjusting in her seat so that she was facing Raphael full on, her back now completely turned to Lorenzo. "I suppose they may have been. I'm just trying to fix this broken family unit, but to do that, I'll need to get you two to cooperate. And between you two, incredibly resilient as you may be, you're more likely to change your stance. You know Father as well as I. He isn't one to admit his wrongs, nor is he willing to be the bigger man."

 

She reached forward, placing a hand on his knee, causing him to look up at her. Their brown eyes, so very like each other, held contact as Rosabella spoke firmly. "I implore you for your children, Raphael, forgive Father, but apologize to him. Set aside your pride so that your children do not have to suffer."

 

"My children will suffer anyways. Just as you and I know Father, you know the world he belongs to just as I do. I need not sacrifice my beliefs and the possibility of happiness in my children's futures for an omnicidal, a*s-backwards, ax-crazy, miserable excuse for a parental figure." He tossed a glance towards his sister. "No offense."

 

Rosabella smiled amusedly. "Do I look like our Father? You owe me no apology. I should be sorry."

 

Raphael looked puzzled. "What for?"

 

"For the future. Dangerous times lay ahead."

 

"Nonsense. You have no control over the future, no one does."

 

Rosabella remained silent. Raphael kept his silence as well. Minutes passed.

 

"Do you remember?" Raphael asked wistfully, eyes trained on his daughter dashing about and fetching arrows she had launched in the backyard. "When we were kids, and everything was simple? Father was loving, or at least seemed to be, and he always had the answers to everything? When we had no thoughts or cares and the biggest worries we had was wondering what Mother would make for dinner, and if it was suitably delizioso? When Mother was alive, and Father wasn't such a complete monster, and was actually a family-oriented man? Sure, he was busy a lot of the time, but when it came down to it, he made time for us. He taught us how to fish and hunt and catch a ball, everything. He was there for us. And then Mother died." He paused, looking off into the distance. He didn't even seem to be watching his daughter anymore, but looking beyond -- almost as if he was looking into the past.

 

"That changed Father immensely. He no longer had time. He buried himself in his work, and sought to compensate the loss of Mother with status and power and a respected and feared reputation. I understand now that maybe, just maybe, he was doing that so he would be more than able to provide for us and give us no cause to worry. I once thought that was the case. I thought he didn't want us to suffer anymore after Mother died due to that damned Scarab Sickness. But, looking at Father now, I don't know if the sort of man he was then would've ever deviated into something so abominable. I question if he wanted our safety and comfort, the well-being of his own children, or if he just didn't want to deal with us anymore. Nonna Lia took over the role of the mother, raising us without input or interference from Father." He lapsed into another silence, sighing. "I lost Father. I lost Mother. I lost Luka, my firstborn." Turning to look his sister straight in the eye, he squeezed her hand. "I don't want to lose you too."

 

Rosabella smiled quizzically, eyes twinkling with slight mirth. "Me? Why would you lose me?"

 

"We both know what you are. We know that your line of work is dangerous. But it's a part of you, I understand. Sometimes, I wish the burden fell to me, to spare my sister such a fate. But I can only watch from the sidelines, helpless, as you cross paths with danger time and time again." His voice took on a wavery quality. "Why am I so useless? I couldn't stop Mother's death. I couldn't stop Desiree's death. I can't even provide for my children. What kind of father can't do that? What kind of man can't protect those he cares for?"

 

Rosabella squeezed her younger brother's hand. "Raphael, look at me. You are not a failure. You couldn't have done anything to save Mother. You were but a boy. Father was unable to do anything about it, rich and powerful as he was. What makes you think you would've been any different? Desiree's death was also out of your reach. You failed through no fault of your own. Do not question what could've been. Accept what happened, and learn to live with it. That is the best you can do. No one can take that away from you, not even Father." She patted his back comfortingly, soothing his silent tears. "As for me, I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I've yet to have any kids of my own, and I'll be damned if I don't get to meet any grand-nephews and grand-nieces when your kids are ready." She nudged him with her elbow, smiling. "Perhaps it's time we got Demetrius married off and get a jump start on this dream of mine, eh?"

 

Raphael glared at her, sniffing as he wiped away his tears. "Absolutely not, he's too young. He has to be much older."

 

Rosabella's smile seemed to grow a fraction wider. "You weren't."

 

"I don't want him repeating my mistakes. He's too young, I don't want him struggling."

 

"If you don't want him struggling, then make up with Father. It's the quickest way to secure your children's futures."

 

"With that blood money? I'll have no part in it. Besides, I don't think I can. It's too hard."

 

"Well, I never said it was the easiest method." She rose, smoothing out the folds of her black dress, striding across the room. Picking up her viper-emblazoned jacket, she spoke to her brother with her back turned, shrugging into the garment.

 

"In regards to our childhood, I agree. It was an easy time, even if it wasn't for Father. As for Desiree, I don't believe her death was an accident. It reeks of being a job. I promised you a gift; here it is: As opposed to Desiree, whose death I can only suspect being intentional, I'm one-hundred-percent certain that Mother's death was no accident."

 

"What?" Raphael shot up from his seat, staring at the back of his sister's head. "You think it was murder, in addition to Desiree's?"

 

"I don't think it's murder, Raph. I know it is. I've got a lead, so I'll be doing a follow-up investigation. Needless to say, I will figure out how Mother was killed, and I will exact a rather merciless revenge once I find out who did it." She buttoned up her jacket while speaking, brushing her hair back with both hands and turning to face her brother. "I'll keep in touch. You have full access to my accounts and funds. Worry not, it's not Father's blood money." She smiled once more, a sly one underlining her words. "At least not most of it."

 

Raphael scowled as his older sister sauntered out of the room. Enzo froze in place, unable to hide as she strode right past him. Reaching the door, she pulled it out, and turning towards the staircase. However, her eyes were locked right on him as she called out. "Lorenzo, come close the door!"

 

Slowly, Enzo shuffled forward. She pointed up the stairs, and he got the message.

Climbing to the top, he thundered down the stairs, giving the impression he'd been in his room the entire time. Rosabella nodded, before shouting, "Hey, not so fast! You'll kill yourself!" As Enzo approached, his aunt leaned forward, her voice a light whisper.

 

"You might want to be more subtle about how you eavesdrop on important conversations. If you're going to do it, Enzo, at least be clever about it. That curiosity of yours might get you killed one day." She ruffled his hair, smiling broadly as she turned and exited her house, questioning to an impatient Demetrius if he was ready to go for a ride. Enzo watched for a moment before closing the door, questioning just what kind of woman his aunt was, and noting she was one hell of a cool adult.