Nepenthe • Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.
Never feeling like they belonged was a feeling that Lissa Dragomir lived with, even with her family and life long best friend, although they aided in that feeling not being so strong...
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The bass was heavy enough to make the floor vibrate. Colored lights cut through the haze of perfume and sweat, strobing over faces that laughed, kissed, and shouted over the music.
Kate sat perched on the edge of a velvet booth, her drink untouched, fingers tracing the condensation on the glass. Across the floor, Mason and Adrian were a spectacle — Mason laughing so hard he was doubled over, and Adrian twirling a glowstick like it was a royal scepter. Mia and Aaron were locked in a slow, close dance, and Eddie and Viktoria swayed to the rhythm, perfectly at ease in each other's space.
"Kate," Lissa called over the music, tugging her from her thoughts. "Stop brooding and come dance with us."
"I'm not brooding," Kate protested, though she didn't sound convincing. Her eyes darted briefly toward the exit, mind still half back at the Academy. "Alec's sick. I shouldn't have left Dimitri with—"
"Belikov practically raised his nieces and nephew," Christian said, smirking as he offered her his hand. "He can handle a little fever. You, on the other hand, can't handle one more hour of overthinking."
That earned a reluctant laugh from Kate, the sound soft but genuine.
"Come on," Lissa said, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the dance floor. "You need this. Just for a few minutes, forget everything else."
Kate resisted only half-heartedly, then let herself be pulled into the blur of lights and sound. Lissa danced gracefully, naturally, and Christian — smirking and teasing — pulled both girls into his orbit until the three of them were moving together in rhythm with the music.
For a little while, it felt normal. For a little while, Kate let herself smile.
Her mind slipped away from the flashing lights and laughter and carried her back — to the soft hum of the car engine, the moonlit road stretching endlessly ahead. Alec was asleep in his car seat, under blankets, and the Moroi girl, Beatrice Badica, lay curled under a blanket beside him.
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