Undesired Family

Shopping

POV: Breanna

I'm sitting on the couch, under the window, watching the sun rise. I woke up at two in the morning with a nightmare and I've been awake ever since.

I feel tired, but I can't go back to sleep.

The monsters that inhabit my mind are ready to devour me if I let them, and I won't allow it.

I see the guards at the gate changing shifts, I see employees arriving and others leaving, I see a black van coming and going a few times and it seems strange to me. I also see Leonardo and Thomas leaving at dawn.

They follow the black van the first time, then it comes back alone and then leaves again.

The boys arrive home at four in the morning and I hear them going into their rooms a few minutes later.

I decide not to interfere in their lives. I'm going to live here for three years and then leave, so the less I have to do with them the better.

When it's seven thirty, I leave the room and go to the kitchen. I get a little lost on the way, but I find my way after a few minutes.

As soon as I walk in, I see Vicente drinking a cup of coffee with Elijah by his side.

"Good morning, Sorellina," Elijah says with a smile.

I grimace at his morning excitement and he laughs.

"Good morning, Breanna," Vicente replies.

"Good morning," I reply without enthusiasm and grab a cup of coffee for myself.

They watch me as I take the cup and sit at the table, enjoying the bitter taste in my mouth.

I see the clock strike eight and then Marco and Matteo appear, say good morning and go to make something to eat.

I finish my coffee in silence, the others start talking about something I don't pay attention to.

Little by little, the kitchen fills up and everyone arrives.

Serena sits down next to me and offers me some eggs and bacon, which I decline.

Marco looks at me angrily and I see the others looking at me with hurt.

"Come on, I have a meeting in the afternoon and we need to be back early," Leonardo says, and I stand up.

I realize that all my brothers will be coming with us, and I pray that there will be no problems.

At the entrance, I see a black SUV parked waiting for us. Leonardo gets behind the wheel and Elijah sits next to him.

I sit next to Matteo, who smiles at me, and Marco and Thomas sit in the back.

The drive to the mall takes almost forty minutes, and the whole way, Matteo and Thomas talk.

They tell jokes, sing, talk about soccer and video games. They don't stop.

When we get to the mall, I quickly get out of the car, grateful to finally be free.

"Let's go shopping and then we'll leave," Leonardo says seriously.

I look at my brothers and they seem like different people. Thomas and Matteo's playful aura is gone, replaced by a dark and icy calm.

The others have the same aura, and I find myself wanting to get back in the car.

"Breanna, stay close to us," Thomas says, and I instinctively take a step toward him.

He holds out his hand to me and then links my arm with his.

Leonardo and Marco walk ahead of us, while Elijah and Matteo follow behind.

We enter the mall and I realize that my brothers must be acquaintances, no one bothers us, I hear a few girls smile and wave, but they are ignored.

We enter several stores, Thomas helps me choose most of the clothes, never letting me see the price, my brothers choose some that they think I might like and put them in the cart.

Except Marco, who refuses to acknowledge my existence and stands at the entrance of the stores the entire time.

Before we even enter the last store, we already have dozens of bags full of clothes.

"Breanna, take whatever you want," Thomas repeats for the thirtieth time and drags me inside the store.

This store is full of elegant dresses. I can't imagine what occasion I would wear any of these dresses for, but I'm not complaining.

I didn't try on any clothes while I was shopping, because that would mean looking in the mirror or showing some part of my body that was hurt.

Matteo shows me a beautiful navy blue satin dress and I absolutely love it.

"Can we take it?" I ask, amazed, and he smiles and nods.

We buy a few more dresses and the only time the boys leave me alone is in the lingerie store. I buy the underwear I need and pay with the card Leonardo gave me.

"I'm ready," I say, holding a bag in my hand.

"Are you sure you got everything you needed?" Elijah asks.

"Yes, I do," I say, shaking the bag.

We pass the food court on the way and Matteo smiles at Thomas, who nods discreetly.

"Do you want to eat at Sorella Mall?" Thomas asks quietly, and I nod.

"Breanna wants to eat here," Thomas announces, and I stare at him in disbelief. The boys stop and assess the food court.

"Okay," Leonardo says, looking at his watch. "We're still on time."

We sit in the corner near the wall, Thomas squeezing me between him and Elijah. The others go off to put away their bags and order.

The boys take forever to come back and I want to go to the bathroom.

"I need to use the bathroom," I say in Elijah's ear.

He takes out his cell phone and texts the others to let them know we're going to the bathroom.

Elijah and Thomas walk me to the door and tell me they'll be waiting for me.

I go into the first empty stall I find and do my business. When I'm done, I come face to face with a mirror and quickly look away.

I wash my hands and, as I'm leaving, the door to another stall opens.

A woman who's clearly high on drugs comes out of the bathroom, she says something I don't understand and then pulls out a knife.

I take a step back and all I want to do is run away, but she's in the way.

"Ma'am, you need help, but for that I need you to put the knife down," I say calmly.

She smiles, straightens her posture and fixes her hair. Her expression changes and I realize she was just pretending.

"I don't need help, my dear. What I need is for you to behave and come with me," she says with a dark smile.

"My brothers are out there," I say so she understands there's no way out of here.

She looks at me doubtfully and thinks I'm deceiving her.

"I'll pay to see," she says with a maniacal smile.

I take a step back and slam my back against the wall. She approaches me and, in a stupid impulse, I decide that I'm not leaving here without a fight.