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students, but with so many Eastern European families, a lot of students were Eastern Orthodox<br />
Christians and attended either because they believed or because their parents made them.<br />
Christian sat on the opposite side of the aisle, pretending to be just as holy as he'd said. As<br />
much as I didn't like him, his fake faith still made me smile. Dimitri sat in the back, face lined<br />
with shadows, and, like me, didn't take communion. As thoughtful as he looked, I wondered if<br />
he even listened to the service. I tuned in and out.<br />
"Following God's path is never easy," the priest was saying. "Even St. Vladimir, this school's<br />
own patron saint, had a difficult time. He was so filled with spirit that people often flocked<br />
around him, enthralled just to listen and be in his presence. So great was his spirit, the old texts<br />
say, that he could heal the sick. Yet despite these gifts, many did not respect him. They mocked<br />
him, claiming he was misguided and confused.”<br />
Which was a nice way of saying Vladimir was insane. Everyone knew it. He was one of a<br />
handful of Moroi saints, so the priest liked to talk about him a lot. I'd heard all about him, many<br />
times over, before we left. Great. It looked like I had an eternity of Sundays to hear his story<br />
over and over again.<br />
"…and so it was with shadow-kissed Anna.”<br />
I jerked my head up. I had no idea what the priest was talking about now, because I hadn't been<br />
listening for some time. But those words burned into me. Shadow-kissed. It had been a while<br />
since I heard them, but I'd never forgotten them. I waited, hoping he'd continue, but he'd<br />
already moved on to the next part of the service. The sermon was over.<br />
Church concluded, and as Lissa turned to go, I shook my head at her. "Wait for me. I'll be right<br />
there.”<br />
I pushed my way through the crowd, up to the front, where the priest was speaking with a few<br />
people. I waited impatiently while he finished. Natalie was there, asking him about volunteer<br />
work she could do. Ugh. When she finished, she left, greeting me as she passed.<br />
The priest raised his eyebrows when he saw me. "Hello, Rose. It's nice to see you again.”
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