Chapter Two

13 YEARS AGO

Raven

I am so excited, I can hardly help myself. I wait on tenterhooks for my parents to finally leave for the opera. Not that I don’t like being with them, but this evening is special. Since my parents’ will be late, they’ve agreed I can sleep at my friend, Ariana’s place. Ariana’s dad, Enrico works for Uncle Emilio, and they also live in the same neighbourhood. Not in the same house, but Ariana’s house is also located on the Bertone estate.

Since my parents and I moved from the estate and I was put into a different school, I hardly see my cousins, Sandro and Chris. Strangely, I miss them. True, when we still lived together, they often drove me crazy, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about them. Chris is fourteen, Sandro is seventeen, and we often used to fight, especially Chris and me. These days, though, I really miss them, and not only them, but my uncle and my aunt too. I had to beg my mum a lot until she agreed that after a long time I could sleep on the Bertone estate once again, so I can’t wait for us to leave.

Things have been quite strange recently, anyhow. Something has changed between my parents and my uncle. In the old days the family used to be together all the time. We ate together at the huge dinner table, played together, did our homework and celebrated in each other’s company. I was happy on the estate, and enjoyed the constant buzz, the coming and going in the house. I never understood why I sometimes found my mother in tears. I didn’t have the foggiest what her problem was, as everything was so super cool at home. In moments like that I pushed myself into her lap, cuddled up to her, kissed her and teased her until we both burst into laughter.

This, of course, was a long time back, because after we moved from the estate, many things changed. Our new house wasn’t as huge as the old one, but we didn’t need it to be, as just the three of us live in it. Dad is at home more often with us, and doesn’t disappear strangely in the evenings as he used to, when a mysterious phone call told him so. Mum began to blossom and she smiles a lot again.

When I asked if Dad was angry with Granny Bertone, Uncle Emilio and Aunt Claire, and whether that was the reason we had moved from the estate, my parents were shocked and looked embarrassed. They said that they were not angry, it’s just that Dad had found a new job, and he no longer worked with Uncle Emilio. To avoid having to travel so long to his new work place, they found it smart to move into a house of our own. This sounds logical, although if I’d had a say, I would rather not have changed school. Since we moved, Mum still keeps meeting Aunt Claire, and she often takes me with her, but we never go to the estate. We always meet up somewhere in the city.

Mum wasn’t fond of the idea, but I begged and begged until she agreed that while they’re at the opera, I get to sleep at the estate with Ariana. I can’t wait!

I pull the zip on my pink wheeled suitcase, I pocket the bracelet I’ve prepared for Ariana, and start for the steps. As I walk past my parents’ bedroom, I hear voices and slow down. I hear them mention my name, so I pull closer to the door left ajar, and start to listen.

“I always feel so apprehensive when she goes there,” I hear Mum’s worried sigh.

“You have nothing to worry about, Jane. The estate is like a fort. There’s no place where she could be safer.”

“You’re right. It’s not that, but somehow… I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You shouldn’t make such an issue of it.”

“But that phone call the other day. It scared me to death.”

“It won’t happen again, I promise. Emilio’s already taken things into his hands…”

“See, this is what worries me even more.”

“Come here, sweetheart,” Dad says, and the conversation suddenly dies off. I draw back a little, as I don’t want them to catch me eavesdropping, but I don’t hear any footsteps, which gives me the idea that they must be kissing. Again! I roll my eyes.

It’s no secret that Dad is absolutely daft for Mum. He keeps hugging her and they keep kissing, no matter if they are being seen or not. It’s so embarrassing. I told them that this is not very cool, but Dad just laughs about it, while Mum keeps quite with a blush on her cheeks.

Then I hear the conversation continuing inside, and I try to listen more closely.

“I promised to do all I can, right?” Dad asks. “But certain things don’t happen overnight. Certain people don’t understand or realize that I’m no longer in the business.”

“I’m not complaining, Matteo,” I hear my mum’s placating voice.

“Give me some time, dear. It’s going to be okay.”

The sound of sniggering and clothes rustling are heard from the room. Then my dad speaks again.

“You look so hot. They won’t even let you into the opera house. You’ll take people’s eyes off the performance.”

“Oh, you charmer!” Mum laughs. “Stop! Matteo, you put wrinkles on my dress,” I hear her cackling, and I’m sure those two can’t help themselves again.

“Don’t be so ruthless, my beauty,” Dad says, but then I quickly pull away from the door. Giggling to myself, I drag my suitcase on towards the steps. Luckily, its wheels roll noiselessly on the soft carpet.

Regarding the praise, my Dad didn’t exaggerate. My mum comes from Northern Ireland, and she’s a very beautiful woman. She has long, thick, light brown hair and bluish green eyes. I’ve only got the colour of her eyes, otherwise I look like the dark-haired, creole-skinned Bertone side. It’s quite obvious that my parents have got the hots for each other. Not that my dad would try to conceal it. My mum left behind England and her family at the time, just to be with my dad, the charming albeit notorious Matteo Bertone. Mum doesn’t like to talk about her own parents, because they cut all contact with her when she married my father against their advice. She only keeps in touch with Nola, her younger sister. When I sometimes ask her about England and want to know if she misses her relatives from there, she only tells me that although she does miss them, she’s never regretted her decision for a moment, and she’d never do anything different if she could start again.

Mum says goodbye to me in a longer and more emotional way than usual when they drop me off at the estate. Dad gives me a kiss and ruffles my hair playfully, which annoys me as hell. He does it on purpose, as if I was still a toddler. It’s a good thing, though, that I’ve begged them to let me stay until lunch the next day, and it wasn’t easy, but they consented. We agreed that they would only pick me up after lunch.

Dad opens the door for Mum, and courteously ushers her into the black hatchback Audi. Ariana and I just laugh at his exaggerated moves. He acts like some medieval knight. When he lifts the edge of Mum’s long evening dress through the car’s threshold, he turns to the side and winks at us. “See you tomorrow, Bella,” he says, and stepping up to me, kisses my forehead. He beckons to Aunt Claire, gets into the car and starts the engine. Under the Audi’s wheels the white, tiny rocks are screeching as they drive off from the steps in front of the house. Mum turns back to wave to me as the car disappears behind the row of sycamore trees leading up to the exit. Ariana and I join hands and excitedly run into the house. We can’t wait to finally start the pyjama party.

Yesterday was the last time I saw my parents alive. Although the wreckage of the Audi which had fallen into the ravine and my parents’ bodies were found at night, I was only told at noon about what had happened. On this summer day, my childhood has come to an end. Too suddenly and too brutally, but I feel like I’ve become an adult. I’m thirteen years old.