It had been an hour since the competition ended and Ana sat in a corner of the large and bustling hall, waiting for the results to be announced.

The free set of art supplies  (so much better than the cheap colours and brushes she is usually able to afford ) that had been provided as a complimentary gift to each participant, clutched tightly to her self.

It had been a fun event. Fun, but fiercely competitive.

There had been multiple rounds which she had to qualify through, before ultimately reaching the finale round along with ten other extremely skilled individuals.

It had been, perhaps, one of the most stressful competitions she had ever participated in.

Initially, she had been too nervous, the strokes of her brush coming out shaky as the clock ticked by, and despite her best efforts to prevent any mishaps, she had, to her utter horror, ended up knocking over a small bottle of blue paint over her half completed canvas, with some of the paint even spilling over and soaking in her dress as she sat frozen, shocked by her foolishness.

She looked down at her light green sundress, her favourite and best piece of clothing which is now spoiled with a large ugly blotch of paint, can only hope that Ms. Jennie has some magical hack up her sleeve to help remove the stain before Ms. Martha saw the condition of her clothes and decided to give her an earful about it.

"Hi!"

Ana jumps, startled, turns and blinks owlishly at the figure standing behind her.

It is a girl.

A very pretty girl around her age, with brown hair, pale skin and large brown eyes, eyes that stare at Ana with barely concealed curiosity.

"H-Hello." She stutters in reply.

"Take this." The girl says, offering Ana a packed bottle of water. "I was afraid that you were going to keel over with how nervous you seem to be."

Ana's cheeks flush with embarrassment but she takes the offered water gratefully. "Thank you."

"I'm Alice." The girl smiles, introducing herself.

"I'm Ana." She murmurs, a nervous smile on her face. "Ana Winters."

"I know." The girl says, much to Ana's surprise. "I saw your name when you turned in the painting," she explains. "I was watching you the entire time, you know, and all I could think was how talented you are, especially with how you covered up when the paint bottle spilled over. That was totally awesome! If you ask me I would say that you have a very high chance of winning. I'm jealous to be honest.... I've been taking classes since I was seven and I'm kind of lousy at it,  but my parents always force me into this even though I never reach the finals or anything."

The girl speaks all of it in a single breath, leaving Ana to gaze at her with wide eyed wonder, amazed that a person could speak so much and so fast.

Does she not breathe?

Some of her shock must have been visible on her face, for the other girl bites her lip, appearing contrite.

"Stupid Alice... ugh.. why .... weird ... potential friends," she hears the girl mumble under her breath before she glances back at Ana, grinning sheepishly. "I tend to talk a lot. My mother tells me that I have no filter and how confusing and weird it can be for strangers when I do that. I apologise."

"It's fine." Ana replies softly, causing the girl to smile, bright, full of happiness and excitement.

"But honestly, you have real talent." Alice insists. "Which Academy do you go to? I've been attending this event for years now, sometimes as a volunteer even, and I would have definitely remembered seeing you before. Is it your first time here? Are you from some private school out of the city?"

"I'm uhm—" Ana grips the bottle with one hand and curls the other around the strap of her worn backpack. "I'm from Oklahoma... Uncle Steve and Ms. Jennie uhm... she's the matron at the orphanage I live at, they got me the pass for this competition as an early birthday present," she answers nervously.

Ana immediately bites the inside of her cheek, trying hard to not look at the girl before her, cheeks heating up, her lack of social skills never more apparent to her before now, as she waits for the other girl to either laugh or scoff at her for being a poor, no name orphan, like the other kids at her school are likely to do.

But Alice simply nods her head in understanding, a friendly smile on her face. "No wonder I've not seen you around before. We get almost the same set of people who participate in such events, exclusivity and everything." She rolls her eyes. "I'm honestly bored looking at all of their faces."

Ana smiles awkwardly, unsure what to say.

Alice's eyes sparkle, and she claps once excitedly before taking Ana's hand in hers. "Maybe I could show you around the city ? I bet we will become great friends if given a chance."

Ana feels warmth enveloping her.

