Alberto woke up in a cold sweat, he was about to scream, but the cry got stuck in his throat; even so, that was enough to get Luca up, who sat up.
When he saw Alberto, he got scared; it looked like he was about to have an attack.
"Alberto!" He said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Alberto turned to see him and jumped on him in a hug, Luca froze for a few moments, processing what had happened, but then he hugged him back.
Alberto sighed, pressing Luca against his body, but then released him.
"I'm sorry- I had a nightmare."
Luca nodded, not looking away, wanting to hear more.
"The day we were captured."
Luca put a hand on Alberto's head and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him and resting his cheek against Alberto's hair.
"I know, sometimes I dream about that too."
Alberto closed his eyes; it was a bit strange; usually, he was the one who comforted Luca; after all, he was the oldest, and Alberto was happy to fulfill his job, but he felt calm in Luca's arms. It was a somewhat selfish thought, but he was glad that he did not have to face imprisonment alone; all the time, Luca was by his side; without him, Alberto would not have survived so long. The desire to put his brother to safety gave him the strength to resist, and it was thanks to Luca that they managed to speak with Giulia. If he had been alone, he would never have had the courage to talk to her, and no one would have helped him escape.
"He gave me a family, a home, and now he got me out of that horrible place. I seriously win the lottery with him," he thought.
Luca released him and put a hand to his neck; he rubbed it while he reflected; it felt strange not having the chains around him anymore; Luca was a little saddened when he reflected on it. How long had they been prisoners? Mom, Dad, and Grandma... thought they were dead? Great Fish, by now, maybe even Uncle Hugo was worried, he was scary, but his intentions were always good, and he genuinely loved the boys.
His heart skipped a beat at the thought of that.
"They must be scared to death," he thought; he looked at the sea through the window, it was frozen, but that was not a problem for them; they had been born to withstand the cruelest temperatures of the ocean.
They could leave now if they wanted to, break the ice and swim as far as possible, find the family, and everything would return to normal.
But there were some problems with that; for starters, he wanted to say goodbye to Giulia and Massimo and thank them for everything they had done for them. So at least they would have to wait until dawn; and second, once they got back home, they would never see Giulia again; it would be a true miracle if Mom let them out on their own again after that "adventure" and after seeing Ercole's, and some scientists, treatment, it was clear that not all humans were friends.
Besides, they managed to escape once, but nothing told him they could do it again, and if Ercole found out they were there...
"No, he can't; he doesn't know about our powers, and there's no way Ercole is finding out" Even though he was the skeptical one, Luca had to admit that the change could only be explained with magic;it couldn't be anything else, he doubted there was a scientific explanation for their condition.
"Alberto," his friend looked at him, "I've been thinking."
And he told him everything he had in mind. Alberto was silent while listening; he agreed with all Luca had said, he didn't want to worry the family, but he also couldn't wait to see the town; they would no longer settle for an abandoned tower; they could observe humans in their natural habitat.
Their desire to explore was strong, so much that they didn't even have to silence Bruno anymore, they could take advantage of the two days they had left, but none wanted the family to continue with the uncertainty.
"I have an idea," Luca said.
Alberto looked at him carefully; Luca stood up and searched in one of the drawers next to him, then took a pencil and some paper.
"Giulia taught me this; it's like carving in rock- but easier."
Alberto nodded; he bet it was something they had done in the laboratory, but he had been so focused on the Vespas catalog that he overlooked it.
Luca put the page on the furniture, knelt down, and began to write on it. Alberto approached and peeked over his friend's shoulders:
Dear Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Uncle Hugo, in case you're there:
This is Luca and Alberto; we are safe and sound, the day we got separated, we were captured by humans, but we managed to escape with the help of a friend and her father. They are also humans but don't worry, they are the kindest people in this world; they risked everything to free us from prison, and now we are in their house. While writing this, the Great Fish has risen, and we were able to make the change; the other humans don't suspect a thing.
But we will not risk ourselves. We are returning home immediately; we do not know when we will arrive, but rest assured that we are on our way and that nothing will stop us.
We are both in one piece, and you should not fear for anything, Giulia... our friend, she takes care of us very well; it would be great if you could meet her, but we know that is impossible, even so, and despite the misfortunes of the situation, know that meeting her has been one of the best things that have happened to us in life.
We can't wait to see you all again, have faith that our reunion is closer than ever.
We love you.
Luca signed his name, then passed the pen to Alberto; it was better if each signed to verify their safety; it was another good thing about them their handwriting was very different. Alberto signed, and Luca rolled up the letter.
