She groaned as she turned in the already tangled sheets. The dull throb in her head from her lack of sleep served as a constant reminder of Kristina's predicament. Insomnia set in the moment she'd arrived from the hospital. The little sleep that came was haunted by dreams of her parents and Kris.

Alcina groaned again as she turned to look at the alarm clock beside her bed. 6:30. Leonardo had called the school, so she was free to stay home. Besides, she couldn't live through a day in school without Kris. So she hasn't been going for the past couple of days, the boys brought homework and offered to help in whatever way they could. Elizabeth tried to no avail to get her to eat, food was just tasteless. Alcina would just take a spoon or two and abandon the food.

She pulled the blanket higher to her neck and curled herself in a ball. She couldn't bring herself to cry anymore. The tears weren't coming, she'd spent too much time crying and cringed when she imagined how she looked with her tear stained face.

The first signs of dawn creeped in through the window, casting shadows. She no longer blamed herself for Kristina's injury. She blamed Giovanni. Leonardo had told her not to take blame for things outside her control, so she blamed someone else. Somewhere, Alcina had heard that it is dangerous to blame people for our failures, but she didn't care. Giovanni started all of this, it was his fault. She couldn't believe such thoughts were coming to her. She imagined Catherine 'tsking' and wagging her finger at her.

A smile creeped to her face as she thought of her counsellor. Alcina made a decision to visit her again. Catherine always knew what to say.
Trying her best to think happy thoughts, she started to fall asleep, for the umpteenth time in several days.

● ● ● ● ●

Her eyes shot open suddenly and she sat up on the bed. Sweat beads lined her forehead. She glanced at the clock, it was just after midnight. The room suddenly began to swirl and for some reason, her vision was slightly blurred.

But she couldn't mistake the figure at the edge of the bed. It was a woman with blonde hair.
"Hello? Mom?". Alcina's voice sounded weird even to her. The person turned to her. But this wasn't the healthy mother she had always known. It was the cancer plagued one. Her skin was pale, her eyes seemed lifeless and her head had suddenly turned bald.

"Sweety". The person croaked. Alcina scrambled backwards as it stretched a shrivelled hand to her. She collided into something hard and dared herself to turn around slowly. She screamed but no sound came out. She came face to face with what looked like her father but it sure wasn't him.
The bullet hole in his head was as fresh as ever, with blood seeping out. His bloodshot eyes were unfocused and his skin was also pale.

Alcina shot off the bed to the far end of the room. The figures stood up and followed slowly. Theybwore tattered clothes.

"Alcina?". Her father asked.

"You're not my parents, you don't know me!". She screamed back at them.

"How dare you speak to us like that?". Her mother lashed out harshly. "When this is all yourfault"
They started a mantra, chanting: "it's all your fault, it's all your fault..."
All the while, Giovanni's face loomed in the background. Alcina squeezed herself into a ball in fear and horror.

● ● ● ● ●

Alcina screamed in her sleep. Lucas burst into the room almost immediately only to find her thrashing on the bed and screaming. Her eyes were still closed.
"Alcina! Alcina!". He shook her roughly, trying to wake her up. His brothers and Elizabeth rushed into the room.

Her eyes fluttered open, but she stared at him in horror and closed her eyes again screaming. She saw her father's face when she looked at him. She curled herself into a ball and started the mantra again.

"It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault...". She rocked back and forward.

"Alcina it's me. Look at me". He said softly. But she was too afraid to look, she only shut her eyes tighter and continued her chants as tears started to flow.

Leonardo had come into the room to find out what the commotion was all about.
"She won't open her eyes. She was having a nightmare". Lucas explained to him.

Leonardo nodded and edged closer to her. The bed dipped with his weight and she whimpered a bit as he placed a hand on her back.
"Alcina". He said softly and cautiously. "Alcina, what's wrong?".

"I saw them". She wailed with her eyes still closed.

"Who?". Leonardo asked stroking her back as everyone watched anxiously.

"My parents. It's my fault. I'm cursed, something bad happens to everyone I love"

"Alright, come here". He pulled her closer and held her. He lifted her chin and she reluctantly opened her eyes.

"Remember what I told you. It's not your fault. Don't go blaming yourself for something far beyond your control".

She nodded and he kissed her forehead. Alcina suddenly wished she still had insomnia. At least she wouldn't have weird dreams about dead relatives. Everyone left one after the other leaving her to herself again.

