Reality Bites - Wattys 2018 Shortlist

Chapter 29 - This Doesn't Look Like Hawaii?

Dimitri and I were cuddling in silence when the phone on my bedside rang. Rolling over with a sigh, I picked it up.

"Rose? It's Suzanne. The vans have just pulled into the garage."

"I'll be straight down. Thank you, Suzanne," I replied with a sinking feeling.

As I hung up the phone, Dimitri was already standing up.

"Until we explain to Lissa, Alberta and Adrian, I think I should be in my uniform," he said, walking through to our closet.

I knew what Dimitri was doing. He was trying to fight back the fear, lock it away and put on his Guardian game face. And his uniform helped him do that.

"I'll see you back up here with Lissa," I said.

I headed to the basement, walking down the stairs in time to see Pavel lifting Lissa from the van. As I'd expected, she'd been transported heavily sedated. Climbing out of the vehicle from behind her was Alberta and Adrian. Mom and Abe were waiting to greet them.

"Can you take her to the third floor, Pavel?" Abe directed. "Suzanne has a room prepared."

Pavel stepped into the lift with several other Guardians and took Lissa upstairs. In the meantime, Alberta came over to me smiling.

"When your Mom rang, I thought I might be seeing you," she chuckled, holding her arms out for a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe! Is Dimitri here too?"

"He's upstairs waiting to help with Lissa," I said, returning her fierce hug. I really had missed Alberta.

"Little Dhampir," Adrian greeted, also coming over for a hug. "Doesn't look much like Hawaii," he joked, earning himself an odd look from my mother.

"Well you know, I can't let you know all my secrets," I said, not wanting to focus on the fact I'd intentionally misled him.

"You look different," he commented, his head on its side. "Your aura is white. Some people get streaks of it from time to time, but yours is like looking straight at a lightbulb. It's dazzling!"

"What does it mean?" I asked absently, my mind mostly upstairs with Lissa.

"No idea. But it's unusual. I've never seen it before."

Mom was speaking with Alberta, so I introduced Adrian to Abe who was courtesy itself, offering to show he and Alberta up to their rooms. Both of them would be staying in guest rooms on the third floor near Lissa and me.

Stepping out of the lift together, we were just in time to see Dimitri walk out of our suite. In his neat, pressed uniform, combat boots and armed with his stakes, he looked the picture perfect Guardian.

"Alberta," he said with pleasure, walking over to her and surprising her with a hug. That, alone, spoke volumes about how much he'd changed in the days we'd been here. In the past, Dimitri would never have used Alberta's first name in front of a Royal Moroi, let alone hug her. But I knew he felt particularly indebted to her for all she'd done to help us. She returned his hug with a smile. I'd always sensed Alberta had a soft spot for my Russian God. Turning to Adrian, Dimitri nodded his head, Guardian mask back on.

"Lord Ivashkov," he said formally.

"Belikov," Adrian acknowledged, looking at Dimitri with a speculative expression.

Still standing in the third-floor foyer outside the entrance to our room I quizzed them.

"So tell me what's been happening with Lissa?" I asked, wanting to get straight into this. The longer we waited, the more apprehensive I was becoming. I didn't want to lose my resolve.