Vittoria Valentino

not a fighter

• F A M I L Y

  
  
  
  F A T H E R Franklin Valentino
  PTSD, Paranoia, Nightmares, night terrors, Self-image issues
  You're the pillar of peace at home and the conduit between me and my other siblings. The best parent I could ask for even if you've got chipped edges - physically and mentally. I know what your smile sometimes hides and I hate to see you have to put on a brave face for us all. I love you dad.
  
  
  F A T H E R Sebastian Valentino
  PTSD, Paranoia, Type 1 diabetes, Heart defect, History of heart attacks, history of depression
  You're angry and you shout and you try to keep us all so suffocatingly close. I used to hate you for it sometimes. But now I know. I've experienced it and the gripping fear of losing your loved ones is, I understand, the thing you and dad never wanted us to feel in our entire lives. You can't protect us all. You can't be strong for us all. But I love you for doing it anyways.
  
  
  B R O T H E R Theodore Valentino
  Severe depression
  Teddy. Can't think of another word to describe you better because you're comfort and care personified. You handled the responsibility of being the first and oldest and carried it like a boulder even when you lost someone you cared about. You've been holding this family together for so, so long, Theo. Now it's our turn to return the favour.
  
  
  T W I N Valerie Valentino
  Night terrors, insomnia, drug and alcohol addiction
  I wish I could find a way to help you, sis. I hate that you don't know what happened to you, but I'm also glad you can never remember. It would make things so much worse if you did. You're my best friend and, though you try to put on the tough big sister act, I think I'll be the one picking your pieces off the ground.
  
  
  B R O T H E R Francis Valentino
  Anger issues, heroin addiction, alcoholic, kleptomaniac
  You're the most intense, horrible person ever when you mean to be, but I can be worse. We can protect them together if we ever make a team. You're my brother, but I hate you sometimes. But I love you. Things get worse down the line, don't they? You're the last and you had to be the black sheep...
  
  
  

  R E L A T I V E S
  

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  A U N T&U N C L E Andreas and Layla Bisognin
  Orphaned, Lycanthropes, Anxiety and Depression
  This is what storybook love stories are made of. Acceptance, unadulterated affection and that childish humour that you two seemed to have not lost just yet.
  
  
  
  G R A N D M A&B A S T A R D Valerie and Franklin Valentino Sr
  The bastard is dead, Mama has self esteem issues
  Gran I don't know what story hides behind your unwavering maternal worry -- they won't tell me no matter how much I ask -- but I know something ruined you. I know better than to assume he was the perfect husband when no one can speak his name without a shudder crawling up their backs. Monsters always lose, Mama.
  
  
  
  A U N T&U N C L E Faye Valentino and Charlie Eppstein
  PTSD / Anemia
  There's fear and suffering - a history of it, but, boy, do you two shine like beacons. I don't need you as much as Francis does but it's comforting to know you're there.
• B A C K G R O U N D
  

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  Vittoria Valentino, like her other three siblings, is a miracle of magic and modern microbiology. However, she is treated nothing like a mad science experiment and, instead, has a rather normal family environment. As normal as a family consisting of two dads, two sons and twin daughters can be. Her fathers, Frank Valentino and Sebastian Bevetta, paid heftily for their childrens' births and, as a result, despite being carried by surrogates, all four are fully biologically theirs. Vittoria is a middle child along with her twin sister Valerie, who is a few minutes older than her. They have one younger brother - Francis Valentino - and one older brother - Theodore. The Valentino family has a rich history of tragedy and drama, which almost set Vittoria's dads up for failure. However, they managed to raise a healthy and happy family nevertheless. The two men had PTSD and were very paranoid about their children's safety. Thus, Vittoria, her sister and two brothers grew up coddled and borderline spoiled.
  
  Vittoria was the bookworm of her family. Both her parents were intellectuals and she grew up infinitely curious about the world, as well as very scientifically inclined. The entire world was at her fingertips and, surrounded by so many diverse people, she found herself developing interests all over the place. One of her aunts, one of her uncles, both her dads and her grandfather were magically gifted, thus she demanded to receive proper magical training. She found her magic very later on, but until then she was fully trained theoretically, so she bloomed into a talented witch in no time. One of her uncles was a werewolf, which is where her obsession with magical creatures came from. She learned to sing from her aunt Faye, aunt Layla attempted and failed to teach her the piano, both taught her to play the guitar and be somewhat decent at the drums. Iridesa provided her with biology books during Vittoria's obsession over medicine (she wanted to know more about her father's heart condition and his and Francis' diabetes). Uncle Charlie's niece and Vittoria's friend, Cadence, taught her arts, uncle Charlie taught her crafts. She wished to know anything and everything and was not afraid to ask. However, her curiosity was a burden at times in such a family. She asked too many questions. She couldn't understand why her fathers panicked more than other parents did when their oldest son came home late, why aunt Faye sometimes looked at her twin nieces wistfully, as if she were reminiscing the past, why uncle Andy had those horrible scars on the palms of his hands and auntie Layla never mentioned her parents. Then there was also uncle Charlie with the huge scar on the juncture of his neck and shoulder and auntie Desa, who didn't like practicing magic and greatly distanced herself from the family. Some things had to remain confidential, she knew that herself. Some things she didn't have the courage to ask her family about. Like the grandfather she never knew who had the same name as her father, only different. Because the mere mention of Franklin Valentino Sr could chill a room. Vittoria's daddy sometimes woke up screaming and sometimes he slept in his childrens' room, as if afraid they would be taken from him. Vittoria learned not to question it. Valerie never asked about it in the first place.
  
  Unlike her, Vittoria's twin sister was more playful and a more outdoorsy type of person. She tended to get into trouble; not that she tried, trouble just somehow found her. And, eventually, so did one of the Valentino family enemies. The girls' father, Frank, had had an obsessive lover earlier in his life who he'd fathered a child with. A son who'd turned his back on her and joined the family. But the woman, so resentful of the happy life he'd built with Sebastian and the children that they had, returned for a fiery vengeance. Upon finding him again, she targeted the weakest link. Valerie was pronounced missing a few days before her and Vittoria's 8th birthday and any and all search parties came up empty-handed. It was then that the kidnapper contacted them, introducing herself and stating her terms -- they were to pass her son Adrian over to her. Marlena Calarotti was one woman few dared to mess with and Frank, well-aware of her capability for cruelty, surrendered himself rather than letting Adrian take the fall. He spent a total of four days in the woman's clutches, undergoing confinement, malnourishment and torture until Sebastian managed to conduct a rescue party by himself. The altercation ended in the infernal woman's (presumed) death and Vittoria's fathers returned safe and sound, even with Frank's PTSD intensifying. Valerie, 8 year old at the time, was absolutely traumatized by the ordeal. She couldn't function properly after going through the kidnapping, so her fathers did what was necessary. Sebastian supressed her memory of the events that had transpired, then the family collectively forged a story about the girl being hit by a car. Everyone played along and Vittoria's twin believed them. Yet the memory wasn't completely erased from Valerie's mind. It manifested itself in disturbing dreams and night terrors. Val didn't exactly know what was going on, but Vittoria remembered. She remembered everything.