Valeria

The girl called herself Valeria Menotti.

As she crossed the road and was almost run over by a food truck, Valeria repeated to herself that she hated being back in Italy.

It wasn't that the food wasn't nice, or the weather was too cold or the people too unfriendly. No, nothing of the sort.

But being in Italy reminded her too much of the times just before and after Gugliemo's death, when she felt alone and clueless and lost. The times when she hadn't learned to control her mortal emotions and she thought she loved and hated everyone.

But she hadn't been stupid enough to deny to Andre the possibility of moving to Rome, especially given that it was their safest option.

The war had finished in 1945, five years after they met the third exile in their little group. Even has an immortal, it felt like the longest and most cruel conflict she had ever witnessed. Even the way it finished ... the number of innocent deaths was devastating to think of.

Her and Andre had gone back to the British groups as nurses and helped as much as possible whilst the guy had gotten used to his new mortal emotions. It took him way less than it had Valeria, something that still made her flush with shame. He told them to call him Isaac, giving them no explanation as to why. Andre had looked like he wanted to throw up at the news, but no one offer her any reasons and she didn't ask.

They had even more questions that they started with regarding their past lives, but they all agreed to pause their research until after the nations stopped trying to kill each other.

When the war ended, they left England. The true victors had become suspicious of strangers and changing identity one year after the other had become very complicated. Moving between counties without ID was impossible, but also having an ID that stated that they were in their thirties called out as fake.

They needed a place where they could move unnoticed, but still rich enough that they wouldn't starve.

Central Italy was the place to be.

The war hadn't been kind to the partial-victors. Valeria walked amongst the Italian with a basket of fresh bread in her hands and a kind smile on her face. Their expressions were sad, as if all of them had lost something or someone valuable in the last year. The food was scarse, but enough to feed the middle classes and the wealthy. The roads were all broken and dirty, but there was no one left who was strong enough to clean them. The girl had seen this in the past, the calm after a great storm. The Italian just had to hold on a little longer, and the children would become adults and a new cycle of unbroken people would celebrate in the streets.

Valeria fixed her purple lined dress and walked towards the Colosseum.

A few whistles followed her path, but she didn't turn. In her mask, Valeria was the wife of a noble Italian man, the kind who always went to Church on a Sunday and blushed when referred to as beautiful.

The three immortals lived in a small apartment in the centre of the city. They worked as economists, experts in the world currencies. It was a highly important and highly paid position, and were often called by the Government experts, but they always kept their identity secret.

Valeria hadn't had as much money in her hands ever since she had been Giulia the princess.

The girl climbed up the three flights of stairs in the narrow building and pushed the door open.

The warm breeze entering from the window cleared her face from the black hair that had escaped her braid.

The apartment was so small it was hard to move around in the tiny living room if all the three of them were stuffed inside. Valeria threw the basked of bread on the table, moving around scraps of paper and pens that had been left wild.

Isaac, her current pretend-husband, and Andre, her sometimes sister, were sitting on the other side, focusing on some Italian newspaper. Valeria had to pretend that their hands were "casually" touching.

As soon as they saw her, they took a step apart, as if her presence made made what they were doing real.

-News on the Treviso murder? - she asked taking a bite of the baguette she just bought. Valeria slouched on the chair next to her and put her feet up on the table.

-Everything as usual - replied Isaac putting a hand through his dark brown hair. He had let them grow longer after his period in the army. Valeria hated the fact that they had to fake a relationship in public, because she didn't like to be the least attractive in the couple.

-And by that he means the polizia has no leads, no suspects and no idea on how to catch a murder that drains a victim like a dried fruit. - continued Andre putting her foot down.

Valeria avoided to point out that the dress her sister was wearing was her own. Bright red and leaving little to the imagination on the top, it was not the kind of clothing you would wear in the house.

-The panettiere had also no idea who could have wanted his neighbour dead - she added. Her trip to the bakery had been as empty as any other they had in the past whilst trying to catch an immortal who could lead them to the mist people.

Andre rolled her eyes. -Maybe we should just go back to the original plan and dive into the forests we remember, they must be somewhere. -

Andre and Valeria had tried to find the mist people in their own homes, or at least to find some of the training camps. But nothing.

It shouldn't have surprised them, considering they were looking for magical beings, but it did frustrate her.

The path-changers killed people in a random pattern, their futures only known to the mist people. They were trying to catch a fly with a net full of holes.

Isaac moved towards her basket and started putting the food away in their little kitchen. Andre put a hand over her face and went straight for her bedroom, maybe looking for some air outside the stuffy room.

-My darling husband - she mocked Isaac. - We have also been invited to the the baker's daughter christening tonight, so you better wear your best suit. -

Isaac groaned in pain, but didn't disagree. The problem with wearing Valeria's mask was that everyone loved her. She was sweet, kind and always offering help to the people less fortunate. Everyone kept inviting them to baptisms, christenings, marriages ... any religious celebration really, to gain her favour. And they were not short and discrete parties, no ... they were as big and as crowded as festivals.

Isaac had to be her plus one, he was her husband, but he hated it.

His broad shoulders, his perfect hair and mysterious eyes did not make him a subdle guest. He stand out everywhere he went, attracting undesired attention.

Valeria went to her own room by jumping over a chair and threw her dress on the unmade bed. Having a messy room always made her feel calmer ... more in control. She bursted open the wardrobe door whilst in her underwear and picked up her favourite dress of this age. It had a knee length skirt, blue like the night sky. The colour matched well with her black hair and pale skin. It also made her eyes look shinier.

A soft knock on her door woke her up from her trance.

-Come on in -

Isaac stepped in, holding two suits in his hands, indecision filtering through his emotions. As soon as he laid his eyes on her half-naked body he blushed and looked away.

-Oh... I can come back later - he offered.

-Or you can quit being a shy beaver and ask me the question you came for - she rolled her eyes. -Yes, the suit on the right. It makes your ass look better. -

Isaac seemed taken back by her unfiltered answer and managed to blush even more, which ironically made his eyes an even more attractive shade of brown. He had adapted so well to emotions it made the girl wonder if he had ever lost them to begin with.

-You have no shame! - he protested.

Valeria took her tongue out. -Nah, I just know when someone is not interested. - she signed significantly at all of herself.

Isaac looked at her straight in the eyes. -Are you suggesting I am ... I am ... -

-Gay? - she finished. - Quite obviously, but no that is not what I meant. You have to be blind to not see the way you look at Andre. -

Isaac's wide eyes betrayed the truth. -You won't tell her, won't you? -

Valeria mimicked sewing her lips shut. -Not until you do. Now, hurry up and wear that stupid suit that makes guys look at your back instead of mine and let's go. -

Her friend smiled and stopped at the door entrance. -You know ... for someone who claims that there is nothing underneath her masks, you have quite a lot of fire in you. -

The time, it was the girl's turn to remain silent.

....

Author Note: Hallo Hallo, so happy you guys met Isaac! This is a little rendering I did of him 🥰

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