𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ▸ After Spokane Rose is perilously close to breaking. Discovered in her bed, Dimitri is forced to leave the Academy. Let down by almost everyone she knows and cares for, pulled between duty and love...
Abe was sitting on Viktoria's bed looking surprisingly at ease as Rose and Vika were packing almost everything she owned into a suitcase. He'd come upstairs to discuss travel arrangements with Rose and stayed to chat as the girls packed. Viktoria was vacillating between overwhelming excitement and tearful nostalgia as she collected her meager possessions.
"God, I hope people don't laugh at my clothing. I'm going to be so unfashionable compared to all the other girls there," Vika moaned.
Rose hated to agree with her, so she instead she said "Don't worry about it. There are only two other girls and me in the senior Novice class – there's not a lot of competition!" She intentionally didn't mention the Moroi girls who mostly had the means and desire to dress well.
"Not to worry. I thought you girls might like to do a day's shopping in New York – my treat? Guardian Hughes is coming on this trip, and she assures me she knows all the best places for young women to shop in the big apple," Abe tempted. Rose and Vika both threw themselves at him, hugging him enthusiastically.
"Just don't tell Dimka," Vika warned. "If he thinks there's any chance of me enjoying myself, he'll be sure to put a stop to it."
"Don't worry, I'll work on him. So have you told Eddie you're coming to St. Vlad's?" Rose teased.
"No," Vika blushed. "We're not together, but he does email me every second or third day..."
"Don't tell him," Rose suggested, grinning wickedly. "It will be a surprise when you turn up to classes on Monday after spring break! He won't know what hit him!"
Vika giggled. "Ok – but I'm not expecting we'll get together. We've only known each other for a few days, really. But I am looking forward to seeing him."
"I know it's exciting, but are you sure this is what you want," Rose asked, feeling she needed to ask the question no one else had. "If you want to stay at St. Basil's I'm sure Dimitri can organize extra training for you."
"No – this has always been my dream. I begged Dimitri to take me with him when he started at St. Vladimir's, but he wasn't sure how long he was going to stay. Then when Karolina got pregnant with Zoya and stopped working, and then Sonya got pregnant and went part-time at work, well money got even tighter so we couldn't afford it even had he agreed."
"Well it's smaller than St. Basil's," Rose warned, "so I hope you're not expecting too much. But I think you're going to enjoy it there. It's certainly going to be warmer."
"It's going to be amazing, I can tell," Vika enthused. "I can't believe I'll be starting at my new school with my sister!"
Rose smiled with excitement, touched to hear Vika referring to her that way. She couldn't believe that somehow in one trip she'd appropriated one Mama, a Babushka, three sisters, one brother-in-law, a niece, a nephew as well as meeting her father. For someone who'd flown solo, or almost solo, for so many years it was an adjustment.
"I can't wait for you to meet Lissa – you're going to love her," Rose said to Vika, thinking of the other person she thought of like a sister. "She's taller like you, and you have a similar body shape – I can just see the two of you sharing clothes!"
"Do you think she'll like me?" Vika asked nervously.
"She'll love you," Rose promised. "Lissa loves everyone!"
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