Tina pov : Grey-eyed princess
A sharp bang jolted me awake. I snapped my eyes open, the harsh creak of metal echoed through the container—someone was opening the doors.
I looked down as something stirred—and there she was. My beautiful, grey-eyed princess, sleeping peacefully, a calmness softening her face. I hope I can protect her from everything.
A few men dressed in black, their faces hidden behind masks, burst into the room. One of them stepped forward and barked out orders with cold authority.
"Get up! No one speaks unless spoken to. From now on, your life isn't yours anymore."
He scanned the room, making sure every eye was on him before continuing.
"No one forced you. No one kidnapped you. Nothing of that sort," he said, voice cold but oddly calm—almost convincing, like he believed it himself. He glanced around at the tense, silent faces.
"You're all here because you chose to be—because you wanted out of the mess you were in. That's the truth from now on. You'll each be given a story—memorize it, stick to it, no exceptions." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"The people you're going to work for? They're not the forgiving type. They don't tolerate mistakes, and they sure as hell don't like being disrespected. Show up late, step out of line, and you'll find out what punishment really means. And believe me—by the time they're through with you, you'll be begging for death."
Silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating. It felt like all he wanted was for us to be afraid—afraid enough not to snitch on them.
He explained all the rules, then started calling us up one by one. Each person stepped forward—and didn't come back. Only a few of us remained.
Sky was awake, and I could tell she was scared. She was afraid they'll separate us.
But I had a plan. Let me give you a quick gist: these men aren't part of any mafia family. How do I know? Because of their tattoos. They each have different ink, reflecting different aspects of their lives, but one thing is the same—every one of them has a gun tattooed on the side of their pointer finger.
That's not a mafia tattoo. It's a local gang symbol from Sicily.
So, no real authority, no deep connections—they're just living off the crumbs of the real mafia families. And what they're doing—trafficking people like this—is not sanctioned by the Godfather of Sicily.
You might ask, how do I know that? Because I've done my research. That's all you need to know. For now....
I was snapped back to the current situation when one of the masked men called out for Sky and me to step forward. I had been so lost in my thoughts, I hadn't even realized—we were the only ones left in the massive container.
"What are you doing with her? Leave the kid there and move forward. We'll get your story straight, and you'll be on your way," he sneered.
"No!" I shouted. Shit. Wrong move.
I quickly composed myself and tried again.
"I mean… I'm sorry. But I can't leave her. Actually—you can't leave her," I added, forcing a bit of confidence into my voice, even though my eyes betrayed my fear.
I couldn't let them think I wasn't afraid—that would be taken as a challenge. And right now, I can't afford that.
"We can do what we want. Who are you to stop us?"
He started moving toward us. I quickly tucked Sky behind me. I could take them down easily. I've done worse, but there will be more outside. I couldn't risk Sky getting hurt.
"I'm not telling you what you should do, sir," I said meekly, keeping my tone submissive. Then I added, "But think about it, you want us to lie, right? Say we weren't kidnapped, that we came willingly."
He paused. His eyes flickered, calculating. The other men stilled too, suddenly more attentive.
"So if you kill the kid or separate us from her, the rest of us, including me, will eventually start feeling guilty at some point. And if the people you sold us start showing any kind of... interest or affection in one of us, what's stopping us from telling them the truth?"
One of the men started sweating. Bingo.
So I was right—they sold us to another mafia gang. But who? And where the hell are we?
The leader, the one who'd been barking orders this whole time, finally spoke.
"So, what's your brilliant idea to stop that from happening?" he said, trying to sound sarcastic. But I heard it. That tiny crack of fear in his voice.
Good. That will help.
"Umm… what I'm saying is, let the kid stay with us. You can even earn more from her," I suggested, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
Their eyes lit up at the mention of more money. Bastards.
"And how is that possible?" he asked again, with that fake sarcasm of his, trying to mask the greed that gleamed in his eyes.
"Let her come with us," I said.
