The dessert had been well-received, Belinda noted with satisfaction, watching Tom clean the mold with a finger and lick it with gusto. It was a good thing he was there to satisfy her, since her sister, strangely, hadn't managed to finish hers.
Naomi continued to pick at her plate, turning the dessert over, without eating it.
Belinda looked at her sideways, unable to interpret her attitude. She returned her gaze to Tom for a few moments, but he still wouldn't meet her eyes.
When she woke up, in the late afternoon, she reached the living room and found them busy setting the table and watching TV.
It was getting dark, and the sky was still dark from the rain. They had watched several news programs to see if an improvement was forecast, but it looked like the storm would continue all evening. Fortunately, despite the heavy rain, there had been no accidents or disasters.
They'd decided to have dinner earlier than usual and go to bed early, since there was no one else home except them. André had called to make sure everything was okay and said they'd meet the next day to go to the recording studio because he'd had an idea.
"What, you want to propose another episode of our lives?" Kristian snorted. "I'm sick of you two going on and on about how many times you've fought, how many women Tom's had, or how many new tattoos we've gotten."
"I don't like it either, but it seems like these are requests fans post on our website," Bill replied.
"We could do without it," Tom mused. "We already have videos of us playing, eating, hanging out, etc.... with all the material on Bill, we could fill three DVDs!"
"Look, they're also asking about you," his brother protested.
"You'll understand!" Klaus exclaimed. "Everyone knows you're the big star! If it were up to me, I'd tell everyone to go to hell. Besides, who cares what flavor my toothpaste is? Are they trying to pitch me an ad campaign?"
Everyone laughed and continued for a while, commenting on the many pointless questions posed by journalists and fans alike. The most popular queries were about Bill's hair and Tom's girlfriends.
"I don't know how you do it," Belinda commented thoughtfully, turning to Bill.
"Doing what?"
"Being so calm, knowing that there are millions of girls out there who dream of nothing more than touching you, kissing you, and sleeping with you."
"If they think of me, that's cool!" Tom replied.
"For me, it's disturbing. Just the thought of strangers' hands touching you, eyes watching your every move, people wanting to know what you're thinking... brrr! It gives me the shivers!"
"Looking at it that way, I agree, it's not a good thing, but..." Bill scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Hey, don't give him a hard time now!" Kristian chided her, laughing.
"Yeah, he'll start having complexes, walking around looking depressed, muttering about the meaning of life," Tom agreed.
The three boys in the band looked at each other knowingly and burst out laughing; it was clear they were recalling a situation they'd been in before and were familiar with.
"Shut up!" the interested party ordered. "You're making me look like an idiot!"
"Bill's right!" Belinda sneered, using the phrase she'd adopted to tease him.
The laughter rose in pitch, while the offended boy crossed his arms and pouted.
"See, what you did to our big star?" Tom scolded her ironically, shaking his head.
"Oh, but you didn't take it personally, did you?" Klaus laughed, trying to reach out to hug Bill, but he pushed him away.
"Poor, poor Bill!" the boys sneered in unison.
"You're such brats!" he called them, then, annoyed, he stood up and walked away.
Trying to contain her laughter, Belinda followed him to the porch, where he had stopped to watch the pouring rain. She put a hand on his arm, making him turn toward her.
"Okay, we're a little bitchy sometimes, but don't take it that way! Because of your vanity and presumption, you're an easy target for our jokes, which you feel hurt by and, therefore, abandoned."
Bill snorted. "It's always the same story, it's been going on for years now. Only now you're there to support them and they're even more idiotic than usual!"
"I have to admit, I understand you, unfortunately. I get angry too every time they make fun of me for my height." He laughed. "You start paying them back the same way they do, you'll see they won't have as much fun anymore and will stop."
Bill seemed to consider his words and relaxed a little.
"I didn't mean to make you angry, but I assure you, the urge to tease you is too strong," Belinda confided.
"Thanks for not defending me," he grumbled.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Touchy!"
"Petulant!" he replied, returning the hug and regaining his smile.
"See? It's so easy to use your weaknesses against you. I make you angry and then I take advantage of it to console you." She chuckled against his chest.
"What? You mean you do it on purpose?"
"Not really, but it works perfectly."
"Women, you're so complicated." He shook his head, amused. "Do you happen to know if your university has a course that explains how you think?"
"No, but if you're good, I'll give you private lessons," he offered conspiratorially, savoring the moment.
"Gone!" Bill returned his gaze to the rain, which was forming a wall of heavy water.
They went to bed before midnight, hoping it wouldn't thunder continuously.
Belinda tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep. Perhaps she'd overdone the afternoon nap, because by three o'clock she still hadn't gotten any sleep. To avoid waking the others, she grabbed a pillow and a light blanket from the closet and went into the living room, sitting on the sofa. She curled up under the blanket, looking out at the rain and the streaks of light piercing the darkness.
She'd always feared thunderstorms, but this one, as intense as it was, had lost the power of the morning and no longer frightened her.
She closed her eyes, trying to relax and sleep; she even tried counting sheep...
A faint rustling sound came from behind her. Belinda jumped up and, turning, met a gaze that paralyzed her.
Alex stood before her: his hair soaked, his eyes icy, his legs spread. Water ran down his body and formed a puddle at his feet.
Belinda felt sweat trickle down her back and her heart pounding in her chest, as a thousand thoughts whirled through her head: How had he found her? Hadn't they said he couldn't leave Italy?
He took a step forward, a grin plastered across his face. "Hi, Luna, I'm back."
The girl pulled the blanket up to her chin and frantically searched for an escape route, but before she could make an attempt, Alex strode toward Bill's room.
