Hannah's POV

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"Mind if I come in?" Sarah asks. 

"Sure." I nod, opening the door more for her. We walk over to the couch and both sit down. She looks around my room in awe.

"Wow, your room looks so much better than mine did when I first moved in. Mine had a ton of yellow." 

"Wait, so you're American?" I ask, completely ignoring her comment on my room. She looks at me sympathetically and nods.

"I am. I'm originally from Atlanta, but I was homeless and they found me and let me join."

"So, are we the only Americans? I mean it's an Italian mafia."

"True, but no. They're are a few other Americans, but also some people from the UK, Australia, Germany, and a bunch of other places. The majority is Italians, but the mafia has expanded a lot from its original families." I nod, taking it all in.

"Any more questions?"

"What the fuck is a Capo? Or Don?" Those were two titles I've heard since I've been here and didn't have any clue what they meant. Sarah turns more towards me and sits criss cross.

"Okay, so it can be confusing at first, but you'll learn it the more you're here. Ace's father, Alfrigo, is the boss and the head of the mafia. He's slowly started stepping back for the heir to take over, so he mainly works with forming alliances or starting war with other mafias. Ace is the underboss and heir to the  Sicilian mafia. He mainly decides what we trade and with who, along with other stuff like leading missions or wars. Both of them, essentially, are bosses so they have the title 'don'. Ace is referred to as the don unless Alfrigo is here, then we just call him Ace or boss. 

"Cosimo, who you will see frequently around Ace, is Alfrigo's concierge. He is kind of like an advisor and knows just as much as the boss. He also goes between Ace and his father delivering messages or information they may need to know. 

"Next are the Capos, or captains. There are three at this compound and they each lead two floors, which is equivalent to about twenty people. Benevello, or Ben, is our Capo. He is in charge of everyone on our floor and the seventh floor. Antony is the Capo for floors two and three, and Vicente, or Vinnie, is the Capo for floors four and five. The first floor is the training area and the basement is where the cells, meeting rooms, and other stuff is. The Capos stay on the eighth floor and Ace stays on the ninth. There are three captains per compound and there are compounds all over the world. Ace is in charge of them and travels back and fourth, but he mainly resides here.

"Next are the soldiers, like me. We are basically the man power for the mafia. We make the trade deals, do the fighting if there is war, and anything else that may be needed of us. There are sixty of us here, but like I said, there are compounds everywhere. You haven't done anything yet, but starting tomorrow you will be closely watched over the next week or two. If they decide you're fit to be a soldier, you'll take the oath of silence, get a trademark, and become an official soldier of the Sicilian mafia.

"Lastly, there are the associates. They aren't really apart of the mafia, but they are kind of like small gangs that have our protection. They deal on the streets and do other stuff under the radar for us, which makes us a profit." Sarah lets out a deep breath as she finally finished.

"Wow." Was all I could say. When Ace told me this was a mafia, I expected more of things like the associates, not a whole ass organization. "What happens if they don't think I'm fit to be a soldier?" She gives me a cautious look.

"All I'm gonna say is, make sure they think you'll be good."

"Shit..." I breath out as I run my hands through my hair, stressed out. I thought I already made the choice to live, but now I'm told that it isn't up to me.

"It'll be okay. I promise its not as bad as you'd expect. I've been here for three years. These people have become my family." She smiles, trying to give me some reassurance.

"Will I ever get to see my family?" I didn't like the way her face changed to a sad so quick.

"No, you won't. Look at it this way, though. If you did see them or talk to them, they'd wanna know where you were. Knowing the stuff we know would only put them in more danger. Having no contact with them protects them and keeps them safe." 

"How do I pass this training?" I ask, changing the subject. I don't want to talk or even think about never being able to see my friends again.

"Well, since your new, the first thing you will do tomorrow is choose your signature weapon. You have to be well versed and good with all of them, but you can choose one to use for majority of the time. We'll work with weapons, building our strength. We build our strength physically by working out a ton, but we also are required to build our mental strength." She paused, giving me a cautious look once more. "Incase you're ever held hostage, you can't say anything because of the oath. We'll train with practices such ass questioning, waterboarding, starvation, and a bunch of other stuff.

"You're best bet to survive is going to be finding your specialty and mastering it quickly. Do well with your training and keep your head down. You'll then be tested and can have more free range when you take the oath."

"How am I going to do this?" I groan.

"Hey, it'll be okay. I'll help you. Ben is our Capo, but he's also a good teacher. Ace is a broody hard ass with no soft spot, but you wouldn't be here if he thought you weren't the slightest bit capable."

"Sarah, you don't understand. I never break the rules. I'm nineteen years old and have snuck out once. The one time I did sneak out, I accidentally walked into a room where Ace had five dead bodies surrounding him, and ended up in fucking Sicily."

"It'll be okay. I promise it isn't as bad as it may seem. If it's any consolation, I've never had to kill anyone." We were both silent for a moment before we busted out laughing. "Your new, so it'll be hard at first, but I wasn't kidding when I said these people are like family. We are with them day in and day out. I know it sounds crazy, and I promise you it isn't because I've been brainwashed or anything, but I genuinely love everyone here, and would die for most of them in a heartbeat."

"Most of them?" I laugh.

"Well, some of them are a bit hard to love. We have our fair share of cocky assholes here and a lot of the girls are constantly trying to get with Ace."

"Why?"

"Well, for starters the dude looks like a fucking greek god. You have to think, though, soldiers are at the bottom of the food chain. Most people in high positions have had their titles passed down through their families. The only way for men to rise up is if a Capo were to die, which I wouldn't put my money on. They're the Capos for a reason. Women could be a Capo, and I've heard of women Capo's at other compounds but it is just harder for us, like everything else in the world. 

"The best and easiest way for a woman to rise through the ranks is marriage. If you're married, your partner is of equal rank and power as you. All of our Capos are single, but if they were to marry then their wives would lead their soldiers with them. If they marry Ace, though..." She trails off.

"They would help him lead the Sicilian mafia." I finish, starting to understand what she was saying. "How is that fair to him, though? Plus, why would they want that much power, or that much responsibility. You'd be in charge of every single member and their deaths would be on you."

"Most people don't understand that. They think of the amount of men they have at their hands, but not how bloody they could get because of it. You're right though, it isn't fair to Ace. I think that's why he rejects every girl that tries to go for him and why he is also so cold and closed off."

"Has he ever been with someone?"

"No. There was rumor going around for a while that he might be gay, but it quickly faded out when he brought you here."

"Why me?"

"Anyone of high rank can recruit people to join, Ace just has to approve beforehand. He's never really picked recruits. When he does though, they're usually strong men that would easily be an advantage to us."

"So what? I'm the first weak person he's ever chosen?"

"No. You're the first girl he's ever chosen."

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