Chapter 40 - Easter begins

Present day - April

Rose POV

Soft, soft fabric against my skin. My mind hummed with pleasure and I stretched out in the lavish bed. Unhurriedly I opened my eyes and started taking in the surroundings, which mostly consisted of darkness instead of crispy white bedding and white, sheer curtains.

It was early, or perhaps even in the middle of the night. I didn't know what had woken me up, but for some reason I was clear in my head and felt it was impossible to fall back asleep. For a few, blissful moments I laid there without a care in the world before I remembered that the princess was coming.

I hadn't made the beds.

Knowing that I occupied the best room in the house, I knew I had to work twice as hard to welcome her to her home. Yesterday, despite cleaning the house with Spiridon's help, I had completely forgotten to change the bedsheets in her room as well as the guardian quarters. I wasn't actually sure where the princess' guardians would sleep, but since all the bedrooms were taken I assumed that they would sleep there. Unless one of them would sleep on the pull-out couch in the library.

I started to get anxious thinking about the logistics of them staying here the entire weekend, as well as the social aspect of it all. I knew that the other male guardian would come too and I didn't know how I could avoid him to the extent I wanted. I knew I didn't want to be close to him, or even in the same room alone with him.

I got out of bed and before the anxiety really started settling in I spotted the roses on the drawer. With everything in me I focused on them, counting them and thinking about the man who gave them to me, and slowly everything became clear again and I was able to settle the negative emotions. I walked over to the drawer and let my fingers gently caress the petals, cherishing the feeling of the silky flowers on my fingertips.

I didn't want to wake up Dimitri and ask him where the guardians would sleep, and waking up Spiridon was definitely out of the question. I decided I could start with the princess' room and make sure it's perfect, and by the time I was finished there perhaps one of them would be awake.

I put on the thickest socks I had, but decided not to change clothes. The ones I had slept in would do.

It was easy to find the bed linens, and I carefully compared two of the best ones to find which ones seemed the softest and most luxurious. In the end I opted for the white ones with silky stripes instead of the pale greens.

Her room was between Spiridon and Dimitri, so with featherlight steps I walked over to the door and held my breath as I lowered the handle. I did the same when I closed the door behind me, which ended up with me gasping for air for holding my breath for so long. I felt silly, but knew that Dimitri slept lightly and I didn't want to risk waking him up. After a few steadying breaths I got to work, opting not to turn on the light in the room since I was fairly sure that it would light up outside the window and be visible to the other bedrooms. I could see well enough in the darkness anyways.

I finished with the bed and decided I would come back in the morning and make sure I smoothed out every last crease. It was still dark outside, only now I could see a hint of light creeping in so I guessed it was close to dawn. I still wasn't tired, but felt that there wasn't any point to continue with setting up for the guests without knowing where to do so.

I exited the bedroom with the same carefulness as before, and slowly headed up the creepy stairs. My encounter with Moore had left me uneasy with descending stairs for some weird reason, but even going up the stairs reminded me of unpleasant memories, like hitting my knee hard as I fled the basement beyond terrified.

I ended up in the library with a closed door and just the little side lamp on, skimming the books without a goal in mind. I eventually found one that had a familiar topic.

I laid down on the couch and opened the old book about the twelve royal lines. I wasn't really interested per say, but it felt oddly comforting to delve in something familiar. I decided to look up the Dragomirs and prepare myself. I made it down to Vasilisa's grandfather, Frederick Dragomir, before falling asleep.

The door to the library opened abruptly and I jerked awake.

"Rose."

Dimitri's tone was sharp and made me immediately jump up from the couch, causing the book I had fallen asleep with to clatter on the floor. I stumbled a little bit but before I could face-palm his hand gripped my upper arm and steadied me. He immediately let go.

"Don't go in here again."

His words were sharp as ice, and I noticed that his accent was much more pronounced than usual. I had started to notice a pattern, when he was relaxed his words would flow more fluently, and whenever he was tense he would slightly revert back to his native tongue. I realized with embarrassment that I was probably the only one creepy enough to pay so much attention to him to realize this habit of his.

