Ghost of Magic: Thank you for reviewing! Glad you liked my take on his character. :)
Well, let's get down to business, shall we? I'd say this chapter is another of first turning points in the story, you'll see why.
This chapter takes place during 'Obelisk White?'.
I only own my OC's!
Even though November was slowly nearing towards the end, days were still warm on this island. It was a nice morning when I came out of my room. Thankfully, it was Saturday, so we had no classes today. Saturday and Sunday were actually my favorite days of the week here, since we could do whatever we pleased.
"Buongiorno, cugina." Ben greeted with a smile, closing the door of his room behind. "Buongiorno." I greeted back and started stretching out. "Had a good sleep this time?" He presumed while walking up to me. I simply nodded, pulling my gloves tighter.
He then took out his phone and put it against his ear. After a few moments, he frowned. "That's strange…" He muttered. "What's up?" I tilted my head a bit to right in confusion. "Mum's not answering my call." I couldn't help frowning a bit.
I hadn't talked to Aunt Maria ever since she hung up that day… Neither had Ben. She had a lot of trouble in California after all, with the 'Industrial Illusions' scandal still being a hot topic… Despite all that, I couldn't help feeling bitter and a bit mad. I still hadn't forgot how she had lied to me about not knowing what my memories were…
"Maybe she's busy." I finally suggested. My cousin looked up at me, his green eyes staring right into my light blue ones. "She promised to call me this morning at 8 AM. It's half past eight now." He explained with a sigh. "Maybe she's tired. That scandal is a pretty big thing after all." I then shrugged.
Ben kept looking at me, apparently still not convinced. "Look," I groaned. "If she doesn't call you today, then we'll call her together tonight. Deal?" I offered. "Deal." He said after a few moments.
"You're still mad at Mum for apparently keeping secrets then for you?" My cousin's eyebrows then furrowed. "A bit." I admitted while running hands through my mess of hair. "Since you believe she refuses to tell you anything, did you have any luck after that talk with Dorothy?" Ben asked.
I shook my head. "Not for now, at least. There was nothing unusual that I've come across in the album." "Maybe your parents have some old things they're hiding in the attic, or something…" My cousin trailed off in his thoughts. "Except that they're not here while we're stuck on this island." I reminded with a frown.
"Purtroppo." Ben rolled his eyes. "This makes things even more inconvenient…" He let out a sigh.
I rolled my eyes and started playing with the Deck Box strapped to right side of my waist. That was when it hit me.
The boy referred to himself as 'future King of Games'… That title was mostly associated to Duel Monsters from what I knew. Him explaining the card's effects in those flashbacks from before also added to it. He had loved dueling.
I looked at my Deck Box yet again, a crazy idea forming in my mind. As much as I was against it in general, maybe… Maybe it could help me remember some things?
"Ben," I said while looking up at him. My hands were still on the Deck Box. In fact, they were slowly taking its content out of it. "Si?" My cousin asked. "I want you to duel me." I responded firmly and lifted up the cards in my right hand.
I kind of expected what his reaction would be, considering he knew me very well… And that was the reaction I got. No surprises there at all.
Ben was looking at me as if I had grown two more heads. "You want me to duel you?" He repeated in obvious astonishment. I nodded with a determined look on my face. "No offense cuzo, but have you hit your head somewhere? Is this some sort of a joke?" He suddenly began asking me.
"I'm serious, Ben," I started while shaking my head. "I want you to duel me. Maybe it can help me in recovering some memories." "Oh…" He trailed off with a look of realization on his face. "I get it. Even though you wanting to duel is a bit unusual," He then pointed out the truth. "Let's duel!" He grinned.
"It's a deal." I smirked, feeling a bit amused my cousin was now excited. "Just to make it clear. Cousin or not, I won't hold back." Ben declared. "I don't expect you to. I won't hold back either." I rolled my eyes with a smirk.
With those words, I placed my cards back in the box and closed it. We then raced to the dorm to get our Duel Disks.
Third Person's POV
It was a warm morning in the city of Nagoya. Sun rays were coming through open window of one house.
Naomi Suzuki let out a yawn while walking out of her bedroom. Her short, blond hair was messy, and she was dressed in a white nightgown. She made her way towards the living room. "Morning, Bell Tree." Ken greeted from his sitting place on a couch. He was already dressed in a long-sleeved, dark blue shirt with a collar and pants. and "Morning." She greeted back with a small wave. That was when she yawned yet again.
"Didn't sleep well?" The man raised an eyebrow. "I did, but I could still have some more." She sighed and started running fingers through her messy hair. "Like mother, like son." Ken commented with a smirk and his arms folded. "I really don't know who's worse out of you two." He then started laughing.
Naomi frowned at him. She was still running fingers through hair. "I have a job, which is why I'm allowed to sleep more only at weekends." She reminded. "Whatever you say, Bell Tree." The man rolled his eyes yet again. His brown eyes then landed on the woman's hair. "I think it's about time you went to hairdresser again."
"Why?" She gave him a questioning look. "Your hair dye is starting to fade." He explained. With a frown, Naomi made her way to the nearest mirror. Ken was right; hair dye started fading. Instead of being blond, the part where her hair roots were, was now a bit dark brown as well. It wasn't that drastic, but still a bit noticeable.
The woman let out a sigh. "I guess that means I have to put on my hat again." She sat on another couch next to the man. "You won't have to wear it long if you call for an appointment now." He reminded. "I know, I'll call him today." She answered, just as Ken took a remote control.
He turned on the TV. "No newspapers?" Naomi's eyebrows furrowed. "All of them were sold out when I came to the shop. I decided to just see what was up on TV instead then." The man shrugged. "Weird… Something must have happened if they sold all the newspapers so quickly." She noted. "We're about to see." He turned on the TV, switching to the news channel.
"Here we are, right in front of Industrial Illusions headquarters. After this month's break-in, another terrible event occurred in this building last night." A woman journalist was talking on TV.
"Industrial Illusions again?!" Ken let out a groan of disbelief, only for Naomi to shush him with a frown. She wanted to hear what the journalist was talking about. That was impossible most of time since Ken loved commenting at the same time someone was talking. However, she wanted to hear it clearly this time, since her friend worked in that place.
"According to this morning's news, ten workers went missing last night without a proper explanation in the building. They're nowhere to be found, and their families are worried sick. Maximilion Pegasus doesn't want to comment further on the current situation, but allowed witnesses to tell us what they saw. He also added how they're doing their best to find missing co-workers."
