Alessia Chapter 4: The Autognosis

"So? What happened next?" Bobbie leaned so close to Alessia she was about to topple onto her lap.

The younger student giggled. "I really don't know. Signorina Meleori, uh, I mean Priscilla, she had a bunch of papers and she showed her wallet to them."

Bobbie's brow knitted. "Wallet? Didn't she have a purse?"

"No, no, it was a wallet like my mother use to have. It held a ... she called it a shield, but it looked like a badge."

"Oh! She was the Carabinieri, right?"

"No, I don't think so. Headmistress Gorgon, "Alessia giggled, "she was really, really, really quiet after that. She and Priscilla and Signorina Maulucci whispered a lot, then Signorina Maulucci walked with me back here."

Bobbie flopped back onto the pillow. "How strange. It's almost like out of a telenovela." She laughed at Alessia's puzzled look. "Spanish television shows - lots of crazy stuff like this."

"Wow, you know so much!"

The older girl nudged Alessia's leg with her foot. "C'mon. I don't even know your real name. Is it Gina, or Alice?"

"Alessia, but only my mother calls me that. She says it's our secret that bad people are looking for us." Alessia looked stricken. "Can this be our secret, too?"

Bobbie laughed. "Of course, silly! Gina it shall remain! I'm just annoyed you didn't trust me earlier." Her expression grew somber. "But ... are you still in St. Cathy's?"

"Signorina Maulucci told me not to worry about." Alessia regarded the moon, full and serene. "Oh my gosh! It's after curfew!"

Lithely, Bobbie slid off the bed and set her hand on the doorknob. "I've been here six years and haven't gotten a demerit yet. Not for breaking curfew, anyhow. Good night!"

And with that, she was gone.

Ξ§§§Ξ

The next few days found Alessia in much lighter spirits. Vincenza and her cronies still wreaked their mischief, ruining her books, mocking her online, belittling her in class. However, even their venom seemed lessened, perhaps because Alessia knew Priscilla somehow held even the Headmistress in check.

Saturday arrived with the chiming of the dormitory telephone. Alessia swam free from the sea of paper and books that was her last waking memory and reached for the annoying device.

"Si?"

"Gina, you have a visitor at the Headmistress' office."

"I'll be right there!" Mother!

One shoe still untied, she bounded up the stairs. Domenica and a few of Vincenza's lackeys were standing in a hallway, but Alessia was so fast they didn't have opportunity to block or trip her.

She stopped in front of the Headmistress' door, panting. I was so brave, Mother! Then, she saw herself in the trophy case's mirrored back. I am so messy! Quickly, she tucked her blouse back into her skirt, straightened her collar, and tied her shoe...

The door opened mid-way into her preparations. Signorina Ricci, the school secretary, gave her a warm smile. "We were wondering why you weren't coming in yet. And Headmistress said to remind you, 'No running in the halls.'"

Alessia nodded. "Yes'm." She hurried in

Priscilla stood there, arms wide, face bright with a smile. Seeing Alessia's expression, she asked, "What's wrong? I was hoping you'd be happy to see me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Signorina Meleori. I was hoping you were my mother."

Priscilla blinked, and her mouth opened and closed twice, wordlessly. "Uh, I'm sorry, Gina. Uh, Headmistress, can Gina and I be excused? We'll be in the Old Dorm, as I said earlier."

The walk over to what was once the servant's house was peppered with banal attempts at conversation. "How do you like it here?" "What's your favourite class?" "Is Wednesday still International Day in the cafeteria?"

As Priscilla fumbled with the key, Alessia asked, "Why here, Priscilla?"

"Well, isn't it an adventure? I bet you had never been here before, right?"

Alessia nodded. "It's not spooky. I heard it was haunted, but I'm not afraid." I will be brave.

"Ah!" Priscilla triumphed over the lock and opened the double doors. She reached into the darkness and flipped on the lights, what ones still working. With a twinkle in her eye she mounted the stairs, beckoning Alessia to follow. She led them to a room on the third floor, used another key on the ring and easily unlocked it. Some furniture framed tents under dusty plastic drop cloths.

They coughed as they flipped the overwraps free. Priscilla patted a chair. "This was my room when I was your age, did you know that?"

Alessia blinked in surprise. "So you ... did you..."

"Know your mother? Yes! In fact, she was why I joined La Guardia, did you know that?"

Alessia shook her head.

"So, Signora Giordani said you're still doing la sistema sorella, right?"

"Uh-huh! My older sister is Bobbie - she's really nice and wants to be a scientist."

"Well, mine was somebody named Favianne Romano. Ever hear of her?"

"Romano? Oh, wait! That's the maid name thing, right?"

Priscilla laughed. "Maiden name, Alessia." She studied the younger girl. "Or do you want me to still call you Gina?"

"Well, you worked with my mother at La Guardia di Finanza, so I guess you know that we're hiding from some bad people. I'm supposed to use Gina." Alessia frowned. "But I trust you. Can you call me Alessia?"

"Of course! But, I have to be honest - I didn't work with your mother in La Guardia. She was my sorella, so by the time I graduated, she was already working in a much different department, doing much more important jobs. I always wanted to, though." Priscilla's face clouded.

"Uh, Priscilla? Do you know where my mother is?"