Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) (21 page)

Lissette tears back the paper and shakes the
lid off of the box. Their faces light up when they see the
contents. “Katia! This is perfect!” Lissette coos. She holds up the
frame so that she and Aldo can both take a better look. I’ve placed
a photo of me sitting by the lake back home in the frame. The photo
was taken almost a year before I met Aldo, back when things were
still good.

“This is the best gift you could have given
us, Katia.” Aldo’s voice is full of emotion. I breathe a sigh of
relief. An enormous weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

Aldo wraps the frame up in tissue paper and
places it lovingly back in the box. “I don’t know about you two,
but I’m famished. All this excitement is catching up with me. What
do you say we make our way to the dining hall for
refreshments?”

“That would be lovely,” Lissette chimes in.
“Perhaps we’ll get to meet some of Katia’s professors!”

Hell’s bells! I hope we don’t run into
Professor Lynch. I’ve apologized, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t
mention my little incident to Aldo. I can only hope to run
interference and keep them apart for the next couple of days.

The dining hall is bustling when we arrive.
Most of the students and faculty have returned for tomorrow’s big
event, and, like me, many have their families with them this
evening. The staff is rushing around hurriedly and is actually
serving the tables tonight. While buffet style may be good enough
for the student body, it’s apparent our elders warrant finer
treatment.

I’m disappointed as I realize we will not
have the luxury of privacy. We’ll be forced to sit with others at
the large banquet tables. Not that I would have asked Aldo the
questions that have been weighing on my mind in such an open forum,
but it still would have been nice to have them all to myself for
the night.

Oh, well. There’s always tomorrow.

New
Year’s Eve dawns with a light snow that coats the campus and
refreshes everything it touches, including my attitude. I’m looking
forward to spending the day with Lissette, even though it means
letting her drag me to a salon where we’ll be getting our nails and
hair done. It also means I won’t be seeing Aldo until tonight. I
know that he’ll be meeting with some of the other Council members
to talk business before this evening’s gala.

Lissette has coerced Pratt into suspending my
punishment for the day, even though I still have another week of
work detail left. I didn’t want to tell her about my punishment,
but I had no choice when she insisted on treating me to a day at
the spa. At least she promised not to tell Aldo.

She picks me up in the limo just before
eleven, and we make the short trip to Rutland. I decide that riding
in a limo is overrated. It’s my first time, but I’d much rather be
the one doing the driving. The car service is more apt to follow
the speed limit than I would ever be. I share this sentiment with
Lissette which makes her laugh. Her laughter is music to my ears.
Her mood is always light and worry-free. Perhaps this is because
Aldo provides her a life of luxury, preventing real problems from
ever truly touching her.

“Always in a rush, Katia. Sometimes it’s good
to just slow down and enjoy the view. You have no need to hurry.
You have all the time in the world.”

She may be right, but I just don’t have it in
me. I’ve been in a hurry for as long as I can remember. Patience
will never be one of my better qualities; I always want to get
right to the end result.

The limo drops us off in front of the salon,
and we’re whisked inside by an attentive staff. Money talks and
Lissette plans to drop a small fortune on our treatments today.
She’s lined us both up for the works. I try not to cringe as the
eager salon workers begin to poke and prod. I have never liked
being touched by strangers, but I’ll grin and bear it today to make
Lissette happy. I’m here to spend time with her, and I don’t want
her to think that I’m uncomfortable. It would only ruin her
enjoyment.

“So, tell me about your friends,” she prods,
as we sit with our feet soaking in the foot tub. This is my first
ever pedicure, and I’m a little distrustful of the gelatinous
purple goo that is forming over my feet. Lissette assures me that
it’s good for the skin. Human skin maybe, but vampire? I seriously
doubt it. I suspect she requested this gunk just to see how I’d
react.

“Please?” she begs. Lissette is a social
butterfly. She’s not going to understand the fact that I only have
one friend, but I’d rather not lie to her, so I tell her about
Shaye.

