Liviana was completely and utterly exhausted. For hours, she had tossed and turned and occasionally played dead - fake slept - in hopes of not disturbing the man who sleeps peacefully beside her. And then, before she knew it, the night had come and gone and it seemed to have taken her sanity with it. Livi felt as though she was going insane. She was tired. All she wanted to do all day, from the very moment she got out of bed, was to go home and get right back in it. All she wanted to do was sleep. And after the day she had - after the tedious dinner she attended and a conversation that left her with more questions than answers - she could honestly say she was as mentally exhausted as she was physically. She had earned the right to rest. And yet, Liviana spent her entire night restless and worked up. She couldn't stop thinking about it - about her. Lyra. Blaze's first... what? His first kiss? First girlfriend? Love? She couldn't know. All she could do was wonder. Her mind ran in c
"The breakfast was wonderful, Liviana!"The woman smiles. "Thanks, dad."Alonzo nods at her, and Liviana returns the gesture before her attentions stolen by Blaze, who reaches for her hand. "It really was wonderful, Liviana," Blaze compliments, giving his wife's fingers a gentle squeeze and watching as she blushes. "It was delicious. Thank you."Her smile only widens. "It was delicious, wasn't it?" She boasts with a grin that Blaze matches. She was fishing for more compliments, and he was happy to oblige."It might just be the best breakfast I've ever had," he teases, watching as her grin grows by a ten fold. "You truly outdid yourself, love.""Thank you," she says, voice going soft with her sincerity. "I'm glad you enjoyed it.""We ought to get you to cook more often," Drusilla cuts in before the two could go on, telling her daughter that she had done a fine job. "I quite enjoyed the pancakes, myself. And where did you get those blueberries? I haven't had any that tasty in some time
The drive was long and as dreadful as any other time the father-daughter duo spent time together was. And they both couldn't wait for it to come to an end - so much so that they began counting down the minutes, anticipating the long awaited moment where they would reach their destination and they would be put out of their misery. That moment couldn't come fast enough. Liviana's knee bounced with nerves as she stared out of the car window, hoping they would arrive soon. She was practically vibrating with anxiety, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears- feel it in her throat. This was too much. She needed out. "Are we almost there?" She turns to question her father, asking how much farther this office was. "I really need to get back-""The only thing you need to be doing is some explaining."Livi frowns. "Explaining?" She echoes, watching him nod before asking why. "Explain what? I already told you everything you need to know.""All you've told me is that she's a potential thre
Liviana was a nervous wreck. From the moment she got in the car, she hadn't been able to keep still. Her knee bounced with nerves and she wrung out her hands, squeezing her fingers whenever she wasn't spinning the diamond ring that the special one held. Her hair had become knotted because of how much she played with it, and by the time they arrived at the mansion, she had looked as much of a mess as she felt. Nonetheless, Liviana was beaming with her excitement- just another emotion spurring on her antsy limbs as she climbed out of the car and shook out her hands, making her way up the front steps as fast as she possibly could. She only paused when she reached the top, taking a moment to gather herself as she fixes her hair - tries to fix her hair. She stands there straightening herself out, using the reflection of their squeaky clean windows to help clean herself up, running her fingers through the dark strands of her hair and brushing the locks over her shoulders, praying he would
Violence was never the answer. For most of her life, Liviana lived by this philosophy. Kindness Is key, she would say, preaching it to anyone who dared ask. Violence is never the answer. Often times more than not, this phrase would get Liviana into more trouble than it would save her from. Somehow, her kindness was never worth as much as the pain a punch had to offer. No matter how many problems she solved, or souls she saved, or days she made brighter, she would always be called ridiculous in the end because she had done it all kindly. She never even had to raise a fist. Liviana Castelli was one of the sweetest souls you would ever meet, and it was because of this that she stood out against the rest of her family. Drusilla and Alonzo, who were known to be monsters. Her brothers, the monsters in training, according to most. And Emilia, who over a short period in her teenage years, had built a reputation for being a verbal weapon. And then there was Liviana, whose reputation couldn'
"Drusilla!"Liviana flinched at her husband's raised voice, rushing up the stairs behind him. "Blaze!" She hisses, begging him to slow down and wait - to talk to her."You're not the one I want to talk to," he tells, scoffing as he insists that it was Drusilla he needed to have a word with. "And you know what? It's not going to be a very nice one.""Blaze, please, just wait a second," she pleads. "Let's just talk about this-""What's there to talk about?" He asks, spinning around and glaring down at his wife, who comes to a stop a step below. "Your mother has been digging around in my past- my business for... what? Fun? Recon?""No-" she tries to deny, shaking her head and assuring her husband it wasn't like that. "She was probably... I'm sure she was just-"Blaze cuts her off with a laugh of disbelief, turning to continue his way up the staircase. "Unbelievable! You can't even think of a good enough lie to justify it, can you?" He scoffs. "What am I saying? Of course you can't- there
