Karina

After a quick shower, I got redressed and straightened my hair before heading downstairs. I froze at the last step on the stairs as I saw my mom and sister, Aria.

"Rina! I missed you.", Aria yelled before hugging my legs.

"You saw me yesterday, baby.", I said as I picked her up.

"But I didn't see you this morning.", she said sadly.

I kissed her forehead before I put her down.

I looked up and saw mom standing there, watching us.

"I have to go find Lux. I'll see you in a bit.", I told Aria.

I began walking away from them.

"Karina, I'm sorry."

I stopped in my tracks and swiftly turned around. I cocked my head to the side.

"For what, mom? For never standing up for me? For never taking any interest in anything I've ever done unless it involved you or dad? For-,"
"Enough, Karina.", I heard my dad say from behind me.

I turned and saw him standing there.

"Tony, it's fine. She's right.", Mom said.

Dad walked closer to her.

"You did not fail her, Valeria. Karina is an adult now. She needs to take responsibility for her own actions. You decided to tell some girl that we didn't even know private details about our family. You didn't think, Karina. How could you be so stupid? We raised you better than that!"
"You didn't raise me at all! Giovanni and I raised each other, with the help of our uncles and the staff. You two only showed up for us when you thought it was absolutely necessary. Dad, don't you find it sad that your only son had to learn how to be a man from his uncles and not his own father? It's pathetic.", I spat.

Dad walked closer to me until we were a few inches apart.

"Pathetic? What's pathetic is having an obnoxious, whiny, spoiled brat for a daughter."

"Hey!", I heard Bruno shout as he came downstairs.

He stood beside me and glared at my dad.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You don't talk to her like that."
"I'm fine, Bruno.", I told him, wanting him to leave.

Bruno ignored me and stepped closer to Dad.

"This is none of your business, Bruno.", Dad said.
"She is my business. Who the hell talks to their own daughter this way? You're supposed to love her, not take your own issues out on her."
"Bruno!", Mom shouted.

Dad shoved Bruno into a wall and glared at him.

"How dare you speak to me this way after I took took you in? I am the reason you are alive. Don't you ever forget that!"
"You mean when you killed my parents and felt so guilty that you took me in?", Bruno spat.

I couldn't contain the gasp that escaped me. Bruno never told me that dad killed his parents.

I looked down and remembered that Aria was still standing there. She was looking at dad with big, scared eyes.

I reached down and picked her up.

"Let's go find Giovanni, okay?"

We headed upstairs to the room he and Lux were in earlier.

"Daddy's mad."
"I know, baby."
"Why daddy mad?", she asked, looking up at me.

I tried to find the words to explain it to her, but none ever came.

"I don't know, Ari."

We finally reached the room and I could hear yelling on the other side of the door, so I pushed it open.

"Why can't you just drop it, Dominic?! It was nothing!"
"It wasn't nothing, Lux! Why can't you just talk to me?"
"What's going on, here?", I asked, drawing their attention.

They looked at me with wide eyes before looking back at each other.

"Did something happen between you two?", I asked, unable to stop myself from smiling at them.

"Lux won't...Why are you smiling at us?"
"Do you think...Seriously, Rina!", Lux shouted.

I put down Aria and walked closer to them.

"A girl can dream. If it's not that, what happened?"

Giovanni looked at Aria, then back at me.

"Wait here.", he said before picking up Aria and walking out.

"Lux, what's going on? You can talk to me."

"Karina, I'm fine. He's overreacting."

"Overreacting?!", Giovanni shouted as he returned without Aria.

"Where's Aria?"
"With Lennox and Ana. Are you going to tell her yourself or should I?", he asked Lux.

Lux sent him a glare.

"There's nothing to tell."

Giovanni scoffed before walking over to her. He lifted up the sweatshirt she was wearing, revealing several burns on her body. They were all different shapes. Some looked old and have healed, but a few of them looked fresh.

"Lux, what happened to you? Who did this to you?"
"She did it to herself. I woke up to her burning herself."
"I can't believe you told her. That wasn't for you to tell."
"Lux, why would you do this?"

She sighed and sat on the couch. I sat beside her.

"I lied to you. My mom didn't die when I was 2 and my father didn't abandon me."
"Why would you lie about that?", Giovanni asked.

"Because it was easier to lie than say that my parents killed themselves when I was ten after I threatened to call the police on them for abusing me. I was Aria's age when it started. My father had a bad temper and no matter what I did or said to make him love me, he never did. He used to beat the crap out of me and my mom would watch and laugh. She used to smoke a cigarette while she watched and when he was done, she would burn me with it. After they died, I was relieved that I wouldn't get beat anymore, but I was so sad to lose the only family I knew. I was so alone. I got sent to an orphanage and it felt like I was never going to find a real family to love me. I felt powerless. Helpless. I needed to feel some kind of control in my life. I needed to be able to control the pain I felt, so I burned myself. I took my wrist and just laid it on the stove burner and waited for it to get hot. Sometimes when I feel anxious or upset, I burn myself. It's how I stay in control. I don't do it often. Just when I absolutely need to."

I wiped the tear that fell from Lux's eye before grabbing her hand.

"Lux, I'm so sorry.", Giovanni said.
"I can't believe you had to go through that. I'm so sorry, Lux. I want to help you."
"I don't need h-"
"You are burning yourself to stay in control of your life. Of course, you need help. We can get you a counselor to help you. We're your family, Lux. We want to help."

Lux looked between us before bursting into tears.

"I love you guys.", she said before hugging us.

"We love you too."