All that crying must've made her fall asleep faster…' Kiera thought as she watched Alessia sleep soundly beside her, patting her hair gently.
She frowned, thinking back to what she had said to her friend before finally being able to calm her down.
...
"Why don't you try to figure out what Salviati wants from you first?" Kiera suggested, squeezing her shoulders gently. "After that… then maybe... maybe you could consider…"
"Consider what?" Alessia asked, disbelief on her face. "Working for him? Kiera, you know better than anyone that I can't do that… That man… he'll kill me!"
"So what do you want to do then?" Kiera asked with a frown. "Would you rather go to jail and get yourself killed?"
"Hah…" Alessia scoffed, pulling at both sides of her hair. "I'll die either way…"
Kiera pursed her lips. "Don't say that, Lessie." She told her. "I know that you've made your decision already… even if you're still hesitating."
Alessia chewed her lips nervously. "What if it doesn't work? What if he finds out before–"
"Anything!" Kiera yelled, her voice shaky as she gripped Alessia's shoulder even tighter, making her flinch. "You and I both know that anything else is better than staying under that spiteful man! This is your one and only chance to escape, Alessia. You either try your best or die doing nothing!"
Alessia slumped, covering her face with both hands. "But… what about you?"
"Tsk!" Kiera clicked her tongue. "You always worry about unnecessary things. I can find my way around… I'm strong, remember?"
Alessia pressed her lips together and slowly lowered her head. "Just… just give me time to think about it… please…"
...
Kiera put off the lamp by the bedside and adjusted herself on the bed. "I hope you make the right decision, Lessie…" She muttered as she planted a kiss on Alessia's forehead and started drifting off. "But whatever it is, I'll support you."
___
'Lessia darling,' A man cooed softly as he stroked a little girl's hair. On his head was a tuft of ash blonde hair and the crinkles by the side of his eyes wrinkled gently when he smiled, his grey eyes lacked any sort of emotion even as he stared down at her.
'I got you a present.'
Eleven year old Alessia blinked up at him, holding a stuffed animal in her hand tight. 'A present?' She asked curiously, her eyes basically sparkling. 'What is it?'
The man chuckled softly and snapped his fingers, the door to the room they were sitting in flung open and a man in a basic black suit walked in, holding a carton box.
Alessia stood at the tip of her toes excitedly. 'What's that?!'
'Why don't you open it and see?' The man answered and nodded at the man wearing the suit.
The man nodded back and handed the small box to her. Then she quickly peeled open the cover and peered inside.
'It's a puppy!' She squealed as she gently took it out of the box, admiring its white fur. 'It's a puppy! It's a puppy! Thank you, Daddy!'
'Now I won't be so lonely anymore!' She thought happily as she hugged it close to her chest.
The man only watched her silently with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
...
'How have your lessons been going, Lessia dear?' The ash blonde man asked, his hand resting on her small shoulder.
'They're.. weird lessons, Dad…' Alessia told him, a little worried as she gently petted the small dog in her arms. 'But… but the teacher says I'm doing good!'
The man glanced at a dark haired woman with glasses standing behind her. 'Is that true?'
The woman nodded once. 'Your daughter is… talented.' She said, 'She lacks strength unlike the others but she is smart.'
The man's eyes brightened as he fixed his gaze back on Alessia. 'As expected! Shall we put her to the test then?'
The woman flinched. 'With all due respect, Sir–'
'Lessia,' the man started, ignoring her. 'Would you like to put all you've learned to the test? I'll give you a gift if you do well.'
Alessia's ears perked. 'A gift?'
The man nodded. 'It will be even better than the puppy.'
Alessia's eyes brightened. 'Al… alright I'll do it… if it's not too difficult…'
'Not at all.' The man grinned, fishing out a small photo from his back pocket. He crouched to face her properly. 'I want you to take something very important away from this man.'
The man in the picture had a head full of raven dark hair and his eyes were the color of ice.
'Take something important?' Alessia echoed, staring up at him a little confused. 'But Dad… isn't that… stealing?'
The man's brows arched. 'Of course it's stealing, what else would it be?'
Alessia's eyes widened and she took a small, cautious step back. 'But… at the orphanage they taught that stealing is bad… I don't want to steal…'
'Hmm… but I'm sure your teacher has told you it can be for a good cause sometimes.' The man pressed.
Alessia's head lowered. 'Then… there has to be another way, right? I… I don't want to do something bad for a good cause.'
The man frowned and his eyes shifted to the woman behind her. 'Why is she still being so difficult?'
The woman's eyes drifted close. 'I apologize, Sir, but–'
'Too smart for her own good, eh?' The man scoffed. He let out a soft sigh. 'I didn't want it to come to this.'
Suddenly, his hand moved extremely fast and he snatched Alessia's small pet away from her grasp.
'Max!' Alessia cried, stretching out her arms. 'Dad, are you going to take Max back?! Is it because I refused–'
'Of course not. Max belongs to you and only you, my dear.' He said, his face taking on a sad look as his large hand circled around the dog's tiny neck. 'But you see, Lessia, whenever you refuse to do as I say, I'll have no choice but to punish "Max" in your place.'
Alessia stood frozen and watched in horror as the man began to strangle the puppy's neck. It whimpered and struggled, its limbs flailed listlessly as its eyes began to glaze over.
'Daddy, stop!' She screamed, grasping onto his clothes and pulling desperately. 'I'll do what you ask, I'll do it! So please don't kill him!'
The man feigned surprise, his eyes were wide like it carried a sort of madness. 'Really? Do you promise?'
Alessia nodded intensely as tears streamed down her cheeks. 'Yes, yes! I promise! I promise!'
'Good girl.' The man finally let the puppy out of his grip and it fell to the floor with a helpless thud.
'Max!' Alessia yelled and rushed to it, placing the trembling, breathless puppy on her lap and stroking it gently. She sobbed. 'It's… It's okay… you'll be alright… you'll be alright. I'll take care of you...'
The man placed a gentle hand on her head and for the first time since he took her in, Alessia felt a shiver run down her spine at his touch.
'Don't cry too much, now. Children have to be punished when they disobey.' The man said gravely. 'I didn't have a choice, Lessia dearest. You're my only daughter, I didn't want to hurt you.'