Life and Times Of Isabella Sabitino

PART 1 CHAPTER 1
Now to start off proper Isabella Sabitino was a 16-year-old Italian teen, living in Venice, Italy. She was very much alone, but not so alone. She had long dark, almost black, brown hair that reached to her just below her shoulder blades, dark brown eyes, olive colored skin, stood about 5’5 and was thin and slight. She had no siblings, and her parents were a thing of the past. Her mother died when she was 12. As for her father, well he remarried horrid women named Meredith when Isabella turned 13. She did not always live in Venice, in truth she lived in Turin until she was 15. She was here in Venice, though because she had decided every since her Father and Meredith’s wedding day that she would escape to her mother’s hometown in the magical and wonderful city of Venice. So that is what she did when she turned 15, she bought a train ticket and went to Venice to hide in the hundreds of alleyways and courtyards. When Isabella first came to Venice she had no place to stay and not much money left with her. She carried only with her a small suitcase that had clothes and other personal belongings and a messenger backpack that held assorted items of necessity. And as she stood on the platform with people milling around her, greeting loved ones and saying their “good-byes”; she noticed someone. Someone who seemed to be staring at her. “Could this be the person I am looking for?” she thought. A week before she found an address that her mother had written on a piece of paper hidden in a desk draw saying “If you need to come to Venice write a letter to this address and come within a week, someone will meet you at the station”. Well if they were that someone or not, they were making their way toward her. Now this someone was a boy who looked roughly Isabella’s age, he stood about 5‘10, had dark brown slightly curly long hair, and beautiful green eyes.
Now I must cut in for a bit. I have to take the time to explain further about this mysterious boy with the beautiful green eyes. This boy’s name was Victor and his like Isabella’s parents were a thing of the past. They had both died a few years back and left poor Victor alone. There were no other relatives who were able to care for him; both his parents were only children and his other relatives were too old or had died. So, he was sent to an orphanage, but he did not stay there long. Oh no, Victor would not have that at all. So after living in the orphanage for about 6 months too long Victor escaped. He discovered an abandoned theater house to live in and started a new life for himself. Soon 3 others joined him. Two boys and a girl, they were all younger then Victor. The oldest of the three followers was a 14 year old named David, he was not much shorter than Victor himself, and he had jet-black hair and gray eyes and stood roughly 5’7. He was not truly Italian, but he speaks it perfectly in his almost water-like voice. His past is unknown to a certain point, though he has hinted to anyone who asks about his watery accent about living somewhere in Asia for a while because of his love for Asian like foods or mostly just fish. The next oldest is a girl named Ariana who says she is 13 though she looks about 9. She is from Rome, she has very long strawberry blonde hair that reaches her hips, which she keeps in a loose almost undone ponytail, and she has light almond eyes, she also not very tall that suggests she is younger than she says. Finally, we come to our final and youngest of the group Will. Will is a shy 10 year old blue eyed, shaggy reddish brown haired boy who does not speak much even to his friends, he has lived in Venice his whole life and knows the alley ways and streets better than anyone, but he is kind and always willing to help. The 4 children in order to support themselves by doing odd jobs. But this is not a group of ordinary children, their secrets are about to be discovered and Isabella holds the key to unlocking them and her own…
“Are you Miss. Isabella Sabitino?” the boy asked.
“Yes, who are you?” replied Isabella cautiously.
“Victor is the name, and apparently I was told I have to meet you here and take you back to the Palazzo Theater House” Victor said and starts walking off into the crowd. Realizing he is alone he turns around and stops saying “Well are you coming of not?” Seeing that she had no choice but to follow him after all he knew her name, Isabella hurried after the strange boy named Victor with the beautiful green eyes. And soon they disappeared into the throng of people at the train station.
Isabella followed Victor through a maze of alleyways and canals that soon would become all too familiar to her. But at the time, it was the most confusing thing in the world. As she was being led through all of this Isabella was in such deep thought of how on earth she had gotten herself into this mess she didn’t notice Victor had stopped and she, of course crashed right into him.
“Oh scusii” Isabella muttered mostly to his shoulder. She looked up to the building that looked like an abandoned theater. “Were are we?” she asked.
“Miss. Isabella Sabitino, I present to you the Palazzo House Theater.” answered Victor, this of which was accompanied by him stepping back so she could see better with a bow and arm gesture to present the theater to her. The theater was old and had probably closed down during the 50’s. But it still managed to hold on to its theater magic. “Come on we go in around back,” said Victor. With that, he grabbed Isabella’s hand and ran around to the side of the Theater to the emergency exit. Once in front of the door he released Isabella’s hand and knocked on the door 3 times and pulled a rope twice. Then slowly the door opened and the face of a little girl appeared.
“We were starting to worry about you Victor,” said the girl. She eyed Isabella suspiciously “Who is she?”
