Escape Read Online Free Page B

she and the FOHs an “us” now? Was this absurd dream ever going to end?
    â€œTatiana,” Gaia grunted, stepping closer to her. “I need to talk to you—”
    â€œNo way!” Tammie squeaked, staring admiringly at Tatiana. Suddenly they all seemed to be staring at Tatiana with the same reverent bug eyes. “Wait. . . you could seriously get them to close down Pravda for our party? Tomorrow night?”
    â€œI think so, yes.” Tatiana smiled.
    â€œOh my God, yes!” Tammie howled at a ridiculously unnecessary volume. “This party is going to be awesome. Tatiana, this is so cool. This will be the kind of party Heather would have totally loved. I’m going to start inviting the right people ASAP! No, even better, I’m going to make invitations.”
    â€œI’ll start thinking about decorations,” Tatiana offered.
    â€œPerfect!”
    Gaia was beginning to feel faint. The entire scene was so sickening, she was actually feeling woozy. There was apparently very little oxygen on the Platform. The girls began to converge on Tatiana, quizzing her on her Pravda connection and her entire Russian history. Gaia quickly realized that her words would no longer suffice to maintain Tatiana’sattention. She clamped her hand around Tatiana’s wrist and simply dragged her off the Platform before she could offer the ladies yet another smile.
    â€œWhat is wrong with you?” Tatiana complained, ripping her arm from Gaia’s grip once they’d stepped down. “Why are you being so totally bitchy today?”
    â€œBitchy?”
    â€œYes, bitchy. What is your problem today?”
    â€œWhat’s my problem?” Gaia suddenly became very aware of being watched by the FOHs. Not to mention a rather disgruntled-looking boyfriend. She tugged Tatiana farther into the swarm of coffee-swilling penguins and lowered her voice, looking Tatiana deep in the eyes and trying to get down to business.
    â€œWhat’s my problem?” she whispered intensely. “My problem is that Dad is missing. That’s my problem.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, missing?”
    Gaia gave Tatiana a quick rundown of her visit to the hospital, informing her of Natasha’s unfortunately lackluster reaction. Once she’d managed to maintain Tatiana’s attention long enough to give her all the information, she let out a long, cathartic breath.
    â€œThat’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since I walked into this godforsaken place.” Gaia moaned. “So what are we going to do? How do you want to deal with this? Should we split up and research, or do you want to stick together? I don’t want to waste any more time. I can’t waste any more time.”
    Tatiana seemed to mull it all over for a moment, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling as she thought.
    â€œI don’t know,” she said finally. “I don’t really know what we can do, Gaia. If my mother thinks we should wait, then I think we just have to wait, don’t you?”
    Gaia felt her heart sink down to her toes. This was the best she could get from Tatiana? Waiting? She sounded just like her goddamn mother! Gaia had seen Tatiana fight her way out of almost every crisis they’d been through. How could she choose now to wimp out completely? Gaia stared deeper into Tatiana’s eyes, wondering how she could possibly stay so calm and composed. But the answer was rather obvious, wasn’t it? Of course she could stay calm. After all, it wasn’t Tatiana’s father who was quite possibly lying dead on some stretcher in God knew where. No, he wasn’t really anything close to her father, was he?
    â€œWhy are you looking at me like that?” Tatiana asked. Her face began to fill up with regret. “I’m sorry, Gaia, I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know what we could do for him. . . .”
    Gaia tried to force a false expression