chapter three . . .

GRAB MY HAND

What if we rewrite the stars?
Say you were made to be mine
Nothing could keep us apart
You'd be the one I was meant to find

Rewrite the Stars (Zac Efron, Zendaya)

︵‿.•‧⋆·☪︎·⋆‧•.‿︵

Vasilisa was back in her room. She watched as the sun started to set. Again, she was dressed in one of her special dresses because later she was expected to show up downstairs to celebrate Christmas with her family. However, if she was being honest with herself, she would have preferred to spend the holidays with the Ice Gang to her father who would fake kindness toward her as always.

The girl was escorted to the dining room by one of the maids. First, the family had a Christmas dinner – which thankfully didn't turn out to be a disaster – and then they moved to the living room where the gifts were about to be given. Alisa and Vasilisa chose their seats on the sofa in front of one of the Christmas decorations while their father was putting a necklace around his wife's neck.

"I don't even know what I love more, your generosity or your intelligence," Severina softly told her husband, admiring her new jewelry.

"I say, a man can never have enough diamonds," he returned.

Alisa then started coughing into her handkerchief, earning the couple's attention.

"Alisa," Nikolai spoke to his daughter and approached a table with two little boxes lying on it, "why don't you try on your new necklace?" He opened one of the boxes and picked up a piece of jewelry. "Believe me, my daughter, yours isn't less elegant either." The man then put it around Alisa's neck. "Stunning." He gave her a short kiss on the cheek.

Alisa stood up, taking her father's hands as he admired her. Finally, he turned to his other daughter who was still sitting on the sofa. "And you, my younger daughter, deserve a gift with the very beauty as well."

Nikolai opened the other box and picked up another necklace. Vasilisa stood up and turned her back on him while he gave it to her.

"Thank you, father," she politely said to him.

"Yes, very beautiful," Severina spoke and turned to her husband. "You'll receive your gift only outside."

"Where are we going?"

"To the courtyard."

After that the whole family headed outside after putting their coats on. There, Severina presented a new car to Nikolai and she also gave Alisa a cage for her little rabbit. To Vasilisa she got a new bracelet

As soon as she could though, Vasilisa returned to her chambers and relaxed on her sofa. The girl was happy to be back in the comfort her room gave her but also the little protection from her father. However, after sitting there for a few minutes straight, she realized she was feeling locked. Locked away from the place that the world offered outside. And only now she was reminded of the gift she wanted to buy for her sister because after it was discovered that her jewelry was not in its place, she immediately forgot about the wooden doves. Quickly, she brushed the concerns off her mind and promised herself she would buy something later. And this time even look out for the Ice Gang.

Vasilisa got up from her place on her sofa, put down her book and headed toward her closet where her warm clothes were hidden, stashed deep inside it so that the maids wouldn't accidentally come upon it. She took them out and immediately put them on. Then, as silently as she could, she exited her room and approached her sister's door. She knocked twice and waited a second until the answer finally came.

"Who's there?" It was Alisa's voice.

"It's Vasilisa."

The door opened and Vasilisa was met with her nervous looking sister.

"Oh, hi, Vas. What are you doing here?" Alisa asked her and suspiciously put herself in the door, which Vasilisa immediately noticed and raised her eyebrows at her actions, wondering what her innocent sister had in her room.

"Dress up. We're going out," Vasilisa instructed.

That surprised Alisa. "Out? What do you mean?"

"Like, out. You know, explore the city, have fun, do some activities together."

"Well, I..." Alisa started, "I kind of already have a program." She sighed, knowing that it wouldn't be so easy to make her sister leave and got out of the way so that Vasilisa had a clear sight of the boy that was standing awkwardly in there. First, Vasilisa examined him but then her eyes returned to her sister and later to the boy again as she recognized him.

"Matvey," she greeted him, surprised to see him in Alisa's room.

"You know him?" Alisa asked, shocked.

"We've got mutual friends," Vasilisa explained shortly and she turned to her sister. "But the more important question is, how did he end up in your room, sister?"

"Well, I..." the boy started but Alisa cut him off.

"He came to ask me out," she blurted out.

Hearing her words, Vasilisa smiled. She was glad her sister found a way to have fun without her help because the main reason she came to visit her in the first place was to get her to leave her room. But now that she was aware of her plans, she didn't want to ruin her date. "Have fun you two." The girl turned around and headed out but was stopped by Alisa's voice.

"Are you sure?"

"I am. And you can tell me about every detail later." Vasilisa winked at her sister and closed the door, leaving the couple alone. She could be only happy that despite being raised by their father she did not fear breaking some rules.

