Chapter 3

Gods & Monsters

Valentina

Moscow, Russia – October 4th, 2020

"I want to move to New York for this university year."

My father looks up from his breakfast. It's Sunday morning, and classes start tomorrow. Based on the email, it's going to be online, at least in October. The thought of having to attend classes (even if it's online) and live in the same place as my parents did not sound like the college experience to me.

I need my independence back; I want to make my own schedule without having to think about anyone else.

"Isn't it online?" Adrik butts in. He already knows that I plan on staying in his extra room until I find a place, and he doesn't like the idea.

"You can't suggest that! Dad is going to put us both in my apartment!" he had told me when I expressed my idea of moving to New York.

My dorm room contract had expired in August, and I didn't pay the advance by the time it was due – neither did Isabella, who is now stuck in Palermo until further notice.

I told Adrik to relax because I also didn't want to move into his guest room or whatever it was.

I want a girl apartment, where the sun shines through the windows and I can see trees and nature. I want to hear people and barking dogs and children playing. It's been silence ever since we moved out of Moscow and into this house. And I can't listen to the same songs anymore either.

I need a change in my life

"Why do you want to go to New York?"

"I want to be in an environment where I can only focus on college, first of all." It's not a lie, really, I just can't focus on being responsible if my parents always joke about it. "Second, I have a mandatory internship that I need to do for credits. I had one lined up when I was living on campus before Covid, I told you about it?"

He looks at me like he faintly remembers.

"The financial advisor internship? Anyway, that doesn't matter now. But I need to be in the city if I want to find an internship right now."

He looks at mom for a second, but I know she's on my side with this.

"Where will you find an internship if everything is online?" he asks, still not convinced.

"Give me a month, I'll find something."

"Kyril, why don't you help her find something?" mom asks him.

Adrik's face falls. I also didn't think about him being able to help him. To this day, I'm still not sure what he does exactly. It's been a little fishy since last summer.

"You said you had an internship to be a financial advisor, right?" he asks, and I can see his brain getting to work.

Oh wow, he's going to help me.

It's going way better than expected, and Adrik looks like he's going to be sick.

"I think I can find something for you, depending on where you find an apartment."

Maybe asking for a car isn't the best thing to do right now.

"Yes, I can walk or take the subway."

Adrik snorts in an obnoxious way but I don't comment because he's kind of right. I'll do anything to avoid being uncomfortable when I travel somewhere. He never takes an Uber in New York, and I never take anything else.

"Fine. Find something and send me a link."

"I need to visit them though."

I turn my head to look at Adrik. "I have an idea of where I can stay."

New York, United States – October 8th, 2020

The room had been turned into a game room at some point because I slept on a mattress by the desk on the first night.

I help him carry his computers and consoles into the living room, only leaving the desk and the chair for me to study at. Now that I look around the room without all of Adrik's stuff in it, it looks incredible.

We're on the fourteenth floor and the wall facing East River is made entirely out of walls. I would love to live here if it wasn't so high of the ground.

The bed gets delivered in the afternoon, and by the time the sun goes down, I've sort of settled in.

It feels strange to be in a new place that I get to call home for a while, even though I know I will be living out of my suitcase.

Isabella and I Facetime when I get into bed, and she tells me that she wants her birthday to be like last year.

"I want there to be lots of people and I want everybody to have fun. Who do I even talk-I know, never mind."

"What?"

"I'll ask Matteo again; he'll know for sure."

"I saw him at that charity thing a week ago."

"Yeah, he's in New York now, working for his father."

"Is he doing the mandatory internship?"

Isabella laughs. "I don't think he is."

True. Now that I think about it, I don't think being a security guard or whatever he was doing at that event qualifies as Economics-related internship.

"Well, if you need a place to stay, you can always stay at my new place."

"Ugh, I want to go apartment hunting with you so bad."

"I'll just take Adrik, I guess."

"And I'll definitely take you up on the offer to come to New York and stay with you."

***

New York, United States – October 23rd, 2020

I've been living in Adrik's spare room for over two weeks now, and it has started to feel like home. I know I can't start getting comfortable though, because I'm going to have to pick something next week.

It's definitely not silent anymore; the traffic in Lower Manhattan is the worst early in the morning and then again around the time people leave for work. The city that never sleeps lives up to its reputation; there's always lights on somewhere in the other buildings.

Adrik lives on the Lower East Side, close to a bridge. He says he's two stops away from his campus, but it's just too much 'city' for me.

"Have you chosen yet?" he asks me that Friday evening.

I'm on the couch on my phone, a random tv show playing on the TV in the living room.