At those words, the man and the woman looked at each other wide-eyed. "How could they go missing?!" Ken exclaimed. "Hush, you." Naomi shushed him, wanting to hear what witnesses had to say. There were two of them. She recognized one as the koala-looking guy. However, the second man was unknown to her.
"One of our co-workers called ten of us to one of rooms we use for taking a break," Chumley Huffington began talking with a frown. "I went outside for a bit of fresh air, when I saw white light coming through the room's window." He stopped for a moment, as if trying to remember what happened next. "The light was so blinding, that I couldn't see what was going on inside. I could even hear some screaming. I ran back inside, and my co-worker told me all of those people were missing."
"Thank you, Mr. Huffington," The woman nodded before moving her microphone over to another man. He had short, black hair and black eyes. He was of average build, also dressed in formal clothing. "I was in front of the room when I heard screaming. I raced to open the door, but they were locked." He explained calmly. "By the time I picked up the lock, no one was inside. It was as if they had disappeared." "I haven't seen anyone jumping outside the window either." Chumley Huffington added.
By now, Naomi managed to take the remote out of Ken's hands. She quickly turned off the TV. They sat there silently for a few moments, until…
"How could have ten people managed to disappear from a locked room?!" Ken demanded in disbelief. "Journalists, Ken. They like to make up things." Naomi reminded bitterly. "I know that very well, but this wasn't from the journalist, Naomi. Maria's co-workers said so!" He exclaimed. "You're right, she let them speak." She admitted after a few seconds.
She then sighed. "Maybe Maria will be able to tell us more." She stood up and grabbed the laptop from the table. After turning it on, she dialed the Italian woman. But there was no answer. "That's weird. Maria usually answers my calls." The woman frowned. "Either she's busy, or it's a bad connection." Ken suggested. Naomi pursed her lips for a few moments. She wasn't sure what exactly was happening at the moment… Everything was so confusing… "Maybe." She finally said, while looking at the laptop's screen.
Serena's POV
Once I got my Duel Disk, I closed the door and raced outside. Ben was by the door's entrance. For some reason, Jaden, Syrus, Bastion, Alexis and Hassleberry were with him. "Hey, Serena." Jaden and Syrus greeted me. The rest of them simply nodded in my direction. "Hey." I greeted back shortly before looking at my cousin. "We're having that duel or not?" I asked.
"We are, Jaden just wanted to stay and watch it." Ben explained. The Duel Disk was under his right armpit.
The moment he said that, I couldn't help frowning. I kind of wanted this thing to stay private, since we were dueling in hopes of me remembering something… My memory problem wasn't something I was willing to share with others after all!
"Do you have to?" I asked bluntly. Everyone's eyes turned to me the moment I said those words. Ben covered his face in what seemed to be embarrassment. The rest of them, on the other hand, were just staring at me.
It was then I realized what I had just said. It definitely sounded rude…
"Please, forgive my cousin," Ben told Jaden. "She's sometimes way too tactless for her own good." The brown-haired guy was blinking at him for a few moments in what seemed to be surprise. Finally, he smiled. "No biggie." "You can stay to watch." Ben nodded. "I'll stay too." Syrus suddenly spoke up, much to my surprise. Why in the world were they so interested in seeing our duel?!
"In that case, I'm going to the card shop." Bastion folded his arms. "I'll come along." Alexis nodded. "Can someone please see today's front-page news?" Ben asked them. "I'll see them for you, soldier." Hassleberry stood up. "Thanks." My cousin smiled, earning a nod from the guy.
Once the three of them started walking towards the main building, Ben looked at me. "I know you're not exactly willing for them to watch our duel… But we can keep your problem a secret. Please?" He gave me a pleading look. I looked between him, Syrus and Jaden back and forth. If those two wanted to see it so badly, then who was I to tell them not to watch? Both of them were kind to me, while my 'do you have to' ended up sounding rather rude… "Fine." I rolled my eyes.
While Jaden and Syrus sat on stairs, Ben and I walked to each other. He took his deck out of a pocket of his blazer. I took the deck out of my box. We then shuffled them for a few seconds. "I've been looking forward to this ever since they told you you'd attend Duel Academy." My cousin grinned at me. "Granted, I never thought it would actually happen, but still…"
"Just enjoy it, since this is a one-time opportunity." I responded in amusement while still shuffling my deck. We then put our decks into Duel Disk slots. Finally, we walked away from each other, each to the other side of the imaginary field by the dorm.
I activated my Duel Disk at the same time as Ben. "This is gonna be a sweet Duel!" I could hear Jaden saying in excitement just as I drew five cards. "Game on?" Ben smirked. "Game on." I decided to smirk for my cousin's sake. I didn't want to ruin this experience for him, since he was so excited…
Ben: 4000 LP
Me: 4000 LP
"Ladies first." Ben declared, drawing five cards as well. "At least some people here have manners." I noted in a cold tone before drawing my sixth card. "I was taught by my parents to be a gentleman." He straightened up with a proud look on his face. "I have no doubt about that." I smirked in amusement.
Finally, I decided to look at all of my cards. There were some cards I already knew about, such as 'Mother Nature', 'Flowing Back', 'Wetland Flycatcher', 'Rapid Evolution' and 'Graceful Charity'. There was also a card I had never played before called 'Island Lava Cactus'.
A small smile appeared on my face as I looked at the new card. Even though it was called 'Island Lava Cactus', I knew exactly which island this plant was from. Lava Cactus was from Galapagos, the place where Charles Darwin developed his theories on evolution and adaptation. I wanted to visit that place so badly… One of things I would definitely do as soon as I graduated from this crazy school.
After looking at them for a few moments, I nodded. "I'll start by playing 'Graceful Charity," I declared, lifting up the card in my right hand. "It allows me to draw three cards, but I have to discard two after." I drew three cards and discarded two ('Wetland Flycatcher' and 'Mother Nature') from my hand.
Wetland Flycatcher couldn't do much without 'Nitrogen Boost', and I didn't have a higher-level monster at the moment… I wasn't particularly worried about discarding them though. I had chosen better cards…
"Then I'll summon Island Lava Cactus in Defense Mode!" I put the card in its slot. A yellow-colored (with a bit of grey parts on it), microphone-shaped cactus with eyes, and thorns covering its body (with two bigger ones serving as hands and legs respectively) appeared on the field in Defense Mode (ATK/DEF:700/2000).
