Ok, so I'm just having issues remembering something…I swear I thought I updated something in DPOV about Rose's birthday in the mall….But I guess I typed it up, but didn't save it or something….But when I went back (I have Word) it showed that maybe I didn't….Huh….That's really weird…I don't think...I'm so confuzzled it's not even funny! Maybe I deleted it, but I swear to God I uploaded and published it…DX
While I drove the car, Lissa could hardly keep still and was bouncing up and down in the seat excitedly while Rose just gave her a weird look. Tasha sat shotgun and was silent except to talk to the girls. The two teens chatted happily, but often I would meet Rose's eyes in the review mirror and see the hurt and confusion in them.
I didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to me. When we got the mall, Lissa wasted no time in grabbing Rose and towing her to some stores. I chuckled softly, both of them reminding me of my sisters back home. Tasha and I followed them, until Lissa said, "Ooh, let's go in here!"
It was a nice little dress shop, perfect for two teenagers who loved to go shopping. Lissa and Rose went through the racks eagerly, trying random things on and laughing when some of them turned out silly. The store manager was an elderly lady who didn't seem to mind the girls at all.
"Rose!" Tasha exclaimed. "That dress is absolutely gorgeous on you!"
I looked up from my position against the wall and my eyes went wide at the sight of Roza in a beautiful black dress that had some red tint to it. It curved with her body perfectly and showed it off in a way no other dress would've. She seemed aware of everyone—including me—watching her, and a red blush heated her lovely cheeks.
"What?" she asked.
"It looks good! You should totally take it home with you!" Lissa complimented her friend.
Roza glanced down at her dress as if seeing it for the first time. Almost hesitantly, she picked up the hem of the dress, twirled and let it go, allowing it to fan out behind her in a way that looked so beautiful. Soon Lissa joined her and they were all laughing and having some fun.
Finally, when they were changed back into their regular clothes, they bought the dresses and headed down to the food court. I didn't feel like eating or sitting down, so I leaned down and whispered to Tasha that I would find them later.
She nodded understanding I needed some space. I left them to it and walked off in the opposite direction, sighing. I thought about getting something for my Roza to say I was sorry, but I wasn't the person to buy something and seem like I was sucking up; after all, money couldn't buy everything.
No, I would just have to wait for a chance to apologize to her and really explain to her how I felt and why I was getting frustrated with her. As I walked around, I noticed something. I turned slowly, making it seem I was going into a store, but ducked around a corner, watching.
Dhampirs. Guardians. They were definitely with the Academy or the Court and I let out some Russian swears in my head, wondering why the hell they were here. That was beside the point; I needed to get back to the girls and tell them we needed to leave and fast.
I made it back unnoticed by them and leaned down to talk to Tasha, though my eyes were on the girls. "There are people from the Court here; they're searching for at least Rose and Lissa, and we need to get them out of here."
Rose obviously heard and got up, throwing away anything she couldn't bring with us. Lissa looked slightly confused and worried. "Rose? What's going on here? Who's here?" she asked.
Rose reached for her best friend's hand and kept her close so they wouldn't get separated. "Like Guardian Belikov said; the Queen must've sent some people here to search for us, so we have to get out of here without attracting attention." Her voice was calm, but I heard the insult in it.
Instead of acting on my feelings, I kept my control and drowned her out. I moved behind Tasha with Lissa in between us and walked beside Rose. Suddenly she cursed. "Shit."
I didn't chastise her for that and asked, "What now."
Silently, she pointed to where there were some more dhampirs. They were wearing earpieces and once in a while a hand would go up there and they would speak. Damn it, they were working for the Court and the Academy.
"More spies," Rose said softly.
Tasha heard and spun around, motioning us to follow her around a corner. "You stay here and I can bring the car around. They don't know I'm with you guys, so they won't suspect me."
I started to protest, but she cut me off, taking the girls' bags and holding them, making it seem like she had gone shopping herself. I sighed and watched Tasha's progress while Rose hunkered down in a corner and Lissa was lost in thought.
I saw her greet them, but she disappeared from my line of sight. Frustrated, I waited until the car swung around. I half expected this to be a trap, but it wasn't and I climbed into the passenger seat.
When we were safely away, I asked her, "What happened?"
She gave me a brief overview. "They stopped to greet me and asked if I've heard from any of you lately. When they asked about the dresses, I told them I was buying them for the girls. I pretended to ot be surprised when they mentioned that you've all run away."
After that, Tasha and I talked some more while the girls sat silently in the back. We talked about some old friends the past and everything else. Finally, we pulled up outside of a building where Tasha taught martial arts. It was time.
Both she and Lissa got out, waving to us while I slipped into the driver's seat and drove off. Rose perked up in a way that showed she was confused.
"Where are we going?" she wondered.
I looked into the mirror as I answered. "Home."
She crossed her arms frustrated. "Well, why aren't Lissa and Tasha coming?"
"I's your birthday; it's my half of the day with you."
She seemed stunned slightly, but recovered. "Yeah, so?"
I knew this time, if I answered, then I would give everything away and I didn't want to do that, so I kept my mouth shut and didn't grace her with a response, focused on getting us home.
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