"No."

"There's two. Pick one. It's not that hard."

He drops down on the couch next to me and takes my phone. He opens dad's real estate company website, which had been bookmarked over a month ago.

I have a list of apartments I liked, and he looks through the two remaining ones.

There were two; one in Battery Park and one in Tribeca.

The one in Battery Park is in a high rise building, on the second to last floor. It's huge, and my father keeps pushing it for some reason. I like the one in Tribeca though; it's on the second floor of a four-story building. There's high ceilings and long windows, and the sun shines through the trees which makes it feel safe. They're both two-bedroom apartments, but I plan on turning one room into a study room.

"Just pick the cheaper one in Tribeca even if dad doesn't approve. He won't say no."

"You're right."

Isabella is planning on coming in a week, and I need to be moved in by then.

I walk around the apartment as I talk to my dad on the phone, listing all the reasons I don't want the one in Battery Park.

"Why do you want me to live there?" I ask.

"Because it's safer."

"The other one is fine too. It's a quiet neighborhood, it's one of the safest in New York, I googled it."

He sighs. "Fine. I'll talk to the agent tomorrow, and we'll probably start paying rent at the start of next month."

I stop by the bathroom and go inside to look at myself in the mirror. I feel like I've gained a little weight since I've been here; all Adrik eats is takeout food, and I'm too lazy to bother with groceries right now.

"What about the internship?" I ask, because he hasn't mentioned it since then.

"You'll also start at the beginning of November."

"Doing what?"

"You'll be a financial advisor trainee at the investment company. I already talked to the manager, he'll make you his assistant."

I don't follow up with questions about the details; my head can't process them right now.

"Where is it located?"

"Near Wall Street."

That's not that far from where I'll be living.

I start snooping through Adrik's stuff just because I need to do something while talking on the phone.

"When do you want to move in?"

"I mean...is tomorrow an option?"

My eyes fall on the pink hair tie in one of the drawers. What is this doing here?

"I don't know if tomorrow is an option, Valentina. Maybe sometime next week."

"Can it be before Friday?"

"Why?"

"Isabella wants to come over."

He huffs something about the pandemic under his breath before talking to someone off the phone.

"I can maybe make Wednesday happen."

"What date is that?"

"October 28th."

"Perfect."

***

New York, United States – October 28th, 2020

I move into the apartment the next Wednesday. It's almost fully furnished, and it makes me excited that I'll get to decorate it.

There are three rooms: a living room with a couch and a TV, a bedroom with large windows that show the tall trees growing on the street, another room with a desk and a bookcase in it, and a small kitchen.

The place feels strange, new, but I know I'm going to get used to being here in a few days.

Two days after I move in, Isabella arrives in New York. She takes a cab from the airport, because she's exactly like me when it comes to spending more money on comfortable travelling.

"This is niiiice." She says, looking around in awe.

( REFERENCE Picture 1 – map)

We have to get through the living room to get to my bedroom, but the moment she sees it she loves it.

"I love the vibes, it's so cozy already with the trees and everything."

She throws her bag on the floor next to the bed and takes off her jacket.

"Now. Let's talk about my birthday."

She already talked to Matteo apparently, and it's going to be held at Redlight, the club where Matteo is the manager. Apparently it belongs to his father, so there's no reason to worry about police because it's soundproof.

The guest list is about fifty people (she invited everyone who was in New York from our year), so it shouldn't get too loud.

"And since it's Halloween too, I'm going to ask everyone to come dressed according to a theme."

"What theme?"

"Heroes and villains. Gods & Monsters." She adds, snickering.

I know she's in her Lana Del Rey era now, so I smile. "That's a good idea."

Her eyes light up. "You like it?"

"Of course! I think I'm going to come as a Goddess."

"I'll be Wonder Woman."

We get into bed after that, each of us on our phones looking for costumes.

New York, United States – October 30th, 2020

It's the day before the party, and we're watching reruns of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E!.

Isabella looks up from her spot on the other end of the couch before she hands me her phone.

"I want to go to this crystal shop today."

"How do you know it's open?"

"Pandora told me it would be."

"You went back to her?"

"Yes, a week ago."

"And what did she tell you?"

"That I'm in a period of transition, and I need to do what it for my Highest Good."

"And you're supposed to do that with a crystal?"

"Yes."

I give her back her phone. "What crystal?"

"It's called Moldavite. I've been seeing TikTok's of it as well, I'll take it as a sign."

"Alright."

"It's supposed to change your life so it's for your best good. There's this girl who said that as soon as she started wearing it, her house burned down and she moved somewhere where her neighbor ended up being the love of her life."

