"My father is a mob boss. He did technically get it from my mother's family. As I'm sure you can guess the mafia is about as patriarchal is it gets, so when my uncle was killed my father was next in line for the business. He's not Italian and were all fairly certain he's the only black mob boss, but he's ruthless and cunning, everything it takes to run a successful crime organization, so my Grandfather didn't really have any qualms handing over the reigns. I was always trying to think of a way out. My brother, as the only boy didn't have a choice, he was bred and trained for exactly that life, and he's good at it. Claudia, she's, well if Michael was bred for it, she was born for it. It was decided at some point that Michael would be the face and the muscle of the family, but Claudia would be the brain, she would make the ultimate choices and Michael would be her mouthpiece. I had options, I was extra, and not in a bad way it gave me choices and a different relationship with both my parents.
My mother was able to coddle me and spoil me in a different way from my siblings; with them there was always a lesson to be learned. My father I think always regretted that I wasn't born first and male. He always said I had to potential to be both, muscle and brains. My instinct to fight was always tampered by my gut telling me what the rational choice should be. Michael is all instinct, his first response is to throw a punch and Claudia is all rationale using it to avoid violence at every turn. Neither makes for a very good leader, but by time he realized my potential the damage was already done. Michael was ten when I was born and already being trained and Claudia was eight, already the epitome of a rational child. Pretty quickly after my uncle died things got ugly.
My family wanted retribution against the family that killed him. In the middle of my senior year of high school I heard my father in the office with my brother and some of his other men saying they needed a way to get the other families to ally with them, which because of my father's new standing as well as ethnicity would be difficult, if not impossible. My mind immediately went to work, and I found a solution to all of our problems. I would die, in the most public and brutal way possible. It would gain sympathy and anger from the other families we needed, as allies and it would eliminate my need to stay in Kansas where I could be protected. I thought over all the options and presented them to my Grandfather for him to find fault and together we presented the idea to my father. He knew it was a brilliant idea, but also that it would cost him his daughter. Things in the family would never be the same. He told me he would think about it, but as things escalated he knew he had to concede to the idea.
Two days after my graduation I was gunned down walking my dog in the park. The claim was that my father's men found my body unrecognizable except for my grandmother's necklace, the one I always wear, and the dog strung up behind me. There was a closed casket. After the funeral my mother and sister claimed to need time to recuperate away from home. We went to Greece and stayed with family until it was time for school to start. They moved me into my apartment off campus and went home. Its not like Pope is a conspicuous name, so I was able to keep my identity and my family visits when they can. I tried not to get too attached to anyone or anything. I was always afraid my old life would come back to haunt me. Abby was the one who broke through first.
We kept being thrown together in classes and lab. I could tell she was just as afraid of something as I was and by junior year I finally had let someone in. As we had gotten closer I'd grown to despise her boyfriend, Charles, as if that name isn't obnoxious enough, he was constantly berating her and cheating on her. I've met her family and I can honestly say she didn't know any better. A lot of our time together was spent with me trying to keep her away from him and building her up. It was like he knew that she was getting better because he came to threaten me to stay away from her. I ignored his threats and continued to call and search her out. Two days later I went over to her apartment and found her bloody and unconscious. When I finally roused her and got her to the hospital I found out that she had gotten pregnant and he beat her in attempt to force a miscarriage. She refused to press charges, but promised to move in with me and get a restraining order to keep him away, I wasn't exactly raised to trust the police so I took things into my own hands. As soon as she fell asleep I went to find him. I found him leaving Amanda Tanner's apartment, with a satisfied smirk on his face and before the rational part of my brain told me to stop I was taking out his knees with the tire iron. That's when you found me. Do you remember? You pulled me off of him and he tried to take a swing at me so you kicked in his face."
He was quite for a really long time, she couldn't quite meet his eyes. "If it were anyone but you telling me this story I would think its unbelievable, but from the first moment I saw you I knew you were extraordinary. Livvy I don't care. You haven't told me anything that matter more than the fact that I love you. I wait for you. I watch for you." She looked into his eyes trying to see if the gray that she loved so much would betray him. They didn't. They still looked at her the same way. Reverent. "You need to sleep, those pills should have knocked you out by now. We have more to talk about, but for now rest." She kissed his forehead and made an effort to move away, but he grabbed her. "You know I cant sleep alone anymore." She nodded, today he would get whatever he wanted. She took off her jeans and bloody sweater and pulled on one of his t shirts. As soon as she was dressed she crawled over to lie as close as she could. He threw an arm over her and she threw her leg over him.
He fell asleep almost as soon as he stopped fighting the drugs. Usually she was the first one asleep and the last one awake, but today she was content just to listen to him breathe. She was thankful he still allowed her that after everything she revealed to him. They had so many obstacles a head and not just her family but their circumstances as well. But for now they were them.