Chapter 182 - This year's Jury

(Continued from Prev Chapter)

[[[ A young Giovanni is studying at the dinner table in Micaela's apartment when suddenly,  *SCREAM* *BANG!* *BANG!*

A woman's scream and two gunshots are heard coming from Giovanni and his mother's apartment. Giovanni's heart beats loudly and quickly in anxiety. His world slows down when he realizes that the woman's scream was his mother's. He stands up and rushes towards Micaela's door, but Micaela blocks his way and gives him a tight embrace. "It's okay honey. Everything will be okay…" Micaela consoles Giovanni.]]]

"Ah.. Poor boy…" Madhuri and the other jury members cannot help but be immersed at the excellently believable performance of the child actor who played Giovanni and the actress who played Micaela.

"'September Ninth' was violent but this…" Eleanor is in disbelief at the early tragedy.

[[[ Micaela adopted Giovanni and thus Giovanni adopted Micaela's family name, Cervo. For five years, Micaela did her best to fill the void that Giovanni's mother left. Giovanni however, is still desperate for a family.

This resulted to him by acting out to the point that he became a mastermind among troubled neighborhood teenagers with his intelligence. Giovanni was happy in Micaela's care until one day, Micaela fell sick. The frail Micaela had no chances of recovering and wanted to spend her last days in her home, this time, under Giovanni's care.

"… Giovanni my dear, I might not see tomorrow, so I'll tell you what I know. Antonio Orsini, the Orsini Family's Don, is your father. Your mother came here to America to seek help from him for you to have a better life.

"Antonio paid your mother to never show herself to him again as he already has a family of his own. I told her, my dear. I told her to never involve herself with Antonio and his gang, but one meeting was all it took for your mother's demise.

"Please, Giovanni, as my final wish to you, don't make the same mistake your mother did and live a good peaceful life. You are a clever young boy, Giovanni and don't do something stupid when I'm gone…" Micaela fell asleep later in the evening, never to wake up again.]]]

"This is just heartbreaking to watch." Yuji comments.

"Why'd she have to die?" Another jury member remarks. 

[[[ Giovanni did not listen to his adoptive mother and instead joined the Orsini to get closer to Antonio. He did not confess his identity to Antonio in the few times he met him and instead decided that he will prove himself deserving of Antonio's appreciation and recognition, no matter what it takes. 

"Kid, grab that fire poker. If one of them gets jumpy, bash their heads in." An Orsini thug orders Giovanni as they fail to collect protection fees from a bar owner peacefully.

As if the thug predicted it, a patron of the bar drops their glass out of fear. Giovanni's world then slows down and a series of expressions morphed in his face. Hesitation, decision, and resolve. Giovanni then steps towards the patron, ready to swing his fire poker."]]]

"Oh no…"

"Don't!" The jury members wince at the incoming violence.

The next moment however, they all sigh in relief. 

[[["Don't hurt anyone! Take everything! Take it!" The bar-owner can only give up everything he has.

Giovanni then sighs in relief as he did not have to bloody his hands. *Slap* The Orsini thug harshly pats Giovanni's face.

"You're smart, kid. But you're too soft." The thug says.]]]

"I hope he leaves the gang." Madhuri says.

"I doubt it." Yuji says.

"Giovanni is desperate and he will only sink deeper with the gang …" Kenneth shakes his head. 

[[[*Screech* *screech*

"Get out of the f*cking truck!" Giovanni, now 20, has become an important Orsini associate, commanding a few other associates. Highway robberies, is one of his best sources of money.

"Move! Move! Kneel! Don't try something funny! Our fingers are easy to twitch." Giovanni's subordinates threaten their most recent victims.

While the subordinates are working, Giovanni only looks on while juggling his small pistol with one hand, between his fingers, giving out an aura of danger.]]]

"Hm. At least he's doing well, even if it's criminal." Maximo comments.

The juries look at him weirdly.

"Hey. He didn't hurt or kill anyone." Maximo shrugs.

"I don't know man. He's juggling that gun rather skillfully. He may have used it many times already, Isaac may have just decided to not show it." Kenneth disagrees. 

[[["Ah! Giovanni. I've heard a lot about you. Come! Sit! Sit!" Giovanni finally meets Antonio, face to face, alone, after he proved himself a money-making machine of the Orsini…

"Now, kid. Tell me. Do you want something? Your achievements deserve rewards." Antonio says.

"Don Antonio. I have something to confess… I am Julietta D'Amato's son. I have been told you are my father." Giovanni says.

Antonio's smile disappears and has gone quiet out of shock.

"Do not fret, Don Antonio. I don't wish anything else. I only want to let you know of my existence and identity. Just let me serve the Orsini and your family in loyalty."]]]

"…" The jury watch in anticipation at what would Antonio's response be.

Micaela's dying words has planted in their subconscious that Antonio had something to do with Julietta's death despite the money he gave her to leave him alone. 

[[[Antonio, after his silence, sighs deeply.

"I cannot acknowledge you as my son." Antonio says.

"That is understandable, Don Antonio. No one else has to know." Giovanni says. Antonio nods.

"Very well. But, I will reward your loyalty. I am to recommend you to the family as a new official member come the next gathering." Antonio says.

"That would be an honor, Don Antonio. You have my gratitude." Giovanni says with a sincere smile.]]]

"Phew…"

"That went better than I expected." The jury members sigh in relief.

"He must be ecstatic…" Eleanor says. 

[[[The night that Giovanni has been waiting for finally arrives. 

"It's time, kid." A skinny Orsini official member picks up Giovanni at their pre-arranged meeting place.