I started to stammer an apology, not even sure why I was apologizing, but he simply gave me a leveled look and turned around. I had barely taken a deep breath before he was out of the room. His eyes had been cold and underneath the surface I was sure that there was anger.

What the hell was his problem? Now that the initial shock of waking up so abruptly and then facing a cold, angry Russian guardian was gone, I felt angry. I hadn't done anything wrong, this library was as much mine to use as his. I was allowed to read these books just as much as he was. It might have been petty, but I lifted the book I had been reading last night and took it with me as I headed towards my room.

That'll teach him to hog the library.

I ignored Spiridon who sat by the kitchen counter and stomped down the stairs, for once too occupied to feel the usual anxiety.

Stupid man.

When I entered my room I saw the flowers he had given me yesterday, and huffed to myself before locking the door behind me. I decided to shower and let the water wash away my foul mood.

Somewhere in the middle of my shower I decided not to dwell on Dimitri, which effectively brought on more dwelling about the princess and her guardians. I hurried to finish my shower as I realized I had no idea what time it was and that I still hadn't finished making all the beds. Not to mention food, in case Dimitri wouldn't do it.

Not sure what the dress code for their visit would be so I decided to put on my jeans and a t-shirt. I didn't bother to dry my hair and let it hang loose, feeling my hair dampen the fabric around my shoulders.

I took a deep breath before I unlocked the door and hoped that I could avoid both men at least for a while. I hadn't eaten breakfast, or lunch if it was that late, but I was still too unnerved to sit down for food. The princess' room looked good, I did the finishing touches and went on to grab more bed linens. With them in my hand I walked over to the guardian quarters with determined steps, ignoring their eyes as I walked past them. I knew I should probably ask them where the new guardians would sleep, but I didn't feel like talking to either one of them. I wasn't sure why I was so irritated at first, but after giving it some thought I realized that Dimitri was being unfair. Guardians had been unfair to me my entire life, so it shouldn't be that disconcerting, but for some reason it bothered me a lot that he was. And seriously, why would it matter to him if I used the library. It's not like we were running out of books all of the sudden, and I doubted he would opt for the one I was reading unless he was particularly interested in Royal Morois.

I heard Dimitri's footsteps as he followed me through the glass corridor, but I didn't turn around. And he didn't say anything. When I got to the small bedroom I immediately got to work, changing the bed sheets on the single bed. He grabbed the rest of them and did the same to the bunk bed, opting for the upper one for easier access to him. We stayed silent for the entire process, not even glancing at each other. At least I managed not to glance at him.

Stupid giant.

I was finished before him and exited the room, leaving him there. Now that I was finished preparing for the guests I decided to grab something to eat. I suspected my foul mood was also partly because I was hungry.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?"

I suppressed a growl, almost sure it would only fuel Spiridon to make fun of me. Either for growling or for asking what the hell that even meant, so I just ignored him. I yanked the yogurt from the fridge door and took out a bowl, pouring some into the bowl. I roamed around the cabinets and found some müsli as well. Lastly I grabbed a spoon and turned around, ready to flee to my room.

Dimitri walked in but he continued downstairs, ignoring Spiridon and I so I decided to eat by the dining table. Spiridon joined me with a glass of juice for me, and I thanked him in a quiet voice.

"So I guess it's more about who got your panties in a bunch."

"My panties are fine, not that it's any of your concern," I said coolly.

"It's a figure of speech, but I'm glad to hear that they are fine. Anywho, what's wrong?"

I huffed into my yogurt, and a quick glance revealed that Spiridon was smirking. I knew he wouldn't let this go. "I just don't understand why he gets to decide that I can't go into the library."

Spiridon looked amused and perplexed, clearly not understanding.

"I was in the library, minding my own business, sleeping, and he just marches in and says that I can't go there again."

"He really said that?"

"Don't go in there again," I said with the best impression of Dimitri's voice I could muster.

"He didn't mean it the way you think."

