This is the preview of the second Novel I had published in
2007.
The
Demon Within:
Il Demonio Dentro
David Black
CHAPTER 1
The bells of the alarm clock rang shrilly through the youth’s
small room and he slowly opened his eyes as he lay in his bed. He
held his head in one hand and closed his eyes once more as the
sunlight entered his room and blinded him. “Ugh.” He muttered to
himself. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. He was
still in his bedroom, and still in New Venice. He looked at the
clock and slapped the small button on the top of the clock. The
bells silenced and the youth lay in his bed, blankets strewn
about, barely covering his wiry body. “Damned nightmares.” He
muttered to himself. A lilting voice could be heard singing on
the lower floor of his family’s small apartment. The voice
belonged to his mother. She stopped singing and called out,
“Valentino? Valentino? Are you out of bed yet young
man?”
“Yeah, almost.” He yelled back.
“Well hurry up, you have to get to school.” His mother
replied.
Valentino groaned as he slowly got out of bed. He looked around
his room, which was small and shaped almost like a barrel. He
opened the porthole window of his small room, breathed in the
fresh air, and looked at the view from his room as he got dressed
and combed his reddish hair. He shook the cobwebs from his mind
as he tried to remember the nightmare he’d just had. He walked
down stairs and sat down at the kitchen table where breakfast was
waiting.
“How was your sleep, dear?” His mother asked him as he slowly ate
his food. He kept picking through the food in front of him, his
mind a million miles away. All he could really remember about the
nightmare was a strange figure shrouded in fog. It was a large, lanky creature
that looked almost skeletal, with giant dark red eyes and fangs
jutting at all angles from a wide mouth. The creature seemed
friendly, even familiar. He couldn’t place where he had seen the
monster, however. Suddenly, he was brought back to reality by a
loud snapping sound. His mother was snapping her fingers, worry
on her face. “Hey! Wake up!” his mother smiled at
him.
“Finish up and go to school. You’re going to be late. And get
your head out of the clouds. You’ve been like this since your
16th birthday.” She handed him a small satchel of food
as he walked out the door of the kitchen and into a small alcove
that branched from the living area. He opened a locked door and
stepped out onto a dock. He looked around and saw a small Jet Ski
bobbing on the water. He jumped onto the Jet Ski and gently
pulled out of the dock and down the canal toward his
school.
He arrived at the school a half hour later, parked and secured
his Jet Ski and hopped onto the dock leading to the school. A
tall youth with white hair and round glasses waved at him from
the dock. “Hey, Valentino!”
“Uh, hi, Pietro. What’s up?” Valentino rubbed the back of his
neck and fidgeted a little, digging his foot into the docks’
wooden planks.
“I think the question is what’s up with you? You look like you
haven’t recovered from your birthday party, and that was like,
three weeks ago.” Pietro whistled. “Wow, that was a fun party,
wasn’t it? Wine and fine food all over the place, and I think
that one girl at the party was looking at you. You know, the new
girl from Vienna II. She was cute; you should go
ask her out.”
“Who, Placida?” Valentino shook his head slightly. “Yeah, she’s
cute, I guess.”
“What’s wrong with you man? Come on, you can tell me. There’s no
way a wine hangover lasts this long.” Pietro looked at Valentino,
concerned.
“I’m still having those nightmares.” Valentino pulled Pietro
close and whispered to him. “I’m getting kind of worried. They’re
a lot more vivid now, and I almost think that I recognize the
monster in that dream. He’s so familiar but I can’t place him. I
think I might be losing my mind.”
Pietro whistled again. “Whew, man. I know what you need. You need
to relax. This is just school work talking, don’t stress so much.
Tell you what. I’ll take you out on my dad’s new Aqua Zero Jet
Skis today. They’re like, twice as powerful and they’ll blow you
away. We’ll have some fun, look at some cute girls, go drink some
wine, and you’ll be perfectly fine. Trust me.”
“But… But… What about…” Valentino stammered.
“Sh. Sh. Sh. Just shut up and trust me. When have I ever been
wrong? I mean EVER?” Pietro slapped Valentino on the shoulder and
said cheerfully, “Come on, let’s go to class and see if Placida
is there.”
“Uh, yeah,” As Valentino and Pietro walked into the school,
Valentino asked, “Did you get the homework done from last night?
I spaced because I didn’t get any sleep.”
“Nope,” Pietro laughed. “I got really absorbed with those Aqua
Zeros and didn’t even think about homework. Afterwards, Dad and I
went out for dinner. So, whoops, I guess. Oh well.” Pietro
shrugged as they walked into the school.
***
During class, Valentino couldn’t concentrate. His teacher’s voice
sounded distant and muffled as Valentino’s thoughts drifted to
other things. He looked over at Placida, his eyes staring right
through her. ‘What the hell is that?’ Valentino thought to
himself as he saw a weird shadow beginning to form on the wall
beyond Placida’s desk. It almost seemed to form into a face;
similar to the one in the nightmares, then it vanished. Valentino
grabbed a pencil and started to frantically sketch the image he
had just seen onto his notebook. Just as he finished, a loud
crack could be heard as the teacher’s yardstick crashed onto his
desk, causing him to jump and the entire class to look at him. He
went pale and started to shake slightly as he looked up at his
teacher.
“Mr. Endrico, am I boring you?” The teacher looked at him
sternly.
“N-no, Mr. Aldo… I just…” Valentino’s voice trailed off as he
looked down at the sketch on his notebook of the demon’s face.
The teacher looked down and picked up the notebook from
Valentino’s desk and looked at the demon drawing.
“As much as I appreciate fine art, Mr. Endrico, I won’t have you
drawing in my class. Understood?”
Valentino’s face went pale and he began to sweat. “Y-yes sir, I
understand.” He
began to sway in his seat, his sight going blurry.
“Are you feeling alright, Mr. Endrico?” Mr. Aldo looked down at
Valentino. Valentino coughed and then the world went black as he
fainted and fell to the floor.
Valentino woke up with a start and looked around. He was in a
white room on a small bed. His teacher was sat next to him while
a nurse was taking his vital signs.
“What happened to me?” Valentino asked weakly.
“We’re not sure,” the nurse said sweetly, “But you’ll be fine.”
She smiled at Valentino and walked away.
“I’m going to have you sent home.” Mr. Aldo said to Valentino as
he helped him out of the bed and steadied him as they
walked.
“But, exams…” Valentino stammered.
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t have you taking them while you’re
ill.” Mr. Aldo escorted him to the outside of the office and onto
a small boat with comfortable seats lining its’ cabin. Mr. Aldo
looked at the driver and handed him some money. “Take this boy
home. Here’s his address.” He handed him a piece of paper with
Valentino’s address written on it. “Oh. I almost forgot. Mr.
Endrico? Pietro is one of your friends, isn’t he?”
“Y-yeah.” Valentino said weakly.
“Good. I’ll have him bring your Jet Ski home to you after school.
Go home and rest.” Mr. Aldo turned vanished back into the
school.
Valentino sighed and lay on the
seats while the driver slowly pulled from the school docks and
headed toward Valentino’s home.
***
He was dreaming again. He was stood in a strange, mist filled
darkness. He looked around, and at first, couldn’t see anything.
Then something rose from the fog. It was tall and lanky, with
limbs that dragged on the floor. It had what looked like lizard
skin covering its body. Giant claws protruded from its hands and
arms. Its body moved slightly as it breathed. Parts of its
ribcage were visible as parts of the bone actually protruded from
its flesh. Its’ face was its’ most unusual feature. It was very
wide and flat, with giant reddish black eyes. Its mouth was as
wide as its face and large fangs filled its mouth, jutting out at
strange angles.
“Who are you!? Why won’t you leave me alone?!” Valentino yelled
through the fog.
“Well, you created me. Why would I leave you alone?” The monster
replied simply.
“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t even know you!”
Valentino yelled back,
“Think hard. Think about when you were younger. It’ll come back
to you.” The monster replied.
“God damn it! Get out of my head!” Valentino yelled, but his
voice grew muffled as he was slowly dragged back into the waking
world.
“Hey kid. Hey! Wake up; we’re at your home.” Valentino woke up to
see the driver and his mother stood over him, looking concerned.
He was seeing that look a lot lately.
