Last Sacrifice Chapter Seven

THE PROBLEM WAS, OF COURSE, that I soon garbled myself in the darkness. afterwards living in the wilds of Montana, I was used to how comp allowely the wickedness could sw t show up ensembleow you once you stepped a re founderation from unconstipated the tiniest hint of civilization. I was flush used to wandering the twists and turns of dark forests. yet the St. Vladimirs terrain had been familiar. The woods of West Virginia were juvenile and foreign, and I had completely lost my bearings. formerly I was pretty reliable Id put becoming distance between me and the motel, I paused and looked nigh. Night insects hummed and sang, and the autocratic summer humidity hung virtually me. Peering up through the leafy canopy of trees, I could grab a pictorial sky of stars, totally uninfluenced by city lights. Feeling interchangeable a true wilderness survivor, I studied the stars until I spotted the Big Dipper and calculate prohibited which guardianship was north. The mountains S ydney had driven us through had been to the east, so I certainly didnt exigency to go in that direction. It seemed fairish that if I hiked north, Id in conclusion hit an interstate and either hitchhike or walk my way back to civilization. It wasnt an airtight plan, except it wasnt the worst maven Id ever had, non by a languish shot.I wasnt truly dressed for hiking, save as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I managed to avoid most trees and early(a) obstacles. Following the tiny road out of town would set about been easier only when was also what Dimitri would expect me to do.I fell into a steady, subconscious round of drinks as I made my way north. I decided it was a true(p) time to check in on Lissa, outright that I had time on my considers and no campaigners regard to arrest me. I slipped into her mind and base her within the depths of the guardians headquarters, sitting in a antechamber lined with chairs. Other Moroi sat nearby, including Christian and Tasha.T heyll question you hard, Tasha murmured. Especially you. That was to Christian. Youd be my first choice if somewhatthing illicitly blew up. That seemed to be all(prenominal) unmatchables opinion. From the troubled look on her face, I could see Tasha had been as surprised by my feed as I had. Even if my friends hadnt run acrossed her in on the whole fable yet, she had believably pieced most things to partherat the very to the lowest degree, who was behind it.Christian gave her as charming a pull a face as he could manage, equal a kid trying to dodge world grounded. Theyll shaft by now that it wasnt caused by magic, he give tongue to. The guardians forget learn scoured every inch of those statues. He didnt elaborate, non in public, simply Lissas mind was works along the same lines as his. The guardians would know now the explosion hadnt been elemental. And even off if my friends were the primary suspects, the authorities would assimilate to wonderjust as I hadhow te enagers would get a hold of C4.Lissa nodded her agreement and rested her hand on Christians. Well be okay.Her cerebrations turned to both Dimitri and me, question if wed made it out agree to the plan. She couldnt focus on demoteing Tatianas killer until she knew we were safe. Like me, the breakout had been a hard choice freeing me put me in more(prenominal) endangerment than bounding me locked up. Her emotions were keyed up, prickly and a bit wilder than I would have liked. So much spirit, I imaged. Shes using too much. hindquarters at school, shed managed it with prescription medication and later through self-control. But roundw here, as our situations grew increasingly complicated, shed allowed herself to wield more and more. Recently, shed used astonishing amounts, and wed come to photograph it for granted. Sooner or later, Lissas reliance on spirit would gull up with her. With us.Princess? A door across from Lissa opened, and a guardian peered out. Were ready for y ou.The guardian stepped aside, and inside the room, Lissa perceive a familiar vocalization read, Always a pleasure communicate with you, Hans. We should do it again sometime. Abe then appeared, strutting out with his everyday swagger. He stepped past the guardian in the doorway and gave Lissa and the Ozeras a winning, all-is-right-in-the-world grin. Without a word, he strode past them toward the halls exit.Lissa to the highest degree smiled entirely reined it in, putting on a sober look as she and her companions entered. The door shut behind them, and she found herself facing three guardians seated at a table. One of them Id seen around besides had never met. I theorize his last name was Steele. The a nonher(prenominal) two I knew well. One was Hans Croft, who ran the guardians operations at Court. Beside himto my astonishmentwas Alberta, who was in charge of St. Vladimirs guardians and novices. lie withly, growled Hans. A whole entourage. Christian had insisted on creat ion present when Lissa was questioned, and Tasha had insisted on being present with Christian. If Abe had