"I always thought that the first time I'd be on my knees I'd be praying..." I held my breath lowering myself to my knees in front of him,
"Then worship," he smirked, "what do you desire?"
Being loved by the king of Socrates Academy is haunting, espe...
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I've never travelled alone until now, I'm alone on the aircraft as I watch the window as leave behind the only home I've ever known. I should feel sadder than this, I know it, I know I should feel more distraught and yet I do not.
The pilot has been instructed not to speak to me nor look me in the eye, it's considered impolite to do so when in the presence of someone of a higher stature than yourself.
The flight was two hours long and I practised my Czech and English over and over again on the way there. Even though I was aware that quite a few people in Prague spoke Russian due to being under communist rule. I wanted to make sure I was flawless, poised and perfect.
I would make my father proud.
Once the flight landed a bodyguard assigned by my father met me at the airport, I knew that he would often disguise himself as my overprotective uncle so no one got suspicious of my identity and significance in society.
I was never paraded to the public like my brothers, only close friends and family knew of my existence so it'd be easy for me to get away with not being recognized. I'm this world I am no longer Nadezhda Mikhailovich Vladimir daughter of the general secretary of the Soviet Union.
I was just Nadya, a foreign exchange student from a wealthy family somewhere in Russia. I was a politics major and as significant to the people around me as a speck of dust on the carpet.
My personal bodyguard, Ivan, is stoic and unwavering in his occupation, he tells me of how he fought in the second war of his daughters back home who wish he was with them.
"Hope is merely the entrée to a dinner of disappointment," I respond truthfully, knowing that the chances of my father permitting him to leave me to see his children are zero to none.
The cold air blew past me The wintry sun shines brightly throughout the day, taking centre stage while the summer blooms fade into the soil. Even when the north wind stings, the sun and cold, the sparkle and the ice make it feel comfortable.
The sun rays feel like a refrigerator light, a mocking delusion.
There will be days when I wish to stay warm, to televise from a duvet with my fingers wrapped snugly around a cup of cocoa... but winter will take my hand and show me its beauty, that it is only the beginning of spring.
