Chapter 23: Serenity was attacked

***

"Help! Please Somebody open the door!" She panicked, her voice went hoarse from crying and screaming at the same time.

It has been a few minutes since she has been kicking and screaming for help. Serenity wasn't claustrophobic but the fear was undeniable.

"Help! I am stuck in here!" She kicked the door again, the lock juggled but something else was holding it from the front like an obstruction.

She can't even call anyone. Why did she even bother to use the abandoned washroom instead of the common one?

She shouldn't have left Antonio. Hopefully he will search for her and find her soon. It will be okay, she told herself.

She sat down on the closed toilet seat and tried to calm down her frantic heart.

Her tears weren't ceasing and the trepidation built up with every minute.

Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, she heard a click like a metal is thrown on the floor and the room erupted in white smoke.

Her eyes and nose burned like someone had set fire on her.

She squeeze them shut and buried her face in her hands.

It was capsaicin most likely a pepper spray bomb. Loud coughs tore out of her lungs. Her eyes burned and tears streamed down her face. It was burning!

She screamed and yelled for help. The blazing sensation was too much, she couldn't breath without wheezing and coughing out.

Her hands fly out to fan away the smoke but it kept increasing.

Her screams continued to heightened up. Serenity couldn't keep up and fall down on the floor, slamming her head against the wall in the process. She felt dizzy and her vision blurred.

Something wet tricked down her temple, she gasped for breath. It was a torture just to breathe in oxygen. Her vision dropped and the black pigmented dots started taking over her senses.

"A-Alessandro..." she cried out softly before sleeping into oblivion.

***

Athena was bunking class as usual. Her feet ached to dance and Mrs Oh's boring history was making her nauseous. She wanted to reach her private dancing studio and set herself free. It didn't officially belong to her but it was more of an abandoned classroom that she had made into her space of course with the permission of the Dean. She may or may not have threatened to expose his affairs for it though.

People are stupid and stupid people are fun to play with. Athena scoffed.

Just when she was about to turn the corner, the fiery stink in the air made her cough out. She glanced around in confusion. It smelt like someone had burnt a bunch of Carolina reapers. The heat level made her face burn even from the distance.

She shook her head. It has got nothing to do with her. She proceeded to walk away when a small cry reached her ears.

'Help!'

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. Why the fuck do they put themselves in situations as such and call for help.

"Someone please help! I am stuck here!"

She heard again.

She won't give a damn, she told herself. They can die all she cared for.

"I am stuck!"

Athena took a step and a sudden pain exploded on her head. She gasped and lean onto the nearest wall. The buzzing sound rang in her ears and she desperately tried to numbed it.

White flashes of her past obscured her vision.

She was back there, in that place, ten years ago.

"Please help! I don't want to die! Give me your hand please, I am sorry."

She looked back at the young girl, terrified. The sounds of the fire crackling and the dark ashes smoked the room. The blood stains on her skin and the burnt pieces of her clothes. The fire was growing bigger. She was in a dilemma. She didn't want to die either. Saving her will only pull her down as well. She turned away and was about to run out.

"Please! I am stuck! Give me your hand." Her terrified voice screamed at her.

She blinked out of her selfish self. She have to save her. She turned back again again tentatively she forwarded her hand as much as she could. The bustling flames from the side licked her skin. She bite down on her tongue to save the howls of pain.

Just as their fingers met, the ground broke down beneath the other girl. Screams and the sound of the building further collapsing and all she saw was the raging fire beneath engulfing the little girl, the one who had desperately seeked her help.

If only she had reacted faster....

"Stop!" Athena screamed and covered her ears.

There was no fire, she had tears in her eyes and despair in her heart.

Too much.

"Help!"

Without another thought, she ran to the direction of the voice.

The whole corridor was smoked in white. Athena could barely open her eyes, it burned. She hated the sensation but nobody knows that the heat was once her best buddy.

She ran through it, holding her breath as much as she could and inhaling as little as possible.

Who the fuck in the right mind would go to that washroom except for a quickie? It has clear sign written above as under repairment.

She pushed open the door. Shocked to say atleast one of the cubicles was locked and even blocked with a broom sideways, unenabling the one stuck inside to open the door.

It was utterly silent. But she swore she heard the call from here. Quickly she latched out the broom and twisted the lock.