“Uh, hi.” Valentino rubbed his eyes and stood up awkwardly,
nearly falling over the side of the boat. His mother held him up
by his shoulders and looked at the driver.
“Thank you for bringing him home.” She handed him some money,
which he pushed away.
“No, Ma’am. I was already paid for this trip.” He tipped his hat
and smiled. “Just make sure this boy gets his rest. He doesn’t
look too good.”
“Thank you.” Valentino’s mother smiled and helped Valentino from
the boat and onto the dock.
“Ma’am.” The driver tipped his hat again, pulled his boat away
from the house and sped back down the canal.
Valentino’s mother helped him to
his room and he flopped on the bed.
“What’s wrong, honey? You don’t look good at all.” She asked as
she sat next to him on his bed.
“I don’t know.” Valentino rolled over to face his mother. “I
haven’t slept right for a while and I’ve been having
nightmares.”
“About what?” His mother asked.
He lay there, silent, and closed his eyes.
“Sleep now. We’ll talk more about this later and I’ll bring you
some soup. Okay?”
His mother ran her hair through her sons’ ruffled hair. Valentino
sighed as he saw his mother leave his room.
‘I wish I knew what was so familiar about this thing.’ Valentino
thought to himself. He lay on his bed in silence and looked out
the window. The city was looking especially beautiful today. Past
the row of apartments which lined his canal, he could see the
Industrial District in the distance, where huge steam stacks
belched clean steam into the air from the city’s underwater
circulation systems which helped to keep the canals warm and
clean. He could hear the sound of the machinery running in the
distance. Several voices could be heard flowing throughout the
city, giving the city a hidden life. His canal was silent, as no
one was around, but the rest of the city was buzzing. He could
hear gulls crying in the distance. The city was so much different
now than what the history texts had told him it used to be like.
The city was much taller now, as apartment buildings had been
built that reached high into the sky, while other areas,
including monuments and older buildings, had been placed, brick
by brick, on floating platforms. His District was one of the few
left that actually sat on the canals. He looked down to see a
gondola moving slowly through the water, its pilot whistling to
himself. People even lived underwater now in the newly built Deep
Station which ran under the entire city. In fact, some of his
fellow students lived underwater in the large pods that composed
Deep Station. There were even markets in Deep Station where you
could get the newest technologies. He looked to the east where
the abandoned Dry District was located.
He sat by his window and sighed. What was happening to him?
Suddenly, an idea came to him. He rummaged through his closet and
found a stack of papers. He sorted through the papers until he
found a certain drawing. It was one he did when he was eight. It
was a messy drawing, done in wax crayons, and made even more
unrecognizable by age, but it looked familiar. It looked like the
monster in his nightmares.
“I think…” Valentino muttered to himself. Just then, he was
startled by a knock on his door.
“Hey! You alive?” the voice on the other side of the door
belonged to Pietro. “I brought back your Jet Ski!”
Valentino walked up and opened the door. “Hey man.” He smiled
weakly. “Thanks.”
Pietro looked into Valentino’s room. “Wow. Your room looks like a
bomb hit it, man. What ARE you doing in here?”
“I… Nothing.” Valentino smiled. “Thanks for bringing my Jet Ski
back, man.”
“You feeling up to going out? My dad just pulled out the Aqua
Zeros, and I really want you to try one out.” Pietro smiled.
“There’ll be the wine and girls I promised you
too.”
“Mom?” Valentino asked.
“She said as long as you were feeling up to it we could go out.”
Pietro out his arm around Valentino’s shoulder and guided him out
of his room. “Come on.”
The pair walked downstairs and looked over at Valentino’s mother.
“I’m gonna kidnap your son for a while. Is that alright Mrs.
Endrico?”
“Why, such a dignified and refined kidnapper.” She
laughed.
“Of course, Madam.” Pietro smiled and bowed.
Valentino’s mother looked at her son “If you’re not feeling well,
you come right home.”
“I’ll make sure he’s alright.” Pietro smiled and pulled Valentino
out to the dock where both of their Jet Skis were docked. They
both got on to their Jet Skis and slowly pulled away from
Valentino’s house while his mother waved at them from the kitchen
window.
***
“Hey, Dad!” Pietro yelled from his Jet Ski as the two sped toward
Pietro’s home. His
father looked up from his work and waved with his wrench. The two
pulled up and walked onto the dock.
“Hey boys.” Pietros’ father smiled as he stood up from the work
he was doing.
“Hi, Mr. Alphonse,” Valentino looked at Pietros’ father. He was a
large man, with a muscular frame.
“Call me Ricardo. You know that.” He slapped Valentino on the
shoulder and looked at the two Aqua Zero Jet Skis. They were
sleeker and more aerodynamic than a normal Jet Ski, with two
large engines at the back of each machine. Both were painted
bright colors, one red and one blue.
“You like the new Aqua Zeros?” Ricardo smiled. “Got ‘em only a
few days ago. They run like nothing else I’ve ever
driven.”
“Can’t wait.” Valentino smiled.
“Gotta pack some food before we go.” Pietro ran into the house
and started putting fruit, meat, cheese and bread into a basket
“Hey, Valentino. Come get some wine from the cupboard and pack it
up.”
Valentino walked into the kitchen and selected three bottles of
wine from the cupboard and put it into a cloth sack which he then
filled with ice. After the pair was done, they ran out and
secured their food on the back of the Aqua Zeros.
“Let’s go!” Pietro hopped onto his Aqua Zero and started it up,
revving the engine while Valentino gingerly got onto the other
machine and looked it over.
“Come on! It starts just like any other Jet Ski; just don’t go to
fast at first, because the power is much more than you’re used
to.” Pietro smiled as Valentino started up the engine and slowly
began to test out how the new machine worked. It was indeed more
powerful. He smiled as he got the hang of moving around on the
water.
“Good! Now that you’ve got the hang of it, see if you can catch
me!” Pietro disappeared with a burst of speed and a spray of
water down the canal.
“Damn it.” Valentino smiled as he started to chase Pietro down
the canal.
“Be careful boys! And don’t drink too much!” Ricardo yelled as
the two disappeared down the canal.
***
The pair rocketed down the canal, blasting plumes of water behind
them. “Come on! Surely you can go faster than that!” Pietro
yelled behind him over the roar of the engines.
Valentino smiled as he accelerated and raced past Pietro,
blasting him with water.
“Hey!” Pietro laughed as he caught up to Valentino. “Whoa! Stop!”
Pietro pulled up to a dock where several girls from school were
talking and giggling, including Placida. “Hey girls!” Pietro
hopped from his Aqua Zero and walked over to the girls. Valentino
caught up and stopped at the dock. He stared into the group for a
moment, looking at Placida. This was the first time he’d really
noticed her since she’d moved to New Venice. She was quite
beautiful, her slim body framed by long brown hair that reached
down to her waist, deep green eyes, and full lips. Valentino got
off of his machine and slowly walked up to the group. He looked
down shyly and scuffed the ground with his shoe. Placida saw him
and walked over.
“Hi, Valentino! What’s going on?” Placida asked, a smile on her
face.
“Not much. Pietro and I are just cruising around.” Valentino
smiled slightly and looked down. “I think we’re going somewhere,
but I’m not sure where.”
“I think we should invite these lovely ladies to come with us,
don’t you?” Pietro asked Valentino as he wrapped his arm around
his friends’ neck.
The girls all looked around and then everyone looked at Pietro,
confused.
“How are we going to do that? We can’t all fit on your Jet Skis.”
One of the girls piped up from the crowd.
Pietro thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers. “Hey,
Valentino, come help me out for a second.” Valentino and Pietro
walked over to one end of the dock, which seemed to jut out from
the main dock. Pietro pulled a multi tool from his pocket and
began to undo the screws holding the dock in place. After those
were undone, Pietro stashed the screws in his
pocket.
“Here, hold this secure while I find us some rope.” Valentino
bent down and held the dock in place while Pietro grabbed a coil
of heavy rope from another nearby dock. He then tied the rope
around one of the docks’ support rings and tied the other end to
his Aqua Zero. “You girls don’t mind some speed, do you?” Pietro
asked as he motioned toward the makeshift raft. The girls all
giggled and hopped onto the raft as Pietro got back onto his
machine. Placida looked at the raft where the girls were all
seated.
“There’s no room left on there for me.” Placida said
shyly.
