Pride Of A Slave

chapter two

They laughed loud, full laughs at the celebration and both strained their ears saying the slaves were still calling and partying. I also told them about Becka, both genuinely happy for the girl.

"Who is the relative of yours that arrived." I asked curiously to Dimitri.

"My Aunt Isadorre. My father's little sister." He smiled and shrugged, "We haven't been acquainted as of yet."

Victor handed the letter back to me, "This explains why she suddenly appeared, she is one of your Guidance Counselors."

Dimitri looked at his father suddenly concerned, "They brought Aunt Isadorre here to be a counselor?"

Victor nodded, "I knew a few teachers had quit, transferring to another University further north, but I didn't understand what was happening until now."

I got the first bad feeling in my stomach when I heard this, "They left because I was accepted?"

Victor neither nodded nor shook his head, instead changing the subject, "When the old President of the University retired, Mariah and I went through many applications and settled on this particular immortal from the East. He was a bit more progressive in his thinking, but not so much as to rock the boat this much. My guess is he was left with little option considering the letter here says that he got recommendation letters from your teachers.

I looked at him puzzled and reread the letter, "That's weird, I didn't get a single recommendation from them, just from you and Mariah."

"Well apparently you had more people in your corner than you anticipated, it is comforting to see so many rally behind you."

I looked at Ryder who was avoiding my look, an entirely too smug look on his face. Victor and I both noticed and we narrowed our eyes at him.

"What did you do Ryder?" I accused and he looked at Dimitri who seemed to nod slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"We went around collecting recommendations, your teachers already had them filled out and sealed, they were just waiting for you to ask." Ryder boasted.

Dimitri crossed his arms, "It was your friend Becka, though, who put the most work in. I think she got everyone in your neighborhood to write letters of recommendations. In fact, by the time Ryder and I delivered all the recommendations with your applications I would have had to assume that there was a letter from every slave household."

My eyes watered and I touched my chest stunned, everyone had rallied behind me, when I had thought I was so much alone, they had pooled together silently to support me. Dimitri and Ryder laughed and each kissed my cheek, passing my letter between them before tucking it into my back pocket.

"Alright boys, each of you have a celebration that you are neglecting, and Seraphina is out far past her curfew. Seraphina, I ask that you come to the Palace before your interview, you will need an escort to go into the University, and my son might as well make himself useful since his interview is during the same time."

Dimitri smiled at me and winked before schooling his face and waving back to me wishing me a good night before getting into the car with his father and driving off. Ryder hugged me again and kissed my cheek again, "I'm so proud of you little sister. I wasn't sure what my life would be without you, in that scary university."

I laughed and shook my head, "You haven't been afraid of anything since Dimitri put a snake in your crib to get you over your phobia."

Ryder lifted his nose into the breeze and looked back to the border worried, "Hurry back to your home, don't dawdle. There isn't a guard to take you back and I'm worried about you going so late at night."