“I’ve been really busy with school, so I
haven’t made a lot of close friends. But, there is one girl I’d
like you to meet tonight, though. Shaye Walker. Her family lives
here in the U.S. They’re from Colorado,” I elaborate, as if she
cares where Shaye’s family lives. “Shaye’s been a really good
friend to me. We have the same sense of humor, and she puts up with
my moodiness, so it’s a match made in heaven.”

“She’s the one that gave you the Christmas
tree, right?”

“Yeah. She really has a big heart, which is
why it’s so damn unfair that she’s sick. It’s not exactly public
knowledge, but Shaye has the sete de sange.”

“That’s terrible!” Lissette gasps. “I hate to
see one so young fall ill.”

“She’s a fighter. Some days she’s as healthy
as you and I, but other days, not so much,” I tell her
matter-of-factly, trying not to dwell on the bad days. “Shaye
hasn’t given up though. Her spirits are good, and she has a lot of
confidence in the researchers at Dwyer, so I wouldn’t count her out
yet.”

“Good for her.” Lissette nods her head in
approval. “Perhaps that is why you two are so close. Kindred
spirits.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” To imply that Shaye
and I are too much alike does her a disservice. “Shaye has strength
of character I could only dream of,” I say defensively.

“Well, I look forward to meeting her then.”
Lissette browses through the rolling rack of nail polishes that
rests between us. She idly picks up bottles and returns them to the
cart. Eventually she finds one she likes and holds it up for my
approval. It’s a deep shade of crimson. “What do you think?”

“For you? Perfect.” I know her dress is black
because she told me about it on the way over. The red will
compliment it nicely. She continues fiddling with the tray.

“Any boys I should know about?”

She tries to keep her tone casual, but I can
tell she’s excited by the prospect. She’s hoping that I’ve been
holding out and that there is someone in my life. I smile, knowing
she’ll be disappointed by my reply. It hasn’t changed since the
first time she asked. “No one special.”

She plucks a bottle of dark green polish from
the tray and hands it to me. She doesn’t bother to ask if I like
it. She knows I don’t really care and will wear whatever she picks
for me. Her fashion sense is a million times better than my own.
“Thanks.”

“Come on, Katia. There has to be someone?
You’re a beautiful girl.”

I laugh and pat her hand. “Sorry to
disappoint you, Lissette. But who knows?” I tease. “Tonight could
change everything.”

**********

I feel vain even thinking this way, but I
can’t help it. I look good. Really good. I can’t stop staring at
myself in the mirror. It doesn’t even feel like me. It’s kind of
like staring at the reflection of a stranger. I hope Lissette gave
the women at the salon a big tip, because what they’ve done is pure
magic.

I twirl in front of the mirror so that I can
admire my image from all angles and then admonish myself quickly
for being so shallow. There was a time when I enjoyed getting all
dressed up like this, but that was before. I was a silly girl then.
Besides, tonight is not about me per se. It’s about making sure
that Aldo’s niece is socially acceptable. Both Aldo and Lissette
have expressed confidence that I’ll be able to pull this off. I
only wish I was as sure.

I steal another peek from the mirror and
decide that I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be. The emerald dress
fits like a dream. It wouldn’t fit better if it had been made for
me. I run my hands over the supple fabric and smile. It’s perfect.
Although my shoulders feel bare with my hair pinned up, I know this
was the right choice. The overall look is sophisticated. Besides,
it’s not like I have to worry about getting cold.

I rub the bloodstone pendant that hangs from
my neck and pull together my courage. I need to be confidant and
charming this evening. “Just be what everyone expects you to be,” I
tell the face in the mirror.

“Easier said than done,” she replies
smartly.

I meet up with Aldo and Lissette in the main
hallway. They both look stunning, as any member of the Elders
Council should, I suppose. Aldo is dressed in a simple black tux,
and Lissette stands proudly beside him in a svelte black gown that
hugs her curvy body in all the right places. Her blonde hair is
twisted up in an elegant chignon, showcasing her swanlike neck and
the rather icy jewelry that compliments her gown. I try not to
think about the total carat weight of the diamonds she’s wearing,
reasoning that the value is probably beyond my comprehension.

