Lexis woke up early that morning; It was graduation day. She had mixed feelings about it, she really wanted to skip the whole thing, but Mrs. Malieni had made it one of the conditions for her to move in with them. The other condition was that she'd write to Jodi once a month. As much as she hated the thought of having anything to do with Jodi after she left this dead end city, it was a small price to pay for an early ticket out with free room and board.
Lexis was conflicted though, she knew the people in town were going to be assholes about her being at the ceremony. If she got through the day without fighting, it would be a miracle. But the Malieni's promised they would let her move in with them the same day, she was actually looking forward to the ceremony the more she thought about what came after.
The school had given them sashes, they could wear anything to the ceremony as long as it was decent. She wore a jeans, navy blue plaid shirt and her sneakers. Not that she had options, the jeans and shoes were the only ones she owned; the shirt was one of six, it was the only one that didn't look too faded or have patches.
With everything else she owned fitting into her backpack and a big brown paper bag, she was ready to go. Lexis took one more look around the room she had occupied for the last 12 years. The cot in the corner, the books on the floor some of which were a makeshift dressing table, the wobbly desk she had slapped together from pieces of wood and bent nails stolen from the carpenter's shop. So long.
When she got downstairs Jodi was already dressed making coffee. No words passed between them, not even on the drive to the school. Today would be the last she ever saw of Jodi, it made her feel a little sad. Despite everything, Jodi was the one thing constant in her life, no matter how shitty their relationship was. Well Jodi and the town's disdain for her were the only constants. She thought of saying something, but the thought that they would argue and the Malieni's find out about it wasn't worth the risk.
"Be careful with those two. No one's nice without a reason."
"I know...Thanks."
Apart from that brief exchange nothing else passed between them until they got to the school yard.
"Lay off the Gin and coffee, it's what makes you nervous."
"I know."
Lexis exited the vehicle and went in search of a spot she could hide her bags until the end of the ceremony. There were so many people on the grounds, finding a safe enough place was tricky. Then the idea hit her, no one would be wondering around the principal's office. She hid her bags under the secretary's desk before making her way to the back room of the auditorium.
All the other graduates had on gowns and hats. Typical. The secretary acted all flustered like she was concerned about Lexis not having a gown and hat. She eventually calmed down and handed Lexis a set. The gown smelled like it hadn't been washed since 3 ceremonies ago, the hat didn't have a tassel and was covered in scratch marks at the top. Lexis was in mid throw when she remembered the Malienis' condition. Instead she put the hat and gown in the nearest trash. The secretary acted like she'd done her a favour by giving her that hat and gown, and that she was ungrateful.
Lexis was about to step unto the stage and take a seat when she saw Mr. Scatim playing sycophant with the Malienis in the front row. She ducked back behind the curtain but she was certain Mr. Malieni had seen her. Shit. She didn't think they'd actually show up for the ceremony, that they'd just show up after.
She was going to standout without a hat and gown, like a sore thumb. The Malienis were guaranteed to ask about it, then the secretary would say she did giver her a set but that she threw it in the trash. There went her free room and board. Looks like I'll still have to go find him.
The ceremony went on with little hiccup, they were one chair short on stage; they hadn't factored in a chair for Lexis, the principal quickly had it sorted out. At the end of the ceremony, the Malienis were preparing to leave, but before Lexis could approach them four boys cut her off. Michael and three of his buddies. One of them had knocked the paper bag out her hand while another yanked off her pack tearing the straps. Screw it, they probably never even wanted me to stay with them, that's why they insisted I show up to graduation, they knew I'd fight. Before her rage spilled over, Mr. Malieni was twisting the arm of the boy that held her collar.
"Sandro, don't dirty your jacket."
Alessandro eased out of his jacket and tossed it at his wife. A man in the crowd stepped forward demanding he release the boy. It was the boy's father. Alessandro twisted his hand making the young man cry out. The man charged him with a swing of his fist, Alessandro released the boy and kicked him away before swinging his own fist at the man's face. He had avoided the man's fist but his had hit home, it was a knockout. When the man didn't get up, there was a collective gasp from the women, one even fainted.