Friends.

Such a novel concept to someone like her.

She has never had friends in Oklahoma. There, she is the poor charity case or the freak whose adopted parents returned her

She doesn't know why but she feels something warm in her chest, something embarrassingly like an ache in her throat.

She clears her throat, discreetly tries to hide the ugly paint splotch in the folds of her dress. "I ..uhm... I would like that," she murmurs shyly, making Alice's face split up in a wide grin.

Friends

Before the two girls can speak more, they are being called to attention by the sharply dressed host who holds a card in his hand with the names of the winners written on it.

In the silence that envelopes the participants and the other audience, Ana can feel her own heart beating loudly, her fingers crossed behind her back. She glances sideways at Alice who winks at her, gesturing with her hands to Ana to get up on the stage and claim the prize.

But good things don't happen to Ana very often.

And one good thing has already happened to her today.

She made a friend.

But maybe it can be her lucky day?

So she closes her eyes and prays to whatever deity willing to listen.

'Please just this once. Even third place is fine. But let me win. Let me win something so I don't have to see the disappointment on Ms. Jennie's face'

.

.

.

She ends up winning the first prize.

                                 ~~~~

"Movies or Books?"

"Books."

"Snowy Mountains or exotic beaches?"

Ana bites her lip. "I would like to visit both, one day."

Her wishful tone makes Alice pause her game for a moment, before she leans back against her chair, a sly smile curling across her lips, as she questions, "Vanilla or non-vanilla?"

"Uhm..." Ana blinks at the strange question. "As in ice cream?"

She doesn't understand why but her query makes Alice burst out in uncontrollable peels of laughter, a few tears escaping her eyes, as she pats Ana's hand, mutters yeah sure, before she stands up and goes towards the counter to collect their order, giggling all the way.

Ana watches her leave, feeling somewhat silly, but doesn't care much for it, for there is something bright in her chest, a warmth curling in her heart, can feel a fragile camaraderie building between herself and her new friend.

After having spent the entire afternoon and much of the evening visiting some of the most famous tourist spots in the city, the two girls were now sat in a small, cozy cafe, full of waning excitement and exhaustion, playing games to learn more about each other (Alice's idea)

It had been one of the most wonderful day of Ana's life. Had never expected that her first experience of the city would be so great.

So blissfully lost she is in her thoughts, replaying the sights in her head, that she misses the way the other girl suddenly turns pale after receiving a phone call before she rushes back to their table.

"We have to go! NOW!"

"What's wrong?" Ana questions, startled

"I'm so stupid." Alice moans, covering her face with her hands. "There was this grand party in a today that my family was invited to, and it completely slipped my mind!"

Ana stares at her with confusion. "But didn't you say that your parents were out of town?"

"They are." The brown haired girl nods vigorously. "So it falls to me to represent my family at the event."

Ana does not pay much attention to the girl's odd words, having already learnt that Alice came from a very well to do family, with her parents even having been on the sponsor committee.

She simply nods in understanding, a little sad at having to say goodbye to her new friend, not knowing when they would meet again, if ever.

"Thank you so much for today, Alice." She offers the girl a sweet, dimple cheeked smile, sincerity in her eyes. "It was really nice of you to have shown me around. I don't know what I —

"Save your thank you speech for later, Ana!" The girl interjects, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You are coming along with me!"

Ana blinks, once, twice, causing the girl to smirk.

"Your return bus to Oklahoma is hours away. You didn't think I'd leave my newest friend to wander in an unknown city all by herself, did you?"

"But — I can't. I've never—" she splutters, shaking her head in disbelief, causing the brown haired girl to laugh aloud, before a crazy glint enters her eyes and she claps her hands in excitement. "Ohh, it's going to be so much fun!"

Ana shakes her head. "No, no, no!"

"Why not?"Alice pouts.

"Look." She points towards the stain on her dress with a shaky finger. "I- I'm not even appropriately dressed for a party."

Ana immediately bites her tongue, knowing she has committed a mistake when the stubborn girl looks at her dress before looking back at her face, an evil smirk on her lips.

