richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

Seventeen
A FEW DAYS LATER, LISSA found me outside the commons and delivered the most
astonishing news.
"Uncle Victor's getting Natalie off campus this weekend to go shopping in Missoula. For the
dance. They said I could come along.”
I didn't say anything. She looked surprised at my silence.
"Isn't that cool?”
"For you, I guess. No malls or dances in my future.”
She smiled excitedly. "He told Natalie she could bring two other people besides me. I
convinced her to bring you and Camille.”
I threw up my hands. "Well, thanks, but I'm not even supposed to go to the library after school.
No one's going to let me go to Missoula.”
"Uncle Victor thinks he can get Headmistress Kirova to let you go. Dimitri's trying too.”
"Dimitri?”
"Yeah. He has to go with me if I leave campus." She grinned, taking my interest in Dimitri as
interest in the mall. "They figured out my account finally—I got my allowance back. So we can
buy other stuff along with dresses. And you know if they let you go to the mall, they'll have to
let you go to the dance.”
"Do we go to dances now?" I said. We never had before. School-sponsored social events? No
way.
"Of course not. But you know there'll be all kinds of secret parties. We'll start at the dance and
sneak off." She sighed happily. "Mia's so jealous she can barely stand it.”