Annaliese

"Mommy... where did you go?" I cry into my arms, my small body trembling from the cold. I sealed my eyes shut to block out the scary world around me. Mommy told me to wait for her. She's coming back.

She has to.

I lean back further into the concrete stairs. Mommy told me she was going to go get something from the house that she forgot. She said we were going on a surprise trip, just us, without the boys. I was so excited. But why's she taking so long?

I wipe my teary eyes and look around the empty streets. The streetlamps kept flickering and there were no cars on the road. There weren't any people walking around like there usually is. I sniffled sharply. Why was I all alone? I want Mommy.

My body shivers violently as a particularly cold gust of wind travels by. My nose is runny and bright red, my cheeks have become blotched with tears and my eyes were swollen. I felt so horrible.

"Mommy," I call out again, my voice raspy and my throat sore. I stood on shaky legs. My shadow barely loomed over me, revealing how small I truly was. "Mommy?"

A loud thump came from the darker alley next to me. I freeze, my breath caught in my throat. Dark, masculine chuckles were steadily getting louder and louder. My hands shook at my sides as I kept my gaze focused on the entrance.

"Alley..?" I whisper, my voice trembling with fear. The deep voices reminded me of my brothers and I hoped it was them. Maybe Mommy couldn't make it so she asked them to pick me up. I hope. "Franny? Luc?"

Another loud thump is heard, followed by boisterous laughter. I took a few steps back hesitantly. "Marc.. Val.. if this is a joke, it.. it's not funny," I cry. The laughter suddenly stops and I hear a faint voice.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like a little girl." Cold dread stabbed me like a knife. The air in my lungs became replaced with terror as a realization dawned on me. They weren't my brothers. They weren't Mommy.

Shadows erupted from the alleyway and became bigger as the men stepped into the light. I flinch back when I make eye contact with the largest one. His malicious brown eyes sear into me like the burning sun, threatening to destroy me into bits and pieces.

"Well, well, it is a little girl."

The 4 men around him all giggle like girls my age do. My nose wrinkles slightly at the sound. My brothers would never make that kind of noise. They're too strong to giggle. Well, maybe Val might.

My eyes snap to the man on the farthest right as he steps forward in my direction. My attention darts to their unsteady postures, stained clothing, and foul smell. I take a few steps back when the man grabs my arm quickly - as quick as a man could be to a 5 year old. I try to squirm away, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Quiet!" The man hisses, adding pressure to my wrist. I wince and immediately shut my mouth, groaning softly at the pain. He smiles dirtly at my obedience. "That's a good girl. Now keep quiet and do what we tell you to."

No..

The man drags me along the sidewalk and to his group of friends. Their eyes haunt me as they look at me lustfully, full of greed. I try to stay away from them as much as possible, but their leader has another plan.

"What's that around your neck, little girl?" He asked and I paled when I realized he was asking about my necklace. Mommy gave it to me. He can't have it. He can't.

No.. No..

His dirty hands reach towards my necklace but I stop him with a whimper, "Stop.. You can't have it."

His eyes darken and his face falls into a deadpan. "Excuse me?"

No. No.

"Y.. you can't have it. It's Mommy's. A.. and she'll be back in a minute," I stammer out, my body shaking like a leaf. The man laughs and I flinch at the sudden loud noise.

"Did you hear that? She said it's her Mommy's.." He chortles, tensing with anger. A mocking smile pulls at his lips while he raises his eyebrows in humor. I watch him uneasily, regretting ever speaking in the first place. "Guess what little girl? Mommy's. Not. Coming. Back."

Tears brim my eyes and I shake my head vigorously. "No! You're lying!"

The man growls at my refusal and the next thing I know, I'm flying across the concrete, landing roughly on the ground. My small hands and knees couldn't take the impact, but my head did. Black spots cloud my vision and I watch the men through blurry vision.

"Oh shit..."

"...go! Leave her.."

Mommy... mommy where are you?