cognise the question time, he likely would have joined the group too, undoubtedly followed by my mother Hans didnt realize hed dodged a house collapsey.Lissa, Christian, and Tasha sat down opposite the guardians. shielder Petrov, give tongue to Lissa, ignoring Hanss disapproval. What are you doing here? Alberta gave Lissa a small smile that other kept in professional guardian mode. I was here for the funeral, and Guardian Croft decided hed like an outside opinion for the investigation.As well as someone familiar with Hathaway and her, uh, associates, added Hans. Hans was the kind of guy who got straight to the point. Usually, his attitude fazed methat was my normal re feation to most authority figuresbut I did watch the way he ran operations here. This meeting was intended just for you, princess.We wont say a word, said Christian.Lissa nodded and kept her face smooth a nd polite, even though thither was a trembling in her voice. I want to avail Ive been so, I dont know. Im so stunned more or less everything thats happened.Im sure, said Hans, voice dry. Where were you when the statues detonate?With the funeral procession, she said. I was part of the escort.Steele had a pile of papers in drift of him. Thats true. There are plenty of witnesses.Very convenient. What about afterward? asked Hans. Where did you go when the crowd panicked?Back to the Councils building. Thats where all the others were meeting up, and I view itd be safest. I couldnt see her face but could feel her trying to look cowed. I was afraid when things started leaving crazy.We also have witnesses to backup that, said Steele.Hans drummed his fingers on the table. Did you have any(prenominal) prior knowledge about any of this? The explosions? Hathaways breakout?Lissa shook her head. No I had no clue. I didnt even know it was possible to get out of the cells. I thought there was too much security.Hans ignored the dig on his operations. Youve got that mystify thing, right? You didnt pick up anything through that?I dont read her, explained Lissa. She sees my thoughts but not the other way around.That, said Alberta, speaking up at last, is true.Hans didnt contradict her but steady wasnt buying my friends innocence. You realize, if youre caught concealing informationor aiding heryoull face consequences almost as serious as hers. All of you. royal family doesnt exempt you from treason.Lissa lowered her gaze, as though his threat had frightened her. I just cant believe I just cant believe shed do this. She was my friend. I thought I knew her. I didnt think she could do any of these things I never thought shed murder anyone. If not for the nips in the bond, I cleverness have scramn offense. I knew the truth, though. She was acting, trying to distance herself from me. It was smart.Really? Because not long ago, you were swearing up and down that she was innocent, pointed out Hans.Lissa looked back up and widened her eyes. I thought she was But then then I heard about what she did to those guardians in the escape Her distress wasnt entirely faked this time. She whitewash unavoidable to act like she thought I was guilty, but the news of Merediths pattern had reached herwhich truly had shocked her. That made two of us, but at least I now knew Meredith was okay. Hans still looked skeptical at Lissas change of sum but let it go. What about Belikov? You swore he wasnt a Strigoi anymore, but plain something went wrong there as well.Christian stirred beside Lissa. As an suggest for Dimitri, Christian grew as irritated as us at the suspicions and accusations. Lissa mouth in advance Christian could say anything.Hes not Strigoi Lissas remorse over me vanished, her old, cruel defense of Dimitri kicking in. She hadnt expected this line of questioning about him. Shed been preparing herself to plunk for me and her alibi. Hans seemed p leased at the response and watched her closely.Then how do you explain his participation?It wasnt because he was Strigoi, said Lissa, forcing her control back. Her heart was pounding rapidly. He changed back. Theres no Strigoi left.But he attacked a number of guardianson more than one occasion.It looked like Tasha wanted to interrupt now and defend Dimitri as well, but she visibly bit her lip. It was re arrangeable. The Ozeras liked to speak their minds, not always tactfully.It wasnt because he was Strigoi, Lissa repeated. And he didnt kill any of those guardians. Not one. rose wine did what she did well, I dont know why. She hated Tatiana, I guess. Everyone knew that. But Dimitri Im telling you, being Strigoi had goose egg to do with this. He armed serviceed her because he used to be her teacher. He thought she was in trouble.That was pretty extreme for a teacher, particularly one whoin the beginning twist Strigoi was known for being level-headed and rational.Yeah, but he w asnt opinion rationally becauseLissa geld herself off, abruptly caught in a bad situation. Hans seemed to have realized speedily in this conversation that if Lissa was involved with recent eventsand I dont think he was certain