Lizzie had to spend a few more days in hospital, to heal up a bit and for
"observation." During that time, she had little time to be bored because
she had so many visitors. In addition to her usual entourage, lots of kids
from school dropped by, including Ethan. Nurse Gina even started to
threaten to chase some of them away, for fear of Lizzie becoming too
fatigued.
The Giuliani's had to return to Sicily, but they visited one more time before leaving. Anna asked to be able to spend a little time talking with Lizzie without her parents there. Her parents agreed, so long as they could leave Miguel to guard the door, and they asked Jo and Sam to join them for breakfast at a nearby café.
Lizzie had finally kicked Gordo out and told him he had to go home and get some sleep. She loved him, and loved having him near, but with the circles under his eyes growing ever darker, he was beginning to look worse than she did. She told him not to come back till noon, by which time she expected that Kate would have visited and helped her with some camouflaging make-up.
So, with her parents gone and Matt still asleep, she and Anna were alone to talk, and Lizzie had some questions. After talking about the usual things~ clothes, music, school, etc., she got around to asking them.
"Anna, you've got these big men following you around everywhere ~ how did you end up getting kidnapped?"
Anna looked ashamed, and said, "Well, it was my fault. See, Papa was considering letting me go to University here in the US, so we all came over here to visit different schools." Anna's expression became deprecating, and she went on, "When you've been followed around most of your life by bodyguards, you get very tired of having no privacy. So, I sometimes play "ditch the suits." Some kids told me about a party, and I wanted to go without them, so I snuck out when they thought I was asleep. I went to the party, and I don't know how anyone knew who I was, but next thing I know, I'm gagged and being thrown into the back of a truck!"
Lizzie gasped, "Oh, wow, you must have been terrified."
"I was. And it was worse when I got there and found out what they did with those poor little girls. Sometimes they tried to make me watch. They thought it was funny to make me upset. Those horrible, filthy men with those poor…poor…"
Lizzie realized that she was starting to cry, and said, "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok. I'm glad you will listen. My Mama asked about it, but I can tell it distresses her terribly, and I know she has been frightened for me for so long…"
"But you've been frightened, too."
"Yes, I was. But I guess I realized pretty soon that they wouldn't hurt me or make me do those things, because Papa was paying them a lot of money. But they made me behave by threatening to hurt one of the other girls." She stopped there, and just looked sad and thoughtful. "You know, they all had dreams, those girls. So many had run away from abusive families, trying to make a better life for themselves. Tina wanted to do comedy routines ~ I think you call them "Stand-up Comedians." When she wasn't drugged, she would tell us jokes or say funny things and make us laugh. And Gloria wanted to sing. She had such a beautiful voice. Like an Angel. And Mandy just wanted to find a nice man to marry and have children with, and give them a better life than she had. And so many more girls. But some of them disappeared, and the men would talk of digging holes outside. They would do horrible things to these girls, and take movies of them, and people would pay to watch them on the internet! And then they would just throw them out, like the garbage!" She was growing angrier and angrier, tears of rage running down her lovely olive cheeks, and she had to stop to breathe.
After a minute, Lizzie asked, "Were there only the three men?"
Anna sniffed and wiped her eyes with a violent swipe of her hand, "No. There was one more. I never saw him, but they called him Anthony, and he was the one to give the orders."
After that, Lizzie steered the conversation to lighter topics. Matt eventually joined them, and they decided to order some breakfast. When their parents got back, the girls were laughing at something that Matt was saying.
"Honey, we must go or we will miss our flight." Anna's mother told her.
Anna looked sadly at her new friend. "I have only just met you, but I will miss you anyway. You will come to visit me?"
Lizzie smiled, "Your home sounds so beautiful, and I would love to see how you make wine. I would love to visit."
Senor Giuliani smiled and said, "Then we will arrange it. But in the mean time, we have a small gift for you." He held up a set of keys attached to a BMW keychain
Lizzie looked puzzled, and then her eyes popped, and she gasped. "Oh, no, I can't!"
