To be honest, I hadn't known what I'd do once I got back here. My immediate concern was Lissa-to be with her and make sure she was okay. I knew I couldn't officially be her guardian anymore, but I'd figured once we were together, no one could stop her from hanging out with a friend. I'd be her hired bodyguard, so to speak, kind of like what Abe had. And in the meantime, I'd bum around campus like Adrian.
But to enroll again? "I... I missed a month. Maybe more." My days were scattered. It was the first week of May, and I'd left near the end of March, on my birthday.
What was that? Five weeks? Almost six? "You missed two years and managed to catch up. I have faith in you. And even if you have trouble, graduating with low grades is better than not graduating at all."
I tried to imagine myself back in this world. Had it really only been a little over a month? Classes... day-to-day intrigue... how could I just go back to that? How could I return to that life after seeing the way Dimitri's family lived, after being with Dimitri and losing him-again.
Would he have said he loved me? "I don't know what to say," I told Alberta. "This is kind of a lot to take in."
"Well, you should decide quickly. The sooner you're back in class, the better."
"They'll really let me?" That was the part I found a little unbelievable.
"I'll let you," she said. "No way am I letting someone like you get away. And now that Lazar is gone... well, things are crazy around here. No one's going to give me much trouble in filing the paperwork." Her wry smile slipped a little. "And if they do give us any trouble... I've been made to understand that you have a benefactor who can pull a few favors to smooth everything over."
"A benefactor," I repeated flatly. "A benefactor who wears flashy scarves and gold jewelry?"
She shrugged. "No one I know. Don't even know his name-only that he'll threaten to withhold a considerable donation to the school if you aren't let back in. If you want in."
Yeah. Deals and blackmail. I was pretty sure I knew who my benefactor was. "Give me some time to think about it. I'll decide soon-I promise."
She frowned, thoughtful, and then gave a sharp nod. "All right."
We both stood up, and she walked me toward the building's entrance. I glanced over at her. "Hey, if I do graduate... do you think there's ever any way I could be in line to be Lissa's guardian officially again? I know they've already picked out people for her and that I'm in, ah, a bit of disgrace."
We stopped by the outer doors, and Alberta rested a hand on her hip. "I don't know. We can certainly try. The situation's gotten a lot more complicated."
"Yeah, I know," I said sadly, recalling Tatiana's high-handed actions.
"But, like I said, we'll do what we can. What I said about graduating with low grades? You won't. Well, maybe in math and science-but that's out of my control. You'll be the best among the novices, though. I'll work with you myself."
"Okay," I said, realizing what a concession that was on her part. "Thank you."
I had just stepped outside when she called my name. "Rose?"
I caught the door and glanced back. "Yeah?"
Alberta's face was gentle... something I'd never seen before. "I'm sorry," she said. "Sorry for everything that happened. And that none of us could do anything about it."
I saw in her eyes then that she knew about Dimitri and me. I wasn't sure how. Maybe she'd heard it after the battle; maybe she'd guessed beforehand. Regardless, there was no chastisement in her face, only sincere sorrow and empathy. I gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment and went outside.
I found Christian the next day, but our conversation was brief. He was on his way to meet with some of his trainees and was running late. But he hugged me and seemed genuinely happy to have me back. It showed how far we'd come, considering the antagonistic relationship we'd had when we first met.
"About time," he said. "Lissa and Adrian get the market share on worrying about you, but they're not the only ones. And someone needs to put Adrian in his place, you know. I can't do it all the time."
"Thanks. It kills me to say this, but I missed you too. No one's sarcasm compares to yours in Russia." My amusement faded. "But since you mentioned Lissa-"
"No, no." He held up his hand by way of protest, face hardening. "I knew you were going to go there."
"Christian! She loves you. You know that what happened wasn't her fault-"
"I know that," he interrupted. "But it doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Rose, I know it's in your nature to rush in and say what everyone else is afraid to, but please... not this time. I need time to figure things out."
I had to bite back a lot of comments. Lissa had mentioned Christian in our talk yesterday. What had happened between them was one of her biggest regrets-probably the thing she hated Avery the most for. Lissa wanted to approach him and make up, but he'd kept his distance. And yes, he was right. It wasn't my place to rush in-yet. But I did need them to fix this.
So I respected his wishes and simply nodded. "Okay. For now."
My last words made his smile twist a little. "Thanks. Look, I've got to head off. If you ever want to show these kids how to kick ass the old-fashioned way, come by sometime. Jill would pass out if she saw you again."