“Well that’s not a problem, is it, Val?” Pietro smiled as he
started up his Aqua Zero and began to slowly pull away from the
main dock.
Valentino looked at Placida and smiled. “Come on. You can ride
with me.” He got onto the Jet Ski and slid up on the seat.
Placida sat behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Hold
on tight.” Valentino looked back at Placida, who was smiling
innocently. The Aqua Zero rumbled to life as Valentino started it
up and slowly pulled away from the dock, following the raft. “You
ready?” Valentino yelled over the engine.
“Yeah!” Placida yelled back.
Suddenly, there was a burst of speed, and the two took off down
the canal. e He
e ***
The group arrived at their destination, The Dry District. The
group disembarked from their crafts and walked into The Dry
District and Pietro grabbed everything from the Aqua Zeros and
laid a thick, large blanket on the cobbled street, put out all
the food and wine and flopped down. The girls and Valentino all
sat on the blanket, Placida sitting next to Valentino. The group
ate, drank, and laughed as the day went on. One of the girls
looked up and said, “So this is The Dry District? I wonder what’s
so special about this place.”
“I don’t know,” Valentino said as he looked around. The worn,
cobbled street was lined with old, abandoned shops, and on one
wall there was a portcullis leading into a long tunnel. In
certain areas, there were puddles of water that had dripped from
the roof of the promenade, some of which had gone stagnant long
ago.
“I wonder if this thing will open.” Pietro walked over and tapped
the bars of the gate. “Hmm.” He gripped the bars of the gate and
tried to pull it up, but it wouldn’t budge. “Hey, Val? Go see if
you can find something to pry this gate up with.” Valentino and Pietro searched
through the abandoned shops until they found what they needed to
lift the gate. Pietro and a few of the girls dragged a large beam
from one of the shops that looked as if it had fallen from the
ceiling, while Valentino had found a large anvil on a cart and
with Placida’s help, dragged the cart from another shop. They
placed the beam on top of the anvil, and everyone pushed down on
the log. At first, the gate wouldn’t budge, but after a few tries
of everyone pushing on the beam, the gate groaned and lifted, the
gears of the gate loosening as the rust from years of decay
slowly broke away, creating small clouds of rust powder in the
air, which quickly dissipated. Finally, the portcullis had risen
about halfway up the height of the doorway, and the group walked
in. The tunnel area was cold, damp and filled with darkness. A
small point of light could be seen in the distance at the other
end of the tunnel. Placida reached down and held Valentino’s hand
as the group walked down the tunnel.
“Brr. It’s cold in here.” Placida whispered to Valentino. He
looked down, unsure at first, and then wrapped his arm around
Placida’s shoulders. She leaned in closer as the group continued
to walk toward the end of the tunnel. A few moments later, they
reached the end of their journey, and the sunlight burst into
view as they left the dark confines of the tunnel. Valentino
shaded his eyes as they readjusted to the sunlight.
The group looked around in amazement. They had entered what
looked to be a giant empty stone basin, a giant groove in the
floor looked like it once held a giant turbine of some sort.
Moss, vines, and small plants grew from the walls and floor,
crawling up the walls, or reaching up to the sky from their stone
rooted prisons. There was a staircase on one side of the basin
leading up to the upper catwalks along the diameter of the basin.
The group slowly proceeded up the stairs to the top of the basin.
The sun was just beginning to set over the city, the sunlight
glittering like diamonds upon the canals of New Venice. The girls
gasped and whispered to one another.
“It’s so beautiful.” One girl with long blonde hair said to
Pietro, leaning in close to him. “How did you know about this
place?”
“I didn’t.” he whispered back, “But that’s all part of the
adventure, isn’t it?” He looked across the basins’ catwalk to see
Placida and Valentino holding hands and looking out at the
sunset.
After a half hour, the sun had almost set completely. One girl
looked at her watch and gasped. “It’s so late! I’m gonna get in
trouble for not being home on time!”
Pietro smiled and gently released the girl he had in his arm. “No
worries, ladies. We shall return you all safely to your homes,
and all before curfew. Are you up for the challenge,
Val?”
Valentino looked over at Pietro and smiled. “Yeah, I think we can
do this.”
***
The group had hurried back through the tunnel and back out to
their transportation. Placida had hopped back on Valentino’s Aqua
Zero and the pair was keeping up to the dock raft. “If your
parents say anything, tell them I’ll take full responsibility for
you missing your curfews, and that I sincerely apologize in
advance.” Pietro yelled over the roar of his Aqua Zeros’
engines.
The group stopped to let off a few girls living on one canal, and
then began to race to the next area. After a few moments, another
group was released at the next dock. There were only two girls left
to bring home, Placida, as well as the girl that had been with
Pietro. The girl who was with Pietro was now sitting on his Aqua
Zero, holding his waist. The group sped toward the final stop and
the girls disembarked from the machines. They looked at the pair
of riders from their perch on the docks, and Pietro’s companion
leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Placida looked at
Valentino sitting on his Jet Ski and gently kissed him. She then
gasped and backed away, looking down shyly. Valentino smiled and
blushed.
“Thanks for a great time guys. We should really do something like
this again, I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun.” Pietro’s
companion smiled at the pair. They then turned and ran down the
docks, toward their homes.
“Let’s go get this dock back together. I’m sure someone has
noticed it’s gone already.” Pietro and Valentino quietly rode
into the port where the dock had been taken from and Pietro
pulled out his mechanics’ tool and the bolts that had been
holding the dock in place. Pietro was busy reattaching the deck
when a lantern could be seen moving down the docks toward the
pair.
“Uh… Uh… Pi- Pietro… Someone’s coming!” Valentino whispered panic
in his voice.
“Well stall ‘em.” Pietro whispered back.
“You two!” The lantern belonged to a member of the night patrol.
“What is going on here?”
“W-we were repairing the dock s-sir.” Valentino stammered
slightly.
“Why? What happened here?” The guard asked, his voice
growling.
“We were just passing through and we noticed that something was
wrong with this dock. We followed the canal and found that this
part of the dock had detached somehow and had floated down the
canal. We brought it back. We’re just finishing reinstalling it
with better screws now.” Valentino smiled as his confidence
grew.
The guard looked down at Pietro, who was grunting as he tightened
the last screw.
“That’s a fine job you’ve done boys. I think I’ll overlook your
being out after curfew, since you ARE helping the city.” The
guard saluted the two boys. “Carry on. But get home safely. Good
job, gentlemen, and good night.”
The lantern’s light faded into the distance as the guard
continued down the moonlit dock.
Valentino sighed and slumped to the ground, shaking. Pietro rose
from under the dock and smiled.
“Damn, boy, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“I almost lost it.” Valentino smiled weakly.
“Yes, but the point is you didn’t lose it. Now come on. I’m
thinking the night is still young, aren’t you?” Pietro rummaged
through the sack on the back of his Jet Ski. “Well, will you look
at that? We’ve still got two bottles of wine left. The night’s
still young. What do you say we go finish these two bottles
off?”
Valentino smiled weakly. “Yeah, I need something to
calm my nerves after that.”
Pietro hopped onto his machine. “Well, let’s go. I know exactly
where to go.” Valentino hopped onto his Aqua Zero and the pair
blasted down the canal.
***
They arrived at their destination an hour later. It was The
Monument District, where all of the old buildings and monuments
had been secured on floating platforms to preserve them from the
rising water of the canals. They slowly moved along the canals
between the monuments until they reached an ancient
church.
They secured their vehicles to the small dock next to the
monument and walked around the church until they found an old
ladder on the side leading to a flat part of the roof. They
climbed the ladder, Pietro holding the bag of wine
bottles. Pietro
grunted as he reached the roof and lifted himself onto it.
Valentino soon followed, lifting himself onto the roof and lying
flat on its cool surface for a moment. He then stood and followed
Pietro to the edge of the roof, and sat down next to him, the
pair looking out over the city. There were bright lights still on
in some places, while other areas were blanketed with darkness.
In the distance, small lights could be seen moving along the
docks, as the night watch continued on their patrol. The clear
night sky was filled with bright stars and the shining sliver
that was the crescent moon could be seen hanging over the
city.
“Wow, it’s beautiful out here.” Valentino said as he reached into
the sack and pulled out a bottle of wine.
