I woke up early and thought I was the first one up but Aunt Cat was in the kitchen fixing breakfast and grams was there too. “Wow, you are both up early.” I said.
“You have to get up pretty early to beat Aunt Cat, Talli. She is queen of mornings. I got up early because I knew she would. So why are you up so early?” Grams asked.
“I have a lot to do and I wanted an early start. I’m meeting Cruz in Rome Friday so I want to get a lot done before then and I’m anxious to find my brother. The sooner the better.”
“I didn’t know Natalia had a son.” Aunt Cat looked confused.
“It’s not her son, Cat. It’s Demetrio’s son.” Grams answered.
Now Aunt Cat looked really confused but I don’t think she wanted to ask.
“The people that took Demetrio wanted him to breed. I think they are trying to build a super race for all the wrong reasons.” Grams informed Aunt Cat but it was enlightening to me as well.
“You think they are making a super race?” I repeated her words but knew the answer. “Do you think they have created others besides Tio?”
“Unfortunately I do think that. I hope it’s not true but it’s a real possibility.”
“Holy cow that would be a lot of siblings! Where do you think they are?” I thought.
“I think if we find Tio, we will find the others.” Grams answered.
Aunt Cat finally got over her shock. “That’s terrible! But it makes sense. What other reason would they have for taking Demetrio? So there’s one you know about already? A son?”
“Yes. Demetrio has met one. They took Tio to him to train. Demetrio wants to bring him home.” Grams said.
“That’s terrible. They will be dealt with, I’m sure but what about all these kids? Who is the mother?” Cat wondered.
“They used donor eggs. Demetrio thinks the mothers are unaware of what they did. It is my guess they used our people’s eggs to breed with.”
“How do you think they obtained them?”
“They either kidnapped them or there was a willing donor among us.”
“Both scenarios implicate horrible things! Do you think we should notify the governors of this suspicion?”
“I don’t think we know who to trust at this point, Cat. We should hold off until we know more.” Grams suggested. “I would like to start by going back about twelve years and see who came up missing during that time. I have an instinct that will give us some answers.”
The three of us went to the library to search old newspaper clippings. This was a local paper and they would not have their paper on the internet. They were very protective of their information. So we looked the “old fashioned way” grams called it.
We started 13 years ago and began searching archives of newspapers to see who had died suspiciously or became missing. It was very tedious boring stuff mostly. Not much ever happened in this village. Marriages, births, socials, very mundane stuff. We searched for about an hour before we found something of interest. “Grams, look at this.” I pointed out an article. The headline read: The Ambrosi family lose their daughter while travelling abroad.
We read the article thoroughly together. This was a 16 year old girl who disappeared while they were on vacation in the U.S. It said the family had not called authorities there because they did not want to bring attention to themselves. They had looked for her and others from the village had gone over and looked for her but there was no trace of her to be found. The parents had finally come home and resigned to her disappearance.
“I remember that now.” Cat said. “That is Armando Ambrosi. His wife died shortly afterward. We all assumed from a broken heart of losing her daughter. Armando kept to himself after that. He became a loner. Doesn’t leave his house much. He didn’t want anyone around either.”
“That’s it!” I exclaimed. “His daughter is kidnapped and never heard from again. They must have her somewhere and are harvesting her eggs.”
“Or worse.” Grams stated flatly.
“What do you mean?” I asked her to elaborate.
“If this Armando is in on the kidnapping, he would take his own daughter to them and maybe his wife also.” Grams said. “We should pay him a visit.”
“You need to be careful, sorella. These people are dangerous.”
“Of course we’ll be cautious, but we won’t be afraid. Will we Talli?” Grams said.
“Not in our vocabulary.” I said. “Only fearless.”
“You should take Caio with you.” Cat suggested.
“Good idea, if he’s willing.” I said. I remembered he can render someone unconscious. We may need his help.
