CHAPTER 4

To protect oneself is to first know how to fight.

"Focus on the target." Marcella positions herself and closes her left eye to focus the other one on the red dot at the center of the target board. "Hold the trigger and once you're sure, pull it."

Marcella pulls the trigger, without sweat, she smirks while looking at the hole she made. Mariella looks at her mother with amusement in her eyes before diverting her gaze into the target board.

"Wow…" Mariella runs toward the board and checks on the hole. "You're amazing, mamma." She smiles at her mother.

"Do you want to try?"

"Of course. Of course!" 

Marcella is about to hand her the gun but she withdraws before Mariella could even touch the dangerous thing. 

"Careful, okay?"

Mariella nods, looking at the gun in front of her. 

"Look at me, piccolina." Marcella wants to see the eagerness in Mariella's eyes. She wans to know if she really wanted the thing Marcella loved the most. "Piccolina…"

"Yes, mamma. I will be careful." She said with honesty in her eyes.

Marcella gives her the gun and she chuckles  when Mariella drops it at first. It's too heavy for her to handle. 

"Mamma, it's heavy."

"Guns are usually heavy, piccolina." Marcella slightly pinches her cheek. "Do you still want to---"

"Yes, mamma." She immediately ducks and lifts the gun. She's obviously having a hard time handling it but she really wants to try.

"Focus on the target…" Mariella mumbles while aiming for the red dot. "Hold the trigger."

She has tiny and short fingers but she adjusts and holds the trigger with her three fingers. Marcella doesn’t bother to do anything but to watch. She observes how independent her second daughter is.

"Once you're sure… hm… I am sure." Mariella talks to herself that makes Marcella smirk. She is quick to catch up. Mariella even memorizes what she just said. "Pull the trigger---ouch!"

As the bullet fly, the back of the gun hits poor Mariella's face that makes her nose bleed. 

"Mariella!" Marcella quickly checks on her daughter. "I told you, be careful---"

"Mamma, look." Mariella points her little index finger at the direction of the target. Nevertheless, her tears fall while feeling the pain.

Marcella's eyes are in pure shock when she doesn’t see the red dot on the target board. At Mariella's first shot, she already made it.

"Piccolina!" She screams with gladness and can’t help hugging little Mariella tightly.

"Mamma... I can't breathe." 

"Scusa piccolina mia." She immediately let Mariella go from her embrace. "You did a great job!"

"Really?"

"Yes, but you should be extra careful next time, piccolina." Marcella wipes the blood on Mariella's nose while talking to the kid.

"Okay."

"Let me clean your nose first." She lifts Mariella and they go inside the small villa. 

'This is it, piccolina. Learn how to protect yourself. I can't stay by your side forever.'

+++

Mariella swings the sword, used in fencing, into the air while imagining that she has an opponent in front of her. Mariella feels the presence of someone behind her and so she swiftly moves, pointing the tip of the sword towards the person.

"Woah! Woah! Easy." Elmo raises his hands as if surrendering.

"Oh..." Mariella immediately puts down her sword and hides it behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Uhm... Hi, I'm El---"

"Yes, you're Elmo. I already know that."

"Oh..." Elmo slightly smirks. "I see."

"So what are you doing here?" She asks curiously while looking around but no one's there but them.

"Visiting, you."

"Visiting?" She creases her forehead. "No one's allowed to visit here."

"I know. I'm just curious about you." He honestly said while looking at her expression.

"What? Curious?" She's puzzled.

"So... What are you doing?"

"Practicing my swordsmanship."

"Wanna try it with me?"

She excitedly nods before running inside the villa to get another sword. It's the first time someone visited her other than her mother and the servants.

Excitement fades when she spots someone talking with Elmo. She is surprised when she recognizes the little one centimeters shorter than her.

"Hi." Mariella greets her twin sister who's looking at her from head to toe.

"Go back, Mirabella. For sure, everyone's panicking while looking for you."

"I won't go back unless you go with me."

"But I have something to tell her."

"Tell it in front of me." Mirabella is eager to know what her favorite cousin would say to Mariella.

