“So she could have slipped out of your mansion,” Dad said in a tight voice.
“I doubt it.”
“You can’t base your doubt on facts,” Nino said.
“Fuck it,” Dad growled. “We have to find her. If something happens to her…”
“Maybe you should alert your soldiers in case she’s outside,” Fabiano suggested.
“No. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t trust anyone with Greta. We’ll find her.”
“Let’s search your basement and mansion and the backyard, if we don’t find her there, we’ll consider further actions,” Nino said.
Their voices moved away. I swallowed. It was only a matter of time before they’d find me. Once I was sure they weren’t close by, I climbed out of the box once more and tiptoed toward the door. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. I just knew I couldn’t face them yet.
I glanced into the corridor which was empty but at the end light spilled out of two rooms, I looked to the other side where a steep staircase led up to the house. Taking a deep breath, I rushed toward it and climbed up. I slipped out of the basement. I could hear Fabiano and Nino somewhere on the first floor.
I sprinted out and upstairs toward the second floor. I’d been inside Fabiano’s house a few times and remembered the layout. I put my ear against Aurora’s door. It was quiet inside except for her soft humming. Without knocking, I slipped in.
Aurora sat on the floor surrounded by her Barbies and was playing, her back turned to me.
She turned and her eyes shot open in alarm. “Greta?”
“Shhh.” I pressed my finger against my lips. “Can I hide in your room?”
She got to her feet slowly, eyeing me. “What’s that on your clothes?”
“Blood,” I said.
She paled and looked sick. “Really?”
I nodded. I heard voices coming closer. “Can I hide? I really need to hide.”
“Did you do something bad?” Aurora asked, not coming closer.
I wasn’t even sure at this point anymore. “I don’t know. Will you help me?”
Aurora nodded hesitantly and pointed at her wall cupboard. I slipped inside and sank to the ground, hidden behind her dresses. I wasn’t sure why she had so many. She never wore them. Aurora closed the shutters, her face questioning.
She returned to her barbies and sank down a second before a knock sounded. Through the gaps in the shutters, I could see long legs enter the room. I recognized the white sneakers as Fabiano’s, and a moment later his voice sounded.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she said, still bent over her Barbies, busying herself undressing one of them. “I’m in my room like you asked me to.”
He didn’t move. “That’s good. Have you heard something? Or maybe seen Greta?”
“Greta?” Aurora asked, lifting her head briefly.
“She ran away. She might have misunderstood something and is a bit confused.”
I bit my lip. I wasn’t confused. He said it so Aurora would tell on me in case she knew something.
“Okay,” Aurora said slowly. “What did she see?”
“Nothing to worry about. You’ll tell me if you see her, okay?” He moved closer to her and squatted beside her. I tensed because now I could see his face. I doubted he could see mine through the shutters as I wasn’t backlit like they were.
Aurora fumbled with her Barbie doll. If she kept acting like this, he might get suspicious.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked quietly.
I held my breath.
“Greta and I aren’t close. I tried but she’s with the boys, not with me and Carlotta.”
Fabiano touched her shoulder. “Greta is different. It’s not about you, all right?”
Aurora nodded. Fabiano pressed a kiss to her forehead, then he rose to his feet. “Stay in your room until your mother or I get you for lunch.”
He left the room.
Greta is different.
I didn’t move. I knew I was different. I didn’t like being around people that weren’t my family. Too many people made me anxious. I never minded being different. But now I wondered if I’d hurt Aurora by being the way I was.
She got up and came over to the wardrobe, opening it. She peered down at me with a hesitant smile.
“Thank you.”
She nodded. “You can stay in my room for as long as you want. I can try to smuggle some of my lunch up later.”
I shook my head. “I’m not hungry, but I’d like to stay here.”