The question plagued Liviana's mind, and it didn't take long for the fear and worry to join it.She couldn't stop thinking about it. Why would Emilia run away when it seems as though she already had everything worked out? She had a plan, and Emilia had always been strict with her practicality. What would be grave enough to have her abandoned it all completely? What could possibly be so bad that it would make Emilia abandon her family? Her siblings? Liviana didn't understand. It was all so sudden, and yet, that night, she never thought to question it.Liviana cursed herself for being so thoughtless, though she couldn't hold herself at fault entirely. Back then, she had no reason to question her sister - who had mentioned running away more times than she could remember during their youth. In all honesty, Livi believed it was only a matter of time before Emilia snapped and finally went through with it. And though she missed her sister dearly, she could never blame or resent Emilia for he
It was as if the moment the words left her mouth, the world around them changed. Life was different. Liviana couldn't explain how, as it was a mere feeling- a pang in her heart every so often as she becomes painfully aware of her situation.The realization hit like a truck when the thought first crossed her mind. She didn't want to believe it, but there was a nagging feeling in her gut that told her something was wrong, and she needed to look deeper. It was over the course of a week, after days of trying to ignore that unsettling feeling stirring inside her, that Liviana's demeanor began to crack and the thoughts she had tried so hard to ignore became all she could think about. They consumed her, and soon, they were the only thing on her mind. She should have known it would have come spilling out of her sooner or later- she never had been good at secrets of her own.Liviana hoped that telling Blaze would help. She wasn't sure how as there was nothing he could do- he was a mere listene
"I hate them!"A young Liviana startled in her seat when, out of nowhere, her bedroom door is thrown open and Emilia storms into her room with the complaint. "I hate it here," the older sister pouted, kicking the door shut behind her before collapsing onto her sister's satin sheets, climbing into the bed with her to vent. "I can't wait to grow up and leave. I need to get out of here!"Livi frowns, reaching over to gently pat Emilia's back, watching as she takes a moment to bury her face in a pillow and scream. She couldn't help but chuckle as she observed the action, asking the dreadful question only after her sister quieted. "What did they do now?"Emilia pushes herself up, propping herself up on her elbows to face her sister, who frowns at the sight of tears glistening in Emilia's eyes. "They lied," she says. "Again."Head tilting in her confusion, Liviana asks, "what?" She questions softly. "What did they lie about?""The car," Emilia answers, watching as her sister grows all the
"Are you sure about this?" Liviana asked, sparing a paranoid glance over her shoulder in worry. She couldn't believe they were doing this."Yep," Emilia nods, marching through their parents' garage with a determination Livi had never seen in her sister until now. And in all honesty, the look in her eyes scared Liviana, and she couldn't help but disagree."I don't know about this," she says, slowing to a stop and looking back at the elevator they had come from, scared of who could follow. "I think we should just go back-""Livi!" Emilia throws her head back with a groan. "Come on, it's fine! Just come look before you leave-""But what if-""What if we live a little?" Emilia cuts her sister off, spinning on her heels to face her sister with the question. "What if we do this and it's the best night of our lives?"Liviana frowns, arms crossing over her chest as she ponders the thought. Would one night be worth it? "What if it's not?""But what if it is?" Emilia stresses. "We'll never know
Blaze could practically feel his heart tie itself into a knot in his chest at the sound of another distraction. Would he ever get the timing right? He sighs at the thought, turning around to greet the man, whose voice he recognizes immediately."Bryce," he greets, pushing out of his chair and offering the man his hand to shake. "There you are! We were beginning to think you got lost.""What can I say? I run on my own time." Bryce shrugs it off, giving Blaze's hand a shake before he rounds the table to take the seat across from the 'happy couple.'"That would have been something to mention days ago when we arranged this meeting," Blaze points, and the detective rolls his eyes. "I specifically asked for a time that suited you-""I'm here, aren't I?"Blaze only hums, narrowing his eyes at his 'old friend', and Liviana coughs."Uh- Blaze," she murmurs, reaching to take his hand in hers and giving it a gentle tug with a silent demand- if not a gentle ask for him to sit. "He's here. That's
A younger Liviana wrung her hands together as she climbed the stairs, following her mother's bellows all the way to her bedroom door. "Liviana?!"She flinches at the screech of her name, taking a step back to compose herself. "Breathe," she reminds herself, stilling for that of second before she's startled by another shout of her name. "Shit," she curses, rounding the corner into her mother's bedroom and asking, "yes, mom?""Finally!" Drusilla throws her arms up. "Where in God's name have you been?" She demands, asking what had taken her so long. "Didn't you hear me calling?""I'm sorry, mom," Liviana apologizes. "I was outside with-""I don't care to hear your excuses, young lady!" Drusilla scoffs, scolding the girl for her lack of responsibility. "What if I was hurt, hmm?" She questions. "What if I was in danger? Or worse, dying? What would you have to say for yourself then, huh?""I'm sorry-"Drusilla scoffs once again. "Your apologies mean nothing to me, Liviana. Do better!" She