We called Caio over to meet up with us. Then we all headed to Ambrosi’s house. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I knocked again. “Don’t bother knocking, Talli. I can tell no one is home.” Grams said. Her intuition was very helpful. I needed to develop mine. I used my mind to turn the lock on the other side of the door. Good thing Bianca helped me with that.
We wandered through the house looking for clues. Caio got into his computer to get email contacts. “Look at this.” He declared. “This is very interesting.” He had found a file on the computer listed as “project SR” which proved to be quite informative. The name Pietro was all over the file and the University’s address. TEC was mentioned several times as an advocate to their cause. The Governors of the village were not mentioned. That was good to know. There was another name mentioned that Aunt Cat was familiar with. Mario Valenci was mentioned as the leader of this project.
“Holy files!” I said. “Good job Caio! That’s going to be very helpful to us. Print that file off and let’s get out of here. I have a feeling we’re about to get visitors.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Grams said.
Just as Caio got the file printed off we heard the front door open. “Caio, do something.” I whispered. “If they catch us here we’re in deep doodoo. We just did a breaking and entering.” Caio closed his eyes and concentrated. Then we heard a thud downstairs.
“Done.” He said. “We have about 30 minutes to get out of here and make it look like no one was here.”
“Cool! I like having you for a cousin. Nice job cuz.” I said. We left the house looking just as it was and stepped over the unconscious body lying at the bottom of the stairs. I’m sure he will wake up and think he tripped down the stairs. Then we headed back to Aunt Cat’s house to regroup.
“So who is this Mario Valenci?” I asked Cat. “Do you know him very well?”
“I only know of him. He was on the governing committee about ten years ago. He wasn’t very well liked and was not voted back in. I know where he lives if you want to go there. His wife also died about ten years ago. I think it was a plane accident. That’s right. It was so sad. She and her daughter were flying to France to meet up with Mario…….Oh my goodness! Do you think that was staged too? Mario and his son were in France already and were not in the plane wreck. That seems like the other couples story.” Aunt Cat was stunned by her thoughts. To think that her own people would do something like this.
“I’m definitely seeing a pattern here.” I concluded. “I wonder if there are any more. We need to find them and stop this madness! Not only have they stolen my dad’s DNA, they are messing with these people’s lives too.”
“We need to go to Senesi again. See what we can find there. Even though we rescued your dad, Pietro and the others are still there doing their dirty work. We didn’t stop them at all.” Grams said. “I think Demetrio should go with us. I also would like a few others to back us up. Talli, go call your parents and Cruz. Let me think about who else we want with us. Cat, are you coming?”
“Absolutely! These monsters need to be stopped.” Cat was adamant. “But don’t you think we should pay a visit to Valenci, as well?”
“I agree. Let’s see what
we can find out from Valenci. I’m not sure why, but something tells me we need to go there too. I just have that feeling, again.” I said.
We all agreed and went to the Valenci home. Once again no one was home and I unlocked the door with my powers to move things. Inside we did the same sweep through the house to find anything we could find. This was a disappointment. We found nothing in his house or on his computer. I must have been wrong about the feeling of needing to go there. How could that have happened? I was disappointed that my skills were lacking accuracy. We had nothing more to work with. We could do nothing but return back home.
As soon as we got to Aunt Cat’s house there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” I called to Cat since she was in the other room. I opened the door and OMG! Holy Hot! The most gorgeous creature I had ever seen stood in front of me. Okay, maybe he was in the running for the most gorgeous since Cruz was absolutely the most gorgeous. However, they were a close competition. This guy was about my age, give or take a year or two. It was extremely hard for me to guess these people’s ages since they didn’t age very much. He was a little over six feet tall. Maybe 6’1” or 6’2”. He was just a slight taller than Cruz. His lushes milk chocolate eyes were mesmerizing. I just wanted to stare into them and get swallowed up by them. His hair was the next noticeable feature. The chocolate brown, soft curls demanded I wrap my hands around his neck to caress the silkiness. Of course I constrained myself. I wasn’t that brazen. But the thought definitely enticed my mind.
