Classes. Even in a world filled with dhampirs and moroi I still have to take classes. But of course being a novice dhampir doesn't help it. Finally I turned 18 almost a week ago and my final graduation test in in a week. Oh joy. I go to the academy in Siberia Russia. St. basil's is fun and all but finally im going to be leaving.
I was walking down the hall to my next class when my friend bumped into me. I turned to face her so that I could see her eyes and smiled. "shouldn't you be in class ms belikov." she laughed at that.
"oh stop with that."
we kept walking in silence for almost 5 minutes until I finally broke the silence. "im leaving here after graduation. Well to court I mean." we finally made it to the courtyard so we decided to sit by the fountain. "my brother said that a lot of strigoi are gathering up so I told him that after I graduated I would come to court to help with protection."
it started to snow yet again. The snow flakes hitting my hair like nothing. Viktoria and I sat there in silence until I looked over to her and saw her brown eyes filled with sadness. As soon as she saw that I saw she was about to cry she turned away.
"im sorry viki. I really am but—"
"but what! You cant leave us!" she started to cry. The tears just pouring down her face. "you cant...you just cant leave..." her voice trailed off then she finished her sentence. "me" I held her in my arms for a while.
"im so sorry." I held her until she finally stopped crying. She hugged me finally and stood up. I stodd up with her.
" please dont." she shook her head. "we love you!...i love you!" I didnt know how to respond. I loved her back. But I didnt know in the same way. We have known each other since child hood and have been friends ever since.
I just stood t here. I do love her. I knew I did. "i love you too."
"then why go!" the tears started coming down her cheeks. I grabbed her and held her in my arms for a few seconds then turned to look her in the eyes.
"the way I see it. We have 2 weeks together. One week until graduation then another week when we get to court. Atleast lets make the most of that." she rested her head on my chest.
"i just never want to leave you." finally after almost 15 minutes we walked back to our dorms. When I opened the door to my room I found my room mate alex laying on his bed reading. He didnt stop reading until he heard the door click.
"you know she will miss you right?"
"yea. And I will miss her too."
"why stay at court? Really tanner? Why not stay with the person you love?" I sat down on my bed and rested my head on my hands. "you realize that it would make it easier if you were to both protect a moroi you could keep each other safe and keep a moroi safe."
"shut up alex." alex just glared at me then continued reading. I stood up went over to the closet and pulled on a jacket.
"where are you going? To brake more hearts?"
"im going for a walk asshole."
finally when I got outside I found that it had been snowing for awhile. There had been already a few centimeter of snow on the ground everywhere. My first place to go was the track. Running a few laps should help clear my mind. The snow and wind kept tearing at my face but I just kept on walking. Finally when I got to the track I threw off my jacket wearing only my T shirt and started running.
"after a few laps I heard a voice call out to me. "hey andrew what are you doing out here?" it was a moroi student. Also a close friend. Zac is a fire user and doesnt normally need sweaters but I guess he was feeling a bit chilly today. "running without a jacket? You are nuts. Anyway... I saw viktoria just now. She looked like a wreck. Tears pouring down her face and everything. I heard her saying something on the phone talking about a resignation letter? I dunno." at those words I ran. As fast as my legs would carry me I ran. I ran to the only place I knew that she was going. It was almost 5 minutes until I saw her. She was leaning up against the chappel wall still walking forward. All she was wearing was her T shirt and jeans. Not sweater nother. How stupid. I ran up to her and grabbed her arm.
"viktoria belikov what the hell are you doing!" she shrugged my arm off and kept walking. "viktoria! Stop!" she still wouldnt stop. "viktoria stop now!" I didnt even recognize my own voice. She didnt recognize it either and stopped dead. "i know what your trying to do. I wont let it happen, even if I have to tackle you to the ground." she kept walking so this time I grabbed her arm more forcefully. She tried to shrug me off but it wouldnt work. Finally I turned her around and pressed my lips to her's.
Her eyes widened. When I broke the kiss I just held her. This time she was the one to brake the silece. "i love you..." I could hear her whimper and her legs gave in. I picked her up and started to walk to the closest bit of cover there was. I put her gently on the ground at the trunk of the tree. There was only enough cover for one person so I let her stay under.
"now I swear it if you ever. Ever. Do that again I will break your legs. You are one of the greatest guardians I know and I dont want you throwing your life away to take care of children and do dishes all day."
"why shouldnt I! Sonya and karolina did it!"
"thats because they wanted throw their lives away! I love you. With all my heart. But it wont work. Im leaving in a week. The queen is pregnant. Strigoi are gathering. Guardians are running thin. I cant."
after awhile I got up and started walking. "if you leave I will just find you!" yea I had a feeling she would do that.
When I got inside I found that I had been more cold then I thought. I went immediately to the fire place in the lounge and sat down. I almost forgot. I didnt check my email yet. I rushed to my room and threw open the door. When I had my laptop out I heard a ear shattering crash. Before I could check my email I ran downstairs to see what was going on. My eyes widened to see what was standing in the middle of the lounge. Strigoi. I acted just like my training tought my and I ran for the door that would take me to the guardian office.
I managed to get the door open but got slammed against a wall by the strigoi. The strigoi started to laugh that cold soulless laugh all strigoi have. "you thought you could get away. Just like your pathetic friends." I looked to the side and saw alex' dead body laying crumpled and soulless against the wall. Then thats when it happened. All in one quick movement.
