28. Elyssa
ELYSSA
T he news was all over the school: Katarina Korolova had been sabotaged and left the school to recover, both physically and mentally. Nobody knew when or if she’d be back, but rumors were growing.
I did my best to ignore them, waiting to meet up with Konstantin to have more news. He too had left to support his sister, but he told me he should be back tonight along with all of his siblings except Mikhail.
I couldn’t help but feel bad for Katarina, and what happened to her further proved my theory correct: someone sabotaged her, just like they’d sabotaged Briar.
One dancer injuring herself could be a coincidence, but two? Two was a pattern.
And something in my heart screamed that I knew who was responsible for that, but again, I didn’t have any proof.
I sighed deeply as I dropped onto my bed.
This being the last day of class before exam week and then Christmas break, I was exhausted. I still had all weekend to study, but I felt overwhelmed. Too many things were happening at once. We hadn’t heard of any more murders or disappearances happening with girls from the village, but questions about The Order were still bothering me, keeping me awake at night. Then the whole thing that happened yesterday, Briar seeming even more depressed than before, Mia obsessing over Dominik’s fiancée and spending all her free time Googling her… everything was too much.
And Konstantin wasn’t here.
I hadn’t realized it until then, but he had become my escape. The one person I could turn to when I needed to empty my mind.
Putting the thought aside, I started studying for exams. I was pretty much caught up on everything but I liked the temporary distraction it provided. I skipped dinner, engrossed in my notes and the soft raining sounds I’d put as background.
I didn’t realize how much time had passed until a knock on my door pulled me out of the trance I’d fallen into. My eyes widened a little in surprise when I saw the time on the clock near my bed: a little over eleven at night.
I’d come back to my dorm a little before eight.
The fact that I had inadvertently skipped dinner had my stomach rumbling. There was no way I would be able to hold on until breakfast tomorrow to eat.
Another knock echoed and I got up, giddiness blossoming in my stomach at the thought it could be Konstantin, but all my hopes were squashed when I saw Mia standing there instead.
I hated the disappointment that settled in my gut at the sight of her because I loved hanging out with her, but she wasn’t who my heart wished to see at that moment.
“Hey babes,” she chirped, coming inside and going straight to my dresser, rummaging through the clothes. When she didn’t find what she was looking for, she moved onto the closet.
I chuckled at her boldness. “Oh, yes please, make a mess of my carefully put away clothes.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I leaned against the wall, observing her.
She looked happy tonight, very different from how she’d been ever since Dominik’s engagement was made public.
“I have a date tonight.” She grinned at me before turning back to my closet and finally finding what she had been looking for. “Bingo!”
Mia grabbed my red dress, the one Sinem gifted me, holding it in front of herself. “Please, can I borrow this?”
I shrugged, sitting back down at my desk. “A date with who?”
“Oh, Elyssa, you won’t believe it!”
She plopped down on my bed and the sparkling look in her eyes made my stomach churn. Not because I wasn’t happy that she was but because she only got that look when it came to one person.
“Dominik finally texted me back! He’s back early because he had an assignment to submit and he wants to meet up by the mill!”
I tensed, alarms going off in my brain. I didn’t want to rain on her parade or make her mad, but I knew I needed it to talk some sense into her.
“He’s engaged, Mia,” I explained calmly, but the smile slipped off her face anyway.
“So what?”
My eyes widened. “ So what ?” I asked incredulously. “So you don’t want to be the other woman. You shouldn’t be anyone’s sidepiece.”
“I won’t be. Not forever. His marriage is in name only, anyways, he said it himself.” She shook her phone in my face. “He is the love of my life, and he’s finally seeing it too!”
I was at a loss for words for a moment. Mia looked downright… delusional right then. I briefly wondered if she’d started taking drugs again. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became.
“Mia, you cannot be serious right now.”
My cousin’s shoulders slumped and she glared at me, clearly upset.
“I thought you’d be happy for me. Clearly, I was wrong.”
I jumped to my feet. “You’re being unfair! Mia, how do you want me to be happy for you when he’s only using you!”
“So what! Even if it’s only sex for now, he’ll end up seeing me and falling too, I know it! I just do.”
“Stop it!” I screamed. “You’re being delusional right now. Open your fucking eyes, you’re only gonna get hurt! He’s not gonna fall for you, the man didn’t even know who you were until two weeks ago! He’s using you and he’ll break your heart. Are you taking drugs again, is that why—” My words were cut off by the sound of her hand violently connecting with my cheek, shocking me into silence.
My head swung to the side with the force of her blow and I stared at the door for a few seconds, in shock.
By the time I looked back at her, Mia’s mouth hung open and she mirrored my shocked expression, only tears had welled in her eyes when fury flickered through mine.
“Lyssa I am so sor?—”
“Get. Out.” I spat.
“Please, I didn’t mean to?—”
“Get out! Get out, get out, get out ! I never want to see you again!” I screeched, my heart hurting even more than my throbbing cheek.
Mia bit back a sob, tears streaming down her face, before running out of my room, the door slamming after her.
The tears I had been holding back finally gushed out and I crumbled down, sobbing into my hands.