As she opened, the first thing she saw was a mop of red hair on the ground and worse there was a little blood pooling around.

Fuck!

She need to pull them out first. The smoke was making her red and dizzy already. Athena grabbed her arms and pull the unconsious girl up. And the shocker it was Alessandro's girl.

The fuck this girl was looking for? Trouble?

She made her sit on the toilet seat and bend down infront of her and carefully made her lean on her back. She engaged her legs and hands around her hips and neck respectively and picked her up in a piggy back ride.

If she has a fucking back pain after this, she will definitely make the lover boy pay hefty.

She slowly maneuvered out of the washroom and walked till they are at a safe distance from the smoke. As she turned the corridor, she dropped Serenity and made her lean up against the wall.

Panting and tired, she pulled out her phone and dialed the first number that came to her mind.

After a few rings, he picked it up.

"Get your ass here fast, your bitch doesn't look good."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Serenity was attacked."

A moment of silence and the line went dead.

***

CPIE had experienced one such bizarre in the past, but that was when an arm unrest flared up between two rival clans in the school campus. That was some decades ago in the 70s when the mafia was at its peak.

Now this time, it was a complete different matter but the apprehension was real.

The students had a vague idea but nobody knows what the matter is. They saw Alicia and Antonio Vitali storming out of their respective classes, after receiving a text. No permission, nothing. They walked out hurriedly with a frown on their faces.

A few minutes later, the loud barring sound of a motor bike disturbed some classes on one side of the building and Simone Vitali had arrived uninvited.

The most shocking thing was the entry of ten black SUVs with the armed Vitali guards and the legendary Alessandro Vitali himself who rushed out and stormed inside the school.

The teachers halted their classes as the thundering footsteps of the huge guards walked in the hallways, towards a particular wing.

It was the School's clinic. But no Vitali seemed to be hurt or why would Alessandro himself come here.

It further create a whirlwind of rumors when the Dean and some of the Board Directors came in anxiously speaking to one another about some situation.

They tried gathering to reach the rumour mill but no body could trespass the guards.

The room dropped a degree down as he walked inside. The anger bustling off him couldn't be mistaken. All he could see was red. Someone had dared to hurt his beloved and he wasn't going to spare them any easy.

The doctors were still inside investigating her condition. Two guards were placed infront of the door and his siblings along with Athena were seated on the metal chairs along the wall.

Alicia and Athena seemed to be in an argument but he couldn't care about it.

"How is she?"

Simone stood up instantly and rushed to his side.

"Unconsious...She hit her head on the wall and tore up the side of her forehead. It would probably lead to concussion. She might be out for sometime..." Simone explained.

"I am telling you, it must be her or else who would do such things to poor innocent Serenity." Alicia pointed at Athena who scoffed at her absurd accusations.

"Shut up little bitch. Your voice is giving me a headache."

"You motherfu-"

"Silence Alicia." Alessandro growled, shutting her up.

"Thank you Vitali." Athena sighed, rolling her eyes.

"How did it happened?" Alessandro grounded.

Athena plopped down on her seat again and relaxed her shoulders.

"I heard screams on my way to my dancing room. Went to check it out and found your girl knocked out in the Eastern wings abandoned washroom. Apparently someone had locked the door and diffuse some gas bomb in the room which I believe mostly contained lachrymator agents. My eyes burned and my skin itched after exposure when I went in to save your girl friend."

"I took a sample of it, it wasn't exactly gas but some kind of pressurized powder. According to my research, it did contain chloroacetophenone,

chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, chloropicrin,

bromobenzylcyanide-" Antonio explained.

"Tear gas, it is!" Athena completed,"No need to exaggerate emo. Just get to the point."

"Hey! That is rude!" Alicia complained.

Just then the doctor walked out with the diagnosis, she pulled down her mask and turned to greet them.

Alessandro snatched the file containing her diagnosis and read them carefully as the doctor explained.

"She is out of danger now. Sir. But it indeed was a narrow escape, if there had been a slight delay then...the odds wouldn't have been in our favor. She had mild concussion and it might take her a few hours to get up. We have stitched up the cut on her forehead, She may experience rashes and eye problems."

"Her oxygen level dropped to 85, I have put her on oxygen."

Alessandro nodded curtly and turned to Simone.

