Hungry.

I was so fucking hungry.

I stumbled out of bed and walked out of my room. My stomach was groaning loudly and I needed to give it some food quickly. My head was hurting again which told me that I had passed out.

Note to self: don't stress too much, it makes you pass out.

The kitchen was lit and I bit back a groan when I spotted Silas and Hector. They immediately looked up when I walked inside. I didn't feel like talking because my stomach was still crying for food.

Maybe Greta was still around but then I looked at the clock. It was midnight, she was already asleep and I didn't want to wake her up. She had to feed eight people a day and keep the house clean. The poor woman deserved a golden award and good night sleep.

"Sit down, Elena," Hector spoke.

"I'm hungry."

I walked to the cabinets but a hand stopped me. Silas tugged me along to the dining table and sat me down before disappearing into the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a steaming plate of mashed potatoes, some greens, and steak.

I greedily took it and started to fill up my poor stomach.

"Eat slowly, you brat." Silas scolded me.

"Don't test me right now, muscle man," I warned him.

He raised his eyebrows at me with a dumb grin. Then he proceeded to ruffle my hair like I'm a dog. I slapped his hand away but that just made him chuckle.

"We need to discuss what happened today. I'd like you to tell me everything."

Hector sat in front of me with a cup of tea. His tie was gone and he had unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt. It was already late and I wondered why they weren't in bed yet.

"The twins locked me out of the car and drove off without me. I didn't have a phone." I gave him a pointed look.

He simply nodded for me to continue.

"So I went to the main office and used the phone there to call you. Then you told me that a few of your men would come and pick me up. So I went to wait outside for them. Those men parked in front of me and told me that you sent them."

"What did they exactly say?" He questioned.

"Mr Cassano asked us to pick you up, Miss," I recalled.

His grip on the teacup tightened as he just stared at me.

"Who was with you she called?" He asked Hector.

"Antonio."

I didn't know who Antonio was but he made Silas curse.

"I'm going to-" Hector cut Silas off.

"Continue." He told me.

I frowned slightly but did as told.

"I got in the car with them and I didn't think much of it until they started to speak Russian."

"Russian?"

"Yes, I figured you might not hire Russian employees given your whole occupation."

He raised his eyebrows at me but I just shrugged my shoulders. I knew that they were part of the Italian Mafia, so it would seem odd for him to have Russian employees.

"Then I asked them to make a toilet break. They didn't want to at first so I lied that I had my period."

"And that worked?" Silas muttered.

"Men fear periods." I shrugged.

They gave me an odd look but it was simply the truth.

"While they were driving to a tank station I took out my notebook and made a note to ask for help. I gave that note to an employee and she called 911 for me."

"That was not a bad idea."

I'll take that as a compliment. I continued to tell them all the details because Hector was insistent on knowing everything. In the end, my plate was finished and I'd filled them in on everything that had happened.

"There are some rules that we will have to discuss."

Rules?

"From now on, you'll have a personal bodyguard that will escort you everywhere."

"Even in school and at home?!" I demanded shocked.

"No, but he'll be close by to jump into action whenever he needs to. He'll also drive you to school."

I didn't mind the last part. I didn't want to ride with the twins. Look where that got me.

"Secondly, I have this for you."

He placed a laptop and phone on the table. They were brand new. It took me a while to process it. I was prepared to fight him on this but now he just gave it to me.

"This phone has all our numbers in it, so if there is an emergency, you can call us."

I simply nodded. I couldn't wait to call Tracy and Morgan. I haven't talked to them in a week, they were probably so worried. I'd call them first thing in the morning because it's too early in London right now.

"What happened today was not acceptable and it will never happen again." I looked up at Hector.

His blue eyes were so intense all of a sudden. I was used to his cold eyes but I could see the anger in them now.

"You should tell the twins that," I muttered.

Silas scoffed loudly next to me.

"Don't worry about that. We've had a very good talk with them." He clenched his fists.

I was a bit curious to know what happened.

"They will never do that again."

Then he got up from his seat and walked away. I stared down at my empty plate. I felt something come up in my chest. A feeling that overwhelmed me and was terribly hard to get rid of.

It was dark and depressing. And I couldn't get rid of it.

//////////////////////////

Assuring my friends that I was alright, instantly made me feel better. I was sitting in my walk-in closet on the floor as I talked to Morgan and Tracy. Morgan was sobbing and I tried hard to bite back tears. I had to go to breakfast in a bit and I didn't want them to ask why I was crying.

"So now you live with all your siblings?" Tracy asked after I gave them a very censored version of events.

I nodded while resting my head back against the wall. It was early for me but they just got done with school.

"What about your...parents?" Morgan asked carefully.

My parents. It was still so odd for me to think about them. I had actual parents; a mom and a dad. They weren't talked about much and I haven't actually asked about them. They were obviously not home, so I wondered where they were. Hector had custody over the twins, Victor, Amelia, and me.

"I haven't asked. I just feel...weird. I'm trying to process everything but it's just a mess." I confessed.

"Take your time and if you need to talk, call us. Even though we're an ocean apart, we'll always be there for you." Tracy insisted.

