Cieli
"Fly with the gracious monarchs, Angelica"
"Angelica!" shouted a man standing on the front porch, a he calls it. A minute later a beautiful young girl, wearing an equally beautiful blue dress, came running from the green, rippling flower fields at the foot of the orange-brown mountains that are facing the vast Ionian Sea.
"I'm coming!" exclaimed the girl, gleefully. The girl stopped in front of the man and smiled at him. "Where are we going Grandpa?" asked Angelica, twirling the flowery wreath she was wearing around her neck, which she made from yellow daisies and blue poppies. "To your Mama," answered the old man, smiling warmly at his granddaughter. "Thought so," said Angelica sweetly. "Good thing I made this," she continued, fingering the wreath that if you look carefully you will see three cloud white roses, which acted as a pendant. Then she looked up and flashed that angelic smile.
"Let's go?" asked his grandfather, who offered Angelica his arm. Then hooked her arm into his and said in a ladylike tone "Chop-chop, Monsieur". They smiled at each other. Her grandfather then popped open the black umbrella he was holding as they walked.
"Grandpa, you're blocking the sun!" whined Angelica as they passed a pine tree. "And it's a beautiful day…" she added. She stopped walking so did her grandfather. She waited. Waited…
"Defeated…" said her grandfather as he closed the umbrella. "Yes dear, it is a wonderful day." He smiled at Angelica and moved his gaze to the vista of the green pastures and patches of dandelions that were flying with the wind, as they resumed their quiet stroll.
Later that morning, they were following a brick path. As they walked, the evergreens and the noisy cicadas enveloped them in a refreshing embrace. They stopped in a flat clearing at the top of a green hill.
At the center was a little stream, where clear cool water trickled. The stream flowed down slowly to a tiny waterfall, where orange and white fishes swam. On the east side of the clearing was a small rose patch that had a tombstone in the center.
The grandfather and granddaughter walked towards the flower patch till they were facing the grave. "Good Morning Mama!" said Angelica, "I brought you this," she place the wreath at the top of the headstone. "It's peaceful and quiet here, I hope I can join you already and make you more flower wreaths" she imagined talking to her mother right after she read her a bedtime story. "But it still early though, so wait for me," she continued and looked up to her grandpa, who nodded at her.
Her grandpa then said "Angelica, you know I can't be by your side forever right?" Angelica nodded. "And because of that you have to be strong," he continued "You have to be strong for the family, strong for Carcassa". She nodded. "And always remember that you are not alone, I will watch you along with your Mama from the clouds soon, you'll have friends and comrades that are waiting for you, so in order for you to become strong you have to train, you have to be a Mafioso, you have to be a boss, you will have to go to Sicily and train with Reborn. Understand?" he asked Angelica who smiled as warm tears flowed from her chocolate brown eyes and hugged her grandpa, who tapped her on the back.
"Yes Grandpa…" Angelica said softly. The memories came back to her and hit her as though a car run over her. Memories of the night her mother passed away. The night when the manor was attacked. The night when her mother called for her and rubbed her hand on her face. The night when she said her last words "Fly with the gracious monarchs, Angelica…" The night when the culprit escaped to merry way!
Seven years later.
"Mmmph" a teenage girl grunted as she shot at the wick of a candle and lit it without damaging the wax, from a meter-length shotgun. She sighed and removed the protective helmet she was wearing, letting her long brown hair fall on her white shoulders.
"You really know your way on guns, madam," commented her butler, Fuego, who was watching her from a distance. The girl then removed her vest, strapped a silver pistol on her belt and picked up her bag, which Fuego offered to carry but refused. She smiled at the butler and said "It really is opposite of my name isn't it," happily. "As all of Carcassa are," the butler joked. Which the joke earned a short "Ha-ha,".
They walked towards an old mansion and landed in front of the doors. Before the girl can even turn the knob, Fuego have already opened them wide and ushered her in. They passed by well trodden hallways where you will really see why, because the red carpeting had already faded and worn out, add to that are holes an patches scattered likes lilies in a pond.