"Okay, now how do we get it to them?" Alberto asked.
Luca put a hand to his chin and rubbed it while he thought of an answer; it wasn't long until he got it.
...
Very carefully, to not wake the Marcovaldos, they slipped into the kitchen and took one of Massimo's empty wine bottles.
"We'll replace it," was all Luca said.
Alberto nodded.
They put the letter in the bottle and then a cork in it; they left the house covered in blankets and walked towards the beach. At first, the snow under their feet froze them, but they changed instantly, and their flippers tolerated the cold quite well.
After looking both ways and seeing that there was no one else, they looked at each other and nodded.
They took off their blankets and walked into the frozen water, the ice crunched under their feet, but they were not afraid; breaking it was just what they wanted.
"Ready?" Luca asked.
Alberto showed him both thumbs, they jumped, and the ice shattered; they sank into the icy water; they would have died if it weren't for their transformation as soon as they touched the water.
"Oh, it feels good!" Alberto exclaimed as he circled in the water; it was the best thing to do without being chained.
Luca also yelled as he moved freely; he had missed that feeling.
"Remember, not to risk too much," it was good, but they had to behave; they were still in danger.
Luca looked towards the horizon, put a hand to cover the right side of his mouth, and called out to them, nothing happened at first, but then, a large shoal approached from the front. Luca smiled and looked at his friend. Alberto smiled back. Whenever the sea monsters needed help, they could rely on the marine fauna. They were golden rockfish, the same species as Giuseppe; Luca approached the leading fish. And kissed it on the forehead, then handed it the bottle.
"Brother, take this bottle to our parents so they know we're okay."
The fish opened its mouth, letting out a bubble, accepting the task; in its jaws, it took the bottle.
"Go to Isola del Mare, and ask for the Paguros."
Another advantage of the fish, they knew the ocean like the back of their- fins.
The fish nodded and began to swim, followed by his companions; with his new destination prepared, they would have a great trip ahead.
Alberto approached Luca and shook him on the shoulders.
"Always with a plan, little brother."
Luca just smiled shyly, thinking was what he did best; now they could take advantage of the two days they had left with Giulia before leaving, see the human world, and without his family continuing to worry.
All the pieces were falling into place.
"Okay, now let's go back before someone sees us," he said to finish and headed to the beach.
Alberto was about to follow him, but then he remembered something.
"Hey."
Luca stopped to look at him.
"Didn't Massimo say that the fishing had been bad lately?"
Luca memorized; now that he mentioned it, Massimo and Giulia had said this was not the best time for their business.
"Yes, I think he did."
Alberto smiled and pointed behind him.
"Don't you think we should give them a hand?"
Luca kept thinking. It would be risky; Massimo hadn't sold a single fish for weeks, but when two strangers showed up, there was the best fishing of the year during winter.
It was very, very dangerous, but…
Giulia and Massimo had risked everything for them, maybe their friend told them they didn't need to pay it back, but they wanted to.
"Go see if you can find a net. I'll round up the fish."
Alberto just smiled.
...
Ercole picked up the remains of the bomb; the top had melted, and now only the base and half of the body remained. He smelled it as he lifted it off the ground.
"An Israeli bomb. I can smell the magnesium," Ercole said as he tossed it to Ciccio.
The blonde juggled it before catching it.
"The Russians hate the Jews, but they love their toys," Ercole continued as they walked out of the hallway.
"Do you think it was the Russians?" Ciccio asked innocently.
"Of course, idiot!" Ercole scolded him, "Who else?! Eh! The Mexicans?!"
He mockingly laughed, remembering the poor fourth-grade musician he met on a trip to Santa Cecilia, Mexico. Ciccio laughed too, though very forcefully, and then another fear hit him.
"Ercole- does this means… another Cold War is coming?"
"For all I know, Ciccio, we could be on the brink of World War III."
Ciccio swallowed hard.
They both went to the parking lot, where soldiers tried to find evidence of the thieves. Ercole avoided looking at his car; his beautiful carriage had been destroyed the same day he bought it...
"How did they get in?!" Ercole asked, annoyed, they were supposed to have the best security in all of Italy, and a bunch of idiots had made them look like rookies.
"Fake ID, painted license plate, that sort of thing," Ciccio replied hastily.
"Well, at least we have the security footage."
"Eh-"
Ercole stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ciccio.
"What?"
Ciccio scratched the back of his head.
"Guido told me that the detonation- fried the circuitries; the footage is all gone."
Ciccio stepped back a bit, expecting that at any moment, Ercole would explode, but Ercole just looked down. Ciccio had to admit that he seemed to be taking it very well.
