'HATHAWAY, ROSE!' Alberta's voice yelled from the speakers of the crowed roared. I was the last Novice on the Trial run, that means I get the hardest course, lucky me.

I walked up to the gate that let into the arena and stood with my shoulders squared in my black leather jumpsuit twirling the silver stake we where given for the trails.

I heard another roar from the crowed and the gate opened up and let the light fall onto me. I smiled at the warmth and walked forward to the starting mark and found an elementary guardian as my "moroi" for the trial great. "Hi, I'm Rose, I guess your mine for the trial." I said as I extended my hand to the young man in front of me. He shook it and stared in awe. "Ah yes the famous Hathaway girl, you were trained by Belikov right?" I nodded, "Well this should be interesting. " I nodded in agreement and looked up into the stands and searched for my friends and family. They must have seen me looking for them because a roar came from behind me . I turned around and found Lisa, Christian, my mother & father, and a very sweaty Eddie all cheering and clapping. I waved and turned back to face the arena. As I looked out I saw different platforms and some visible guardians waiting to strike when a shot is fired. I pulled out my stake and nodded to my "moroi" and to Alberta to signal I was ready.

"Ok, Hathaway let's get through this with out getting me killed, eh?" I laughed but didn't face him. I saw Alberta raise her pistol to the air, I grabbed his arm. She looped her finger around the trigger and pulled, and so did I, I yanked him into a sprint up the first platform. I was faced with 2 guardians right off the bat. I pushed him to the edge and told him to stay.

I watched as the first guardian approached, I watched as they relived heavily on their right foot. I let that guardian come closer just a few more inches before dropping and kicking their legs out from under them and restrained them quickly and laced the stake right above their heart. Dead.

I moved onto the next, they lurched out with a jab. I dodged 2 kicks and caught their leg and twisted their leg and punched them in the kidney. The guardian fell to their knees, I quickly placed the stake over their heart. Dead.

I grabbed the "Moroi's" arm and we jumped off the platform. I felt something was off, I pushed him behind me. I was right. Stan came roaring out from behind a another structure. I met him half way and struck out first with 3 quick pushes to the chest. He stumbled and growled, he squared up, finally a fight. Kick, Dodge, Punch. We went on that cycle till I had a sense of another body present. Shit. I lashed out and brought the stake just over the mark. Dead. Stan backed of immediately and gave me a nod.

I returned it and ran off towards my new treat. I noticed what they were wearing. Kevlar. That meant you can shoot at them and through stakes at them. Practically just a dangerous pin-data. He was closing in on my " moroi" I had to act fast. "Hey you!" The guardian turned around and faced me thats all I needed. I let my stake go air borne. It hit just to the left of the mark. Shit. I raced towards the guardian and tackled them to the ground. I gave a nice punch and their struggles became weaker as I dislodged the stake and slammed it back over the mark. Dead.

I grabbed him again and pulled him through a mazed of buildings only visible from those higher in the stands. I heard claps and whoops of praise but that was the last thing on my mind. I pulled him out of the maze and could see the finish line in front of me, so close yet so far, for there was something in my way. More like someone. A big, hot, sexy, Russian god. Great. "You see that tower over to my right 30 ft away?" I waited fo ra response as Dimitri started inching forward. "Yea?" I sighed, "Go! And stay there till I come to get you this is gonna take a while."

I saw him run to the tower and get on top but my eyes where on Dimitri. He gave me a crooked smile which I returned and sprinted towards him. He caught my arm when I threw my first punch and twisted it behind me. My back was now to him. Shit. Think Rose think. I stoped on his foot and threw my elbow up and hit him sure in the jaw. It was enough to make him let go. He let out a hiss as we circled. "Sry babe but I'm gonna have to kill you if I wanna pass." I jumped at him and lashed out with my stake. I missed the mark and cut his shirt, now there was a tear right over his chest to his hip. His eyes flashed to mine. "Really?" He growled and tackled me to the ground. I wrestled to get free. I got a brilliant idea. I slapped him right across the cheek that go his attention from his pending "bite". his face showed one of pure and utter shock. I used the distraction and rolled us over so that I was on top of him wrestling for a shot at his chest. He grabbed my hair and I herd him say something like sorry before I let out a small scream of pain when he yanked my hair and rolled us back over. I struck out again and rolled us back over and clocked him straight in the jaw. And with a swift motion I had the stake over the mark resting on his newly exposed chest. Dead. I retracted my stake and gave him a quick wink and rushed off to the tower t retrieve my "moroi".