The moment Liviana left the restaurant that night, it felt as if she was walking into a world void of air. It was as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the planet - if not just her lungs - and she couldn't breathe for days afterward. It was all too heavy, and she wasn't sure she could handle it. How does one go about their life knowing that nothing was as it seems? Knowing that, at any God given moment, it could all be taken away from her? How was she supposed to go about her day knowing that each second could be her last? She just couldn't.Liviana was no stranger when it came to living her life in fear. She knew paranoia all too well, almost like an old friend she was introduced to by none other than her parents. Childhood was rough, and Liviana could say with confidence that she was raised in fear. It surrounded her. It became her. She was scared of everything. And that was always her biggest problem.After dinner with the detective, Liviana only grew all the more paranoi
Liviana didn't know what to do with herself.After her argument with Tino, it was as if the thoughts doubled in tenfold and her mind couldn't - wouldn't - stop. All night she was forced to sit with herself, overwhelmed by her endless thoughts and memories while she retraced every inch and wondered, where did it all go wrong?She would look back on her life, spending hours sorting through all the memories, and it was as if every time she did, she could spot a new lie. It didn't take long for her to have a mental list going, and the more she added, the more she wondered, was any of it real? Where did the lies stop? Where did this act she perfected end? When was enough, enough? Nothing was ever enough for Drusilla and Alonzo - Livi scoffs at the thought, turning over where she lies in her bed. And then came the dreaded thought. What about her siblings? One was dead, one disappeared, and the other seemingly despised her. Her eyes water at the thought, and she pulls the blanket over her
"Well, here we are!" Liviana announces, pausing outside of the closed door and pulling the man to a stop. "Your new bedroom," she says, cracking the door open and insisting he take a look for himself. "What do you think?""Wow," Luka mutters, strolling inside with a hum and a quick look around. "Nice place you've got here, Liv. Looks like it's fit for a king."She couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "Because it is," she tells, reminding the man of who it was built for. And Blaze Castelli would accept nothing but the best for himself and his wife. They deserved a nice place to call their home, and he made sure that that's exactly what they got. She could see the irritation flash across his face at the reminder, and she has to refrain from sighing as she switches from what seemed to be a sensitive topic. "So... do you like it?"Luka shrugs, eyes cast away from her own as he scans the bedroom he deemed his own. "Yeah," he answers after a moment of wonder. "I think that I do.""You th
"Why are you here?" Luka repeats the tired question, face to face with his supposed best friend who, at this point, he wasn't sure he recognized. Are they even best friends anymore? Could he even call them that? He would always be hers, but... could he call her his? God, he hoped so.Liviana narrows her eyes, refraining from an eye roll as she finds herself right back where she started. When was he going to get it? Could he? Would he ever understand? "Luke, I already told you-""No," Luka denies. "You already lied to me," he corrects. "And now- now I want the truth.""The truth? Oh, my gosh- what are you even talking about?" She stresses. "What makes you think I'm lying, huh?""Because I know you, Liviana!" He says. "I know you, and I know that you don't belong here - that you wouldn't have come if you didn't want to. You have to have a reason.""My sister is my reason!" Livi defends. "I would do anything for Emilia! You know that-""Anything? Really?""Yes!" She nods. "Anything - any
Hours passed by and before anyone knew it, it was 3AM and the party was in full-swing - somehow even crazier than it was before. Liviana almost couldn't believe it, having thought it couldn't have gotten any worse. But of course, she was wrong, and it did - it got worse.Drinks were flowing faster than the blood from her raging heart, and she could hear the wild beat of it drumming loudly in her ears as she danced - or at least tried to dance. Today she had found out that she wasn't such a good dancer, after all. And no amount of ballet lessons had changed that. Mostly, she just jumped around and smiled, calling it dancing as a desperate cover - something her friend had no problem pointing out."Do you even know what you're doing?" Luka wondered, grinning as he watched the girl frolic in the middle of the dance floor, and he just couldn't help himself - he had to tease her, even if only a little, because, otherwise, what kind of friend would he really be?"Of course I do!" She insists
Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed, and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.