I jerk awake, my heart hammering in my chest. I stare at the patterened sheets while adrenaline runs through my veins, my legs shaking from the shock. My breath comes out heavily, like during Winter, when the cold air bites at my lungs and claws at my throat. Shakily, I caress the back of my head where sweat seemed to be dripping from.

The blankets pool around my waist as I sit up. The sun is shining through the large windows, casting a ray of gold onto the wooden floors. I take a moment to admire the orange, pink and light blue shades of a sunrise. I could faintly hear the birds chirping, cars honking, and I knew the bustling streets of New York had finally awakened.

I stand on shaky legs, frowning slightly at the oversized pants nearly falling to my feet. I place a hand on my hip to hold them up at my waist and walk over to the windows. A small smile rises on my lips as I stare into the vast jungle of a city. Taking a deep breath, I will my body to relax after the tense experience last night.

Just.. what was that dream? I don't remember anything vividly. I can remember feeling terrified and cold. I can remember the men who surrounded me and harassed me. I can remember being pushed into the ground. Everything else draws a blank. Was that a memory? Why was I there all alone? Who were those men? What did they want from me?

I sigh heavily when a heavy arm is draped across my shoulders. I screech loudly, nearly falling to the ground in a panic. Vincenzo's eyes widen and he immediately steadies me by grabbing my arms. I breathe shakily for a few moments before taking a calming deep breath.

Vincenzo is dressed in a black button up long sleeved shirt with black jeans and an expensive belt. He has a golden watch on his wrist along with black shoes on his feet. He carefully reaches out to brush my hair, relaxing me almost instantly with his gentle touches. "I'm sorry," My voice comes out croaky and I clear my throat. "I just had a bad dream."

"A bad dream? Are you okay amore? Do you want to talk about it?" Vincenzo asks me, his voice dropping into a whisper. I shook my head and cast my gaze back outside, hoping to catch more of the sunrise.

"I'm okay, I can't remember much of it," I respond, the corners of my mouth falling into a deep frown. His warm hand continues to play with my hair and all of my negative feelings wash away. "Thank you for asking."

His hand brushes through my hair one more time before he drops it by his side. "Of course amore, I'll always want to ask about you," Vincenzo replies and I peek up at him to see a caring smile on his face. I reflect it back at him. "Go brush your teeth and brush your hair. We're going to go eat breakfast with two of my sons."

I nod my head, turning to go to the bathroom. "Oh, and amore?" He calls out. I spin back around in confusion. "Good morning."

A wide smile nearly breaks my jaw as I exclaim, "Good morning!" Vincenzo chuckles quietly and leaves the room. I skip over to the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth and hair. I'm meeting two of his sons today. A small bubble of excitement forms in my chest. Will Luca be there? He was really nice.

I splash some cold water on my face to wake myself up some more and to get rid of the fatique of the nightmare. The red spots dotted over my face seemed less irritated than they usually were and a few had white dots on them. I would have to ask Luca or Vincenzo what that meant. They both seem pretty smart.

I clean up any mess I made with a small towel I found in the drawer and exit the bedroom. I hesitantly open the door to bright lights and if I thought the bathroom was fancy, the rest of the apartment must've been a palace. The walls were polished and shiny, while the floors were a pretty white stone that had a reflection. The bedroom led directly into a kitchen and living room open space.

Chills went down my spine as my feet walked along the cold floors. My steps were quiet but it didn't stop the kind woman from yesterday from noticing me. She nodded to me and lead me into the kitchen, where three large men were sitting on stools in front of the island. One of them had his wide back facing me, as he was watching a wide screen in the living room.

The kitchen had black cabinets and white counters that shimmered. The fridge was two times my height and silver. I tried to take in all of the luxury I found myself in, but Vincenzo's voice interrupted me.

"Good morning amore, come have a seat," He tells me. I avoid the curious gazes of the two boys and shuffle over to the stool next to him. Vincenzo pats it before taking a sip of his coffee. I grip the sides of the counter and slide onto the stool, letting out a relieved breath when I didn't do anything to embarrass myself.

I stare at my reflection in the countertop. Should I say hi to the other two boys? It would be rude not to. I might hurt their feelings if I don't say anything.