The argument lasted no more than five minutes as the moment Blaze and Liviana had finally caught Drusilla and cornered her, ready to confront her, they were quickly interrupted- ending the confrontation almost as quickly as it began."Mom?" Liviana calls, peeking around the corner into their living room- the last place she expected to find her mother, and yet, there Drusilla sat. "There you are!""Yes," Drusilla huffs, tossing the remote control to the side. "Here I am. Dying of boredom! Did you know you have no good channels on this thing?" She complains. "I can't find one decent movie on this program! It's so disappointing."Liviana sighs, joining her mother in the room. "Mom... we need to talk-""About what?" The woman asks. "The fact that you have all this money, and yet you can't afford to buy some decent cable?""I'm afraid it's much more serious than that, Drusilla," Blaze says, following his wife into the room a moment later.Drusilla, surprised, raises a brow. "Oh... Blaze,"
Merely four days had passed since Liviana's "Castelli training" commenced, and it was safe to say it was much worse than she originally thought. The woman was exhausted. She couldn't believe she had agreed to this, and she began to question her sanity when she was only two lessons deep into this secret plan that her husband and his sister had constructed for her. Liviana wouldn't lie. She began to loathe the two and their scheming and the stress it was putting her body through. And although she believed them, and she knew that she wouldn't see results without putting in the work, she couldn't help but hate the work. She much preferred her life of being a couch potato who occasionally wandered into the kitchen to bake. Life was much more peaceful back then. She tells her husband as much, whining as the two lounges around their bedroom after another hard evenings workout session - because "to fight is to be fit", And Liviana, as healthy as she was, wasn't very fit. She was far from it
"Livi?"The girl nearly shrieks, settling for a gasp as she pulls her bedroom door shut in a rush. "Dad!" She greets, spinning around to face the man. "Hi!""What are you doing?""Nothing," she says, frowning. "I'm not doing anything. Why do you ask?""You seem... different," he says. "Odd. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?""Yeah, mhm," she hums, offering the man an unconvincing nod. "I'm okay- everything's okay! There's nothing to worry about here, dad."He hums, eyes raking up and down his surly daughter, and she could practically feel the suspicion in his gaze. It was almost as if he was trying to look into her soul. "Well, if you're sure-""I'm sure," she swears, mustering up the most convincing smile she could as she assures him that she was alright - everything was fine."Good, good..." he trails, clearing his throat. "Listen, about dinner-""Oh, you don't have to... say anything," she says, her smile fading to something more tainted. "It's fine."He furrows a brow. "It is?"
"Are you... serious?"At the awkward question and the meek voice it's spoken by, Ben glances up from his spot on the bed and hums. "Serious?" He echoes, unsure about what she was muttering on about. "About what?""Mom and dad," Liviana reminds, asking, "are they really that bad?"Ben sighs, attempting to offer his little sister a careful answer. "They're, uh... complicated.""Complicated?" Livi repeats, joining her brother on the bed with a frown. "I don't... I don't understand. What are they?"Ben only grows all the more confused by her questioning, and his lips tilt down in a frown of his own. "What?""What kind of people are they?" She presses. "Mom and dad, I mean - are they good people or... are they bad people?"He hums. "Well, that's a good question, kid," he says, voice soft as he offers his sister a thoughtful look. "What do you think they are?""I think..." she trails off with a sigh, nervous.He's quick to pick up on the traces of anxiety lost in her tone - seeping into her
The Santora family sat under a thick blanket of silence, tense as they ate. Alonzo sat at the head of the table, scrutinizing his family with a heavy gaze that weighed them down, and soon enough, it felt as though he was trying to burn a hole through their heads with such an intense gaze. The eldest of his kids shortly had enough.Ben coughs, clearing his throat and folding his dinner napkin up in his lap. "So..." he trails, pasting a smile onto his lips and turning to face his father. "Is there any news?"Alonzo narrows his eyes. "News?" He echoes, watching as his son nods. "And, uh... what news would that be? Are you expecting something?""No, no," the young man shakes his head. "Not me-""Oh, and you believe you have a right to my news now too, huh?" He presses. "You think you have that privilege now, do you?""No, I don't- I don't think that. I'm sorry if that's how it came off, but I-""But you what?" Alonzo wonders, asking where he could have gotten the idea that he was somethi
