‘How good is your Russian?’ ‘It is very good, Dave. My father’s expertise was Russian since the university insisted the language be emphasized...because of the proximity and the politics of the two countries.’ ‘Can you write in Russian?’ ‘Of course—my father insisted.’ Our waiter came with the dessert, we ate it and I paid the bill. I told Elke I would walk her to her apartment. As we walked down the street I asked, ‘Elke, how much money do you need to pay what you owe on your apartment?’ ‘About. "Melinda, they're not here! I don't see the bodies either. What happened?" They're still there. They should be right in front of you," Melinda insisted."They're not, Mel," I repeated."Processing ... processing ... oh, crap! I see what the problem is. They're in the interdimensional space!" Her voice was close to panic. "I can't get you there!"Well, I guess that answered the question of whether the Qerda knew how to use the IDS or not."Cindi, see if you can contact your Mom through the necklace.. The ride was close to five minutes long; she lived in a school affiliated apartment complex so it wasn’t far off campus at all. The shuttle dropped us off right in front of her building and we ascended the stairs to the third floor. She gave me the grand tour of her apartment and told me that her roommate was gone at the moment but would be back shortly. Her room was a bit messy, there were clothes on the floor here and there and her bed was unmade, she assured me that it was never this messy.. He took a deep drink and smiled his cheeky smile. There were far more attractive girls at the party than me, why was he paying me so much attention? We made small talk for a while, joking about tutors and friends. He put his arm around me pulled me into his chest. "You are far more beautiful than you think." he whispered in my ear. I turned towards him ready to fall into his lips when Jane crashed over us, running for the door. She rushed outside just in time to throw up in a plant.