"Leave." Mariella turns her back at them. It is better to avoid rather than making things worse. Simply interacting with them is a great mistake.

"Let's play." Mirabella offers to  stop Mariella. As a kid, Mariella really wants to get along with someone her age.

"Play?" Her eyes twinkle at the thought of playing.

"Let's have a duel. Fencing." Mirabella points at the sword in Mariella's hand. Mariella looks at her hand too.

"Mirabella! It's dangerous." Elmo strongly disagrees with what the heir wanted.

"A friendly play." Mirabella walks toward Mariella to snatch the sword but she steps backward.

"No. I don't want to play with you." Mariella thinks of what will happen if she agrees with her. One of them may get hurt or worse, both of them.

She ignores her sister, Mirabella. She can't take a risk.

"Coward." Mirabella mocks her but still, Mariella pays no attention anymore. "Now I know. Papà neglected you because you're a coward."

"Mirabella---" Elmo doesn’t finish what he is about to say when Mariella can’t take the offensive words.

"What did you say?!" She said, sounds offended.

"You're a coward."

"Let's see." Mariella throws the sword at Mirabella that she immediately catches.

"Elmo be our referee." Mirabella commands him like a real brat.

"I decline. This is not a good idea. Both of you are too young for this." Elom explains but they play deaf.

"I don't care." Mirabella said.

Mariella just silently looks at Elmo, waiting for him to change his mind. Elmo sighs and doesn't have a choice but to do what the twins wanted. They don't even have safety gear but the two push through the duel.

"En-garde, prêt... allez."

Mirabella first attacks but Mariella manages to block them all. In the end, Mirabella points.

"En-garde, prêt... allez."

Mariella makes the first move and at lightning speed, she points. Another point for Mariella and another one, and another one.

"En-garde---Wait... Mirabella!" Elmo tries to get in between them but Mirabella is unstoppable. He can’t get in her way or else, he may get hurt.

"What are you doing?" Mariella quickly moves to protect herself. She's not like the Mirabella earlier. As if she is attacking because she badly wants to hurt her opponent.

"I will beat you." Mirabella gets distracted so she steps backward to block Mariella's attack. The table turns, Mariella doesn’t let Mirabella attack until she stumbles and lands her butt on the ground. 

In one swing, Mirabella loses the grip on her sword. The sword falls a meter away and Mariella's sword immediately points in front of Mirabella. They look into each other's eyes and Mirabella feels despiteful towards her twin.

"I am not a coward." Mariella firmly stands on her ground. "I won."

"Mirabella!" They both hear the baritone voice coming from their father.

"Papà!" Mirabella suddenly bursts out her tears when she sees Enrico running towards her. Mariella drops the sword when she notices madness in her father's eyes while looking at her.

The men with Enrico aim their guns at her and Elmo can’t do anything but to stay silent while everyone is dangerously pointing their guns at Mariella.

'Ugh... This is my fault.' Elmo starts blaming himself.

"You don't have any right to point that sword at Mirabella." Enrico scolds her.

"We're just playing..." It's almost a whisper. Mariella can't talk properly in front of her father.

"Playing? Using that sword? You could've hurt her!" He raises his voice. "Are you okay, piccolina?" Enrico diverts his gaze, checking on Mirabella.

"She challenged me..." Mariella utters, trying to defend herself.

"You should have resisted."

"Is it true? I am a coward, that's why you can't accept me?" Mariella wants to confirm it.

"What?" Enrico creases his forehead, doesn't have any idea what she's saying.

"I am not a coward." She says while tears form in her eyes. 

"Mirabella?" Enrico asks with a question in his eyes.

"No, papà! I didn't say anything." 

"But---" Mariella can’t finish her sentence when Enrico speaks.

"Enough with this. Let's go." Enrico turns his back once again. "Elmo, let's go."

"You scolded me when I stepped inside the borders." Mariella clenches her fists while bravely voicing out her side. "They should have been scolded too. They stepped outside the borders..."

Enrico halts while listening to her rants. How he wishes to face her and say something but he can’t. He shouldn't.

"... Papà!"