The Disappearing Act (Vampire Academy Fan Fiction Book 2)

Chapter 1: Coming Home

Chapter 1: Coming Home

                I still wasn’t used to being blonde.

                I stood in the mirror of the tiny bathroom on the cheapest flight we could find, fluffing the blonde curls and praying my roots weren’t coming in again. I fixed my makeup and slid my sunglasses into place, arranging the hair around my shoulders to hide the tattoos that slithered over my skin.  They were defining markers; I’d been hiding those for the last four years.

“Lady, c’mon! I gotta go!” yelled a voice from the other side of the door, his fist banging on the plastic.

“Just a minute!” I snapped back, glancing one last time in the mirror to ensure my disguise was in place. I couldn’t be recognized today.

                I flushed the toilet I hadn’t used and marched out, banging the door against the guy’s face and smiling a sarcastic apology. He swore at me before gaping as I strutted to my seat. Blondes really did get more attention.

“I see you made a friend,” a quiet voice chuckled as I settled myself. The voice wore sunglasses, too, and chopped hair that I still wished was long. He had a nearly perfect American accent, but something was off; it still held the hints of a Russian upbringing. Accents were recognizable; we’d been hiding those, too.

                I curled into Dimitri’s chest, my head on his shoulder while my eyes drifted out to the familiar countryside below. I hadn’t seen this place in years; I hadn’t been back to this part of the states since the wedding. We’d been trying to forget that, but we were coming back today.

                We were coming home.

“Are you nervous?” I whispered, not looking up at him.

“We’ll only be there for a little while. Four days, at most,” he answered softly. His fingers stroked through my hair and I could feel the cool metal of his wedding band against my scalp. “Nothing will happen, Rose.”

“I thought we agreed to stop saying that,” I retorted. That had been Lissa’s excuse, too, and look where it had gotten us.

                The fasten seatbelt light came on and the attendants scurried up and down the aisles, securing bags and scolding people for not listening to the pilot’s instructions.

                We landed and wove our way through the airport with our meager luggage. We each had a carry-on and a single suitcase; we couldn’t afford to pack heavy with how often we moved around.

                I’d called someone to pick us up, but I didn’t see her in the line of limo drivers. What I did see was a sign that read “Belikovs.” I couldn’t believe they’d used our real name. Since we’d left, we’d been everything from Adams to Zara, but never Belikov; that was too dangerous now. 

“She told Christian,” I grumbled, heading towards the driver, a middle-aged Moroi man who must’ve been on the bottom rung of the Royal totem pole. Christian was the only one who’d have sent a car for us instead of picking us up himself.

“At least we’ll have a pleasant ride,” Dimitri returned. His eyes were busy roving the airport lobby, checking the shadows for any monsters. Maybe he really was nervous about being home.

                Our driver loaded our luggage and opened the SUV door for us. Apparently, Christian hadn’t thought us important enough for a real limo. We sped away from the airport in silence.

                Dimitri held my hand, his gaze trained out the window as more familiar landmarks came into view.

                We’d chosen to fly into the human airport because it’d be easier to sneak back into Court without a big reception but, I was also glad to see the places I hadn’t been to in ages. The mall where we’d go shopping; the community college I took a couple classes at; the restaurant where Dimitri proposed. They were welcome memories before all the bad ones came crashing into my head.

                I twisted my wedding band on my finger, watching the diamond glint in the morning sunlight. We were on a human schedule; it’d be strange to be on vampire time, even for a little while.

“They said you were expected at the Queen’s Quarters for dinner,” the driver called over his shoulder, turning onto the long road that led to the Court’s grounds. We had another twenty minutes of this; I was surprised he’d started talking about it now.

                Dimitri scowled and squeezed my fingers. “No. I’ll send our regrets from the house.”

                Neither of us was in the mood to deal with our old friends right now.

“Lord Ozera said–“

“I’ll handle it,” Dimitri answered sharply. The driver’s lips pursed, but he remained quiet the rest of the drive.

                I felt the weight settling onto my shoulders before my eyes even caught sight of the gates surrounding Court. Memories, deceased friends, and unfinished business suddenly found its way back onto my conscience, almost strangling me as the noose threaded itself together.

                The driver pulled through the iron gates and Dimitri’s fingers tightened around mine. I kept my eyes on the buildings, reveling once again in their glory. For being such an evil place, it was truly beautiful.

“She definitely told people, Rose,” Dimitri whispered. He was staring out the front, his lips tugged into a frown.

                I followed his gaze, using one of the few Russian swear words he’d taught me as I saw the mass of cameras gathered in front of the Court’s main building.