I huffed again, taking a spoonful of yogurt.

"I can see why there was a misunderstanding, but what he meant was that he doesn't want you to sleep there."

"What does it matter to him? It's not like he needed to use that couch or the library, I simply fell asleep there. I didn't do anything wrong!"

"No, but he managed to work himself up until we found you."

I was too busy chewing the müsli to say anything.

"When we noticed that you weren't in your room we both started searching for you. He just doesn't want you to wander off in the middle of the night, and truth be told neither do I. You scared us both leaving an empty bed behind like that."

This time it wasn't my breakfast that kept me silent. Instead of elaborating, Spiridon got up and headed towards the guardian quarters. I noticed that he was wearing training gear.

I finished eating and placed the bowl and the glass into the dishwasher. When I was heading down the stairs I met Dimitri, and this time there was no escaping him. He was blocking my path, standing two steps lower to me, and I noticed that he was still taller than me.

"Why are you angry at me?" I asked in a quiet voice, hoping I wouldn't have to regret it.

"I'm not angry."

I huffed. That seemed to be my preferred method of communication this morning.

"I was worried."

I studied the fabric of his t-shirt instead of meeting his gaze. "Worried? About me?"

I saw him raise his hand and touch a strand of hair, lifting it. I looked up and saw that he was watching the damp fabric that my wet hair had left behind.

"I worry about you more than you realize," he murmured. He let go of my hair and made room for me to pass.

"I'm sorry."

He gave me a curt nod before he continued upstairs. I looked at him and noticed that he was also wearing workout gear, which ended up with me staring at his naked calves.

I stood on the stairs longer than I wanted to admit, before I decided to see what the men were up to. I also needed to know when the others were coming. A quick glance at the clock in the hallway told me it was just after 10 in the morning.

When I entered the guardian quarters Dimitri was warming up on the rowing machine while Spiridon was pulling himself up on a bar. I didn't even bother trying to hide my interest as I watched the muscles in his arms and upper body work. I turned towards Dimitri who was watching me intently, his breathing steady despite keeping up a fast pace on the machine.

"When are they expected to arrive?"

"Around noon," he answered and if I hadn't been watching him exercise I would never have guessed he was exerting himself. "My earlier offer still stands if you want to join us."

Spiridon plopped down. "What offer?"

"I said that I could show Rose a few things. We could start with some basic strength and conditioning."

"I don't have any workout clothes," I said, trying to figure out if this was something I wanted.

"There are some clothes in the laundry room waiting to be folded, there's a pair of shorts and a t-shirt you could borrow," Dimitri offered.

"Maybe some other time," I mumbled and left the room. I wanted to learn how to defend myself, but right now I felt like it was too much too soon. With the princess coming in a few hours I wanted to focus on that. I headed downstairs to the laundry room and folded the clothes that Dimitri had mentioned. I then went on to place them in their wardrobes and decided to do one final round around the house and ended up in the kitchen.

I wasn't sure if we would have lunch together, so I figured I could bake something that was quick enough. I didn't have enough time to bake anything that needed time to rise, so I decided that scones would have to do. The trick was not to overmix the batter because that made them dry. I took out all the ingredients, but did not start to mix yet. I wanted to time the scones so that they would come fresh out of the oven.

I made the table for six people, and then rummaged through the fridge and cabinets, taking out other things that I could serve. I noticed that there was quite a lot of food already prepared and I guessed that Dimitri had done so for the dinner.

I was planning on serving jam with the scones but when I opened the jar it had mold in it, so I threw it away. I wrote jam on the shopping list that was on the fridge door.

I placed a dozen eggs in a pot, covered them in water and turned on the heat, taking note of the time. I also turned on the oven to preheat. Since we didn't have jam I placed cheese and ham on a plate, cut up some bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes and placed them on another plate. In case my scones wouldn't be good enough for them I also placed some bread in a basket and set it on the table.

I started with the scones and I quickly had a baking tray of them prepared. The eggs were done so I took them off the stove and poured the hot water into the sink and filled the pot with cold water to stop the cooking process.

