who: @sav-grey
when: convocation dinner.
where: grand hall.
There wasn’t a ton to keep Benedetta entertained going on, considering the adults were engaged in meaningless conversations and Marcello was too busy sulking to entertain her. She had eventually managed to slip away without notice, after slipping further and further down her seat until she was under the tablecloth. Turning herself around, Benedetta wiggled herself under her chair, before standing and scurrying away. She walked around the Grand Hall, admiring sparkly dresses and picture-perfect smiles. Eventually, her eyes found a familiar looking blonde girl dressed in tans and browns. Benny’s face lit up just looking at her, although she could not initially pinpoint where she knew her from. After some lingering moments of studying her face, she realized this was the girl Marcello had shown her. A small squeal fell from her mouth, incredibly intrigued by her presence. Benedetta practically had to pull teeth to get Marcello to tell her more about Sav, but he had eventually given in and sent her some selfies he had of her. She knew he’d be upset if he learned she had spoken to Sav, but Benedetta also just couldn’t resist. She approached the girl in a hurry, only bumping into a few disgruntled adults as she did. “Hi, I’m Benedetta!” she sang, a bright smile on her lips as she searched her face. “You’re sooo beautiful,” the red-headed girl gushed, giggling as she continued to marvel at her brother’s “not girlfriend”.
who: open. @luxorstarters
when: during convocation dinner.
where: grand hall.
When the dinner had commenced, Benedetta had found herself increasing restless due to her skipping a bathroom break before. Eventually, she impatiently excused herself, before heading off toward where Marcello had directed her. Unfortunately, the Grand Hall was more massive and rowdy than when she had realized when she declined her older brother’s escort. As she was headed back toward her family, she realized she had no idea where they had been seated. Benny’s eyes searched frantically, her anxiety growing as she felt more and more isolated from the rest of her family. Approaching a random person passing by, Benedetta’s mouth felt dry as she began to speak up. “E-excuse me?” she called in her thick accent, not nearly as accustomed to speaking English as her brother was. “I’m sorry, I think I got lost,” she explained quietly, although she was quite certainly lost. “Do you know who Marcello is? I’m trying to find him but…” her voice trailed off, a few tears forming in her eyes despite her best efforts to stay calm.
who: benedetta de rosa
when: few days after gallery fire, 1am. 6am (spain).
where: marcello’s dorm.
Following his father’s angry phone call, Marcello had no luck attempting to contact his family. It had been over a month since he had spoken to his parents or his sister, and every call he made was directly forwarded to voicemail. His father had kept his word about cutting him off, and Marcello’s worry only increased with his family’s continued silence. His tuition was at least taken care of until the end of the year, but Marcello really had no place to go after the year ended. If his father was capable of just listening, he’d be able to explain that this had been the Crusade’s doing. Regardless, Marcello had a hard time accepting how much it hurt after realizing he had no way to reach out to his family after getting to New York following the plane crash. Yet, he was hoping this final desperate attempt to use his trump card would lead to his family’s reunion. He held Hunter’s phone in his hand, his fingers quickly dialing his little sister’s number from memory. It had been so long since they last spoke, Marcello could only hope that she didn’t hate him. Clicking the call button, he put the phone on speaker and nervously placed it on his bed, as if it were some sort of dangerous explosive. “¿Que paso?” a groggy, lilted tone spoke into the phone. Marcello felt his heart drop at the sound of Benedetta’s voice, feeling overwhelmed by the relief of knowing she was okay. “Erm, ¿hola?” she called again, a hint of confusion in her voice as Marcello attempted to speak up.
“Mi hermanita,” Marcello cooed, his tone soft and sweet as he finally greeted her.
“¡¿Marcello?!” her voice was hushed as she said his name, and he easily understood why. Benedetta had been forbidden to speak to him again.
“It’s me, Benny. I’m sorry for not calling sooner, the past few weeks have been a pain in the ass,” he replied in English, figuring she was well-acquainted enough to keep up.
“Father said you betrayed us… Are you hurt, Marcello?” Benedetta inquired, and he could practically see her worried eyes.
“I’m fine, mi sol. I would never leave you, okay Benny?” he bit his lip, wondering just how many lies his father had spread. He had been searching for any reason to get rid of Marcello, and apparently the missing money had been the perfect excuse. After all, his father already had the perfect heir, what use did his younger son’s troublemaking serve for their family?
Marcello had reached out to Emiliano mistakenly, attempting to see if his father had gotten to him, too. However, he should have known his older brother had been eagerly awaiting his call to shove his failure in his face. Even through the phone, Marcello could practically see the smugness of his voice emanating from his fucking mansion in Paris.
“I know,” she replied lightly, a smile coming to his face at her reassurance. Somehow, despite all his family’s troubles, Benedetta had managed to grow into an understanding, compassionate angel. It was a wonder their father’s brashness hadn’t eaten her alive. “Now, are you going to tell me what actually happened?”
So, Marcello did. He began with the conversation he had with Enzo, hours before his run-in with Lucy and the tampering of the plane. He told her about the enormous sums of money that had been taken from every student at Luxor. He talked about falling in a pit of quicksand, surrounded by people too selfish to give a shit. Marcello told Benny about Maddie going missing, although he suspected it wasn’t entirely bad news to her. She had made it abundantly clear she didn’t like his ex, but she listened to his rantings about the blonde girl regardless. Marcello even confided in her about kissing Sav, although he purposefully left out all of the explicit details surrounding their kiss.
“Oooh, do you like her?” Benedetta sang, before making smooching sounds into the phone. Marcello merely scoffed, a smile growing on his lips as he shook his head.
“Of course not. She’s just… good company for now,” he denied, his tone guarded as he tried to prevent Benny from picking up on anything else.
“Boo, you’re no fun, hermano. I’d be the best aunt ever!”
“Can’t help you there, sis. Maybe try Emiliano for that one,” Marcello suggested.
“Already have. He’s still waiting on the arrangements with Cambodia,” she drawled, boredom seeping into her voice as she mentioned their brother’s arranged marriage. While Marcello had successfully gotten out of his situation, Emiliano was on the path to marrying a Cambodian princess or some shit. Although, his older brother had never been against the idea like he had.
Ending his winded story with a recount of being a suspect at Ches’ game night, Marcello felt simultaneously overwhelmed by all of the crazy shit that was occurring and relieved at having shared the load with his little sister. Benny merely stayed on the phone and patiently listened, occasionally throwing in side commentary as if his life was some sort of Showtime tv show.
“Maybe it’s time you came home,” she spoke quietly, the suggestion throwing Marcello in for a loop. He had never considered it an option, considering he had been practically banished at the age of fourteen. It was… a conflicting thought. Being so close to his mother and sister again would be a blessing, but it also meant interweaving his life with his father’s again.
“I’ll think about it, Benny,” Marcello offered, despite knowing they’d probably never be so close again. “I love you with my whole heart, little sister. Don’t you forget it.”
There was a moment of silence, Marcello intently listening for his sister to speak up and say it back. He knew he was hurting her, but she was tough. Tougher than him, at least.
“I love you too, Marcello. We all do. Father just needs a little reminder,” Benedetta finally spoke, although her tone was significantly less playful than before. And with that, they said their solemn goodbyes. Benedetta was off to start her day and clean up after the mistakes of the men in her family, while Marcello sat silently in the dark, cursing himself for involving her.