I reluctantly lift my head and make eye contact with dark blue eyes. My cheeks immediately heat up. How long had he been staring at me for? The boy in question looked a little bit older than me. He had pale skin, dark, curly hair, and light freckles dancing across his nose. I could see a small scar across the bridge of his nose. He wore an oversized black jacket, a plain grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His knuckles were wrapped in a white bandage.

"H..Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Annaliese," I greet him, smiling shyly in his direction. I wrapped my, now soft, hair around my finger and played with the ends of it nervously. His dark eyes studied me and I was so caught up in his gaze I nearly flinched when he spoke.

"Marcello," He replies quietly, his voice warm and soft. My smile becomes more confident and I sit taller in my seat, dropping the hair from my hands.

"Hi Marcello!" I greet again. My happiness seems to be contagious as a small smile appears on his lips. "You have a really pretty name."

"Thank you," Marcello replies, taking a sip of some tea from a grey mug. I catch onto the smoke emitting from the hot liquid. Doesn't that burn his throat? "Your name is pretty as well."

My eyes twinkle with happiness, and as I go to thank him, the other boy speaks. "Woah, did little Marcello just give someone a compliment? Mamma mia, this is a first." (My goodness)

The other boy turned around in his stool to face us. I caught the teasing look in his pale blue eyes and my smile shrunk. He had braids similar to Luca, except they were longer and tied back in a small high pony tail. His defined jaw widened in a bright smile, his skin was a little darker than Luca's, and he had a small stubble on his chin. I noticed two small tattoos on his temples. He wore a muscle black tank top and black joggers. He had tattoos scattered across his arm and neck. "Hello principessa, I'm Valentino, the favorite son." (princess)

"Hi Valentino," I wave, jumping a little when a plate is placed in front of me. Eggs, toast, and strawberries are divided into three different sections. A cup of chocolate milk is placed next to it. Guilt washes over me as I realize I probably won't be able to eat everything.

"What's wrong? Do you not like eggs or strawberries?" Vincenzo asks worriedly, leaning down to look me in the eye. I bite my lip, chewing off a piece of skin nervously. Should I even tell him? No, no. I should just eat it all. I can't be ungrateful.

"No sir," I reply politely, sending him a reassuring smile. His eyes narrow at me and I pray that he doesn't know I'm lying. However, unluckily for me, he nods his head and stands up. He leaves the room with his phone in his hand, probably to call someone. The guilt I'm feeling multiplied. Great. Now I'm ungrateful and a liar.

Valentino stands, picks me up from the stool, and plops me down in Vincenzo's previous seat. I tense when he lifts me as if I'm no lighter than a feather. Just how strong is this family?

"Whoa!" I exclaim, looking up at him with wide eyes. Valentino smirks and sits where I was just a second ago. Now I'm sandwiched between the two boys. "You lifted me like I was nothing!"

He slides my plate in front of me. "Of course I did, see how strong I am principessa?" Valentino grins, flexing his big arms in front of me. My jaw nearly drops at how much muscle is on one arm. He could be like Superman for all I know. "No one's stronger than me."

"Francesco wouldn't be very happy to hear that," Marcello comments, taking one last sip of tea before setting it down gently. He glances at Valentino from the corner of his eye. Valentino scoffs, waving a hand at him in nonchalance.

"Francesco couldn't do shi-" He coughs and I look to him innocently, eating a few strawberries from my plate. He shook his head, his curls flying everywhere. "What I mean is, he would be very.. satisfied with my statement."

"He sounds really nice," I comment, picking up my fork and trying my best to eat my eggs. Valentino laughs like I've said the funniest thing in the world while Marcello hides a smile behind his hand. I furrow my brows at them in confusion. "What? He's not nice?"

Valentino can't stop laughing, occasionally banging his hand on the table. Marcello sighs at his brother. "Francesco is very unique," He says, leaving it at that. I just nod my head quietly, not wanting to comment on one of their siblings. I'm sure Fransesco is very sweet and nice.

