It’s hard for me to see my dad leave campus that day. Especially since he takes Alik with him. I miss my family so much. I wish I was going with them. I want to see Dimitri and mum. But Tristan is right. It’s not safe.
Not that it’s safe for the rest of my family.
I tried to tell Alik and Dad that, but they still wouldn’t let me come with them. Sometimes, being the only girl and being the baby in the family sucks.
“When do I get to talk to Damon?” I ask Tristan, as we walk back towards my dorm. It has stopped snowing, but there is about five inches. It’s melting already, which makes me sad. It almost sounds like it’s raining because it’s dripping off the roof so much.
“I couldn’t set up a time,” Tristan answers.
I look at him. “What do you mean? Why not?”
He sighs. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“How could you do that? What happened? What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Damon said he doesn’t want to talk to you,” Tristan says. “I’m sorry, Katerina. I tried. He’s just really hurt. He feels rejected by you. I mean, the kid was in love with you and you broke his heart. He needs time away from you.”
“Oh,” I say, frowning.
I thought we were past that. We should be after spending so much time together in Russia. I want us to be friends. I miss his friendship.
Ugh, why does love ruin everything? Why don’t I love Damon back? Why do I have feelings for Tristan instead? Or, better yet, why does Damon have feelings for me? I don’t understand it.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asks, opening the door to my room.
“Yeah,” I answer, as we walk inside. I take a seat on my bed, and he sits at my desk. “I’m fine. I mean, I’m hurt. After spending three days locked in a basement, I thought we had moved past this, you know? I just wanted to talk to him and make sure he was okay.”
“He’s fine. I talked to him. I tried to convince him to talk to you, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“Why did he even have feelings for me?” I ask.
“You can’t help who you fall for,” Tristan says. “Believe me. I tried hard not to fall for you. I can’t blame the kid.”
“I thought I liked him too,” I say. “I really did. And I do like him as a friend. I just don’t understand how I didn’t see it sooner. Looking back, I realize that I’ve had a crush on you since I first met you. And I knew I was attracted to you, but I didn’t know that I liked you like I do.”
“I know,” he says. “You’re young. Damon was the first guy that had really pursued you. You are mature in a lot of ways, so I forget that you’re only sixteen—.”
“Almost seventeen,” I say, cutting him off.
“Almost seventeen,” he corrects. “And it’s okay to be the age you are. It’s okay not to have experience with dating. Getting your heart broken sucks, but it’s part of life.”
“Are you going to break my heart?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he answers. “Maybe. To be honest, I think you’re a forever kind of girl.”
“A forever kind of girl?”
“You’re young. Too young for me to even think about anything more than what we are right now. But I want it all with you. I want to introduce you to my family. And I’ve never introduced a girl to my family before,” he says. “I want to someday marry you.”
“I’ll be old enough in just over a year,” I say.
“Don’t you want to go to college first?” he asks. “I mean, I wouldn’t blame you. And I wouldn’t blame you if you did break up with me. I’m your first real boyfriend, if you don’t count Damon.”
“I don’t. That lasted a week. Hardly long enough to be called a relationship,” I say. “But I have never gotten the whole wait until you’re out of college mentality that Americans have. I mean, I’m expected to pick out a career when I go to college. Why am I then considered too young to pick out a potential life partner?”
“I don’t know,” he answers. “But that’s a good point.”
“I know that you’re American. And I never expected to like America, or anybody that lives here,” I say. “But I do. The Americans I’ve met at school are nice. Well, most of them. But no matter how long I live here, I will always be from Russia. I’m Russian. I was raised there. I like the food better there. I like the culture better. I don’t understand the way American’s think. Just remember that. I mean, my brother’s fiancé is only eighteen. And if she lives, I imagine that her and Dimitri will be married as soon as possible. That’s just normal to me.”
“It is hard for me to understand that, because I was raised here,” Tristan says. “In America, I’m considered young to be married.”
“Dimitri is twenty two,” I tell him. “My mum thought he would never get a girlfriend. She’s ready for grandchildren already.”
“Your dad does seem okay with us dating,” Tristan says.
“I told you. Your age isn’t a big deal to me or my family. I don’t understand why it’s a big deal here. In a few years, it won’t matter anyway.”
“Do you want to know when I fell in love with you?” he asks.
I nod.
“It was when I realized how much you cared for your family. That day that we went to Kaiden’s beach house in South Carolina, and you heard that gun shot. You ran after it, hoping you’d see your dad,” Tristan says. “You didn’t care if he was a terrorist. You loved him unconditionally. And even after being presented with the facts, you still believed that he was a good person. You we’re right. It was then I knew that I loved you. Though, I didn’t admit it to myself for a while.”
“I think I fell in love with you a little bit that day too,” I say.
“When I found Kazimir holding that knife to your neck, that is when I finally realized it,” he says. “And I nearly told you when we went to my parent’s house. That morning, when you told me I was hot.”
I laugh, thinking of that day. “I never think before I speak. And once I told you, I realized how awkward it was to just blurt something like that out. I knew I wasn’t allowed to like you in that way.”