“Hi. Are you here to see Catarina?” I asked since she was the only person who lived here.
“I’m here to see all of you who broke into my father’s house.” He said with a stern face.
Busted. “Would you like to come in?” I figured once I got him inside we could erase his memory.
“I’m fine here. Just tell me what you were doing there?” He said.
“Who is your father and why do you think I was there?” I probed.
“I seen you. In a vision. Then I followed you here. So now you answer my question. Either answer to me or answer to my father. Which would you prefer?”
“Actually, something tells me I’d rather deal with you.”
“So go ahead.”
“Why don’t you come in and have a seat.”
I can’t do that. You may be an enemy to my father and then what would you do to me. “I’m waiting patiently.” He said.
I thought I just read his mind before he talked. I needed to be sure. “Excuse me, I didn’t hear what you said.”
“I’m waiting patiently. Now, my patience is wearing thin.”
“Why does your father have enemies? What did you say your name is?”
“I didn’t. I also didn’t say my father had enemies.” Marco said aloud. Is she a mind reader or something? He said in his mind.
Interesting. This could work to my advantage. “I think your father does have enemies. However, I might not be one. I’m certainly not your enemy. Won’t you please come in?”
“Wait a minute! Are you a Teletrian? That would explain why you can read minds.”
“What do you know about Teletrians?”
“My father knows about them. He’s just told me a little about them. He told me they can read minds sometimes. I’ve never met one but my father has. I don’t agree with the things he does so he doesn’t tell me much. I moved out of his house a couple years ago.”
“What is it he does that you don’t agree with?”
“You tell me.” He was avoiding the question.
“I’ve never met your dad and I don’t know him.”
“Lucky for you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He is an enemy to the Teletrians. That’s mostly what I don’t agree with.”
I watched him intently to see if there were any thoughts I could get from him. Grandma stepped up behind me. “He’s telling the truth, Talli. I put a truth spell on him. That’s why he was trying to side step the question.” Then she turned to the visitor. “Won’t you come in Marco. You are safe here.”
“Will you tell me what you were doing if I come in?” He asked.
“Yes.” Cat and I said in unison.
Marco reluctantly came in and sat down on the sofa. Since he had a truth spell on him he had no choice but to tell us what he knew. His dad had taken his sister and mom to Pietro to use to breed. They were trying to create a super race. All they had so far was a few children who did not have their abilities yet. Pietro had been the male DNA donor for most of them. Marco had vowed to his father to keep quiet and in exchange his father would let him live.
“Holy evil!” I exclaimed. This was horrible! I could tell Marco was disgusted by his father’s actions. “Marco, we are here to stop this madness. We are going to rescue the victims and stop the perpetrators. Are you on board with us? Are you willing to go up against your father?”
“I am willing. However, you need to know that my father is ruthless and will not hesitate to kill anyone to get them out of his way. I believe he staged a plane wreck that killed 150 people in order to fake my sister’s and mother’s deaths. He won’t think anything of killing you.”
“Well, you need to know that I am not afraid. We will defeat him.” I professed confidently.
“I hope you’re right. For all our sakes.” Marco said.
“What makes you think we can trust him?” Caio asked with contempt.
“We can tell.” Said grams.
“Yes, I can tell too.” Added Cat.
“I have no doubt. I seem to have a sense for who I can trust. I learned that when I first met Cruz.” I reassured him.
“I will take your word for that. However, Marco you need to know that I will have my eye on you. One false move and your history.” Caio warned him.
“Understood. But not necessary. You will have no need to worry about me. I loath the man probably more than you do. He has ruined my sister’s and mother’s lives. I have not seen them for years.”
