The Disappearing Act (Vampire Academy Fan Fiction Book 2)

Chapter 10: A Royal Goodbye

Chapter 10: A Royal Goodbye

                I was surprised at how quickly Mia was ready.

                By the time we were supposed to leave that morning, she was at our door with one suitcase and a backpack. I don’t know if she didn’t sleep or if she’d had it gathered up for awhile now; either way, it made our job a lot easier.

                When she walked up the driveway with her bags, I would’ve loved to have recorded Eddie and Cassie’s reactions. There hadn’t been time to update the entire Court about our newest decision; Mia had also waited until this morning to leave her resignation on Lissa’s desk. No one had had any time to persuade her to stay.

                Yeah, we were leaving as quickly as possible.

                I stood outside the garage, bouncing Annessa on my hip while Mia and Dimitri loaded the last of the bags into the car. We were taking hers because ours was recognizable; no one would be tracking the green hatchback. I was just waiting for six foot Dimitri to climb behind the wheel made for a mini-Moroi. It was going to be a long drive.

                Cassie and Eddie stood on either side of me, all of us waiting in awkward silence. This was so different from the last time we’d left; we hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye then, and it’d been so quick to run and regret it later. Now, I was fighting the tension and worry rolling off of my friends, trying to figure out a way to leave that didn’t put us in the same position as last time. But this was; this was exactly the same thing, except I wasn’t wearing a wedding dress.

                Annessa was clutching a giraffe to her tiny chest, just staring at all the melancholy adults surrounding her.

“What’s wrong, Auntie Rose?” she asked, blinking up at me.

                I smiled down at her as Cassie playfully tugged on one of her little pigtails.

“We’re just getting ready for vacation,” I said quietly.

                Cassie nodded sadly, tickling the girl’s side. A smile tugged on the corners of her lips, but it wasn’t enough to erase the sadness etched into her eyes.

“Is Auntie Cassie coming?”

“No,” I replied, forcing the happiness into my tone as I added, “But Auntie Mia is. Isn’t that gonna be fun?”

                Annessa giggled and nodded. Cassie smiled more as she reached for her; I reluctantly let her go. That tiny human being was my strength right now; even releasing her for a second was painful.

                Dimitri closed the trunk with a bang and he and Mia joined our group. Cassie and Eddie cooed over Annessa while I went to stand with my husband, his arm resting lightly on my waist. We were leaving again.

“Are you ready to go?” he whispered with his lips brushing my temple.

                Was I ready to go? To leave everyone again after a brief visit back into the life we should’ve had? Forsake the friends who’d once been a family to us? Abandon the only safe place for our new daughter?

I nodded; I couldn’t make myself say it aloud.

                Dimitri gave me a gentle squeeze before lifting Annessa back into his arms. He shook hands with Eddie, but my attention was on Cassie. For the first time since I’d known her, there was a tear on her cheek.