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there, and several people had witnessed it. For someone who supposedly didn't want me
attracting attention, she'd kind of messed that one up.
A couple of Moroi who'd been standing near Adrian and me walked out of the room. They
glanced in my direction and then whispered something as they passed.
"Thanks, Mom," I muttered to myself.
Humiliated, I stalked off in the opposite direction, not really sure where I was going. I headed
out toward the back of the lodge, away from all the activity.
The hall eventually ended, but a door leading to some stairs sat on the left. The door was
unlocked, so I followed the stairs upward to another door. To my pleasure, it opened up onto a
small rooftop deck that didn't appear to see much use. A blanket of snow lay over it all, but it
was early morning out here, and the sun shone brightly, making everything glitter.
I brushed snow off of a large, box-like object that looked to be part of the ventilation system.
Heedless of my dress, I sat down on it. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stared off, taking in
the view and the sun I rarely got to enjoy.
I was startled when the door opened a few minutes later. When I looked back I was even more
startled still to see Dimitri emerge. My heart gave a small flutter, and I turned away, unsure
what to think. His boots crunched in the snow as he walked over to where I was sitting. A
moment later, he took off his long coat and draped it over my shoulders.
He sat down beside me. "You must be freezing."
I was, but I didn't want to admit it. "The sun's out."
He tipped his head back, looking up at the perfect blue sky. I knew he missed the sun as much
as I did sometimes. "It is. But we're still on a mountain in the middle of winter."
I didn't answer. We sat there in a comfortable silence for a while. Occasionally, a light wind
blew clouds of snow around. It was night for Moroi, and most would be going to bed soon, so
the ski runs were quiet.
"My life is a disaster," I finally said.