Hello, everyone!

Finally, I am back. I hope you were waiting for my update and didn't give up on my work.

I am so sorry I didn't update for a long time but I was very busy with my final exams which were very hard.

I am majoring in mathematics so you can imagine the difficulty I have in studying it.

I give you again my sincere apologies.

Enjoy reading!

*********************

Girlfriend! Girlfriend! The word kept repeating like a broken record in Anna's head. She stood paralyzed gaping at the boy in front of her. How dare he announce a relationship she didn't know existed? Lately, her life was a rollercoaster.

It didn't give her the chance to breathe and organize her ideas but to be the girlfriend of someone she met for 5 minutes that was the cherry on top of the cake.

She will be damned if she allows this theatrical to continue, but before she could utter a single syllable, Hunter grabbed her hand tightly and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"If you know what is best for you, you will keep quiet and plaster a smile on your beautiful face."

Anna tried vainly to loosen his grip on her arm. She knew very well he was waiting for her to obey his orders. When his clutch became too painful, she nodded her head and put the fakest smile she could muster.

Hunter shook his head and spoke in a voice that sent chills down her spine.

"I said put a smile, not a grimace. If you continue your defiance, you won't survive this camp and by this I mean you will die painfully. I thought grandpa explained to you our world but apparently, he didn't do the job properly. Don't worry, I will make sure you will understand the lesson well this time. Now, smile."

He released her arm and put his hand on the small of her back then gazed with his piercing blue eyes at the people around him.

"I think you heard me speaking with Brad but if you didn't I will repeat my words for once and all. Anna Sanders is my girlfriend so everyone must treat her like they would treat me because if anything befell her, the culprit will answer to me."

Hunter kissed her cheek briefly and stalked away from her. On his way to his cousin and best friend, Nicholas, he spotted Lillian walking towards Anna. He nodded at her in appreciation which she returned with a kind smile. He knew his cousin was a very good and kind woman and was the only one who could ease Anna's fears and get her used to their world.

Anna's feelings were in a jumble between fear and excitement. She knew that her life would never be the same the moment she walked to Sasha's office two days ago, but never in her wildest dreams pictured herself a member of a mafia family and on top of it dating a criminal. She feared those people, for all she knows, they can kill her and bury her six feet under the ground without any human being suspecting them.

Anna was drowning in her thoughts that she nearly screamed her lungs out when Lillian's hand made contact with her shoulder. When Anna turned around, she found herself looking at the most beautiful pair of green eyes she ever saw. The girl who appeared a little older than Anna smiled at her with her eyes shining kindness and spoke in an angelic voice.

"Hello dear, I take it you are new and don't know anyone around here, so what do you say we will be friends?"

Anna nodded her head and extended her right hand.

"I am Anna sanders."

Lillian took the offered appendage and shook it warmly while introducing herself.

"And I am Lillian Salviatti. It is nice to meet you."

Suddenly the crowd around them grew completely silent with their eyes focused on the figure that appeared in the mansion's entrance. The man Anna knew as the don cleared his throat and start speaking in his dark intimidating voice while sweeping the crowd with his cool blue eyes.

"Thank you so much for your respect of time and obedience of instructors, as your parents or guardians explained to you, today will be the start of a camp that will last two months. In this camp, you will work hard to become better fighters and capable leaders. Along with your instructors, you will head to one of our quarters that is situated on the outskirts of the city. When you get there, you will be informed of the program you will follow. As for now all I can say, good luck."

With those words, Jacob took the place the retreated Don occupied moments ago. As usual, the man had his intimidation and cold mask on.

"As the Don said, the camp will start today. I want everyone to gather their suitcases and start walking to the bus waiting for you."

Everyone around Anna obeyed the order and start doing as instructed. Anna stood rooted in place looking around her and observing the actions of the other teenagers. Lillian nudged her on the shoulder and motioned her to follow her. Anna grabbed her two bags and start walking almost robotically after the older girl.

When the two of them reached the bus, they handed their bags to the driver who put them with the luggage. Anna climbed first and scanned her surroundings. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Hunter sitting with another boy and seemed to be engrossed in the conversation taking place between them.

"Where do you want to sit?" Lillian's voice came to startle Anna for the second time in less than one hour.

Anna shrugged her left shoulder indifferently and couldn't hide her delight when Lillian chose the last two sits on the bus. Anna took the seat beside the window and rested her head on the cool glass.

Ten minutes later, the bus started moving, leaving behind the magnificent mansion and a blur of tall green trees.

Both girls stayed silent for a long time until Anna asked a question that was burning in her mind since the very start of this affair. Strangely she trusted Lillian and knew the girl was her only means of help in this new world.

"What should I do to survive this camp?"

Lillian shifted her attention from the phone in her hand and look at the scared girl in front of her. She smiled at her and answered her question with as much kindness as she can master.

"To survive this camp, you need to follow instructions Anna and when I said follow them, I mean you must obey them to the very end especially jasper's orders." she indicated with her index finger a man in his late thirties with short auburn hair and the famous Salviatti sharp blue eyes. When Anna made eye contact with him, she had to swallow hard and immediately averted her eyes elsewhere.