"Let me just say my early congratulations." Another official member, a man very large in frame, congratulates Giovanni for the incoming initiation ceremony to finally become their soon to be fellow made-man.

"Hop in the vehicle. Let's go." Giovanni is then escorted by the two official members to the place for his initiation.]]]

"I don't like this." Kenneth comments suddenly.

"Why?" Eleanor asks, curious.

"It's too… quiet. The two members are too quiet." Kenneth says.

"The drive too. It's too long, and they're out in the middle of nowhere." Yuji comments.

The two jury members' words made the rest flip their excitement for Giovanni's ascension to the ranks, into anxiety.

"It can't be…" Madhuri says, a dreadful feeling coming over her. 

[[[ "Heh… Hahaha." Giovanni bursts out in laughter as him and the two Orsini made-men step out of the vehicle, in the middle of nowhere, with no one else in sight.

The Orsini made-men also understand that Giovanni already figured out that the initiation was no initiation at all.

"You can only blame your mother for this." The skinny made-man says.

"Is there really no way out of this?" Giovanni asks, and

"…" the two made-men only answer with silence.

"Heh. I've only heard of stories. Treated them as cautionary tales. I thought I did enough to avoid this happening to me." Giovanni says, smiling.

"Sorry, kid. I like you, but it's over." The large made-man says.]]]

"Ugh… Not like this." Maximo shakes his head at Giovanni's plight.

"How many minutes has it been already? I hope this is not the end." Madhuri shakes her head, almost giving up hope.

"I- I can't watch this." Eleanor says.

"Smiling at the face of death…." Yuji is impressed. 

[[[ "It's my last night anyway, so I want the truth. My mother, was it also you two?" Giovanni asks the two.

"It wasn't us. But you're right. You deserve the truth, after all you've done for the family." The large made man says.

"It was the family. It was Don Orsini who ordered it. And he orders your death too." The skinny made man says.

Giovanni can no longer hold his amicable smile at the two and his face expresses realization, and then hurt. ]]]

"I knew it… I f*ckin knew it." Maximo says, expressing the jury's sentiments.

"The fact that he became a criminal to prove himself to Antonio just makes it more heartbreaking." Kenneth says.

Before they can prepare to wallow at Giovanni's impending tragedy…

[[[Giovanni twitches his left sleeve and his trusty small pistol falls to his palms. He then quickly raises the gun towards his executioners.

Before the two made-men can react and draw their weapons *POP* *POP* Giovanni fires two shots.

The bullets hit true and the two men's foreheads now each have a hole in them. The two men *Plop* *Plop* then fall to the ground, unmoving.]]]

"*SSSSSSSSS*" The jury members gasp in unison at the sudden change of the situation. They can only watch on as the movie proceeds.

"Shit… If we didn't know Isaac can fake his actors' death, I'd think they were shot for real." Yuji says, nauseated at the sight of bullet holes on the two made-men's foreheads.

[[[Giovanni takes a few seconds to observe the two fallen men.]]]

"They're still alive." Madhuri says as the screen shows a close-up of the large man's fingers twitch.

[[[Giovanni then walks towards the fallen men and *POP* *POP* shoots them once again, on their heads, for certainty. Everything has gone silent, except for the sounds of the breeze blowing and crickets chirping.]]]

"…" The jury members' blood runs cold at the act, but they cannot complain either.

[[[Giovanni soon returns to Queens a few hours later to find Orsini men everywhere looking for him. The two made-men, not returning to report to Antonio prompted the Don to spread out his men.

"There's Giovanni!" A thug spots Giovanni and a chase starts.]]]

"Go! Go!"

"Oh my god! Get out!" The jury members are now in tension watching Giovanni evade and exchange fire with his pursuers. It is not until Giovanni loses his final pursuer that the jury sigh in relief.

"He made it…" Eleanor, who has had her hand on her mouth, finally exhales in relief.

[[[Giovanni is now safe in a random house, and is writing a letter.

"My friends, I am leaving New York. Antonio Orsini, my biological father has decided to betray my trust and tried to take my life. I am hoping that he will not come after you too…"

"…One day, when I am ready, or if I am even alive then, I will come back for you."… 

Giovanni has taken the government's call to arms in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor a chance to get away for a fresh start.

"Until then, farewell." ]]]

*SIGH* The jury members let out their breaths as the credits roll.

"…" Unlike the previous films which they immediately had opinions of, 'Gold, Blood, and the Deer' has made them speechless, the story lingering in their minds.

"huh... I wish there was more." Eleanor says after gathering her emotions.

"He had to have lived after the war, right?" Madhuri can only hope.

"Let's just say he did for our peace of mind." Maximo shakes his head.

"So. What does everyone think about the movie?" Eleanor gathers the jury members' opinions.

"Better than his debut film, for sure." Yuji says.

"… I agree with Yuji. Not only better. It's much, much better. I can't believe it." Kenneth says.

"I thought his style was just a novelty, but... this..." Yuji is not able to complete his sentence out of being humbled.

"The period of the film too. I feel like I've been transported back in time. The way they talk, their accent. It's incredible." Maximo says.

The four's comments initiate a discussion among the jury. The discussion cannot continue however because of Madhuri suddenly says something that silences the room.

"Do we really have to watch the other submissions? I mean, I think we've got a winner for many of the awards already…" 

The jury members then look at the festival assistants in the room.

"…" The assistants can only look at the jury as if they are kidding. The one who is operating the equipment even shakes his head helplessly as a response. 

"We have to watch the rest. There's still hundreds to go through and there might be a better one than this." Eleanor can only say, with herself and her fellow jury members not believing her words at all.