"Okay, we lost the cameras- but we don't have to report it yet; we have twenty-four hours to-"
"I already did."
Ercole stopped his words. Ciccio swallowed; perhaps he should have remained silent.
"Did you report it?"
"Y...yes, as soon as it happened..."
Ercole narrowed one eye and clenched his fists. Ciccio started to back away; for him, it was nothing new to see Ercole angry, but this time... something felt different. Ercole's eyes were red, but not as if he had cried, more like... as if he wanted to kill the closest person.
"Mr. Ercole," Bellucci's voice interrupted them, coming from the corridor where the steam bath had taken place.
Ciccio sighed with relief; it seemed that Belluci's voice had brought Ercole out of his murderous trance.
"You've got a call from the headquarters."
...
"I hope you know what's at stake, Visconti, lots of people paid a fortune to get those things, and now they're gone."
"Sir, I am getting them back; we have a good lead. Our forces are already looking for those responsible."
The general's tone was calm, but Ercole knew that his entire career was at stake; powerful men had financed, from the capture of the monsters to the rehabilitation of that laboratory, and now he had ruined everything.
If he didn't get them back… he wouldn't even find a job as a car cleaner.
"I will, sir. I deliver. I always deliver."
And they hung up on him.
Ercole froze as he listened to the bell; he hadn't felt like this since… he was a little boy, scolded by dad, for getting bad grades, for not being the most athletic in the class, for not being a man like him. Once again, he felt like that defenseless little boy who couldn't defend himself, who had to resort to intimidating the little ones to feel important...
NO!
"Not anymore!" He promised himself that he would never let himself be stepped on again, and he was keeping that promise. Ercole would find these things and lock them in that lab again, but not before giving them a good beating. And then he would kill the idiot who had brought them out in the first place.
That bastard was gonna know the wrath of Ercole Visconti.
A knock on the door brought him back to the present; he turned to see Guido standing in the doorway of his office.
"What do you want, Guido?" he barked at him.
Out of all his subordinates, Guido was the one he was most angry with; he ruined his chance to kill the thief, or those things, to be honest, either would have been good.
"We lost the assets."
Ercole laughed wildly.
"Really?"
Guido seemed unfazed by his violent tone.
"Ercole, we need to recover them; they cannot survive out of the water for long. We don't know if these people know how to treat them."
Ercole snorted; it would be a miracle if those monsters died.
"Any great ideas?"
"Sorry, Ercole. I'm just a marine biologist; you are the soldier."
Ercole cleared his throat, clenching his fists.
"We have a lead; we are following it."
Guido smiled.
"That's good because if the assets don't return, there's no point in me still here."
With that said, he turned around and left the office. Ercole followed him with his eyes; he didn't like the tone Guido had spoken to him. Since when did he have so much guts?
"And it's not the first time, either," he thought, remembering how he'd screwed up his shot, "this all started since those things arrived-"
Ercole moved closer to the window, Guido had always seen for the welfare of those freaks, and just like that, out of the blue, he accepted their cruel fate. One night before the dissection.
Something smells fishy.
He returned to his desk and picked up the phone, dialing Ciccio.
"E… Ercole…. Hi," Ciccio was nervous; he knew he had screwed up. And that Ercole was mad at him.
"Ciccio, be a man and control yourself; there is something you can do to fix your stupidity."
He could hear his breathing relieved on the other end of the line.
"Sure, Ercole; what do you need?"
Ercole looked down. Guido was leaving the control room.
"Keep an eye on Guido; something tells me he had something to do with all this."
...
Despite staying up all night, Giulia had no trouble waking up; she changed quickly, feeling excited, she only had to put up with eight hours of work, and then she could be with the boys again. Free, this would be the first time they would be together without them being chained, which excited her.
She knew that, eventually, they would have to leave, so she wanted to make the most of the time they had left. Giulia hoped they could at least stay the remaining two days of the full moon. Although, she would understand if the boys preferred to return home...
She hoped they could wait just a little longer.
Giulia left her room and went to the guest room, she called the door three times, but no one answered.
"Luca? Alberto?" She asked to no response.
Then she went to her father's room and knocked on the door, but the result was the same.
"This is… odd," she thought. She wanted to be scared, but she told herself to relax and that everything was fine; "maybe they are eating breakfast."
She went down to the kitchen, but it was empty.
"Okay, something weird is going on here."
Giulia went out into the patio, where she was met with a great surprise; Massimo was standing, with his eyes and mouth open, looking ahead, where there was a pile of fish. Luca and Alberto, humans, were at the foot of the stack; not even in their best days had the Marcovaldos seen a catch so big.