I cock my head at her and she lifts her hands up in defense.

"Hey, I believe it. If you don't believe in it, just get it and see if it changes anything in your life."

"That sounds fun. Alright."

We go to the crystal shop a few blocks away, and even though it looks closed from outside, it's open when we try the door.

There's a small woman behind the counter in the corner.

Isabella already knows where she has to go, so I just follow her. She stops in front of a glass case filled with bracelets, rings, and necklaces with the same dark green stone. The cheapest one I can see is $220.

"Why is it so expensive? Everything else around here is way cheaper."

"The crystals were formed during the impact of a huge meteorite with the Earth." The woman answers.

We turn to look at her.

"Over 14 million years ago, a meteorite crashed in Germany, and Moldavite was formed at high pressures at temperatures from the sediments in the area where it crashed. Which means, there is a finite amount of it on Earth."

"Does it really change your life?" I ask her.

"Yes, it does."

She shows me a giant ring she has on her ring finger on the right hand. "I've been wearing it since I was thirty. It's expensive because it's very powerful."

She comes over to open the case for us. "Pick one and hold it in your hand."

Isabella takes a bracelet, and I take a ring. As I hold the ring in my hand, my forehead starts to tickle and it feels like there's pressure coming from inside my head. The woman sees my face.

"You need that one." She tells me, looking satisfied that I felt something when I held it.

"Yes, come on, just get it Vale."

We both buy our jewelry, and I put it on the ring finger of my right hand, just like the woman had done.

I really hope my apartment doesn't burn down.

New York, United States – October 31st, 2020

I dress up as the Roman Goddess of the Moon, Luna. I wanted to be Artemis, but the costume didn't arrive on time, so I had to improvise. I didn't have that many clothes in New York yet, but I did have a long white ruffled dress that clung to all of the right places of my body.

Top it off with some sparkly makeup and my moon earrings, it's not even half bad. Isabella's costume arrived two hours ago, and she looks incredible as Wonder Woman.

Everyone is already there, based on Matteo's texts to Isabella.

"She's always annoying when it comes to punctuality, ugh." She tells me when we pile into the Uber.

Going from Lower West Side to the Upper West Side takes over thirty minutes, but we're finally inside an hour after the party was supposed to start.

You can't hear anything from outside, which is great and also safe from police intervention.

I love seeing everyone dressed as superheroes or villains; especially when there are so many couple costumes that unwillingly matched. Raisa is Superwoman and Eddie is Superman, Ariana is Harley Quinn and Pia's boyfriend is the Joker (that one's on them, tbh, because she came dressed as Bloom from Winx Club), and Isaac is Batman while Aurora's Catwoman.

I recognize the guy Matteo was working with at the charity gala.

"Who is that guy?"

"Luca? Oh, his uncle died and he used to work for Lorenzo so he asked to be transferred here to get a break from Sicily. He works with Matteo now."

"Lorenzo?"

"Matteo's dad."

We both look towards Luca.

"How come you invited him?"

"Matteo asked if he could come and I said yes."

"What is he dressed as?"

"I think he's Hawkeye from The Avengers. That would explain the arrows he's carrying on his back. Should we go say hello?"

I look at her. "Why would we say hello?"

"They're coming over, don't look."

They hug and wish her happy birthday.

"Do you want your gift now or later?" Matteo asks her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Isabella looks around the room. "Now. What are you even supposed to be dressed as?"

We all look at his black suit, and the black shirt underneath.

"I'm Lucifer."

"From the TV Show?" Isabella asks, obviously unimpressed.

"Exactly."

"Devil in disguise." I say and he nods, eyes crinkling.

"It's pathetic." Isabella concludes.

"Do you want your gift or not?" Matteo huffs in response.

The four of us find ourselves in the staff room, where Isabella and I go and sit on the couch. The boys follow us over to the seating area, and Matteo takes care of the drugs while Luca turns to me.

"I'm Luca DeCosta."

"We've met before." I say, but I extend my hand, nonetheless.

Why does his name sound familiar?

"We didn't officially meet then, nor in the lobby."

Right, I completely forgot that we met in the lobby when I left the room to go buy cigarettes.

"Wait, did you say DeCosta?"

Luca nods.

"Did you know Romeo? He used to help us take care of our house in Sicily."

Something in his face changes. He's Romeo's nephew, and I feel sad for him.

"Yes, he was my uncle."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

I feel the urge to ask him if he knows what happened, but I know that it's not the right moment.

"Which house is that?" he asks me.

I can see Matteo paying attention to our conversation with the corner of my eye.