⋆·☪︎·⋆

Vasilisa didn't let Alisa's absence stop her and she still went out to have fun on her own. She could see the strong lights in the center of the city from afar but she decided she had time. She had all the time in the world. Pulling her bag closer, she found her skates and put them on. Skating was one of her favorite activities. She enjoyed the smooth moves she could do on the ice. She loved the twirls and turns. She loved the cold air hitting her face, the warmness of her furry coat. The feeling of flying in the air. Of being free.

The girl had been skating for at least a few minutes now. At last, she decided it was time to take a break and she sat down. From her position she had a beautiful view of the ice in front of her. Far from her, she could see some dark silhouettes of other people that were skating. Everything was... magical.

Vasilisa peacefully closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. But she was suddenly brought out of it when a hand touched her shoulder and she instantly turned around, her heart beating extra fast. She tried to crawl away from the mysterious person and she almost fell back but they caught her arm.

"It's me," he said and that's when his face got into the light and she finally recognized the man.

It was Alex. Vasilisa let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed.

Alex straightened up after he made sure the girl wouldn't fall back and pointed at the free space beside her. "May I?"

She nodded and Alex sat down.

"You shouldn't be out here alone at this time," he remarked.

"It's not the first time."

"So, what are we doing?"

"We?" Vasilisa raised her eyebrows.

"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I left a beautiful lady like you alone in the middle of the night, would I?"

Vasilisa was glad it was dark because that way Alex couldn't see her blush.

Alex then stood up which surprised the girl next to him. He held out his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"We didn't have the chance to dance at the ball," he said.

Vasilisa slightly tilted her head as she smiled and gladly accepted the man's hand and as he pulled her up to her feet. Vasilisa chuckled as she almost bumped into him.

At first, they started out slowly, inspecting each other's moves. But as they kept going, their skating was getting more intense.

Both of them were skillful skaters after years of training and had the required talent in themselves. Each one's moves were delicate and precise mixed with elegance but when you combined them together, they were magical. They perfectly blended, invisible sparks flying between them. When one of them tripped, the other helped them find their lost balance.

Vasilisa and Alex skated as if they had prepared a choreography. But little did they know that their legs were only simple tools. Their hearts were dancing. Their hearts were showing their feelings and desires through their moves – unveiling them from the deepest parts of their souls. Side by side, hand in hand, heart by heart – they danced together under the shining stars.

And their hands... they fitted perfectly into each other. Like a missing puzzle piece put on its right place. When Alex reached for her hand, he held it like no one else's before. And when Vasilisa leaned against his body, she knew that she found her safe place. Despite the warmth her coat provided, she couldn't stop the pleasant shivers on her body. Even though their skin didn't connect because of their gloves – Alex's as black as the night sky, Vasilisa's as white as the fresh snow – it was perfect.

The couple led each other. They didn't need the other one to be in charge. They had fallen into a harmony.

At the end, when Vasilisa ended up being held by Alex as she leaned back, putting her trust into the man that he would not let her fall, their faces were only inches from each other. Vasilisa was looking right into Alex's eyes, and he didn't look away either. They were like two opposite magnets. Both attracting each other. The couple remained in that position for seconds, but they could swear it felt like hours. Slowly, Alex pulled her up, but Vasilisa kept her arms around his neck, still not breaking the eye contact.

Suddenly, Vasilisa felt something cold on her face and she looked up. Another snowflake landed on her cheek. And then another. She pulled one of her hands back, held it out and saw the white crumbs landing on her glove and immediately disappearing.

"It's snowing," she let out finally, her breath visible in the air. And just like that, the intimate moment between them came to an end.

⋆·☪︎·⋆

After their little show on the ice, Vasilisa and Alex ended up at the market in the center of the city. Anywhere she looked, there were people. Vasilisa breathed in the scent of the goodies. Food, drinks, souvenirs and much more. Alex showed her the carousel – which was a circular floor on which fake animals rotated in a circle – and Vasilisa was so fascinated by it. She then started begging the man beside her to try it out with her but he resisted. However, his will wasn't as strong as he thought because at last Alex gave up and they both got on them. Vasilisa didn't stop happily laughing while they were on the carousel and that was when Alex knew that it was worth it.

The man bought them each a cotton candy which was happily eaten by Vasilisa in minutes. And when she had empty hands, she kept playfully stealing from Alex some bits from his own sweet.

At last, Alex stopped to buy himself a beer and since then, Vasilisa had been insisting to take a sip too.