yetshe would have an airtight alibi. Talking to her, however, had given him the care place to pursue another puzzle in my escape Dimitris involvement. Dimitri had sacrificed himself to take the fall, even if it destinet others not trusting him again. Lissa thought shed made people think his actions were a former teachers protective instinct, but apparently, not everyone was buying that.He wasnt thinking rationally because? prompted Hans, eyes sharp. Before the murder, Hans had believed Dimitri truly had become a dhampir again. Something told me he still believed that but sandd there was something magnanimous dangling in the beginning him.Lissa stayed silent. She didnt want people thinking Dimitri was Strigoi. She wanted people to believe in her powers to restore the undead. But if Dimitri helping a student didnt seem convincing enough to others, all that mistrust might surface again.Glancing at her interrogators, Lissa suddenly met Albertas eyes. The older guardian said nothing. She wore that neutral, scrutinizing expression that guardians excelled at. She also had an air of knowledge about her, and Lissa briefly allowed spirit to show her Albertas aura. It had honourable, steady colors and energy, and in Albertas eyes, Lissa swore she could see a message, a knowing glint.Tell them, the message seemed to say. Itll give rise problemsbut they wont be as bad as your current ones. Lissa held that gaze, wondering if she was just projecting her own thoughts onto Alberta. It didnt matter whod come up with the idea. Lissa knew it was right.Dimitri helped Rose because because they were involved.As Id guessed, Alberta wasnt surprised, and she seemed relieved to have the truth out there. Hans and Steele, however, were very surprised. I had only seen Hans shocked a few quantify.When you say involved, do you mean He paused to structure his words. Do you mean romantically involved?Lissa nodded, tactile sensation horrible. Shed revealed a big secret here, one shed sworn shed keep for me, but I didnt blame her. Not in this situation. LoveI hopedwould defend Dimitris actions.He loved her, said Lissa. She loved him. If he helped her escapeHe did help her escape, interrupted Hans. He attacked guardians and blew up priceless, centuries-old statues brought over from EuropeLissa shrugged. Well, like I said. He wasnt acting rationally. He wanted to help her and probably thought she was innocent. He would have through anything for herand it had nothing to do with Strigoi.Love only justifies so much. Hans clearly wasnt a romantic.Shes underage exclaimed Steele. That part hadnt flee him.Shes eighteen, corrected Lissa.Hans cut her a look. I can do the math, princess. Unless they managed some beautiful, touching romance in t he last few weekswhile he was mostly in isolation then there were things difference on at your school that someone should have reported.Lissa said nothing, but from the respite of her eye, she could see Tasha and Christian. They were trying to keep their expressions neutral, but it was obvious this news wasnt a surprise to them, no doubt confirming Hanss suspicions that illicit things had been going on. I actually hadnt realized Tasha knew about Dimitri and me and felt a flyspeck bad. Had she known that part of his rejection of her had been because of me? And if she knew, how many others did? Christian had probably tipped her off, but something told me more people were probably starting to find out as well. After the schools attack, my reaction had likely been a big clue about my feelings for Dimitri. peradventure telling Hans now wasnt so big a deal after all. The secret wouldnt be a secret much yearlong.Alberta cleared her throat, speaking up at last. I think we have more co nsequential things to worry about right now than some romance that may or may not have happened.Steele gave her an incredulous look and slammed his hand against the table. This is pretty serious. Did you know about it?All I know is that were acquiring distracted from the point here, she replied, neatly dodging the question. Alberta was about twenty old age older than Steele, and the tough look she gave him said that he was a minor wasting her time. I thought we were here to figure out if fall behind Hathaway had any accomplices, not dredge up the past. So far, the only soulfulness we can say for sure that helped her is Belikov, and he did it out of irrational affection. That makes him a fugitive and a fool, not a Strigoi.Id never thought of my kinship with Dimitri as irrational affection, but Albertas point was taken. Something in Hanss and Steeles faces made me think soon the whole world would know about us, but that was nothing compared to murder. And if it cleared Dimitri o f being a Strigoi, then it meant hed be imprisoned sooner of staked if ever captured. Small blessings.Lissas questioning continued a bit longer before the guardians decided she was free and clear of any part in my escape (that they could prove). She did a good job performing surprised and overturned the whole time, even mustering a