CHAPTER 2:

Three days passed, it was so routine it was becoming boring now. Sleep, wake up, get assaulted by a crazy lady, suffocate through the day in a corset, stare blankly when one of the family began speaking, and sleep. Giovanni didn't tell me I had to do anything in return for staying here, and I guess that's a good thing. It gave me more time to ponder on what the hell was going on. This morning wasn't any different.

"Oh no... not again..." I backed away from Claudia and that chest crushing piece of torture. "No!" I held up my hands, she just smiled back in a sweet way. "Hell no!" I ran toward the door and out into the hall. Thankfully Claudia's dress was keeping her from catching up to me. Just when I thought I could be home free, a pair of arms shot out from no where and plucked me clean off the floor. I gave a shrill squeal as I was then headed back toward Claudia and the evil garment in her clutches.

Fighting was futile, Federico won and Claudia as well. Stupid dress, stupid siblings, stupid everything...

"Go explore Firenze, my son will show you around."

Federico held his arm out for me again and I just stared back at his father. He practically pushed us out the door. Federico lightly took my hand in his placed a kiss on my knuckles, and laced our arms together so that my hand lay over his own. I find it charming and a tad creepy at the same time. Something is off about this place... I don't know what it is, but I just know it. It's like its stuck in a constant lapse of time, stuck in the past...

No, don't you dare think that Alexis. That's impossible, not to mention ridiculous. Time travel, hah! Suddenly I had to think back to that first night I woke up here. The dream that wasn't a dream. There was a crash, screaming, then we fell... wait 'we'... Who was 'we'?

"Ouch!" I grumbled as my migraine began to act up again. I stopped causing my escort to pause beside me.

"Cosa c'è di sbagliato?" He placed his large hand over my own on my head staring down in concern. I closed my eyes tightly together feeling ill. Federico seemed to have sensed what was wrong and walked me to a bench sitting down beside me. He asked the same thing again and I shook my head feeling vertigo set in after that. "Aspetta qui!" He stood quickly waving his hands at the bench and walked off.

I rubbed my stomach watching as his back disappeared into the thick crowd. "Where did he go?" I asked myself. I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked around. The guy wouldn't just leave me all alone here would he? No, he seems like to much of a gentleman to do that. I stood up looking around the area, but wasn't about to go wondering off. I had no idea where I was, or how to get back to his house. "Federico? Where'd ya go?" I began talking to myself again.

"Bevete di questo, vi sentirete meglio." I jumped when I felt something being pressed against my arm. Federico stood behind me holding a cup in one hand, the other resting on my arm. I gave it's contents a sniff when he held it up to my face, it smelled fruity and sweet. The cup was pressed to my lips and he tilted it back forcing some of it down. I swallowed down what he had given me and choked on it. He gave me a strange look and held the cup up to his own face smelling it himself and taking a small taste.

"Va bene." He held the cup back to me, once again wanting me to drink it.

"No thanks, I'm good." I gave the cup the stink eye and pushed it away. Apparently that didn't sit to well with Federico. He pulled a sad puppy face and held the cup out again. Aw how could I reject that kind of look... wait hold it... I huffed and took the cup anyway and he smiled self satisfied. I finished the rest quickly and proceeded to give it another dirty look. All this managed to do was make the migraine turn into dizzy spells.

I think I drank it to quickly... Federico took the cup again and placed it someplace on down the way as we continued our walk. Quickly he seemed to be becoming bored, he was forced into this just as much as I was apparently. He lead me in a circle around his house, which was HUGE by the way, and back to the entrance. He still smiled kindly and we went into the house where he disappeared somewhere inside.

Giovanni found me still standing close to the door. "Did you have fun?" He asked in his thick accent. "The two of you were not gone for long?"

"Hum, oh yeah it was fun." I fidgeted with a poofy sleeve. "I just didn't feel well so Federico brought me back."

"Ah yes, well get some rest child, and regain your strength." He gave me a little nudge back toward the stairs to where my borrowed room was.

The nightmare woke me up again, the same one that I've been having over and over. Even in the middle of the day it would come into my mind. Could I be in a coma from that wreck and this be what my mind's making up? I shouldn't be aware of that though should I? I'd think that this was normal, just like in a dream...

