Not that everyone involved actually celebrates it.
The Bellanti sisters are Italian. Adelaide doesn’t celebrate it either.
In truth, it’s only my family and Eleanor’s.
Our parents have been tied together by business and mutual interests for years, and somewhere along the way the trip became tradition. Knowing them, there’s probably a reason for it beyond family bonding.
“Come on,” Adelaide says as she turns back towards the door, effectively dragging me out of my thoughts. “Let’s go find the others.”
I follow her into the corridor, my thoughts still a mess.
We reach Ophelia’s dorm just as Octavia disappears inside. Before the door has a chance to close, Adelaide shoves it back open and walks straight in.
“What the hell—” I hear Ophelia say.
I step in behind Adelaide and follow her towards the sitting area. Ophelia closes the door and joins us a moment later.
Octavia stands at one end of the room, her arms folded tightly over her chest, her attention fixed entirely on Adelaide.
Adelaide, meanwhile, drops into the nearest armchair and crosses one leg over the other.
“What are you doing here?” Octavia asks, her tone clipped.
Adelaide’s expression doesn’t waver.
“Good to see you too.”
“I didn’t ask for your sarcasm,” Octavia shoots back. “I asked why the hell you’re in my sister’s room.”
“I wasn’t aware you were her keeper,” Adelaide replies coolly. “Or is this another one of your delusional control issues?”
Octavia lets out a dark, humourless laugh.
“Oh, you want to talk about control? Let me warn you, mine might just snap… say, right about now, and I’ll be more than happy to rearrange that hair of yours.”
Adelaide merely watches her.
“Ah, but since we’re all here,” Octavia continues, glancing around the room. “Well, everyone exceptEleanor.”
At the mention of Eleanor’s name, I see a brief crack in Adelaide’s composure.
“Let’s talk about what you did to us,” Octavia presses. “How you threw everything away like it meant nothing. How you used us-”
“You never did understand the difference between strategy and betrayal.” Adelaide leans back in her chair.
“And you never understood the difference between loyalty and selfishness,” Octavia fires back.
“Octavia, stop,” Ophelia says as she places a hand on her sister’s arm.
I stop paying attention somewhere in the middle of their argument.
I drop onto the sofa and pull out my phone, though I don’t actually look at it. Their voices fade into the background as my mind wanders elsewhere.
To somewhere it has absolutely no business wandering.
To my professor.
Adelaide suddenly gets to her feet after she and Octavia reach some form of truce for the trip, and the movement pulls me out of my head.