few tears over how she could have so misjudged me. She spun a little bit of compulsion into her act toonot enough to brainwash anyone, but enough that Steeles earlier blow out of the water transformed to sympathy. Hans was harder to read, but as my group left, he reminded Tasha and Christian that he would be speaking with each of them later, preferably without an entourage.For now, the next person in the hot seat was waiting in the hall Eddie. Lissa gave him the same smile shed give any friend. There was no indication that they were both part of a conspiracy. Eddie nodded in return as he was called to the room for his interrogation. Lissa was un moti veless for him, but I knew his guardian self-control would make sure he stuck to the story. He probably wouldnt pull the tears Lissa had, but hed likely act just as shocked by my treason as she had.Tasha left Christian and Lissa once they were outside, first warning them to be careful. Youve gotten out of this so far, but I dont think the guardians have completely cleared you. Especially Hans.Hey, I can take care of myself, said Christian.Tasha rolled her eyes. Yes. I see what happens when youre left to your own devices.Hey, dont get all pissy because we didnt tell you, he exclaimed. We didnt have time, and there were only so many people we could get involved. Besides, youve done your share of crazy plans before.True, Tasha admitted. She was hardly a role model for playing by the rules. Its just that everythings gotten that much more complicated. Rose is on the run. And now Dimitri She sighed, and I didnt need her to finish to guess her thoughts. There was a level-headed look of s adness in her eyes, one that made me feel guilty. nevertheless like the rest of us, Tasha had wanted Dimitris reputation restored. By freeing the moguls accuse assassin, hed seriously damaged any chance at acceptance. I truly wished he hadnt gotten involved and hoped my current escape plan paid off.Thisll all work out, said Christian. Youll see. He didnt look so confident as he spoke, and Tasha gave him a small, amused smile. Just be careful. Please. I dont want to see you in a cell, too. I dont have time for detain visits with everything else going on. Her amusement faded, and her outspoken activist mode kicked in. Our familys being ridiculous, you know. gouge you believe theyre actually reprimanding about running Esmond for us? right(a) God. Weve already had one tragedy after another around here. At the very least, we should try to salvage something out of this mess.I dont think I know Esmond, said Christian.Moron, she said matter-of-factly. Him, I mean. Not you. Someones g ot to talk sense into our family before they embarrass themselves.Christian grinned. And let me guess youre just the one to do it?Of stemma, she said, a mischievous gleam in her eye. Ive already drawn up a list of ideal candidates. Our family just needs some persuasion to see how ideal they are. Id feel bad for them if they werent still being assholes to us, Christian remarked, watching his aunt walk away. The stigma of his parents turning Strigoi still lingered after all these years. Tasha accepted it more gracefullydespite her sound offif only to be able to participate in the Ozera familys larger decisions. Christian made no such attempts at civility. It was terrible enough to be treated as less than other Moroi, to be denied guardians and other things royals were empower to. But from his own family? It was especially harsh. He refused to pretend it was acceptable.Theyll come around eventually, said Lissa, sounding more optimistic than she felt.Any response of Christians was s wallowed when a new companion fell into step with them my father. His abrupt appearance floor both of my friends, but I wasnt surprised. He probably knew about Lissas interrogation and had been skulking outside the building, waiting to talk to her.Its nice out, said Abe amiably, sounding around at the trees and flowers as though the three of them were on a nature walk through Court. But its going to be heat up when the sun comes up.The darkness that was giving me so much trouble in the woods of West Virginia made for pleasant, midday conditions for those on a vampiric schedule. Lissa gave Abe a sideway glance. With eyes well-tuned to low light, she had no difficulty taking in the brilliant teal dress shirt under his beige sports jacket. A blind person could have probably seen him in that color.Lissa scoffed at Abes faked casualness. It was a exercise of his, opening with small talk before moving on to more sinister topics. Youre not here to talk about the weather.Trying to be civilized, thats all. He fell silent as a couple of Moroi girls passed them. Once they were well out of ear-shot, he asked in a low voice, I assume everything went well at your little meeting?Fine, she said, not bothering to fill him in about irrational affection. She knew all hed care about was that none of their associates had been implicated.The guardians have Eddie now, said Christian. And want me later, but I think thatll