"Need any help?"

I turned around and saw Dimitri watching me. His eyes flicked over to the table which was already set.

"No, thank you."

"They're here in fifteen minutes or so."

I nodded and placed the tray of scones into the oven. When I straightened myself I jumped a bit after realizing Dimitri was standing right behind me. He drank a glass of water and I watched fascinated as the bump in his throat bobbed. He lowered the glass from his lips and raised an eyebrow at my scrutiny.

I noticed how good he smelled. His forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat, and I could tell his shirt was a bit damp too. It was weird that he smelled so nice after working out, it was as if his natural scent was amplified and I found myself leaning in and taking a deep breath.

The eyebrow went down and he frowned instead, clearly wondering what I was doing.

I turned around and took out juice from the fridge and started preparing the coffee machine. I felt my cheeks heat up and I couldn't believe I had actually smelled Dimitri, doing it in such an obvious way he had had to notice it.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I all of the sudden so fascinated with them, especially him? Why couldn't I stop looking at them, especially him? And now smelling him, next I would probably start touching him too. I stilled, realizing I was already touching him quite a lot.

When I turned around the kitchen was empty, and I felt relieved.

I turned off the oven and took out the tray.

"Smells nice, Rose. Thank you." Dimitri had showered and his hair was damp. "They're pulling up to the drive-way now," he continued. Spiridon was coming up the stairs unusually reserved. I noticed that both were quite tense.

"Now that it's just us, let's agree to keep the details about your sickness to ourselves," Dimitri said. Both Spiridon and I nodded. I barely managed to gather the freshly baked scones into a basket when the front door opened, and guardian Matthews entered. I noticed how she scanned the entire room, pausing briefly to give me a small smile. I wanted to smile back, but my lips felt numb. Behind her I peeked blond hair and then I heard the princess greet Spiridon and Dimitri. She walked into the room as only a Moroi could, like she owned the place, but to her defense she did really own this place. I was about to show my respect to her when she held out her hands.

"No more curtsying and titles, please."

I panicked slightly, trying to recall what the teachers had said but nobody had really prepared me for this. I had never heard of a Royal Moroi being so laid back. I wasn't used to her treating me almost like I was her equal.

"Call me Lissa. And same goes for you too," she said and narrowed her eyes at Dimitri. His gaze flicked over to me and gave me a slight nod. It might have seemed as if he gave me permission to cut back on the formalities, but in reality he was giving the reassurance I needed.

"Lissa." Her name felt funny on my tongue, but I wanted to make the princess happy and if this was what it would take then so be it, as weird as it may seem. "Are you hungry? We prepared some food for you but if you're not hungry we can just put-"

"I'm definitely hungry," the male guardian interrupted. I cringed and backed a few steps until my hip hit the counter. Dimitri came over to me and stood slightly in front of me.

"Yuri's not the only one who's hungry, it smells really good," Lissa praised.

Spiridon led the way and we took our seats. I sat between Dimitri and Spiridon while Lissa sat between her guardians in front of me. I stayed silent, nibbling on the food and listened to their banter. Lissa seemed content doing the same and let the guardians catch up. Every now and then our gazes met and she smiled a shy smile before she returned to her food.

"So good, thanks guys," Yuri said and took his fourth scone.

"Rose prepared this for us," Dimitri clarified. I cringed and wished he hadn't pointed me out like that since all eyes fell on me. They weren't so scary, mostly smiling appreciatively at me. I took a boiled egg and noticed that there was only one left. I had underestimated how much the guardians ate, and made a mental note to make more the next time. I wondered how many eggs we needed for scrambled eggs and if there was a pan that was big enough, they seemed to eat more than the ones at the Institution.

After lunch Spiridon insisted that he and Yuri clear the table, which led to me standing there anxiously watching them do what I was supposed to do. Dimitri gently nudged me away from them.

Lissa was in the entryway rummaging through some bags. I thought she had quite many bags for staying only the extended weekend, but the headmistress had been the same. Perhaps it was a Moroi thing.

