1. The meeting

2515 Words
Sardinian Sea, Italy. Regina hastily slipped into a crevice between two rocks, hidden from view. Her heart pounded in her chest with deafening force. Unfortunately, the crevice was filled with sea urchins that wounded her shoulder. The sharp pain added to her distress, but she stayed still, breathless. Her sole concern was to remain in the shadows. She peered through the glimpse of the sea visible from the crevice, her green eyes wide. Despite swimming as fast as she could, she wasn't sure she had escaped that blond demon. After long moments, she heard the roar of an approaching engine. Terror ran down her spine as she moved further into the crevice, holding her breath. She stifled a cry of pain as her forehead hit the sharp rock, feeling a warm liquid trickle down her brown hair. 'Damn it!' Tears of frustration streaked down her cheeks. Through a c***k of light, she glimpsed a motorboat driven by the young man who had threatened her. She held her breath. 'Oh God! Please don't let him notice me!' The man had a furious expression, and made several rounds to check every corner of the sea around him. Regina closed her eyes and turned her head, as if this could hide her from him. ‘He cannot see me here. Be quiet, Regina. Hopefully, he will go away and forget about me.' After several seemingly interminable laps, the man retreated behind the promontory. Regina stayed put, just in case. She remembered that saying, "No good deed goes unpunished." She had always considered it a stupid saying, but perhaps it was true. Never would she have thought to live such a moment in her life. How on earth did she end up in this situation? Thinking about it, the day had started badly from the beginning… That morning The first ray of sunlight entered the small room and hit Regina's closed eyes. Irritated, she turned to the other side of the bunk bed. She was exhausted after an evening spent working as a dishwasher in one of the many restaurants in her small seaside village. The village was small, just a thousand inhabitants, but it attracted numerous tourists in the summer, the only season when there was work for everyone, even for her lazy older brother who slept in the bunk bed above her. At 19, she still shared a room with him. Her parents couldn't afford a larger house, and she knew that her chances of higher education were slim. Regina had attended the local hotel school, and she found contentment in being grateful for what she had, rather than dwelling on what she couldn't attain. She always wore a smile, brightening every room she entered with her genuinely good mood. Even at that moment, a smile spread across her face. She dreamed of being promoted to a bartender, then a waitress, then a cook, and eventually a Michelin-starred chef. That's when a handsome paycheck would come in, and... "Woof! Woof, woof, woof!" A small spitz entered the room like a fury. It tried to jump on the girl's bed with its short legs but failed. "Mint, please go back to sleep..." she mumbled, pushing away the furry snout. The dog persisted, but she was too sleepy. She kicked the upper bunk. "Leone! Take Mint out to pee, please." "Mmmmn. I'm not even thinking about it. Do you know what time it is?" Regina felt anger rising. "The dog is yours too, and I always take him out!" "From now on, he’s yours. I'm tired." "It’s because you party with friends until late, while I break my back working until one a.m." "Ugh, you're such a nag. Fine!" Regina, satisfied, sighed with relief and turned over. But the relief didn't last long because, within a minute, she heard her brother throwing himself back on the bed. "Why are you already here? Where's Mint?" "Outside. He can pee on his own." The girl got alarmed. "Are you crazy? What if he gets into trouble?" "Don't worry, he can find his way home. He's a dog, isn't he?" Regina, imagining at least a dozen dangers her poor dog could encounter, got up, annoyed, and quickly got dressed, muttering against her irresponsible brother. She left the house and called the dog softly, not wanting to wake the neighbors. The snout of the little spitz appeared from the bushes on the other side of the street, where there was uncultivated land with tall shrubs. He jumped out of the bush and crossed the street towards her in a sprint. "Watch out, Mint!" In that street, more than one cat had been run over, and she didn't want her little dog to meet the same fate. Luckily, at that hour, almost no one passed by. However, there was a lone car moving rather quickly, and when it was close, the dog decided to cross the street again in a hurry. Regina got very scared and called