be it for all of us.Lissa sighed. Honestly, I have a feeling the interrogation was the easy part, compared to whats coming. She meant figuring out who had really killed Tatiana.One step at a time, murmured Abe. No point in letting the larger picture secrete us. Well just start at the runner.Thats the problem, said Lissa, kicking irritably at a branch lying across the cobbles olfactory sensation path in front of her. I have no idea where to start. Whoever killed Tatiana did a good job covering their tracks and shifting it all to Rose.One step at a time, repea ted Abe.He spoke in that sly tone of his that annoyed me sometimes, but to Lissa today, it was grating. Until now, all of her energy had been focused on acquiring me out of jail and somewhere safe. That was the goal that had driven her and kept her going in my escapes aftermath.Now, after some of the intensity had faded, the pressure of it all was beginning to crash down on her. Christian put an arm around her shoulders, sensing her dismay. He turned to Abe, unusually serious. Do you have any ideas? Christian asked Abe. We certainly dont have any real evidence.We have conceivable assumptions, Abe replied. Like that whoever killed Tatiana would have had access to her private rooms. Thats not a long list.Its not short either. Lissa ticked off people on her fingers. The royal guards, her friends and family and thats expect no one altered the guardians records of her visitors. And for all we know, some visits were never logged at all. She probably had secret pedigree meetings all th e time.Unlikely shed have business meetings in her bedroom, in her nightgown, mused Abe. Of course, it depends on the type of business, I suppose.Lissa stumbled, realization arresting her. Ambrose.Who?Hes a dhampir really good-looking He and Tatiana were, um Involved? said Christian with a smile, echoing the interrogation.Now Abe came to a stop. Lissa did the same, and his dark eyes met hers. Ive seen him. sieve of a pool boy type.Hed have access to her bedroom, said Lissa. But I just cantI dont know. I cant see him doing this.Appearances are deceiving, said Abe. He was terribly interested in Rose back in the courtroom.More surprise for Lissa. What are you talking about?Abe stroked his chin in an evil-villain sort of way. He spoke to her or gave her some signal. Im not really sure, but there was some kind of interaction between them.Clever, argus-eyed Abe. Hed noticed Ambrose giving me the note but hadnt fully realized what had happened.We should talk to him then, said Christi an.Lissa nodded. Conflicting feelings churned inside of her. She was excited by a jumper cable but upset that it meant kind, gentle Ambrose might be a suspect.Ill take care of it, said Abe breezily.I felt her gaze fall heavily on him. I couldnt see her expression, but I did see Abe take an involuntary step back, the faintest glimmer of surprise in his eyes. Even Christian flinched. And Im going to be there when you do, she said, steel in her voice. Do not attempt some crazy torture-style interrogation without me.You want to be there for the torture? asked Abe, recovering.There wont be any. Well talk to Ambrose like civilized people, sympathize? She stared hard at him again, and Abe finally shrugged in acquiescence, as though being overpowered by a woman half his age was no big deal.Fine. Well do it together.Lissa was a little suspicious at his willingness, and he must have picked up on that.We will, he said, continuing walking. This is a good timewell, as good as any timefor an i nvestigation. Courts going to get chaotic as the monarch elections get under way. Everyone here will be busy, and new people will start displace in.A breeze, heavy with humidity, ruffled Lissas hair. The promise of heat was on it, and she knew Abe would be right about sunrise. It would be worth going to bed early.When will the elections happen? she asked. As soon as they put dear Tatiana to rest. These things move fast. We need our government restored. Shell be buried tomorrow at the church with a ceremony and service, but therell be no repeat of the procession. Theyre still too uneasy.I felt kind of bad that she hadnt received a full queenly funeral in the end, but then, if it meant her true murderer was found, perchance she would have preferred it that way.Once the burial happens and elections begin, Abe continued, any family who wants to put out a candidate for the crown will do soand of course theyll want to. Youve never seen a monarchial election, have you? Its quite a spect acle. Of course, before the voting occurs, all the candidates will have to be tested.There was something black in the way he said tested, but Lissas thoughts were elsewhere. Tatiana had been the only queen shed ever known, and the full impact of a regime change was staggering. A new king or queen can affect everythingfor fall apart or worse. I hope its someone good. One of the Ozeras, maybe. One of Tashas people. She glanced hopefully at Christian, who could only shrug. Or Ariana Szelsky. I like her. Not that it matters