THE FREE INSTITUTE

THE FREE INSTITUTE Chapter 1: The Advertisement That Looked Like Hope In Italy, they have a saying: _Se qualcosa è gratis, sei tu il prodotto_ - If something is free, YOU are the product. Enzo and Elena didn't know this saying when they saw the ad on TV. They only saw two words: FREE EDUCATION. The heat in their small stone house in Corleone, Sicily, could melt everything. Their mother had passed away five years ago, after a long illness. Last week, their father Marco Rossi died too. Now it was just two of them. On the floor, sixteen-year-old Elena was counting coins. One euro, two euros, five euros. Twenty-three euros total. "_Siamo poveri, Enzo_ - We are poor," she whispered, tears falling on the coins. "We can't even pay the rent. Signora Maria said I can work at her bakery in Palermo. At least we can eat." Enzo was 22 years old. He was sitting against the damp wall. His fists were closed not because he was angry at Elena, but because he was angry at his own helplessness. Their father had left only debts. Their mother had died early and they never got over it. "_Mamma ci manca_ - We miss Mama," Elena used to say every night. Then the old TV in the corner crackled loudly. It only showed three channels. A man in a perfect white suit appeared. He looked like an angel. Behind him was a building so white, so modern, so beautiful, it looked like heaven on earth. _"Sei povero ma talentuoso? - Are you poor but talented?"_ the man said in a deep, calm voice. _"Does poverty stop your dreams? I am Davide Moretti, Chairman of Fondazione Luce Bianca. For twenty years, we have given FREE education, FREE hostel, FREE food, FREE laptops. _Un futuro gratuito_ - A free future, for Italy's brightest poor children."_ Enzo stood up. Elena wiped her tears and looked up. The ad continued, _"This year, the most renowned institute of Italy is opening its doors again. We have only one condition. _La famiglia è tutto_ - Family is everything. So we only accept a brother and a sister together. So that family stays together."_ On the screen, happy boys and girls in blue uniforms were using MacBooks, eating in a big glass dining hall, playing football. _"Nessun costo. Nessun inganno. - No cost. No trick. Just your talent. Apply now."_ Elena jumped up. Her face was shining for the first time in months. "_Fratello, guarda!_ - Brother, look! Free school! Free hostel! Both of us together! _Andiamo a Roma!_ This is a sign from Mamma! Mamma sent this!" But Enzo's face was hard. He crossed his arms. "_Basta, Elena. Basta_ - Enough," he said coldly. "_È una truffa_ - It's a fraud. It's a scam. Why would the richest institute in Rome give free everything to poor kids like us from a small village? No one gives anything for free. Remember what Papa always said? Free cheese is only in a mousetrap." Elena's smile disappeared. "But Enzo... our results... we both got top grades..." "So what? There are thousands of kids with top grades," Enzo shouted. "These people on TV are liars. They will call us to Rome and then ask for money. Or worse. I don't trust it. We are not applying." That night, they fought. The small house felt smaller. Elena cried, "You just want me to work in a bakery all my life! Mamma wanted us to study!" Enzo said nothing. He went outside and sat under the olive tree where his mother used to sit. For two days, they didn't talk properly. Elena kept looking at the website on a borrowed phone - h***:://fondazionelucebianca.it. Photos of smiling students. Enzo kept saying, "_Non ci credo_ - I don't believe it." On the third day, Elena came to him with her school diary. She opened a page. It was their mother's handwriting from five years ago. It said: _I miei figli studieranno a Roma un giorno_ - My children will one day study in Rome. Elena was sobbing. "Mamma wrote this. Please, Enzo. Let's just try. What do we have to lose? We have only 23 euros. If it's fraud, we lose nothing. If it's true, we get everything. _Per Mamma_ - For Mama." Enzo looked at the diary. His hard face finally broke. He hugged his sister. "_Va bene_ - Okay," he whispered. "_Facciamolo_ - Let's do it." That night, with shaking hands, they filled the form. They uploaded their top grades. Both A+. In the blood group section, they wrote O-negative. Both of them had the same rare blood group as their mother. Enzo clicked submit at 2:17 AM. _Speriamo bene_ - Let's hope for the best. He thought nothing would happen. It was just for Elena's peace. Three days later, at 7 AM, a sound woke them up. A big black Mercedes van stopped in front of their small stone house. Dust flew everywhere. The whole village of Corleone came out to see. No one there had ever seen a car like that. A man in a black suit and black sunglasses stepped out. His shoes were too clean for their dusty road. He was holding a silver envelope. "Enzo and Elena Rossi? Children of the late Marco Rossi?" he asked. Elena hid behind Enzo. The man smiled, showing perfect white teeth. "You have been selected. _Siete stati scelti_ - You have been chosen. Out of 11,000 applications from all over Italy, you are in the top 15. Mr. Moretti has personally selected you. You are going to Rome tomorrow. First class. Your new life starts now." Elena screamed, "_Mamma mia!_" She was crying and laughing together. The neighbors started clapping, shouting "_Auguri! Congratulazioni!_ - Best wishes! Congratulations!" The man gave them the silver envelope. Inside were two expensive blue uniforms, two first-class train tickets to Rome, and a letter with a golden stamp. But Enzo was not smiling. He was looking at the man's too-clean shoes. He was looking at the black van with tinted windows. That cold feeling came back in his stomach. _Qualcosa non va_ - Something is wrong. Why would the most famous institute in Italy choose two orphans from Sicily, for free? And why only brother and sister together? Why was O-negative blood so important in the form? He folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He didn't know that letter was not an admission letter. It was a price tag. _Un cartellino del prezzo._ Elena's blood type was O-negative. His was O-negative too. A perfect match. _Un abbinamento perfetto._ A perfect product for the black market. Tomorrow, they would go to paradise. _Domani, andremo in paradiso._ But they didn't know paradise had a basement. And the basement had an operation theatre that never slept. The black world was waiting for them.. Nothing is free, they will learn very soon, because all the doors behind them are closed THIS was only the beginning ,If you felt the chapter , wait for the next one. Don't forget to leave a comment,it means a lot for writer ..