Gods and Monsters (Mafia Romance)

T W O

Alicia's P.O.V.

I woke up sweating, with tears on my eyes. I sat up in my bed, trying to catch my breath. I've been having nightmares ever since I remember myself, but I guess I'll never get used to them...

I turned to check Cindy's bed. She was asleep. Thankfully I didn't wake her again, like I usually do whenever I have a nightmare.

I fell back in my bed with a sigh and covered myself entirely with my bedsheets. I turned sides and twisted in there for a while, freed my head from the blankets, stared at the ceiling, then put my pillow over my face, but it was impossible to fall back asleep. 

I groaned in frustration and sat up on my bed. I stared at the wall for a couple of minutes, before getting up, still covered in my blankets. I pushed Cindy a little further in her bed, making some room for me. She muttered something in her sleep, turned side and covered her face with her bedsheets. I guess I disturbed her sleep again... 

I stared at the ceiling trying to fall asleep again, but this wasn't working this time either. I turned sides to look outside the window, only to find the shutters closed. I rolled my eyes with John's overreaction and paranoia on that matter, got up and opened the shutters. He doesn't want us to have the shutters open at night, cause apparently someone could break into the house. From our window on the second floor of the front side of the house, where anyone would be able to see that robber...

Makes sense. 

Cindy, my little sister, and I hate sleeping with the shutters closed. It feels... suffocating. And besides, nothing makes your day start better than waking up by the natural morning sunlight. 

I stared at the outside world, occupying my mind by making up stories, thinking of my dreams and murmuring the song my mama used to sing for me to sleep, till I finally managed to fall asleep.

❦❦❦

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" Cindy yelled, throwing a pillow straight to me.

I groaned, putting the pillow over my face and changing side, facing the window, rather than her. Annoying little morning person...

"Five more minutes." I murmured, still half-asleep.

"Oh come on, wake up! We're gonna be late for the first day of school!" She sang excited.

Oh so that's why I had a nightmare...

"Shut up!" I groaned, sitting up on her bed and throwing the pillow back at her.

She caught it, giggling, and threw it back to me, while putting on the school attire's skirt.

I yawned and stretched, before finally deciding to get up. 

"So what did you see?" she asked me, while brushing her hair.

"When?"

"At night. You sneaked in my bed again, which means you had a nightmare. Again..." She continued, while I started making our beds.

"Nothing... I mean..." I paused. She looked at me. "I don't remember..." 

"You okay?" She gave me a small smile.

"Yup." I grabbed the hair brush from her hand and started brushing my own hair.

"Hey! I wasn't done!" She frowned.

"If I had let you brush your hair like that one more time, you would have no more hair left on your head... I was being a good sister." I shrugged and she rolled her eyes, looking for something in one of our makeup bags.

"So I bet you missed Stacy!" She said giving me a nasty look, while putting concealer on a small pimple on her forehead.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" I rolled my eyes, annoyed.

"Yup. Besides, you're gonna see them  soon anyways." She smirked, putting the concealer back in the bag. 

I took off my baby-doll and was about to start dressing up in the school's attire, when the door suddenly opened, and John's head popped in our room. 

If I had 1€ every time he didn't knock on the f*****g door... Creep!

I quickly covered myself with my blanket, which I had just folded, minutes ago. His eyes moved up and down my body and he licked his lips. I tried not to gag. 

"John! What the hell? Alicia was naked! Couldn't you just knock?" Cindy yelled at him. 

Well that's exactly why he never knocks...

"In my  house? Anyways Nica made breakfast. You two come down to eat something before school." He said annoyed and left the room, with the door opened off course. 

Yeah, look who  got annoyed...

Cindy looked at me shocked.

"Yeah, I know... Just be patient Cin! J is gonna take us out of here! Two more years, then we're free!" I sighed, staring outside of the window.

"How are you so calm?" she asked, finally snapping out of it and starting putting her books into her backpack.

Oh, because he has said and done weird things to me before...

"I'm not." I started putting on my clothes again.

"Good morning little sisters! Are you coming for breakfast?" Jason asked, getting in the room I was sharing with Cindy, a few minutes later. The door was still opened, so he didn't knock either. Thankfully, I was dressed this time though.

"Morning big boy!" Cindy threw herself on him and he messed up her hair that she had spent hours brushing, making her frown and push him away. I laughed at her. 

"Oh well look who's all ready for college!" I winked at him and he blew me a kiss. 

"Oh well look who's thinking she's gonna get out of the house with her skirt this up high!" He mocked me and I flicked him off. But then he looked at Cindy's skirt too and his face fell. "You too, Cin?" He asked, shocked almost. 

Cindy stuck out her tongue at him and I gave her my hand for a high-five. Our brother rolled his eyes and left the room, murmuring something, with Cindy following him. 

I ran to the bathroom to pee and wash my face and teeth, then back in my room to put on some concealer on my dark, under eyes, and then a little mascara, and Vaseline on my lips. 