"I got something for you. I hope you don't mind."

When she tried to grab one of the bags to carry it I stepped forward, ready to take on the task. But instead of me Dimitri was quicker and grabbed the bag from the princess.

"Why don't you go downstairs, I'll bring these to you," he said and gathered the remaining ones.

"Oh, thanks."

I followed her down the stairs and expected her to go to her room but instead she walked over to my room. I opened the door for her and my head bowed down slightly before I caught myself and stopped, letting her in first. Dimitri gave me a disapproving look and nodded for me to enter. I walked in and he followed me which I was thankful for.

"I noticed that you only had a small bag with you when we met last time so I cleared out some of my closet. I was thinking that we could go through the clothes and you can let me know which ones you want to keep?"

I got a feeling that she was anxious.

"I really hope I'm not overstepping here, I hope it was okay," she added when I didn't say anything. I was too stunned to speak. I heard Dimitri leave my room which left us standing there awkwardly. After a brief moment she bent down and opened one of the bags, pulling clothes out of it. I forced myself to move and sat down on the floor in front of her.

"Okay, so I'm taller but we're a similar size right now. I brought some pajamas since I know this house can get quite cold. She handed me a set and I suppressed a smile when I felt how soft the fabric was. "Do you think you'll wear those?"

I looked at the pattern of small hearts in all the colors of the rainbow and nodded. "Good, here's another pair," she said and gave a similar set in emerald green with gold details. I got up and walked over to the drawer to put them in it.

"Beautiful flowers."

"Thank you," I murmured, expecting her to ask about them. But she didn't say anything else, perhaps sensing that I was reluctant to talk about it. We folded the pajamas together and placed them into the middle drawer, next to my underwear and socks. She continued to empty her bag, and I was excited to find workout clothes. Most of them had a tag on, and she confessed that she had bought them for me.

"I bought everything in one size larger than I thought you were, just to make sure they would fit. And I hope you don't find this uncomfortable but I figured you could do with a sports bra as well. I can get really sore if I run, not that I do it so much. I can return it if you want?"

I took the sports bra and inspected it. If I were to take Dimitri's offer, I would need one for sure. I felt thankful that she had thought about it. It was very simple, almost like the bralettes I had gotten from Walmart. Only this was in a technical fabric and a lot more sturdy. "Thank you so much," I said in a small voice. I was overwhelmed that she had done so much for me and spent so much money. "I can get sore too."

She smiled and moved on to the next bag. And the next. I realized that she hadn't brought so many bags for herself. She brought and bought clothes for me.

"I didn't bring shoes since they're a bit tricky with sizing. I can bring some next time I visit," she said absentmindedly going through the clothes. Most of them were different hoodies and knitted sweaters, leggings and sweatpants. As well as an assortment of different tops and t-shirts.

She peeked into my wardrobe and hummed to herself when she saw how little clothes I had, and proceeded to hang up most of the ones she'd brought with her. By the time we were finished the wardrobe was almost half-full. I even had swimwear and a warmer jacket, one that was padded.

"Are you liking it here?" she asked gently. I had a feeling she tried to engage me in small talk, probably a bit unnerved that I was so quiet. I was just so overwhelmed by the situation that I didn't know how to act naturally.

"Yes, I love it here. Thank you so much, pr-" I interrupted myself. "Lissa."

"Nice save," she grinned. "Have you done anything special so far?"

"I've been sleeping a lot but yesterday we played this game where you buy different property and then houses, it was fun."

"Who won?"

"I did." I thought about letting her know that Dimitri had helped me, but then remembered that it was supposed to be our little secret. I was starting to warm up to Lissa the more she asked questions.

Lissa's grin grew even wider. "Spiridon seems like one who is a sore loser."

A giggle slipped past me when I thought about him losing. "He is," I confirmed.

"So, you're still okay with being here with them?"

I nodded, gathering the empty bags.

"Sorry for asking, I just worry about you."

My mind flicked over to Dimitri's earlier words, how he also worries about me. I frowned, not wanting to be a bother to either one of them.