"Santa ricotta..." Giulia said, unable to believe her eyes.
Luca looked at her and showed her both thumbs, while Alberto only put both hands on his waist.
"We know a lot of fish," Alberto said proudly.
"Did you know that your nets are very similar to ours? It was easy to fish," Luca mentioned.
Giulia didn't know what to say, and it looked like Massimo didn't either, so the fisherman stepped forward and hugged the boys. His one arm was enough to encircle both of them, lifting them off the ground and playfully shaking them to the sides.
"Boys, thanks!" he said happily.
"Oh woah," Luca said, while Alberto just smiled.
Giulia stifled a giggle; the scene was adorable. Massimo put them back on the ground.
"You didn't have to."
"It was nothing," answered Alberto.
"A small token of appreciation," Luca continued.
Massimo smiled; he had gone from having nothing to a month's worth of sales! And at the worst time of the year! This would be crazy with customers.
Giulia was so happy, she knew how much this meant to her father, now he could go back to what he loved so much, the boys had earned a special place with Massimo with this, and Massimo already appreciated them, even before meeting them.
"I would love to stay, but I better go. I do not want to be late for work; that might raise suspicions," Giulia said.
Massimo turned to face her, momentarily forgetting his excitement over the gift.
"Oh, sorry, Giulietta. I haven't prepared lunch for you, let me-"
"Don't worry, papa. I'll buy something on the way," and she looked at her friends again, "thank you very much for this, guys."
Luca and Alberto just smiled, showing their teeth, Giulia felt strange that they were human teeth and not shark ones, but she shook her head; she had to get used to both forms of her friends.
"I'll see you soon."
And with that, she left, leaving her men to take care of the rest of the housework.
Now, she had to face a true monster.
...
The days had turned into weeks, the weeks into months.
Daniela Paguro was collecting algae from her garden; since the disappearance of her children, she had tried to keep busy, so she did not think about it. Because she was not deaf, she heard what the neighbors said behind her back; everyone believed Luca and Alberto….
Had ascended to meet the Great Fish; she had suspicions that Lorenzo was beginning to believe it, but not she. She knew that her children were alive; her maternal instinct told her.
"They are not mothers, they wouldn't understand," she thought and clung to that feeling.
The sea was a huge place; they could be anywhere, surprisingly, Hugo encouraged her the most not to lose faith. Since the boys disappeared, he had moved in with the rest of the family to help with what he could. Hugo knew more than anyone how deep the ocean was and also how resistant their bodies were to any environment; he trusted that the boys would return sooner or later.
Grandma also trusted them.
"They are tough; wherever they are, they will know how to look after themselves. In fact, I fear for the fool who provokes them."
She had always had faith in her grandchildren; for her, no one could stand up to them.
The support of her family was the only thing that allowed Daniela to carry on from day to day, and to ignore the neighbors, otherwise, she would have gone crazy long ago. She finished taking all the seaweed she needed, grabbed her basket, and was about to go back inside when the fluttering was heard. She looked ahead; a shoal was approaching her.
"How strange," she said aloud, perhaps, Enrico had returned, and with friends?
The fish in the lead approached her, in its mouth, it had a bottle. Daniela identified it as one of the objects that land monsters sometimes throw into the water.
"Damned beasts! Always polluting our beautiful sea."
Daniela looked at the fish; she didn't know why it had brought her that; the animal dropped the bottle and spoke:
"A message from your children."
Daniela's eyes opened like never before, her heart began to beat faster, and she felt something that she had not for a long time: happiness.
She took the bottle and pulled the cork out using her jaws. She patted the bottom so the letter would come out, and as soon as she had it in her hands, she let the water wash away the object.
Daniela began to read, her eyes filled with tears with each word; her faith was being rewarded.
"Lorenzo, Lorenzo, mom, Hugo!" she called out; she couldn't contain herself; she was euphoric.
"Love, what's wrong?" Lorenzo asked as he left the house, he was somewhat exalted by his wife's mood.
He swam up to her, and then Daniela started to shake him as she showed him the letter.
"They are alive! Luca and Alberto are alive! This just arrived!"
Lorenzo couldn't believe it, he had to read the letter twice before accepting it.
"Sons-"
And without being able to add another word, he hugged his wife, all fears and doubts gone. Grandma and Hugo soon appeared, and upon reading the letter, they shared happiness; they never doubted it, but it was always satisfying when hope paid off.
Their boys were safe, and they were coming home.