"Please, I have already persuaded your parents with some difficulty. You must accept our gift. It is the very least we can do for you. You have, after all, restored what is most precious in the world to us."
Lizzie glanced at her parents, who shrugged, and then at Matt, who could barely contain himself. "Uh, Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Sam interjected, "Just wait till you see what those keys go to. It's small, sapphire blue, and has a cloth top!"
"Oh, wow!" she was absolutely stunned. She hated herself for the first thought that came to mind, but it came none-the-less, "Wait till Ms. "I'm the Queen of the World Claire" sees this!"
With all her tubes and needles removed, Lizzie was able to get out of her bed and hug her new friend goodbye. With tears and promises to keep in touch via e-mail, the Giuliani family finally made their departure.
Matt was fairly jumping up and down, begging Lizzie to let him drive her new car, when Miranda made her appearance. She bounced into the room, with a gleam in her eye, and news to tell, "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, you'll *never*guess what!" She noticed Matt looking as if he was about to wet himself, and inquired, "What's up with him?"
Lizzie smiled and held up her keys, and told her BF what went with them. Miranda just gaped, "OMG, that is so cool!"
Still feeling a little guilty about the gift, Lizzie smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, it is pretty cool. Now, you have some news for me?"
Miranda knitted her brow for a second, then said, "Oh, oh, yeah! Yeah! Well, you know we've been playing at the DB on Tuesday nights? Well, last night a guy approached us and told us he liked what he heard, and would we come to see him in the morning. We did, and he wants to represent us! He says he can get us on the radio, and thinks he can get us a record deal with his company! Ethan's dad is looking at the contracts for us, but he says it's a great company, and at first glance, it looks like a great deal for us!"
Lizzie hugged her friend, "Oh, wow, Miranda! That is so great! I can't believe I am a very close, personal friend of the up and coming hottest act in the music buis! You won't forget about us little people when you get to the top, will you?"
"Never! Ummm, what did you say your name was?" Miranda grinned. "Oh, yeah, and we won't be "Kessler and Co." anymore. The band talked about it, and we decided to change our name to Dulcinea. You know, lady-love of Don Quixote."
Lizzie grinned. "I like it. Muse to a crazy man. It fits."
The Giuliani's had to return to Sicily, but they visited one more time before leaving. Anna asked to be able to spend a little time talking with Lizzie without her parents there. Her parents agreed, so long as they could leave Miguel to guard the door, and they asked Jo and Sam to join them for breakfast at a nearby café.
Lizzie had finally kicked Gordo out and told him he had to go home and get some sleep. She loved him, and loved having him near, but with the circles under his eyes growing ever darker, he was beginning to look worse than she did. She told him not to come back till noon, by which time she expected that Kate would have visited and helped her with some camouflaging make-up.
So, with her parents gone and Matt still asleep, she and Anna were alone to talk, and Lizzie had some questions. After talking about the usual things~ clothes, music, school, etc., she got around to asking them.
"Anna, you've got these big men following you around everywhere ~ how did you end up getting kidnapped?"
Anna looked ashamed, and said, "Well, it was my fault. See, Papa was considering letting me go to University here in the US, so we all came over here to visit different schools." Anna's expression became deprecating, and she went on, "When you've been followed around most of your life by bodyguards, you get very tired of having no privacy. So, I sometimes play "ditch the suits." Some kids told me about a party, and I wanted to go without them, so I snuck out when they thought I was asleep. I went to the party, and I don't know how anyone knew who I was, but next thing I know, I'm gagged and being thrown into the back of a truck!"
Lizzie gasped, "Oh, wow, you must have been terrified."
"I was. And it was worse when I got there and found out what they did with those poor little girls. Sometimes they tried to make me watch. They thought it was funny to make me upset. Those horrible, filthy men with those poor…poor…"
Lizzie realized that she was starting to cry, and said, "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok. I'm glad you will listen. My Mama asked about it, but I can tell it distresses her terribly, and I know she has been frightened for me for so long…"
"But you've been frightened, too."
