Arancino

• Nickname: Arancino
• Real Name: Hidden (for now)
• Year of birth: 1875
• Age (in 1880): 5
• Species: mixed breed Abyssinian cat.

Arancino is the childhood nickname of the character that readers will later know as William. The nickname Arancino* translates to "little orange," but it is most famous as a delicious saffron rice croquette. This traditional treat is breaded and deep-fried, typically filled with meat ragù and peas, or prepared "al burro" (with ham and mozzarella or béchamel sauce). For a very long time, his real first name will remain a complete secret to the audience, as he chose to use an alias after his escape from the Le Rosey boarding school. This makes his early years in Sicily a special window into the innocent child he once was a true “picciriddu” (which is the authentic Sicilian dialect word for a little boy, making it the perfect and most appropriate term for his story).

Because he was not the firstborn male heir to the family estate, Arancino enjoyed a much more relaxed, coddled, and spoiled upbringing than his older brother. He was truly the beloved mascot of the household. He lived in a blissful, happy bubble, completely ignorant of the painful dynamics of hatred, bitter family gossip, and prejudice that surrounded his family from the outside world.

Arancino absolutely adored his older brother Antonio, looking up to him as his ultimate role model. He retained very few memories of their late father, Franco, largely because the family did everything they could to shelter and distract him from the tragedy, but also because he was simply a very naive, pure child who lived entirely in the moment.

Unlike Antonio, who always stood on his ground and spoke firmly to their grandfather, Arancino was quite a scary cat. He feared his grandfather Elias just as much as the looming volcano called Mount Etna. In fact, he sometimes secretly called him Grandpa Etna because the old man was always huffing and puffing, and the little kitten knew it was always best to stay quiet and behave so the volcano wouldn't explode.

Blessed with a big appetite, endless curiosity, and a completely blunt honesty, Arancino was incredibly straightforward. At this sweet stage of his childhood, he didn't even know how to tell a lie.

Looking at this innocent, carefree little kitten, one might easily imagine him embarking on a classic hero's journey, perhaps like a little Oliver Twist facing the world. But Arancino's future will head in a far more disastrous direction, and largely by his own doing. As he grows up, the memory of his brother Antonio’s final words will stay with him, but in his confusion and frustration, he will completely misinterpret them, applying them in his own warped way.

Instead of becoming a hero, he will grow into a stubborn, possessive, and deeply anxious character. Shutting his ears to the wise advice of his loving family, he will continuously slide down a path of terrible, misguided choices. Rather than a noble orphan finding his way, his journey will look a lot more like Pinocchio’s (specifically referencing Carlo Collodi's original story, which is vastly different and much darker than the American Disney adaptation...), as he will be consistently led astray by his own flaws and reckless decisions, completely unaware of the wreckage he is about to create in his own life.

Note: The term “arancinu” was officially recorded for the first time in Sicilian-Italian dictionaries right in the middle of the nineteenth century. It appears in Giuseppe Biundi's dictionary from 1857. It was also included in Antonino Traina's famous 1868 dictionary, where it was described precisely as a rice dish made in the shape of an orange.