"It's not for you," he replied.

"It's not like I've never had any alcohol in my life," she told him with raised head to seem confident, "my grandfather often allowed me to taste his drinks to know what's good."

"I am your grandfather?"

"No and that's not even the point!"

"You're what, sixteen?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, offended by his words. "I'm almost eighteen!"

"Key word: almost."

"In a few days. The first of January," she said proudly.

"You were born on New Year's Day?" Alex was surprised.

"Yes. Now give me that beer," Vasilisa said and used the moment when the man wasn't focusing on his drink and took it out of his hand.

"Hey!" Alex protested but she was already drinking. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd and completely forgot about his beer. "Matvey!"

He gently put his arm on Vasilisa's back and led them to the newly met couple.

"Such a surprise," Alex said. Finally, Vasilisa glanced up too after drinking half of the beer in the cup.

"Alisa!" she greeted her sister excitedly.

"Vas..." Alisa replied, confused. She had no idea who the man next to her sister was or how Matvey knew him. Or how they ended up together at all.

"Alex, Vasilisa," the boy politely greeted them.

"And who is this lady with you?"

"She's Alisa," Matvey introduced her.

"And my sister," Vasilisa added.

Alex looked at her with a smirk. "You think I'm going to steal her from my dear friend?" Then he noticed the cup in her hand which was now missing half of the drink. "Have you seriously drunk that?"

Vasilisa looked at the drink. "Maybe..."

"All right, give that back to me."

Now with free hands, Vasilisa turned back to her sister. "So, have the two of you had any fun?"

"We have," Alisa replied sincerely.

"I'm so delighted to hear that. Oh! We should definitely go somewhere together!" Vasilisa exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, I know this place..." Alex suggested.

⋆·☪︎·⋆

A bar. A loud, noisy bar with drunk people in every corner.

At first, Vasilisa had no idea how to act but later they discovered that the rest of the gang was also there and she happily greeted them while Matvey and Alisa had fun on their own. And while her sister was occupied by her own date, Vasilisa joined the gang. Chingiz taught her some new moves which seemed to be too complicated for her slightly drunk brain but she still tried. Her arms and legs kept tangling up but she didn't let it bother her as she laughed at herself.

After some time, Vasilisa was cheerfully dancing with the others, her skirt and hair flying as she kept twirling around. She had to admit that the alcohol was slowly getting into her head and that made her more relaxed. She was also offered other drinks by the men from the gang and she gladly accepted them, forgetting to count how many of those she'd had.

At some point, she ended up on the top of one of the tables in the bar. Vasilisa was singing some of the songs she'd learned as a child but making them more lively to fit the mood of the house. Eventually, people started surrounding the table and clapping with the tune as they joined her.

While the girl remained on the table, Alex watched her from afar with his own drink in his hand. He was leaning against the bar, starstruck by her. He would have never imagined that a girl raised in luxury could blend in so easily. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes and when his glass was empty, he started moving toward the table with the girl. It took Vasilisa a few seconds to realize that Alex was calling out for her from below but when she did, she turned around with a wide smile. The girl took the offered hand and carelessly jumped down, knowing that he'd catch her if she were to fall.

The next minutes Vasilisa spent by Alex's side as she danced with him. Laughter of happiness kept leaving her mouth while the man twirled her around. When Alex lifted her she kept her hands on his shoulders and tilted her head back, giggling.

At last, the whole group of friends ended up at one table and at that time Vasilisa was fully red from the alcohol and had a huge smile stuck on her lips as she listened to Alex.

"The crowd's power grows by its count. It takes a lot of time for water to warm up, but it boils up at last. After waiting an eternity, it suddenly starts boiling and the whole kingdom evaporates like a cloud," he said.

"So, are you suggesting that to bring justice to the society, we should give up our fortune?" Alisa asked him thoughtfully. She was probably the only one closely paying attention because the rest were too drunk.

"Most of those people don't have a fortune," Alex continued and got up from his seat. "The solution is that the ruling class, the order of suppression, should be replaced by a council formed by folk." Alex suddenly grabbed a book and headed back toward Alisa but instead of choosing to go around them, he stepped on the table and walked on it. "Here, this is what you should read. It will surely help you to understand the basis. Consider this my Christmas gift."

"And where's mine?" Vasilisa called out, hearing the last words.

"Toast to the Christmas gift!" Fly exclaimed, raising his glass and others followed his actions, including Vasilisa.

Alisa continued the conversation between her and Alex. "Let's take your example with water. The steam is water as well, H2O. The material remains the same. The consistency is the one changing. Do you think that a significant change would happen if the minority, us, the suppressionists, were to be replaced by another?"