"Arrange the ambulance, we are admitting her in my hospital now."

"I will have them ready brother." Simone quickly left.

"Antonio, I want all the information of the one behind this. Whoever dared to hurt my girl, I will make sure they pay a visit to hell."

Antonio grabbed his laptop and rushed out too.

"What should I do?" Alicia asked.

He turned to her, "Nothing."

Alicia gaped at him in disbelief. Before she could retort, he had already opened the door and went in.

Alessandro sat down on the stool next to her bed. The rage and anger in his heart stifled at the sight of her fragile form on the white bed. Her forehead witness a large bandaged. Oxygen mask masking her nose and the tubes and needles impaled on the back of her hand.

He sighed and gently picked up her free hand, pressing a soft kiss on top of it.

"I won't spare them, my love. I promise you that."

He sat there silently, his gaze never wavering off her dainty features.

He didn't know what he would do if he left her out of his sight.

The only thing that was preventing his outburst was the tired look on her face. He needed to be sane to do what to do.

"Alessandro, we are ready to go." Simone announced at the door.

The paramedics entered and shifted her on the stretcher. One of them requested him to step back but one glare from Alessandro and they let him be.

He didn't let go of her hand.

Somewhere in his mind, a tiny shred of fear had developed. Alessandro never feared anything in his life and that was what made him invincible. Short to say, he was always isolated in his own world. He never truly cared about anyone to a point where he felt fear. Not even with his siblings.

He had trained them himself, made them so strong that their bond will never be his weakness in days to come. But Serenity, she was different.

Unknowingly she had taken a vital place in his life and she was a weakness, possibly his only weakness. It didn't sound like a good thing but he knew how important it is for him to keep her safe.

She was perfect the way she was and he intended her to remain that way. There was only a little purity left in his world. And he vowed to protect that innocence and purity of hers even from his own self.

It didn't take long for the words to spread like a wildfire. Some students knew the red head beauty was in a way related with the Vitali's but nobody thought it was way too deep to even summoned the ice prince.

They could now see her in a different light.

Alessandro Vitali was now taken by none other than the endearing nymph that was resting in his arms.

***

The nurses with great difficulty had to pushed him out of the room. They needed to clean her body again to make sure there was no chemical remains on her skin.

Alessandro sat down on the chair outside the door. His elbows pressed down on his knees as he entwined his fingers, thinking hard.

Various possible reasons flooded his mind.

Who will do such a thing to his girl?

It couldn't be a petty rivalry. The clans know the extent he would go if any of his members were insulted let alone attacked.

Jealousy? He highly doubted it.

Serenity was always considerate and kind. She couldn't even hurt a damn fly.

The original intention was to make her suffer not kill her.

All of a sudden, the calling bell rang from inside her ward. A nurse ran out, yelling 'Doctor!'

Alessandro stiffened and rushed inside. You are shocked to see that she was thrashing on her bed. Completely out of control.

"Serenity!"

Her eyes were frantic and she was gasping.

"She is having a panic attack!" One of the nurse yelled. She had tore out the wires off her hands harshly.

He reacted quickly and pulled her up, embracing her tightly in his arms. He forced her to stop her frantic thrashing and rocked them back and forth gently, whispering endless sweet nothings in her ears.

"Listen to me love, you are fine. Do you hear me? Every thing is alright."

" Count with me...1...2...3. Come on, count with me 1...2...3...4...5..." he cooed slowly in her ears.

A while later, she responded softly with great difficulty "...s-six....se...seven...e-e"

"Eight" He continued.

"E-eigh-eight..." she cried, fisting her tiny hands on his shirt.

"Nine."

"N-ni..ne"

"Ten"

"T-Ten"

"There you are. Such a good girl. My beautiful girl." He kissed the top of her head lovingly.

And they continued counting numbers till she got over her fright.

"It's okay, my love. Nothing will happen to you. I promise."

Serenity couldn't hold back. She broke down into tears, sobbing incessantly in his arms.

"I-I was...so..so scared!" She wailed, holding him tightly.

Alessandro sighed and rubbed her back. He didn't tell her to stop. She needed to let it out. The front of his shirt was soaked in her tears. He didn't care.

The vulnerability in her voice made guilt tugged harder in his chest.

"I...I t-thought I will d-die and....and no-nobody would find m-me...my p-poor dead b-body."