A young Liviana sat quietly, nervously, in the corner of the over-crowded room, people watching as though her life depended on it. What was she watching for? Not even she was sure. But that didn't stop her from looking.Her green eyes scanned over the crowd with caution, darting around from face to face and person to person. She watches them closely, almost as if she was waiting for something. And in a way, she was. She was looking for clarity, waiting and hoping it would find her and help her make the right choices. Liviana was waiting on her guardian angel to offer some wisdom, but it was clear her angel must have been busy, having failed to provide guidance on each instance as of late. She was beginning to wonder if she even had one anymore... maybe she quit - who knows? Sighing at the thought, she tilts her head back, resting it against the wall and allowing herself a short break. Her eyes fall shut, and for a moment, she just thinks - listens. She just is. The air was hot, thic
Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.F
The set of the three Santora siblings approaches the lively house with caution. "Is this it?" Liviana asks, stopping to stare up at the place that was practically bursting at the seams with people. She couldn't believe she was here. She never thought they would actually make it - she hoped Emilia was more reasonable, and prayed she would come to her senses. And yet, here they were. They finally made it."Yeah," Emilia mutters, a smile stretching widely across her lips as she takes in the view behind her. It was everything she could have ever hoped it'd be. It was the perfect picture - practically ripped right out of the movies. And God, she couldn't wait to join in. "Come on! Let's go!"Suddenly, the girl is surging forward and rushing up the stairs, calling for her siblings to follow her in what they could only imagine being an overcrowded, overstimulating mess. It was safe to say that Liviana and Tino were nowhere near as excited as their sister was. "Wait!" Livi calls, taking a st
"How much farther?" A young Liviana questioned, trailing behind her siblings and dragging her feet with her dread. "I thought you said it wasn't far-""Because it's not," Emilia insists. "It's just up ahead.""Are you sure?" She asks, unsure of herself as well as her sister. Emilia didn't seem to know what she was doing, and it scared Liviana. Why did she agree to this?Emilia huffs, nodding. "Yes, Liviana. I'm sure," she says. "Just trust me, alright? I know what I'm doing."Did she? Liviana couldn't be sure, and she wasn't sure she wanted to stick around to find out. Was this really worth it? She didn't think so. "You know," Liviana clears her throat, skipping a step to catch up to her siblings. "It's not too late.""Too late?" Tino echoes. "Too late for what?""Too late to turn back-"At this, Emilia comes to a halt and whips around to face her sister. "Go back?" She asks, her eyebrows knitting together as she asks, "what do you mean turn back?""I mean that it's not too late to ba
Young Liviana sat quietly on her bed, her head hanging low in her hands as her mind spun. What was she doing? What was she supposed to do?Her mind was running in circles, replaying those dreadful conversations over and over again and forcing her to face the questions she hated to have to answer. Which one of her siblings would she stand by? Emilia or Ben? Who did she trust more?The thought alone was upsetting, and she couldn't bring herself to answer it. How could she ever choose between the two? They were both her biggest protectors - in their own ways - and she needed them. How was she expected to pick a side and betray the two people she loved most in the world? It was an impossible decision, and she couldn't wrap her head around it. Emilia or Ben? Her sister or her brother? Her head or her heart?"Fuck," she curses, eyes squeezing tightly shut at the sharp pain she feels shooting through her temple. The question itself sounded difficult and painful, but it felt worse than she