I kiss each of them on the cheek, relief
flooding through my veins. I was worried I’d have to enter the ball
unaccompanied. After Halloween, I’m not sure what to expect, and I
don’t want to face it alone if I don’t have to. I fall in step with
Aldo and Lissette. We are asked to wait at the doors of the dining
hall, and I’m mortified to realize that our arrival must be
announced due to Aldo’s position.

“Why didn’t you prepare me for this?” I
whisper through gritted teeth.

“We didn’t want you to worry about it,”
Lissette whispers back. “Just smile. It’s no big deal, and it will
be over quickly.”

Easy for her to say. She’s used to walking in
heels and being on display. I, on the other hand, am more likely to
fall flat on my face than to pull this off in a dignified manner. I
say a silent curse and square my shoulders. No turning back
now.

The doors are thrown open, and we are
introduced to the seated guests. We are the last to arrive by
design.

“I present to you Chairman of the Consiliul
de Batrani Aldo Lescinka and his beautiful wife Lissette Lescinka.
They are joined this evening by their great niece, Katia Lescinka,
who is a first year student at Crossroads Academy.”

The room erupts in applause, and several of
the guests stand up to show their respect and adoration. Aldo and
Lissette each give a small but gracious wave. The host deftly
guides us to our table, and it’s all I can do to follow. I stare
straight ahead focusing on the back of Lissette’s head so that I
don’t succumb to the panic that is building in my chest. I know
there are hundreds of eyes on us right now. I don’t dare look
around for fear of losing my cool. It’s bad enough there’s a warm
flush rising in my cheeks.

The host pulls out my seat, and I slide into
it as gracefully as I can manage, a smile frozen on my face. Aldo
squeezes my hand under the table, and I begin to relax. The
applause dies down and normal conversation resumes. The room is
buzzing with chatter. I steal a fleeting glance at our
surroundings. The dining hall has once again been transformed. This
time it’s become a lavish ballroom.

Each of the tables is covered with a sparkly
white table cloth that glistens like fresh powdered snow. The
chairs are adorned with matching covers, and each is wrapped with a
silver bow. The tables are laden with fine china and large crystal
goblets that won’t require constant replenishment as the evening
wears on. In the center of each table is an elegant flower
arrangement that stands over three feet high, overflowing with
ivory blooms and silver accents. The base of each arrangement burns
brightly with pillar candles, which contribute to the feeling of
intimacy at the table.

I’m in awe as I take in my surroundings. The
staff has really outdone themselves. The walls of the dining hall
are lined with stark white trees that twinkle with decorative
lights in the dim ballroom. The white lights are also draped from
the center of the ceiling, creating the feel of an evening under
the stars over the dance floor. It’s a very romantic setting.

“Katia?”

“Yes?” I realize Aldo is waiting for an
answer, but as usual I was lost in thought and didn’t hear the
question. “I’m sorry. I was just admiring our beautiful
surroundings. The staff has done a wonderful job,” I reply
contritely.

“No need to apologize. I was just going to do
introductions,” he tells me warmly. “I don’t believe you’ve had the
pleasure of meeting our dinner companions.”

“Thank you,” I reply scanning the table, a
fake smile still plastered to my face. It’s a good thing too. I
can’t believe my eyes when I see that Nik and his family are seated
with us. I had assumed that we’d be with another Council member or
perhaps some inane celebrity. Is it too much to ask to catch a
break once in a while? There are hundreds of vampires here. What
are the odds we’d be stuck at the same table? Talk about
awkward!

“I believe you know Anya and Nikolai. These
are their parents Grigori and Svetlana Petrov. Grigori is one of
the Councils’ leading advisors within Russia. And this lovely gem
to his left is Mimi Tanner. Mimi is a very gifted dancer and is
currently a principal in the New York City Ballet,” Aldo continues.
“Last, but certainly not least, Michael and Blair DeVanie. Michael
represents the New York coven.”

“Lovely to meet you all,” I say politely,
stirring up a round of expected pleasantries. I’m saved from saying
any more as a server comes by with a pitcher of blood and fills our
glasses. I drink thirstily from mine hoping to sate my
appetite.