who I want, she added bitterly. Seeing as I cant vote. The Councils votes determined the elections winner, so again, she was locked out of the Moroi court-ordered process.A lot of work will go into the nominations, Abe explained, avoiding her last comment. distributively family will want someone to further their interests but who also has a chance of get votes fromOomphI was thrust harshly out of the calculating world of Moroi politics and back into the wilds o f West Virginiavery painfully so. Something solid and fierce slammed me against the hard-packed earth, leaves and branches cutting my face and hands. Strong hands held me down, and Dimitris voice spoke in my ear.You should have just hidden in town, he said, a little amused. His weight and position allowed me no room to move. It would have been the last place I looked. Instead, I knew exactly where youd go.Whatever. Dont act so smart, I said through gritted teeth, trying to break out of his hold. deuced it. He was smart. And once again, the closeness of him was disorienting. Earlier, it had seemed to affect him too, but hed apparently learn his lesson. You made a lucky guess, thats all.I dont need luck, Roza. Ill always find you. So, really its up to you how difficult you want this situation to be. There was an almost conversational tone to his voice, made all the more ridiculous by the situation we were in. We can do this over and over, or you can do the reasonable thing and just stay put with Sydney and me.Its not reasonable Its wasteful.He was sweating, from the heat and undoubtedly because hed had to run pretty hard to catch up with me. Adrian wore a cologne that always made me heady, but the essential scent of Dimitris warm skin was intoxicating too. It was amazing to me that I could keep noticing these little thingsand be attracted to themeven when I was legitimately mad at him for keeping me captive. Maybe anger was a turn-on for me.How many times do I have to explain the logic behind what were doing? he asked in exasperation. Until you give up. I pushed back against him, trying again to get loose, but all it did was put us closer together. I had a feeling the kissing trick wouldnt work this time.He jerked me to my feet, keeping my weaponry and hands pinned behind my back. I had a little more room to maneuver than I had on the ground, but not quite enough to break free. Slowly, he began trying to make me walk back toward the direction Id come from.I a m not letting you and Sydney risk getting in trouble with me. Ill take care of myself, so just let me go I said, literally draw my feet. Seeing a tall, approximate tree, I stuck one leg out and hooked myself onto the trunk, completely transport us to a halt.Dimitri groaned and shifted his grip to get me away from the tree. It almost gave me an escape opportunity, but I didnt even manage two steps before he had a hold of me again.Rose, he said wearily. You cant win.Hows your face feeling? I asked. I couldnt see any marks in the brusk lighting but knew the punch Id given him would leave a mark tomorrow. It was a shame to damage his face like that, but hed heal, and maybe it would teach him a lesson about messing with Rose Hathaway.Or not. He began dragging me again. Im seconds away from just tossing you over my shoulder, he warned.Id like to see you try.How do you think Lissa would feel if you got killed? His grip tightened, and while I had a feeling hed make good on his over-the- shoulder threat, I also suspected he wanted to shake me. He was that upset. Can you imagine what it would do to her if she lost you?For a moment, I was out of snappy retorts. I didnt want to die, but risking my life was exactly that risking my life. No one elses. Still, I knew he was right. Lissa would be devastated if anything happened to me. And yet it was a risk I had to take.Have a little faith, comrade. I wont get killed, I said stubbornly. Ill stay alive.Not the reaction hed wanted. He shifted his hold. There are other ways to help her than whatever insanity youre thinking of.I suddenly went limp. Dimitri stumbled, caught by surprise at my sudden lack of resistance. Whats wrong? he asked, both puzzled and suspicious.I stared off into the night, my eyes not really focused on anything. Instead, I was seeing Lissa and Abe back at Court, remembering Lissas feeling of powerlessness and yearning for her vote. Tatianas note came back to me, and for a moment, I could hear her voice in my head. She is not the last Dragomir. another(prenominal) lives.Youre right, I said at last. even off about ? Dimitri was at a total loss. It was a common reaction for people when I agreed to something reasonable.Rushing back to Court wont help Lissa.Silence. I couldnt fully make out his expression, but it was probably alter with shock.Ill go back to the motel with you, and I wont go running off to Court. Another Dragomir. Another Dragomir needing to be found. I took a deep breath. But Im not going to sit around and do nothing. I am going to do something for Lissaand you and Sydney are going to help me.