“That trip is when I realized that you felt the same way I did, but you didn’t know it yet,” he says.
“What did you think when I started dating Damon right after that?” I ask. If I had to watch Tristan date another girl, it would kill me.
“I was jealous,” he answers. “Like, really jealous. But I didn’t have a right to be. I had never told you how I felt. And I knew you liked Damon.”
“Not enough.”
“No, definitely not enough,” he says. “Which helped me feel better about the whole thing.”
“I’m glad you finally admitted it.”
“Me too,” he says. “I was wanting to take you on a date this weekend, but I’m not so sure that it’s a good idea to leave campus.”
“Because Rafael and Matthews?”
“Them and the reporters,” Tristan answers. “They want an interview with you really bad. The president is being pretty secretive about everything that happened. And nobody really knows anything about you. They’re curious. And Russia isn’t releasing anything.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “Am I famous now?”
He laughs. “Yeah, pretty much so.”
“How are we ever going to go out on a real date?” I ask.
“I guess we can hang out on campus,” he says. “At least until all this blows over. Or you could get the wig back out.”
I laugh. “I hate that thing. It’s so itchy. But I would do it if it meant I could leave campus with you.”
“Well, we will have to wait to catch Rafael and Matthews,” he says. “They would recognize you with me.”
“Stupid terrorists.”
They ruin everything.
EIGHT
Special permission.
Thursday, I am waken up early in the morning.
I look a the clock and see that it’s only one in the morning.
“Kat, wake up,” I
hear a voice.
A light is turned on and my eyes shut, wanting to block out the brightness.
“Kat, you have to get up.”
My eyes widen as I recognize the voice. “Raslan?”
“We have to go. Now!”
I want to ask questions, but I don’t when I hear the urgency in his voice. I just put my shoes on and follow him out the door. Savannah is dead asleep when we walk out.
As we walk down the hall, I don’t talk. I don’t want to wake up anybody else. I don’t know why Raslan is at my school, or even in America.
“Why are you waking me up at two in the morning?” I ask, once we’re outside. It’s cold. I’m just wearing pajamas—sweatpants and a t-shirt. I rub my hands over my arms, trying to warm them up.
Raslan takes of his jacket and hands it to me. “Gaidar, the guy you have known as Matthews, is in America. We suspect he’s on his way to here. We have to get you to safety.”
“Where is Tristan?” I ask.
“That’s your boyfriend, right? The smart guy I met in Russia.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re too young for a boyfriend, Kat.”
“I’m almost seventeen,” I say. “Barely a year younger you.”
“Almost seventeen,” he says, frowning. “When did you get so old?”
“Well, you’re almost nineteen,” I remind him.
“I’m getting old,” he says.
Raslan opens the passenger side door of his car, and I get in. He gets in the driver’s side.
“How did you even get in the school?” I ask. “As you know, the president’s son goes here. And other kids with important parents. Plus, after everything that has happened lately, they’ve beefed up security.”
“I got special permission,” he says.
“So, where are we going?” I ask. “Dad and Alik are supposed to head back to Russia today. Are we going to meet them? I should probably call Tristan.”
Wait a minute.
What about my bodyguards?
Where were they?
They are always standing guard outside my dorm, even in the middle of the night.
“Raslan, what’s going on?” I ask. “Why are you even in America? Why did you come get me? If I was in danger, Tristan would’ve come and got me. Or even Alik or Dad. But not you.”
Raslan doesn’t respond. He just down shifts and accelerates.
“Raslan,” I repeat.
I feel panicked, because I am not about to let myself get kidnapped again and locked in a basement. This time, I don’t have my phone with me. Why did I leave it?
Because this is Raslan! I grew up with him! He was one of my best friends. He’s always been there for me. He was with me the night that Eduard died. He’s like a big brother to me.
“Raslan, answer me right now,” I say.
“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice breaking. “My family is not well off in Russia. And the guys that want you are willing to pay a lot of money to get you. I have to, Kat. My family, we need the money.”
“My dad will give you the money. More than anything they will give you,” I tell him.
“How?” Raslan asks. “Your family is better off than mine, but these guys are offering a million US dollars.”
“Dad is a billionaire,” I say. I have to convince him before we reach the gates of the school. This is my only chance.
“What? How?”
“He will give you whatever you want.”
“Kat, I killed people. The guards at the gate. Some of your bodyguards,” he says. “I can’t stop now. I have to follow through.”
“No, you don’t. Dad can help you,” I say. “He works for the government in Russia. He will help your family out.”
Raslan slows the car down, as we get close to the gates of the school. I know that it’s now or never.
“Kat, I can’t…”
I pull the handle on the car and jump.
My body hits the ground hard and I roll for what seems like forever before I come to a stop. I hear breaks squalling behind me. I stand up and feel dizzy, but I know I only have a few seconds. I take off running as fast and as hard as I can. I take the path through the woods. It’s two miles from here back to the school. And I know this path. There is no way that Raslan can catch up with me. I just have to get back to Tristan’s dorm room.