.

.

.

In all the seventeen years of her rather short life, Ana has never stepped foot in a Hotel as magnificent as the one Alice drags her into.

She walks unsteadily behind the other girl, eyes nearly as wide as saucers as she takes everything around her.

From the sparking grand chandeliers that hang off the high glass ceilings to the well dressed people that walk underneath it, everything around her screams wealth, wealth unlike which Ana has never even dared to dream about.

She feels as if she is transported to a different world, a world  far out of her reach.

She runs her hand down her dress, awkward and fidgety, fingers gliding over the material—

(Ana stares at herself in the mirror, wringing her hands nervously, tries not to glance at the price tag on the dress. "Can we look for something else?  Something uhm.. less.. ?"

"The dress is on me." Alice states casually, while applying some sparkly eyeshadow on her eyelids, already dressed in a long blue dress and ready to go. "What is the point of my mum owning this boutique if I can't loan a dress every once in a while?" She chuckles, winking at an elder sales lady who in turn only rolls her eyes, before shooing them off.)

—a gorgeous baby pink spaghetti strap satin gown that she had only ever seen models wear on the back cover of the fashion magazines that the girls in her school gossiped over, and wonders, why she had agreed to go along with Alice's crazy idea.

Because she's your first and only friend, a voice in her head mutters.

"Alice, stop!" Ana tugs her hand a little, forcing the other girl to slow down and turn to look at her. "I don't think I should be here," she says in a hushed tone, glancing around nervously.

I don't belong here.

Alice frowns. "Don't be ridiculous, Ana. No one will know—"

"I- I've never been to a party before." She interjects, a pleading edge to her words as she wills the girl to understand. "I don't feel comfortable.... and I wouldn't want to embarrass you by doing something I shouldn't."

Alice's eyes soften. "Don't worry. I'll stick by your side the entire time."

"But my bus —" Ana tries once more.

"There's still plenty of time left for it," the other girl counters immediately. "I will make sure to have my driver drop you off at the stop. Please Ana? I'll be bored here otherwise. I have no friends here. Please, please ..." Alice pleads, and Ana bites her lips, before nodding in acquiescence, hoping against hope that she does not end up regretting her decision.

Alice squeals, entwines their arms and drags her over to a queue outside the large double doors which are guarded by four men dressed in black suits, who seem to be checking the guest list before allowing people to pass through the security machine.

When their turn comes, Alice produces a royal blue and gold colour invitation from her bag, which the guard quickly scans.

"Martinez?"

"Yes." She nods. " Alice Martinez."

His eyes flicker towards Ana who looks at him like a deer caught in headlights. "Your companion?"

"My cousin. Ana Martinez." Alice replies, a sweet smile on her lips.

The guard looks down at them with a pinched look. "She is not on the list."

"We received a family invite." Alice stresses, as if it's supposed to mean something. "We should get going now, unless of course you would want to be the one to inform Uncle Sergie the reason behind why we were delayed."

The guard exchanges a look with his companion who in turn looks at Ana, almost as if assessing her for any threats, before he nods. "Of course not. Please proceed, Ms. Martinez."

Alice nods confidently as the guard opens the double doors for them, and begins to steer Ana through an extravagantly decorated corridor, cheering silently all the while.

"The security is really strict at such events," Alice whispers at her questioning look. "If a name is not on the list, then no matter who you are, you cannot gain entry."

"Then won't you fall into any problem if they get to know the truth?" She whispers back, anxious, can already hear the faint sound of music coming from the end of the corridor.

"I could but we're too insignificant to have caught their notice." She rolls her eyes. "Also, I come from a lower branch of the Kozlov family, my mother was Sergie Kozlov's second cousin, but his most favourite, you see, before she got married to my father."

They enter a large ballroom and Ana gasps at the sight before her, not expecting the beautifully decorated hall to be so crowded with people, finery dripping from their very stance.

It is a strange and unknown atmosphere that she walks into.