the dog loudly. Unfortunately, the little dog, which had already reached the other side, came back at her call... Screeeeetch! The car's brakes resonated ominously in the morning silence, followed by the cries of the dog. The driver hadn't been able to avoid the impact. With her heart in her throat, Regina rushed to the dog, who had been thrown farther into the asphalt. "Criminal! Murderer! You ran over him! You shouldn't be speeding on the street!" she shouted. The man got out of the car, putting his hands on his head, desperate. "Oh God! I'm so sorry, miss! I didn't see the dog... it came out of nowhere! I swear I wasn't speeding! I couldn't brake in time..." Regina realized the driver was not to blame. Her little one had risked being hit more than once, and despite her scolding, he kept running into the street. She cried hot tears, caressing the lifeless body. She barely heard the man offering her compensation. She shook her head, unable to take advantage of her dog's loss, even in her difficult financial situation. Regina decided to pick up the little dog and bring him home. With the dog in her arms, she woke up the family, who gathered around her in grief. Her father got angry. "You're stupid! You should have taken the car driver's information!" She felt ashamed, "I didn't think about it, and besides, the dog is dead now." "Even more so! You should have taken that man's details!" Regina lowered her head and watched her dog, still in her arms. She was already thinking about burying him when the dog moved and licked her face. A wave of relief engulfed her. "Oh Mint! Were you just unconscious? Oh God, that's great!" Her father took the dog and examined him. "Look here, he has a broken tail, poor thing. And now, who's going to pay for the medical bills? It's all your fault!" He pointed threateningly at Regina. The mother intervened, "Leave her alone; she's still shaken, poor thing. Can't you see she's trembling? Sweetie, go for a swim, okay? It'll calm your nerves." Her father barked, "You always defend her! This way, she'll never grow up!" Regina seized the escape route offered by her mother. Leaving the house was the best thing, given her father's mood. She knew he would insult everyone in the house. Arriving at her favorite beach, she tied back her long brown hair and dove into the warm water. The sea always managed to calm her; its smoothness and the sound of the waves, the rhythm of her breathing and heartbeat... She liked to swim for hours, covering great distances and exploring hidden caves and little beaches that no one could reach on foot. As she swam, she allowed herself a moment of solitude. Having a big, noisy family and a small house made her cherish these moments of privacy. Sometimes she enjoyed the beach alone. Other times, she would accompany her brother Leone and his friends. She got along well with the boys, treating them like brothers. Being careful not to drift too far from the shore due to the many speed boats and dinghies crossing the sea, she rounded a promontory. And there, in front of her, loomed a huge yacht. 'Wow, what a magnificent yacht! It must accommodate at least 200 people! I wonder what it's like inside? I'm sure it's filled with luxury. It must belong to someone incredibly wealthy...' As she admired the boat, she was shocked to witness a young boy falling into the water from one of the upper decks. Without a second thought, she raced towards the child, worried that he had fallen accidentally. After a few moments, the boy resurfaced, his voice trembling, "HELP! HELP ME!" struggling to stay afloat. Regina reached him and grabbed his chest. "Calm down, I've got you!" The boy flailed his arms wildly, almost hitting her. "Easy, dear, stay still, or we'll both sink. I won't leave you, I promise!" The boy calmed down a bit, and she managed to hold him more securely. "There you go, good boy." She looked up to see if anyone was peering from the decks of the ship, but there was no one in sight. This was not good; they needed help to get the boy on board. "Let's see if someone up there can hear us, okay?" "HEY! UP THERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" she shouted at the top of her lungs, but there was no response. Regina felt worried, swimming while keeping the boy afloat was not easy, and reaching one of the ship's decks was impossible; they were too high up. "No one can hear us!" the boy whimpered. "My name is Regina, what's yours?" she asked to distract him. "Joridey." "Beautiful name, for a brave boy like you. And how old are you?" "I just turned ten." "Already ten! You're a big boy now. We'll make it, you'll see, even if