Tears fell. Why did she have to be so sweet and sentimental? I couldn't even reply as I nodded. I felt so overwhelmed by everything that was happening. I barely slept last night. My body was still shaking from fear.

How was I ever supposed to get used to this life?

"Elena." Someone knocked on my door.

I quickly wiped my tears as the door to my walk-in closet opened. Victor walked in dressed in his uniform. He frowned as he spotted me on the floor wiping my tears away.

"Babes, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?" I turned to my friends.

"Alright, please stay safe!" Tracy called.

"Bye, bye! Promise to call or text when things get hard." Morgan smiled sadly.

I nodded and held up my pinky. They held up theirs before I ended the call and looked up at Victor. He smiled softly and sat down in front of me. I was still in my pyjamas. I should get ready for school but I felt tired.

"You didn't sleep well?", he guessed.

"I couldn't after what happened yesterday," I muttered.

He frowned confused.

"What happened yesterday? I knew that the twins got the scolding of their lives from Silas but I didn't catch what it was about. Did they do something to you?"

Did Victor not know? I mean he was away for a doctor's appointment but I thought someone would've filled him in on what happened. I hadn't expected him to be in the unknown. I wiped my tears away.

"The twins abandoned me at school on purpose which led to me getting kidnapped by some Russian dudes. I managed to escape by-" he cut me off by tightly grabbing my shoulders.

I looked up at him. Victor had an already pale complexion but now he almost resembled a corpse. I frowned concernedly. What was wrong? The fear on his face sent shivers down my spine.

"K-k-kidnapped?" He stuttered.

"Yes but I-"

He stood up and bolted out of my room. I followed him out only to see him on top of Leonardo, punching him. Amelia walked out of her room and screamed in panic. I gaped at the sight in front of me.

Victor was punching Leonardo.

Victor was punching somebody.

Nicolas ran out of his room half asleep. He woke up instantly when he saw what was happening. He tried to grab Victor from behind but it was such a mess. He didn't look like himself and when I looked closer, I noticed that he was crying.

What the fuck was happening?

Loud footsteps thundered down the stairs and I saw Silas and Theo run down from the third floor. They were probably in Hector's office, which was now strictly forbidden for me after the whole incident.

Hehe.

Silas managed to rip Victor off Leonardo who didn't do anything to defend himself. Leonardo was strong.

Believe me. I know.

So it was odd to see him not fighting back but I guess something was wrong. Silas wrapped Victor in a tight embrace and let him sob against his chest. My heart just dropped. Victor was one of my favourites, next to Theo, and it hurt me to see him like that.

"Lia, get the first aid kit!" Theo instructed her.

She bolted towards the bathroom. Nicolas helped his twin sit up. Leonardo's nose was bleeding and he took deep breaths as he leaned against the wall. I'd expected him to get angry but he just guiltily gazed at his younger brother.

"You're alright, buddy. I'm here. You're safe." Silas patted Victor's blond curls.

Then it hit me. Like cold water in the face. I must've triggered something by telling him what had happened. Perhaps that's why no one told him. My stomach dropped and I felt so sick.

This was all my fault.

"I'm sorry."

Silas' dark eyes snapped towards me and made me take a step back. He didn't like me, I knew that. But the look in his eyes was just pure hatred. If he could, he'd probably kill me for making Victor cry like that.

"Get back in your fucking room and don't come out!" He spat at me.

I paled. In any other situation, I would've snapped something at him. But now I was terrified. I pushed a lot of his buttons, but I wasn't going to push this one.

"She didn't know," Nicolas spoke up.

His long hair was a mess from sleeping. He sat next to his twin but he gave me a sympathetic look. Why was he even defending me?

"They're going to come back. We're not safe. We're not safe..." Victor was shaking.

I didn't know what happened to him but I felt so sorry. He looked terrified. Silas now looked at me as if he was imagining all the ways he could kill me. I wanted to run into my room but then Hector came down. He took in the scene with his cold eyes before stepping towards Victor.

He placed his hands on his curls and bowed down slightly.

"We killed them, buddy. Dead people can't hurt you, can they?" His voice was so soft that I felt like I was imagining all of this.

"Dead people can't hurt you," Victor repeated dazedly.

"That's right. Nothing is going to hurt you. We protect you, you know that." He nodded.

Victor blinked and finally stopped shaking. He turned to me. His face was red from crying and his eyes bigger than usual.

"We have to protect Elena."

"We will," Theo assured him.

Then he took him from Silas. Victor was the smallest out of all the brothers, standing at six feet. Theo laid his arm around his shoulder and squeezed him softly.

"Let's get you something to eat, hm? I'll ask Greta to make you pancakes, alright?"

Victor nodded and they left to go have breakfast. Silas got up from the ground. Amelia had run back with the first aid kit and sat by Leonardo's side. Together with Nicolas, they tended to his wounds.

"You." Silas bow turned to me.

I panicked and sprinted back into my room. I locked it and pushed my nightstand against it. He was going to hurt me. He was going to kill me. I ran to my walk-in closet and locked myself in there. My heart was beating so hard that I could barely breathe.

There were loud knocks on my door so I put on my headphones and blasted music. That dark feeling climbed up my chest again, stronger than ever.

I needed an outlet, a way to find release. So I just sobbed my eyes out while listening to music.