Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
I don't know about Papa's dirty game until one sunny day in May when he sits me down at the dining table in the caretaker's cottage.
"You've been a very good girl," he tells me. "But tonight, I need you to do me a favor."
"Of course," I beam, happy to help Papa who rarely asks anything of me. "What is it?"
"Tonight, I want you to invite Nicoletta to have a sleepover with you here."
"Here?" I glance around the cottage. I'm perfectly happy living here, but I don't know what Nicoletta would think of it. It certainly isn't as luxurious as her home. "Why?"
"That doesn't matter." Papa's reply is sharp and leaves no room for further question. I'm already starting to feel uncomfortable but I'm not going to show that to him – I need to be a good girl, like always. "Her papa and I need to have a meeting and we need some alone time in his house."
"Oh, okay." I nod, ignoring the gnawing feeling in the back of my mind telling me there's something wrong with this whole story. But I don't dare argue with Papa, so I dutifully do what he's asked and invite Nicoletta to spend the night with us. She eagerly agrees, seemingly excited about spending more time with me. We are very close after all, and I shouldn't have doubted her. Neither her nor her father are snobs at all, and they genuinely seem to care about Papa and I, as if we were part of their family and not just employees. When Gustavo buys a present for Nicoletta, there's always something small there for me too. I feel blessed to live with them.
Nicoletta falls asleep quickly after we spend our night chatting away and telling each other ghost stories, hidden beneath our duvet with a flashlight. I envy her and how easily she can fall asleep. It's going to be a long night for me – those stories we told are making me shiver with fear in the dark of the night.
After a couple of hours tossing and turning, I finally realize I won't be able to fall asleep at all. I get up and make myself some hot cocoa in the kitchen. That's when I see the lights in the main house. Papa and Gustavo must be up – still having that business talk, probably.
Suddenly, I long for my papa. For him to tuck me in and tell me everything's going to be alright. Glancing guiltily at Nicoletta, I decide she'll be perfectly safe here and slip out of the cottage.
I retrace my daily steps to the main house and follow the sound of voices to the meeting room. I peek inside and soon realize I shouldn't have come at all.
I've never seen Papa and Gustavo this upset. They're shouting at one another. Gustavo gets up and paces the room while I watch quietly. Their loud argument in Italian soon turns into a screaming match, and then a hustle. I watch with horror as the two men attack one another. Then, Papa pulls out a gun.
Gustavo takes a step back with his hands up. There's genuine fear in his eyes and I already know this is bad, bad news. But Papa pays it no mind. He waves the gun around, and then shoots into the ceiling. I can't help it – I shriek.
Gustavo is momentarily distracted by my scream and our eyes connect.
"Not in front of the girls!" Gustavo begs Papa, but it's too late. My father fires a bullet into Gustavo's head, and he's out like a light. His body thuds when it hits the floor.
I don't even realize I'm screaming until moments later when Papa advances on me. I turn to run and bump directly into Nicoletta.
"What's going on?" she yawns, looking over my shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
"We need t-to get away," I manage to stutter. "Right now, Nicoletta, we need to leave!"
"Why?" She knits her brows together as I tug on her arm and force her to keep up with me. "I don't want to go!"
"Nicoletta!" My father's yell echoes in the hallway, and I start to sob, pulling my best friend into a supply closet in the hallway. I lock the door and we shiver together in the tiny room. Papa just killed Nicoletta's father, and I know deep down this isn't just a bad dream I'm having. My father is a cold-blooded killer. He killed the man who did nothing but helps us.
"Shh," I whisper to Nicoletta. "We can't let him find us."
But he does. We start to sob inside the closet as Papa unlocks the door. But when Nicoletta sees it's him, she rushes forward and embraces him, saying, "I was so scared!"
"It's okay." Papa's eyes are on mine as he consoles my friend. I'm still deathly afraid and confused about what's going on. "Come on, girls. Let's get you to sleep."