I just realized that Marco had gone through the same things I had with my dad. He did understand our plight. “Marco, we will return your mother and sister to you. I promise.” I told him. I didn’t know if I could keep that promise. I didn’t know if they were alive. I just knew that I had to bring them back and I would not stop until I did.
Marco spent the day with us, filling us in on anything he could think of about his dad that might help. He hadn’t talked to his dad in a couple years so it would cause his dad suspicion if he tried to contact him now. He decided not to try. We just had his old information to go on. He took me back to his dad’s house to look for more clues. He said his dad had not been around the house for a long time and did not expect him to show up now.
After completely searching his father’s house, Marco offered to buy me lunch and show me around the town a little. We went to a quaint little café in the center of town which he recommended highly. The cuisine was home-style Italian that was to die for! I couldn’t wait to introduce my family to that place. We walked through the center of town while Marco pointed out the different sites and then settled on swings in the park. We were just barely swinging on them as we continued our conversation of the town and what it was like growing up there.
I told him about the town I grew up in and what it was like there. We found a lot of similarities and some differences that made it interesting. “You know, Marco, I am also from this people.” I decided to confide in him. The puzzled look on his face told me I needed to explain, so I continued. “My grandpa is full Teletrian. My grandma is from here and my dad is half and half. That makes me a fourth Teletrian and three quarters from your people.”
“Well I wasn’t expecting that.” Marco replied. I wasn’t sure how to take his reaction so I decided to try to read his mind. I promised myself I wouldn’t invade people’s privacy that way unless it was necessary.
This, I believed was borderline necessary. So I would try.
That explains the beauty in her. I heard his mind speak. What did he mean by that? Could he sense something from me that made him trust me or what? Well, I guess it didn’t matter because he didn’t hold my mixed blood against me. That was what I wanted to know. That was good.
“So that is why I am here. I need to learn about my heritage. I actually just learned where my ancestor are from, or what they are I mean. So it is all new to me. I need to learn more. I felt a …I don’t know… a calling from here or something telling me I needed to come here. Does that make sense? Probably sounds crazy, huh? I don’t know how to explain it but I just felt like I needed to come here to learn something. I also learned that I have healing abilities and that it comes from this people. I need to learn more about that, too.” I awkwardly tried to explain to him.
“That makes perfect sense to me. If you have this blood in your veins, of course it will lead you here.” Marco assured me he didn’t think I was crazy. That was nice. Someone else that accepted me. I was starting to feel at home here.
Marco walked me to Aunt Cat’s house after we were done talking in the park. He was very old-school gentleman-like. He put his arm around my shoulders to walk across the streets like he was protecting me. He opened doors for me and let me go first. You very rarely see behavior like that back home. I was surprised how much I liked it. Me, miss independent and strong woman liking chivalry. Who knew? I guess it doesn’t mean that I’m weak and can’t do things for myself. It just means I like being shown the respect. These old-fashioned Italian men are growing on me. Maybe the American boys could learn a thing or two from them.
We got back to Aunt Cat’s house just in time for dinner so she invited Marco to stay and eat. That was a perfect time for all of us to make plans to go find my brother and Marco’s sister and mom. Marco sat next to me and kept looking over at me through the corner of his eyes. Then he’d offer me one of his heart melting smiles. Was he flirting with me? No, he was just being nice, wasn’t he?
“So, Talli, have you heard from Cruz today?” Grams asked me out of the blue. How random.
“Yea. Why?”
“We need to call the DaMonicos and your parents and have them join us in Senesi.”
“O k a y.” I dragged out the word. Not sure where she’s going with this. “I’ll get right on it.” I excused myself from the table as we had a rule of no phone usage at the table, text or talk. I called Cruz to let him know our plans. Then I told him I had to go and I’d call him later. I couldn’t be rude to our guest could I?
Marco walked into the room and said he needed to get back home to arrange for our trip. “I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early.” He kissed my hand and left. He was like a character out of a Jane Austin novel. I didn’t mind, though.