by J. J. McAvoy
For my grandmother, this must have been like a second twist of fate. Her son married the daughter of the man who ordered her death, as well as the death of said son. Then her grandson has a child with the granddaughter of the man who physically obeyed the order.
In the words of my brother…this family is fucked up.
As the door closed behind me, I noticed Wyatt in the hall, standing on crutches because he was the most moronic and stubborn doctor in the world. He was just released from the hospital this morning; his dark brown hair was a curly dirty mess on his head. He had bags forming under his brown-green eyes, and his damn shirt and trousers were rumpled. All signs that he needed rest, but would he take it…no.
“You have kid!” he snapped at me.
“Thank you for restating the obvious…again,” I muttered, walking down the hall.
“Did you know you had a kid and just didn’t tell us? Tell me the truth, because this doesn’t make any fucking sense. There is no way you, of all people, could have a child and not know. You hid her away to protect her?” he questioned, keeping up with my pace, and if he didn’t look so pitiful already, I’d kick his ass.
“No, I did not.” I wanted to ask him if I looked like our parents, who hid in the shadows to “protect” us, but knowing him, he’d comment that I actually looked like our father.
“Wow,” he whispered like a child. He’d get along well with Giovanna, I could see it already. “Her mother…who is she?”
Sighing, I got on the elevator and he followed. “Good question.”
“How do you not know? You’re different from me—”
“Thank God,” I muttered.
“Meaning,” he went on, speaking much louder despite the fact that were right next to each other. “That you don’t just sleep around with women. You’re careful. You’ve always needed to know everything about them before they can even get in front of you, let alone in your bed. For years you have lectured me half to sleep with making sure I don’t get trapped or caught up by a woman. You were worse than Dad! Who’s her family? What does she do? What did she study? Have you made it clear she’s nothing but a toy? You had one of my girlfriends killed for mouthing off about our family! And you don’t know who the hell the mother of your fucking daughter is!”
Breathe, Ethan. He’s right. He does not have tact. But he is right.
When the doors opened, I stepped out and paused, waiting for him to step out beside me. When he did, I faced him.
“Wyatt, over the last few weeks you must have realized this, but I will say it so we don’t have to have this conversation every time something happens…I. Am. Not. God. I do not know everything. I cannot stop everything and I, yes, I, even make mistakes. 99.9% of the time, you’re right, I am vigilant about the women around me and I often lecture you, as you call it, because I’m your older brother. I look after you. I try to make sure you don’t fall, and in the process sometimes I do, and it makes me look like a hypocrite, I understand that. But that doesn’t mean what I did to and for you was wrong. If I could go back, I’d give you all the same lectures and this time much more severely. I’d never want you to wake one day and realize you have a child who you have failed. But if you would like to make jokes or laugh or call me a hypocrite I’ll give you this moment to do so.”
He cracked his jaw to the side and looked annoyed. Shaking his head, he said, “I hate it when you take the high road, you know that?”
If only he knew I never really took the high road at all.
“Now that this is settled, go rest—”
“Don’t start acting like my father now,” he said. “I’m not resting for shit, I feel like if I blink, I’m going to miss another grand revelation.”
Yes, my fist in your face.
“Fine, do whatever you please.” I waved him off, walking to the dining room where a bruised-and-battered Greyson and…
“You. I didn’t hire you.” I pointed at the blond-haired, lanky boy-man standing on the opposite side of Greyson, whose large form loomed in front of the door.
“Oh right,” Wyatt spoke up behind me. “Ethan, this is—”
“Mannix Ward…aka Monk.” I said his name and even he seemed surprised. Looking to my brother I said, “Didn’t ask for introduction. I know my people. I said I did not hire him, so why is he standing as a guard in my house? Well?” I asked, looking to the stick man.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Wyatt spoke up instead.
“I hired him,” he stated, looking over to Greyson. “As you can see from Greyson’s face, we had a little falling out. Is there a problem?”
Was there a problem? Yes. Me. I had forgotten I’d left him on his own while I’d…spent time “resting.” And since he’d been away for a few years he didn’t know my system for promoting guards. Monk was new. He hadn’t done any work on the streets. He hadn’t proven his loyalty yet. Fine. I can work with this.
Greyson straightened under my scrutiny.
“Make sure he knows the rules or else we’ll have a falling out and if that happens, be assured you’ll never come back to work,” I said to him.
“Yes, sir.” He nodded, moving to open the door.
“Everyone out,” I said once I was inside the dining room where both my uncles were sitting across from Fiorello, who seemed to be really enjoying his cup of coffee. “Mr. Orsini and I will be speaking privately.”
Once they left, he looked to me and grinned. “So you’re the bastard that knocked up my granddaughter.”
“I know who my father is thank you,” I said as I walked to my seat at the head of the table. “Just like I know you aren’t the one who killed Ivy.”
Because I killed Ivy.
Chapter 1
“Now this is not the end
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
* * *
~Winston Churchill
CALLIOPE - AGE 7
Chicago, Illinois
July 28th
Everything sparkled.
It was like the movies.
