35I drop the enormously heavy suitcase to the floor, questioning my sanity since I volunteered to carry one of Anoushka's suitcases up the stairs because I couldn't be bothered to use the elevator.
I dump my significantly lighter bag onto one of the two beds in the room and step outside to the empty hall way.
I check my watch and decide to do some exploring; I have 10 minutes till we have to pick up babushka.
I peek around the wall and see a maze of hallways wondering where the people are; they said something about getting conformation for something. I wasn't really listening. I was too occupied worrying about my arms not falling off.
After the third wrong turn I get a sense of how big this place is. Yes, I know it's part of the palace since both Rose and Dimitri being the head of the Queen's and Prince's guardians, they kind off reside in it. Meaning the rooms we got given were massive and about three times the space of the dorms back at St Vlad's.
"Hello little dhampir," a voice behind me says making me jump out of my skin and snap my head back into the direction of the person.
"Hello," I reply coolly even though I know I've just been caught like a rabbit in the headlamps.
"Are you Belikov's other daughter?" the person asks and his sharp green eyes unnerving me.
"Yep. Other daughter." I reinforce the point "Lord Ishkavov." I add.
He is about to start speaking when Kat runs into the hallway. "I've been looking for you! Come on, we have to go!" She runs off making me leave in a hurry, looking like I regret it and run after her.
When I finally get to the entrance Ivan looks bored, Rose looks worried and Nickolas is in a deep conversation with Lucas, probably thinking of what other mischief they can get up to.
"Okay, let's go," I announce my presence.
"Finally, I almost died of boredom. Where on earth were you? Mount Everest?" Ivan says smirking.
"No, I got lost, but I wish I was. If you were there, I would have climbed the pushed you off it." I stick out my tongue and storm to the exit.
I hate fate, I really do. I mean what kind out sick person would sit me next to Ivan on a 2 hour car journey?
I don't mind sitting next to Kat or Nickolas its way better than sitting next to Ivan. I mean the risk of us killing each other and sending the car off the road is off the charts.
To reduce the chances of this happening, I put my earphones in and listen to music. This unfortunately only lasts for an hour due to my common sense of not charging it up before we left.
"Out of battery," Ivan points out.
"No shit, Sherlock," I say closing my eyes hoping in particular that he will get the message but apparently he is so stupid that he doesn't.
"Trying to get some sleep from your dealings at night, I'm guessing," Ivan says cockily and it takes all my resistance not to punch him in the face since I think it will be not the best way to stay on good terms with Babushka if I punch her eldest grandson in the face. Also that might send the car off the road. And everyone else doesn't deserve to, only Ivan does, of course.
I turn my back towards him and block out the rest of his irritating comments.
"I don't understand. Why didn't they take the jet to the court? It'd be so much easier," Ivan complains as we are sitting in the arrivals hall waiting.
"I don't know why you don't figure that out yourself," I pipe in.
"Your comments aren't helpful," Ivan snaps back.
My retort is at the back of my mouth when Kat steps in-between us "Can you guys, call it truce just until Babushka is here? Okay?"
I agree my turning my back fully on Ivan and put all my attention on Kat. "So where were you earlier?"
"Oh singing for a ball," Kat looks surprised.
"Oh, how fun," I say sarcastically. Balls were not my thing, neither were dresses, high heels and bracelets. I would rather face a horde of Strigoi then put them on.
Kat look got even more surprised and Ivan's famous smirk is plastered on his face.
"What?!" I demand "Why are you supri-" it dawned on me "No, no I'm not going."
"Yes you are. There's no backing out," Ivan's voice teased me. This is too much. I spin round and my hand automatically going to my back pocket where my dagger is. I want to make him pay, he doesn't know anything about me, and I think I'll scare him. My hand slips into my pocket, the look on my face must be absolutely murderous because the smirk on his face slips.
I suddenly take out my hand out of my pocke. What was I about to do? I could have killed him. Instead of collapsing and crying. I turn about on strained confusion.