“Yeah, I come out here when I need to relax.” Pietro opened his
bottle and took a drink.
The pair sat on the roof in silence, the warm breeze blowing
through the city.
“So, hey,” Pietro looked over and smiled at his friend. “I saw
you and Placida getting pretty close.”
Valentino smiled. “Yeah, she really is a sweet girl. Who was that
girl you were with?”
“She’s a new student too. Her name is Renee. She’s an exchange
student from France.” Pietro replied.
“So how are you feeling now?” Pietro looked over at
Valentino.
“Pretty good, I feel so relaxed.” Valentino drank from his bottle
and lay down on the roof, looking up at the stars.
“See? I told you, it was all stress. This is why you should
always listen to me.” Pietro stretched, “Because I’m always
right.”
Valentino laughed. It had seemed so long since he’d laughed. So
long since he had felt relaxed.
“The thing I’m most impressed with was how you managed to bluff
us out of trouble with that night patrolman. That story was
genius.” Pietro smiled. “I KNEW if I hung out with you long
enough, my personality would rub off on you.”
“Heh.” Valentino sat up and punched Pietro lightly in the
shoulder. Valentino looked over at Pietro, slight worry on his
face, “Hey, did we have any homework today?”
“Nah. Mr. Aldo was feeling generous and gave us the weekend
off.”
“Cool.” Valentino smiled. “So what are you going to do for the
rest of the weekend?”
“I’m not sure. I might be apologizing to a lot of parents this
weekend.” Pietro laughed.
“Well, I think it might be time to head back.” Pietro smiled as
he grabbed the empty wine bottles and put them into the sack.
Valentino and Pietro headed down the ladder and boarded their
Aqua Zeros.
The pair coasted into the docking area of Pietro’s home. “Your
Jet Ski is over there. Maybe when we get over our hangovers, we
can head down to Deep Station. I want to head down there and see
what kind of things they have in the Plaza.”
Valentino got onto his Jet Ski and slowly pulled out from the
dock and started home.
Valentino climbed the drainpipe next to his house and slid onto
the awning in front of his room and climbed in through his
window. He then crawled into bed and drifted off to
sleep.
CHAPTER 2:
The
next morning, Valentino woke up after a sound night sleep.
e yawned
He
He yawned and opened his eyes slowly. Light flooded his blurred
vision and he groaned and closed his eyes once more. “Oh man,
that hurts.” Valentino muttered to himself.
“Hello, son.” Valentino’s mother appeared over him, smiling.
“Where were you last night, exactly?”
“Ugh… We went around town and hung out with some friends from
school.”
“As long as you were safe, I suppose. You should have let me know
you were going to be out that late.” Valentino’s mother chided
him gently. “Now, if you can, get out of bed. It’s time for
breakfast.”
She left the room and Valentino slowly struggled to get up. He
groaned as he lost his balance and fell back onto his
bed.
“I HAVE to stop drinking so much.” Valentino groaned to himself
as he slowly raised himself from the bed once more. He proceeded
to get dressed and he walked over to the sink in his room and
splashed his face with cool water. Coughing and spluttering, he
walked to his window and opened it, then dried his face off with
a towel that was lying next to the sink.
Valentino sat down to breakfast and ate slowly. His mother looked
at him, smiling.
“Are you feeling alright this morning?” She asked.
“Aside from the hangover, yes.” Valentino muttered between bites
of his food.
“So I take it you got some sleep then?”
“Yeah, actually. I slept all night without a problem.” Valentino
replied.
“That’s excellent.” Valentino’s mother kissed his head and walked
away from the table. “Any plans for today?”
“I think Pietro wants to go to Deep Station for something.”
Valentino finished his breakfast and stood up just as Pietro
pulled up on his Aqua Zero.
“Well, speak of the devil!” Mrs. Endrico exclaimed.
“Hey, Val. You ready?” Pietro walked into the house and turned
into the kitchen. He then grabbed a chunk of bread from the
kitchen counter and kissed Valentino’s mother on the cheek.
“Hello Mrs. Endrico. It’s always a pleasure.”
She turned and smiled at Pietro. “Good morning Pietro. I hear
you’re taking my son down to Deep Station.”
“Indeed I am.” He smacked Valentino on the back and said “Let’s
go. I don’t think you’ve ever been to Deep Station, have
you?”
“No. I haven’t.” Valentino walked over to the fridge, pulled out
a jug and poured himself some ice water. He took a sip and sighed
as he felt the cool water go down his throat.
After he finished his water, he put his glass down and walked
outside. He stretched, and looked down the sun dappled waters of
the canal. It was a nice day, with only a few clouds in the
sky.
“We’re not taking our Jet Skis today, young sir.” Pietro walked
out onto the dock.
“No?” Valentino looked confused.
“Nope, we’re going in style.” Pietro replied as a gondola stopped
in front of Valentino’s dock.
The pair got on the boat and the gondola slowly drifted down the
canal.
“Why are we going by gondola?” Valentino asked.
“Deep Station is only accessible by the Old Canals, where only
gondolas are allowed to go.”
“Oh. I see.” The gondola slowly drifted down into a narrow
passageway, until they reached a dock that lead into a dead end.
The platform of the dock had a hole in the center leading down
into deep water. There was a strange tram-like device that sat in
the water. The pair got into the tram and the door slammed behind
them and there was a loud hissing sound as the tram sealed itself
from the water. The tram then sank into the water slowly, and for
a few moments, everything was dark, until lights around the edge
of the roof flickered on, bathing the cabin in fluorescent
light.
Valentino sighed as he lay down on the bench of the tram. “Damn.
I’ve gotta stop drinking so much. I had such a hangover this
morning. I still kinda feel sick.”
“Funny. I drank as much as you and I feel fine.” Pietro
smiled.
“So how did everything go with the girls’ parents this morning?”
Valentino looked over at Pietro sitting on the bench, his hands
resting on one knee he had bent into himself, while the other leg
dangled from the bench.
“Not bad. I went by their homes earlier this morning with small
baskets of cheese and flowers with notes apologizing for last
night. Some of the parents were less than thrilled to see me, but
they forgave us. The girls were even asking where you were.”
Pietro smiled, “You sly dog, you.”
Valentino smiled slightly. “I don’t suppose…” he
hesitated.
“Placida says she can’t wait to see you again,” Pietro laughed,
“Don’t worry. She likes you. I can tell.”
Valentino sighed and smiled to himself. He’d never felt so happy
before.
The tram landed on the bottom of the canal with the dull clang of
steel underwater. The sound of gears grinding and clanging as the
tram was guided into the steel docking bay of Deep Station. Water
flowed from all over the tram and the sound of hissing could be
heard as the tram decompressed and the door opened. The pair
stepped out and into Deep Station. It was a very technologically
advanced place. From the fourth floor where the two entered,
there was a balcony. The view from the balcony was impressive,
with a lush, verdant garden on the very bottom floor, complete
with grass and an array of small bushes and flower beds. Boulders
dotted the garden, some with moss growing upon their surfaces.
There was a small waterfall fountain in the center of the
garden.
There were a total of four floors to Deep Station, with two
floors of living quarters and two floors of shops, including
shops for fine food, clothes, and even parts for Jet Skis and
boats. As they walked around the fourth floor, Valentino had the
distinct feeling of déjà vu.
“Hey, this place seems really familiar.” Valentino said as he
looked around.
“It should.” Pietro stopped and looked at a map on the wall.
“This place was built to be the exact duplicate of the city
above, just underwater, and more modern.” He snapped his fingers
and exclaimed, “Aha! Come on. I know where we’re going now.” The
pair ran down the hallway, passing windows that revealed the
water they were surrounded by. Each window glowed with the blue
tint of crystal clear blue water. They reached an elevator and
got in. the elevator doors closed and the elevator slowly dropped
until they reached the second floor.
“What are we doing down here?” Valentino asked as he looked down
the hallway where several booths and shops were humming with
activity.
“Well, first, we have to grab some more cheese and wine, since I
ran out of cheese making those apology baskets, and one can never
have enough wine.” Pietro smiled.
“Ugh. Don’t mention wine right now.” Valentino
groaned.
“Also, we need to head down to the Mechanics District. I saw a
type of muffler for my Aqua Zeros that I just have to have. It’s
gonna make them a lot more powerful. Also, I have something else
I have to get as well.”
