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"I thought you were taking your Qualifier…" Lissa's words trailed off.<br />
"I was supposed to," I said. "It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The<br />
guardian who was going to give me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, and…"<br />
I couldn't finish. Images of the blood and death that had filled the Badica house flashed through<br />
my mind again. Concern crossed both Lissa's face and the bond.<br />
"Rose, are you okay?" she asked softly.<br />
Lissa was my best friend, but I didn't want her to know how scared and upset the whole thing<br />
had made me. I wanted to be fierce.<br />
"Fine," I said, teeth clenched.<br />
"What was it like?" asked Christian. Curiosity filled his voice, but there was guilt there too—<br />
like he knew it was wrong to want to know about such a horrible thing. He couldn't stop<br />
himself from asking, though. Lack of impulse control was one thing we had in common.<br />
"It was …" I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it."<br />
Christian started to protest, and then Lissa ran a hand through his sleek black hair. The gentle<br />
admonishment silenced him. A moment of awkwardness hung between us all. Reading Lissa's<br />
mind, I felt her desperately grope for a new topic.<br />
"They say this is going to mess up all of the holiday visits," she told me after several more<br />
moments. "Christian's aunt is going to visit, but most people don't want to travel, and they want<br />
their kids to stay here where it's safe. They're terrified this group of Strigoi is on the move."<br />
I hadn't thought about the ramifications of an attack like this. We were only a week or so away<br />
from Christmas. Usually, there was a huge wave of travel in the Moroi world this time of year.<br />
Students went home to visit their parents; parents came to stay on campus and visit their<br />
children.<br />
"This is going to keep a lot of families separated," I murmured.
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