"His wife Ayla is very kind and I am sure will help you so much if you need her." this time Anna found herself looking at a beautiful woman with black hair and eyes that matched her husband's in color but were entirely different in regard of the emotions swirling in them.

"Behind them are Edward and Jackson. They aren't as intense as jasper but they can be as dangerous as him." when Anna gazed in their direction she saw two men, one of them in his forties and the other younger than him, maybe in his thirties or even late twenties. Their posture was less rigid than jasper's but as expected, they shared the same icy blue eyes.

"As for the teenagers who will live with us for the next two months, you don't need to worry at all. I can assure you that you will be safe from them."

Anna frowned at her and asked confusedly.

"Why do you say it with such conviction? For all I know, they can hurt me without anyone knowing. From what I gathered, they are the children of mafia families and I am just a little girl in front of their power. They can crush me easily without much resistance on my part."

"Do you hear yourself speaking? Are you aware of your power girl? Or do you need me to point it out to you?" Lillian asked indecorously.

Anna gaped at her and shook her head. This girl was crazy and speaking with her won't solve a problem. If anything, this conversation made things worse and more complicated.

When Lillian's last question was answered with silence, she knew that the girl beside her was genuinely clueless about her situation. So with a heavy sigh, she started explaining.

"You are the girlfriend of Hunter Salviatti which means that you are immune to all these kids in here. No one can harm you under his watch or more precisely no one dares to do it. Besides, you are now the kid of Jacob which means you are the sister of the strongest twins in this camp." Lillian this time, indicated two boys sitting next to each other one of them was wearing his earbuds and closing his eyes while the other one seemed engrossed in some book.

Before Anna could comment on the girl's words Lillian resumed her talking.

"Maybe they didn't acknowledge you yet and I suspect they will ignore you for a long time with valid reasons of course. Reasons that I don't have any business in disclosing, but rest assured they will be by your side if you ever need them. Finally, you have me, I know I look weak and don't fit in here, but to the others who know me well, I am as deadly as any Salviatti present in this room."

The words Lillian spoke had a huge impact on Anna's mind. She knew why she was here and the purpose of her participation in this camp. Hours ago, she decided to keep to herself and refrain from making any relations with the others but meeting Lillian and speaking with her, being the girlfriend of a powerful boy according to Lillian and finally a member of a family and having siblings were things she didn't dream of having ever but now they were thrown at her all at once.

Her feelings were mixed. On one side, She knew all of this was a very big act that allowed her to play very little role. But on the other side, no one of them knew of the Don's scheme so maybe, just maybe, she can find a little happiness here. Maybe those people were her hope in life. Her glance then focused on Hunter who was chatting animatedly with the boy next to him.

He was a very handsome boy even with the dark aura surrounding him. He has something special that she couldn't put her hand on yet. "He has a reason for declaring you his girl so don't get your hopes high", her subconscious snarled at her while she relaxed comfortably on her favorite couch. Anna ignored the comment and continued studying the boy who became her new boyfriend

******************

Hunter who was chatting with Nicholas felt eyes watching him. When he turned around he caught a pair of blue eyes looking at him strangely as if analyzing him. He met Anna's gaze and smirked at her. He felt enormously satisfied when her cheeks colored a beautiful shade of pink. He didn't remove his eyes from hers until she gave up at last and looked out the window again.

"So, why did you declare this unknown girl your girlfriend? What did you see in her that made you took this rush decision?"

Nicholas's question brought Hunter back from his eye contest with Anna.

"If I told you I loved her from the first look and claimed her my girl immediately, would you believe me?"

"No," Nicholas answered plainly.

"So don't ask me a question I can't answer in the time being. When the right moment comes, I promise you will be the first one informed. All you need to know is protecting her is our priority at the moment."

"Alright I understand, but nevertheless, I can't ignore the fact that this girl is very beautiful and have a killer body."

"Don't you dare," Hunter mock reproached.

Nicholas laughed and held his hands in surrender but before he could add another remark about the states of his cousin's love life, they heard a united groan coming from the adults on the bus. Nicholas looked at his mother with confusion written all over his face.

"What's the matter? Why do you look like you saw a place from hell?" Tatiana asked.

Ayla spoke with her usual calm demeanor:

"This is the camp where you will be staying for the next two months."

Most of the passengers in the bus looked out the windows to see what the woman meant with her words to be met with the sight of three tall buildings facing each other and were surrounded with a large compound. The area seemed to be secluded from any form of urbanism which added to its intimidation.

Jasper smiled evilly and said:

"or in other words the hell where you will be staying for the next two months."

Most of the kids gulped in fear. They knew Jasper was a serious man and don't joke around, so his words were true and what they will face would be hard. Nicholas knew his father was stating facts and their stay here won't be a walk in the park but he was indifferent and will pass any obstacles while Hunter who wasn't really interested in this camp put back his head on the window and closed his eyes.

Edward twins were ecstatic by their uncle's words they really liked challenges and would always welcome them, but the brat of this group like Ayla referred to him have another opinion because he snorted and spoke loudly:

"What do you know about this place to say it is hell? I bet it is the first time you came here so don't speak about things you don't know."