“Your coat, Miss?” the butler asked me with a smile. I took it off, giving it to him. “Thank you, Miss.”
Another butler, who was tall and stood proudly but didn’t smile looked us all over. “I’m Mr. O’Phelan, please follow me.”
I walked on the left of my sisters, they were arguing about something stupid again. I wanted to tell them to shut up, but Daddy told me not act up or else I wouldn’t ever be allowed to come to a party again. The hallway we walked down was made of all marble, the floors were so shiny I could see my face in them. But I really liked all the art on the walls. It was like a museum.
I wanted to stay and look more because it was so pretty, but we got to the backyard and it was so big. The green grass went on so far, I couldn’t even see a fence. They even had lights and balloons on the trees all the way in the back. There were so many kids, some of them trying to go up the rock-climbing wall, and others played in the water park.
“Calliope. Calliope?”
“Huh?” I looked to my mom and she pointed to the side of me. “Go put your gifts down.”
I looked over, but I couldn’t see the table. There were so many presents, it looked like they ate the table and were becoming a mountain. I looked down at the two small boxes in my hand. I walked over and a man dressed in black appeared in front of me.
“Gifts?” he asked, looking to my hands.
I nodded and lifted them to him. He took them from my hands and I turned to walk away but before I did another man waved a wand over the packages. One of them snickered and then bent down, and I saw a gun on his hip as he just dropped them on the grass. When he looked back to me, I looked away quickly, running back to my mom.
Everything was so…rich, even the people. All the moms were covered in jewels and the dads had their best clothes on. I looked at them and then my parents. They looked nice too, they had their best clothes on too…but it was
n’t the same. They didn’t look the same. Why? And why was no one coming to talk to them? I thought people knew us. Right? I watched my parents and they only spoke to each other. They smiled and laughed together; seeing them made me smile.
They don’t have that. I grinned, looking over at the other parents. None of them looked as happy as my parents. How sad. They sparkled but they didn’t have love, so it was all right.
“Mommy,” I tugged on her dress softly.
“What?—”
She stopped because the doors to the backyard opened again, and everyone stopped talking. They walked out, all of them dressed in white, I didn’t really know Donatella, but everyone talked about her in my school. She skipped out happily, holding on to her dad’s hand, with a crown of daisies on her head. Her dad kissed her on the cheek, making her laugh and letting go. Her dad was handsome and had the same green eyes as her. Dona ran over to a brown-skinned girl with pretty curly hair. They went to the large sweets and tea table.
“Stay here, Calliope,” my mom told me.
I nodded, but I couldn’t look away from the woman with the dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. The moment she came out everyone rushed to say hello to her. She wore long white pants matched with a flowing white shirt and she had diamonds all around her neck and hands. Next to her was Ethan. I couldn’t really see him. Too many people were close by, he was saying hi to everyone with her. She placed her hand on his hair, brushing it gently.
I bent my head to the side to see, but there were so many stupid tall people.
Move!
“Ethan,” I looked over and saw it was his dad calling him. He moved from his mother over to where his dad was talking to some men. His dad put his hand on his shoulder when he came over. I could finally see him. He looked like his dad. He had green eyes and messy brown hair, his face smooth and kind. A few other girls were giggling and looking at him from Donatella’s cake table.
“They’ve already started grooming him it seems,” my dad whispered to my mom, shaking his head as he held on to his glass.
“Isn’t this supposed to be a party for their twins?” my mom asked with the same frown on her lips.
“What did I tell you? The Callahans’ business and pleasure are always one and the same. This is a birthday party for their twins, but this is also another introduction for their first son, they want people to see the difference.”
“The difference?” my mom asked, and I wanted to know too.
He nodded. “Look around. All the other kids, even their own, are enjoying this wonderland they have created, but their first son isn’t a part of it. He’s standing beside his parents…they are saying he isn’t a child. He’s the next leader, all of this will be his next.”
“No matter what they do, he will still be a child,” my mother muttered in reply. “I can’t even imagine how scared he must be. How much they have already put him through. He’s supposed to be playing and instead he’s surrounded by old greedy and selfish men. Why in these modern times are they still holding themselves to this type of life. How much money could one family need? Aren’t they satisfied?”
“Better question is, can they be satisfied?” my father scoffed. He took a drink and shook his head. “And the answer is no. They are addicted to it…the power, watching all these morons bow their head to them over and over again as if they were royalty.”
Royalty. That was it. His parents were King and Queen. That’s why everything sparkled, and everyone wanted to be next to them. That meant Donatella was a princess…and their sons Wyatt and Ethan were princes.
What am I?
I looked back then, and when I did, Ethan was staring at me. His green eyes looked almost directly through me and before I could look away, he did. Observing other people around his yard, he looked kinda bored.
“It’s time to kiss the ring. My brothers would be spinning in their grave,” my dad muttered as he finished his glass.
My mom rubbed his arms. “As long as you aren’t in the grave too, it’s fine, let them spin.”
He smiled at her and nodded. “Come on.”
