“Stop sniffing me already. People are starting to stare,” Vlada hissed indignantly as Sasha leaned in close to her for the umpteenth time.
“It’s just…”
“What? I threw up. Of course I stink. What’s weird is that you keep…”
“That’s not it,” Sasha interrupted unexpectedly. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”
“Nothing’s going on with me…”
She was already starting to regret turning down Orlenko’s offer to walk her home.
“Then why the heck are you wearing this stupid hood?” With that, he yanked it off her head.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the tree canopy and hit her square in the eye. Vlada hissed and turned away, while Sasha loomed over her, clearly displeased. As she pulled the hood back on, he stood silently beside her.
“Since when did you start hiding from the sun?” he asked the moment she faced him again.
“I just have heightened light sensitivity,” she snapped irritably. “The doctor already prescribed me some drops.”
Drops she couldn’t afford. But Sasha didn’t need to know that.
“And how long has this been going on?” he pressed, continuing his interrogation.
“Look, I don’t get why you’re so hung up on this. Seriously. I’m fine. Just…”
“You’re not fine!” he suddenly shouted, and for a moment, Vlada actually felt a flicker of fear toward him.
Not to mention the passersby. His outburst seemed to draw the attention of everyone within a mile radius. Vlada’s face burned with embarrassment as she smacked him on the back of the head.
“What was that for?” Sasha protested, but under her glare, he faltered and lowered his head. “Sorry, I just…”
“Keep your worries to yourself. I’ll be okay.”
“But your scent is changing,” he muttered under his breath, barely audible.
Vlada wasn’t even sure she’d heard him right. It was probably just her imagination. And anyway, what did it matter?
They walked the rest of the way to the dorm in silence. Vlada didn’t know what Sasha was thinking about. For her part, she tried to recall when her vision problems had started. It hadn’t happened overnight. Each day, it just got harder to look at light. At first, it hadn’t bothered her much. She’d simply lowered the brightness on her phone and laptop screens and started wearing sunglasses. In the early weeks, she thought her eyes were watering from fatigue—working late into the night on her laptop to prepare for classes took its toll. But as time went on, things only got worse. Eventually, she had to see an eye doctor.
The doctor examined her, scribbled something in his notebook, and calmly informed her that her eyes were fine. He found no abnormalities and suggested the issue might be genetic. Still, he prescribed her drops, though when Vlada saw the price, she decided they weren’t that necessary. Instead of the recommended ones, she bought a cheap alternative, but after the first use, her eyes swelled up and turned red, and her light sensitivity didn’t improve at all.
In the end, she decided not to experiment with her health anymore and focused on her studies instead. Sunny days would soon be over, and there weren’t many left as it was. With each passing day, the weather grew colder, rain fell every other day, and the city streets drowned in morning fog. Of all the seasons, fall had become her favorite.
“You sure you’re okay?” Sasha asked with concern just outside the dorm.
“I’m fine,” she assured him with a smile. “I think the pie was just a little off. I’m feeling much better now.”
With that, they parted ways. At least, that’s what Vlada thought until her phone rang. She’d already changed clothes and was rummaging through the kitchen cabinet for her granola. She was sure there was still a little left at the bottom—enough for a quick snack.
Unable to find it, she answered the call. As she brought the phone to her ear, she spotted the empty granola box in the trash can. Well, living in a dorm, she should’ve expected as much.
“What do you want?” she asked, a bit annoyed, her eyes still fixed on the empty box.
“Come downstairs. I’m waiting for you by the entrance…”
Vlada didn’t even get a chance to respond before Sasha hung up.
“Jerk,” she muttered under her breath.
Sasha was standing in the middle of the first-floor lobby, every move of his closely watched by the dorm supervisor. Aunt Galya was a stern, temperamental woman. She’d dragged more than a few unwelcome guests out of the dorm by the scruff of their necks, and the female students collectively disliked her. Vlada hadn’t had any run-ins with her yet. She hoped this time wouldn’t be the first.
“Here,” Sasha said as soon as she approached, handing her a bag. “I didn’t buy anything, I swear. Just grabbed some stuff from home. There’s rosehip and rice porridge. Brew some tea with the rosehip, and if you get hungry, eat the rice.”
Vlada listened to his instructions in silence and, though reluctantly, accepted the bag with gratitude.