"Lava Cactus?" I could hear Jaden and Syrus chorusing in confusion. Ben, on the other hand, smiled. "Your deck is full of surprises, cuzo." "If you say so." I simply nodded. "I'll then set three facedowns and end my turn." Three facedowns appeared on the field as I set them.
Ben drew his sixth card. "I'll summon Origami Crane in Attack Mode." A white, origami crane with eyes appeared on the field (ATK/DEF:700/2000). "I end my turn with three facedowns."
I drew another card. "I'll summon Desert Fox in Attack Mode." The fox appeared (ATK/DEF:1800/1600).
I knew his facedowns were there as a bait for my attack… But what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't attack him directly, nor did I have a card that could take away his Life Points… I had to go along with it for now.
"Desert Fox, attack his Origami Crane!" I ordered, clenching my right fist in process. The fox ran towards the monster, ready to attack it… "I activate 'Mirror Force'!" Ben declared, revealing his facedown. "With this card, all your monsters in Attack Mode are immediately destroyed."
My eyes widened once my fox disappeared from the field. Dang… I'd already had a problem with this card… Yes! I remembered it now. Jaden had used it to destroy my monster when we had our duel! I disliked that card more and more…
"Nice one." I commented sarcastically. "But because of my fox being destroyed, I can take either another Desert monster or another fox, and summon it to the field." I then reminded, taking a card out of my deck. "And I pick Arctic Fox in Attack Mode!" The fox appeared (ATK/DEF:1800/1600).
"Nice, but I'm not done, cuzo." Ben smirked, making my eyes widen in surprise. "I activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon', to destroy one of your facedowns!" Another one of his facedowns revealed itself as 'Mystical Space Typhoon'. My 'Call Of The Haunted' trap card was destroyed in process.
A frown appeared on my face. He was good… "I set another facedown and end my turn." I said simply while setting the card in its slot.
"I think it's about time we heated things up. What do you think?" Ben grinned after drawing his card. "Do your worst." I replied nonchalantly. "Oh, I intend to…" He trailed off with a smirk. "And I'll start by activating 'Origami Ritual'!" He lifted up a card I had never heard of before. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
I knew Ben had some Ritual Monsters; he had told me so himself… Except that I never really understood what the point was with the Ritual Summoning. Ben briefly explained it to me, but I forgot it because it sounded quite complicated… The only thing I remembered was it required some Tribute, or something like that.
"Thanks to this card, by tributing Origami Elephant from my hand, I can summon Origami Dinosaur to the field!" A dinosaur which looked like it was made from origami appeared on the field with a growl (ATK/DEF:2200/2000).
I raised an eyebrow. "So that's Ritual Summoning, huh?" I wondered aloud. "Impressed?" Ben smirked. "Not bad." I said simply.
Honestly, I was glad my deck didn't have any Ritual Monsters or Spell Cards. Just remembering what you had to tribute and what you had to have with you sounded like such a pain in the butt… Even Polymerization sounded more reasonable than this!
"What are those things?" I asked in confusion while looking at few cards on the table. "Those are Ritual Monsters." The boy explained while taking one card in his hand. "They're yours?" I looked up curiously. "No. Your Aunt left them here so you could see them." "I still don't get what they're supposed to do." I admitted in a bit of embarrassment.
"Those monsters can only be summoned by using Ritual Spell Cards. However, you also have some other conditions for their summoning. For example, you have to tribute a monster while playing the card, and you need to have the spell card, the monster you want to tribute, and the one you want to summon all in your hand." The boy explained. "That sounds so complicated…" I trailed off. "I agree." He spoke up.
I looked up. "Do you even use those things?" "No. I tried once, and didn't like them."
"Earth to Serena!" Ben's voice brought me back to reality. I quickly shook my head to get back to my cousin was giving me a slightly concerned look, while Jaden and Syrus were looking at me curiously.
I was holding head with my right hand, taking in what just happened. It proved my idea was a good one, this provoked some sort of a memory… A bit of unclear one, but it was still something. Maybe I would remember something else, which was why I had intention of continuing this duel.
"Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a few seconds." I apologized. "So, you went through all the trouble to summon this guy?" I then pointed at his dinosaur. "Yup, and his Special Effect activates!" Ben grinned. "Once he's summoned, I'm allowed to destroy one of your facedowns…" My eyes widened in surprise.
I immediately began hoping he would pick 'Rapid Evolution' since he could destroy one… I didn't like the idea, but other two facedowns were more useful right now!
"And I choose the one on your left!" He did it! He picked 'Rapid Evolution'! The card was immediately destroyed. A small smirk appeared on my face. Thankfully, Ben didn't seem to notice. "Now, attack her fox!" He ordered.
"I activate 'Flowing Back'!" I cried, revealing one of my facedowns. "Ever heard of that card, Jay?" I could hear Syrus asking. "No." I could hear Jaden answering.
"Thanks to this card, your attack is negated, and you lose the amount of points equal to my monster's Attack Points." I explained with a smirk. Suddenly, orange light appeared around Ben. He flinched as he lost 1800 Life Points.
Ben: 2200 LP
Me: 4000 LP
"That's one sweet card…" I could hear Jaden trailing off in what seemed to be excitement. "Well, that was… Unexpected." Ben straightened up. "I end my turn."
I drew another card. "I think you'll like this one." I looked up at my cousin with a smirk. "I activate my continuous trap, 'Mutual Benefit'!" I declared. Ben's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I could even hear those two muttering how they had never seen this card. This was the first time I ever used it, really…
"So, here's how it goes. By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can add them to my monster's Attack Points during your, or my turn," I started explaining, making my cousin's eyes widen. "And those 1000 points disappear after my turn is over. In this case, my fox gains 1000 more Attack Points." Blue light appeared around both me and the fox, as I paid 1000 points and the fox gained them (ATK/DEF:2800/1600).
Ben: 2200 LP
Me: 3000 LP
"2800 points…" Ben trailed off in realization. "Si! Now, attack his dinosaur!" I ordered, waving with my right hand. "I activate 'First Aid'!" He quickly revealed a familiar facedown card. I should know, since he had let me borrow it for my duel with Bonaparte… "I think you know what that card does." He smirked at me. "You gain 150 points for every monster on my side of field." I stated. "Precisely."