“From where?” Valentino asked.
“The Perfume District.” Pietro said simply.
“For Renee, I take it.” Valentino smiled slyly.
“Yeah, I’m thinking of courting her. We really like each other.”
Pietro blushed, and Valentino looked at him with
shock.
“What?” Pietro asked.
“It’s just I’d have never thought you’d be one for getting into a
steady relationship.” Valentino laughed and punched Pietro in the
shoulder.
“Yeah, it’s weird for me, but I really like her.” The pair walked
into a small store that sold fine cheeses. Valentino grabbed a
shopping cart and the pair looked through all of the cheeses
available, picking and choosing as they walked. They walked
through the checkout line and Pietro swiped a strange card in a
machine near the entrance of the shop. They then walked down the
hallway to another store called “FINE LIQUORS” and selected some
bottles of wine. Just as Valentino reached for a bottle, a
slender hand reached for it and touched his hand.
“Oops, excuse me, I….” Valentino stammered as he looked down at
the floor.
“No, don’t be sorry.” A lilting voice said, giggling slightly.
Valentino looked up and into Placida’s eyes.
“Uh… Hi, Placida. I…” Valentino stumbled over his words as he
looked down to see Placida’s hand on his.
Placida blushed and quickly put her hand behind her
back.
“What’s happening with you two?”
Placida asked.
“Uh, we-we’re…” Valentino became more and more nervous as he
tried to speak.
“We’re just shopping for some things. Very vital things.” Pietro
replied.
Placida looked through the cart and smiled. “Wine, cheese,” she
looked at Pietro’s list and continued, “Two new mufflers for Aqua
Zeros, and perfume. Yes, very essential things by the sound of
it. Who’s buying the perfume?” she asked.
Pietro smiled and raised his hand. Placida winked.
“Renee likes French Lilac.”
Pietro stood at attention and saluted. “Yes Ma’am.”
“Well, shall we?” Placida lead the group down the hallway until
they reached the Perfume District and walked into the shop.
Valentino started to cough and splutter as the smell of perfume
overwhelmed his senses. Placida slapped Valentino’s back while he
continued to cough. He drew in a shuddering breath and sighed.
She looked down at him and smiled. “Are you okay?” She asked
sweetly.
“Yeah.” Valentino stood back up and took in a deep breath. The
group continued on as Pietro looked around for the perfect
perfume. After an hour of searching, Pietro raised a bottle in
triumph.
“Yes! This is it!” he crowed. He sprayed a small amount into the
air and Placida sniffed the aroma.
“Very nice. Renee will definitely like this.”
“Well, we’ve only got one more stop,” Pietro leaned in close to
Valentino, “Take her to the garden.” He whispered.
“W-What?” Valentino stammered.
“Go on, you knucklehead. Don’t waste this perfect opportunity by
helping me shop for mufflers which are for machines that aren’t
even yours, when you could be talking to a cute girl.” Pietro
smacked Valentino lightly on the back of the head, “Now,
go!”
Pietro began to walk toward the elevator. Placida took
Valentino’s hand in his and she ran to catch up to Pietro,
dragging Valentino behind her.
They entered the elevator and Pietro slapped two of the buttons
on the elevator control panel. The buttons for Floor 1 and Floor
0 glowed as the elevator door slammed shut and the elevator took
its passengers to their destinations. The door opened on Floor 1
and Pietro strode off the elevator. The door slammed shut behind
him and the elevator began its descent to floor 0.
“I wonder where Pietro went.” Placida thought out loud as the
pair stepped from the elevator and into the grassy area that was
the gardens of Deep Station. “Wow, its gorgeous here.” She
sighed.
“It is, isn’t it?” Valentino looked around. He breathed in
deeply, inhaling the warm, moist air.
He noticed a gelato stand in the corner of the garden. “Placida?
Do you want some gelato?”
“I’d love some.” The pair walked over to the stand, fingers
linked as they held hands.
“I’d like a scoop of berry please.” Placida took her gelato and
stood aside as Valentino ordered a scoop of chocolate, pulled a
few coins from his pocket and paid the vendor.
They sat by the waterfall in silence, Valentino occasionally
looking over at Placida.
She looked into his eyes and smiled. “You’ve got some gelato on
your nose.” She giggled and then kissed Valentino
softly.
“Wow.” Valentino sighed.
Just then, there was a commotion at the other end of the garden.
A large teenager roared as he threw a bench through the air. The
bench shattered against the waterfall fountain, sending shards of
wood flying all over. Valentino threw himself in front of
Placida, protecting her from the shrapnel. He growled as he
looked down at his arm and pulled out a long, jagged shard of
blood soaked wood.
“Valentino! Are you okay?” Placida exclaimed.
“Yeah, I… Think so.” Valentino snarled. He stood up and looked
over at the giant causing the trouble.
Valentino shook his head as an image of the demon in his
nightmares formed in front of him.
He walked over to the large teenager and looked up at him. “What
the hell is your problem!?”
“Huh? Who are you, pipsqueak?” The teenager replied
“That’s none of your concern.” Valentino snarled. “You should be
more concerned with what you’re going to get for causing all of
this trouble.”
“Oh, really now?” The teenager scoffed. He then grabbed Valentino
by his shirt collar and shook him. He went limp and his body
flailed around like a rag doll.
“Valentino!” Placida cried, her eyes welling with
tears.
The bully made a fist and started to punch Valentino, his fists
repeatedly making contact with Valentino’s face and stomach.
Valentino coughed up blood and then looked up at the bully’s
face, blood dripping from his eye. He made a grotesque grimace as
he smiled, his teeth drenched in blood.
Valentino stared at the bully, rage in his eyes. Suddenly, the
face from his nightmares flashed in front of his face, appearing
and smiling. Valentino screamed and began to punch the bully in
the chest. The bully laughed as he shook Valentino once more. “I
can’t even feel your fists, you loser.”
Valentino held up his arms and slipped out of his shirt, landing
on the grass. He looked up to see the demon’s visage once more
and he screamed, panicked anger in his voice and hatred in his
eyes. “You won’t get away with this!” He jumped backwards and ran
at the bully, his shoulder readied for a tackle. A loud crash
could be heard as Valentino slammed into the bully, knocking him
to the ground. His fists blasted into the bully’s face, making
wet cracking sounds as Valentino broke the bully’s
nose. The bully
cried and screamed as Valentino kept punching him, blow after
thundering blow, spraying blood all over. Pietro stepped from the
elevator to witness the chaos. He let his cart go and ran over to
the fight. He reached down and grabbed Valentino by the arms and
pulled him off of the bully. Valentino spun around, his fist
flying toward his friend’s face. He raised his hand and caught
Valentino’s fist. Valentino fell to his knees and started to cry
uncontrollably.
The bully stood up and started toward the pair, coughing and
spluttering, holding his nose in one hand and making a fist with
the other. Pietro looked at the bully coldly and shook his head.
‘Don’t you dare, you bastard.’ Pietro thought. The bully stopped
abruptly and yelled, “You think you’re tough, huh?! You’re
nothing, you loser! I’m coming back for you! You will regret
messing with me! I am Duilio!” He turned and ran, getting on the
elevator and leaving the scene.
Pietro sat down on the grass, pulling Valentino down with him. He
put his arm around Valentino as he cried hysterically, each sob
causing his body to shudder.
“What happened?” Pietro looked over at Placida.
“I don’t know. That guy just started to yell and throw stuff
around. He threw a park bench, which blew up on the rocks over
there,” she gestured to the fountain as she started to cry a
little. “Valentino saved me from the shrapnel of the bench.” She
knelt down beside Valentino and took him into her arms, rocking
him gently.
Pietro pulled his shirt off and ripped it, making a bandage for
Valentino’s arm. He gently wrapped it around the
wound.
“Bite down, Val. This is gonna hurt a little.” He tied it tightly
and Valentino howled.
People in the garden came over to check what was happening.
Whispers of concern filled the garden.
“He’s okay; don’t worry about it, kind citizens.” Pietro smiled
as he looked at the crowd, raising his blood soaked hand to hold
people back. “Oops.” He laughed as he put his hand down and wiped
it on the grass.
The crowd cheered as the trio got off of the grass and walked
toward the elevator that would lead them to the
exit.
