Chapter 2

The blinding light bled into tired eyes, and a quick gasp escaped from dry lips. A woman wearing a crinoline-dress approached with the rage of a thousand suns.

"You lazy, good for nothing, little witch!" the woman yelled and struck the individual across the cheek.

"How dare you!" a growl erupted from their mouth. The individual instinctively peeled their wet dress off the damp floor and reached out to strike the woman in return. "Do you know who I am?" A high pitched voice emerged from their lips and the individual halted, staring at their slender wrists.

A flurry of stutters emerged from their mouths as they looked down at their soap stained dress. The individual pushed the woman out of the way and headed for the looking glass above the fireplace.

"Oh my fucking god!"

What stared back was a thin ghastly woman of nineteen years; Her pink lips were cracked and peeling, her hair an unruly red mess and her raggedy dress strained and stained. She moved her hand left and right, hoping the reflection was of someone else. Shortly, she slapped her stained cheek, which reddened from the hit.

"I must be dreaming." She turned back to the woman that hit her and repeated, "This is a fucking dream, right?" The woman just glared at her.

"Have you finally lost your mind, Josephine?" The woman stomped towards her. "Has your mother's maddened blood finally switched on?" She stretched out her spotted bony fingers and dragged Josephine's ear.

"Let go of me you stupid bitch!" Josephine cursed and struggled but the victorian-looking woman towered over her. The woman flung her towards the bucket and the scrubber on the floor.

"You forget yourself! How dare you speak to me in such a way?" The woman kicked the rusty bucket in anger at Josephine. The dirty water in it splashed onto Josephine. "I give you a bed to sleep in, a roof over your head and you can't even clean a simple floor like I asked! You're such a burden! How I wish my husband had sent you back to your mother's wretched family," The large woman marched over to the centered staircase but turned around again, "If that floor isn't sparkling by noon, I will have you thrown out!"

Josephine's blood boiled; who was this old broad speaking to? Did she not know who he was… who 'she' was. Who was she?

Josephine got off the wet floor, "Who the fuck are you? I am Luca Torello and I demand to know why you call me Josephine and where the fuck am I?"

"Who am I? Where are you? Luca Torello? You really have gone mad. One night of no supper and you lose your sanity, you weak little girl. I am Madia Lorenzo and I am unfortunate enough to be your step mother," Madia's face soured as she said the phrase 'step mother.' She continued up the stairs, saying nothing else.

Two teenage girls no older than Josephine rushed into the living room where Josephine stood stupefied. They snickered and the skinniest one stepped forward to look down on her.

She had a snide smile on her face as she pressed her manicured nails on Josephine's forehead and pushed, "How dare you speak back to our mother like that, you should be grateful that we didn't toss you out the street when your father died. Mothers kindness is wasted on the likes of you."

Josephine was still sure of this whole ordeal being a dream; How else could she suddenly be a woman? She was Luca Torello. Where was she and who were these people.

"Maybe she went deaf as well as mad, Valentina." The chubbier girl snickered behind her elder sister.

"Must be so, Georgia. Look at how confused she is." Valentina pursed her pink lips and poked Josephine's head again, but when she didn't get a response, she shoved Josephine to the ground.

Landing on the wet hard floor brought Josephine back to her senses. She didn't care where she was; she sure as hell wasn't letting some random bitches push her around. Luca Torello...screw it...Don Torello did not stand such blasphemy. Josephine's thin arms reached up and grabbed Valentina's perfectly coiffed hair, yanking her to the floor. She turned towards the chubby one and before she could squeal, Josephine lunged for her and wrestled her to the floor as well.

"My hair!" Valentina shrieked.

Georgia sobbed as she stared at her own wet dress. "You will pay for this! Our mother is going to kill you!"

Valentina tried standing but slipped from the soapy floor and fell again. Josephine picked up the bucket and flung its remaining filthy contents on both sisters, making them shout even louder.

"Mother!" Georgia groaned as she wiped the soapy water from her eyes.

"Cry all you want! No one will help you," Josephine grabbed both their tresses and dragged them towards the kitchen, in search of a sharp object. "I'm going to kill you both-"

Suddenly, Josephine felt a sharp sting on her back.

"Mother!" Valentina wept as she pushed her wet hair out of her face. "She beat us! She beat us when we offered to help her clean!" She lied through her quivering lips.

Madia had a long braided rope in her hand and she whipped Josephine again, crumpling her to the floor in agony. The woman continued to whip her as she cried out. "How dare you touch my daughters. You ungrateful wicked girl. You are a nasty, wicked witch of a girl!" The woman continued her beatings till a man wearing all white stepped into the kitchen.

The man in white grabbed Madia's wrist and shouted at her, "Enough duchess Madia!"

He wrestled the rope out of her fist, then helped Josephine up.

Josephine's body stung everywhere she was struck; her pale skin glistened with red welts from the rope. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but Luca Lorenzo did not cry, woman or not. However, in this new female body, everything felt new; raw and ten times worse.

Josephine shoved the man away and staggered back into the living room. She saw a door raced for it, attempting an escape. Pushing it wide open, Josephine stood baffled by the sight of carriages being pulled by trudging horses, women in crinoline-dresses, streets littered with the poor and men wearing waistcoats. She continued out the door and out the compound's gate. She could already hear Madia calling for her return.

Josephine thought she had to be in a different world...or some sort of nightmare.

Josephine ran into a street and right in front of a carriage horse. The coachman was shocked by the sight of a distraught young girl in the middle of the street and he halted his ride, kindly calling out to her. However, Josephine ignored him and ran down the street, shocked at every new sight. She tripped and fell into a bush, but got up and raced on. The sounds of a busy street died behind her and the soothing rushing of a nearby river filled her senses.

So Josephine ran and ran, her feet were sore and her shoes lost in the escape. She ran for hours, the orange of noonday turned into a blanket of purple and dark blues. Josephine kept running through the flurry of trees tearing a path towards the river but when she got by the river, it was no river at all; it was a vast sea, and she stood above it on a steep cliff. Josephine's face twisted in shock and she stepped backwards in pure horror.

This was no nightmare...this was all real. She wasn't Luca Torello. Atleast, not anymore.

She was Josephine Lorenzo.