“This is Miss. Isabella Sabitino.”
“Why is she here?”
“She is going to live with us now”
“Is she the reason you went out?”
“Yes, now before you can carry on your interrogation can you please let us in? Someone might see us.” Victor complained shutting off the girl’s questions for now. She stepped back so they could get by, still staring in suspicion at Isabella. “Now that we are finally in, were are Will and David? Victor asked looking around.
“They are in the prop room as usual, honestly I don’t know why you would even ask” replied the girl in an annoyed voice.
“David! Will! Come here we have a new roommate!” called Victor. Almost instantly Isabella heard the sound of running feet, then suddenly 2 boys appeared. One looked a bit younger than Isabella herself, the other one looked about 7 or 8. “Now that everyone is assembled I’d like you to meet our new roommate Miss. Isabella Sabitino, she just arrived here today from-umm where exactly?” Victor asked turning to Isabella. “Turin” Isabella prompted.
“Right she just arrived here today from Turin so please make her feel welcome. Ariana, she is going to have the box between mine and yours we need to fill the gap between you and the rest of us, also David please show Isabella around, tell her were things are the kitchen, bathroom, you know stuff like that, and Will I beg you try and say more than 2 words to her before she thinks your mute.” Victor directed to everyone then turning to Isabella “ Now for the introductions,” Victor said first pointing to the older boy “Miss Isabella Sabitino I would like you to meet David….
“Hi There!!” Then pointing to the girl “And this is Ariana….
“Hello.” And then the younger boy “And finally our soft spoken Will” “Umm…hey”
“That is everyone, David will show you around, and then Ariana will show you were to put your things. I am going to do some shopping to celebrate the arrival of our new roommate! So I will see you all later, and guys don’t scare her to death while I am gone, okay?” Victor said. And with that, he was out the door before anyone, including Isabella could object to the matter.
“Well then we should start the tour now shall we?” David inquired to Isabella. “You can leave your stuff on the stage for now, Ariana will show you were your “room” or box is to put them later.”
“Umm…okay.” Isabella replied setting down her suitcase and backpack on the grand stage that was located in the middle of the large auditorium. In front of the stage were rows and rows of seats, most of which could no longer be sat in. Above them were 10 theater boxes where the richer viewers sat. “Those must be the “boxes” David was talking about,” thought Isabella.
“Well lets start here, this is the stage we don’t really use it much except for fun, behind it is the prop room that is an awesome place to hang out, up there in the boxes is were we each have our own rooms. We’ll have to get you a heater once winter rolls around.” David explained as he walked around to the several sets of double doors Isabella trailing behind. “Through here we have the kitchen on your right, it was really the old concession stand, but there is plenty of space to store food. And to your left we have the bathroom; we rigged up a shower in 1 of the stalls in bathroom. We don’t really have a need for any other parts of the theater so that is about it I’ll take you back to the auditorium so Ariana can show you your room.” David said ending the short tour. He started to walk back to the doors then stopped and turned back around. “Oh before I forget, always knock before going into any of our rooms, if no one answers don’t go in, that applies to all of us, for now.” David added. Then he continued to go toward the double doors “For Now? What does he mean by that? Oh well it is probably nothing.” thought Isabella. She brushed off the thought and hurried out the double doors and down the aisle all the way to the stage where Ariana was sitting.
“Well that didn’t take long, well grab your stuff, and follow me please.” Ariana instructed. She briskly started off toward a spiral staircase in the back of the room, her long hair swaying as she walked. Isabella grabbed her suitcase and backpack and hurried after Ariana. “Now I suspect David already told you the “box rules” well those are really the only rules you need to be concerned about. You are about 15 am I right?” Ariana said glancing at Isabella behind her on the staircase. “Yes, I just turned 15.” replied Isabella. “Good you are more likely to be able to get a job, me and Will can’t really get steady jobs. David looks older than he is but he is really only 13. I am 11 and Will is 8, just so you know.” Ariana said reaching the first door in a hallway of doors.
“What about Victor?” Isabella asked.
“Oh, he is 16.” answered Ariana. When they reached the second door, she continued. “This is your room; the second door when you come up. Mine is the first, Victor’s is the third, David is the fourths, and Will is the fifths. We all get up according to our own schedule, but no sleeping later than 10 o’clock, try to be home before 11 try and give a heads up if you are going to be later. Will is always home holding down the fort, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to get in. If for some reason no one is home, don’t try to get in. Go to the fish market on the Grand Canal, that is where Victor works, he is the only one with a key. Got all that?”
