None of the VA characters are mine! I have started looking through the chapters to this story again. They won't be perfect this time either but hopefully better!
"I am so sorry Rose. We would have loved to tell you this sooner, but we had to do extra tests to be sure. We tried to tell you as soon as possible, I honestly don't know how we missed it for all these years." The doctor looked at me with sympathy. Normally I would have hated it and told her to whip that look of her face or I would do so for her, but right now it kinda felt nice to know at least someone cared or well wasn't indifferent to my existence. I mean hey, I was just told that I couldn't become what I had trained to be, my entire life because my blood type was too 'Special' and made me a target.
"But why haven't you noticed sooner? I mean it's not exactly a secret that I have been feed from and I have been in and out of the infirmary since kindergarten!" If my blood were what they told me it was and had the abilities they said, then Lissa or Dimitri would have noticed right? I mean they would have noticed the difference from ordinary blood. Wouldn't they? How did blood even taste? I felt so confused I could barely keep it together and I felt a headache beginning.
"I believe that they have, but they might have brushed it off as nothing. It is probably the reason the princess could go 2 years with only a feeding every second or third day. It would have made normal moroi tired and not able to perform as usual, but the princess managed to go to school and run from authorities with you while being held at a minimum feeding."
"But then what now? I mean I can't be a guardian so what's gonna happen now? I have to do something!"
"We will figure something out I promise. The queen has asked to see you at 4 PM. try to be there on time, I think she will tell you what'll happen next. Don't worry, everything will figure itself out." She comforted but her words felt hollow. Tatiana would most likely chain me up somewhere and tap my blood.
Great can my day get any better?
Yes, it could. Little did I know that that day was going to be the first day of the best years of my life.
I was walking down one of the few shopping streets in court looking at shop windows without really seeing anything. I wanted to be able to shop I really did. I needed something NEW and I wanted to feel a little bit normal, but I just couldn't piece my mind together for long enough to find something cute. Then I heard a familiar laugh. Lissa, she was here, oh god that meant he was here too. Looking up from the ground I saw them standing just a few feet away. Lissa with some other royal girl, shopping for some event I think. Dimitri was standing a bit away from them holding guard even though they were in the middle of the royal court, and he wasn't her guardian.
Lissa must have been able to feel my stare cause she turned around and looked right at me. I could feel she was about to make some message to me over the bond that I should stay away from Dimitri when out of nowhere a bunch of brown hair attacked me.
"ROSE! AAAAhhhh OMG it is you! God, I've missed you so much! I am never letting you out of my sight ever again!" Said the girl crushing my bones in what might have been the tightest hug anyone had ever given me. I just stood there frozen for a moment until I recognized the light brown shade of the hair, the adorable British accent, the expensive Gucci perfume. All trademarks that were hard to mistake.
"Oh my god, Chelsea you are crushing my bones!" I managed to gasp out. Moving away, so that we could see each other, I looked into the storm blue eyes of a dear old friend: Chelsea Ivashkov League.
"As you deserve for just disappearing like that and never even call!" She said mock hurt giving me a slap on the arm like an angry mother scolding her kid.
"I know, I know I'm so sorry it is just.." I stopped as I could feel both Lissa's and Dimitri's stares on us. Instead of telling Chelsea, how scared I had been that she and her family would not accept me back after I ran away with Lissa, in the middle of the street, I gave her the world's biggest smiles and hugged her again. Pulling away still keeping one arm wrapped around her back I proposed
"Let's go catch up over something drinkable, shall we?"
Flashing me her 'I'm the brightest star you've ever seen' smile, she nodded eagerly.
"Of course let's go! You have so much to explain!" Laughing I nodded and linked my arm with hers, leading her towards the nearest café while still aware that Lissa was watching us intensely. Through the bond, I could hear her wonder and - was that jealousy I felt? Serves her right to know she wasn't the only friend I had and that she could easily be replaced.
"I know and I have so much to tell you! By the way, we have to be done by 4 PM: I have a meeting with the queen."
"I believe you have a story to tell on that account, and I can't wait to hear it!" She squealed.
And then we walked away, leaving Lissa's and the rest to stare. Little did I know we were also walking away from the pain I had lived through the last couple of weeks, locking a heavy door behind us.
"Okay so this Dimitri guy just rejected you, and Lissa took his side?" She asked making her big disbelieving eyes at me as she sipped to her spiked hot white chocolate. I still couldn't believe it either but with Lissa's reaction, it was so nice to have someone on my side.
"Pretty much yeah! but please let's talk about something else: It is kind of a sore spot."
"No way! They messed with my sister I'm going to make them pay!" She said it in a light joking tone but I silently hoped I was about to be a part of an infamous Chelsea League revenge plan.
