"Hurry up Jem the meeting starts in like an hour".

"I know! Just give me five minutes"

I finally decide to put on a camouflage camisole, a black, leather, pants and black, leather Jacket accompanied by a pair white sneakers. I pack my hair up in a bun and put on gold earrings and bangles. I apply zero make up except for a lip gloss. Now I'm ready!

"Jem! I..."

"Hold your balls man I'm here!", I retort as I come down the flights of stairs.

"Good! Now let's go. I suppose you want to drive?"

"Sure!", I gleefully state as I snatch the car keys away from his hands.

"Are you excited about this meeting Jem?", Jay asks as I bring the car's engine back to life and zoom off the front porch.

"Totally! I finally get the chance to see Jon after three months. Three months Jay!"

"Yeah! Any ideas why Godfather called this meeting?"

"Besides the fact that it's usually around this time of the year we hold our second out of meetings? No!"

I excitedly say as I swerve into a sharp U turn and go straight for the bridge but got intercepted by a huge tanker. Out of frustration, I throw my middle finger in the air at the driver. Mother fucker should go to a driving school.

"Amica Mea?"

"I'll pretend like you never said that", I say still furrowing my brows in concentration at the road.

"Don't you think it's odd Godfather wants to see all Mafias just immediately after we captured Selena?"

"Did you do something wrong Jay? I mean, you didn't think it wrong when Godfather held the third meeting of last year right after I captured the most wanted assassin!"

"You're right I'm just being paranoid" he says relaxing. I look him in the eye and give him a reassuring smile.

Getting to the meeting premises, I parked the car outside and immediately pressed the invisible button.

"Jemima Valerian from the Ross's Mafia group", I say into the speaker.

"Sorry no record of Jemima Valerian in the Mafia group", the attendant responds back. Oh right.

"SK from..."

"Entry granted"
Oohh! Nice one. It's feels so surreal to be identified as SK. This is going to be the first meeting without face mask.

"Jason Black from the McIntyre Mafia group"

"Entry granted"

"Hurry up Jay, I can't wait to see so many new Mafias and Jon and Alan and Anita and Dimitri", I squeal like a child.

"Oh most feared assassin Dimitri and Anita haven't been initiated yet so they didn't get the message all other Mafias got yesterday", Jay mocks, giving me his famous Cheshire grin.

I only roll my eyes. After so many tunnels and mazes, we finally reach there. Jay takes his position, at the right hand side of where Godfather will be and I sit beside Jay.

I look around and I notice new faces, and old ones. All welcoming me, begging for me to sign their cloak, their guns, their knives but no sign of Alan or Jon. It's still early, they are probably on their way. Hopefully they get here before Godfather takes his seat.

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

Thirty minutes later
*************************

"All stand", a voice calls as the God father approaches his seat. We all stand and I become apprehensive. Jon and Alan have never missed a meeting before. The only reason any Mafia is allowed to miss a meeting is if he is sick. Is Alan sick? Or maybe Jon? Who am I kidding? They're on their way. Probably stuck in traffic, but the gnawing feeling that something bad has happened wouldn't leave my head.

"All sit", we all sit.

"All old and new Mafias and assassin here today are all welcome. I'm sure you all know the best tracker Mafia has been accused of betrayal. Without further ado, I'd like you all to witness her pains by the Mafias of pain"

Three huge men come out with Selena. Poor wretch. I wouldn't be so dumb as to compromise my position. We watch as they plunge a hot rod inside her pussy and she screams in pain. I smile as I watch her cry in agony, music to my ears.

Next they take a very hot dagger and plunge it in her ear. I'm sure that must have burst her eardrums. I can't wait to do this to Ava! I give a slight laugh and watch as they take a burning coal and shove it in her mouth. Wow! Her head is on fire! Poor Pedro! The worst punishment for him is watching his beloved daughter scream in agony. Blood all over her body. This is fun

"That's enough! You're excused!", Godfather's voice booms throughout the room. Jay was horrified and so were the other Mafias. Seems I was the only one who enjoyed it.