She sees some people swaying on the beats of the soft music being played by a live orchestra (Ana's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when she recognises them to be a famous international band) in the centre while some people are gathered around the huge glass bar, off on one side of the large hall, where the bartenders are busily serving drinks, some of which have blue flames atop the different shaped glasses.

But, a majority of people seem to simply linger in small or large groups, with conversations and secrets being traded in hushed whispers, glasses clinking against each other, women draped in luxury hiding their giggles behind their palms, eyes shiny, men and women alike appearing visibly excited, many of them restless, but they all seem to be standing in wait.

She clears her throat, turns to her new friend. "So what is this party about?"

Alice opens her mouth to reply, but before she is able to speak, she is suddenly tackled into a hug by a tall, black haired girl.

"Marie?" Alice squeals excitedly, once she is able to break free. "What are you doing here? When did you return to New York? Why did you not tell me you were coming to the party?"

The girl named Marie laughs, flipping her hair.

She is pretty, Ana thinks, what with her chocolate brown skin, dark hair and soft features.

"My father was ordered to be present as a part of the congregation from the Nazyalensky side," the girl replies excitedly. "I wanted to surprise you."

Alice laughs, ecstatic, and Ana discreetly steps back, feeling like an intruder, until the newcomer's eyes fall on her. "Who is she?"

The brown haired girl tugs Ana back to her side. "She is my newest friend." She states proudly, making Ana's cheeks turn warm. "Ana Winters."

Marie's brows furrow, and Ana sees her mouthing her surname, as if trying to place it somewhere but failing to do so, before her eyes flicker between the two girls, lingering for a moment on Ana's worn backpack.

"You're not being reckless again, are you?" Marie addresses her friend, worry and suspicion concealed in her words. "Especially given today's occasion —"

Alice shushes the girl, rolling her eyes. "You're being rude, Marie!"

The black haired girl sighs before smiling at Ana, who smiles back hesitantly.

"I'll just go and tell the girls that they will have to excuse me from whatever it is they were planning to do," Marie says, which in turn makes Alice snort loudly, muttering in a low voice, "Yeah, god forbid if Kira Nazyalensky and her clique mix with the rest of us ordinary creatures."

Marie chuckles, pats Alice's arm. "Stay here, okay? I'll be back in a moment." She says, before disappearing in the crowd.

"What did she mean by 'given the occasion'?" Ana questions the brown haired girl.

Alice immediately steals her eyes away. "Officially, it is the engagement celebration of Uncle Sergie's son, Leo, but everyone is here to see...uhh... someone important."

Huh?

Before Ana can ask what exactly the girl means, Alice flags down a passing waiter and picks up two glasses of what Ana assumes to be juice, one of which the girl passes to her.

Having felt thirsty, Ana brings the glass to her lips and takes a greedy sip, only to splutter in shock at the bitterness of the liquid, her throat burning and eyes watering at its foul taste.

"What is this?" She complains, can still feel a bitterness burning against her palate.

Alice chuckles, sipping from her own glass with ease. "Not used to alcohol, are you?"

She feels her cheeks heating up and she hurries to explain "No, no I like it..." She lies, embarrassed. "But I'm not eighteen yet, you see. I  cannot be drinking alcohol. It is against the law."

Ana doesn't know what it is about her words that bring out such a reaction, but she can only watch, astonished, and a little relieved to be standing on the sides, as Alice sprays a mouthful of her drink, the spittle flying towards a man who was walking past them.

She gasps in horror, while the other girl thumps herself, coughing uncontrollably.

The unfortunate man stops to glare at Alice.

He is older than them, in his late 30s, tall, dressed in a black suit similar to those of the other guards, but also different.

He raises his hand, fingers wiping the spittle on his face with a ferocious glare, and Ana's eyes momentarily catch sight of a tattoo on the underside of his wrist, some sort of a circle.

By her side, Alice pales dramatically.

"I- I am so-sorry." The girl barely chokes out, before she catches Ana's wrist tightly, and beats a hasty retreat, not waiting for the man to reply.

They navigate the crowded ballroom, twisting and turning until they come to a halt on the other side of the large hall.