"You know, honey, I was so curious to take a look at your new boyfriend, I just couldn't resist!"
He pulled a long-bladed knife from the back of his jeans and headed for the bed.
Terror gripped her, and she threw the blanket to the floor and ran after him, heedless of the danger. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she found him next to Bill, who was sleeping on his side, frail in his sleep, hugging his pillow.
The blade began to descend inexorably, like an endless nightmare, and she, terrified, didn't know what to do.
"Say goodbye, Luna!" Alex laughed loudly, plunging the weapon into the sleeping boy's back.
"Nooooooooo!"
Belinda's scream shattered the silence as she lunged at Bill, trying to defend him, shielding him with her body.
She thrashed hard, trying to push her attacker back, punching the air, continuing to scream and cry in despair. "Bill, no! Damn you, damn you! No, no, no!"
A voice came to her from the darkness, piercing her sobs. "Wake up, Bel, wake up!"
She thought she knew that voice trying to shake her, but she couldn't place it. She was confused, overwhelmed by the pain she felt, and she tried to figure out where she was. Everything around her seemed to have disappeared, the room was gone, Alex was gone, and there was no trace of Bill.
"What? Bill... where?" she muttered between sobs.
She scanned the darkness that enveloped her, desperately searching for a clue, something to hold on to so as not to give in to despair. Two hands shook her gently.
"Belinda, look at me! Open your eyes! It's me, I'm here!"
As if emerging from a puddle of water, she followed that voice and, after a moment that seemed eternal, she managed to focus on the boy's image.
"Bill!" She whispered, staring at him in terror, and burst into tears again, leaning toward him, touching his back to make sure he wasn't hurt.
"I'm fine, don't worry. You had a nightmare," he reassured her, trying to steady her hands.
Her terrified gaze flicked to the front door. "Alex..."
"There's no one here, don't worry!" Naomi said from behind her.
Reassured by seeing that Bill was okay, hearing her sister's voice, she realized all the boys around her were looking at her worriedly.
They looked as if they'd been thrown out of bed, and some of them were nervously running their hands through their hair or rubbing their eyes.
"Are you sure?"
She shivered, trying not to chatter.
And yet she was sure, it had been so real!
Bill shook his head, and she tried to trust his words—in fact, she needed to.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Excuse me."
Hellen approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry."
Belinda swallowed, but the chill didn't leave her. The memory of the blade slamming into Bill's back shook her with the force of a hurricane.
She began to tremble again and tried to curl up.
"Hand me that blanket," Bill ordered, reaching out and trying to protect her as best she could with his other arm.
"She's in shock," Hellen noted, looking at her. "Try to calm her down. I'll go make her something hot to drink." She left them and headed for the kitchen.
Belinda could hear their voices, which helped to reassure her, but she couldn't stop shaking. She wrapped her arms around her legs, hoping the warmth would return. She wanted to speak, but if she opened her mouth, she would bite her tongue.
Naomi, worried, tried to comfort her, but she pulled back in fear, not having heard her sister approach.
"Linda, we're here with you. Please look at me!" her sister urged her, her eyes shining.
Belinda tried to smile reassuringly, but a sob shook her.
"Not again! Not again!" Naomi murmured to herself, taking a step back and briefly reliving memories of years gone by.
With a decisive movement, Bill sat on the couch and lifted Belinda into his arms, wrapped her more tightly in the blanket, and began massaging her with his hands, warming her. Naomi also shook herself and knelt in front of them, beginning to massage her legs, while Tom rubbed her hands.
Slowly the blood began to circulate again, and Belinda took a deep breath, relaxing her lungs.
"B-That's enough, I'm better," she stammered.
Tom and Naomi stopped, while Bill, unconvinced, continued massaging her. The girl turned her head and smiled at him; only then was he persuaded and stopped.
Hellen came from the kitchen with a cup and placed it in his hands: it was warm, and the touch made him feel better.
"Thanks. It's passing..." she whispered.
Naomi hugged her tightly, risking scalding her with the hot liquid. "You scared me!"
"Yes, you gave us a bloody hell, Bel!" Tom exclaimed. "What the hell did you put in that cake?"
Belinda smiled, stroking her sister's hair and back.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, as Naomi pulled away from her. "I didn't mean to..."
"I know." Her sister caressed her face. "But it still hurt."
They exchanged a long look, reflecting on the same moments they had experienced because of Alex.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kristian asked, his face white and drawn.
"Yes..." she reassured him.
Annalisa took a step toward her, moving closer. "My goodness, Linda. I've never heard a scream like that, I was so scared!"
"Now that I see you, it's better." Belinda tried to be as convincing as possible.
"Okay, now go back to bed, guys!" Bill ordered firmly.
"But..." Naomi began, surprised.
"Let's not press her, otherwise she'll never calm down. No questions, she'll speak when she feels like it, okay?"
The girl looked at him irritated and ready to retort, but he returned her a long look.
"It's okay, I'll take care of Bel," he reassured her. "She'll stay with me tonight."
Belinda gasped in surprise, but he shook his head.
"Don't you dare protest. I don't want to spend the night sitting on the bed wondering if I'll have another heart attack when you scream. I was there in your nightmare, so I want to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"But—"
"No!" He interrupted her categorically. "I'll take you in there."
He stood up with her in his arms and, as he opened the door, turned to the others. "Objections?"
Naomi narrowed her eyes and held his gaze, but then shook her head and headed for her room, followed by everyone else who, though shocked, returned to bed.
Bill kicked the bedroom door shut behind him.