"Shss...let's not talk about that baby, do not think about it. You're here with me. And you will always be with me. I won't let you go that easily." Alessandro gritted his teeth.

He tightened his hold on her little body as though someone was going to separate them.

"Excuse me Sir, We need to check on the patient." A doctor interrupted their moment.

Alessandro snarled and glared at him.

The doctor took a step back in fear.

"P-Please try to understand, Mr. Vitali. It's only for the amelioration of Ms. O'Sullivan's health."

He took a deep breath and tried to pull away but Serenity latched onto him like a koala to a tree, not letting him go.

"N-No please..." she whimpered.

"I am right here love, I won't let go of your hand. I promise but the doctor needs to check on you to make sure everything is okay. Be a good girl for me." He assured and patted her back.

She reluctantly released him but as he promised, he held her hand and eased her as the doctor did their job.

"The burns can be treated but the cut will leave a small scar on your hairline. Miss. Ironically it was good that you fainted as prolonged exposure can cause a lot of eye problems like cataract, glaucoma. If you have any breathing problem later on, please reach out to the doctors ASAP. The nurses both in school and here have washed you off the chemical agents but I still recommend taking a bath. And rinse your eyes thoroughly."

"The chances of infections are high. She was exposed to the agents while she was bleeding. I want a full body check up on her." Alessandro put in.

Serenity rapidly shook her head 'No.' She begged the doctor by enlarging her eyes to look pitiful.

She hates needles!

The doctor didn't even pay her any heed and listened to Alessandro's word.

"I will prepare the necessities. Mr. Vitali. In the mean time, it would be best to take a bath."

Serentiy felt betrayed and her eyes welled up with tears again.

"What is it, love?" Alessandro inquired, placing his palm on her cheek.

"Alessandro...I don't like needles, please." She pleaded.

"It won't always be needles, love. They might take a shot for the blood test and other than that, there will be CT scan, X-rays and all which will be monitored though machines." He explained

"Promise?" She pouted childishly.

His gaze softened as he took her in. She was so precious and so beautiful.

"Promise."

He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He carefully placed her on the sink and ordered her to wash her eyes as told by the doctor.

In the mean time, he set up the perfect temperature for the bath and even filled it up with bath bombs and lots of soap.

"I am done." She announced from behind him.

"Good, now take off your clothes." He said.

When he didn't hear any sound nor a reply, he turned back.

She was gaping at him or rather at what he had said in disbelief.

"Excuse me!" She squeaked at him.

He raised an eyebrow, unbothered.

"Take off your clothes, you need to bathe." He told her nonchalantly, not realizing the gravity of his words.

"I...I...I w-won't!" She blushed , still staring at him wide eye, "Y-You have to..to go outside." She stammered.

"No, I have to make sure you're thoroughly clean. The chemical agents are very deleterious if they linger on the skin for a long time."

"N-no! I am not going naked in front of you." She squealed, draping her arms around herself

Alessandro stilled for a minute.

He didn't think of that.

Fuck!

The tips of his ears turned slight red.

He quickly looked away and cleared his throat.

"Oh!...Okay, I will call someone. Take your time."

He walked out of the room.

Running his fingers through his tousled hair, he took a deep breath in. He can't believe he said all that. What would she think of him? Pervert? Freak? Fucking shit!

He pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant.

"Bring Alicia here right now."

Moments later when his sister arrived, he didn't speak anything to her and just pointed at the bathroom door.

Alicia rolled her eyes and went inside.

She thought she will be assigned with some real work.

***

While Serenity went for her tests, Alessandro was informed that Antonio have found the culprit.

They meet up in one of the private VIP longe. Simone, Antonio, the Dean of CPIE along with a few board members were already present when he walked in.

He sat down on a singular couch and crossed his legs, resting his ankle on his other knee.

"Speak."

"It was a girl." Antonio said.

Some gasped while some stared in disbelief.

"Who?"

Antonio looked down at his file and forwarded it to Alessandro.

"Her name is Nicole Russell, a freshman."

He looked over the pictures captured in the CCTV.

There was no direct cam record as no cameras were installed inside the washroom but the hallway camera recorded the entrance and exit very well.

In the first panel, it showed Serenity going inside the washroom in a hurry. The second panel showed another girl with raven hair following her, looking over her shoulder quite a few times.

