I rise from the bed and look at my reflection. The circles under my eyes are dark, and my skin is sallow from lack of sleep. “He’s not here though. Is he?”
“That doesn’t matter. He’s the leader of this family, and what he says goes.” Her brown eyes narrow.
“I’m an adult woman with her own apartment and a career to tend to. I don’t have to listen to my father. Especially when he’s been missing for over forty-eight hours.” I know my tone sounds anything like the woman I am stating to be. Turns out, bitterness has seeped through my pores, and I don’t know how to make it stop.
“He’s not missing. He’s just away!”
I bite my lip from saying too much to Gia. While I’ve been reeling over Friday night’s events, I’ve also been consoling her from fearing the worst. She’s more in the dark than I ever was, and I’d like to keep her there.
Thoughts of what might have been if she and my mother had arrived on time are what keep me up at night. That, and the undeniable feeling that everyone around me is keeping secrets.
“I’m sorry, G, but I have to get to work.”
She storms out of the bedroom like a petulant child. “Mom!”
With my black hair tucked into a ponytail, I give a final look. Tired brown eyes. A bitter pinch to my lips. Not my best look, but it’ll do.
When I returned to my parents’ house on Friday night, my mother came rushing to the door with her arms shaking and tears bubbling from her throat. She was frightened and deliriously relieved at the same time.
The questions immediately started pouring in, and I did what I could to ease her mind without giving too much away. While I’m hurt and confused about Jesse, I still can’t shake his urgent plea for me to not tell anyone what happened that night.
Despite all my mother’s questions, turns out, she’s not as forthcoming with her answers. As soon as I asked my own questions, the conversation shut down. All she’d talk to me about was my need to stay in this fortress on the hill, away from the whispers of everyone on the outside.
Because after that moment it’s like Friday night never happened.
My car was returned home.
My father vanished.
There hasn’t even been a mention of the shooting on the news, which is odd for a borough with a low crime rate. Events like this are sensational.
“Amelia Grace Sorrentino, what is this I hear about you going to work?” My mother is at the foot of the stairs as I walk down.
“I can’t call in sick.”
“Yes, you can. Your father left explicit instructions for everyone to stay here.”
“And where is he exactly?” I challenge her, letting the worry in her face twist into annoyance. Just like every other time I’ve asked, the answer is silence. “That’s what I thought.”
“You ask too many questions,” she counters.
“You don’t ask enough.”
I should have known better than to follow Jesse’s orders to come here. Without a purse, wallet, or phone, I took the only option given. I should have hitchhiked my way to my building and secluded myself in the confines of my own home.
“This isn’t like you. Since when do you not do as you’re asked? What am I supposed to say when your father calls?”
“That I went to work at the job he said he’s so proud of me for having. This means a lot to me. I can’t mess it up.”
“Your life means too much to me!” she states dramatically. “Imagine what I’ve been going through. First, I fear for your life. Then your father’s. Ten more minutes, and Gia and I would have been there. Our family is safe, and I plan on keeping it that way.”
I pause, dramatically and then ask, “Are you saying that you think Gia and I are in danger?”
She clutches the medallion around her neck and makes the sign of the cross in the air. “Heaven forbid. Of course not. Women and children are never involved in these matters. It’s code.”
“And what code might that be?” I challenge with a lift of my brow. Her lips purse and push to the side. I know more than she’s willing to tell me. I know those men weren’t there for me. They want my father and Uncle Frankie. “The farther I can get away from this hill, the safer I am.”
She leans back with a face of horror by my words. “You don’t feel safe in this home? We have cameras and a security system.” As I walk away from her, she follows me with an exasperated huff. “Do you know what kind of horrible things happen in those underground parking garages you use?”
“I’m driving to the bus stop and taking public transportation to the city like I do every day. No one’s going to whack me in broad daylight.”
“That’s not funny, Amelia.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
In the kitchen, I grab a piece of bread and place it in the toaster. My mother follows with her hand on her head. She hasn’t done her hair or makeup in days and has been sporting the same red velour jumpsuit since yesterday. For a woman who is trying her hardest to make it seem like the events of Friday night were merely an occurrence that shouldn’t be spoken of, her appearance shows it shook her. I just wish she’d let me in on what she knows.
The doorbell rings, and she jumps in surprise. “Who could that be?”
“Check the camera,” I suggest as my toast pops up from the toaster.
My mother shakes her hands in the air as she processes what I just told her to do. She takes her phone and opens the video app that connects to the alarm system. “It’s Sienna!” she says loudly with relief.
I barely have the butter on my bread before Sienna comes bursting