The Santora siblings walk into the office building, wandering through the halls together, hand-in-hand while they searched for Blaze."Hi, excuse me," Liviana gives the receptionist a bright smile, leaning onto the counter her desk hides behind when she speaks. "I was wondering if you could tell me where Blaze is?"Instead of giving her a direct answer, the employee's eyes drag up and down Liviana's figure, judging her, before they flit back up to her face. Her eyes narrow, and she asks, "and, uh... who are you?"Liviana presses her lips together into a thin line, doing all she could to maintain the kindness in her tone when she offers the woman an answer. "My name is Livi-""I didn't ask for your name," the woman points, scowling up at Liviana and repeating the question. "Who the hell are you? And what business do you have with the boss?"Tino scoffs from his sister's side, prepared to pipe up and protect Liviana's pride for her, knowing she wouldn't do so for herself, but the girl i
Strolling through the hedges was difficult - awkward - and the Santora siblings couldn't handle it. They absolutely hated this heavy feeling hanging between them. Never have they ever felt so detached."Where are we going?" Tino asks, glancing around at the tall rose bushes that kept them secluded. "And why is it so freaking far?" He complains, quickening his pace to catch up to that of his nervous sister, who remains silent. "Liv?""Uh," she mutters, glancing over her shoulder at the young man. "Just... follow me," she says, insisting he not question it. Right now, she was only doing what was best for the both of them, and she needed him to trust that. "We need to get away for this, okay? It's important that no one overhears us."She couldn't risk their parents finding out about her betrayal. They would behead her at the first opportunity."Okay..." he trails, eyes narrowing at the back of his sister's head. "But why?""Because..." she shrugs it off, admitting in a whisper, "it's saf
Liviana didn't know what to do with herself.After her argument with Tino, it was as if the thoughts doubled in tenfold and her mind couldn't - wouldn't - stop. All night she was forced to sit with herself, overwhelmed by her endless thoughts and memories while she retraced every inch and wondered, where did it all go wrong?She would look back on her life, spending hours sorting through all the memories, and it was as if every time she did, she could spot a new lie. It didn't take long for her to have a mental list going, and the more she added, the more she wondered, was any of it real? Where did the lies stop? Where did this act she perfected end? When was enough, enough? Nothing was ever enough for Drusilla and Alonzo - Livi scoffs at the thought, turning over where she lies in her bed. And then came the dreaded thought. What about her siblings? One was dead, one disappeared, and the other seemingly despised her. Her eyes water at the thought, and she pulls the blanket over her
The moment Liviana left the restaurant that night, it felt as if she was walking into a world void of air. It was as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the planet - if not just her lungs - and she couldn't breathe for days afterward. It was all too heavy, and she wasn't sure she could handle it. How does one go about their life knowing that nothing was as it seems? Knowing that, at any God given moment, it could all be taken away from her? How was she supposed to go about her day knowing that each second could be her last? She just couldn't.Liviana was no stranger when it came to living her life in fear. She knew paranoia all too well, almost like an old friend she was introduced to by none other than her parents. Childhood was rough, and Liviana could say with confidence that she was raised in fear. It surrounded her. It became her. She was scared of everything. And that was always her biggest problem.After dinner with the detective, Liviana only grew all the more paranoi
A younger Liviana wrung her hands together as she climbed the stairs, following her mother's bellows all the way to her bedroom door. "Liviana?!"She flinches at the screech of her name, taking a step back to compose herself. "Breathe," she reminds herself, stilling for that of second before she's startled by another shout of her name. "Shit," she curses, rounding the corner into her mother's bedroom and asking, "yes, mom?""Finally!" Drusilla throws her arms up. "Where in God's name have you been?" She demands, asking what had taken her so long. "Didn't you hear me calling?""I'm sorry, mom," Liviana apologizes. "I was outside with-""I don't care to hear your excuses, young lady!" Drusilla scoffs, scolding the girl for her lack of responsibility. "What if I was hurt, hmm?" She questions. "What if I was in danger? Or worse, dying? What would you have to say for yourself then, huh?""I'm sorry-"Drusilla scoffs once again. "Your apologies mean nothing to me, Liviana. Do better!" She
Blaze could practically feel his heart tie itself into a knot in his chest at the sound of another distraction. Would he ever get the timing right? He sighs at the thought, turning around to greet the man, whose voice he recognizes immediately."Bryce," he greets, pushing out of his chair and offering the man his hand to shake. "There you are! We were beginning to think you got lost.""What can I say? I run on my own time." Bryce shrugs it off, giving Blaze's hand a shake before he rounds the table to take the seat across from the 'happy couple.'"That would have been something to mention days ago when we arranged this meeting," Blaze points, and the detective rolls his eyes. "I specifically asked for a time that suited you-""I'm here, aren't I?"Blaze only hums, narrowing his eyes at his 'old friend', and Liviana coughs."Uh- Blaze," she murmurs, reaching to take his hand in hers and giving it a gentle tug with a silent demand- if not a gentle ask for him to sit. "He's here. That's