Ben: 2500 LP
Me: 3000 LP
At that moment, fox destroyed his dinosaur, causing smoke to appear. He covered his hands, losing 600 points in process.
Ben: 1900 LP
Me: 3000 LP
"I end my turn." I finished, just as the fox's Attack Points returned to normal (ATK/DEF:1800/1600).
Ben drew another card with a frown. "I activate 'Pot of Greed'." He lifted up the card. "It allows me to draw two cards." He did so. A smile appeared on his face. My guess was he must have drawn something good…
"Then I activate 'The Return', which allows me to bring back a monster from graveyard to the field. So, my Origami Dinosaur comes back!" He declared, just as the monster reappeared (ATK/DEF:2200/2000). I couldn't help rolling my eyes.
Just when I managed to get rid of the thing, here it was again…
"Except that he won't stay long since I activate 'One For The Other'," Ben showed me another card. "It allows me to sacrifice the Dinosaur to summon another monster from my hand… My Origami Dragon!" He exclaimed with his right fist clenched.
Wind started blowing, making me cover my eyes. It stopped after a few moments. I quickly looked up to see a huge, red, dragon which looked like it was made from origami (ATK/DEF:3000/2500). My eyes widened in surprise.
3000 points?! Wow. Something told me that was Ben's strongest monster in the deck…
"And now its Special Effect activates! The difference between the dragon's and the sacrificed monster's Attack Points goes to the dragon as Attack Points!" White light appeared around the dragon (ATK/DEF:3800/2000)
My goodness… That was a lot of points! I had to do something, or I would lose heck of Life Points!
"Now, attack her fox!" Ben ordered. "I activate 'Mutual Benefit'!" I quickly exclaimed, making blue light appear around me and the fox. Its points rose (ATK/DEF:2800/1600), while mine fell to 2000.
Ben: 1900 LP
Me: 2000 LP
The dragon spat fire at my fox, destroying it in process. Smoke appeared. I covered my eyes as wind started blowing, and I lost more Life Points.
Ben: 1900 LP
Me: 1000 LP
"You're good, cuzo. I have to admit that." Ben smiled at me once I looked at him. "You're better." I said simply.
"This time, you're going down." The boy declared. "I've already figured out your strategy, you know." I pointed out in amusement while shuffling my deck. "But I won't play the same thing over and over." He replied firmly.
I looked up in surprise. "Really?" "Yes." "How come? I mean, you play that thing all the time…" I voiced my confusion. "I decided to follow your and your aunt's advice. While I wouldn't trade it for any other card in the world, there's no point in playing the same card all the time. A good duelist can't use the same strategy over and over." The boy explained cheerfully.
"Aunt Maria told you that, didn't she?" I guessed. "Yes. You have the best aunt in the world." He said. "I know, but I mostly think that because of her cooking, not dueling." I laughed. "Well, both! Beside her good cooking, she really taught me a lot about dueling… She's my role model." "She'd be glad to hear that." I smiled.
I grabbed my head with right hand yet again. Yet another memory… Whoever that boy was, he used to really admire Aunt Maria, based on what I figured out… And she taught him how to be a better duelist. That just proved Aunt was lying to me for some reason… The question was why.
"I end my turn." Ben said. I quickly shook my head to get back to my senses.
Drawing another card, I looked up at his dragon. I stood no chance against it with my current monsters… However, I could still force this into a draw, thanks to my card.
"I activate 'Fair In War'." I lifted up the card in my right hand. It started glowing. "With this card, both of us lose points equal to the lowest amount of my monster's Attack Points…" I explained, making Ben's eyes widen. "What?!" I could hear Jaden and Syrus asking in surprise. "Since my Cactus is the only monster left, and it has 2000 points…" "Then it's a draw." Ben concluded in realization, making me nod.
An explosion could be heard, along with wind blowing and smoke appearing. I covered my eyes from the impact, just as both of our Life Points dropped to zero.
Ben: 0 LP
Me: 0 LP
Once smoke disappeared, I could see Ben looking at me with a smile. Monsters disappeared from the field. He deactivated his Duel Disk and pulled out his cards. I did the same, returning my deck to the box.
He then walked up to me. "Great duel, cuzo. I totally didn't see that draw coming." He offered me a hi-five. I clapped my hand against his with a small smile. I was happy he enjoyed this duel… While I was against dueling in general, getting to spend more time with my cousin wasn't bad at all… Even if I had to duel.
"That was a sweet duel, you two!" Jaden said while walking up to us. "He's right." Syrus nodded, joining us. "Your deck is awesome. Where did you get it? I'd never seen those cards before." The brown-haired guy asked me curiously.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Ben beat me to it. "My mum won it in a tournament held by Pegasus a few years ago. She then gave it to Serena before her entrance exam." He explained. "However, Serena has an incomplete deck at the moment."
All eyes turned to me. I bit my lip. I didn't want to talk about my deck so much, yet Ben had just spilt the beans… It would be wrong of me to act as if he were lying. What was the point in lying anyway? He had just said everything!
"What does he mean?" Syrus raised an eyebrow. "The deck Aunt won at that tournament is known as 'Deck Of Nature'. It consists of two halves. The first one is the one you had seen. "'The Deck Of Living Nature'." Jaden remembered. I nodded. "The other half is with cards involving Unliving Nature." "Then why don't you have it with you?" The short guy questioned. "My aunt thought I'd be fine with only one half for my first year. She said she'd give me the other half once I proved to be worthy of it." I briefly explained.
"Well, if this is only one half, then I can't wait to see the other one once you get it." Jaden commented with a smile, his brown eyes looking straight into my light blue ones.
Honestly, I doubted I would ever get the other half, since I didn't care about those cards… I opted not to tell him that though. Instead, I simply nodded while looking away. Even though talking to him was easier now, there was something about that guy I couldn't put my finger on… Why was talking to him so much easier than with the rest?!
"Soldier, there weren't any newspapers at the card shop." Hassleberry's voice made us turn around. He, Alexis and Bastion were walking towards us. I smirked in amusement. Lack of newspapers was weird, but I couldn't wait to see Ben's reaction… He couldn't live without them.
And he reacted just as I would expect. "How's that possible?!" His green eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Dorothy said they sold out every copy this morning. Something must have happened." Bastion folded his arms with a frown. "However, she kept one copy. She knows about your habits, so she offered to give it to you." Alexis explained.