I reached the tower and helped him down, not that he really needed it. He looked at me in awe as we passed the finish line. The horn blared and roars cheers erupted from around the arena. I smiled and looked up at he jumbo iron looking thing and saw myself on it. I laughed and waved to it and laughed, I as done, I had finished my trial. "Well done Rose." The young guardian extended his hand to me and I shook it. "Thanks, oh and I never caught your name?" He gave a small smile. "Young, Eli Young, I'm on the Elementary campus most days." I nodded and slid the stake through my belt loop and wiped my hands on the leather jumpsuit pants. "Well thank you for not being too annoying out there it defiantly helped." He laughed and shook his head. "You didn't need any help Rose you were perfect, Belikov did a good job with you." I was about to say thank you when someone beat me to it. "Thanks Eli." I turned and saw Dimitri next to me smiling don at me. Nothing but pride and love ratting off of him. He raised his hand for a high five and I smacked his hand very, very hard. He winced and gave me a look. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Eli laughed, "She really did a number on you Dimitri, I bet you'll have a few bruises tomorrow." He laughed and I looked back up at him saw his jaw, there was a purple-ash brush forming. I felt a pang of guilt. I reached up to touch the area. I touched his jaw line and he winced away and grimaced. "I'll be fine, its nothing I haven't had before." I retracted my hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the results of Novice Hathaway are in." Announced Alberta. They showed her and the board of Guardians in the booth she stood at a podium as she spoke to the arena. "Now many of you know her mother Janine Hathaway a graduate from St. Vladimeri's Academy as well and held the most out standing record in the trails themselves. Today they have been shattered! Rosemarie Hathaway has just shattered the high score of 678 points with a score of 702 points!" My heart stopped. I immediately heard roars and claps erupt from the speakers and from around the arena. I smiled and looked for my friends and gave a bow. Dimitri laughed at me and I smiled to him. Usually I could expect what his facial expression but this one caught me off guard. It was a full smiled grin. I couldn't help but laugh and jump towards him. He caught me and spun us around and sat me down quickly. "Oh Roza." Was all he said. But I got the message, he loved me and was more than impressed and proud of me. I hugged Eli so it didn't look suspicious for me hugging Dimitri. "Good job Rose you were amazing." I blushed, "Thank you!" I stepped back and looked up at the big screen and waved. I saw Alberta smiling as she reproached the podium. "Well I doubt I have to tell you all who the top Novice and soon to be guardian is in this class, but I do owe the Novice with the second highest score a moment of glory. Will Novice Edison Castile please stand." I broke out screaming of joy. Eddie and I had made the top two slots, forever in glory. "With a score of 674 points!" I felt my mouth fall open, he almost beat mom. I looked up towards the big screen that showed Eddie and my friends. He was a red as a tomato. When noticed he was on camera he smiled and took a sarcastic bow like I did. I looked around the arena, my eyes landed on the box where the head guardians sat but there was someone in the box, on a throne, the queen. She had seen my trails. She had seen me blow my mother, one of the best guardians, out of the water. I felt a smug look cross my face. I think Dimitri noticed as we walked out of the arena.

"What's with that look?" He asked on the cusp of a joking tone. "What look?" I asked innocently. "The one that's like, I just found the coolest secret but I'm not going to tell anyone but me." Damnit how did he know. I sighed. "The queen watched my trails." Dimitri froze mid step. "What? How can that be she wasn't royally announced in the beginning.?" "I don't know I guess it's because, I'm amazing and the best novice out of any of the academies." He gave a half smiles as we rounded the last gate and walked into the setting sun to find my family. As soon as Eddie caught sight of me he ran towards me and picked me up and spun me around. "We did it Rose we made it!" I shrieked with joy and grabbed onto his leather jacket collar. To steady myself and smiled. "Eddie you almost beat mom! You were only 4 points off!" That's amaz-" I was rudely interrupted by some royals.

"Hello Im Emily Badica and I wanted to introduce myself, I am requesting you both for guardians this evening at the ball." Eddie and I were speechless, as was everyone else. "I was very impressed by your skills you showed today, I will find you both tonight so we can discuss wages and living options. Oh and you both are a cute couple. Bye" and she rushed off with the other royals leaving to get ready for the dinner ball. Eddie turned to Janine and I turned to Dimitri, we didn't know what protocol was. We were figuratively spoken for, Eddie would guard Lisa with me and Dimitri will guard Christian. Abe spoke up and everyone looked to him. "You both will just have to hear her out tonight and let Lissa and Christian handle the rest ok." He turned to Dimitri, "Thank you Belikov you have made an assinensin of my daughter, I could not be more proud." I laughed and walked towards Lissa and gave her a hug. "Ewwww! Rose you stink!" I smirked and got a wonderful idea. I turned to Christian. "Hey Chrissy, can I get a hug?" He stuck his hands out to stop me and backed a few inches back. "Rosie, good job out there, now make like a good guardian and back off before you get burned." The group all ooo-ed but Dimitri, he took it seriously. "Rose, come on back off you and Vaslisa need to go get ready for tonight especially if you are going on 'Rose time'. I rolled my eyes and backed off towards Dimitri. "So what's the deal tonight? Do I actually have where a gown and all?" Lisa clapped her hands and everyone else laughed at my clearly displeased face. "I have some dresses for you to try on and pick one out for tonight, all Rose style of coarse." Christian and Eddie laughed and Dimitri just rolled his eyes. "Great now I'm a human barbie, this day just keeps getting better." She rolled her eyes and I shifted towards the on coming breeze and unzipped my jumper just a bit to get some air flow.i watched Dimitri's stance go rigid and I smirked inwardly, still had an effect on him. I noticed my combat boot was untied and bent down to tie it.

Just my luck a certain group of Royal Moroi walked by, Jessie and Ralf. "OW! Nice ass Hathaway how about you show me some moves tonight back at my place." And like lightning I had Dimitri on my right and Eddie on my left angrier than I was. I pushed on each of their chests and stepped forward towards them both. Ralf had a defiant look on his face but Jessie looked scared straight after three angry dhampirs just advanced towards him.

"Did you guys see my trail run?" They nodded, "Good, now imagine what would happen if I was pissed off" I pointed to Dimitri and Eddie, "And then add these two into the mix, you'd be gone in seconds." They gulped. "Run along before you see what happens next." I said with venom dripping off my tongue.