Witches Burn at Dawn ✔

22. Yaroslava

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Now

A peculiar thing happens before I manage to find a dress for tonight's art event.

I pad into the hall, drawn by the sound of the keys scratching in the front door keyhole, exactly when Mir walks out of his room, his hand now bandaged. He looks like he wants to say something. But the front door swings open, and Lav gives a small yelp of surprise upon meeting us face to face.

Mir's gaze loses its zeal, reminding me of a star in the night sky that flickers and dies out. He glowers sideways at Laverna and strides past us without a word, disappearing into the living room.

"Angel's shit," Lav groans, watching him go. "Yara, don't tell me I was supposed to keep you company last night." She kicks off her heels. "Sorry, I stayed at the Ninth Circle. One of the waitresses didn't show up, and I owed Nilam, so--"

"Can we talk?"

She glances at me, intrigued, as she heads down the hallway. "Sure."

I haven't seen Laverna's bedroom before, and when she opens the door at the far end of the hall, I'm perplexed to find it so small. Much smaller than the room Mir's given me. Yet, it has a giant window, and the interior is weird--an unfinished sculpture of an angel occupies the center.

"Is something wrong?" Lav looks tired and sounds amicable, and I almost hate to say what I've come to say.

"You lied to me, Laverna. Mir has never dated Polina."

Alarm washes over her face.

"Why?"

After a tentative pause, she sighs. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just...just..." she drops onto her bed, deflated. "Please, try to understand. When it comes to magic, Mir is obsessed. Do you see the way he's acting now? Ignoring us and everything? He was different, he used to... smile."

He does smile. He did, when he got rid of my bracelets.

"And now all he does is talk about magic and our serial killer and you," she continues, wringing her hands. "I thought if I told you Polina was his girlfriend, it would make things awkward enough for you to dismiss him and his ideas, to keep your distance from him. With everything you know about sorcery and everything he can do...Do you imagine how devastating you two can be? I simply didn't want him to get hurt. With Jasna gone, I can't risk losing Mir too. I can't go back to where I started."

Still lingering in the doorway, I study her from across the room. Watching the emotions rippling Lav's features is like witnessing the ice glazing a river surface crack, split and double until the pieces fall apart, leaving nothing but shards that don't fit the puzzle anymore. As though Laverna, herself, is unsure of her feelings and words.

"You know what it's like, to be nobody, don't you?" Lav prompts. It pains me to admit, but I do know. "For my whole nineteen years, I've been nobody. Laverna Argyros, a girl left at the orphanage at the age of two. But not all of us can sing prayers all day and follow the rules without questions like Polina and Kadri. The High Priestess threw me out when I refused to marry some asshat she chose for me. Yara, do you really believe any of us are here, resurrecting you, because our lives are too good?"

I shake my head once, but Lav doesn't seem to care for my response.

"I was alone in the streets. Mopping floors in other people's houses and washing other people's underwear but never making enough money to at least rent my own place. You were alone once too. How did you manage? The police said they found, like, a bag full of cash at your place after you died."