But what else could explain where I'm at and what's going on? You can't just get from one side to the complete opposite side of the world in just a moment. I had asked Giovanni how long I was out and it had only been a few hours since they had found me.

I got up to stare out the window again, I was still afraid. Afraid to ask even what year it was. I didn't want to find out. I just want this place to be some kind of Italian Amish type place. But somehow I know that's not the case. Thunking my head against the window I stared off at the city.

It was quite, no one was outside at this late hour. Well that's what I thought when I saw someone or something climb up the wall of the Auditore household, and sit on the edge. I had to know what was going on, curiosity getting the better of me. I turned the handle of my door quietly, and found that they had left it unlocked tonight. I picked up my nightgown in my hands and headed out as quietly as I could. There are way to many doors in this place... I thought finally finding a door that lead outside. Several lead to empty rooms, others to storage closets. All the important rooms were locked from the other side.

Unlatching the door I went out into the cool night air. I wondered around the wall trying to spot anyone sitting on top of it, but there wasn't anyone there now. Well that was just one big waste of time... I crossed my arms against my stomach and wondered around the courtyard. Then out into the streets, not the best idea now that I think about it.

Lone girl wondering around in the dark, in a strange city? Yeah, bad idea. I stopped just realizing that what I was doing was going to get me in trouble. I turned around to go back into the house, but it wasn't directly behind me. How long was I spacing out there! This is bad...

"Guardate ragazzi, abbiamo ottenuto una cosa nuova con cui giocare ... " Someone behind me chuckled madly.

"Siamo perso bambina?" Another said with a wicked grin on his face. I took a step back and the three men laughed and cracked their knuckles.

They gave chase after I turned to run down a random ally. "HELP ME! FEDERICO!" I don't know why I called for him as I ran, turning left and right down the narrow streets. Stumbling over the hem of my dress as I dropped it several times from my fists to try and run faster. "Federico!" Who was I kidding, he was asleep in his bed. Not out gallivanting around town in the middle of the night like a thief.

I turned down a wrong path, a dead end. The three men stopped running, to slowly close in causing me to panic. I backed into the wall, jumping around to pound on it as if it would give way to my flight. I turned back around sliding along the wall into the corner, hoping I could make a run past them. One caught on as I began to take off and blocked my path. The other side blocked when I tried to run to it. They had me cornered again, I had nowhere to go as I sank down to my knees trying to ball up and hide from them in plain site.

Suddenly a fight broke out between the three, they shouted at one another, punches and kicks thrown. I could hear their grunts and yells as they taunted one another. They all fell down with heavy plops against the ground. It was quiet again, had they all knocked each other out? I wouldn't know I was to afraid to even crack an eye open.

"Sei ferito, Alexis? Alexis!" That voice sounds familiar... and it's saying my name? I cowered closer into myself keeping my arms over my head.

A pair of hands grabbed onto my arms, trying to pry them from my hair. "No! No stay away! Federico help!"

"Alexis, sono io, è Federico! Sono qui." The voice became softer with each word he spoke. "Sono qui." My arms loosened up and they were pulled from the knot in my hair. "Si tratta di Federico."

I opened my eyes, god I never thought it'd be so nice to see that scruffy face. He pulled me to my feet holding onto my arms to keep me from falling back down. He found me? He's here... My entire body shook with my sobs, as I latched onto my savior. He pat my head and back whispering words of comfort into my ear, although I couldn't understand a word the emotion behind them was enough. He pulled back trying to see if I had been hurt. Physically I was fit as a fiddle, other than about to have a heart attack from running, but mentally I was shaken up so badly from both my nightmare and what had just occurred.

He removed his hands from my shoulders to place them softly against my cheeks. He kept my face pointed toward his own, and removed one. He pointed from my face to his and back again a few times. He nodded his head as if asking if I understood him. Keeping my eyes locked onto his I nodded my head. He slowly grabbed onto my elbows and began to back up walking out of the ally. He guided me around what I can only assume the unconscious bodies of the thugs that had chased me. I almost went to look down, but one of his hands quickly made it's way to keep my chin in place.

He lead me silently back to his home his father waited for us at the front door. And just like a father his disapproving frown marred his cheerful face. His worry though over-road his anger and he sent me away to be cleaned up and go back to bed. The tired maid took my arm and tried to lead me to the back, but I selfishly didn't want to leave Federico's side.