"And how do you propose we do that?" I leaned forward over the table as if she was about share a big secret with me.
"Oh, I don't know there are so many things we could do.." She trailed off nonchalantly. She was leaning forward too, smiling that sneaky smile.
"Hmm my creativity as for revenge has lacked a bit lately, but I'm sure you know what to do!"
"You are damn right I do! Do you remember that time when my brother, Jake, had been an annoying little bastard and we took revenge by convincing his friends he had a crush on his math teacher?"
"You're kidding me, of course, I do! Mr. Smith looked about to rip someones head off when he heard!"
"It wasn't meant to go that far! I simply don't know who could have told him." She said for once without faking innocence.
Looking away I smiled a bit at the memory.
"No, I wonder who could have done that." The irony was dripping from my words.
She looked at me in utter surprise.
"You?! OMG, Rose, how did you pull that one off?!"
"Turns out Mr. Smith is a huge sucker for gossip and is checking in on the girls' locker room every now and then. Creepy as fuck but it is very useful."
"OH GOD PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!" She shrieked almost knocking over her cup and drawing a lot of attention. Not that attention was something we were missing, everyone wanted to know who Rose Hathaway's mystery visitor was.
"I wish, I was but sadly; No. So all it took was a little convincing of Jake's ex-girlfriend Melissa to let it slip, and voila: Mr. Smith's head blew off! I think he knocked something over in the gym."
"Jees I have missed you so much!" She said with wide eyes, very impressed with my old stunt.
"I know who wouldn't? But what does that has to do with Lissa and Dimitri?" I said leaning back warming my hands on my own ordinary cup of chocolate.
"Well, you don't know this, cause you had to return to the states but the best part was when mom and dad found out about this, assumed by then, affair."
"They believed it?" I asked her in utter disbelief.
"No, they knew it had to be us but they got so mad at him over letting us hang out with his friends that they were yelling at him. They said it was his responsibility that we didn't hang out around 'elder, experienced men with possible bad influence'! It was hilarious! He didn't say a word for weeks and I didn't even get a raised eyebrow!"
"No doubt it was, but still what does that have to do with-"
"The best punishment is a ruined reputation, you of all would know. So, any ideas for a good rumor?"
"I don't know Chels..." I wanted Lissa to feel hurt but ruining her reputation was a bit over the top wasn't it?
"Come on! When did you get so boring?"
"I..." I honestly didn't know, I used to be wild and bold but now... I could hear how I sounded. I sounded like my mother. Must have been the 2 years when I had to take care of Lissa and then the year with Dimitri... Oh well, I'm too young to be a mother or even to act like one.
"What were you thinking?" I asked her leaning forward again.
"Iiiiihhhh!" Clapping her hands together in excitement she smiled at me "What about a little Dragomir on the way? They are going to run off together to raise their child in the human world." Wow, that would centennially piss of some royals.
"That is genius Chels, but that would hurt me too wouldn't it? People would think it is my bad influence that had made Lissa do it."
"That is the best part! If what you just told me is true then Tatiana is gonna want you to look good and proper at all times. That is where I come into the picture: We are gonna convince her that you should attend a university, and that going with me back to England would be the best option."
I was about to say that I couldn't go with her to England. That I couldn't leave my friends here but then I realized; What friends? Eddie was soon going to get assigned soon and then I would be alone here; Christian was going to college probably, Lissa too and that would be without me, even if I was assigned to her, she would ask to get me removed so Dimitri wouldn't have to look at me. And it was then while looking at Chelsea who was smiling that devious smile that was no doubt mirroring my own, that I decided to let her take me home. Home to the people that I could trust. Home to my family.
"I love you Chels, have I ever said that?"
"Maybe a couple of times." She nonchalantly slipped with a smile.
Standing outside the throne room, waiting for Tatiana to open and let us in, I looked over at Chelsea who was straightening up and adjusting her clothes. She looked ready to convince a judge that her client was innocent, which kinda were what she was about to do. I wondered when she had founded that kind of confidence and professionalism, of course, she had always been smart and confident but not like this, not so business-like.
When my mother abandoned me she, thank god, chose a pair of moroi from her school days as my godparents and they stepped up. Every holiday my godfather Charles would come and take me with him to England to spend it there. Chelsea and I had felt like we were sisters. When we were kids we would be making plans to get her brother in trouble, we were pretty good at it. It saddened me that we had lost so much time together because of my runaway stunt with Lissa, but somehow it didn't seem to bother Chelsea. To her, we were still sisters and nothing could break us apart, she seemed steel set on getting me with her home to England. I have never felt more loved.
She looked over at me and grinned, telling me everything was going to go our way, that she had this. The doors opened and I sent a silent prayer that she was right.
So how was it? Like Chelsea? I promise you she is awesome! -AlexRoseRusso