Alessandro checked the times labeled in it. After about 5-6 minutes, the girl ran out, blocking her nose with a handkerchief with white smoke tread on her wheels.

It was only after a gap of few minutes that Athena ran inside and brought her out.

His jaws clenched and his fist tightened, paling his knuckles.

"Get the girl and locked her up in one of the ware houses. Call Valkyrie to investigate her."

Simone nodded and was about to walk off when Mr.Connor cleared his throat.

"Mr.Connor, anything you'd like to say." He turned to the man who founded CPIE.

The Connors were an important ally of the Vitali's. Alessandro's mother came from that clan even though she wasn't a high member in the roots of mafia. The legal business was run by the younger Connors while the underground business were in the hands of the elders.

Mr.Connor sighed, "I would request you to not kill the girl. It will bring shame to CPIE as we had assured security of all students. Her punishment should be decided in the campus itself. We can expel her but I know it won't be enough to satiate the condition of Ms. O'Sullivan. The Russell's are a rising name. They are nouveau rich. So, I'd like to request bail on her till the day after tomorrow. Until then, give the Connors a chance to further investigate the matter."

Alessandro didn't wish to delay further but Antonio held him back. They communicated through their eyes.

"Very well." He grimly nodded.

"Thank you for your generosity. Mr. Vitali, we would be now on our way." They quietly exited the room.

"Why did you agree to that?" Simone asked.

Alessandro stood up and stared at the wall coldly

"A public punishment...everyone should know what would happen if they mess with my girl. I don't want such incidents to happen in future ever again."

"How is she by the way?"

"A bit better."

"And Antonio." Alessandro called.

"Yes?" As Antonio turned to answer him, a square punch landed on his face.

"Ouch! What the fuck!"

"You were given only one fucking responsibility- to fucking look after her when I am not present. You failed me, bastard!"

Alessandro stormed off leaving him grunting behind.

"That shit hurts!" Antonio hissed, wiping the blood that was dripping down his nose.

Simone looked at him amused and shrugged, "I mean you deserve it though."

***

"How do you feel, love?" He asked while tugging a strand of hair behind her ear.

Serenity was back after running a series of test and now she was currently perched on her hospital bed.

"Like a laboratory guinea pig." She exclaimed, huffing and crossing her arms.

A small smile broke out on his face.

"An adorable guinea pig."

"Hey!" She sounded offended.

Now that she was more stable and conscious Serenity could take in the majestic hospital room she was placed in.

It was wide and very spacious with creamy white walls and large French windows over looking the balcony and the green lawns on the ground.

Even the bathroom was larger than her entire room in Mama Dido's cottage in the island.

It must have been so expensive. She suddenly felt bad. Alessandro has been bearing all her expenses since she came here. She wondered what he thought of her. Did he think she was someone who goes after money? She could hardly remember the word- gold digger? Yes, Did he think she was a gold digger?

"What are you thinking?"

She flinched and stared at him wide eyed.

"Nothing" a squeak came out of her lips.

"Oh Really?" He cocked his head to the side.

"What did I say about lying, love?"

She squirmed on the bed uncomfortably.

"Love." He said in warning.

"N-Not to lie to you."

"So, I am asking again, what were you thinking?"

She peeked into his eyes for a quick second and looked away. His intense stare was freezing her. The dominance in his voice urging her to tell the truth.

"What...What do you think of me?"

She noticed the slight raise in his eyebrows. He usually does that when he was confused or amused. And for the current situation, she believed it was the former.

"I mean...who am I to you? Are we f-friends? Or am I just a namesake 'keep' an assurance you need, to tie the alliance with my family?"

The heaviness of the circumstances dawned upon both of their shoulders.

Alessandro stared at her deeply and as seconds passed, her insecurities elevated.

"I need you, love."

***

Eh he he he he!

Another cliffhanger!

I feel so evil 😈 (insert squeaky witch laugh)

How is the chapter?

Good?

Bad?

Or just meh...?

What do you think happened?

Who is Nichole Russell?

What did Alessandro mean by the last words?

Dark or fluff?

Favorite Nickelodeon TV show?

(Mine is Victorious and iCarly)

The sky was purple so I thought I will capture it and share with you all 💜

Until then,

Adios,

Stella Cadante