“Thanks,” she said sincerely.
In her eyes, Sasha had long since repaid her for helping him out back in the day. If anything, lately, she felt like she was the one constantly in his debt. Sometimes, it pained her to accept his help, especially when she knew she had nothing to offer in return.
Over time, Sasha had noticed how uncomfortable it made her and started acting more reserved. But that didn’t make it any easier for her.
“Call me if you need anything…” he said, backing toward the exit.
Vlada nodded and waved goodbye. As soon as the door closed behind him, she glanced at the supervisor.
Aunt Galya put on her glasses and returned to her reading. This time, she held a book wrapped in a homemade cover made of newspaper. Rumors among the students claimed that beneath the newspaper were the colorful covers of romance novels, but no one dared to check.
Heading up to her floor, Vlada went to the kitchen, set the bag on the table, and sat down in front of it. Now she didn’t have to worry about going hungry. But the bitter feeling of having to accept help from her friend lingered. That was the thing she hated most in her life. And really, what was the big deal? She had nothing—why not set aside her pride and be grateful for every penny? But Vlada just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t about pride. More than anything, she hated feeling helpless. Accepting help was hard because she immediately wanted to repay the favor, and she didn’t have the means to do so.
Finally, she decided she’d definitely cook something for Sasha and treat him to a nice lunch next time. With her conscience somewhat eased, Vlada pulled the container of rice porridge from the bag. But as soon as she lifted the lid, the smell made her nauseous. For a while, she just sat there, spoon in hand, until she decided she wasn’t that hungry after all.
Vlada covered the container and stashed it in the depths of the fridge. To settle her stomach, irritated by the smell of food, she took Sasha’s advice and brewed herself some rosehip tea.
Cup in hand, she returned to her room. In the dorm, you had to password-protect all your electronics. She’d learned that lesson in her second year when she caught her roommate using her newly bought laptop. She still didn’t know what the girl had been doing—repairs had cost her half a month’s salary.
Her password was simple, but so far, no one had cracked it. She’d bought the laptop from a senior student who’d kindly left seminar prep materials on it. Not that much of it had been useful. The law changed too quickly. Even in fields that seemed stable for years, updates had occurred.
Sipping her tea, Vlada got to work preparing for tomorrow’s classes. She only had a few hours to spare, and she still needed to sleep. Her shift started at midnight and ended at eight in the morning. She worked as a dispatcher for a taxi company. Sometimes, at night, she managed to catch a quick nap, especially in the summer when nights were shorter and warmer. But now, in mid-fall, with rain falling more often, the number of late-night calls had doubled, if not tripled.
So, it was crucial to prepare for classes now, so she wouldn’t have to think about it in the morning. Normally, she studied for seminars during breaks between classes or during lectures when the professor wasn’t dictating notes. In those cases, after classes, she’d come back to the dorm and crash. Her alarm was set for eleven at night.
Of course, under these conditions, getting proper rest was impossible. But somehow, that amount of sleep had been enough for her. At least, it used to be.
Now, every day felt like unbearable torture. The sleep she so desperately needed wouldn’t come. And when she did fall asleep, the slightest noise would wake her up.
Today, more than ever, she needed rest, but circumstances seemed to be against her. To give herself more time to sleep, she focused on questions that hadn’t been covered in lectures, planning to review the lecture material right before the seminar.
Even so, after falling asleep around seven in the evening, she unexpectedly woke up at nine. At first, she didn’t even realize what had roused her. She just jolted awake, eyes wide with alarm. Then, a sharp, girlish laugh rang out again. The sound of her roommate’s laughter made her ears ring. Vlada sat up abruptly in bed and shot an irritated glare at the girl.
Liza was her least favorite roommate. The others, at least, didn’t disturb her sleep or take her things. Not that she had much worth taking.
“Did you take my glasses?” Vlada asked coldly as soon as Liza finished her call.
“They’re on the table,” the girl replied indifferently.
Judging by her expression, she felt no guilt and had no intention of apologizing.
“I thought I made myself clear when you moved in: take whatever you want, just not my sunglasses.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be so stingy. What’s the big deal? I just borrowed them for a bit.”