"Since your uncle Gustav died last month in encounter with the Boreale Family, no one will lead the family" Fuego said to the girl. "Yes, it was a grim event for all of us; even if I've just known him for months it doesn't mean I don't mind it," said Angelica sadly. "But that already happened haven't it? So cheer up now," the butler continued "Now, for seven years, you will become the twelfth Carcassa,".
"Unfortunately, I have to do it for Grandpa," the girl replied briefly. "Mm-hmm, the late Carcassa Nono, a great man," the butler nodded. The girl then smiled at Fuego and said "Now, now, no need for flattering my grandpa for me to be the Mafioso is it?". "Absolutely, but I was truly sincere on what I said madam," answered the butler. "As you say," the girl waved the butler off.
Fuego opened the double doors heading to the open area inside the mansion. The afternoon light drowned them and the fresh air felt cool on there lips. As there eyes adjusted they saw the banquet.
There were round tables covered with white cloth and each had a vase with yellow daises and blue poppies plus the trio of white roses. Each also had an array of food that you will be tempted to pick everything and still won't find a decent plate that would fit. Also, there was a buffet table where the feast was overflowing, an ice sculpture of the Carcassa Family's emblem, a tower made of wine glasses and seated near the right end of the table was the occasional baby dressed in a hitman's black suit and a orange lined fedora where the rare green lizard was sitting.
The baby twirled one of his sideburns and jumped of the table. He called for another baby, wearing a biker's helmet and suit, and got a black box lined with gold and had silver corners with the Carcassa emblem at the top. The baby then kicked the other baby into a fountain twenty meters from where he was standing a second earlier.
The baby with the fedora walked in the center of the area to a stage as the girl walked toward him. The girl nodded and smiled at the comrades, family and friends who gathered at her Inheritance Ceremony. When the girl reached the stage and stood in front of the baby. The baby then gave the girl the ceremonial box and said "The new boss of Carcassa, the twelfth Carcassa, Angelica, daughter of Carcassa Decimo, Michaela".
Angelica smiled at the baby and said "Thank you, Reborn". Then Angelica opened the box and found it empty except for a beautiful white gold ring with four faces each having an orange diamond and showed it to the audience. That is when the six men stood up, the previous guardians of the family, and walked to her. Each removed a ring of a different color of diamond. Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet. The last man removed a necklace with a silver pendant that in the middle was an indigo diamond cut to a Greek omega. And that's how the Returning of the Rings ended and the inheritance complete. The crowd cheered, tears of joy were shed and smiles were flashed brightly.
Skull, the baby that Reborn kicked earlier, opened the bottle of champagne and poured it at the top glass of the wine glass tower, and trickled to the next and to the next. "For Angelica!" he cheered before he got owned by Reborn. And that started the party.
Later in the evening, Angelica was lying on the tile roof of the mansion away from the hubbub of the party. She watched the stars and imagined lines connecting to constellations. Then she grabbed the ceremonial box lying beside her and opened it. The rings twinkled as though they give off their own light as the stars do. She took the ring with the orange diamonds and wore it in her left middle finger.
"Sky," said Reborn who have just up and was also lying down. "Yes," agreed Angelica who put her hand up and looked at the ring. She concentrated hard on it. Concentrated. And with the unmistakable orange light, it glowed but died as soon as it did. "What happened?" asked Angelica flabbergasted.
Reborn smiled and said "It was supposed to ignite," he continued "But it will need practice,". "Really? I'd like to see that," said Angelica still watching the ring if it will ignite. "I remember my student before," said Reborn "At first all he had was half of the original ring and needed to fight for the other half". Angelica then looked at Reborn as if waiting for him to tell more but nothing came so she asked "What happened?"
"He finished the other guy off and completed the ring and that is when it first ignited" Reborn continued "He was in Hyper Dying Will Mode then." Both of them talked under the stars, the constellations watching them.
Next Target: The second part of the inheritance "Finding the Guardians".