I can’t believe I was stupid enough to leave my phone behind! I should have known better!
“Kat!” I hear Raslan yelling behind me.
I push myself harder, knowing that my life depends on this. I am not getting kidnapped again. There is no way that I would make it out alive this time.
A guy that I don’t recognize steps out onto the path in front of me. I dodge around him towards the right, and run smack into somebody else.
Matthews.
He grabs ahold of me, pulling my arms behind my back so I’m not able to move.
“I knew the kid couldn’t do it,” the guy I don’t recognize says in Russian to Matthews.
Raslan, who is still running up the path, pauses when he seems the two guys. He’s out of breath.
“You got her,” he says. He doesn’t look happy about it, though. In fact, he looks panicked.
“You let her get away,” Matthews says from behind me.
I jerk against him, but he doesn’t loosen his grip.
“But I got her out of her dorm,” Raslan says. “You guy can’t back out now. I killed people for you. You never would’ve gotten her out of her room if it wasn’t for me. She came with me willingly, right out the front door.”
The guy next to Matthews lifts his arm. I look over and see him point a gun straight at Raslan. He pulls the trigger before Raslan can even react.
I scream and I watch Raslan’s body fall to the ground. It’s too dark to see anything, so I don’t know if he’s alive or not.
“Let me go!” I yell, jerking against Matthews.
I hear more footsteps.
The guy beside Matthews shines a flashlight at the person approaching. I recognize him. He was the guard who was standing outside the window at the house in Russia where we were being held captive.
He’s got ropes wrapped around Salvador’s hands, and he’s dragging him along. Salvador isn’t going quietly though. He is fighting hard.
“Salvador,” I say, my voice breaking.
“Katerina,” he says. “Are you all right?”
“They shot Raslan,” I tell him.
Raslan was trying to kidnap me, but I didn’t want him dead. He was my friend for so long.
“What are they saying?” the guy holding Salvador asks.
“Russian only,” Matthews says, tightening his grip on my arm. I am definitely going to have a bruise where he held onto me.
In the distance, I hear sirens.
Cops are coming.
Hope bubbles up inside me.
“We have to get going. The helicopter is waiting,” Matthews says to the others.
Helicopter?
He pushes me forward, and I nearly stumble, but his tight hold on me keeps me from falling.
“Salvador, what are we going to do?” I ask him, speaking English.
“Shut up,” Matthews says.
“Don’t worry Katerina. I will protect you,” Salvador says, answering in Russian. I guess he doesn’t want to make them any angrier than they already are. It’s probably a good idea, especially if they manage to get us on that helicopter.
If they are successful, I will die. So will Salvador. I have to at least try and save him.
“Why are you taking Salvador?” I ask. “It’s not him you want. It’s me.”
“He betrayed us. His father will be dealing with him,” Matthews says. “No more questions.”
The thought of Salvador having to talk to Rafael makes me sick.
Right now, I could get away from Matthews. I have been trained and could definitely take him on. But what about the other two guys? And the one has a gun. Could I get away and save both Sa
lvador and me? I have to at least try, don’t I?
There are people out in the woods looking for us. I can hear them. If I am going to do this, I need to do it now. They will hear the commotion and find us.
So, I take a chance, and I fight.
Matthews loses his grip on me.
Salvador can’t fight, because his arms are tied up, but I can. The guy with the gun points it at me, and I kick it with my foot, knocking it from his hand.
“Over here!” I hear somebody yell in English.
They have an American accent.
Oh, thank God!
I don’t stop fighting. Somehow, I manage to knock Matthews out. The one guy is holding onto Salvador, so I’m only fighting one person.
Thank you, Tristan, for making me get up early every morning to train. Thank you for making me learn more than just running, because something it isn’t enough to just run. Because, seriously, I’d probably be on my way to death right now if he didn’t teach me.
I kick the guy in the stomach and he grunts as he falls to the ground.
“Dang, Katerina. You’re a ninja,” Salvador says, his Russian accent sounding thicker than ever.
The guy who has ahold of him lets go and takes off running. The other guy stays on the ground, so I go help Salvador take off the ropes that are binding him.
“Thank you,” he says, as the ropes fall off.
“Katerina!” I hear Tristan yelling.
“I’m here!” I yell back.
I hear somebody running towards us. I see Tristan come into view. He shines a light on my face and runs to me, throwing his arms around me.
“I thought you were dead,” he says, not letting me go.
“Dude, she’s awesome,” Salvador says from behind us. “She took on both of those guys. And one of them had a gun aimed right towards her. She kicked it out of his hand like it was nothing.”
More guys run up behind Tristan and he backs away. They get Matthews and the other guy off the ground, cuffing them. And they get a stretcher for Raslan.
“Is he alive?” I ask, not walking closer to him.
“Yeah,” one of the paramedics says to me. “The bullet appears to have missed any important organs, but we need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible to be safe. Are you going with him?”
Wish Page 7