"Tell them she's my adopted daughter. I had trouble adopting her because of my abusive partner. That's why I ran away. Most of it is true anyway. She is an orphan, so no one's going to come looking for her. And whatever I said about myself is also true. The only part that's made up is the actual adoption, but with the right details, it'll sound real." I tried to explain, hoping they'd buy it.
Half of it was true, after all.
"Right, also the story is almost genuine, so they'll believe it and won't think that you've got us all against our will. Since you won't kidnap a kid, it won't be of any use to you all."
"But what about the money?" another one asked. Greedy a**holes.
"Yes, about that—the kid will learn the rules and regulations faster than any of us and can be molded anyway they want, as she is still learning the aspects of life. They can make her an asset and train her in whatever way they need, a willing asset, as I'll be helping them with that. And from what I can see, the other party must be from a larger gang or mafia."
I observed their reaction, and yes, they flinched when I said 'mafia,' so I was right again. But they didn't say anything, so I continued.
"And they are always in need of people they can trust. What is better than an orphan or almost adopted kid? Whose guardian works for you willingly?" I left my words hanging in the air to let them sink in.
I feel so bad saying all these things about Sky, but this is the only way to keep her with me and to protect her. I just hope she'll understand and forgive me, as I can feel her behind me, her small hands grasping my shirt tightly, her shallow breathing like she's trying to make sense of all this happening around us.
Oh baby, just a few more minutes and I'll explain everything, I promise.
"Okay. But what do you get out of all this?" I knew they'd agree, people like them only think about money, and once you give them that, they don't care about anything else. Usually, I'd be pissed off at this kind of nature, but today I'm grateful because this is going to help me keep Sky safe.
"Her safety." I shrugged. He was looking deep into my eyes, reading my face to see if that was all I wanted. But it's the truth, at least for now.
"Great. Keep the story in mind and explain it to the kid as well. We don't want any problems, or else..." He left his words hanging, but I know what he means.
"Yes, sir. Thank you," I bowed slightly. I know they like that, it makes them feel like they have power over everyone else.
They asked us to go out and join the others. We were being transported somewhere, blindfolded. But Sky could see she was sitting on my lap, so I told her to observe everything.
I promised I'd explain whatever happened inside the container later. She just said, "I trust you, Tina," and went quiet. Poor baby.
I kept my ears and mind open, trying to catch anything useful. Sky gasped but didn't say anything—maybe because of the surrounding others. I'll have to wait until later to ask her about it. I know we're far from home since we were transported by water, not by road, but still… where the hell are they taking us? With all this secrecy, they're killing me.
The vehicle stopped, and they started pulling us out. Sky took my hand and helped me find my way. Once the doors closed behind us, someone gave us instructions to remove the blindfolds.
We were in some kind of dungeon. Shit. It actually smells like shit too.
They started explaining to us what this was all about. There were bunk beds and bags with clothes for us. They said they'd provide clothes for Sky too.
Those who behaved would be given good food, medical care, baths, and everything essential to live.
After a week, we'll be transported again to the place where we'll start working. They warned everyone about keeping our original identities and backgrounds secret; actually, they threatened that if we didn't comply, they'd kill our families.
Almost everyone had someone to care for, everyone except Me and Sky. At least officially, I don't have anyone, but now, we have each other.
Once everything was settled, and we were freshened up, they gave us a small amount of food and explained that we'd be given more if we followed the rules. Of course, I scoffed inwardly.
As the others went to sleep, I took Sky to our bed. I wasn't going to leave her alone, so we'd share it.
"Sky, when you were looking out the window, did you see anything? "Can you tell me where we are?" I remember she was shocked, so she must have seen something. I pulled her closer, her head resting on my chest.
"Yes. We're in New York. I saw the huge board, Tina." Shit. It's the American Mafia. Just what I was afraid of.
I kissed her forehead gently, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on us. She didn't say a word, just closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
From Sicily to New York. Way to go, VEX!