Alisa's train of thought seemed to confuse Alex and when Vasilisa noticed his face, she laughed.

"Here," he turned to the rest of the company, "you see? Since they are not willing to give up the power, peaceful change is out of the question." He looked at his friend. "Matvey, what do you think?"

The boy got immediately awkward when all the attention was on him. "I think... maybe it would be better to focus on the similarities instead of the differences."

Fly spoke, "Why do you even listen to this girl? She's just a bourgeois too!"

"Hey! Don't speak about my sister in such a way!" Vasilisa defended Alisa.

"Oh, yeah? And what is your opinion then?"

"I'm sure that nothing would change if people were replaced by new. The more they get, the more they want," she answered stubbornly.

"Of course you'd say that. You've lived in your precious luxury!"

"If you were to get the power, it'd be even worse!" she snapped back. "I can't even count with my two hands how many girls you have slept with!"

"Why? You want to be one of them?" he winked at her.

"Hey!" Alex spoke, breaking their verbal fight.

"Apologize," Matvey said angrily when he saw how upset Alisa was.

"So now you're sleeping with both of the sisters? Maybe I could join. It would be more fun if it was four of us..." Fly remarked with a smirk and reached out his hand to touch Alisa. His hand was stopped by Matvey's though and soon they started pulling each other, making the table shake.

Alex sensed the tension between them and reached for Vasilisa whose eyes were glued to the two fighting men and barely registered when Alex pulled her away so that she wouldn't get accidentally hit. When she almost tripped, he caught her.

"Order them to stop," Alisa said with panic in her voice.

"I can't do it. I can suggest, at most," Alex replied as he held onto the stumbling Vasilisa. She winced when Matvey threw Fly against a table that immediately collapsed under his weight.

"Then suggest it please."

Alex made sure that Vasilisa wasn't going to fall and he approached the two men and got between them, immediately stopping the fight. As soon as they had a safe distance between each other, Alex walked back to Vasilisa who was now holding her head.

"Are you all right?"

"My head's starting to ache," she admitted.

"I told you not to drink much."

"And you thought I'd listen?" she joked.

"Time to get you home," Alex said and grabbed her hand.

"But my sister..."

"She has her own knight."

"And you're mine?" she smirked. Alex didn't give her an answer though and led her to the exit.

⋆·☪︎·⋆

Their way back to Vasilisa's home wasn't quiet. Vasilisa often pointed at random things and told Alex some stories from her history lessons when they walked by some monuments. The bar fight had already left her mind and she was all giggly. Her head still slightly ached but thanks to her good mood she easily pushed the pain away and focused on her surroundings.

Vasilisa wanted to go back to the place where Alex and her skated before but he denied that idea because he couldn't imagine her skating in her current state.

They finally reached the palace. Alisa had previously promised she would wait for her sister by the entrance and thankfully, she was still standing there with Matvey by her side.

"Hello!" Vasilisa greeted her.

"Shh," Alisa shushed her immediately and sent a worried look toward the palace. She didn't want anyone to find out that they had sneaked out.

"Sorry," she whispered back, the smile never leaving her face.

Alex gave Vasilisa over to her sister who let her lean against her.

"How are we going to get back?" Alisa questioned. "She is barely standing."

"We can go through the secret passage," Vasilisa murmured.

"Secret passage?"

"Yes, the one I always use."

Vasilisa got herself out of her sister's grip and headed toward the passage, surprising the others. When no one was following her, she turned back, still walking.

"Come on!"

Not looking under her feet, she tripped on a stone and fell into the snow.

"Vas!" Alisa exclaimed worriedly and hurried to her along with the two men. They stopped though when they heard the girl's laughter. She was making a snow angel.

"Join me, sister! This is so much fun," she said, laughing. Alisa shook her head with amusement. "Alex! You must try this!"

"Thank you, but I'll pass," he replied but he was smiling at the sight as well.

"We should go now. Before they find out we're gone," Alisa turned to the men.

Alex approached Vasilisa and held out both of his hands. She saw it and pouted. "Just a minute."

"Your sister's getting nervous."

That seemed to finally convince her and she accepted Alex's help and he pulled her up. For a second, they both felt déjà vu. In that second, the world disappeared and it was only the two of them.

"Thank you for this night," she whispered.

"It was my pleasure." Alex stepped away from her.

Vasilisa finally joined Alisa who had been impatiently waiting for her and they bid their goodbyes to the men.

⋆·☪︎·⋆