"Dorothy is a genius…" Ben sighed in relief. "I'd better go and see what they said in the news." "Come back to tell us." Bastion reminded. "I will." He nodded. He looked at all of them for a moment, until his eyes landed on me. "Cuzo, mind coming over here with me?" He motioned to the side.
I nodded, following him there. "Did our duel help you in remembering something?" "It did." I nodded, remembering those two flashbacks. "Two things, in fact." I then added. "Great, we can discuss that once I read those newspapers." Ben grinned.
However, he stopped yet again. "I know you're not willing to talk about your nightmare…" He trailed off while looking at me. "But you know I would never hurt you?" He then asked. "Where did you get that idea from?!" I demanded in surprise. I mean, he did help people in that dream, but I never told him that…
In fact, I didn't tell him anything! He decided not to ask me about it anymore after seeing that… So where did this idea suddenly come from?
"You looked like you were afraid of me when you woke up." Ben looked at me seriously. "So, if I did something in that nightmare of yours, I want you to know I'd never hurt you." He then smiled.
Even though I got over that nightmare, hearing Ben saying that made me feel at even more ease. He reassured me even more that what I dreamed of was nothing more than a bad dream… It also reassured me he cared about me, and would never try to hurt me in any way. Even when I sometimes treated him badly, he was still there for me…
"I love you, Ben. I'm sorry I don't say it so often…" I looked up at my cousin with a smile and quickly hugged him. "I love you too, cuzo." He hugged me back happily.
We then pulled away. "I'd better get going. Dorothy isn't going to wait forever!" He ran off, making me laugh.
"Wonder what could be so important to have all newspapers sold…" Syrus commented in confusion while watching Ben running away next to me. "Beats me." I shrugged my shoulders. "Ben will tell us as soon as he gets his hands on them." Jaden pointed out, walking up beside us. "Good point." I spoke up coldly while playing with my left glove.
His brown eyes then landed on me. "Ben said his mum gave you that deck?" He repeated curiously. I looked up at him in a bit of surprise. I wasn't even sure why he was asking me this… "Yes, my aunt." I nodded.
Before anyone could say anything else, shouting could be heard.
"ALEXIS!" All of us turned around to see two girls running in our direction. Those were the girls I had seen a few times before… "Um, who are those two?" I asked Jaden and Syrus quietly. I would have asked Ben that, but he unfortunately wasn't here right now…
Both of the guys looked at me. "The one with pigtails is Mindy." Syrus responded quietly. "The other one is Jasmine." Jaden added. "Jasmine, Mindy." I nodded, repeating their names. It was then I noticed they were staring at me.
Not knowing what to do, I cleared my throat. Them staring at me like that was a bit embarrassing, I had to admit… "I believe Ben informed you about my 'forgetting names' habit…" I frowned, feeling my cheeks turning a bit red. "Oh, yeah." They suddenly remembered.
"It's an emergency!" One of the girls shouted just as they were in front of us. "Something happened to our dorm!" The other one added. "This better be legit." I could hear Alexis muttering before she started running along with the two girls. "Hey, wait for us!" Jaden shouted.
He, Bastion, Hassleberry, Syrus and I ran after the girls. While I couldn't care less about dueling, I had to admit, I was a bit curious about what happened to Obelisk Blue dorm… Besides, that was Ben's dorm. He had to be informed about news on campus, not only from newspapers!
By the time I caught up with others, bright light was shining directly towards my eyes. "What in the world?!" I demanded in disbelief and quickly covered them with my arm. "I guess Obelisk Blue is not so blue anymore…" I could hear Syrus saying.
Since I didn't understand what the guy was talking about, I quickly took the arm off my eyes. I looked up to see the Obelisk Blue dorm… Except that it was completely painted in white! That's why it was shining so brightly… I couldn't help frowning.
Who in the world would paint a dorm completely in white?! What was the point of it?!
"Great Scott!" Bastion exclaimed in shock. "Who could have done this?" Alexis demanded in disbelief. I decided to observe the dorm better. Literally every inch of it was covered with white paint… "It looks as awful as when we were covered with it." Jaden commented in surprise.
My eyes quickly darted to him at those words. A good point there, I had to admit… That was when it hit me. Of course! Who else carried white paint around campus nowadays? It was so obvious who did this!
"Princeton really outdid himself this time." I let out a groan, making the others look at me. "What makes you think that was Chazz?" The girl with pigtails (not sure which one was which, I'd already forgotten their names) frowned at me. "That idiot happened to splash me with a can of white paint a while ago." I folded my arms coldly.
"Chazz's the only one carrying white paint around..." Syrus agreed. "She's got a point." Hassleberry added. "But he couldn't have done it all by himself." Alexis argued while looking around. "Another good point." Bastion folded his arms. That was when her hazel eyes widened. "Atticus!" She cried, and started running over to somewhere.
My eyes followed her to see her running to her older sibling. Right now, he was lying on the ground. She kneeled down to help him up on his knees. The rest of us ran up to them, to see what the heck was happening here.
"The whole dorm's gone nuts… I tried to do something, but I was just too late!" Atticus said, sounding rather weak. "Why's it late? What made them go nuts?" Alexis questioned. "They're with him now, that's why…" "Princeton, or someone else?" I asked curiously with hands on my knees. However, I never got my answer. Not from Atticus, actually.
Suddenly, the door of the dorm opened. My eyes widened as a lot of students started walking out. All of them were dressed in the same, white uniform Chazz wore. Speaking of the crazy guy, some students were even carrying him on a chair! Turns out I was right…
But wait. Why were they doing that?! What in the world was happening?!
"I'm getting really confused here…" Jaden trailed off while rubbing the back of his head. "Same." Syrus, Bastion and Hassleberry chorused. "You've got to be kidding me…" Alexis let out a groan.
A smug smile appeared on Chazz's face. "It's good to be the Chazz, and this is just the start! Soon, I'll see to it that the entire world sees the Light!" He declared. "ALL HAIL THE SOCIETY OF LIGHT, ALL HAIL THE CHAZZ!" The rest of the students started chanting.
The rest of us were simply blinking at the sight in both confusion and astonishment. I then let out a groan.
Here he was, going on about his 'see the Light' thing… It was really getting on my nerves by now. How could 'you see the Light' since sun shone pretty much every day here?! And what was up with 'the Society Of Light'?! Who were they?! And why were those guys just like Chazz now?!