“Yes, thank you for your help Ariana.” Isabella said. She opened the door to her new room and walked inside. There was a double mattress on the floor in the corner closest to Victor’s room and a small table with a chair in the opposite corner. Most of the seats that were no good were taken out so only the last 2 of the once 5 rows remained the walls were bare and the wallpaper had been removed from where it was peeling. Finally, there was a curtain across the opening from where you could see the stage for privacy. “I’ll leave you to unpack, if you need anything we are all either in our rooms or downstairs.” Ariana said. With a slight nod, she turned and left Isabella alone for the first time since she stepped off the train station earlier this morning. That seemed like an eternity ago. Later Victor returned with spicy sausage and a 2-liter bottle of punch. Before they began, he raised his glass saying: “Miss Isabella Sabitino I welcome you to the Palazzo Theater and the wonderful city of Venice!” To that they drank too and it was official. And Isabella Sabitino a 15-year-old Italian teen had moved in with a boy who had beautiful green eyes and his group of friends who lived in an abandoned Theater House.
Now that Isabella was moved in, the party long ended, and everyone in bed and probably asleep; Isabella was still awake lying in bed, unable to sleep. She suddenly heard a knock on her door. She jumped, “Oh my God something is out there!!!!” Isabella screamed in her head. “Wait calm down, it is probably just one of the others.” she thought. Slowly she got up and crept toward the door whispering into it “Who is it?”
“It’s Victor, can I come in?” came the reply.
“Victor? What would he want this late?” thought Isabella, but she opened the door nonetheless. “What’s wrong? Do you need anything?” Isabella asked Victor as he came in. He was wearing boxers and no shirt, after all, it was July. She hated to admit is but he looked good.
“I need to talk to you” Victor answered. As he said this, he sat down on one of the remaining chairs in the front row. And turned around to look at her.
“Now?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!” Isabella said exasperated, but she wrapped herself in a blanket anyway and sat down next to him.
“I know, I know, but you are still up that proves something.” Victor said with a smile.
“And what does that prove?! That I am a poor sleeper? I have insomnia or something? I have never slept well ever since my-”she stopped. Isabella had never talked about her mother or what happened after she died. When her mother died, she started having these weird dreams and she never was ever to sleep normally again. She saw things about people she could not explain. “But why I am I talking about this with a boy I just met?” she thought to herself.
“Yes that is what I needed to talk to you about, your sleeping habits or lack there of. The strange dreams you have, especially on full moons, if you haven’t noticed. And other things you can’t explain, like knowing things about people before they tell you themselves.” Victor explained in a hushed tone so on one else could hear, not that anyone else was up this late. Isabella stared at him in complete and utter astonishment. No one had ever known about her secret and she had never told anyone. “So why did Victor know so much about this. And what could this mean?” She thought. He added “After all most sensible girls would not walk around a strange city with a complete stranger.” He winked. “How…how do you know about this? I mean I have never told anyone not even my father or my friends. So how do you know?” gasped Isabella.
“My parents knew your mother and that is why I met you at the station. You see I still get their mail I don’t know why; not like bills but personal letters and when I got your letter I knew that you were the one.” Victor said.
“The one?” questioned Isabella.
“Yes, the one with your great grandmothers gift of being able to see things, know things about people, almost like reading minds. She told everything to your mother who realized that you had the gift; she helped you a lot to control it when you were little. So, when she got sick she knew that my parents could help. But she did not know that they died 4 years ago. So when I got your letter I knew I had to come to the station today and meet you and make sure you didn’t get hurt or anything.” Victor explained. When he finished, he looked up at Isabella as if waiting for an answer.
“So my great grandmother had this gift. So how do I control it? How did my mother help me? I don’t remember any treatment or anything like that.” said Isabella “She stayed with you till you feel asleep tried to help you make sense of what was going on, but once you reached uh… puberty you didn’t need her with you that often, but full moons were always a problem.” Victor replied.
“How do you know all of this? And why is it so bad now all the time?” Isabella asked. “I know all of this because your great grandmother told your mother who explained it all to my parents when she got sick in that letter I told you about. They had died already and I read it instead. It is probably so bad now because of the fact that you lost someone so important to you. Also the fact that your father never really told your mother was dead, just she had to go away. But when the funeral came around you were hit full in the face with reality and your father couldn’t really do anything to help. But I think that you will get better after a couple of months of living here.” Victor answered. “Will I have to leave then?” Isabella asked.
“Of course not! You are going to stay here as long as you like. You will fit in here.” Victor responded. “Do you uhh.. that is want me to stay with you for the night?” He added sheepishly.
“Umm….I’m okay.” Isabella mumbled glancing away embarrassed.
“Oh…. alright, but if you need me I’m in the next box over.” Victor said standing up. “I know I will put my mattress to the wall, is that okay?”
“Sure, that would be nice.”
“Okay, night then.”
“Night” Victor went out the door and closed it behind him. Moments later Isabella heard the sliding of something on the other side of the wall then a soft knocking sound. Isabella crawled back into bed and softly knocked back. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.