I lunge back toward the table and grab Sofia's arm. "We need to go. Now."
"What's happening?" Marta asks and I see her face blanch.
She's trembling now too.
"Get to the hall and find the guards." I pull Sofia toward the hallway, my grip tight on her wrist. "Tell them there are intruders in the garden."
Marta moves faster than I've ever seen her move, disappearing through the doorway that leads to the main hall.
I hear her shouting for the guards, a loud shrill that would otherwise sound motherly, and it's the first time I've heard her sound scared.
I drag Sofia toward the interior hall, away from the windows where it's safer.
She's crying now, confused and frightened. "Mama, you're hurting me."
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry." I loosen my grip on her so it's not so tight, but I don’t let go.
We reach the stairwell, and I shove her underneath it, into the narrow space where the steps meet the floor.
"Stay here. Don't move. Cover your ears," I bark.
"Mama—"
Gunfire explodes through the courtyard.
The sound is deafening, rapid cracks that echo off the stone walls and shatter the stillness.
I throw myself over Sofia, pressing her small body against the floor.
Her screams are muffled beneath me, but I can feel her trembling.
More gunfire erupts, then shouting in Italian meets my ears.
I hear bullets hitting things, shattering glass and splintering wood, and under it all, the terrified screams of my little girl.
I'm sobbing as I cover Sofia's ears with my hands, pressing hard to block out the noise.
My own heartbeat is so loud I can barely hear anything else.
Sofia's mouth moves, but I can't make out the words. She's terrified and so am I.
The shooting continues for what feels like hours but can't be more than thirty seconds. Then it stops abruptly.
I lay covering her, trembling as I listen for footsteps or shouts, but my ears are ringing so loudly from the gunfire that I can't hear anything else.
My vision is blurry as I blink my eyes open, and my heart is pounding so fast I feel dizzy as I try to focus on calming myself.
I stay where I am, my body shielding Sofia's, and I don't move. I don't breathe.
I wait for footsteps, for voices, for any sign that the danger has passed.
"Angelica?" Marta's voice cuts through the ringing in my ears. "Angelica, it's over."
I lift my head slowly.
Marta crouches next to me, her face ashen but composed.
Behind her, two guards move past with rifles raised, scanning the hallway.