"What's wrong?" Ana questions her new friend, concerned at the way the other girl seems to be struggling to breathe, all colour lost on her face.

"If the elite are here... it means he's here too. But how? Oh my god! Why am I so clumsy?" She blabbers under her breath, hitting her forehead with her fists.

Ana pats the girl's back, thinking her embarrassed by the incident. "It's alright, Alice." She tries to console her friend. "It could have happened to anyone."

''No, it could not!" The girl cries, looking ready to pull out her hair. "No one is crazy enough to spit on a tenevoy. I spit my drink on a fucking tenevoy!"

"A tenevoy ?" Ana tests the foreign word on her tongue, brows furrowed in confusion. "What's that?"

"A Romanov elite!" Her friend replies distractedly, searching the crowd with fearful eyes.

"What's a Romanov?"

Alice's head snaps towards her at once, a small gasp on her lips, blinks once, twice, as if breaking out of a trance.

"Wh-What?"

Ana frowns. "What's a Romanov?"

The brown haired girl gasps again, scandalised, eyes big and wide with disbelief, as she mutters something under her breath, words that Ana is barely able to catch.

"...wouldn't know ... my fault... didn't think..."

Ana's cheeks flush with embarrassment.

The other girl's eyes dart around as if checking whether anyone heard them, before she pulls Ana close and whispers. "Not a Romanov, Ana. The Romanov. Pakhan Romanov."

Ana doesn't know why, but an unknown fear suddenly grips her chest, like an iron hand around her heart, an echo of pain behind her eyelids.

"He—" Alice begins to say, but stops, conflict and indecisiveness warring her eyes as she stares at Ana, before a sigh escapes her lips and she turns her gaze away. "He is a powerful man, Ana. Extremely powerful."

Strangely, Ana thinks that these were not the words the girl originally meant to speak.

"Have you heard of Aznov Enterprises?"

Ana nods hesitantly.

She had in fact heard of  the company which seemed to have their fingers dipped in multiple businesses from transport and construction to information and tech. She had heard the seniors in her school discuss their dream jobs and Aznov Enterprises was always, always on the top of their lists

"That was a side project started by Pakhan Romanov when he was only seventeen, on a whim," she whispers softly, a glimmer of reverence in her eyes that wasn't present before, before it is replaced by fear. "He built an empire for himself while everyone expected him to learn how to rule a kingdom."

"A kingdom? Like a king?" Ana splutters, thinking that her friend is pulling her leg.

But Alice simply stares back, something indecipherable in her eyes, before she blinks, a sigh on her lips. "It was rumoured that he would be in attendance tonight but I didn't think he would actually come."

"So the man earlier was the P-Pakhan?" She fumbles over the bizarre name.

"Oh, no!" Alice's eyes became as big as saucers. "That was a tenevoy. They are a distinct, elite company of soldiers handpicked by him. The Pakhan's guards."

Ana tries to hide her growing nervousness behind her chuckle. "Pakhan? Isn't that a strange name?"

"It's not his name." The other girl informs her, skittish, an edge of a tremor in her words, head lowering. "It's his title."

Ana blinks innocently. "What is his name then?"

Her question only makes the girl increasingly uncomfortable. "His name," she gulps, eyes flickering around, before she leans down and whispers, voice impossibly low, "Azriel Il—"

"ALICE!"

The two girls jump in fright, only to see Marie walking towards them, a scowl on her face.

"I told you to stay put!" She huffs immediately on reaching them. "Do you know how difficult it is to find someone in this crowd?"

"I- I was just showing Ana around," Alice replies, a sheepish grin on her face.

The two girls begin to bicker amongst themselves, and just like that all thoughts and discussion of tenevoys and Romanovs' slip away from Ana's head.

She enjoys her time with them. Even though hesitant initially, Marie never makes her feel like an outsider, as the two girls share their childhood anecdotes making Ana giggle at their silliness.

She learns that they have been friends since the age of five and that they attended the same academy.

But there are things they speak that Ana does not understand.

