All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy, for what we are leaving behind is part of ourselves.
~Amelia Barr
Eighteen
BLAM!
The Saints easily recognized where the were, outside the Sodano's estate. They were all the way down the curvy driveway, by the mailbox. The sun was hot, but a slight breeze left them feeling comfortable. Soon, a white mail truck chugged up the road, it pulled up to the mailbox, and the mail man reached out, putting the mail in the box. On it went, back down the road, to its next location.
Of course, none of this really caught the Saints attention, the mail getting delivered was not out of the ordinary; it's what happened next that was attention-grabbing. Out of nowhere, a young woman ran towards them, her hair flying behind her, forming into tangles. She ran right past the group, and eagerly opened the mailbox. She thrust her hand inside, and ripped out a large manila envelope, her eyes bulging when she saw it.
The gang realized it was the Boss, and she looked so much better. She was growing her hair out again, and her skin had its beautiful glow back, she wasn't wearing the dark clothes anymore, and that was a relief, the Boss didn't look good in all black. The one thing that hadn't changed, was her eyes. They were still dark, but they never got that innocence and softness back, ever since the attack from the Peste, they were harsh.
She jumped up and down, clutching the mail excitedly. She took a deep breath, and carefully opened it. She took out a letter, unfolded it, and read the parchment carefully. Her eyes got wide, and soon she was screaming with joy.
"Yes! I got in! Mama! Papa!" She cheered, sprinting toward the mansion, clutching the envelope.
"Oh shit!" Zimos cried, surprised by her mood.
"Well let's follow her!" Angel yelled, and he chased after her.
The rest of the Third Street Saints followed, running after the Boss. By the time they reached the mansion, they were panting, but that didn't stop them. They pushed on through the front doors, and found Daniella, her mother, father, and an older child, presumably her sister.
"Look Dad! I got in!" She shoved the letter into her fathers hands, and the rest of the family crowded around the paper, eagerly taking in the written words.
"Oh Daniella! We are so proud!" Her mother praised, hugging her eldest daughter.
"Stilwater University! This is fantastic!" Her father joined the embrace.
"Ohhh, so that's how she got to Stilwater," Kinzie realized.
"I hope they realize that school is like, the worst college ever," Shaundi sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
"Well the girl seems pretty happy about it," Pierce pointed out.
The Sodano family congratulated Daniella, and when she finally untangled herself from their grasp, she spoke up.
"I gotta pack! There's so much I gotta bring, and I need to go shopping!" Her hands cradled her forehead, the reality of her going away finally sinking in.
"Relax, miele, you still got three months to figure this out! Let's just celebrate for now, bene?" Her mother reasoned, placing her hands Danni's shoulders.
Her daughter nodded her head, and the family went into the kitchen. The Saints tried to follow, but the world darkened.
~•~
When they could look around, they realized they were in Daniella's room, but it changed slightly. Some poster and photographs were gone from the walls. A couple books were missing as well, and with the closet door open, the gang could see a considerable amount of clothes had disappeared as well. One large suitcase and a duffel bag was situated on the floor, the Boss right next to them. She wiped her hands on her jeans, and looked around the room, taking in the scene. Her father walked in, and wrapped an arm around her.
"Daniella, it looks like your not my little girl anymore," he let out a deep breath, and looked at his daughter.
She sighed softly, "I'll always be your little girl daddy," She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.
"And I'll always be the number one man in your life, right?" He pulled away enough to look her straight in the eye.
Daniella sighed, and rolled her eyes, "Yes, of course, no guy will ever replace you dad."
Johnny chuckled to himself, one side of his lip slightly turning up.
The man laughed, ruffling her hair.
"Good to know kiddo."
Daniella pulled away from him, "I'm almost nineteen years old dad, I'm not a kid anymore." She whined jokingly.
Her father's expression suddenly turned serious. "You're right," he agreed, "you're not a little girl anymore. You're heading off into the real world, and you are going to need this." He pulled a pistol from behind his back, and Daniella's eyes widened.
She took the gun, and looked it over. It was a silver .45 Shepard, with purple detailing. She gasped, and ran her fingers over the gun.
"That's the Boss's old gun!" Shaundi said, recognizing the piece.
Johnny remembered it too, it was the Boss's favorite gun, she never went anywhere without it. She took such great care of it, treating it like a child. Unfortunately, Daniella lost it when she got in a shootout with the Brotherhood back in Stilwater. She was so upset when she realized it was gone, and know everyone knows why.
"Dad, this is awesome! vi ringrazio tanto," she looked at the man, her eyes earnest.
"You hold onto that Danni, you never know when you're gonna need it." He placed both hands on her shoulders, and looked her dead in the eye.
She nodded her head in agreement, and tucked her new weapon into the duffel bag. Her father clapped his hands together once.
"Alright, well your mother and sister are waiting in the car, lets not keep them waiting too long."
Daniella nodded, and looked at the room one more time, soaking up the scene, before she left her bedroom, with her father's arm around her.
~•~
An airport surrounded the Third Street Saints, and the gang cringed. Airports are never a pleasant place to be, especially with angry, tired people, and the omnipresent smell of homeless people. Not to mention the gang was confused, not one person was speaking any english. Voices spoke through speakers, emanating noises no one could understand. They're heads cleared when they spotted the Sodano's, and they tuned into their conversation.
Daniella was hugging her sister tightly, reassuring her that she would be alright.
"Josephine, sweetheart relax, just call me if you need anything. I'll always be there for you," she looked her straight in the eye, "nothing will change that, nothing and no one. I promise."
The Saints suddenly got very uncomfortable. Daniella never mentioned her sister, or brought up anything to suggest she even had one. So, the thought that she kept her promise wasn't very reassuring, and the last thing any of them wanted was an upset little girl. They felt that if she never kept in contact, it was their fault. They needed her to constantly run the gang, not really leaving her anytime to deal with any other non-related issues. But to them, the Boss seemed alright with this, Daniella liked to constantly be busy, not once had she seriously complained that being the Boss was too much for her.
Josephine sniffled, and hugged her sister even tighter, before she eventually let go. Her mother was next, also sobbing. The woman spoke to Daniella in Italian, so the gang couldn't understand, but her tone suggested they were words of praise and reassurance. Daniella nodded her head, and spoke fluently back to her mother. They embraced one more time, before a woman's voice pierced the air over the speakers. Daniella walked to her father.
"Well, that's my signal," she sighed, looking up at the man.
"It is princess," he held her tightly. "Remember what I taught you, Daniella. Show Stilwater what you're made of."
Daniella looked up, and swore to him. "I promise I'll make you proud father."
The man nodded his head, and with that, Daniella turned around, and walked off.
Not once did she look back.
A/N: Holla! Well, I have two chapters left! If you guys have any questions, let me know! I'll answer them either directly, or I'll answer them throughout the story. If you guys also wanna see a flashback that I didn't include in the story, tell me, and I'll make a one-shot for ya! In case you guys need a little help understanding, Daniella is practically broken. She was tortured at a young age, (yes I count her getting stabbed in the leg as torture.) she killed four men at the age of fifteen, and she lost the love of her life, and her parents in a car crash. (She did fall in love with Gio, sorry if you didn't feel the connection, it's my first real story, I'm working on my writing still! And yes, Giuseppe and Carmela told her she was adopted.) Daniella is at the edge of unfeeling, and like Heath Ledger said, "All it takes is a little push!" And that "push" is coming up :)