"Does anyone here know what on Earth he's talking about?" Bastion spoke up with a frown. "No idea." Those two girls chorused. "He mentioned that society a few times…" Syrus pointed out. "He said how they hold all the answers." Hassleberry added.
By now, the students finished with their chanting. "Thank you, boys," Chazz chuckled. "But I think we should give some props to the person who's really responsible for all this…" He trailed off. My eyebrows furrowed, as I waited for him to say the damn name already…
"AND THAT'S SARTORIUS!" He suddenly spread out his hands and shouted.
The moment those words came out of his mouth, my heart started beating faster, and I literally stopped breathing for a few moments. My face must have been even paler by now.
I couldn't even process what he had said properly. I… I must have misheard him…
"ALL HAIL MASTER SARTORIUS!" The rest of the students started chanting yet again.
My breathing stopped for a few seconds once more. I was sure I had misheard him… But those students just said so as well. They said 'Sartorius' loud and clear…
I honestly didn't know what to think of it. Why did they mention Sartorius out of all people? And why were they referring to him as Master? Would that mean he had something to do with this 'Light' thing?! If he did, then why?! Chazz was aggressive, and literally tried to assault me, while Sartorius would never hurt anyone… What in the world…
"Serena, are you alright?" Jaden's voice asked, just as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I could see him staring at me. "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?!" I demanded, sounding rather panicked because of all the thoughts I had just had. "You literally froze in place." He noted. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." I quickly took his hand off my shoulder with a frown.
He had a perplexed look, but didn't say anything else to me. Instead, he looked up at Chazz. "He's more than just that," Princeton spoke up, apparently talking about something I had missed out on due to my panic. "Sartorius holds the answers to the greatest questions of the universe!"
By now, I was in both panic and confusion. I had no idea what Princeton was talking about, but I also panicked he was even mentioning Sartorius' name with all this! I just couldn't believe he had anything to do with this. I refused to. How could I even know Chazz was telling the truth?! There was no proof. I didn't see Sartorius come here with my own eyes. No one could convince me to believe in something I hadn't seen myself!
Whoever that other Sartorius was, good for him and his stupid society! Besides, I was actually blowing this out of proportion. Just because they had same name, that didn't mean Chazz was talking about the one I knew… Again, no proof.
"He's finally gone insane." Bastion let out a sigh. "Firmly agree, soldier." Hassleberry nodded. "Hey, Chazz!" Jaden suddenly turned around to look at Princeton with hands over his mouth. "I get it now! You and your friends must have been exposed to too many white paint fumes, that's all!"
I raised an eyebrow at the brown-haired guy. Where he got that idea from, I didn't know… In fact, it was absurd. Chazz had been going crazy way before he had painted the entire dorm white… How else would he come up with that insane idea?! Paint fumes had nothing to do with this!
"Don't blame poor paint fumes for Princeton's insanity. He still had had the idea of painting this dorm before they were exposed to them." I told Jaden pointedly. He blinked at me in surprise.
The moment I said those words, literally every one of white-dressed students fell down (even dropping the chair Chazz had been sitting on). They were apparently appalled by our comments… I covered my mouth not to laugh. Them falling to the ground like that was rather amusing…
"The only crazy ones are YOU, PEOPLE!" Chazz stood up, shouting at us. "When it comes to the truth, you're all in the dark! Face me in a duel, and I'll show you the Light!" He declared.
I frowned at him. I was perfectly sane, thank you very much… At this point, I wanted him to shut up so badly…
"You know me, I can't say 'no' to a duel." Jaden shrugged. "You can duel me too if you think I'm crazy." I told Chazz sarcastically. The rest of sane (by that I mean not dressed in white) people here gave me incredulous looks. "You want to duel twice in one day? I thought you hated dueling…" Jaden rubbed the back of his head. "If dueling means I get to shut him up, then I'm all up for it." I responded firmly.
"Hold on," Alexis stood up, just as Jaden was about to say something else. "I may not live here anymore, but I'm still an Obelisk." She pointed out with a frown. "You mean you want to duel him?" "But he's insane!" Those two girls said. "Then he shouldn't be too hard to beat, right?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Wrong." Atticus responded to that statement. "Trust me, Lex, all of those guys dueled him and lost! That's why they're like this now." He motioned with his head towards them.
What? How could have all of them lost against him?!
"All of them?" Bastion demanded incredulously, earning him a nod from Atticus. "Well, it's up to me to save them." Alexis spoke up determinedly. "Ready to do this, Princeton?!" "Are you ready to see the Light?" Chazz smiled smugly in response. "Guess what? I already know how it's going to end, thanks to a very dear friend of mine…" He trailed off with that expression still on his face. "We'll see about that." The girl glared.
Whoever that dear friend of his was, I wish he had told him to just shut up… Hopefully, Alexis would have the honor of shutting him up instead!
We were going towards the Dueling Arena. I wanted to see Chazz lose in that duel so badly right now… However, for some reason, I hadn't seen Ben ever since our talk. I knew he liked reading newspapers… But surely it couldn't have lasted that long? He would miss the duel!
"Accardi, Yuki, mind coming over here?" Chazz suddenly motioned for Jaden and me to walk over to him. "Uh, sure." The brown-haired guy shrugged. "Don't worry, we'll be there in a minute." He then told others who were looking at Chazz skeptically.
I had no idea what Chazz wanted with us, but the sooner we got over it, the better…
We followed Chazz down the hall. "So, why are you two so convinced I'm insane?" He asked while looking at his sleeve. "I didn't say anything about that. But I still think you were exposed to too many fumes…" Jaden trailed off. "You want my honest opinion, Princeton?" I frowned. "Go ahead, Accardi." "I think you'd gone off the deep end."
Suddenly, the guy stopped. We did so as well. "I'd gone off the deep end, huh? How… Interesting, Accardi."
Before I could even process what was going on, Chazz slammed the door open to one room. Suddenly, he grabbed Jaden by his wrist violently. "Hey!" Jaden yelled in astonishment before Chazz pushed him inside. I had no time to react properly out of shock. That explained it why I didn't do anything when he grabbed me by my wrist and pushed me inside too.