"It's in Capo d'Orlando."

"That's where he was when he died. Were you with him?"

"Um-" there's no point in lying. "Yes."

His eyes are filled with hope. "Did you see what happened?"

"He was shot."

"From where?"

A feeling of incoming danger settles in the pit of my stomach.

"It was from across the room above the stage."

The whole conversation feels dark.

"Why? Do you want to avenge his death?" I try to lighten the mood, hoping he gets the superhero pun. Matteo nervously laughs at my joke, but Luca doesn't seem to get it because he looks serious.

"I was joking." I explain.

"Of course you were."

"Who goes first?" Matteo interrupts us, holding up the plate.

"The birthday girl, of course." Isabella says, like it's self-explanatory.

It kind of is.

"What are you supposed to be dressed as?" Matteo asks, eyes falling on me.

"The Goddess Luna."

"In what universe is that a hero? Or a villain?"

"It's a God."

"The theme was superheroes and villains."

"It was Gods & Monsters, actually." Isabella and I reply at the same time, before we look at each other and burst out laughing.

"Why didn't you say so?"

Isabella rolls her eyes and passes me the plate. "You don't have to understand everything all the time, Matteo."

"Gods and Monsters." He repeats. "I would've come dressed as-"

Someone bangs on the door, which makes Matteo groan and stand up.

Vinnie walks past Matteo as soon as the door opens, coming to sit down next to me and grabbing the plate.

"You have a rendezvous and you don't invite me?" he asks Matteo in a disappointed tone.

"It's Isabella's birthday present. I was going to invite you after."

"Happy birthday." Vinnie tells her, probably for the tenth time today. It's really cute; he's been randomly wishing her a happy birthday ever since we arrived.

She smiles but flips him the bird anyway. It's her way of flirting, and I only know this because I do the same thing with guys I'm attracted to. I like to see how long they can hold their own against me until they cave.

The last guy who could match my sarcasm ended up being my on-and-off-again boyfriend, but it's been over a year since we broke up. Jamie got a new girlfriend over the summer, and I'm sort of happy for him. Maybe a little bitter. But overall happy.

"How did you know where to find me?" Matteo asks him on our way back inside.

"You were all missing, it didn't take much to figure it out."

Isabella and I dance for a while until we get thirsty, so we make our way to the bar.

"I like having the whole club to ourselves." I tell her as we sit down.

"I'm honestly so grateful for Matteo. He even talked to one of their bartenders and asked him to work today."

We take our drinks and walk back to the table, just in time for the cake.

After everyone sings happy birthday, Vinnie and Matteo push her face into the cake.

She doesn't look pleased a few minutes later when she's trying to wash cake out of her hair.

"I should've known they were going to do that." She tells herself in the mirror.

"They did it with love." I tell her.

She swears in Italian, and it's her way of saying she loves them too.

"I think Vinnie's flirting with you." I tell her on the way back.

"Shut up, he isn't."

"I think he is."

I open my mouth when Ariana suddenly appears next to us, pulling her away from me, saying something about her needing to do birthday shots. I'm not sure whether it's in my head or not, but she's been passive aggressive towards me ever since she arrived.

It's clear to me now that her and Matteo have something going on, because it's the first time I've ever seen him making out with someone in the club. Let alone someone we all know.

Luca is walking over to me, and I'm not sure I'm in the mood. Before I can think of a way to abort the situation, he's right next to me.

"Are you in New York just for her birthday or did you move here?"

The question seems out of pocket, but I'll play along.

"I just moved here."

"Before or after the gala?"

"After." I look at him. "You?"

"I also just moved here."

"Before or after the gala?" I ask, trying my best to mimic his accent.

He gets the joke this time because he genuinely laughs. I think it's the first time I've ever seen him not serious since I met him. I could've bet that he disliked me after the bad joke about his dead uncle.

"Before." He answers, then looks at his empty glass.

"I need a refill."

I offer to go with him, and he orders a Rum and Coke.

"Why did you pick Hawkeye?"

He shrugs. "I had the arrows and the bow."

"You just casually had a bow and arrows laying around?"

He laughs. "What about you, Goddess Luna?"

I notice he that he smoothly avoided my question. "Honestly? My costume didn't arrive on time so I had to improvise."

"Well, you look incredible."

I smile as he takes the drink from the bar. We make our way back to the group across the room, and I notice Matteo insistently looking at me.

"Who wants to do some shots?" Vinnie suggests, and everybody cheers to the idea.

I'm about to follow the small group to the bar when I feel a hand on my arm.

"Can I talk to you?"