My mom looked at me and extended her hand. Taking it, I walked with them across the grass and my heart beat faster and faster until we were finally there.
“Mr. and Mrs. Affini,” Ethan’s mother smiled at us, as Ethan’s father shook my dad’s hand before shaking hers and then my mom. “Thank you so much for coming.”
“Thank you so much for the invitation. Our girls are really enjoying the sugar high they are getting,” my mom replied, nodding to my sisters, who were eating with the other girls.
“Not all of them it seems,” his dad looked to me with a smile on his face. “Hello little lady.”
I stepped behind my mom, and he laughed at me.
“Sorry, she’s a little shy,” my dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I looked over to Ethan and when I did, the the look in his eyes was different. He wasn’t just looking around like before. Instead he looked…mad at me? No…he looked at me like I was disgusting.
What did I do?
“This is our eldest son, Ethan,” his mom introduced him and he focused on my smile. Smiling politely, he extended his hand.
“Hello, thank you for coming.”
“Well, aren’t you a handsome young man,” my mom complimented, taking his hand.
“Yes, he gets it from me,” his dad chuckled and his mom rolled her eyes.
“Excuse him, he’d take credit for anything,” she replied.
His dad only winked at them. I watched them all talk without me. And I saw it. They, his parents, looked like my parents…happy. I didn’t understand. My parents told me to never be jealous of people because they had stuff we didn’t because they weren’t really happy. But they were. They had everything and were happy.
“Please enjoy the party, excuse us.” His parents walked arm in arm to their other son, who was standing victorious on top of the rock-climbing wall. He even did a weird dance, making Ethan shake his head and smile.
“Your smile is nice.” I didn’t mean to say that out loud and I didn’t even say it loudly, but he heard me, and his eyes were on me again.
He walked past us and maybe if I wasn’t so focused on him, I wouldn’t have heard him. But I did. As he brushed past me, he said, “I don’t want a compliment from you, ugly mouse.”
I stared wide-eyed as he left, my fist balled. I really wanted to hit him. Stupid dumbhead!
“Mom, can we go?” She pinched my arm hard. I kept my head down and kept quiet again.
“Can we?” Dad asked on a sigh.
“Just a few more minutes. We can’t leave after just saying hello to them,”
I frowned, looking around. “Can I go to the bathroom?”
Afraid she’d pinch me again, I broke out of her grasp and scooted further away.
“Wait—”
“Come back quickly and don’t go wandering, Calliope,” my dad said giving my mom a look. She didn’t say anything to me, just set a hard glare on me.
She’d be mad later. I turned and kept walking, passing by the rock-climbing wall when I heard of some of the ladies talking amongst themselves.
“Who are the Affinis?”
“Nobodies who started a small fashion house. But I hear it’s doing well.”
“You know the Callahans; they want even the smallest fish to be in their pond.”
“Oh my, look her dress. Are you sure they work in fashion?”
They laughed and I wasn’t sure what to do. They just kept laughing at my mom. My mom wasn’t the best mommy in the world, but she was still my mommy. I looked around, but I couldn’t find anything…except a maid preparing paint for the Dona’s art table.
“Do you need help?” I asked her, already lifting the tray.
“No, it’s all right, I have it.”
I pouted, holding on to the tray. “Please. Everyone knows Dona, and I want to say happy birthday, but I don’t think I can just walk over there…so m
any people are around.”
I watched as her gaze swept from the table then to me, a small smile on her face. “Okay, but be careful.”
“Thank you!” I waited for her to get the rest of her stuff, but she was going so slow. Finally, she started toward the table and I followed, slowly drifting further and further away from her and closer and closer to the ladies.
One.
Two.
“Don’t even try it.” I heard soft voice over me. I looked up to see Ethan’s mom. Staring at me with piercing brown eyes, she bent down and tried to take the tray from my hands, but I didn’t want to let go. She whispered so only I could hear her, “I don’t know exactly what they said to make you angry. But, I can guess it was about your mother, it’s what women like them do. I applaud you for trying to defend her. But this is my children’s party. I will not let you make a scene on their day because you are upset.”
“They laughed at her,” I whispered back angrily. “They laughed at my mom.”
“So? I don’t care about your mother.”
“They called us nobodies. It’s a big party, and just a little bit of paint. It’s not like anyone would care. A few minutes and everyone will go back to having fun.”
The corner of her lips turned up. “Look at you, the quick thinker. You’re right. It is a big party and it is just a little paint. But you see, it’s not what I want. I want nothing out of the ordinary for my children today. Nothing. And because it is my house, my party, my goddamn paint, what I say goes.”
I blinked back my tears. She made me so mad.
“No, you don’t even get to cry because that is also a distraction from my children. So, hold those tears in your eyes until you get home, and then you are free to do whatever you please.” I blinked and let go of the tray and she gave it back to the maid but not before giving her a scary look.
“Everyone around you is pretending,” I whispered, and her focus returned to me quickly. “They don’t really like you.”
She chuckled. “I know, little one. That’s what grown-ups do, they play pretend, they lie, and they cheat. Do you know why?”
