The Academy (Part 2 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 20- The Reunion

Rosine:

Maybe my feet got bigger since I left, or maybe they were just a bad pair, but Belle's shoes were killing me. I could probably get away with kicking off the shoes if it got really bad, the hem of the floor length dress might cover it, but I was a couple inches taller than Belle- it may not work.

So instead I ignored the discomfort in the shoes and focused on not tripping on the stairs. I couldn't shake the feeling of worry, both for myself and my friends. Forte didn't like the idea of us splitting up at all, but when I pulled out the gun from my waistband, the one that we had taken from the security guard back at the school, he didn't protest. Belle's dress was loose enough that I could strap it right above my knee without it being noticeable through the fabric. We all started out concerned that I couldn't pass for my sister, but none of us could deny Daitan's skill with makeup. By the time she was done, I looked exactly like my sister in the photo- softer jaw, stronger cheekbones, more color and somehow, more kind looking. And of course, I had to scrub off the blood from my head wound.

The multitude of light blue dresses in her closet made it easy to choose one that fit best, I could only hope that she didn't suddenly decide to betray her signature color tonight and do something wildly different. I had thrown it on quickly while convincing my friends that the safest thing for them was to get back to the car. While I was finding my suster, they should be far away where they wouldn't be found by accident. They should be ready to make a getaway if everything went wrong.

They knew exactly how to get out, they just needed to retrace their steps and I needed to trust them. None of this was a good idea, we were straying from our original plan, but it was the best we were going to get.

It wasn't difficult to find my way to the party, it was my home after all, but the loud revelry was enough that if anyone even lived near us, they could have found their way to the house just based on the sound. The hallways leading downstairs were unusually dark, probably to deter guests from wandering, but it was great for me. No one would see me skulking around and I could just appear in the mix of people.

I opened the heavy side door just slightly, enough to peek and see if I could pick my sister out from the crowd. I needed to find a way to get her alone, but I couldn't just walk up to her in a room full of people who probably didn't realize she was one of two twins. And while Blaise of Uncle Claude might know my features well enough to recognize me through the disguise, if I could stay far enough away from my father, he probably wouldn't know the difference.

I swore under my breath, not being able to see Belle anywhere. The general outline of my father's figure could be seen across the room, and I was pretty sure that my Uncle was standing a little further behind him. It was difficult to be sure with the bodies and faces bobbing across my line of sight. Blaise was nowhere to be seen either, and I could only hope that he was with my sister. He was always been protective of her growing up, I always figured it was because

Alright, Rosine. Keep your back to them, stay behind the larger groups of people, act like your sister. You know.... Like you float more than strut.

I opened the door and tried to do just that, but self coaching could only change so much. I tended to 'slink around' as my uncle put it, he warned that my hips moved more than my sisters and in a fight, it sometimes projected my next move before I did it.

I dodged through people, trying not to look like I was running or in a hurry, that would just draw more attention. Due to the nature of the event, eyes still followed me with the assumption that I was Belle, and I knew that Daitan had done the perfect job doing my makeup. No one but my father's men had really seen me before, and they didn't know better.