The men spoke in hushed tones as they contemplated rushing him. Alessandro picked up the pack, and handed Lexis the paper bag, then led her to Aurelia. The three of them walked through the crowd undisturbed until Michael picked up a rock and threw it at them. As his wrist flicked to throw, a man tackled him distorting the aim as another rushed to him.
The projectile missed Lexis but struck Aurelia. The townsfolk were confused, Mr. Scatim was praying there wouldn't be trouble, if he aided the Malienis he would have trouble when they were gone. There was a small, but growing patch of blood where Aurelia was struck. They continued to the car where the driver sat ready to go. The two men picked up Michael and brought him along, other men in the crowd tried to stop them until one parted his jacket revealing a gun, the crowd backed off.
Alessandro cleaned and dressed Aurelia's cut and made her and Lexis get into the car before turning to Michael. The men let the boy go and stood on guard, marking the crowd. Alessandro broke Michael's arm in three places and left him on the ground screaming and writhing in pain. He looked over the crowd, no one else stepped forward.
"Let's go."
Alessandro sat in the passenger's seat, leaving Aurelia and Lexis in he back. As they drove to the Malienis' home, Lexis was beginning to doubt her choice of staying with them. While she was formulating an escape plan Aurelia cut her thoughts off.
"I hope what happened back there didn't scare you in any way."
"No. I was just thinking you two don't look like violent people."
"Violence is in our blood, but it does not make us who we are. Before we get to the house I'd like to set a few ground rules."
"Ok"
"First, no smoking in doors, I'd prefer you didn't smoke at all, but I can understand the need."
"I can do that."
"Second, if you go out, you should return to the house before ten pm."
"Sure, no problem."
A moment of silence passed between them, Lexis looked at Aurelia confused. Only two?
"That's it?"
"That's it. La mia casa è la tua casa."
The rest of the ride was quiet. The Malienis never asked about the ceremony, why she didn't have a gown or why Michael and the others picked a fight with her. It unsettled her, but she didn't dwell on it for too long, if they weren't going to talk about it she didn't need to bring it up.
When they got to the house Lexis was surprised, she had expected a big house, but this was huge. An eight feet tall fence surrounded the property, lined with just as tall perimeter trees. A gentle sloping lawn with the driveway cutting through it, led to a yard with four similarly styled black cars.
The house itself was three stories tall and was a mix of stone and concrete, with arched windows and doorways. They entered the house to a spacious foyer, the first five feet of which were made of rough stone and a step lower than the rest of the house. There was a stairway on the right which led to the second floor and a balcony overlooking the open sitting area that occupied the back portion of the foyer. Further in from the sitting area looked like a den. The foyer had two connecting halls on either side, the end of one on the right looked like a kitchen.
Aurelia handed her off to an older man named Franz who led her up the second floor, down a hall then up another set of stairs which ended in a hall between two spacious rooms. Franz gave her the key for her room and said she was free to ask for anything she needed; he also gave her the meal times, breakfast and dinner were at six thirty and lunch at twelve.
When Franz left her alone, Lexis freaked out over the size of the room. It was at least four times the size of her old room. There was a king sized bed, a desk with a computer, shelves with a few books, a sitting space with a couch and TV, an antique looking tea table set. The room even came with its own bathroom, that was three times bigger than the one at Jodi's. The room was practically a small apartment. A little over the top for just a room to stay in.
Lexis was dumbfounded, she couldn't believe they'd let her stay in a room like that. She was a nameless broke kid, they had to want something from her. She found Franz and asked him if the room he'd led her to was the right one. He said Aurelia had picked the room herself. She went in search of Aurelia, one of the maids said she was in the sick room and gave her directions. Aurelia was sitting on a stool her head down, while a stocky looking man inspected her wound. She glanced up at Lexis when she entered.
"Hello Lexis, have you settled into the room?"
"It's a bit too big."
"It's one of the guest rooms, you are a guest in our home."
"Don't you have a smaller room I can stay in?"
"Smaller rooms would be in the staff wing. You're a teenage girl in a stranger's home. I wouldn't want to cause you further discomfort by having you stay near a group of grown men."
"Right...guess I'm stuck there. Thanks for the room."
"You are welcome."70Please respect copyright.PENANAu10PrrRmJI