"What the hell, Princeton?!" I shouted. That was when he slammed the door shut. I think I even heard him locking them. Jaden tried to open the door to no avail. It was locked… "Chazz, this isn't funny!" He then shouted over to him. "It's not supposed to be. I'd told you you'd pay, Accardi…." Chazz's voice said from the outside. He then started laughing.
"PRINCETON, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" I screeched and tried to open the door as well. "Come on, Chazz, chill out!" Jaden shouted as well. I even started kicking them in hopes of somehow breaking through them. However, it didn't work.
Chazz's voice actually couldn't be heard anymore. That meant… He left us here? How dare he?!
"PRINCETON!" I screeched yet again while Jaden unsuccessfully tried to open the door. "It's no use." He sighed. "What in the world was that for?!" I demanded angrily. "No idea. Although I wish he hadn't locked us up here out of all places…" He sighed.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why?" I asked. "This is the Academy's boiler room, that's why." By now, I was looking at him in disbelief. It was then I noticed how hot it was in here.
Princeton had definitely gone insane… What did he want?! What was the point of locking us up in the boiler room?!
"If we don't get out of here, we're done for." I frowned and started banging against the door yet again. Jaden joined me in doing so. We were banging against the door for good five minutes. However, no one seemed to hear us. "We're going to miss the duel…" The guy let out a sigh.
Once I heard those words, I looked at him in disbelief. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Who knew what could happen since we were in a boiler room… And that duel was still in his mind?!
"Are you insane?!" I shouted at Jaden, making him flinch. "What makes you think that?" He blinked at me in confusion. "We're stuck in a boiler room, and all you can think about is that duel?!" I asked angrily. "Panicking is not exactly helping either." He noted. "So is not doing anything!" I fired back.
"Serena, just calm down…" He told me calmly. "How do you expect me to when…" "If you don't calm down, then I doubt we'll ever think of a way to get out of here!" Jaden exclaimed a bit impatiently.
It was then I realized he had a point there. Panicking wouldn't do us any good… It was easier to breathe by now.
"Sorry." I said simply. "Just chill out, so we can think of a way to get out of here." He smiled. I nodded and quickly looked around. It was a big room with the boiler next to the furthest wall… There was even a small bench in there, and a small table. There were a lot of white papers on the latter, with a small pen.
I walked towards the table curiously. The moment I looked at the pen and papers, and idea formed in my mind. "At least we have a way out of here." I sighed in relief, making Jaden give me a curious look. "If we write on the paper that we're locked up inside, and leave it in front of the door, maybe someone will see it." I spoke up while taking the pen in my hands.
"That sounds like a good idea." He said simply. I took a nearby paper and wrote 'we're locked inside the boiler room' on it. I then did the same with a few more papers. After taking them in my hands, I walked to the door and slid them under. "Let's just hope someone will see them." I then let out a sigh. "All we can do is wait." Jaden sat on the bench. Not knowing what to do, I sat down as well.
My eyes widened once the guy suddenly took off his red blazer. He began taking off his shirt, and I could clearly see some parts of his chest, when… "What the hell are you doing?!" I exclaimed and quickly covered my eyes in panic. My heart was beating like crazy, and I could feel my face turning red from embarrassment!
First, I walked in on Syrus and Hassleberry naked, and now Jaden was taking off his shirt… What was it with me running into naked guys?!
"It's getting really hot in here. I can't stand it with long sleeves." I could hear him explaining as I turned away on purpose. "You could have given me a warning." I replied sharply with hands still over my eyes. "What's the big deal? I mean, guys doing it is not so bad as for girls…" "Some girls might be embarrassed nonetheless!" I retorted. "If it's such a big deal to you, then I'll turn my back. Is that fine?" I could hear him asking with a groan. "Deal." I replied immediately.
I turned my back as well. I then took hands off my eyes. And there we were, sitting on one bench with backs turned to each other. It was a rather awkward silence for five minutes, or so.
"You had said your parents were from Italy?" Jaden suddenly spoke up. "Yes… Why?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was asking me that. "Just curious. It's also a bit weird, since Japan is not so close to Italy." "Well, both of them grew up in Rome. They moved to Japan because of better work conditions." I explained coldly.
"What about Ben?" He asked curiously. "His mum is from Forli, a place in Italy. His father is my dad's older brother. They moved to California because of her job. Ben spent most of his time there." I folded my arms. "What about your parents?" I then asked with a frown. "My dad's from Domino City, while my mum moved there when she was twenty five." "Where is she from?" I wondered.
Seeing we were stuck here with each other; I might as well spend it in a productive way… By getting to know another person stuck with me. Silence was literally going to be the end of me if I didn't say something!
"Both of her parents were Japanese. Mum used to live in Nagasaki." The guy replied casually. "My dad has a bit of French and Irish heritage from his parents. That also explains my hair, as Irish are known for their red hair." I then spoke up, playing with one of my strands.
"Ever been there?" "No," I shook my head. "The furthest I've been in Europe is Italy." "I heard a lot of things about Italy, but never got to see it." Jaden replied in a relaxed tone. "Such as?" I asked curiously. "My parents know a lot about stereotypes, so I got to hear some about Italians. Something about them being terrible drivers, mobsters, eating pasta every day, and being huge fans of football…"
A frown appeared on my face. There they were, those stupid stereotypes…
"But they also told me not to mention them in front of Italians, so sorry." Jaden then let out a sheepish laugh. "Just don't mention them again, and we're fine." I waved it off. "Especially since they're not true. Most of them, anyway." I then added. "My parents said so too." "They seem to be well informed…" I noted. "They like meeting different people." The guy shrugged.
I turned my head a bit to look at him, and fought back a gasp. I had forgot his upper part was naked (stupid of me), so I could see his back clearly. There were two white, thin lines running across the back. They weren't that much noticeable, but they weren't invisible either. While I wasn't sure what that was supposed to be, it looked like scars to me… And even though I briefly looked at his back before turning away, that picture didn't leave my mind.
Whatever that was, I hoped he didn't figure out I had seen it…
Suddenly, the door opened, making us jump up with yelps. We looked in the direction of the door. "Who locked you two in here?!" Dorothy asked us in surprise at the entrance. "Chazz/Princeton." Jaden and I chorused, just as the former put the blazer over his shirt.
A frown appeared on the woman's face. "Thanks, Dorothy!" Jaden exclaimed as he ran out. "Thank you!" I added and ran out as well. "Wait," She suddenly stopped me from running after Jaden. The guy stopped running as well, seeing what the woman had done. "If I remember well, you're Ben's cousin?" She asked.
