The Pomegranate Society

Fifty-three: Alina Starkov

Fifty-three:

Alina Starkov

The morning after they left the chateau on The Islands, the palace wrote up the press release about her engagement. They used a picture of Alina with the royal family as they exchanged Solstice gifts. They improvised one of Nikolai giving her a ring, even though everyone knew that he had proposed in the incident after the bombing at the club. She spent the morning of Solstice being interviewed over her excitement to be Princess, and being pregnant with "Nikolai's" child.

Alina went back to class but the instant she stepped foot at the University, she was bombarded with photographers. And reporters. Nina was with her as her security guard, even closer than she normally was because she was officially Nikolai's fiancé. "Back off! Back off!" Nina demanded. "Please back away from the Princess Consort. She is pregnant."

She tried to get through her classes, but she could feel all eyes on her. And the cell phones snapping their pictures. Alina was trying to take notes in class but she couldn't take it. "Excuse me," she said, and she got up and left.

Part of her wanted to go to Aleksander's office. But she thought that I she went there she would bring unwanted attention to him. She didn't want people thinking the wrong things. Even though they were absolutely true. He couldn't loose his job because of her, or have his reputation ruined.

"Alina," Nina said, grabbing her arm. "Are you alright?"

Nina waited outside of her classroom when she was doing her lectures.

Alina shook her head. "It's too much," she said, "there's too much attention. I can't.... I can't be here, Nina. Everyone's watching me."

Nina took a deep breath. "Alina, you're marrying the crowned Prince of Ravka. You're going to be Princess, and then Queen, and you're carrying the heir to the Ravkaan throne. There's always going to be someone watching you."

"I'm an orphan," she said, "I'm a nobody. Nobody cared about me for years and suddenly...."

She gripped the strap of her messenger bag.

Nina sighed. "The whole world cares about you."

"Yes," she said, "and it's very off putting, and I have a baby inside me, and I'm supposed to be taking finals soon!"

There were tears streaming down her face. Somewhere, off in the distance, she heard the snapping of cameras. "Saints, can't they please stop?"

Nina glared at the photographer. "Come on," she said, "let's get you out of here. You don't need to be on campus today."

"Nina," she said, "I need you to take me somewhere, but you're not going to like it."

Nina heaved a sigh. "The Pomegranate Society?"

She nodded. "Nikolai knows, and we've reached an understanding about Aleksander and I and I just.....I don't want to be alone right now."

"It's fine," said Nina, "we've known for a while, actually."

Alina raised an eyebrow. "And you don't hate me?"

She shrugged. "What would I hate you for? You've got a sexy professor and one of the most powerful men in Ravka doing your every whim. Personally, I think that you should be given an award and a statue should be erected in your honor."

She smiled. "Well, you don't think I'm a whore, so I suppose that's something."

Nina shook her head. "Never. But I....oh fine, I guess I'll take you to the club house. You aren't going to do anything rash, are you?"

She shook her head. "I need to be somewhere I feel comfortable. I can't just crash at Nikolai's yet, and I don't feel like being around Genya at this very moment. Plus, there's too many photographers there."

"Okay," said Nina, "we'll get you out of here. I'll take you there."

Nina walked ahead of her, and Alina followed, keeping her head down. She didn't want to be blinded by the cameras. When they got to the car, Nina opened the door for her, and helped her in the car. Nina got into the driver's seat and drove away from the University. When she got to the society club house, she snuck in.

She went up to Aleksander's room and was surprised to see a young woman with dark hair and blue eyes coming out of it.

"Oh," she said, "hello. Who are you?"

The girl turned around and smiled, but when she saw that it was Alina, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's you."

"Sorry?" she said.

The girl smiled. "I'm Zoya. I'm the girl he was screwing before he decided to make someone else his whore."

Alina frowned. "I'm not a whore."

"Really?" she said. "Because I joined The Society so I could get money to get away from my father. How did he con you into joining?"

Alina stiffened. "That's none of your business."

Zoya rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. That's how Aleks works. He finds some new, pretty young thing, and then he takes advantage of them. You're engaged to the Prince, aren't you? Well, I can guarantee you Aleks doesn't like sharing. The minute some new co-ed joins one of his classes long enough to capture his attention, you'll be a distant memory. I would run while you still can."

Zoya brushed past her, her high heals click clacking on the floor. "Congratulations on the engagement, Princess. Hope you're not wearing white to the wedding." She glanced over her shoulder at her. "Perhaps a shade of pomegranate would be more fitting?"

She smiled, and then she took the elevator down. When she was gone, Alina glanced at the door. She had suspected that there were other women. She just hadn't thought that she was ever going to meet them. She had wanted to go somewhere that she felt safe, but she suddenly didn't think that was Aleksander's room at the society anymore. Or even Aleksander.

 But she didn't have to guess about whether or not to go in. The door opened, and Aleksander took her in with a smile on his face. "Come here," he said, "we've got some work to do."