Matteo is looking at me with a serious expression on his face.

"Sure."

He pulls me away to an unoccupied booth in the VIP area and sits down.

Oh, he means business.

I'm drunk

I'm talking to myself

I try not to laugh as I take a seat next to him, placing my drink on the table.

He asks me something I can't understand.

"What?!"

There's a speaker right above our heads, which makes it a bad place to talk.

He's probably repeating what he just said but I can only understand Luca's name.

I make a confused face before leaning in to hear him better. He leans in at the same time, which makes my cheek collide with his mouth before I can stop it.

We both pull away and he stands up, motioning me to do the same.

He looks good in a suit

That's not even a costume

I do as I'm told and he turns me around, leading me towards the door in the back by my upper arms.

Once we're in the hallway, he turns left instead of right."

"That's the other way." I say, going after him anyway.

He doesn't turn around. "Just follow me."

Exciting

He opens the door at the end of the hallway, which leads outside. It's an alley between two buildings, a lone lamppost giving just enough light for it to be creepy.

"What are we doing here?"

The door closes behind me with a thud.

"I don't have enough patience to talk in the club."

I cross my arms over my chest, already feeling the cold.

"Well? I'm cold, be quick."

"What did Luca say to you?"

"He asked me when I moved here. I don't know. We talked about our costumes."

He gives me a dramatic onceover. "Costumes?"

"Are you dissing my outfit? While wearing your work clothes as a costume?"

"Are you seriously saying Goddess Luna is more on theme than Lucifer? You have a dress and some glitter on, you're not fooling anyone."

The fact that he's telling me off (sort of) makes him extremely attractive right now.

"I'm on theme because I'm a Goddess and Lucifer is not a Monster."

"The theme was Superheroes and villains, not your Lana del Rey whatever."

"Everything is more on theme than a suit, that's for sure."

"I'm the literal devil. That works for both."

"The devil does not look like Lucifer."

He mirrors me by crossing his arms over his chest.

"How do you know what the devil looks like?"

I can't lie, he's got me there, but I can't lose this argument right now; it's way too fun.

"How do you?"

He rolls his eyes with a smirk on his face at my lame comeback attempt.

"I think the devil looks human."

I tilt my head. "Why?"

"Because we can't recognize him if he looks like us."

The sentence hangs heavy in the air because I have no idea what to reply to that. And what's even worse is that it makes sense.

"Why do you even want to know about Luca?" I change the subject, suddenly remembering why we're outside in the first place.

He looks conflicted by the question. "I don't know. I was just curious." 

"I don't buy it, tell me the truth."

His eyebrows go up. "The truth is that you're my friend and I don't trust him."

It's not at all what I expected. Actually, I don't even know what I was expecting.

"Don't trust him to what?"

"I just don't trust him. As a person."

"Why did you ask Isabella if he could come then?"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "His uncle died and my dad asked me to keep an eye on him for a while, make sure he's okay."

Neither of us mentions Romeo, nor the fact that I was there, but it lays heavy in the air. I know he's thinking it too.

I'm not going to be the one to bring it up.

He takes a step forwards, which puts him way too close to my face.

"Can you trust me on this?"

The question is unexpected and it feels intimate.

I try to think about it when his face suddenly turns red and blue.

There's no sirens, but I see police cars pulling up on the street, blocking the exit.

My fight or flight instinct kicks in, and it tells me to flee.

"Let's go." I say, already taking off the other way.

It's illegal to be outside at this hour, let alone have a party in a club.

He catches up to me and nearly knocks me off my with when he grips into my wrist, trying to stop me.

"No. If you run, you look guilty."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Own up to it."

He says it like it's the absolute truth, so my body goes limp as I just nod.

I don't panic when I see four police officers comings towards us, flashing their lights in our face.

I also don't panic when two officers wearing masks push us on either side of the door, faces scraping against the wall. My hands are forced to the back of my head as I'm being felt up.

"She clearly doesn't have pockets." Matteo raises his voice at the guy.

"What do we have here?" another officer asks as she crouches down to retrieve a small baggie filled with coke. "Who does this belong to?"

Now I panic.

---

I'm excited about the next chapter yay

Hopefully I will get it done by next week, but I've recently taken some contract work to write Teenage Dirtbag as a multiple choice story  (to be animated as a story for one of those Episodes/Stories/Choices apps ) sooo  I also have to work on some chapters per week IM SO EXCITED ABOUT IT i'm getting paid to write

Anywaay, I am planning to update Chapter 4 next week ( I already know what I want to happen).

Hope you enjoyed, see you next week

xoxo,

Ronnie