"I'm safe with them. They make me feel safe, and I like being around them."

"That's good. I'm glad this house comes to good use."

"I like the house. It's very warm."

"Mom did a good job on this," she sighed and gave me a sad smile and toyed with the framed photo of her parents.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." She cleared her throat and turned to look at me. "So, what do you want to do? I was thinking maybe flop down on the downstairs couch and watch a movie."

"I think I need to go check if Dimitri needs help."

"Oh, okay. I'll go with you."

We dropped Lissa's bag into her room and headed upstairs. In the kitchen Dimitri was in the middle of preparing the vegetables. Spiridon stood next to him, wearing a little apron and holding the salt. They both looked up as we entered.

"Celeste is catching up on some sleep, she was doing patrols last night and didn't get the chance to rest before coming here," Dimitri said. I briefly wondered where the other one was when he came from the deck, holding a soda in one hand. I immediately stepped closer to Spiridon and Dimitri.

"What are you girls up to? Did you manage to settle in, Lissa?" Spiridon asked. She gave him a thankful smile and I figured it was because he didn't use her title. I was fairly sure Dimitri would have a harder time letting go of the formalities.

"I did, thank you. We came here to help you, but it seems like you have it under control."

"Look at this apron," Spiridon said and gestured with his hand. "We got this covered, I'm his kitchen bitch."

I couldn't suppress my smile completely, but it was wiped away when I noticed Yuri's eyes on me. I almost pressed myself against Dimitri to avoid him. I heard Lissa laugh and engage in some banter with Yuri and Spiridon.

Dimitri leaned down and murmured in my ear. "Spiridon's right you know, we're all set here. Is everything okay with Vasilisa?"

I nodded. "She wanted to watch a movie downstairs."

"Is that something you want to do?"

I was apprehensive, but so far it had been quite nice spending time with a girl my age. Once I got past the fact she was a Royal Moroi, she was actually sweet and shy. Watching that action movie had been fun despite me falling asleep, so it might be fun to watch another one.

"I think Vasilisa will find something better to watch than Spiridon."

"You take that back, my movie taste is superb," he growled playfully and shook the salt grinder close to Dimitri's face. It was hard to take him seriously in that apron.

"Okay, but you'll call for me if you need any help?" I asked quietly, and Dimitri nodded with a gentle smile.

"He doesn't need two kitchen bitches, and if anything Yuri's next in line. About time he does something useful," Spiridon goaded. I took it as my que to leave and followed Lissa back downstairs as the men started insulting each other more and more.

"So, what kind of movies do you like?"

"I've only seen half of a movie, I can't remember what it was called but it was about this man who was going to see his wife and took off his shoes and then there were a bunch of bad guys."

"Die Hard, for fuck's sake. Die Hard!" Spiridon yelled from behind as we walked down the stairs. I almost missed a step but Lissa just laughed.

"Andre loved those kinds of movies. That one is actually pretty entertaining, we used to watch it together every Christmas. But I was thinking of something else." She rummaged through the shelves of DVDs as Dimitri had pointed out and found one she pulled out. "I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I think it's quite fun to watch."

I read the title on the cover and realized it was Twilight.

"The guys got me the book actually, I haven't read it through yet. I'm only on chapter five."

"I've also read the book. What happens in chapter five? Is it when they do the blood type test in class?"

I smiled and nodded. It felt good to find some common ground with Lissa.

She put the DVD back. "We shouldn't spoil the book by watching the movie before you have read it. I think that the books are a lot better than the movies anyways. So far they have released movies of the first and the second book. Oh! And I think the third one will come to the movie theaters in June. I have all the books if you want to keep reading the series."

"I might, now that I have more time. Thanks," I said and offered her a bigger smile. She continued to search for something to watch.

"If it's your first full movie ever, then we can't go wrong with Lion King. It's one of the Disney classics."

From upstairs I faintly heard Spiridon's voice. "Can I resign my kitchen bitch duties and go watch the Disney movie with the girls?"

