Chapter 1 - Recklessness
The story begins in 1915 in Italy. The sun was shining brightly, and the waves were crashing against the shore. A young girl was watching them from the balcony as the wind blew through her hair. The door opened, and a kind old maid walked in.
"Oh no! Miss Redini, you have to put your hair up."
She hurried towards the reckless child. Celestine turned her head towards her and smirked before running away. The old maid threw her hands up in the air and said, "What should I do with this child...?"
Celestine was a fifteen-year-old girl with green eyes like a grassy field, wavy brown hair like chocolate, and sun-kissed skin. She was the only daughter of the famous pianist Giovanni Redini. He had played the piano since the 1900s; his daughter, however, was fickle and had no desire to play. She ran through the hallway and quickly dashed downstairs, trying to get away from the kind old maid, Mrs Cicerone.
As she hurried down the stairs, she made her way straight to her father's study.
"Dad! May I go to the beach, please?" she exclaimed loudly, bursting through the door.
All eyes turned to her, and her father paused. He was in the middle of a consultation, and when he saw her, he face-palmed.
"Celestine, dear, you shouldn't burst through the door without knocking. But you may go, just don't go too far towards the pier."
Her smile brightened, and she thanked him before running out. She put on her sun bonnet and went to the beach alone.
Her father continued the consultation with Mr Nevicare.
"I heard the north is snowy this season," Mr Redini said, looking through his documents.
His guest smiled. "It's truly magical, so you're going to love it there."
Giovanni chuckled. "My wife and daughter would never want to leave Sardinia."
Mr Nevicare grinned mischievously. "How unfortunate..." he said sarcastically. "Because you're going to have to move out, my friend."
Giovanni asked for an explanation.
"My wife and I are going to move to this island. But since you're my dear friend, you're going to let us stay in your household, right?"
The pianist was shocked, though he knew his friend was cheeky.
"You and your wife may stay here, but only for a month. Remember that. Today is..." he paused looking at the calendar, "the fourteenth of May, and you have exactly one month. Then we're coming back."
The guest nodded before leaving for the guest room.
In Aosta, high in the snowy mountains, a seventeen-year-old boy was buried in his studies. Damian was a handsome teenager. His hair was dark brown, his eyes were green, and his skin was pale, as he had been born in the mountains.
He was the middle child and had two brothers. The eldest was Cesare, nineteen years old, with light brown hair and brown eyes. The youngest was sixteen; his name was Thomas, and he had blond hair and hazel eyes.
While Damian studied, his brothers were playing chess.
"Is Father coming back from Sardinia yet?" Thomas asked while making his move.
Cesare paused. "You don't understand. We're supposed to move to Sardinia."
His eyes widened.
At that moment Damian walked into the room and strode over to where they were sitting.
"Can't you two keep quiet?!"
His tone was sharp. Both brothers fell silent and turned their attention to him.
The eldest spoke first. "Brother, I'm sorry. We must have disturbed your studying."
His tone was calm.
The youngest laughed. "Yes, sorry. It's just that I've only just found out we're moving to the coast, and I'm very happy!"
Meanwhile, at the coast, Celestine was enjoying the beach. She was swimming in her swimsuit, all alone. The water was pleasantly warm, and the waves were calm. After a while, she stepped out of the sea as the breeze swept over her.
She sat down on a small wooden log near the shore, staring at the water.
"So boring... no boys here, no drama..."
Then she remembered what her father had said:
"Never go near the pier."
A grin spread across her face, and she quickly got up and started walking towards it.