For a moment, Vlada felt an overwhelming urge to hit her. The impulse was so strong that her hands clenched into fists. She’d had to fight for what was hers plenty of times in the past. But she’d long since outgrown that phase. At least, she wanted to believe she had. Swallowing her anger, she closed her eyes for a moment. When she looked at her roommate again, Liza was sitting across from her, pale as a ghost.
“I’m asking you for the last time: don’t take my sunglasses without permission. And please, step into the hallway to talk on the phone, especially if you see someone sleeping.”
Liza didn’t respond, so Vlada turned her back to her, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to fall asleep again. But no matter how hard she tried, sleep wouldn’t come. Even the slightest rustle sounded like thunder. She could hear the voices of students through the wall, the click of heels in the hallway, and even the sizzle of food in a frying pan.
All the sounds blended together in her head, triggering a splitting headache, which in turn brought on nausea. Unable to sleep, Vlada finally crawled out from under the blanket and returned to studying.
She finished preparing for classes five minutes before her alarm went off. While her roommates got ready for bed, Vlada changed for work.
Luckily, the taxi company office wasn’t far. It was just a fifteen-minute walk. Vlada always took a shortcut through the park, as did most of the other female students.
This time, as she left the dorm under the disapproving gaze of the supervisor, she headed toward the park. The flashing lights of patrol cars caught her attention as soon as she stepped onto the road. A tall police officer in uniform stood at the park entrance.
“You shouldn’t be walking through here alone so late. I’d advise you to take another route,” he said, blocking her path with his arm.
Vlada peered past him and noticed a lot more officers inside the park.
“I don’t think anything will happen to me with so many cops around,” she said finally, shifting her gaze back to the officer.
The man flushed slightly but lowered his arm, letting her pass. Walking along the familiar path, she spotted officers with dogs here and there. They were clearly searching for something—or someone. For a moment, curiosity tugged at her, urging her to stop and ask what was going on. But rationality won out, and she dismissed the idea. She’d find out tomorrow anyway. If not from the news, then from campus gossip. Rumors spread like wildfire at their university, and anyone who knew how to listen was always in the loop.
****
“You’ve settled in pretty nicely,” the envoy remarked, surveying Vitold’s office with curiosity.
In the Clan Union, he played the role of a hound, tasked with tracking down and punishing those who broke their laws. Years ago, this very man had carried out the Union’s sentence against Vitold’s father. Vitold hadn’t witnessed his mother’s execution, so he couldn’t say for sure, but something told him this man had been involved there too. The war that followed the collapse of the Triumvirate had wiped out most of his clan.
Gerhard, on the other hand, was ruthless and unprincipled. He carried out orders with cold precision, even if it meant killing infants. In essence, he was no different from the ones he hunted. And now, this man stood in Vitold’s office, right in front of his desk.
“Just tell me what you want,” Vitold said, not looking up from his documents.
Gerhard didn’t rush to answer. He’d spent much of his life in Germany, and though he spoke many languages, his speech always carried a distinct German accent. After casting another glance around the office, he leisurely sat down in the client chair and crossed his arms.
“You didn’t think the Union spared you and your sister for no reason, did you?” Gerhard began, easing into the topic.
Vitold stayed silent, though he only managed to maintain the appearance of calm. He had plenty he wanted to say, but he wouldn’t risk putting his sister in danger. She was too young, too vulnerable. He’d long suspected the Union had let her live only to manipulate him in the future. Kitty—or Katya, as she called herself—was his only weakness.
Gerhard deliberately gave him time to process the words and grasp the risks involved. Only when Vitold fully understood that he couldn’t refuse the Union’s request did the man speak again.
“We’re not sure if this is a series of incidents, and we certainly don’t know if any of our kind are involved,” Gerhard said, placing a folder of documents on the desk in front of him. “You need to figure this out. After all, people are disappearing on your territory.”
“You want to turn me into your hound?” Vitold asked irritably, looking up from the papers.
“Whether you like it or not, with your parents’ death, the title of prince passed to you. Neither you nor your sister renounced your titles or joined other clans. Therefore, as prince, you’re responsible for the territories entrusted to you. Vsevolod and his clan left these lands a year ago.”
“I’m a lawyer, not a detective,” Vitold hissed, annoyed. “What makes you think I can handle this job?”
“The Union doesn’t care how or what you do. What matters is the result. If the issue isn’t resolved within three months, you’ll have to answer for it.”