Lissa put the DVD into the player while I got comfortable on the couch. She grabbed two blankets and gave one of them to me and plopped down on the other end of the couch. Spiridon came downstairs with something bulging underneath his shirt.

"May I join you? I come bearing bribes," he said and pulled out a bag of chips and some candy.

"We accept your humble offering," Lissa replied in a haughty voice before she grinned and caught the bag of candy that he threw to her. He sat down on the reclining arm chair next to the couch.

"Don't press play yet, Dimitri will also join. He's just finishing up in the kitchen."

"No worries, there's room on the couch for him," Lissa said and smiled.

After a while Dimitri came downstairs and let us know that Yuri was also resting, and that the meat was marinating. He sat down between Lissa and I. I was tucked in under the blanket and felt oddly happy about the moment. It felt so normal and easy, something I imagined families doing. Lissa pressed play and I was immediately transfixed with the movie, not to mention the music.

After a while I drew up my legs and tucked them under the blanket as well. The blanket was so big that it draped over Dimitri too, but he didn't seem to mind. At one point he even pulled it over him more. When the stampede happened, my hand searched for Dimitri's under the blanket and I gripped him hard. I felt my eyes sting but it was relieved with his gentle brushing of his thumb against my skin. The touch of him made my skin tingle and I didn't want to let go, but after the scene he let go of me and placed his hand on top of the blanket.

I loved the movie, in fact so much that at some point I noticed the three of them looking at me instead of the tv. I blushed and felt embarrassed, I knew that I had gasped at times and hummed badly along the tune of some of the songs. Their expressions varied, but all of them looked at me with a bit of sadness underneath their smiles.

"Is everything going okay? Spiridon's not being too much of an ass?" Celeste asked in a low voice. I was seated between her and Lissa.

Yuri and Spiridon were barking at each other again and not paying attention to the rest of us. I toyed around the dessert with my spoon, a Russian dish called pashka that Dimitri had prepared. I knew from my time at the Institution that it was a traditional Easter dish, and Dimitri must have made it yesterday already. He had really outdone himself with the entire meal.

"Yeah, he's not that bad to be around actually."

"His name means basket case so if he acts up it's only because he needs to live up to it."

"Really? Is that what Spiridon means?"

Celeste grinned. "Well, it means basket, so close enough. He adds the case to the basket case all by himself."

I couldn't really understand why anyone would want to name their child a basket so I decided I'd look into that later to find out if she was being serious. I didn't like what she was saying about Spiridon. Yes, he was annoying from time to time but he was kind and patient if it was needed. The way she described Spiridon felt almost bitter, offensive.

"And Dimitri? I know he can come off as a bit stony, but he has a heart of gold."

"I don't think he's stony," I said almost defensively. I looked up from my plate and found Dimitri looking at me with a peculiar expression.

"What Celeste means is that I'm perhaps not the most talkative person," he said before taking a spoonful of the dessert. I watched his lips close around the spoon, feeling my skin prickle from something.

"But maybe you're used to guardians being taciturn," Celeste asked. "Or something worse."

"Most of them were quite bad." I thought about Eddie and Mason, and even Igor when he was in a good mood. "But not all of them."

"Igor, right?" Dimitri filled in a low voice.

Celeste blinked a couple of times and turned towards me. "Igor? Igor Sidorov?"

I nodded, and her gaze immediately snapped to Dimitri. A look passed between them.

We finished the desert and I helped Dimitri clear the table. I couldn't get rid of the unnerving feeling that the mentioning of Igor had caused. I was certain that Celeste knew something about him, something I could only assume wasn't anything good. I decided I would ask Dimitri about it later.

Author's note: Happy New Year everyone! And a humbling, massive, enormous thanks to your support!

So far we've been doing an update once a week, however we might need to start doing bi-weekly ones. Part 2 is looking out to be 25 chapters long, like the first part. As the chapters grow longer, so does the time it takes to write them. And a demanding job really does take a toll on creativity and energy. But still, lots of revelations to come in part 2. What question are you waiting to get an answer to the most?