The bed was too soft and fluffy, making the little girl roll around the bed sighing in absolute comfort. Her body was so used to sleeping on cold floors, broken beds and thin mats, that this was a change that she gladly welcomed with open arms.

"Wow, she looks really cute," Leonardo said in a serious tone to his elder brother.

"SHH...You idiot! You are going to wake her up. If you want to be loud like a whale, get out of this room," Damon whisper- screamed to the clueless younger brother.

"But..didn't we come here to wake her up?" Leo whispered back, looking at them blankly.

"Oh! Yeah that is right," Damon pondered while making himself comfortable on the couch next to her bed.

"Are sisters supposed to be this fragile and tiny?" Leo whispered to himself as he pulled on her cheeks, a conflicted expression crossing his eyes.

"I would have preferred someone strong though. I don't think she can survive in our world, "Damon commented.

"She does remind me of a tiny puppy. Should we just choke her and wait till she wakes up? " Leo wondered aloud. "Or should we pour a bucket of water on her head?" he continued, tilting his head as he thought deeply about how to wake his younger sister. He doesn't have any memory of his brothers ever waking him up. Being a light sleeper, he always sensed when a person entered his room. Even the tiniest movement or the smallest sound can wake him up from his slumber. This was the case for all the Ricci brothers. Deep sleep was a gift that they could never get in this lifetime, with the enemies breathing down their necks waiting for their downfall.

The loud ringing of the giant pendulum bell in their ancient clock sounded its 8 o'clock alarm, the gong stroke for eight times loudly signally the dinner time. The small girl stirred awake just as the eighth ring sounded, echoing along the walls of the house. She slowly opened her eyes in a confused state. Her whole body became stiff with alarm at once when she noticed two of her brothers shooting her down with intense stares.

Her body shuddered at the stare involuntarily as memories of her father's frigid eyes flashed in front of her face, the stare that always meant trouble, the stare that always denoted a long night of punishment, the cold eyes that were the epitome of all her nightmares. She immediately scooted to the other end of the bed, and pulled herself into a tight ball.

She responded with her usual response, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to sleep."

Food is a luxury.

Sleep is a luxury.

Earn your keep.

These words from her past echoed in her ears continuously as she scolded herself internally for being a disappointment and sleeping right when she arrived.

She counted slowly, her head in between her legs. Her neighbor, Aunt Sarah, taught her to count numbers slowly when things started to feel overwhelming to her. Her sleep schedule was always restricted. But with the recent drugs in her system, she found herself more tired and groggy with constant abdominal pain.

"Why the hell are you apologizing?," Leo burst out loudly. The sight of his sister whimpering to herself at the corner of the bed didn't sit well with him.

"I..ju..st wa..nt.." she tried to explain. But her stutters worsened with her panic, words failed her. The more she tried to talk, the more she couldn't finish her words. Waves of disappointment mixed with fear crashed against her.

'Would they kick me out now? Nobody would want someone as useless as me in their house,' such thoughts circled in her brain, panic clouding her eyes, as she looked at them slowly.

Leo immediately reached out his fingers slowly towards her head, which made her move further away from them.

"STOP it dummy!" Damon whispered to his clueless brother.

"Julie," Damon whispered slowly and tried to reach out to her gradually. "Juliette Ilse Ricci, you are our sister. "You don't need to be scared of us like this. No matter what you do, we will never harm you," he continued as he slowly patted her head.

Her breathing gradually slowed, and returned to its normal pace. She could still feel Damon's hand on her head, patting her gently. For the first time in her life, she felt peaceful and relaxed. She slowly loosened the tight hold of her arms and opened her eyes to look at both her brothers sitting on the edge of her bed looking at her with concern in their eyes. She gave a small smile, hoping to reassure them.

"Uhm, can we go for dinner now? I need food in my system, "Leo stated, while reaching out his hand towards his sister. "Julie, let me be your wonderful big brother and guide you to our dining room," he offered with a big smile on his face.

The bear- like man crouching in front of the little girl seemed a bit hilarious. But, a small fuzzy feeling developed in Julie's heart as she looked at her brothers in front of her, patiently waiting for her.

The trio slowly entered the large dining room. The cream-coloured marble floors and tall crystal chandelier accentuated the large eight-seater dining room. Maids dressed in uniforms flanked either side of the dining table, standing in an upright posture while holding their gaze away from the Ricci family.

Julie immediately sensed the shift in temperature. It felt like the air became much colder with the way her brothers looked expressionless. She curiously gazed at Leo. The cold emerald eyes were very different from the wide-smiling Leo she met in her room a few minutes ago. Her eyes widened like saucers, as she now turned to look at all her brothers.

Her head bobbed to the left and right in confusion while she analysed everyone's expressions. 'What happened to everyone?' she wondered at the aloof, cold, and uncaring eyes of her brothers.

A loud laugh broke out, as Leo looked at his sister's antics.

"You look like a chicken with the way you are bobbing your head, little girl," he commented, with his lips raised in a slight smile.

The young girl blushed red at the comment while walking fast to the nearest chair and settling down. "I'm not a little girl. I am in my teens." she claimed, while her red puffed cheeks made Leo roll around in laughter once again.

A look of surprise washed across the maids' faces; they had never seen the Ricci family ever laugh. At least not a happy one. Caught by surprise, the youngest maid immediately lifted her head in an impulse to look at their master's laugh. Even at the nudge of the nearby maid, she couldn't tear her eyes from the young master with the enchanting laugh and the small girl who was sitting amidst the Ricci brothers with a small pout on her face.

Stefano cleared his throat loudly, causing Leo to immediately cease his fit of laughter.

"Let's start with our dinner. After serving, leave the dishes on the table, and retire for the night," Stefano ordered the maids, with a fleeting gaze towards his youngest sibling.

"Wi..ll you sm..ile aga..in once the.y lea..ve?" Juliette stuttered out the question to Leo, gazing at the maids who were departing in an orderly way from the room.

"I li..ke you..r sm..ile," Juliette proclaimed, with a slightly shy and embarrassed smile.

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(1305 words)

Hello guys!

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