Elysia
I hummed softly to myself as I lifted my heavy bag onto my shoulder to walk down stairs. I let the bag collapse on the floor when I reached the door.
School had just ended a week ago and we were a week into our summer vacation. A summer that I thought would mark high above all the rest as I would be with Vlad the entire time and in Siberia without Henry, Meredith, or any other problems.
But there was a huge problem. Vlad had recently become the happiest man alive. Three simple words are the cause for his happiness and my agony.
Freedom Fest.
Meredith.
Vlad went and returned from the Freedom Fest dance after spending the entire evening with his beloved princess in pink. I cringed and felt a green slime of burning acid in my heart when I heard his velvet voice softly asking Meredith to the dance and her high, ringing voice answer a yes back. I felt weak, hollow, and as if an ocean had risen in my eyes; I snapped my head away and caught any stray tears before my ever-worrying Vladimir would see. He didn't notice a thing, nor my agony in my after-shock.
Henry did. My understanding kin hadn't a clue how to react to Vlad's news. As Vlad spoke I flinched as if a stake had made it through my heart instead of his own. I saw how alight Vlad was and saw a flicker of it in Henry's eyes. Yet his eyes turned to me and filled with sorrow. He felt my pain.
Vlad had seen Henry's reluctance and finally acknowledged me after he spoke to Meredith in first hour. He simply pleaded my name, his tone sorry and full of forgiveness. I turned away and snapped my eyes shut and he repeated what he had said. I felt myself draw into the same nun silence I had crawled into after the Snow Ball last winter. Only deeper.
Once we parted ways with Vlad after that school day and entered our house Henry tackled me in a hug of comfort. I felt the tears running and staining his shirt. Henry kindly comforted me for the rest of that day and helped convince my Aunt to let me stay home the next day. I felt sick, weak, and nearly as if D'Ablo not only stole my mortal soul but every fiber of my being. My Aunt, after seeing my unexplainable hurting, almost made Henry stay home with me. But it was relentless and Henry left me to be with Vlad and he later told me Vlad was dreadfully worried about me, but still happy about his pink girly.
The week went by; school ended, and the Freedom Fest ended without me there at all. Now school is over and we are about to pack our luggage into Otis's car to travel to Siberia. I sat down next to the large pile of bags and sighed.
Vikas walked in, grabbed a bag in his hand and lifted me up and over his shoulder and walked out. I sighed, unwilling to fight since he'd win anyway. He placed me in the trunk while laughing in his booming voice and slammed the back door closed. I stayed stuck in a ball formation in the darkness of the stuffed back seat without attempting to find my way out.
Suddenly the back seat fell down to the other side from where Vikas closed the door and I saw Vlad peek his head in. I turned to him calmly and he laughs.
"Did Vikas just put you in the car?" I nodded dumbly. "Why didn't you try to get out?" I shrugged. He laughed again and hulled me out. Vikas and Otis were just about to bring out the next round to bring into the car and Vikas laughed when he saw me stumble out.
"Sorry Lubov had to get the baggage." I nodded and laughed. My family walked out of the house and I attacked all of them. My Uncle hugged me back, which isn't normal. My Aunt seemed unwilling to let me go. Greg patted my back once and released me with a grin, the family grin. Henry saw my fake happiness and held me a long time and whispered into my ear.