Once back on dry land, the group walked down the dock to a
waiting gondola and got on and the boat slowly left the dock and
drifted down the canal, back to Valentino’s home.
Placida sat on one of the padded
benches and held an unconscious Valentino in her arms. She leaned
down and gently kissed Valentino’s forehead.
***
When Valentino awoke, he was back in his bed, his mother and
Pietro sat next to him.
“Hey man.” Pietro smiled as Valentino’s mother took out a wet
washcloth and dabbed his face with it.
“What happened to me?” He said hoarsely.
“Don’t you remember?” Pietro asked, confused.
“All I remember is being with Placida and…” Valentino stopped
suddenly, “Placida! Is she alright?! Oh no! I didn’t hurt her did
I?! Tell me!” he grabbed Pietro by the shirt collar and winced as
his arm began to throb.
Pietro pulled Valentino’s hands off of his shirt and gently laid
him back down. “No, Val. You didn’t hurt her. In fact…” he
trailed off, “You fought off that psycho. That’s why your arm is
hurt right now. Don’t you remember at all?”
“No! I don’t care about the
fight! All I care about is that Placida is going to hate me!” He
cried, gripping his blankets and shaking.
“She doesn’t hate you, man. You SAVED her life.” Pietro reassured
him.
“But I acted like a freak, and I don’t even remember doing
anything!” Valentino exclaimed, panic in his voice.
The door to Valentino’s room squeaked as it opened slowly.
Suddenly, Valentino felt a light kiss on his cheek and saw a pair
of slim arms wrap around his chest.
“I don’t hate you, Valentino.” He turned his head to see
Placida’s beautiful green eyes staring into his.
“You saved me from being hurt by that maniac. If anything….”
Placida hesitated as she looked down and blushed. “I love you,
Valentino.” Pietro cleared his throat and stood up, looking at
Mrs. Endrico, his eyes motioning toward the door.
“I gotta go, uh, help my dad.” Pietro walked toward the door.
“I’ll see you when you come back to school, and I’ll tell the
other girls that you’re okay.” He waved at his friend and
left.
“I have some laundry to do.” Valentino’s mother quietly left the
room, leaving Placida and Valentino alone.
“Oh Placida, I’m so sorry.” Valentino looked into her eyes, a
tear falling from his eye. He winced as the salt from the tear
stung his wounds. “I don’t know what happened. All I remember is
being with you and then being taken home, covered in wounds. I’m
so sorry.” Placida put her finger on his lips and pulled him
close, kissing him passionately.
“I- I…” Valentino looked into her eyes, “I love you Placida. I
always have, ever since I first saw you. I was just too shy to
say anything.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to make up for lost time, then won’t
we?” Placida smiled, “But, right now,” She stood up slowly, “I
have to go. It’s nearly curfew.” She backed out of the room and
slowly shut the door. Valentino sat in bed for a moment,
listening to Placida’s footsteps as they faded down the hallway,
and then flopped back down onto his bed. He grimaced as his arm
began to throb with pain, and then he drifted to sleep,
smiling.
CHAPTER 3:
Valentino looked around. He was in the realm of darkness and mist
of his nightmares. The monster knelt in front of him, looking
deep into his eyes with its own lifeless orbs.
“Hello, Valentino.” The monster snarled. “Do you remember me
now?”
“Yes.” Valentino looked down, his voice filled with sorrow. “But
why are you back now? What do you want with me?”
“I’m not the one who came back, you wanted me back.” The demon
replied.
“I remember who you are, but nothing else about what’s
happening.”
Suddenly, two tree stumps appeared from the mist, seeming to rise
from the ground. “Sit with me Valentino, my former friend, and I
will tell you our story.” The demon beckoned to the stump, and
Valentino and the monster sat on the tree stumps, ready to speak
about events long since past.
“Long ago, when you were a young child of eight, you were picked
on by bullies, quite a lot in fact. You told me so. You created
me to feel secure. You created me as I am to be your imaginary
guardian. To help you be stronger than your tormentors.” The
monster smiled, its’ massive fangs shining and glistening in the
darkness.
Valentino nodded as memories began to flood back into his
mind.
“You named me Demonio. I stood by your side for many
years as you grew. Then, eventually, you let me go, as you no
longer needed me to protect you, since you were growing
up.”
“Oh, wow. I remember now.” Valentino gasped.
“When I left your side, I never left your world. I was always
watching you.” Demonio sighed.
“Where were you? I don’t remember having any contact with you
after you left me.”
“I lived in all of those places where monsters dwell, the closet,
under your bed, the shadows in corners.”
“But why are you back in my life now?” Valentino looked
confused.
Suddenly, Valentino could feel his astral body begin to shake
violently. He tried to yell out to Demonio as the realm vanished
slowly.
Valentino was shocked awake by a tight feeling in his chest. He
sat up as he began to cough violently. His body shook violently
as he tried to take in short, harsh breaths. His mother ran in
with some tea.
“Here, honey. Drink this.” She handed him a warm cup of honey
tea. He drank the tea slowly, his coughing slowly
subsiding.
His breathing slowed as he relaxed. He lay back down and looked
out his window. The sun was setting.
‘Wow, I slept through the whole day.’ He thought to
himself.
“I’ll go get you some soup, okay?” Valentino’s mother left the
room.
An hour later, there was a knock on the door. Valentino’s mother
slowly walked in and placed some soup and a chunk of bread on his
bedside table.
“You have some visitors.” She ran
her fingers through her son’s hair and kissed his
forehead.
The door opened and Mrs. Endrico left as Pietro and Renee entered
and sat down next to him.
“Hey, man.” Pietro said as he reached into his backpack and
pulled out a bottle of wine and three glasses.
“Hi, Valentino, how are you doing?” Renee asked.
Valentino coughed and held his wounded arm.
“I think I’ll live.” He laughed weakly.
“Here, drink this.” Pietro handed him a glass of wine and then
poured a glass each for both he and Renee.
“A cheers to our insane friend Valentino here,” Pietro raised his
glass, “for being brave in the face of adversity,” he continued,
his voice filled with false grandeur, “and for being stupid
enough to not only think he could take on a guy three times his
size, while injured, I might add, but for doing just that, and
actually beating him!”
The three raised their glasses and then drank. Valentino tipped
his glass back and drank it all at once. He sighed as the
familiar feeling of cool wine could be felt on his
lips.
“I
missed that.” He sighed as he fell back onto his pillow, smiling.
“I haven’t had any wine since the fight.”
e
“That’s no good.” Renee giggled as she finished the last of her
glass of wine.
“So what’s happening with you and Placida?” Renee asked,
winking.
“I think we’re a couple now,” Valentino blushed and looked down.
“She kissed me.”
“Way to go, man!” Pietro
crowed, “I was wondering when you were gonna ask her out!
Certainly took you long enough.”
“Actually,” Valentino coughed slightly, “She asked me.” He said,
reaching over to eat some of his soup.
“Well, that’s great.” Renee
looked at him. “I guess you’re going to have to heal up fast then
won’t you? Don’t want to take her out on a date looking like
that.”
Valentino looked down at his bandages. “Yeah, you’re right, about
that.” He laughed.
“When you finally get your lazy hide out of bed, you and I are
going suit shopping.” Pietro snapped his fingers.
“You don’t wear suits, man.” Valentino looked at him,
confused.
“Normally, no, but now I have to make a good impression on
Renee’s parents.”
“What kind of worse first impression could you possibly make?”
Renee held Pietro’s hand.
“Why, whatever do you mean, dearest?” Pietro looked over
curiously.
“You kidnapped their daughter
along with a class full of other girls and dragged them all over
New Venice on a dock you stole from one of the city walkways,
then snuck it back, lying to a patrolman in the process. All
while breaking curfew.” She replied, her voice full of
laughter.
“Well, I brought your parents a basket to make up for that now,
didn’t I? Besides, I brought back their lovely daughter in one
piece. I stole her heart, maybe, but I brought her back in one
piece.” Pietro looked around innocently, whistling to
himself.
Valentino laughed, holding his sides and groaning. “Yeah, Renee,
what ARE you talking about?”
“And you!” Renee stood up, wagging her finger in Valentino’s face
mockingly, “Stealing that sweet, innocent exchange student’s
heart with your quiet, roguish charms.” Renee huffed, “How could
you?”
Valentino raised his hands in the air, “I’m completely innocent,
really I am!”