Still no sign of Alan or Jon.

"I'd like to commend Jay and SK for their efforts. Although I sent Jay only on this mission, He's forgiven. I'm sure you all are very glad to see SK for the first time, after the meeting you all can meet with her and share ideas and..."

Share ideas? No way! I'm taking the immediate flight back to New York. Something's up and I'm determined to find out.

"...As for my successor, I'll announce that at the third meeting of the year. New Mafias are to meet with me immediately after this meeting. All the killings done by each of you will be rewarded according to the number of kills. I'm proud to announce that SK has the most number of kills so far" God father says.

Loud murmurs erupt like volcanoes. I give a smug look and wink at all my haters and lovers. It's feels so good to be famous.

"Now the list of those that didn't show up and why" Godfather continues as he is being handed a list.

Jay becomes scared and sweaty.

"Uh Jem, do you mind if we leave now. Godfather wouldn't mind". He says in an unsure manner. The most revered Mafia is never unsure, something's wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Yes I do mind. I won't leave until this meeting is dismissed", I adamantly say and focus back to Godfather.

"Jennifer Sheldon...flu,
Scott Bruce...flu"

And it kept going and going and going. I was about to whisper to Jay for us to leave until...

"Jon Ross...Heart failure
Alan Ross... Couldn't come because he's taking care of his father
Justin Valentine... Had surgery"

I felt my world crash. I felt everything begin to close in on me.

"Are you okay SK?", Tito, a highly respected mafia asks. I nod my head in assurance but it wasn't convincing enough.

I soon began to feel the stares of everyone around me. Be graceful Jem, like you've always been. I try telling myself. I partially turn deaf as I couldn't hear what anyone was saying. I need to get out of here, fast!  It suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. Jay bent down and whispers;
"In and out Jem! In and out". 

I closed my eyes and remembered how to breathe again. What is happening?

My sense of hearing restored again and I could hear all the buzzing sounds of murmurs like bees.

"Let's go Jem, the meeting is finished!", Jay says as he makes his move to drag me out of here. Grace Jem! Grace. I glance at where Godfather was and he wasn't there.

Soon a throng of different Mafias swallowed me and bulldozed Jay out of the way. There was nothing he could do. They all wanted to ask me questions or sign their whatever but I was in no mood. Any time now, I'll break down in tears and I can't let them see me as weak. I look above their heads but I see more heads and none of them Jay's.

I unconsciously bring out my dagger and point it at all of them one by one. They stop in their tracks and begin to move backwards, until there is a clear path for me to pass. Getting outside, I see Jay waiting in the car. I tuck my dagger back in and move to the car.

"How long have you known", were my first words as I entered the car.

"Quite a while now!", he truthfully states. I nod my head in understanding.

"Drive me to the airport", I say without preamble.

"Look Jem! I know you're upset and I know how you feel. I wanted to tell you but..."

"Just drive", I say through gritted teeth and red eyes. Any moment from now, the tears will fall. Without another word, he drives me to the airport. I hurriedly buy a ticket and wait for at least a minute before the plane leaves.

"I'm sorry Jem"

"It's not your fault", I whisper before entering the plane.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°′°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"Hello", no one is fucking home. Which hospital do I go to now. Please show me a sign!

Just then, I see a flyer on the table. I smile and do a small victory dance and I take vixen, oh I've missed my baby, to the hospital.

"SK", murmurs of my name spread around the hospital on my arrival.

"Jem?", Alan whispers. His bushy beards, the bags beneath his eyes, unkempt hair. How much sleep has he lacked?

He comes closer to me and I land him a slap across the face. He holds his chin in shock and looks at me with tears in his eyes.

"I hate you!", I whisper to him as crowd begins to gather.

"Look Jem I didn't want to bother you with my problem, I ..." He was saying but I cut him short with another slap. "His problem?"

"Fuck you Alan!", I say shoving him to the side and enter inside to behold a scrawny, old man. He almost seems lifeless.

