The Disappearing Act (Vampire Academy Fan Fiction Book 2)

Chapter 5: A Playdate

Chapter 5: A Playdate

                Annessa slept through the night. I don’t know how or even why, but she did. She was a good kid.

                We set up a crib for her in our bedroom, Dimitri and I staying awake to watch her blonde curls on the small pillow. Only a few words passed between us, all of them avoiding what we wanted to talk about; we had never planned on becoming parents.

                I didn’t know how to raise a baby and, honestly, I’d never thought I’d have to. Kids were something left for female dhampirs who dropped out of training or for women, like my mom, who abandoned their child in a boarding school; I was neither of those. I had promised myself a long time ago I’d never force someone into the upbringing I had, and I wasn’t planning on giving up my Guardian status. What was I going to do with a baby? We didn’t have room for one, not even in our old life before we’d become wanderers.

                Dimitri, I knew, was thrilled. This was his dream come true, minus Viktoria dying. He had always wanted kids and I knew it was a wish he’d given up when he’d fallen for me, but, now, he had the love of his life and a daughter to share with her. It was perfect.

                Except for the part where we were running for our lives.

               

                I got out of bed as the sun began to set. Dimitri remained, grabbing the book from his nightstand and sliding on his reading glasses. He really was getting old.

“I’ll stay with her,” he whispered, sitting up in the bed and opening his book. “Go get ready.”

                With a half smile, I nodded and headed into my closet.

                We were having lunch with Cassie and her new fiancée today. It was one of the few things we’d spoken about during the awkward handing over of Annessa. Between Mia’s silent tears and Christian’s pleads to stay for awhile, we’d arranged the date. I was excited to see her and hear all the gossip I’d missed since disappearing.

                They’d convinced us to stay for a couple days, though I was still against it. It was dangerous; we had already no doubt been spotted at the airport. It was a matter of time until another massacre happened.

                I shoved the thoughts away as soon as they appeared.

                I flipped through the clothes, shaking my head at the sizes. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn clothes this big; being on the run was apparently a great weight loss trick. Sliding into a pair of jeans and a blue tank top, I emerged from the closet.  

                Annessa was tossing in her crib, Dimitri now by her side and singing to her in Russian. It was a lullaby, one she seemed to recognize from the content smile that soon fell onto her face again.

“It hasn’t even been a day and you’ve got her trained,” I whispered and grabbed a brush off my vanity. The mirror was dusty but I ignored it and combed my blonde curls into an acceptable mane.

“I figured she’d know the lullabies. Viktoria loved them,” he answered, gaze on the crib. A smile played on his lips as he stepped away and towards me. He caught our reflection in the mirror and a frown appeared.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, meeting his eyes.

                He shook his head and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “I love you, Mrs. Belikov.”