The kids who don't know Jasper looked intrigued to see the man's reaction. Hunter and Nicholas were trying very hard to contain their laugher at the boy's foolishness. They knew Jasper was a strict man and one who doesn't tolerate stupid outbursts while the adults shook their heads and thought at the same time "WRONG MOVE KID."

Jasper walked slowly towards the kid and said in a low cold voice:

"You are on my list boy, so watch yourself and more preferably watch your mouth. I don't want to wash it with soap on our first day here," he stopped talking and pinned every present teenager with his icy stare.

"This rule goes for all of you. If you want to survive this camp, don't piss me off."

After his words everyone was silent even Brad didn't dare to say anything, Jasper took his seat and sighed.

"We didn't even start and I am tempted to punish this boy. When he returns to his home, he will be either a good boy or a dead boy. I won't tolerate a brat like him."

Edward and Jackson didn't answer him. In fact, they were amused. They knew jasper well to know he will make his words true by any means and at the same time they were feeling sympathy towards the kid because they know he will suffer immensely. Ayla hugged him and kissed his cheek in an attempt to calm him which worked because he hugged her and kissed her head.

After another fifteen minutes, they were unloading their baggage and putting it on the ground in front of them. When everyone was ready, Ayla spoke in a gentle tone.

"Welcome to our summer camp, you will be staying here for the next two months. Well, as you see there are three buildings one is for girls and one is for boys, the last one is for us."

Jackson cleared his throat to get all the youngsters' attention.

"In this camp, you will share rooms. Each one of you will have his partner. When I call a name I need his owner to come forward, and he will know his roommate for the next eight weeks."

Jackson ignored the protesting groans coming from his audience and started listing the pairs.

"Nicholas and Hunter, Carl and Eric, Matt and Aiden, Cain and Brad, this is for the boys"

Jackson started speaking again before anyone could interrupt him.

"As for girls we will have, Camille and Tatiana. Lillian and Anna, as for you Diana you won't share a room. Now that the rooming arrangements are settled, I suggest you head to your rooms and start unpacking. The order of your rooms is the same order I announced the pairs."

Before the kids started moving, Jasper spoke with his strong voice.

"You have 30 minutes to finish unpacking and changing into the uniforms which you will find on your beds in your rooms. By that time I want you all down here waiting in a straight line. Don't be late or you won't like the consequences."

With those words spoken, teenagers started running to their respective buildings. Edward chuckled and said:

"You are doing great job bro. You get them moving without delay. I think we don't need Nina after all."

Jasper smirked and said seriously.

"Don't think for a second that a bunch of teenagers will give me shit, and I will take it smiling."

With that, he grabbed his bag and strode away. Ayla shook her head and followed him leaving behind them a laughing pair. Jackson struggled to contain his hysteric laughers. When he finally regained control he smiled widely.

"I think I will enjoy this camp more than I thought at first"

"Do you know what I think at this moment? I think you should go to your room and change your clothes because there is a little feeling telling me you will be a big part of the first exercise in our camp." Edward said impishly.

With a childish pout present on his face, Jackson gathered his bags and started heading to his quarters.

*********************

When Anna and Lillian made it to their designed room, they started right away putting their clothes in the closest. Lillian was the first to finish and went to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. Anna stretched on her bed and looked at the ceiling while contemplating the events of today.

When Lillian exited the bathroom, Anna took her clothes and walked by her roommate silently. By the time Anna joined Lillian again, she found the older girl changed to her camp uniform that consisted of blue shorts and a white tank top completed with white snickers.

Anna also changed her clothes and put her long black hair in a high ponytail. When she was satisfied with her attire, she turned her attention to the girl who currently occupied the other bed in the room.

"Maybe I didn't express it earlier, but I am really happy to have you as a friend here. I am alone and desperately in need of someone who can have my back."

Lillian smiled and got up from her bed to envelop Anna in a strong hug.

"I know all of this is new to you dear, but believe me, I will be here with you every step of the way so don't fear anything"

"I will hang to every word you speak. You will be my anchor in this new world and I promise I will help you as much as I can."

With another squeeze, the two girls departed, with a quick look to the clock on the wall behind them.

"I think we must start moving before we are late and make it to jasper's list on day one."

Lillian led the way out of the room with Anna walking close to her.

"By the way, what is your relation to the Salviatti family?" Anna asked curiously.

"well, let's just say the blocks out there are my cousins while Jackson is my brother."

Anna giggled at the girl's chosen words in describing her relationship with the men in the family. The two girls started descending the stairs leading to the ground level when a girl with black hair and a pair of green eyes that resembled jewels in their bright color blocked their way. Upon seeing her, Lillian rolled her eyes and said exasperatedly:

"what do you want Tatiana Romanov?"

"Stay away from this topic Lillian, this is between me and her," she said saucily while jabbing her finger in Anna's direction.

Used to the girls' harassment in her old school, Anna walked forward and spoke with an indifferent tone.

"And may I know what is between me and you that I am not aware of?"

Tatiana concealed any personal space between them and got in Anna's face.