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Post by Serafina Latini on Jun 29, 2015 21:29:55 GMT -5
"Alright, kids, now get to your bedrooms and lock the doors behind you. Do not come out until morning when either Theo or myself will come and walk you to your classes," she told them as she ushered the final students into their dorms. Aqua had been escorted first due to their emotional states, followed by Fuego before they got the idea to run off and join the fight themselves, then Aer so she didn't have to listen to anymore of their smart remarks about what was happening, and now Terra was secured in their residence. Serafina let out a heavy sigh of relief as they disappeared safely inside. She had passed Theo a couple of times throughout the escorting process, and he seemed alright. Now, though, it was time for her to get back to her bedroom and secure the lock on her own door.
She began to walk down a long stretch of hallway, trying to be as fast as possible. Her heart was racing, she was anxious, and her heart hurt something absolutely intense. What was she going to do? The lump in her throat was threatening to choke her where she stood, but that lump only grew in size as a figure rounded a corner up the hall from her...
It was Pietro, and he looked relieve to see her. Serafina's expression, however, was more like someone absolutely mortified as she began to backtrack. "Stay away from me, Pietro," she told him, throwing her hands up defensively. Once he called out to her and continued to come forward, though, she knew she had to make a break for it. Where she was going to run to, she didn't know, but she turned on her heel and took off in a sprint. She had to get away.
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Post by Pietro Antonucchi on Jun 29, 2015 21:51:15 GMT -5
He had just been wandering the halls, searching for her. This was the most important thing now. He had done his duty to the family, and now he needed to find his love and explain to her. She would still love him. She had loved him for years. He was still the same man she knew. He would make her see that.
"Serafina!" he called out, relieved when he saw her ... and then she ran. Fortunately, he was still in mafia mode, and he wasn't about to let her escape him. Pietro pelted after her, and though she was fast, he was much faster. "Serafina!" he called again, his voice sharp and commanding this time. There she was ... he was close ... he reached out and caught her arm, halting her in her tracks.
"You must talk to me," he said, holding her by the arm - not hard enough to hurt, but firmly enough that she would not be able to escape. "We must talk about this now."
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Post by Serafina Latini on Jun 29, 2015 22:00:47 GMT -5
Hearing her name called out sent chills of terror down her spine, and she continued to trek forward as fast as her legs could carry her. She bolted down a hallway and bobbed and weaved through a couple nooks, but the second time she heard him speak her name - the harshness and commanding tone playing in - she began to panic further. Tears were flying off of her face and rolling backwards into her ears as they flowed, and all she wanted was to be in her bed right now. Door locked, head on the pillow, and hiding under the blankets. What she wanted even more, though, was to simply wake up to this all being a bad dream.
But that wasn't going to happen. She knew that as soon as she felt his fingers wrap around her upper arm, nearly snatching her up off of her feet. She was crying uncontrollably, and flinched as he pulled her back to him. It took everything in her to even look at him, and try as she may to snatch away from him, his grip on her arm was too tight for escape.
"Pietro, let me go!" She demanded, though her demand was more broken and upset than anything. "There's nothing we need to discuss... Please, I just want to get back to my room. Please, Pietro," she begged, hoping that maybe he wouldn't kill her if she begged for her life.
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Post by Pietro Antonucchi on Jun 29, 2015 22:21:46 GMT -5
Why ... why was she so afraid of him? Why did she think that he would ever hurt her? Good God, she was the woman he loved! What was going on here?
"Serafina, please," he murmured, tugging her closer and reaching out to wipe away some of her tears. "I am sorry you found out this way. I am sorry you witnessed that. I wanted to tell you my true identity when the time was right, but things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. Serafina ... I need you to understand that I would never hurt you, that I want to make you a part of my family. We are powerful. You will be protected. Sometimes I have to do ugly things, and you ... you have been the bright spot in my life."
What was going on? Had she not meant it, when she'd said that she loved him? Had that all been false?
"Why would I ever harm you? Serafina ... I love you."
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Post by Serafina Latini on Jun 29, 2015 22:32:01 GMT -5
He pulled her in closer and began to wipe away her tears, and she moved her face frantically to try and avoid his touch. His touch didn't make her happy and excited like it usually did - now all it did was cause her agony and fear that she had never experienced before in her life. "Stop, stop, stop," she said with a shake of her head, wriggling wildly within his grasp to try and put distance back between them. She couldn't stop crying no matter how hard she tried, but her jaw nearly fell open when he mentioned how he still loved her and would protect her and wanted her to be a part of his family.
"Are you insane, Pietro?!" She asked, slipping back into Italian. No, he wasn't worthy of her Italian words - that was only when they were being intimate and speaking privately and lovingly. "How can you expect me to just be okay with the fact that you just killed one of my professors?! Right in front of me in cold blood! That's not okay by any means!" She was shrieking, beyond freaked out by the entire thing.
"Do you realize the seriousness of your actions? This is not something my darling Pietro would do... I thought I knew you so well, and now I'm seeing that I have no idea who you are." The cried kept coming, neverending, and she allowed her legs to give out so that she could fall to the floor, hoping the sudden yank would allow her to break free of his hold. "I can't be part of a family like that!"
