Page 52 of Capuleto

I got up from the chair, walked slowly, and asked for permission with my eyes to let me sit on the bed. He didn't refuse, so I sat on the edge.

"Did you ever see the demon?" I wanted to know.

Children's minds are complex, as are some adults'. Maybe Adri's mother suffered from some mental illness, and his grandparents gave that explanation when she had a crisis. Or it could be something else, some Catholics believed that schizophrenics had the demon inside them, and maybe that was what Adri's grandparents thought.

"I heard him. He growled and yelled at her. But I couldn't do anything. When the demon visited my mom, she always had the latch on the door." I swallowed hard.

"And your grandparents didn't do anything? Romeo told me you all lived together."

"The first time it happened, I was very little, I just remember waking up to the screams. I ran to the room without understanding what was happening. I tried to open the door, but I couldn't, and I started banging on it." Tears were streaming down the boy's face. "I wanted to help her, but the door wouldn't open. I screamed, and my grandmother came out into the hallway. She picked me up and took me to my room, putting me back in bed. I screamed and kicked, telling her to help her. She told me she couldn't do that or the demon would come for me, that my mom was the only one who could calm him, and if I interrupted with my banging, cries, or screams, she couldn't do anything to save me. I was scared, very scared..." The tears turned into a broken, uncontrollable sob. All I could do was hug him and hold him close in my arms.

The boy was shaking, freezing, beyond my words that were trying to calm him. I stayed silent, just holding his convulsing body, feeling a terrible urge to tear off that grandmother's head for whatever the hell she was thinking.

"Shhh, calm down, it's okay. I'm here," I murmured when the tears began to subside, "and you know what? Do you want me to tell you a truth that no one has told you?" Adriano lifted his gaze to meet mine. "The demon doesn't exist."

"It does exist! I saw the marks it left!" he exclaimed, distressed.

"I'm not lying. It doesn't exist, although there are people who can act like a demon, that I won't deny. Tell me about those marks."

"She had them on her body," he confessed, ashamed.

"Tell me, it's okay." I wanted to understand what was happening in that house, although my mind was already working overtime to fill in the gaps.

"Once, I went to the bathroom. The day after he attacked my mom, I couldn't hold it and went in without knocking. She was turned away, in the shower. I wet myself as soon as I saw the purple bruises covering her body. I couldn't control myself. She turned around and screamed at me to get out. She didn't even notice that I had peed myself. Blood was dripping down her legs to the shower floor. I was so scared that I ran out."

I clenched my fists, feeling the urge to strangle every single member of his damn family. What the hell was wrong with people? Having children for this seemed despicable to me.

I stroked his soft hair and held his face.

"Hey, Adriano, listen to me carefully because I'm going to explain what you saw. That wasn't a demon's attack. What you saw was a victim of domestic abuse. Someone was hitting your mom, not a supernatural being, but a very real and evil person. Unfortunately, there are many of those out there who enjoy hurting women." He looked at me as if he didn't believe me.

"No, it can't be, my grandparents..."

"Your grandparents allowed it. What I don't know is who was doing that to your mother or why. What I do know is that maybe that's why she started taking Mentium. Do you remember if she had any boyfriend or was seeing someone?" The boy wiped away his tears and sniffled.

"I never saw anyone."

"Okay, that's fine. You know this isn't going to stay like this, right?"

"What do you mean?" Adriano looked at me, not understanding.

"No one harms a Korolev and gets away with it. I'll find out who did that to your mother and I'll deal with him."

"Will you... will you kill him? Like the eagle in the park?" he asked cautiously.

"Do you think that's wrong?" I wanted to know. He thought about it for a moment.

"No."

"Good, because that's what I'm going to do. Sometimes, justice doesn't measure up. We dictate our own law, and if someone harms us or causes pain to someone in our circle..."

"We kill them," he finished. I let out a laugh.

"Yes, but only in cases of extreme necessity. You can't go around killing your classmates because they steal a pencil, okay?" He gave me a conspiratorial smile. It was one of the few genuine smiles he had given me. "If that happens, we handle it differently. I'll teach you how to act and defend yourself in any threatening situation you might encounter. How does that sound?"

"Okay."

"Good boy. And now, let me tell you something to help with those nightmares." He looked at me curiously. "In the world of dreams, you are the one in control, not the other way around; you can go through doors, there are no locks. When you hear your mom's screams, go into that room, don't worry about what you'll find inside. If you see the demon, confront him, look him in the eyes and tell him to get the hell out or your Aunt Nikita will take care of him. If he doesn't listen, call me, and I'll come. I promise. We're not afraid of fear; fear is afraid of the Korolevs."