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Authors: Erica Kirov
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away. "Stop it, Sascha. I'm fine now."
"We'll just have to keep a very close eye on the woman with the raven," stated Isabella.
" Spy on her is more like it." Nick struggled to his feet. "W e better go to dinner."
"A tuxedo?" Isabella raised one eyebrow, suppressing a smile.
"Damian insisted." Nick looked his cousin up and down. She was dressed in an eighteenth-century Russian dress the color of emeralds, with lace and finery and intricate embroidery. Jewels were sewn into the high lace collar. Isabella's hair was held up with pins, and two emerald combs were tucked into her chignon. "You look very nice, too, Isabella," he said dryly.
"Irina insisted." She sighed. "Many of the families will be in costumes from their home countries. But I hate the lace. It itches!"
The two of them—and Sascha—rode down in the elevator. Nick tried to put the ravens from his mind and concentrate instead on the fact that they were actually getting to eat in the hotel ballroom instead of on the top floor with the family.
"Do you think we'll be able to have real food?" he asked. "Not borscht? Or fish-egg crepes?" He was envisioning a real, all-you-can-eat Las Vegas buffet like the ones he used to go to with Grandpa. Cheeseburgers. Chicken fingers in little animal shapes—he didn't care if they were dinosaurshaped or had elephant ears, as long as he could drown them in honey mustard. He pictured French fries, and maybe pizza bagels, and sliced prime rib. And dessert! Pies, cakes, ice cream sundaes, mousse—he wanted chocolate mousse covered with whipped cream. And fizzy orange soda, not bitter Russian tea.
When they arrived in the downstairs ballroom, it was decorated all in white, like a snow-covered Russian castle. White muslin hung from the ceilings, and swirling, delicate snowflakes fell in small flurries here and there. Trees had sprouted from the floor, their roots penetrating the parquet, their branches bare of leaves. The whole place was a vision from a Siberian winter.
"It's beautiful," Isabelle sighed.
They walked to their table, which had an enormous snow globe with a white Siberian tiger inside it as a centerpiece.
"Look!" Isabella grinned. "It looks just like Sascha."
The tiger inside moved and blinked its eyes.
"It is magnificent," said a young boy with bright white teeth, black eyes, and smooth, coffee-colored skin. "So lifelike."
Isabella nodded.
"You must be Nicholai and Isabella," the visitor said.
Now Nick nodded. "Yeah. But you can call me Nick."
"I am Atsu, and this is my twin sister, Siti." He gestured toward a girl with long black hair that fell to her waist. She was fidgeting in a crisp white dress, clearly as uncomfortable as Nick and Isabella were in their formal wear. Both of the twins had green eyes. "We are from Egypt."
Nick and Isabella sat down. Sascha flopped on the shiny wooden floor in back of Isabella's chair.
"I hear you are a Gazer," Atsu said. "My gift is Divination. I can read the stars and tell the future. My sister can touch an object and see its past."
Isabella gestured at Sascha. "Animal arts."
"Oooh," Siti cooed. "I would so love to have that gift. I'v e been begging my papa for a cat—a simple house cat—but he says he is allergic. I would give anything to have a cat like yours. But it is not my destiny."
"You can pet Sascha. She's very sweet." Isabella bent to Sascha and instructed her to go to Siti's chair. Their new friend ran her fingers through Sascha's fur.
"She's magnificent," Siti said. "Her coat…it's so beau tiful. I don't think I've ever touched anything so soft in all my life."
Nick nodded. "Sascha is very cool. I wasn't sure we were going to be friends when we first met."
"I had heard you were raised with the outsiders," Siti remarked softly, her eyes still on Sascha. "That you just joined your family this year. What is
"We'll just have to keep a very close eye on the woman with the raven," stated Isabella.
" Spy on her is more like it." Nick struggled to his feet. "W e better go to dinner."
"A tuxedo?" Isabella raised one eyebrow, suppressing a smile.
"Damian insisted." Nick looked his cousin up and down. She was dressed in an eighteenth-century Russian dress the color of emeralds, with lace and finery and intricate embroidery. Jewels were sewn into the high lace collar. Isabella's hair was held up with pins, and two emerald combs were tucked into her chignon. "You look very nice, too, Isabella," he said dryly.
"Irina insisted." She sighed. "Many of the families will be in costumes from their home countries. But I hate the lace. It itches!"
The two of them—and Sascha—rode down in the elevator. Nick tried to put the ravens from his mind and concentrate instead on the fact that they were actually getting to eat in the hotel ballroom instead of on the top floor with the family.
"Do you think we'll be able to have real food?" he asked. "Not borscht? Or fish-egg crepes?" He was envisioning a real, all-you-can-eat Las Vegas buffet like the ones he used to go to with Grandpa. Cheeseburgers. Chicken fingers in little animal shapes—he didn't care if they were dinosaurshaped or had elephant ears, as long as he could drown them in honey mustard. He pictured French fries, and maybe pizza bagels, and sliced prime rib. And dessert! Pies, cakes, ice cream sundaes, mousse—he wanted chocolate mousse covered with whipped cream. And fizzy orange soda, not bitter Russian tea.
When they arrived in the downstairs ballroom, it was decorated all in white, like a snow-covered Russian castle. White muslin hung from the ceilings, and swirling, delicate snowflakes fell in small flurries here and there. Trees had sprouted from the floor, their roots penetrating the parquet, their branches bare of leaves. The whole place was a vision from a Siberian winter.
"It's beautiful," Isabelle sighed.
They walked to their table, which had an enormous snow globe with a white Siberian tiger inside it as a centerpiece.
"Look!" Isabella grinned. "It looks just like Sascha."
The tiger inside moved and blinked its eyes.
"It is magnificent," said a young boy with bright white teeth, black eyes, and smooth, coffee-colored skin. "So lifelike."
Isabella nodded.
"You must be Nicholai and Isabella," the visitor said.
Now Nick nodded. "Yeah. But you can call me Nick."
"I am Atsu, and this is my twin sister, Siti." He gestured toward a girl with long black hair that fell to her waist. She was fidgeting in a crisp white dress, clearly as uncomfortable as Nick and Isabella were in their formal wear. Both of the twins had green eyes. "We are from Egypt."
Nick and Isabella sat down. Sascha flopped on the shiny wooden floor in back of Isabella's chair.
"I hear you are a Gazer," Atsu said. "My gift is Divination. I can read the stars and tell the future. My sister can touch an object and see its past."
Isabella gestured at Sascha. "Animal arts."
"Oooh," Siti cooed. "I would so love to have that gift. I'v e been begging my papa for a cat—a simple house cat—but he says he is allergic. I would give anything to have a cat like yours. But it is not my destiny."
"You can pet Sascha. She's very sweet." Isabella bent to Sascha and instructed her to go to Siti's chair. Their new friend ran her fingers through Sascha's fur.
"She's magnificent," Siti said. "Her coat…it's so beau tiful. I don't think I've ever touched anything so soft in all my life."
Nick nodded. "Sascha is very cool. I wasn't sure we were going to be friends when we first met."
"I had heard you were raised with the outsiders," Siti remarked softly, her eyes still on Sascha. "That you just joined your family this year. What is
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