Page 4 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

Even now her words spear pain in my father’s heart and his eyes flash as he tightens his hold on her and with good reason. Mom was abducted from Rockwell and married to a monster, and it took two years for her to break free from him. I will never understand the pain they went through and Club Mafia was formed to force change. The old ways still apply in many ways, but we are freer than our parents were because of it.

We exit the car and Summer pulls her coat tight against her and shivers. “Why is it so cold?”

“Because it’s winter.”

Mom winks and it raises a smile from all of us. Mom’s name is Winter and I have two sisters, Summer and Autumn. I just thank God they never named me Spring. I’m thankful for that at least. We have another brother, Giovanni who is still at High School but his time will come.

We head through the sea of guards toward the entrance and as we make our way down the hallway toward the principal’soffice, I snap, “Do I really have to be here? I could be unpacking right now.”

“You will accompany your sister.” Dad’s voice is sharp, reminding me of my duty and Summer grins, winking at me with a smug expression on her face as she senses my anger.

As we approach Principal Constable’s office, I notice a student sitting on the chair outside, dressed completely in black, smart, sophisticated, and oozing wealth.

His hair is dark, cut short and well styled, and his blank expression is not dissimilar to my own.

His hooded gaze fixes on us as we reach him and he nods, a faint smile ghosting his lips as he pays his respects.

I don’t miss the way his gaze lingers on Summer a little longer than the rest of us and the way she stands a little straighter doesn’t escape my attention.

We take the row of seats opposite him and say nothing, just stare at the guy with blank expressions. Its standard procedure for strangers and it appears he is aware of how it works because he doesn’t attempt to force conversation and just merely stares ahead of him with a bored expression.

The door opens after five minutes and three people walk out. The principal and a man and woman who must be this guy’s parents. The man’s gaze finds my father, and he nods respectfully, approaching him with an outstretched hand.

“Dante Romano.”

“Alessandro Majerio.”

My father’s hand clasps his in a strong handshake and I sense the mutual respect flaring in their eyes. Mom smiles at the woman, who cuts a striking figure with her pink hair and black fur coat.

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Winter Majerio.”

“Isabella Romano.” The woman’s approach is warm, nothing like her husband’s, and she smiles at the rest of us before her gaze settles on her son.

Principal Constable clears her throat and says gaily, “It’s good you have met because I have allocated Luca a room in your house, Frankie. I trust you will make him feel welcome and take him under your wing. Show him how it works around here and all that.”

What the actual fuck!

I don’t react, my expression impassive as I stare at the guy before me and my heart sinks. The gleam in my father’s eye is a familiar one as an unspoken conversation passes between us. We have always been taught to keep our enemies close and while I don’t regard Luca Romano as anything other than a stranger, he does have the potential to make life more difficult at Rockwell Academy for me and I would be a fool to ignore that.

“Frankie.” I hold out my hand to Luca, who shakes it briefly, an interested gleam in his eye.

“Luca.”

Summer adds, “And I’m Summer Majerio—just putting that out there before anyone forgets that I’m actually here.”

Mom attempts to disguise her smile, but Isabella laughs out loud and stares with appreciation at my sister.

“Good for you, honey. You tell them to ignore you at their peril.”

She chuckles and Summer rewards her with a blinding smile that appears to catch Luca a little off-guard. His once dead eyes spark with interest and as Principal Constable instructs mom and dad to enter her office, she turns to me and smiles. “Why don’t you show Luca to your house?”

I nod and as Summer takes a seat outside the office, I wait for Luca’s parents to say their goodbyes.

As expected, his father’s expression is blank, but he pulls his son into a hard embrace and whispers something in his ear. Then his mother smothers him with love, kissing him on the cheek and issuing last-minute instructions.

Summer is watching the entire scene with interest and as soon as Luca’s parents leave, she smiles at him and rolls her eyes. “Parents.”

He nods, his expression cold, and I take that as my cue to get him the hell away from my sister.

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