Introduction

PROLOGUE

Leigh-Ari

A soft ping from my phone had me looking from the laptop in front of me. It was on a Saturday at noon and I was trying to submit the assignment which was due tomorrow. After clicking send, I grabbed my phone and smiled when I saw the name on the notification.

‘Verzi’ it said.

I opened the small message icon and read the text from one of my only two best-friends of mine.

Can you come and help us with the assignment really quickly?

The text read.

 I laughed softly and shut my laptop then exited my room. These boys, these twins, were the best things I could possibly ask for. Ever since my mother left us, for some rich guy, the twins across the street have been my safe fortress. They picked me and mended me and made me whole when I was crumbling. And from that incident that happened when I was just 8, we have grown closer. I never thought I would find a friend and fortitude in two, but I did. And now I couldn't begin to imagine what would have happened if it weren't for their presence in my life.

I found my dad reading a newspaper on the couch, slowly sipping his whiskey.

“Hey Pa, I will be out for a few minutes. I am going to help the boys with the assignment. It is due tomorrow.” I informed walking towards him. He looked up from his newspaper and smiled at me, and then fixed his glasses. They always made him look a lot younger and fresher. The him I knew when mom was still around. Her departure took a toll on him, and now he looked older than he actually was.

“Okay, baby girl. Just don’t be late.” He called out as he focused back on his reading. I perched a soft kiss on his bald head and walked towards the door.

“I won’t. I have already prepared dinner. If I am not back by 7, just heat it up. I am definitely sure I will be back by 8. If not 9.” I yelled opening the front door and closing it behind me. The soft summer breeze brushed my thighs under the small summer dress I was wearing. The street was bustling with the neighborhood kids, and my lips tugged up in a small smile.

The trip to the twins’ house took a shorter time and soon, I was standing on the porch of their house ringing the doorbell. I was taken aback when there was no response from the inside, especially when they were the ones who sent me a text message not less than 5 minutes ago.

I attempted to push it open and to my luck, it did open and I made it through. The familiar walls stared back at me, but the room was unusually quiet. Was this one of their silly stunts? 

“Verzi? Enzo?” I shouted out, and still, no response.

“If this is one of your silly pranks, I swear I am going to kill you.” The wooden stairs creaked under my weight as I climbed up to the first floor, in an attempt to go to their rooms. My senses were on alert as I took delicate steps toward the upper floor of the house. From what I knew, I might get punched in the face or have the water balloon in my face. That’s just how shrewd they were. But I loved them still.

With luck, I made it to the first floor without having my ass knocked on the floor. I took delicate steps to the left. Verzi’s bedroom door was slightly open, while Enzo’s was shut closed. Soft music was pouring out of the small speakers in his bedroom and I understood that might have been the reason they didn’t hear me while I was calling. 

I peeked inside to find the room empty. Where the hell were they? 

“Vernero?” I entered his bedroom and looked around, to find that he was really not inside.

I gave a loud sigh and turned to leave, only to run into a big wall of muscles.

“The fuck? Damn, Vernero! You scared me!” I clutched my chest and tried to calm my pounding heart down.

“I didn’t, did I?” he said staring down at me. I raised my head to look at him. At 18, the two mfs looked like a fucking mountain towering over my small frame. I punched his arm and walked towards his bed.

“I came here, rang the bell. Nobody answered. And then I entered. There was no one. Anyway, you are here now, where is Enzo? I figured you two haven’t completed the assignment.” I rattled lying down with my back on his soft bed, staring at the ceiling. I turned my head to look at him when he didn’t reply to me. A chill ran down my spine when he just stood there with his hands in his pockets, his eyes boring holes into my skin.

“Helloooo? Earth to Vernero.” He shook his head slightly and gave me a small smile as if I just pulled him from a very inhuman trance. Why was he behaving like this?

“Sorry about that.” He said walking towards his study table and powering his computer on.

“So. Where is the other half?” That had always been what I called them. They used to hate it, but they eventually got used to it.

“He’ll be here in a minute.” He said in a small voice. Okay. Now I was utterly concerned. Why was he behaving like this?

“Is everything alright?” I jumped off the bed and walked towards his chair. He didn’t reply to me, or turn to look at me; and right at that moment, Enzo burst through the door, then slammed it shut, causing me to yelp at the sudden roughness. Like his twin, he stood there by the door and glared daggers at me.

“Whoaaaa… Chill your pants dude.” I looked at his face to find him “fuming”. What the hell was going on? He just stayed there glaring at me with so much anger in his eyes. I turned back to look at Vernero to find him on his feet, staring down at me. 

On the other side of the room, Enzo began walking towards us with steady unhurried predatory steps, his jaw ticking hard. His eyes were still glued on me and his fists were clenched tight on his sides.

“Can anyone of you tell me why you all are behaving like animals?” I asked exasperated, bundling my arms across my chest. None of them bothered to reply.

Enzo continued his predatory steps; I took a defensive step backward, only to be stopped by Verzi’s hard body against my back. I threw my hands in the air and walked toward the bed:

“I don’t know what is it you are trying to do. But it’s creepy. I am out. I will come back after you all have stopped acting like you are possessed.” I tried to walk passed Enzo’s big body only to have my arm yanked by so much force that I winced from the pain that shot through my arm.

He pulled me to his big front and folded my arms behind me, locking them with his giant hand. A scream tore through me but his big palm clamped on my mouth, muffling all of my screams.

Vernero walked to the window and shut the blind, then walked back towards where Lorenzo held me captive.

“Shhhhh. It’s okay Tesoro. We are not going to hurt you.” He said in a smooth voice, a small smile tugging on his lips. My eyes widened as he brought his hand toward the seams of my small dress. His warm hands brushed against my naked thigh. I tried to scream but Enzo’s hand on my mouth made it impossible. It couldn’t be what I thought it was. They were my best friends. They couldn’t do it. I knew that. This had to be one of their silliest pranks.

That thought was shuttered when Verzi took the seams of my dress and shredded it in half, exposing my body. Unluckily, I wasn’t wearing a bra. I pinched my eyes closed and hoped that it was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare.

But I was proven wrong when his fingers brushed against my slit. They were really doing it. A tear rolled down my face as the realization of what was happening settled hard.

“There, there. Don’t cry okay? We promise it won’t hurt. Or maybe it will, just a little...”