( "The congregation is assembling in the conference hall for the ceremony," Marie informs Alice. "But it will begin only when..." she shrugs, the two girls exchange a subtle look, an understanding passing between them)

and some which make her eyes widen and cheeks turn red

("While I was leaving, one of Kira's friends rushed in and said that she saw Leo kissing some random girl before he took her to his private lounge." Marie gossips.

Ana glances around to see if anyone had heard the black haired girl, feeling mortified at her words.

"Has he no control?" Marie grouches. "Why would he fuck some girl on his own engagement party?"

Alice sips from her glass, a smirk on her lips. "Leo is a right horny bastard, but it's probably the pain of having to wed that psychotic bitch that's making him so reckless," she concedes. "I almost feel sorry for him."

"Are you n-not related?" Ana stutters, shocked at the crass words coming out of the mouths of the two pretty girls.

"Distantly." Her friend offers her a tight lipped smile. "Leo, well, he doesn't care much for blood relations.")

The entire time Ana is with them she feels strangely nervous, as if she is under constant surveillance. Her heart beats at what seems like a mile an hour, can feel a pair of eyes burning hole through her head

like a predator, whose eyes are trained on its unassuming prey

but finds no one staring at her no matter how much she looks around.

When Marie drags Alice off to 'mark their presence', she is left alone, with firm instructions to not wander off without them.

Ana stands in a secluded corner, fidgeting with the straps of her bag, eyes flickering to the people moving on the dance floor when she feels the urge to use the restroom.

She leaves her spot, and wanders through the crowd for several minutes in search of the ladies room, the crowd thinning and thinning as she walks, before she ends up in a dimly lit corridor, that opens into a long hallway.

Her steps falter, and she turns around, not wanting to walk around aimlessly anymore.

"Are you lost?"

She jumps at the sudden voice, whips her body around immediately, only to find a boy standing in the middle of the corridor when just a few moments ago the corridor had been empty.

The boy appears to be a few years older than her, twenty or twenty one perhaps, dressed in an obviously high end suit, the buttons of his coat undone and shirt badly creased with red marks on it, his brown hair messed up.

Behind the boy, she sees a girl stumbling out from an alcove, straps of her very short dress askew, kohl spread around her eyes, lipstick marks smeared on her cheeks and chin.

Ana looks between the two, eyes widening as wide as saucers and a flush creeping up her neck as understanding creeps in.

"Are you lost?" The boy repeats again, and her eyes snap towards him, only to see him staring at her with a smirk on his face.

"No- no I'm just l-looking for the ladies room." She stutters, turns her gaze away, tries to look anywhere but at the duo before her.

The boy smiles, sharp, eyes lingering over her figure, licks his lips. "It is on the floor above,"

he says, "come, I will take you."

Floor above? She was already on the 45th floor.

"N-No, thank you." She denies.

He raises his hands in mock surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. "I was just trying to help." He shrugs. "You can go ahead and take the elevator," he says, and presses a button on the wall, which to Ana's surprise slides open to reveal an elevator.

She remains frozen on her spot, looking at the open elevator apprehensively, begins to take a step in the opposite direction, only for her back to hit the boy's chest.

She gasps, jumping away from him.

"Go on," he chuckles, a pleasant smile on his face, something hidden in his eyes. "Or maybe you'd like to join us?"

Just as he speaks, the girl walks over and clings to the boys back, hands roaming over his chest, a glare on her face as she stares at Ana.

Ana's eyes widen and she quickly steps inside the large elevator, wanting to get away from the strange boy.

She will just take the stairs back down later, she decides.

She keeps her head lowered, not wanting to stare at the duo, but as the doors to the elevator begin to slide shut, a sense of wrongness begins to grip her heart, and so she doesn't hear the snide voice of the girl until the very end of her question—

"..... Leo's room?"

*****

I've created a new Instagram account, the link for which you can find in my bio. Do follow xd If you guys make reels/ covers/ moodboards and tag me, I'll definitely repost them :)

Please VOTE, COMMENT, SHARE and FOLLOW (for those who haven't yet)