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Post by Pietro Antonucchi on Jun 29, 2015 23:02:26 GMT -5
Pietro swallowed hard. These were the most painful words that had ever been aimed at him. They had so recently found each other, confessed their love, shared his bed. He had a ring in his desk drawer. He had hopes and dreams that had finally bloomed when she'd said the most precious words he could possibly have imagined.
She had brought him to life, and now she was killing him.
"I am not insane, Serafina," he responded, his voice flat with pain and terror. "I am rational. Perhaps coldly so. I did what was necessary to serve and to protect my family. I would kill everyone in New York if it meant protecting my family, and that extends to you. I am still your Pietro. I am still the man who loves you more than life itself. Please understand this.
"I was born an Antonucchi, and I will die an Antonucchi. It comes with great power, but it can also be profoundly ugly and unpleasant. Those are the facts of my life, but I am still your Pietro."
This was terrible. His heart was certainly falling to pieces within his chest. He was going to die of this pain, right here in this hallway. She allowed her legs to give out, but he did not let her fall. He continued holding her by her biceps, staring into her eyes as his own began to fill up with tears.
"I can't be part of a family like that!"
"I thought that you loved me the way I love you."
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Post by Serafina Latini on Jun 29, 2015 23:14:58 GMT -5
"Rational?!" She shrieked, looking back at him with immense confusion in her eyes. She was appalled by his lack of awareness of how horrible his actions were, and she simply couldn't swallow it. "Nothing about killing people with the killing curse is rational! And you... You did that to Maureen, didn't you? How could you, Pietro?!" Her heart was crippling in her chest due to fear, and she figured it was only a matter of time before she was next on his list... Right?
He said that he would always be an Antonucchi, which she figured was his actual last name instead of his alias of "Holland." Still, he admitted that while the status of his family brought him great power, he also admitted that it required him to do horrendous things like what she witnessed in the dining hall that evening. "Why would you be a part of a family so cruel, Pietro? And better yet, how can you expect me to do the same?"
But then... He said it. Said that he thought she loved him as much as he loved her, and that only squeezed more tears out of her eyes. "Pietro..." She did love him - more than words could express, but... This wasn't a lifestyle she could live. "You don't understand how much I love you, but I cannot be a part of this.. I just can't."
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Post by Pietro Antonucchi on Jun 30, 2015 0:04:37 GMT -5
"Rational and ugly are not mutually exclusive, Serafina. I would expect someone as intelligent as you to understand that. I would also expect you to understand that we do not choose the circumstances of our birth."
Pietro already felt profound self-loathing for his actions against Maureen, but clearly Serafina didn't want to hear it. She had made up her mind about him, at least for now. He could only hope that the passage of time would work on her, work in his favor.
He nodded. "I did. I hurt her. But that does not mean that I would hurt you. You can trust me ... if you choose to do so."
"I cannot be a part of this." Those were the words that caused a few tears to break free. Pietro clenched his jaw, looked up and away, squeezed his eyes shut. This pain was killing him.
"Then I cannot force you to stay. But I need you to understand that you are breaking my heart, and that my door will always be open for you."
He couldn't help it: He pulled her closer, placed a long kiss on her forehead, and then let go of her. His hands dropped to his sides, and he waited for her to leave him.
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Post by Serafina Latini on Jun 30, 2015 0:30:54 GMT -5
"Don't insult my intelligence, Pietro," she said with a shake of her head. "I would expect someone as romantic and genuine and sweet and loving that killing people is a completely unacceptable crime." That might have been a bit harsh, but he had to understand. He had to understand where she was coming from.
The tears that rolled down his cheeks shattered her heart, but there was nothing she could do about that. He was the one who chose this life, and if he chose that, then there was nothing else for her to do.
He said she was breaking his heart and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She almost cringed at the display of affection, but she couldn't deny that she still loved the man with his lips on her flesh. She just couldn't be with him. "Well, Pietro, now you know how I felt when you walked into that dining hall this evening... I don't think I've ever been so pained in my existence."
He released her, though, and she was free to go. She was still too horribly terrified to risk turning her back on him, so she backed away slowly until she was able to turn down a hallway and disappear towards her common room - running once again.
It was finally over.
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Post by Pietro Antonucchi on Jun 30, 2015 4:22:35 GMT -5
"But I am still all of those things! They are real. Our connection ... my love for you ... "
She was really doing it. She was backing away from him. She was so afraid that he would ... what? Do what? Grab her by the hair and drag her back to his apartment? Good God, he wasn't a monster!
But ... wait ... he was, wasn't he? His beliefs about not hurting women had always been so strong, but tonight he had betrayed those ideals. Tonight he had harmed a young woman who trusted him. Never before in his life had Pietro raised a hand - or his wand - against a female. But tonight, Uncle Enzo had ordered it and Pietro had done it - quickly, efficiently, without question or complaint.
Coward. He was a coward.
So he stood, shoulders slumped, tears streaming down his face, and he watched her go. "Serafina ... please ... I love you ... "
And then she was gone.
Pietro wiped the tears from his face and set off in search of his brother, his mind filled with the sounds of Maureen begging him not to hurt her.
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