Sonia walked into the dining room, whistling a happy tune.
She stopped dead in her tracks just as Luciano and Valentina jolted apart.
"Carpo." She quickly bowed, not totally in respect, but also to look away from whatever was happening in front of her.
Valentina's face burned crimson, as she moved her body behind to create some healthy distance.
"What are you doing, Val?!" She queried herself internally, amidst the rough thumping of her heart.
Luciano cleared his throat. "Sonia, take Valentina back to her room," he ordered, and walked out of the room.
They waited for different reasons for his footsteps to completely fade, before one lifted her head, and the other turned around.
"I'm sorry for barging in, miss. I was asked to get you," Sonia quickly apologized.
"Oh no," Valentina's hands waved dismissively. "You didn't do anything wrong. There was no barging in because nothing was happening. I was just telling him goodbye because it seems I'll be leaving soon," she explained rather defensively.
"You will? That's sad," her face fell.
"It is? Why?" Valentina lifted a quizzical brow.
Sonia's shoulders slouched as she breathed out. "You become so popular here in short time. Everyone wants to see you. I raised–" she touched her shoulders. "All the time to show I've been the closest to you," she confessed. "I guess everything end. Shall we?" She gestured towards the door.
Valentina's heart completely warmed up to Sonia at that moment.
She nodded in acceptance, and walked towards the door.
"I don't know my way so—"
Sonia understood, and moved ahead of her.
They entered into another path made of all white, but Valentina did not even lose her mind.
She was too fixated on something peculiar about Sonia.
When she made short sentences, her English was so clear. But the longer sentences distorted her English.
It was a fascinating concept she wished she could read up on.
She sighed out loud when she recalled she was still locked up without access to tangible devices.
"Will you miss this place, miss?"
"It's Val," she corrected for the umpteenth time. "And I don't know if I can say I'll miss this place, to be honest. Maybe if I wasn't locked up. Besides, I haven't spent that much time here, right?"
Her nose sniffed lavender incense as she spoke, and she inhaled sharply.
There were now lilac dots across the all white walls on this side of the very large hallway.
"What even is this place?" She found herself asking, as her head did a three-sixty.
"A secret passageway."
Valentina's gaze turned sharply to her. "Why are we going through a secret passage?"
"No one go through here."
"Oh—"
Valentina realized they didn't want anyone knowing too many details about their home.
Although she was a bit curious, she didn't ask any other questions.
If being oblivious was the recipe she needed to get out of here in peace, then so be it.
"Val?" Sonia called.
She stopped dead in her tracks, and smiled widely. "You did it!"
Sonia laughed. "I did it," she mimicked her, accent and all.
Valentina burst out laughing as she continued walking. "You sounded so American just now, Sonia."
"I did? So you think I model like you too?" She grabbed her chubby cheeks, making cute faces.
"You can do whatever you want to do, Sonia. But wait, you think I model? Have you seen real life models? They're flawless!"
Sonia frowned. "But you so pretty, Val. Like a goddess."
"Ugh! Everyone keeps saying that. You know I grew up locked up in a mansion. So when I eventually took my first steps out into the world, I hated it."
"Why?" Her face spread in alarm.
"Everyone stared, Sonia. It felt so weird when I'd walk into a place, and everyone is staring at me. I wondered what was so weird about me for the longest, and why they all stared. Until one day, I discovered what it was."
Her eyes widened. "What it was?"
"This face. That girl is so pretty. How can anyone be that beautiful? I wish I was that girl. She must have such a good life," she laughed bitterly..
"But that's no bad thing, no?"
"Oh Sonia, beauty should be more than the surface right? Why do people judge others strictly by their looks? Everyone thinks you're automatically a good person, or you never struggled in life because you have a pretty face. It got so tiring, and that's why I went into photography. I always have my camera glued to my face, which shielded me from the think-pieces of the world."
"Hmmm," Sonia went into deep thought.
Valentina looked her way, and smiled. "What are you thinking about?"
"I choose beauty over plain," she concluded.
Valentina laughed so hard, her belly shook. "Oh Sonia, but you're so pretty already."
"No, I'm cute like a pig baby. I want like you. I want talk like you too. You are goddess."
"Should we exchange faces then? If you know any magician that could help, do let me know. Everything has a burden, Sonia. Even the prettiest things." Her eyes grew sad, and she sighed.
"What make you happy, Val?"
The question jolted something inside of Valentina, because it was unexpected.
"What will make me happy right now? Endless dancing. I've never been to a club, you know? That's one place I'd love to be, so I can dance until my feet hurt. Oh, and I love water too. And light. Although all of this white is just a little too much," she laughed.
"There is a club here in Neravalle. But I never been. I hear everyone likes it."
"Damn! Too bad I won't be able to visit because I'll be leaving soon."
They turned into a corner before Valentina realized what had happened.
She looked up, and saw they were exactly on the path to the room she was locked up in.
"Wait, how did we get here?" She moved her neck behind, only to discover everything was a flat surface wall again.
Sonia smiled. "Can't tell you." She stopped in front of a door.
"You all have so many secrets here, but I guess it's for good reason. Anyway, thank you for chatting with me, Sonia. I feel so much more relieved. Could you wait here for a second?"
"Okay." She nodded.
Valentina opened the door, and hurried into the room.
She paused on seeing Natalia surrounded by different mini boxes on the bed.
"Hey, you're back!" Natalia's eyes lit up on seeing her.
"A moment." She raised one finger, then dashed straight to the spot she kept her dress she wore to Giovanni Ferrari's party.
She picked up something, and then returned to the door.
Stepping out, she stretched her covered hands to Sonia.
"Take this. So you have something to remember me by when I leave."
Sonia quickly accepted the thing from her hand.
She gasped when she lifted it up and saw a sparkling bracelet.
"Miss– Val, you don't—"
"Shhh, you deserve it. Bonus point, they're real diamonds." She threw her a wink, and swiftly retreated into the room.
"Thank you miss Valentina!" Sonia screamed at the top of her voice, before running away.
Valentina chuckled. "Isn't she the cutest?"
"You gave her your diamond bracelet, didn't you?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can always get more."
Natalia shook her head. "We're locked up, remember?"
"Oh yes, about that. Get ready, we're leaving soon. They just need to verify our truths and when it tallies, we'll be out of here!" She jumped on the bed, her face bright with glee.
"Really?" Natalia breathed out. "Then what's all this for? I thought we'd be locked up here for a long time, hence all of this."
Valentina's eyes took a tour round the boxes, and was instantly reminded she had left the fries she wanted to give Natalia, at the dining room.
"Box of chocolates?" Her eyes narrowed.
"And I got ice-cream too. All from a brand called sweet."
Valentina's head instantly flew behind, as her body erupted into laughter that came from her depths.
That damn man!