Diamonds Shatter

Chapter 18

18. Age of Innocence

Anna stood in front of the mirror, studying herself with some frustration, and then she turned and just stared wide eyed at what Natasha had laid out for her.

She looked again to her door, where a conservative navy sweater dress hung.

She stared aghast at the dress on her bed again, and folded her arms protectively across her chest. She knew what the proper thing to do was. Put on the navy sweater dress that was modest and concealing.

That’s what Yevdokia would have approved of. But oh how she wanted to wear that thing that Natasha had brought her. She looked at it longingly, then with another disgruntled sigh she went and pulled off the long sleeved, knee length dress from her door.

Yup, Yev defiantly wouldn’t complain about this dress, she thought sourly. She threw it down next to the other dress and stared, dismayed.

On one hand, Yevdokia was the type of person who wouldn’t hesitate to yell at her on her birthday for looking so trashy, as she would call it. Flashbacks of her thirteenth birthday came to mind.

On the other hand, Anna hadn‘t seen or spoken to Dimitri in days, and despite everything she still wanted to look good for him. She figured no harm could come from just trying on the dress.

  Seconds later, Anna was swathed in oyster silk, or barely swathed in oyster silk. She reveled in the softness of the material, and how at certain angles in the light it would flash shades of gold.

She turned admiring what the dress did for her plank like body, giving her curves that were not there before. In this dress her legs looked like Natasha’s. She smiled thinking of Natasha, and how she would squeal, and gush in delight. Then her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She remembered how Dimitri had been looking at her, when she had worn that black dress; how would he look at her in this? She wondered, then she bit her lip; she would never know, because even though it was perfect, Yevdokia would no doubt give her grief over it.

 Her thoughts were cut off by a light knock at the door, before Anna could respond Yevdokia let herself into the room.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Anna in the dress, and her face was starting to turn incredulous. Anna gathered up her thoughts, and before the old woman could speak, Anna cut her off,

“I’m going to change,” she said, a bit harshly.

Yevdokia just looked at her in that silent way that she had, and after a moment she replied.

 “No. You don’t have any more time for that,” then she motioned for Anna to follow her out.

Cue shock. It took her a moment to make her feet move. She had been braced for a lecture and chastisement, only to face nothing. There was nothing in Yevdokia’s old eyes, no condemnation or disapproval, not even impatience really.

However, once out in the hall, Yevdokia looked up at her, and then there was something in her eyes.

Disappointment.

 That made Anna feel even worse. She hated disappointing her grandmother. But Yevdokia’s soft words didn’t match her eyes,

“It’s nice. The dress, it looks very nice on you.”

Before Anna could respond, the two of them had come out into the parlor, which had been transformed into a full swing birthday bash. Anna turned to look back at her grandmother, but she found herself standing there alone, a skeptical for all those people, just staring at her, waiting for her.