She forced herself off the bed to the bathroom. Gasping at the dried tears on her face, she washed her face again. Her hair was tangled and tousled. She looked like a cross between a drug addict and a horror movie.

Might as well take a shower.

Three Days Later

After a long night of trying to fall asleep and finally doing so, Alcina was rudely woken up by screaming and the crashing of a heavy weight on her. Petrified, she screamed and flailed her arms and legs. With as much strength as she could gather, she heaved the weight off her. It fell beside the bed with an "oof" and cursing.

The other three figures were hunched over laughing.
"You guys! What was all that about? Never scare me in my sleep". Alcina glared at them.

"Oh excuse us for waking you up to w...". Christopher, the unfortunate one to have been pushed off the bed started talking but stopped when he received a glare from David.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Forget that"

"Happy Birthday!". They shouted in unison.

"What?"

"It's you birthday silly. How could you not remember?". Tommy asked incredulously.

She mouthed an ö. "I guess I forgot".

"Who forgets their birthday?". Tommy asked flailing his arms.

"Whatever. If I forgot it, how do you guys know?". She asked them.

"We stalked you and threatened your stepmother into telling us". David said darkly.

"What?", she asked horrified. Because 1) they're crazy for capturing that witch, she would have died with fear or talked their heads off and 2) Alcina had always doubted that the witch knew her birthday but here they were telling her that the witch had told them.

The brothers start laughing. "You should have seen you face!"

"Oh har har". Alcina muttered sarcastically.

"I'm just kidding. Lol. We have a file for you". David said after catching his breath from the oh-so-hilarious gesture that she had made. "Everything about you is recorded there"

"Did you just say lol?". Alcina asked.

"Yup"

"Why?"

"I felt like it"

"The David Moretti, using such terms in a one on one discussion?"

David rolled his eyes at her.
"It feels stalkerish that you have a file containing everything about me". She said tapping her chin.

"It's more than a file. A whole record". Lucas said.

She mouthed another ö. She imagined a basement somewhere with files lined from top to bottom in shelves and one shelf spelling out "Alcina Bianchi" at the top.

"Anyway, we came to fetch you. We're going out today!". Tommy said cheerfully.

Alcina groaned and pulled the covers over herself.
"I'm tired. Shut the door on your way out". She grumbled.

It was silent for a while and Alcina was shocked that they had given up so easily. She was crushed again. This time by a much heavier weight.

"You're coming with us". Lucas growled menacingly when she escaped them. She crawled away from them gasping for air.

"I think I was going to the light". She muttered to herself. "For almost killing me on my birthday". She announced. "I'm not moving an inch unless you make me"

"Oh we will". Was all they said together before Lucas hauled her off the bed. David leaned on the wall watching the scene unfold in amusement.

She kicked and struggled in his arms as he dragged her to the door. Until she gave him a low blow, more or less a kick.
It worked because he released her immediately and collapsed to the floor on his knees, gripping his groin. The other guys gasped as if feeling his pain as he rolled on the floor groaning and whimpering.

Seizing the opportunity, she made a run for the bed almost getting tackled by Tommy. Alcina smiled triumphantly as he went face first into the wall. She took care of Christopher by dumping the sheets and covers on him. He shrieked and desperately tried to escape his temporary captivity. He would have been scary like a ghost if he wasn't screaming. Alcina grabbed a pillow and started whacking him repeatedly.

Tommy who had recovered was running to her again. In his hurry, he didn't notice Christopher who blindly stepped in his route. They crashed to the floor and groaned.
Alcina and David exchanged glances for a second before bursting into laughter. Clutching her stomach, she fell with her back on the bed.

"Nice work. But you're still coming with us". David said before hoisting her on his shoulders as he left the room. She struggled and tried to wriggle out of his hands.

"Wait, won't you at least let me freshen up?". She gestured to herself.

"Fine. Just...brush your teeth".

Alcina made sure to take her time brushing, using at least two minutes for each side of the mouth. She washed that off and put fresh paste and repeated the whole process. She took her time washing it off. In all she spent almost fifteen minutes, her teeth had never been cleaner.

The boys were sprawled on her bed.
"Get off! You'll give me cooties. Ugh". But they just laid there still groaning.

" Come on". David said and she let herself be carried.

"Will you losers get up?". He yelled behind him and the boys responded with groans but they still followed. Christopher glared at Alcina and she smiled smugly at him from her position on his David's shoulder.

"So where are we going?". She asked casually.

"To the living room". David said.