"Yes?" I asked in confusion. "I'm sorry about what…" She started, and suddenly stopped. I tilted my head in confusion. What was she talking about? "Look," She finally spoke up, looking at me. "Take these newspapers, and read them when you're able to." She offered them to me. "Okay… And thank you, I guess." I nodded, still confused why I was supposed to read those newspapers.
"Serena, we're going to miss the duel!" Jaden reminded. "Oh, yeah! Hopefully Alexis won!" I exclaimed and ran after him towards the arena.
By the time we ran inside, everyone was gathered around the platform. Alexis and Chazz were standing on it, looking at each other. "Don't tell me the duel is already over!" Jaden pleaded just as we joined them. "Where have you two been, Sarge?" Hassleberry demanded.
"Why don't you ask Princeton?" I asked while glaring at the black-haired guy. "Me? I didn't do anything." He pretended to be innocent. "Don't lie, you locked us up in the boiler room!" I pointed a finger at him accusingly. "It's true." Jaden nodded. "Shut your mouth, both of you!" Alexis suddenly shouted angrily.
My eyes widened in surprise. The others were looking at her in astonishment. "Lex, even if you lost, you still…" Atticus was cut off. "You don't get it, do you?! I'm glad that I lost! It opened my eyes to the truth…" The girl smiled smugly before looking at Chazz. "Thank you, I'm ready to join the Society Of Light."
What… Did that mean she was with them now?! How did that duel go while we were locked up in that boiler room?!
"It's your destiny… Our destiny!" Another, familiar voice quickly made me turn around.
Ben was walking towards us. However, instead of his Obelisk Blue uniform, he was dressed in a white one like Chazz. A smug smile was on his face. "Ben, this isn't time for joking." I frowned while walking up to him, about to put a hand on his shoulder...
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" My cousin suddenly roared at me, pushing me away violently. I landed on the ground with my back harshly. I let out a cry of pain, seeing I had hit my back pretty badly. "Ben, what's got into you?!" Bastion asked incredulously while Jaden offered me a hand. I took it and he helped me up.
At the same time, I was trying to process what had just happened. Ben… My own cousin just pushed me like that, as if I were something disgusting… He never did that… I felt like I was stabbed by something. What he just did hurt a lot, and not just in a physical way, but emotionally too… It hurt me to think of the way he had looked at me with such disgust…
"I don't want that wench anywhere near me." Ben growled, his green eyes shooting daggers at me. His face was filled with this rage I had never seen before… Him calling me a 'wench' felt like being stabbed by hundreds of knives. "Ben, what happened to you?" I managed to speak up while trembling.
"I thankfully got to my senses…" My cousin trailed off with a smug smile. I tried to walk up to him, only to be pushed away again. Luckily, this time, Bastion and Jaden caught me. "Don't come near me…" He threatened with a growl. "Ben, this isn't funny!" Syrus shouted with a look of fear on his face. "Quit it, soldier!" Hassleberry agreed. Atticus and those girls were staring at my cousin in shock.
"I just did. Master Sartorius helped me see the Light…" Ben sneered. "Now, it's only a matter of time until all of you realize the truth." Chazz said smugly as Ben walked up to him and Alexis.
No matter what just happened, I still couldn't take it in. Ben couldn't be with that society now, he just couldn't!
"Ben, please tell me this is all one of your jokes…" I pleaded. Except he didn't do so. In fact, he didn't even look at me. "Keep that wench far away from me." He growled and strode towards the exit. Chazz and Alexis followed him outside without another word.
The rest of us were staring at the exit of the arena.
It was then it finally hit me. My own cousin had just hurt me, and called me a wench… He didn't even want to look at me…
Tears started brimming in my eyes. Before I knew it, they started streaming down my cheeks. I started shaking uncontrollably. Not wanting the others to see me like this, I ran out of the arena while sobbing. I couldn't stop the tears from coming out, nor did I want to. The only thing that was on my mind right now was how Ben had just treated me…
I slammed the door of the room and threw the newspapers on bed. I jumped on it too, not even bothering to brush tears off my cheeks. My face must have been red by now from all the crying. I knew Dorothy told me to read those newspapers, but, right now, I didn't feel like it…
My eyes briefly went over the newspapers before widening. A huge title was on them, saying 'Missing Workers From Industrial Illusions'.
I quickly grabbed them and looked at the front page. I just wanted to make sure at least Aunt Maria was alright with everything going on…
My heart dropped once I got to the list of missing people. Maria Accardi was written there… By now, I wanted to scream. Feelings of panic and shock overwhelmed me, and I hoped at least Uncle Luca would be able to tell me those were lies…
Without another word, I grabbed my phone. I dialed Uncle's phone number and stood there, waiting. I couldn't even stand still, so I was pacing back and forth. "Uncle Luca, please answer…" I pleaded quietly in panic. After a minute, he finally did.
"Hello?" He sounded like he had been crying… "Uncle Luca, please don't tell me the news are true. Please tell me Aunt Maria is with you right now." I told him pleadingly, trying not to lose it. He never answered it with words. Instead, he started sobbing, hanging up in process.
I stood there, clenching the phone in my right hand tightly. Everything slowly sank in. Aunt Maria really disappeared along with those people in that mysterious incident… And the last time we talked to each other; we had an argument…
As I sat on my bed, tears started streaming down my cheeks yet again. At that moment, I'd never felt so alone… My parents and Uncle were still there, but I wasn't as close to them as to Ben, Sarina, Sartorius and Aunt Maria. All of them were gone. Three of them went missing, and one didn't even want to look at me…
"Whenever you have a problem, you can talk to me." Sarina smiled at me.
"A person can't function properly if they're always by themselves." Sartorius gave me a disapproving look.
"Anything for my niece." "Thank you, Aunt Maria!" I squealed and hugged my aunt.
"I love you, Ben. I'm sorry I don't say it so often…" I smiled and hugged my cousin. "I love you too, cuzo." He hugged me back.
That was it. I couldn't take anymore. I brought knees closer to me and started sobbing uncontrollably...
Well, that's the end of this chapter! Again, one of first turning points in the story…
Words in Italian:
Buongiorno- good morning/afternoon;
purtroppo-unfortunately.
I hope you liked it and until next time! :)