"Dad?", I whisper as the tears begins to fall.

"Jem? Is that you? Have you come back home to me?", he coughs out loud.

"Yes dad. I'm here now and I'll never leave you! Forgive me dad!", I say wailing now.

"My daughter is back now I'll be better. Go home dear. Let Alan prepare you something to eat. Freshen up and rest, then you can come back and tell me about everything that happened", Jon says with authority. I clean my face and nod my head. I move out of the ward without another word to Alan.

Once outside, I jump on vixen and zoom off, leaving Alan in a pile of dust. Inside the house, I wait for Alan in the kitchen holding a knife, not my dagger, willing to plunge it at him. On a second thought, the silent treatment will work better. As I'm about to move upstairs, I hear him come in and call my name.

"Leave me alone Alan. You liar! I hate you more than I hate the Valerians. How could you have kept such a big thing away from me? You say "your problem", forgetting I'm a part of this family too", I rant, all the while Alan kept coming closer to me.

"Calm down Jem"

"Never in the history of calming down has anyone calmed down just by being told to calm down", I yell back at him.

"Just listen to me will you?"

"I don't want to hear anymore lies you have to spit out you hear me"

"Jem"
"Don't fucking call my name", I yell, with the tears streaming down my face, I make another move to hit him across the face again but he holds my hand in anger. Angry Alan is bad!

"Jemima!!!", he shouts, literally shaking the mansion to it's core. He has never called my full name before. I suddenly recoil back in fear. He pushes me away from him so hard I land on the floor and he looks away, then turns his back to me.

"Everything I did, I did for you! I didn't tell you because I didn't want to bother you. Now I see it was so wrong of me but you were so happy, I couldn't bring myself to spoil your happiness. Each time I called to tell you, you always brought up something good and I didn't want to spoil the fun. Remember how you begged me to stay in Rome and I refused? How you begged me to come for Jay's party and I refused? Well my dad was the reason. I begged you to come home with me but you refused. Dad was Ill the period you called me to come rescue you. I abandoned him for you. And when I had made up my mind to tell you, Jay picked up the call. I told him and begged him not to tell you. Well forgive me for being selfish enough not to tell you"

Alan rants and he storms off to his room. I'm the worst human born to this world. Alan has been there every step of the way for me and when he needed me the most, I was enjoying myself. I hate you Jem! I hate you! I fall on the stairs as I began to weep. Alan is hurting because of me.

I wipe off my tears and climb up the familiar stairs to his room.
"Knock knock!", I say recalling and incident that occurred some years back.

"Who's there!"Alan says but I could detect the tears In his voice.

"Oh I dunno, just a really sorry, really silly girl who wants to ask for your hand in forgiveness"

"I'm not ready to forgive her", he says playing along.

I slowly open the door and I see his tear streaked face staring at my tear streaked face.

"I'm sorry", I whisper lowly and he gestures for me to join him on the bed. I literally run to him and pull him in a hug. The tears begins to flow really fast as he hugs me back.

"Oh Al. I'm so sorry I said those horrible things to you. I love you. I love you. I love you so much. I was just so overwhelmed with grief that such a thing could happen to..."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Jem. I was just so upset that you'd think of me as a selfish being. I really care for you and I was so overcome by..."

We were both apologizing at the same time. Trying to be heard. Then I knew all was forgiven.

"I'm hungry", I say pulling out of the embrace.

"Ha! When are you not?", he laughs tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Never?", I answer with a slight smile.

"That's my silly girl"
"Am I a silly girl?"
"No you're/I'm not"

"Oh I've missed you Alan!", I say hugging him again.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Your birthday is next week"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's another wrap. How do you like it? Was it captivating? I know I had tears in my eyes at one point when I was writing, did you have tears in your eyes at one point when you were reading?

Just lemme know what your thoughts are? Thanks a bunch lovely earthlings. ❤
Sparkles loves you and do stay safe this period. 💖 💖