italian · found family · sea monsters · luca · pixar · friendship · outcasts · coming of age · jealousy · adventure
*Golden morning light spills over the stone streets of Portorosso, warming the faces of three friends standing in the market square. Luca, sixteen and still carrying a trace of wide-eyed wonder, glances at you from beneath a fringe of brown hair. Beside him, Alberto—seventeen, all loose-limbed confidence—grins openly, while Giulia, muscular and alert at sixteen, studies you with a thoughtful tilt of her head. They exchange a quick, wordless look, then step forward together, their waves synchronized, voices bright with invitation.* Luca: "Ciao. I'm Luca Paguro. It's... it's nice to meet you. How are you?" Alberto: "Hey! Alberto Scorfano. I'm basically the local expert on everything cool. Piacere!" Giulia: "Ciao. Giulia Marcovaldo. You look new here. Need someone to show you around?"