“Humph.” Renee turned toward the window with her arms crossed,
tapping her foot.
“Wow. We must’ve really messed up.” Valentino looked over at
Renee’s reflection in the window. She was grinning. “You’ve
screwed up with more girls than I have Pietro. How do we fix
this?”
“Well, normally, I’d say we just go out and find other girls to
go out with,” He smiled devilishly at Renee’s reflection, “I
mean, we’re two charming young bachelors in a class composed
entirely of cute girls.” Renee turned around, one eyebrow raised.
“But that would be a normal situation, of course.” He turned to
look into Renee’s eyes, “These two girls we have are special,
wouldn’t you agree?” He asked Valentino.
“Yes, indeed they are.” Valentino replied.
“That wouldn’t stop us from flirting, of course.” Pietro grinned
as Renee hit his arm.
“How do you keep him under control Val?” she
laughed.
“I don’t. I just try to make sure he doesn’t get too hurt when he
gets slapped by a girl.” He replied. “That’s just how it’s always
worked.”
Renee looked at her watch and kissed Pietro on the cheek,
standing on her tiptoes. “Sorry boys, I have to go.” She looked
over at Valentino, “I’ll tell Placida you’re doing better, and
I’ll send your love to all the girls in class.” She waved as she
left Valentino’s home.
The pair sat silently for a moment while Pietro poured another
glass of wine for each of them.
“Hey, whatever happened to your stuff from Deep Station?”
Valentino asked, “I hope you didn’t lose it because of
me.”
“Nah.” Pietro drank from his glass. “The cart was still there
when I went back. I went home with all my stuff and installed the
new mufflers. The Zeros run way better now. Much
faster.”
“Good.” Valentino sighed, “Pietro?” Pietro looked up from his
glass. Thanks for saving me back there. In Deep Station, I
mean.”
“No problem.” Pietro reached into his bag. “Actually, I have a
gift for you.”
“Hm?” Valentino looked over. “What for?”
“Well,” Pietro pulled out a small box, “When I went back to the
gardens to pick up my stuff, I noticed lots of patrolmen walking
around, looking for evidence, probably, but I snuck in and found
this.” He handed the box to Valentino. He opened it and inside
was a gold chain wrapped around a glass orb. Inside the sphere
was a tooth.
“What is this?” Valentino asked.
“It’s a trophy of your victory, of course. It’s the tooth of the
guy you knocked out.” Pietro pointed at the tooth, “You can even
see where you managed to chip it.” Pietro replied.
“Wow, I did that?” Valentino looked closely at the
orb.
“Yep, you did. Listen man, I gotta go. Got school tomorrow.”
Pietro picked up his backpack and waved as he left the
room.
Valentino placed the orb on his
bedside table and went to sleep.
***
After a week of rest, Valentino arrived back at school amid
whispers of his fellow students. He limped down the hall toward
Pietro, who was talking to Renee. They looked over at Valentino
as he limped over to them.
“Hey Val. Good to see you back on your feet again.” Pietro leaned
on his locker.
“Hey guys.” Valentino said weakly. “What’s everyone whispering
about?”
“Why, your triumphant return, as
well as the fact you beat a big guy like that senseless.” Pietro
laughed.
“I see your wearing your chain.” Renee smiled
slyly.
“Yeah, I guess…” Valentino trailed off as he looked around. “Oh,
man. I’m gonna be so swamped with school work. Not to mention
exams.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the price you pay for being a hero, I
suppose.” Pietro replied. “You didn’t think it was going to be a
huge parade, did you?”
Valentino was just about to respond, when he felt a kiss on his
neck. “Hey Val.” Valentino turned to see Placida’s smiling
face.
“Hi.” Valentino reached for her hand.
“The girls are going to be so excited to see you back. We’ve all
missed you.” Placida kissed his cheek.
“Have you guys heard?” A girl from their class walked up, “We’ve
got a new guy in class…” She was cut off suddenly by a loud noise
at the other end of the hall.
“You!” A loud, vaguely familiar voice could be heard at the end
of the hall. “You’re dead!”
Everyone looked toward the voice. It was Duilio. His massive
fists were clenched and his face was twisted into a hideous
sneer. “I’m going to finish what we started! You won’t live to
see your next birthday!” Duilio began to walk down the hallway,
hunched and snarling. He broke into a run, barreling through the
crowd toward the injured Valentino. Pietro stepped in front of
his friend, holding out one arm. He placed his hand on Duilio’s
chest and said, “Stop. Now.” He said, glaring.
“What are you going to do about it, four eyes?” Duilio
snarled.
Pietro took off his glasses and slowly folded them up and placed
them in his pocket.
“Ask me again now that I’m not wearing my glasses.” He balled up
one of his fists and smiled.
Duilio snarled and backed away. “This isn’t over, losers! Not by
a long shot.”
“Well, I think it is.” Pietro put his glasses back on and pushed
them back onto his nose. Renee placed her arms on Pietro’s
shoulders.
“Thanks, man. I don’t think I could have fought with him again.”
Valentino said as Placida helped him into class.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Renee turned and ran down the hall
toward her class.
Pietro placed his hands into his pockets and walked into class,
his head hanging. “Another day in class.” He
sighed.
***
After school, the group walked down the docks of the canals. “How
close are you to finishing up the work you missed?” Renee asked
Valentino.
He looked over at her. “I’m actually pretty close to being done.
As well as doing all the extra work I’m being given for exam
preparation.”
“Not bad. Not bad.” Renee replied.
“Damn. It’s almost curfew
again.” Pietro cursed as he looked down at his watch. “We’ll have
to talk tomorrow.” Pietro turned to look at his friend, “Are you
going to be okay walking home by
yourself?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” Valentino replied as he looked down
the canal docks, their wet surfaces shining in the light of the
setting sun.
“See you tomorrow.” Placida kissed Valentino’s
cheek.
“See you tomorrow, love.” Valentino lightly brushed her hair from
her eyes and kissed her lips.
“Okay, okay, you two. Break it up.” Renee laughed. “Let’s
go.”
The rest of the group walked down the docks, leaving Valentino
alone. He turned and headed in the opposite direction, limping
toward his home. He looked up as Duilio suddenly appeared from
nowhere.
“We’ve got some business to
finish, loser.” He snarled. “Now that your friend isn’t here to
save your neck, I’m going to rip you apart.”
Valentino looked down to the ground and sighed. He looked up at
his opponent and saw instead the face of Demonio.
“I don’t think you learned your lesson from the first time, did
you?” Valentino
scoffed. “I think this might refresh your memory.” He held up the
chain, the glass orb containing Duilios’ lost tooth shimmering in
the sunset.
“There’s not a patrolman to be seen.” Valentino grinned
maliciously, “If you want this back,” he held the chain in his
hand, letting it swing in the light breeze, “then come
on.”
Duilio charged at Valentino, throwing his fists. Valentino
laughed loudly as he skipped around Duilio, feeling as if he was
floating as he dodged every punch.
“You’re not moving fast enough. You’ll never hit me that way.”
Valentino laughed as he danced around his opponent. Duilio swiped
at Valentino one last time and he caught Duilios’ fist in his
small hand. “That’s enough now.” Valentino said softly as he
leapt into the air and over Duilio, bringing his arm with him,
holding it behind his back.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” Duilio yelled as Valentino held his
arm in place. Valentino was silent as he clenched his fist. He
could feel his body throb with pain as the muscles in his injured
arm tensed, the bandages on his arm ripping
slightly.
“This is over.” Valentino threw his entire body behind the final
blow. His fist connecting with Duilio’s back. Duilio gasped as he
felt the air leave his lungs. He fell to his knees and took in a
short breath.
“Now,” Valentino whispered, “You’re going to leave me, my
friends, and everyone else alone. Understood?” he smiled, “Nod if
you understand.”
Duilio nodded slightly and Valentino let go of his arm, letting
him fall to the docks with a thud.
***
Valentino awoke in his bed, his body throbbing with pain. The
voices of his mother as well as an unrecognizable male voice
could be heard downstairs. Valentino groaned and held his head.
He looked around his room, confused as he tried to remember what
had happened. All he could remember was walking with his friends,
and then waking up in his room.
The door to his room opened, and his mother and a patrolman
entered. His mother looked at him with tears in her
eyes.
