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The Family
A LIFE FOR A LIFE
Mafia is a bit strong of a definition. It also suggests that we have a structure that can be infiltrated—ours cannot.
We are not the same.
Family is somewhat defined as a group of people related to one another by blood and/or marriage. That is indeed what we are, so family it is. And that is what we are. A family bound by blood and/or marriage. There is no in-between, and you cannot be part of the family unless you are related in some way.
“Do you take this oath?” my father asks.
He is only my father outside of this room. Inside, he is the director. He has no name. He has no other title. He’s justDirector. My oldest brother is a manager, as am I. My younger brother and several of my cousins are leaders.
Then there are the corps. Those are cousins who have just been initiated into this side of the family. They’re younger, greener, newer to the life that we live, to the oaths that we take.
They all have a lot to learn and much to do to prove themselves. They must also complete four steps to work their way up to being leaders. Then, when they are leaders, they will have three more steps to become a manager.
I was initiated when I was fifteen. It took me ten years to become a leader.
“I do, Director,” my youngest cousin whispers.
He’s trembling, his thin, gangly teenage body visibly quaking in front of us. We cannot speak to him, though. We cannot encourage him in any way. We must stay silent. Only the director and the initiate may speak.
Standing in a circle around him, we wait for instruction from the director. We don’t need to wait, though. We all have been exactly where our cousin sits. We know exactly what happens next, but ceremony is important to all of us, so we wait.
The sacrificial slaughter is brought into the room moments later, our circle only breaking to allow the man to pass through. He is blindfolded. Gagged. His hands are tied behind his back before he is kicked behind the knees so that he is forced to fall to them on the concrete floor with a whimpered cry.
“A life for a life,” the director states.
It is always a life for a life.
An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth.
A hand for a hand.
This is our motto: Life for a life. It is simple, but it explains who and what we are with four little words.
“A life for a life,” the new initiate whispers.
“Stand.” The simple direction is all he needs. The boy stands, taking two steps forward, gripping the blade in his hand.
“Go ahead.”
And with those two words, he lifts the blade and slides it deeply across the tied man’s throat. The gurgling sound is all that is heard. The spray of the blood coats the boy’s face and torso. The deed is done.
“Bring in the women. Clean him up.”
The initiation complete, now the boy can begin his training.
But tonight, we party.
ChapterOne
PARKER
I chewon my bottom lip as I stare at the supposedly calming blue wall ahead of me. It’s not calming at all. In fact, it makes me want to scream. Everything makes me want to scream lately, though. Which is why I’m here. Trying this… again.