"Which would have been easier if you had just agreed". Lucas grumbled. Tommy held his head up to stop his nose bleeding, while Lucas and Christopher were limping. Christopher was saying something about his broken waist and how Tommy weighs a tonne.

"You know I can walk right?". She asked him.

"Yes" David replied. "But I can't take the risk of you running away and having to chase you around the property".
Alcina rolled her eyes.

David set her on her feet in front of the door to the living room which was unusually closed. With a raised brow, she pried the door open.

"Surprise!!"

"Eek!". Alcina screamed as she fell to the floor in shock. "Ow". She mumbled, subtly massaging her bottom.

In the room, was everyone she'd met since she came to the mansion. Julian, Alfredo, Elizabeth, Bianca, Valentino, Mark, a few girls from the room with all that money and some other people she was yet to meet.

"Aw you guys!" She gushed. "You shouldn't have"

"Come on, it's the least we could do". Alfredo said.

"And besides, the day was already bound to be boring. We needed the excitement". Bianca said pulling Alcina further into the room.

She stared wide eyed. They had put a lot of effort into this decorating the place. There were decorations hung from one end of the room to the other spelling out 'happy birthdai'.

"Happy Birthdai?". She asked Bianca. The girl looked up at it and her eyes widened in shock.

"Alright, who was responsible for the decorations?". Bianca growled.

"That would be me". Valentino said.

"What is that supposed to be?". Bianca asked gesturing to the decoration.

"Oh that. I thought it'd be fun". Valentino said as he scratched his neck.

"Fun huh. I'll show you fun". Using his ear, she dragged him out of the room. Everyone parted as they passed. Tommy and Christopher patted his back sympathetically.

Still looking around the room, she noticed a snack bar and drinks in some coolers. There was also a cake, she thought as she made her way over. HBD ALCINA.

At least they spelt her name right.

"I'll just grab a bite". She said to herself and her stomach rumbled in agreement.
"Alcina?". An unfamiliar voice called. The voice belonged to one of the girls that work with Bianca.

"Hi. I'm Rita". She said. The woman must have been in her early 20's like Bianca. Her brown hair stopped at her shoulders. Her body had a perfect curve to it and filled into the dress she wore perfectly. Her face was oval with deep set brown eyes like Alcina's. She was the girl Lucas said he'd pranked on the day of Tommy's accident.

"I'm Alcina. Well you already know me". Alcina said with a nervous laughter

"Who doesn't? Anyway these are my friends. More like cousins". Rita called for a few of some of the other girls. As the girls approached, Alcina stared longingly at the snacks.

"Meet Alexa, Beatrice and Vanessa". Rita said cheerfully.

Three other girls of about Rita's age and the same physical assets said their hi's and waved.
"We just wanted to wish you a happy birthday". Alexa said.

"We heard they were planning a surprise and we just had to participate and celebrate with you". Beatrice said truthfully.

"Thanks. I forgot about it completely. But I'll keep saying this, you guys shouldn't have gone through all the trouble"

Beatrice waved her off. "Oh please. It was nothing. It's not every day you turn 18 and besides Leonardo paid so...what the heck"

The other girls bobbed their heads in affirmation.

"How do you know I'm 18?".

"Lucas has a big mouth". Vanessa said with a blank expression.

Alcina groaned. "True". All the girls said.

Lucas climbed a table. "Talk of the devil".Beatrice snorted.

"Attention peasants". Lucas said dramatically. "It is time to commence the traditional ritual of a birthday song for Alcina"

Everyone cheered as she walked to centre of the semi circle they had formed around Lucas' stage.

"Happy happy happy birthday! Happy happy happy birthday! Everybody wants to wish you a happy birthday!"

"Three hurrays for Alcina!"

"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!"

On the third hurray, the leg of the table Lucas was standing on shook and he fell backwards on the cake. Of all places to fall.

"Noooo!!". Everyone shouted. Alcina pinched the bridge of her nose.
Rita, Bianca and Christopher fell to the floor dramatically on their knees as they mourned the cake.

"You just had to fall on the cake!" David yelled.

Someone tapped Alcina's shoulder.
"Hmm?". She turned to look at Valentino.

"Leonardo asked to call you".

She choked on air.

*  *  *  *  *
I got that song from Henry Danger.
I've started a fan club for Seeking Vengeance. You can check it out on my profile. Under conversations, you'll see the link. Be sure to follow me while you're at it.
Anyhoo, remember to comment.

Love, Vicki.💟