The Last Hope

12

Selina

Laughter, not sneers, suddenly erupts around me, gradually pulling me out of my sleep, I try to collect myself, but a weight prevents me, and new laughter is heard. I furrow my brows, slowly opening my eyes, and meet a gaze staring at me with wide blue eyes. "Good morning, Mom!" says Andrei, perched on my knees and smiling, "good morning, Mamma!" echoes Rafael, his head resting on my outstretched arm.

I look at them in turn, speechless, remembering Sasha's words, "It's not a good idea; he'll be even more depressed when you leave." And he's right; the joy I see in Andrei's eyes shows how great his disappointment will be when the time comes, I sigh and smile at them gently, "buongiorno, my angels," I say, sitting up against the headboard. "So, what's making you laugh like that?" I ask, casting them a suspicious look.

Both exchange glances before revealing markers in their hands, "what's..." my words fade as I turn my head towards the mirrored doors of the wardrobe to see my face covered in several small hearts, or at least that's what I think it is.

I turn slowly, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, shocked but mostly amused. "You little rascals, wait until I catch you! I'll draw mustaches so ugly you'll beg me to stop!" I say, pushing the covers away.

They burst into laughter before rushing out of bed, and I follow with a smile, but as they approach the door, it opens, revealing my sister accompanied by Elif. "You should have warned us that you were doing art," Elif says, suppressing laughter unlike my sister, "Selina! Oh my god, your face!" She bursts into laughter, tossing her head back, making me smile even more.

"What's so funny?" a deep voice suddenly asks, and Sasha appears behind my sister, his gaze fixed on her. Nikolai follows behind him, dressed in a white shirt, hands in the pockets of his dark pants, his presence feels like a protective shadow, not in a negative way, but more like a guardian. His eyes meet mine, eyebrows furrowing as he sees my state, and I feel my face blush as his lips curl into a half-smile. The same lips that touched my face last night; his words resonate in my head as I look away, feeling my hands become clammy, "you're not alone anymore, Selina. You don't have to fight alone."

"Rafael, Andrei, breakfast is ready. Go wash your faces," Elif says, motioning for them to follow. They obey without hesitation, and an unprecedented joy overtakes me as Rafael leaves without seeking my permission, just as he usually does.

"You should come down too if you want to find something to eat before Ivan and Dimitri make everything disappear," Sasha suddenly says, approaching my sister, she leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, head held high. "Don't worry about me, Daniel Hardman. I can make do with what I have," Sasha raises an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly,"Daniel Hardman?"

"What? You're a crooked lawyer, aren't you? So is he," she says, passing him and tossing her hair over her shoulder. Sasha stares at the spot where she stood for a few seconds, jaw clenched, before following her down the hallway, asking her something I can't hear.

Anyway, my attention is quickly diverted when Nikolai strides towards me, towering over me with his great height. "If you had asked for sheets, I would have provided them without a problem," he says, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "If I had been awake at the time of the incident, I would have done it," I reply, grimacing.

I tense up as he closes the distance between us, forcing me to lift my face. His hand rises gently, and I watch him warily, but unlike last night, I don't step back. He ends up rubbing my forehead with his thumb, smiling and I can't help but look at his lips as the same warmth from last night resurfaces. Heat begins to rise as I feel my hands becoming clammy. He removes his hand, showing me his thumb darkened by the black marks. "You're lucky they didn't use permanent markers. With water, you'll be fine," he says andI simply nod in thanks, stepping back and heading towards the bathroom.