"Yes, I was. But I guess I realized pretty soon that they wouldn't hurt me or make me do those things, because Papa was paying them a lot of money. But they made me behave by threatening to hurt one of the other girls." She stopped there, and just looked sad and thoughtful. "You know, they all had dreams, those girls. So many had run away from abusive families, trying to make a better life for themselves. Tina wanted to do comedy routines ~ I think you call them "Stand-up Comedians." When she wasn't drugged, she would tell us jokes or say funny things and make us laugh. And Gloria wanted to sing. She had such a beautiful voice. Like an Angel. And Mandy just wanted to find a nice man to marry and have children with, and give them a better life than she had. And so many more girls. But some of them disappeared, and the men would talk of digging holes outside. They would do horrible things to these girls, and take movies of them, and people would pay to watch them on the internet! And then they would just throw them out, like the garbage!" She was growing angrier and angrier, tears of rage running down her lovely olive cheeks, and she had to stop to breathe.
After a minute, Lizzie asked, "Were there only the three men?"
Anna sniffed and wiped her eyes with a violent swipe of her hand, "No. There was one more. I never saw him, but they called him Anthony, and he was the one to give the orders."
After that, Lizzie steered the conversation to lighter topics. Matt eventually joined them, and they decided to order some breakfast. When their parents got back, the girls were laughing at something that Matt was saying.
"Honey, we must go or we will miss our flight." Anna's mother told her.
Anna looked sadly at her new friend. "I have only just met you, but I will miss you anyway. You will come to visit me?"
Lizzie smiled, "Your home sounds so beautiful, and I would love to see how you make wine. I would love to visit."
Senor Giuliani smiled and said, "Then we will arrange it. But in the mean time, we have a small gift for you." He held up a set of keys attached to a BMW keychain
Lizzie looked puzzled, and then her eyes popped, and she gasped. "Oh, no, I can't!"
"Please, I have already persuaded your parents with some difficulty. You must accept our gift. It is the very least we can do for you. You have, after all, restored what is most precious in the world to us."
Lizzie glanced at her parents, who shrugged, and then at Matt, who could barely contain himself. "Uh, Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Sam interjected, "Just wait till you see what those keys go to. It's small, sapphire blue, and has a cloth top!"
"Oh, wow!" she was absolutely stunned. She hated herself for the first thought that came to mind, but it came none-the-less, "Wait till Ms. "I'm the Queen of the World Claire" sees this!"
With all her tubes and needles removed, Lizzie was able to get out of her bed and hug her new friend goodbye. With tears and promises to keep in touch via e-mail, the Giuliani family finally made their departure.
Matt was fairly jumping up and down, begging Lizzie to let him drive her new car, when Miranda made her appearance. She bounced into the room, with a gleam in her eye, and news to tell, "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, you'll *never*guess what!" She noticed Matt looking as if he was about to wet himself, and inquired, "What's up with him?"
Lizzie smiled and held up her keys, and told her BF what went with them. Miranda just gaped, "OMG, that is so cool!"
Still feeling a little guilty about the gift, Lizzie smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, it is pretty cool. Now, you have some news for me?"
Miranda knitted her brow for a second, then said, "Oh, oh, yeah! Yeah! Well, you know we've been playing at the DB on Tuesday nights? Well, last night a guy approached us and told us he liked what he heard, and would we come to see him in the morning. We did, and he wants to represent us! He says he can get us on the radio, and thinks he can get us a record deal with his company! Ethan's dad is looking at the contracts for us, but he says it's a great company, and at first glance, it looks like a great deal for us!"
Lizzie hugged her friend, "Oh, wow, Miranda! That is so great! I can't believe I am a very close, personal friend of the up and coming hottest act in the music buis! You won't forget about us little people when you get to the top, will you?"
"Never! Ummm, what did you say your name was?" Miranda grinned. "Oh, yeah, and we won't be "Kessler and Co." anymore. The band talked about it, and we decided to change our name to Dulcinea. You know, lady-love of Don Quixote."
Lizzie grinned. "I like it. Muse to a crazy man. It fits."