"I can't go; I have no one to go with."
Ivan and Kat give each other knowing looks. "What about James?" she asks casually.
"What!" I splutter. "No. You're both mad, I can't go with him. He hates me."
"No he doesn't. And you were flirting with him," Kat says slyly.
"What? No, I was not flirting with James," I say horrified
"Well it was pretty obvious to anyone who was looking," Ivan adds in, bored. "Really I thought better of you, it was so obvious. Wait, scratch that. It wouldn't be obvious to someone like you."
I roll my eyes at his sarcastic remark. "So who are you going with Kat," I ask smoothly hoping to change the subject.
"Oh, Milo," confused by the subject matter "Why do you ask?"
This perks up Ivan. "Milo, you're going to the ball with Milo!" He gives half a bemused and horrified look. "Milo, that curly haired, browned eyed blonde?"
"Yes, that Milo," Kat says exasperatedly.
"But," Ivan splutters, "you could do so much better. I mean he's had a crush on you for ages, and you never looked his way and now you're going to the ball with him."
"Yes, I thought I would give him a chance," rolling her eyes at her brother she turns and we both burst out laughing.
Ivan glares particularly at me and says in a dignified way. "I was surprised. And your face was worse when we were talking about James."
Before I could release a comment Babushka comes in along with the rest of the family. To say the least, I didn't run screaming into Babushka's arms but I was the first to hug her.
"Babushka," I murmur hugging her even more tightly. Even though it has been seven years, she still looked the same and hugging her brought so many memories.
"Vnuchka," she murmurs back into my hair. This moment would have been perfect if Ivan hadn't piped up.
"She doesn't deserve to hug her," Ivan grumbles and I am about to shoot him a dirty look but Kat gets there before I do.
"Ouch."
"She has the right. That's her Babushka too," Kat hisses.
I turn and hug the rest of the family; some of them I have never seen but they know of me but they recognise Ivan, Kat and Nickolas. This makes me grit my teeth; I'm closer to them than they were.
Vicktoria hugs rose and murmurs something in her ear about Rolan and that she was right.
Squinting my eyes and yawning at the early sunlight. I step out of the car ignoring the massive bit of ice under my feet.
I would have fallen flat on my back if James didn't catch me. "What are you doing s here so late?" I ask, curious.
"Was bored. Nothing to do apart from staying up," James answers casually swinging one of the bags over his shoulder.
"Fine then you can carry luggage," I reply smiling as I chucked a bag at him along with a snowball.
"This means war!" He drops the suitcase and runs after me making me drop my load as well and run off, trying not to crack my head open.
We only stop when Dimitri shouts at us "Stop behaving like children and help out."
Both soaking wet and cold we trudge back to our abandoned load and grudgingly make our way back.
"Oh Dimka," Babushka gasps along with the rest of the family. I can see why they're impressed. Even though their house is adjoined to the main palace, this is still quite grand. Even I am partly shocked.
Even in winter you can tell how well kept the garden is and the definite indication of how large their house is. Well, it used to be the royal apartments but they knocked down walls and made a house with a row of apartments in the bottom.
I would say the best part is the foyer, with its high roofed and chandelier, makes for a grand opening.
I drop my load, trudge to the elevator and punch a button hoping it's the right floor.
"Hey why did you hit floor 6? We're on floor 4," James observes standing next to me.
I shrug. My eyelids feel like lead. The floor looks quite comfy, actually; if we get stuck that's where I'm sleeping.
James laughs, I guess I spoke out loud or he can read minds. When we finally get to the floor, I drag myself out the door and reach into my pockets desperately trying to find the key to my room.
"Hey, is this yours?" James asks holding up my key and the dagger.
My eyes widen and my hand goes to my pocket and clutch round the piece of folded paper relived that it's there but the cold silver of the dagger is missing.
"Yeah," I reply trying to keep my voice steady, "I was looking for those." I put on forced smile "Thanks."