The door to the girls dorms opened to reveal a group of girls. And viktoria. My eyes widened in horror at the thought of viktoria getting hurt. The strigoi was over by the girls in seconds and threw 3 against the wall leaving viktoria for dead. I leapt up and threw myself against the strigoi. Luckily I had enough power to throw the strigoi. And myself. Out of the window.
The strigoi and I hit the ground hard. First all I saw was blackness and felt nothing then I started hearing crying and screaming. The strigoi shouldnt have been dead. When I started to see color again I saw that it was viktoria who was bent over my body. She had her head on my chest and was crying. I looked around as much as I could and all I saw were my teachers standing over me.
"viktoria? Your ok?" I barely made the words leave my mouth. My back hurt. My legs hurt. My arms hurt. I just wanted to go take a shower and lay in bed for a week. But instead I found myself being lifted up against a tree.
"well mr tanner that was a large fall you happened yourself upon." said my drill instructor . "might I ask what happened? There are 5 dead dhampirs in that lounge and your the only one that is alive. Well apart from ."
I heard a scream apparently coming from viktoria. "no! You cant think he did it!"
I could barely muster any strength I had to say the next words that I had to. "stop viktoria." then I let my head go limp and I was lifted away into blackness.
When I woke up I was in the school infirmary. I tried to move my arm but something was on it. I looked to the side to see viktoria bent over my arms sleeping. How long have I been out? I pulled myself up to see if the doctor was around and she wasnt. Sun was pouring in through the dark windows so it must have been night time
"ah your finally awake tanner." I looked up to see a guardian looming over the entire room. He wore that guardian mask all guardians wore. "probably needed your sleep after slaughtering those students."
I fixed him with the most harsh stare I could muster. "i did not kill my friends." the guardian just stood there and laughed.
"sure. And im not a guardian. Either way your going back to the states." he grinned.
"i turned to him in mock horror. "what did you say!" how could viktoria sleep through this.
"yea its a shame really. That girl right there will miss you when I rip that little head of yours right off." I stared in disbelief.
"i wont die." I said it. Plain and simple. "even if I have to rip your head off to live. I. Will. Kill you!" whoa. I didnt even recognize my own voice. The guardian just smiled and opened the door.
"he is awake." after he was done talking with the man at the door the man walked in. I couldnt believe my eyes. It was my brother. Mikhail tanner was standing at the foot of my bed.
"hello andrew." his tone was masked with the same guardian mask all guardians wore. "anthony can you give here and myself some privacy?"
the other guardian stared my brother down then nodded and left. The second the guardian was gone viktorias head shot up. "i never thought that asshole would leave."
"mikhail what are you doing here!" I already knew the question before he awnsered it but I was still shocked.
"im here because I was called about my little brother killing 5 dhampirs." he sounded like this was an every day subject.
"i did not kill them." I said it with the guardian mask my brother was wearing. From outside I could hear 2 people talking.
"i will tell you one more time please leave now before I have guardians escort you away from here.
"i would love to see them try. Now move out of my way." I couldnt believe my ears. Zac was trying to get through a guardian. He couldnt even take me on and he expected to take out a guardian twice my size.
"last warning ivashkov. Now leave."
"no." zac was being brave.
In one quick movement my brother was at the door talking to anthony. A minute later zac ivashkov was standing in my room. Great the whole gang was here.
"whats going on!" he exclaimed. "they wouldnt tell me anything!" I couldnt help but smile . Here he was acting like all royals do when they cant get what they want. He looked at the ground. "they said alex is dead..." there was a silence after that.
"he is. A strigoi killed him." I couldnt believe I just said it. It was as if I had no remorse for his death.
"thats a lie! No strigoi could get past the wards!"
"well they somehow did alex!" this time it was viktorias voice. "i saw it with my own eyes. If it werent for andrew I would be dead."
"how do I know your not covering for him! You both did just admit you were in love!" ouch. Time for me to speak up.
"i said I love her! Not that im in love with her." beside my I could see viktoria trying to hold back tears.
"for your sake tanner. I hope you didnt do it. Because if I find anything that says you did. I. Will. ." his voice turned to a low growl. He stalked out of the door slamming it shut. I sighed and stood up.
"just take me to court. Lets get this over with already." just then the door flew open and anthony walked in.
"new orders. Tanner your graduating early this year." my eyes went wide in shock. "your new charge will be princess jillian mastrano dragomir." what the fuck am I hearing. "your leaving now." right away a pile of black clothes were thorwn onto my bed. I quickly changed and left the room without another word. Wow. Great. Protecting the last princess. Protecting the queens sister. When I went downstairs there was already a jet at the runway.
I got on. When I was seated I put my head against the window. Before taking off I could just barely see viktorias crying face. We stayed on that plain for almost 13 hours before landing at court. It was just as my brother had told me. We walked inside to be greeted by the two head guardians. Rose hathaway and dimitri belikov. Standing by there side was lord ozera and the queen. Oh shit.
I walked up silently then bowed. "andrew tanner?" rose hathaway asked. "i was expecting someone...bigger." I kept my face passive. "oh well. Follow us then." we started walking and for awhile I thought I was going to be executed on the spot until we came to a room.
When the door was opened I saw two figures. One was a man. And one was a girl. I recognized the man almost instantly. Adrian ivashkov. He apperantly recognized me too. "hello andrew." he said in an ammused tone. "so your going to be the one protecting our princess."
"i guess so."
the girl stood up and walked over to me. "hello. My name is princess jillian mastrano dragomir. I guess your my new guardian." we shook hands. Jesus I so was not healled completely. My back still hurt and my arms were killing me. Throwing a strigoi out the window is so not easy. The other guardians showed me to my room and I decided to get some sleep.