I have to swim you back to shore." "But we're too far!" "Listen, do you know this ship? Is there an access point somewhere?" "Maybe... maybe there's a dinghy attached to the other side of the ship." "Let's look for it then." Carefully, Regina swam around the yacht, making sure to keep Joridey afloat. Luckily, they found the dinghy, and she managed to get the boy on board. "You won't leave me here, will you?" he pleaded. "Of course not, I won't be at ease until you're safe on the ship." She climbed into the dinghy as well. They called out again, but still, there was no response. Could it be that no one was looking for the child? Regina continued to talk to the boy to reassure him, "Let's see if this boat has a signaling system, okay? Mmmm ... no. But there's a rope ladder! And it's quite long..." "But it's not attached to the deck!" "That's true. But I have an idea, Joridey. The rope holding the dinghy is tied to the lower deck of the ship. If I can climb it, I can reach the deck and notify someone that you're here, okay?" "No! Don't leave me here alone!" The boy burst into tears. Regina crouched to look him in the eye and stroked his head. "There, there, my little soldier. You had a good scare. It's okay to cry, you know?" She said with a big smile. She liked children, they were so cute."Let's do this. I'll climb up with the help of the rope, but I won't go far. If I find someone to notify, great! If not, I'll tie the ladder and come back for you, then we'll climb together. Deal?" He nodded, but the tears didn't stop. She hugged him tight. "Don't worry, I won't go too far. You'll always be able to see me." "Promise?" "Cross my heart." The boy nodded, reassured, and Regina put her plan into motion. There were no oars in the boat, so she dove again and swam to push the dinghy until it touched the yacht's hull, and once the rope was parallel to the wall, she dried her feet as best as she could, tied the ladder around herself, and began to climb. With effort, she reached the deck and waved to the boy, who thankfully smiled back and gave her a thumbs-up. She looked around and called out, but she saw no one, so she reluctantly tied the ladder to the deck and climbed back down to get the boy. There was a life jacket, and she put it on him. "In case you slip, this will keep you afloat, and I'll dive in immediately to get you back, okay? But it won't happen because I'm right behind you." They climbed the ladder. The boy hesitated often, frightened by the unstable swaying of the ropes, and Regina kept encouraging him while he climbed. "Here, put your hands here... good boy! And now your foot... you are a champion. Come on! It's not hard, see? Great, we're almost there!" Finally, they managed to climb over the railing, and when they found themselves on the deck, an incredible relief washed over Regina. Her arms ached and trembled from the effort, but she was happy to have succeeded. "We did it!" the boy shouted triumphantly. "See?" she smiled, taking him by the hand. "Now let's find someone to look after you." "Yes, but please don't tell anyone that I fell into the water." "Why? It's something that can happen." "No, they'd scold me. They've told me many times not to sit on the edge of the yacht, but I did it anyway." "Oh, dear! Not good, but I bet you won't do it again, will you?" "Oh no, no, not until I learn to swim properly!" Regina saw a man approaching with a broom. "Here, Joridey..." she began, thinking of leaving the boy with him, but the boy pulled her and started running towards a nearby staircase. "Come, I'll show you who you can leave me with!" Regina chased him up all the decks of the yacht, finally reaching the top deck. On the upper deck, the yacht, which had seemed almost deserted to Regina, was teeming with life. Groups of waiters circulated with cocktails and snacks around a swimming pool, where some boys and girls swam, dived, and joked, while others lounged on comfortable sunbeds along the edge. Joridey dragged Regina towards one of the sunbeds, where a young man in his twenties was sitting. He was extremely handsome, with dirty blond hair and piercing blue eyes. When he saw the boy, his face frowned, showing concern. Joridey ran into the young man's arms, who wrapped a towel around the boy's shoulders and asked, "Are you all right?" The boy nodded. She smiled at the embrace, but her smile turned cold when she saw the look on the young man's face. He was looking at her with such anger that she didn't dare move. "YOU!" he shouted, standing up. "What are you doing on my boat? How dare you touch my little brother?"
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