I walk and take both items away from him, "Night," I say and turn round.
"Charmed silver that," James observes. "Useful".
Just before I slip in to my room James calls out "Where did you get it?"
"Family," I reply briskly before shutting the door behind me crawling into bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.
The first thing I wake up to is a high ceiling; sitting up with the lights fully on I can really appreciate how big the room is, it is massive. I mean we have our own TV and an enormous on suite bathroom.
"Apparently this is the small one," Anoushka says standing in the door way. "Kat's and Emma's is bigger."
"No wonder Kat has all the room for her clothes," I muse.
"Come on, get dressed and meet us downstairs, if you want to go on an architectural tour of the courts."
I make a face. "No thanks, I'd rather spend the day trapped in a locked room with James than that."
Anoushka raises her eyebrows "What!" I exclaim "He's not that bad."
"Just get dressed." She sighs and leaves me to puzzle out what I did.
Within five minutes I dress myself, eat some cold French pastries and down stairs. We are greeted by a blond, curly-haired, brown-eyed boy who matches the perfect description of Milo.
"Hey," he says almost too cheerful for the lack of sleep I got.
"Hey." I stifle a yawn. "So what are we doing this morning?"
"I don't know. How about shopping?" Kat's voice makes half of us groan (including me).
"Okay." The way Milo is staring at Kat almost makes him pitiful, poor guy.
"Can't we spar or something?" I suggest hoping the male population in our group will overwhelm the horrible idea of shopping.
"No," Kat's voice was indignant. "We have to find dresses, including you Lenya."
I face plant. "God, don't remind me of that."
"You're going to the ball?" James asks curiously.
"Yes, well more like being dragged kicking and screaming into it, but yes I'm going."
"And that's why you're coming with me." Kat takes my arm. "You guys don't have to come with us," she calls out to Ivan, James, Chris and Milo.
After about the fifth shop, I snap.
"I don't understand," I complain.
"Understand what?" Kat asks putting down the bottle of nail polish she was holding.
"Why you bother. I mean were trained to be guardians. There's no point in looking pretty."
Kat sighs look at my hands, not bothering to do I look at hers. Perfectly manicured and moisturised almost a Mori's hands but they have the same calluses as mine.
"You just have to look after yourself; it's not all about looking pretty." She chucks me some hand cream, "It's about being able to get up and do the job properly and if you can't punch hard enough due to the cracks in your hands, you've failed."
I flinch due to her words and the stinging in my hands where I've rubbed the hand cream into the cracks.
After a full day off just milling around, I go back to the apartments exhausted.
"Had a fun day?" Chris calls out to me from the comfy chairs in the foyer.
"Don't push it," I warn, "I can still take you guys out."
I collapse into a chair next to James and consider the chances of falling asleep when Babushka comes in.
"Oh, the court is such a beautiful place," she exclaims "It feels like Russia, but Russia is better."
I smile a bit, but that is wiped off my face when the rest of the family comes in. There are hugs and kisses again but know I feel like a stranger…not part of them.
Half way through this James asks not so subtly, "When did you get the dagger?"
Silence. I think for words "Got when I was young."
"What dagger Vnuchka dear?" Babushka asks worry lining her face.
"Oh, it came with the letter," I lie.
"Where is it? I'm quite an expert on daggers myself," Ibrahim asks.
"Oh," I fake confusion. "I must have left it in my bedroom"
I feel terrible for lying to them; how can I complete the deed? I would be destroying so much. Something in me calls me selfish to disobey my mother's last wish but wouldn't it be more selfish to kill so much love? A burning in my head starts to become apparent.
"Ouch," I mutter.
"Are you alright?" Rose asks worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I wave it off. "It's just a bit off a headache, I think,. I'll go for a light down." Trying not to fall over I walk calmly over to the lift and go upstairs
.
The headache subsides quickly except it didn't feel like a normal headache
It felt like fire.