I lowered my skirt in a lecture-avoiding length, grabbed my backpack and my uniform's jacket and ran downstairs to the kitchen, where everyone was seated, eating breakfast. Nica had made blueberry pancakes. Thankfully we didn't have much time to sit together with those people...

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm an ungrateful brat or something, it's just... My siblings and I have been through a lot, and we've done everything in our powers not to get separated from each other, and to stay together in the same foster families. Which was obviously very difficult, because who can foster 3 children? 

Most people who do, usually only do it either for the welfare checks or for the public eye. A man even tried to make us drug dealers and when we refused he hit me and threatened Jason that he would rape me -Cindy was thankfully too young for his likings, so he left her out of this- if we didn't do as he said. We were lucky to get away from him unharmed! Sort of...This was 3 years ago. We came to John and Nica right after, and we've been living here with them till now.

It's not that they're bad people -at least not Nica- but they're too... conservative... And over-sensitive and they care too much about things that shouldn't matter at all, not to me at least, like what Cindy and I wear -if we wear something 'inappropriate', or short, or too much skin is showing, then we're whores and attention seekers- or how we talk and behave, or that they want us to get good grades, not because they care about us, but so that they can brag about it, etc.

And besides, they're so judgmental. They judge people about literally anything. Nationality, religion, sexuality, job, studies, family, physical appearance, hobbies and interests, grades, money, beliefs, manners... Anything! They only care what others would think or say!

So forgive me if I'm a little too abrupt or frigid or even mean with them. But toxic people aren't necessarily bad people, and John and Nica are toxic to me...

We started eating our breakfast. Hopefully nobody was talking. Not even Cindy, even though she was dying to say something, I could see it in her eyes.

But then John decided to speak... Lucky us!

"So, Jason you do remember our deal don't you?"

"Yes." Jason answered dryly.

"What deal?" I asked curious.

"That he would have to get a job and pay us rent, if he wants to keep living under our roof. He's an adult now." He smirked. 

Everything for money... Why am I even surprised?

"Yeah I said that I will!" Jason murmured annoyed.

"So did you find anything?" Nica asked, taking a forkful of her pancakes.

"Nothing good yet, but I'm on it."

"Then you better hurry, because you have until the end of this month and if you're still with no job, you move out of here!" John announced.

"What?" both Cindy and I semi-yelled, wide-eyed.

"Don't worry girls! There's no way I'm leaving you here alone." Jason said calmly. 

I was about to snap at John, but Jason kicked me under the table, so I zipped it.

"Honey, did you find a new assistant?" John asked Nica after a couple of minutes.

"Why? What happened to Christie?" Cindy asked curiously.

"I fired her." Nica said casually. 

"What? Why?" we both said at the same time.

"She used to be a stripper a few years ago, after giving birth. So when I found out..." she shrugged.

"So you fired her just because she used  to work as a stripper, so that she could provide for herself and her baby?" Jason raised an eyebrow. 

Cindy's eyes started watering, so I held her hand, giving her an understanding look.

"What is this tone about Jason?" John said annoyed, receiving a glare from him.

"But she was so nice and sweet..." Cindy murmured.

"I don't consider nice and sweet, a woman who has a child at the age of 17, and then works as a stripper, and neither should you! And besides, she lied to me." Nica said again.

"What was the lie?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"She didn't care to mention that she used to be a stripper-" 

"Do you know what a lie is?" I challenged, my eyebrow still raised.

"Watch your tone, Alicia!" John growled at me and I gave him a sorry-not-sorrylook.

"Yes I do know what a lie is, and unless you want to get grounded, cut the attitude and don't pretend that you did not understand what I meant!" Nica glared at me. 

"Sorry!" I said coldly. "We've got to go." I said, getting up and picking up my backpack. Jason and Cindy quickly did the same, and all three of us left, as quickly as we could.

Jose, Jason's best friend, was waiting for him, in his car, outside our... John and Nica's  house. Jason got in the car next to him, and Cindy and I waved at Jose, who smiled to us, before driving the both of them to University. 

Cindy and I started walking towards Cheryl and Kylie's house, just a few blocks away, to go to school with them. That's what we do every morning, since they have cars and a chauffeur. 

"Good morniiing!" Kylie sang happily, when she saw us. She was just about to get in the car when we arrived out of their mansion. 

I smiled politely at their chauffeur and hugged and kissed Kylie on the cheek. "Hey there queen. How you doing?" 

"Good, now that you're here!" She narrowed her eyes playfully and then got into the passenger's seat in the car, while Cindy hopped in the back seats. 

"Where's Che-" I was about to ask when I felt someone slapping my butt. "Ouch! What is wrong with you?" I yelled at my best friend, Cheryl, who was now laughing at me. 

"Morning to you too!" She said, pushing me into the car and then getting in as well. 

"Good morning Hugo! You can go now!" Cheryl cheerfully greeted the chauffeur.

"Good morning girls." He said politely, starting the car.

Kylie turned on the radio and Hugo lowered the convertible's top. The next moments, before arriving at school, we spent laughing and singing at the top of our lounges.