“What’s going on?” Valentino asked.
“Son,” The patrolman said gruffly, “You’re going to have to come
with me.”
“What’s happening!?” Valentino cried as the patrolman put
shackles on his hands and feet. His mother cried as he was lead
out of the room and downstairs to the dock outside his home where
a motorboat was waiting. “Come along, son.” The
patrolman lead him into the boat and the engine rumbled as it
vanished into the night.
***
“Please! I don’t know what’s happening. What did I do?” Valentino
asked while the patrolman was filling out arrest
papers.
“You honestly don’t remember the beating you handed that young
man?” The patrolman asked as he led Valentino into a small,
filthy cell and locked him in.
“I seriously don’t remember!” Valentino yelled as the patrolman
walked down the hall and away from the cells.
Valentino sat on the bed and started to sob. He couldn’t
understand why this was happening. He lay down and closed his
eyes, crying himself to sleep.
***
The next day, Valentino awoke and looked around. The guard was
stood at the door with a tray of food.
“Time for chow.” The guard slid the tray through a slot on the
bottom of the bars and left.
He got up and reached for the food. He picked at it, not really
that hungry. He sighed and put the food aside. He lay back down
and looked at the ceiling. He looked out into the hall as he
heard voices in the distance. He closed his eyes and tried to
remember what had happened that night.
“Valentino?” He opened his eyes to see his mother’s tearful eyes.
He got off the bed and walked to the bars.
“I’m so sorry, mom. I don’t even remember what happened. I’m so
sorry.”
She put her hand through the bars and Valentino held her hand in
his.
“I know son. I have some good news.” She smiled.
“What?” Valentino looked at her, his eyes dull and
tired.
“The officer is going to let you go.” She smiled, “But only if
you agree to one thing.”
“What? Anything you want mom.” Valentino’s eyes
brightened.
“You have to be checked out at the local Asylum to make sure
you’re not sick.”
“That sounds alright, I guess.” Valentino smiled as the guard let
him out of the cell and into his mothers’ waiting
arms.
“Alright son, let’s go.” The patrolman handcuffed him and led him
down the hallway and out into a docked area. The group got into a
boat and slowly proceeded down the canal to the
asylum.
***
“Well,” the doctor said after finishing his examination, “He
appears to be sound of mind. Although he doesn’t claim to
remember what happened, it seems he is stable. He may leave.” The
doctor left the room and the patrolman took Valentino and his
mother back to the boat, and back to their home.
***
The next day, Pietro came to Valentino’s home. He walked into his
friends’ room and looked down at him, lying on his
bed.
“Hey, man.” Pietro sat down next to Valentino’s bed. “I heard you
got into a bit of trouble after we left you alone the other
night. What happened?”
“I was attacked by Duilio.” Valentino rolled over to look out his
window. “I won, apparently.”
“Wow. What happened?” Pietro sat up straight, his interest
piqued.
“I don’t remember. After you left, I ran into Duilio, and the
next thing I knew, I was lying in bed, feeling miserable. Then I
got put in jail until my mom came to get me.” He sighed. “I wish
I knew what was happening to me.”
“Well, as long as you’re alright now. Come on. We have somewhere
to go.”
“Where?” Valentino asked weakly.
“We’ve gotta go get our suits. Remember? Then we’ve got to go
meet the girls so we can meet their parents.” Pietro
replied.
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s worth me bothering now. I’m
sure Placida and the other girls hate me after this.” Valentino
sighed.
“Not at all, young sir,” Pietro reassured him, “In fact, now that
you’ve beaten Duilio in a fight, the girls think you’re
‘dangerous’ and ‘misunderstood’. If anything, you’re more popular
now than ever, and Placida is considered the luckiest girl in
school.” Pietro wrapped his friends’ head in his arm and rubbed
his head with his fist. “You’re still not as tough as me,
though.” Valentino looked from under his hair and
smiled.
“Let’s go.” Valentino got up and the pair ran down the dock where
a gondola was waiting for them. They got on the boat and floated
down the canal toward Deep Station.
***
“That suit looks perfect on you!” The tall, brunette saleswoman
looked at Pietro in his new tuxedo which was black with a silver
vest and crystal neck clip. He walked over to the mirror and
admired himself.
“You think so?” Pietro asked her.
“Oh, absolutely!” She exclaimed. “The black really works on you.
It makes you look even taller than you already are.” She winked
at him.
“Well, I guess I’d have to rely on the opinion of such a
beautiful woman such as yourself.” Pietro gently took the woman’s
hand and kissed it.
Valentino coughed. “I wonder what Renee will think.” Pietro
looked over at his friend with a large grin on his face as the
saleswoman helped Valentino fix up his tuxedo.
“Wow, if I were ten years younger, I’d be completely in love with
you. You look amazing!” Valentino blushed as the woman gushed
over him. “Come on; let’s go take a look at you, shall we?” She
took his hand and walked him over to the mirror.
“Not bad, man. I didn’t think you could clean up like that, or at
all, actually.” Pietro laughed.
Valentino looked himself over in the mirror. His suit was white,
with a black turtleneck shirt. Silver buttons were fastened to
the cuffs of the jacket. His shoes were black with white tips on
the toes.
“Wow, I DO look good, don’t I?” Valentino smiled and looked
around. “I think I see something else I want.” He walked to a
rack covered in gloves. He picked up a pair of black leather
biker gloves and slipped them on.
“Nice.” Pietro walked to the cash register and swiped his card.
“Now quit admiring yourself and get over here.”
Valentino swiped his card as well. “Well, I guess we have to go.
The girls should be waiting for us.”
Pietro took the saleswoman’s hand and kissed it once more. “You
have been a most gracious and beautiful hostess, madam.” He bowed
and then stood up straight, spinning on the balls of his feet.
“Let’s go, shall we, young sir?” The saleswoman giggled and shook
her head as the pair of friends left the store and walked down
the hall back toward the elevator.
“How long do we have?” Valentino looked up at Pietro as the two
rode the elevator to the tram station.
“We’ve got about a half hour left.” Pietro looked down at his
watch. “Wanna take a quick cruise when we get back to your
place?”
“We only have a half hour. We can’t do anything in half an hour.”
Valentino said as the pair walked toward the elevator, “besides,
we’ll get our suits wet, and you have to go meet Renee’s family,
remember?”
“Hmm. I suppose so, eh? That’s too bad.” Pietro said as the two
got onto the elevator and rose back to the tram
station.
***
The pair arrived back on the docks outside Valentino’s home and
looked out over the canal, the setting sun turning the water of
the canals into a dark crimson, dappled with sparkles of
orange.
“Good luck, man.” Valentino shook his friends’
hand.
“Thanks.” Pietro breathed deeply, inhaling the smell of the clean
water. “When are you going to meet Placida’s
family?”
“Tomorrow night.” Valentino leaned up against one of the posts of
the dock and sighed. “I just hope nothing happens between now and
then.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine.” Pietro hopped onto his
Aqua Zero and slowly drifted down the canal toward Renee’s
home.
***
The next day at school, the halls were silent. The students
looked on in awe as Valentino slowly walked down the hall toward
class.
“What’s going on?” Valentino looked around,
confused.
Before Pietro could answer, Placida leapt at Valentino, wrapping
her arms around him.
“Are you okay?!” Placida looked into Valentino’s eyes. “I heard
what happened.”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little confused.” Valentino smiled
weakly.
“Well, as long as you’re feeling okay. You have to meet my
parents, remember?” Placida nuzzled Valentino’s neck and let go
of him.
The bells rang to signal the beginning of class.
“Let’s go.” Placida took Valentino’s hand and dragged him to
class; Pietro and Renee following close behind. As they entered
the class, the girls in the class all surrounded Valentino,
hugging him and smiling.
“Hi, girls.” Valentino looked around at all of his
classmates.
He then looked at the back of the room, seeing Duilio sitting
hunched in his seat, arms crossed, and a sour look on his face.
Valentino went pale and began to tremble slightly as Duilio
glared at him.
“Alright, class. Let’s get started on our lessons.” Mr Aldo’s
voice rang throughout the classroom.
The
class snapped to attention and the day began. Valentino couldn’t
concentrate as he felt Duilio’s eyes on him. Demonio’s smiling
visage appeared before him and he shook his head, trying to
concentrate on his work.
