~The Darker Side~

nervous lips quiver against one another.. an erotic kiss of passion in the paled light. unthinking, they move close.. feel.. taste, enjoy anothers skin the soft pounding of base in the back ground, the creaking of a mattress made of sewn together rose-petals and satin.

eyes open, hearts race. taking another in not just into the heart, or to the body but to the soul. shielding them with your entire Flame. but fear sets in, turning passionate fires cold, icy, to below the boiling point of love.

"was i blind, or could i see? who was the one i had meant to be with? " doubt, along with fear creates hatred, misunderstanding, a wall of no communication. could this be realistic? is this the reality we have come to accept as norm?

Each morning before three, her father would come into her and her sisters room, kiss them each on the forehead and whisper to them "Riposa ora , mia piccola stella . Torno prima del tramonto ."-- Durring this, Gela always pretended to be asleep, steadying her breathing so that he would not detect her eyelids fluttering to peek... One morning, her father did not come in to kiss them before he left for the day. sitting up from her twin bed, Gelianna pushed back the purple comforter and matching sheets... Letting her adjusting eyes sweep the room.. she saw her little sisters beds to be empty, thinking that they must have snuck off to listen to the early morning radio, Shaking her head at her sisters, Mia at six, and Tiani just a few minutes behind her where nearly inseparable.

Gela muttered to herself as she clunked down the hall to her parents bedroom, muttering about her sisters " Iscritto il a livello dell'anca...".. "Sciocca giovane ragazze.." she had whispered softly as she reached the oaken door to her parents bedroom. she pushed open the door with her fingertips gingerly.. letting it swing the rest of the way open. just from the doorway she could see her parents beautiful and nearly spotless room destroyed.. feathers and down everywhere from her mothers pillows.. the lamps and end tables knocked over.. glass strewn on the floor.. it looked as though her father had become drunk again.. only confined to one room... tearing her eyes away from them mess she moved around the upturned tables and shattered crystal lamps.."M-madre..?" she said softly.. "Padre..?".. Gelianna rounded the corner into her parents bathroom... the door only half open.

as she neared the entrance, a stench came rolling from the confines of the bathroom, one that screamed at her to run, run as fast as she possibly could. she fought the urge to run as she then pushed open the door, the first thing that met her eyes was color that was not suppose to be there. the first splash of ..crimson? across white and black marble. the door swung fully open. Gelianna became weak kneed, a wave of nausea passing through her lower stomach and quickly rising in her throat. her mother laying up against the claw footed tub.. clutching her little sisters in her arms. her mothers face was stained with the red lipstick she had always worn, and something else.. she looked taking in the scene fully.. a gun shot wound in the middle of her mothers forehead.. and her sisters both lying limp in her arms.. their faces frozen in terrifying screams as they looked to be buried in their mothers bossum.

Gela's lip quivered.. falling to her knees. she felt sharp and stabbing pain at the skin that hit the ground.. Guessing that she had landed on shattered crystal, but unable to tear her eyes from the terrible scene in front of her. "M-madre.." she whispered into the silence.. a single tear flooded out from her ducts and slid down her flushed cheeks. she then stood, raising her chin as she ran out into the house, Screaming for her father.. But finding him no where. Gela sprinted into the kitchen, the only room she hadn't yet checked.. finding a note on the counter in her father's hand beautiful Italian writing.. " My Dearest Little Star, i am sorry i could not take you with me. when i came home your mother and sisters where as they are now. there is money in the closet, under the gun safe. Take it and go to America, Leave Naples, there will be enough for you until i can come find you again. Love, Papa."

Feet placed firmly on the ground, no running from it now. that much she knew, Standing with shoulders back in a slightly relaxed stance over the cliff, down cast eyes that matched the color of the waves beneath her vantage point. she could feel her heart swell, almost painfully, but no tear would fall from her eyes. clouded, her mind swirled in images of the past few months.. bringing in torturous memories that screamed at her, yelled in harsh tones that only made the pressure in her chest rise.. outside her mind she fell to her knees in the tall browning grass, her hands covering her mouth as she screamed with the memories into her palms.

the salty wind coming off the sea combed through her thick blonde hair, brushing it back against her ears and the sensitive sides of her neck, calming the voices of the past that crawled up the sides of her mind, allowing her to raise her torso from the ground.. pushing herself up with her hands, palms down against the cool grasses and moist soil that had stuck to the heel of her palms. she began to breath in the salt air.. lips parted and quivering softly, she allowed herself to think again.. starting with the most simple thing she knew to be true. her name, her age, birth-date, where she was, and that she was totally alone. her eyes raised slightly.. looking over the edge of the cliff again, the deep blue-ish waves capping in white as they rushed the side of the darkened rocks that formed the cliff side.

it lulled her some how..the repetitive sound of the rocks being hit with the capped waves. she could feel the pressure in her chest still, willing her to let her own salt water spill from the corners of her eyes. Lifting her head slightly.. She pushed herself from the ground, catching the full force of the Autumn wind, it pushed her back from the cliff's edge, but that is not where she wanted to go. forcing her feet to inch her closer to the very edge of the cliff, she looked down once again, her heart now thudding in her chest. the memories swam before her eyes, Him. and her, their hands intertwined.. a kiss, shared on the same cliff. the very edge of life, he looked like an angel.. the image burning in her mind as the screaming resumed, like a boiling tea-pot. growing in volume.

a flash of her being held in his arms as they then danced to a soft melody coming from the tiny black portable he had carried along with their blanket. the screaming washed over the inside of her brain, driving her closer to the edge of the cliff. her eyes closed for a few moments, feeling like a junkie with a limited supply as the next flash she allowed came over like a thick cloud of intoxicating smoke, Him, with cold eyes, and her.. reaching out for his touch.. so close, yet so far as he took her by the arms and threw her to the ground.. the last image of her.. laying on the cold grass.. shaking with sobs of despair.