What a Difference a Year Makes (Revised)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

For the next few days Dimitri, Mason and I were starting to pack up our belongings to get ready to travel to Novosibirsk with Abe, who was also flying back to LA with us to help with the mine field that is property law. I was really glad he was able to help us because I wouldn't have known where to start. He made it clear he didn't want to be involved with the business but if we ever needed his advice or help, he wouldn't hesitate to be there and for that I am truly grateful.

Although we would be returning to Baia as often as we could, we were still feeling a little tearful about leaving our family behind because that is what we were doing. I had become very close to the Belikova women and they accepted me as one of their own without question. I was now a Belikova and would always be one. Not only was it the Belikovs but Eddie and Alberta too. Eddie was a brother to me and Alberta had been a mother figure from the day I was signed over to the academy at the age of four, so it was hard leaving them too. "I'm going to miss you guys" I said to Eddie and Alberta "I've known you all my life and now I feel like we are parting. I know I was away from the academy for two years but I was still kind of attached to it through Lissa. Oh I don't know what I mean, I just feel like it's the end of something."

"I know what you mean Rose, but it may be the end of this section of our lives but it's the start of the next chapter, which I must say looks really good from where we are standing boss" said Eddie grinning and giving me a huge brotherly hug.

Despite sleeping on the flight I was absolutely shattered by the time we landed at the private airfield just outside LA. I couldn't wait to get to our new home and just sleep. I could deal with exploring the house tomorrow. Everything would be ready for us as Abe had asked his housekeeper to go in and set it up. I think we may need to employ our own housekeeper if the size of the villa on paper is of any indication but we will see soon enough.

Abe had also instructed a couple of his guardians from his own villa to come and meet us at the airstrip, unload our belongings into one of the vehicles then taxi us home. They were surprisingly efficient and quick at unloading but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, Abe can be quite demanding at times.

As we were being ferried up to our villa, I was taking in the scenery around us. The sun was just starting to set over the sea and the view was breath-taking, I hope we can see that view from somewhere in our villa I thought to myself. "Oh Milaya look at that" Dimitri sighed, I wasn't the only one looking and appreciating the view then. I snuggled closer into him and watched the sun going down with him in companionable silence. I think I was going to like LA. The one thing I always missed when on a moroi nocturnal schedule was the sun and I had got used to seeing it again as St Basil's and Baia worked on a diurnal schedule but here in LA the sun was hot and I could imagine laying out in it.

Twenty minutes later we pulled into the underground parking space under our villa. It was huge; so if this was the parking space, what was the whole villa like. The garage doors closed and we got out of the vehicle. I'm glad that the guardian that was driving us knew where to go because we hadn't a clue. He directed us over to an elevator in the corner, so we picked up some of our boxes and walked over. Once we reached the ground floor, we discovered that we had come up two levels as the parking space was basement level 2. Oh lord I was going to get so confused. Walking out we found an entry way with a staircase to either side with the elevator shaft going up in between them. The whole back of the villa appeared to be glass and as I looked up I could see several more floors above us.

"I believe our room is on the top floor, Comrade" I said in awe. "Mase I think you might have one of the rooms on the third floor, by what this note says." I wave a piece of paper that I had just discovered, left by Abe's housekeeper. "There is food in the kitchen if we are hungry and says Tessa, the daughter of Baba's housekeeper, will come back tomorrow to check if we need anything."