Getting Out While You Can

Chastised

I was still stewing after Abe left, and thankfully Dimitri let me stew in peace. He stayed in the living room while I retreated to my room, staring up at the ceiling in anger.

Dimitri came to me for help, to get away from the society. And yet, here I was shoving in back in, even though it was against my will.

I felt sick. I was no better than they were.

I huffed and got up from my bed and paced the space of my room, arms crossed tightly over my chest. What were the consequences we were about to face going to be? The Royals would be pissed about the number of Guardians deserting, and I wouldn't put it past them to have passed a rule about detaining those of us who have left. As I made another loop of my room, my anger boiled over and I struck out with my foot, slamming it against the dresser.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, grabbing onto my foot as it throbbed. It seemed like a great idea before I did it, now I was pissed and I probably broke a toe. I grumbled to myself and let go of my foot long enough to pick up the fallen bottles.

Good job, idiot, I thought to myself as I hobbled to the door and limped into the kitchen. As I went in I found Dimitri in there, my laptop open on the counter. I could hear voices coming from it. When I came in, Dimitri lifted his head, saying something I didn't understand.

"Broke your foot, didn't you?"

I glared at him as I headed to the freezer. "My toe most likely."

Dimitri tried to hide the snicker and smirk that worked its way to the surface and failed horribly.

"Roza? Is that Roza?!"

I raised my brows when I recognized the voice. It was hard not to know that voice. A small smile crossed my lips as I wrapped the bag of peas in a tea towel. Dimitri subtly gestured me to come over and I hopped over, gripping the counter as I leaned around so I could see the screen.

"Hi!"

Olena's face beamed at me when I came into view, the baby cuddled in her arms stirring ever so slightly.

"Oh Roza! It's so good to see you. How have you been doing? Why did you leave so suddenly?! We were worried sick about you. Don't ever do that again!"

Olena went from being excited to scolding all in the span of a second. I felt a little chastised as I glanced at Dimitri, looking for some help. Instead, I was met with a raised brow and a smug grin.

"I already got chewed out for not telling her I was restored immediately. Your turn for leaving in the middle of the night."

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter. "I'm sorry, I should have told you, or at least left a note. It was careless of me," I apologized sincerely. Olena eyed me with clear disapproval on her face before it softened, patting the baby's back gently.

"Your hair is beautiful, red suites you," Olena said kindly. I smiled and toyed with a strand that slipped past my shoulder and was hanging over my chest.

"Thank you, I take a lot of pride in it," I said kindly. Olena had a few more questions for me, asking me about my life out of society, what I've been up to, if I was seeing anyone. I could see in the reflective feed of Dimitri and me that he made a face when his mother made that question.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone. I went on a few dates a few months ago, but it's hard to build a connection with someone when you have to hide as much as we do."

Olena nodded but seemed a little sad. "That's not good to hear, I'm sorry," she said but I waved her off. "It's okay. But I should probably let you two get back to your call," I said, saying my goodbyes. I smiled at Dimitri and grabbed my bag of frozen peas and headed for the living room. From what I could tell, it sounded like he was saying goodbye too.