"Unique's one way to put it," Valentino guffaws, finally sobering up from his laugh attack. I pick up my glass of chocolate milk and force down a few sips. Most of the food I've eaten feels like it's sitting on my stomach. The food I ate from last night hasn't even fully digested yet.

"Um, Mr. Valentino?" I call hesitantly, staring at the plate with half of my food left over. Valentino immediately stops laughing and turns his attention to me. "Can you finish this for me?"

"Is it not good principessa?" He asks, leaning on his elbow and watching my face closely.

I shake my head frantically. "No, no! It's really good but I.." I look away from him, my cheeks heating up with embarassment. Why did I have to be this way? Why can't I just finish this plate of food? "I can't finish it. I'm full and I don't want Mr. Vincenzo to get mad at me."

"He won't be mad," Marcello states and I turn to face him worriedly. His eyes bore into mine and comfort washes over me. "He'll be happy that you tried your best."

"But.. but I'll be ungrateful. All of my friends barely get to eat something everyday and I.. I can't even finish a plate.. It's not fair," I whisper, my voice trembling with guilt and shame. A warm hand touches my back and the skin underneath my sweatshirt jumps, not expected to be touched.

"You worry too much principessa," Valentino grins, taking my plate away from me but leaving the chocolate milk there. Popping a few strawberries in his mouth, he lets out a long moan of satisfaction. "This is delicious! I can see why you want to finish it so badly principessa. Don't worry, I'll be sure to savor it for you."

My shoulders sag with relief that I won't have to eat it all but the guilt is still there. "Annaliese," Marcello mumbles, quietly so Valentino won't hear. He tugs my rolled up sweatshirt sleeve down to my hands. "Father told us that you're sick and not feeling well. What's most important is for you to get better. Your friends are happy that your eating now and they want you to continue to eat without feeling bad. I know it's a lot to ask, but try to focus more on eating 3 meals a day, okay?"

Valentino was too busy stuffing his face with my toast to pay attention to the long monologue of words Marcello just told me. A weight seemed to lift off my shoulders and I sent him a grateful look. Maybe I unconsciously needed someone to tell me that it was okay for me to be here, that it was okay for me to eat while I could, that it was okay for me to find my family.

"Marcello," I whisper back to him, my eyes narrowed in determination. He looks back at me with amusement flickering in his eyes. "When I'm bigger and stronger, I'm going to help my friends find their families too, okay? Just like you guys are doing for me."

Marcello takes a few moments to process my words and then he nods seriously. "They'll be waiting," He says, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. I grin in return and for the first time in my life I finally felt like I had a purpose for something other than begging on the side of the road. In the heat of the moment, I gulp down the rest of my chocolate milk, despite my upset stomach.

Jumping up from the stool, I bounce on the tips of my toes. Both of them watch me in amusement as excitement courses through me. "I'm gonna start getting strong right now! Mr. Valentino! How did you get so strong?"

Valentino smirks, chucking the last strawberry in his mouth and stands next to me. My head only reaches the middle of his stomach and I have to crane my head to look up at him. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, his muscles flexing as he does. "I was always strong principessa," He teases. "But you don't have to worry about getting stronger now. How about we go watch some TV?"

I pout, making my eyes wider and more innocent. "Please? Can you at least teach me one thing?"

Valentino seems to be physically struggling as he looks into my eyes. His face is strained until his eyes brighten and a bad feeling erupts in my stomach. "If you can survive this, principessa, you'll be the strongest girl in the world," He states. His hands come to my sides and he throws me over his shoulder.

I shriek loudly, giggling as my body bounces with every step he takes. "Mr. Valentino, put me down!"

In seconds my body is flying through the air and bounces when it hits a soft surface. I can barely process that we've moved into the living room when his hands find my sides and he begins moving his fingers playfully. For some reason, laughter immediately erupts from me and I can't stop.

Valentino grins widely above me as he watches me laugh, screaming every now and then. "Say 'Valentino is the strongest man in the world' and I'll stop," He bargains and I struggle to breathe long enough to speak.

"V-Valentino is the.. the strongest man in the world!" I choke out, screeching with laughter. His hands finally leave my sides and my laughter