Chapter One
Headmistress Kirova paced back and forth, her arms locked in a tight ball behind her back. She was talking...I mean, her mouth was moving, but I wasn't hearing her.
"Disgrace!...Guardians...Queen...blah, blah, blah." I seemed to pick up every few words.
From across the room, I could see him. Petya. His tall frame was bent crookedly in his seat, his blue eyes were cast downward in a reverent stare. God, he was beautiful. As I glanced around the room, I noticed that everyone had the same posture as Petya. Maybe Kirova is saying something important. I thought to myself.
Alright, I know what you're thinking. "You're a dhampir, Vi. You're going to be a guardian someday, and you have the attention span of a grape fruit." And you would be right. I was awful at staying focused on one thing for a period of time. A sharp pain hit my side and I saw Sylvie glaring at me. Boy, she knew me well. "Pay attention." she mouthed, her fangs only showing slightly as she gritted her teeth. I rolled my eyes.
"...Utmost importance that you are on your best behavior these next few weeks, understood?" Kirova was saying. "Queen Vasilisa may be young, but she is your queen and your elder. I expect you treat her AND her guardians as so."
Sylvie let out a tiny squeal. Queen Vasilisa was bringing her two guardians. That meant Guardian Belikov would be here. Sylvie knew that Guardian Belikov was in a serious relationship, but that didn't stop her from dreaming about him constantly.
"Please be aware of how you conduct yourselves while they are here, and the next three weeks will go by swiftly and painlessly."
After the meeting, I caught up with Sylvie and Toby sitting in the commons. As usual, Sylvie was slumped over some book. Toby sat next to her, scanning the room. Was I the only dhampir who wasn't constantly doing that? I sat down in the chair next to him and his face immediately lit up, "Here she is, the woman of the hour." He grinned at me.
Oh yeah...that. "Toby, you're going to have to stop calling me that. I don't want to get in trouble." Nobody was supposed to know that I was the one that pulled the fire alarm yesterday. In fact, I figured that was the reason Kirova called us for a meeting in the first place. "I had to get out of Guardian Alto's exam somehow."
"She forgot to study." Sylvie giggled, but went back to reading when I shot her the death glare.
"Lucky for you, you're naturally a good fighter. You shouldn't completely bomb Alto's class." Toby snorted, leaning back in his chair.
Toby and Sylvie were half-siblings. Toby's dhampir mother was part of an extramarital affair with Sylvie's father, which explained why Toby was a dhampir and Sylvie was a Moroi. In fact, this situation was quite common in our world. However, in most cases, relationships like this would never be discussed, but Sylvie and Toby were different. They were both loners before they found each other. I guess it's nice to have someone else to be alone with.
Sylvie set down her book, and glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Only two more hours before they get here." I groaned, "Why is everyone so excited about this?"
"Well," Toby began, logically, "She is the queen..."
Sylvie added, "And Dimitri is a hunk-sicle."
"But aren't they coming on bad terms?" I could vaguely remember Kirova going on about why exactly the queen was visiting St. Vladmir's. Something about...the food service?
"Yeah...Something about royal financial stuff." Sylvie whispered, "I think they're trying to keep us out of the loop as much as possible, what with Qualifying exams coming up."
"They probably don't want us stressing over something that doesn't really concern us." Toby leaned inward, "I've heard that Guardian Hathaway AND Guardian Belikov are going to help with this years Qualifying Exams. Can you imagine? Having to fight against those two?"
"That's terrifying!" Sylvie shivered thinking about what it would be like to fight the great Rose Hathaway.
I shivered as well, but for an entirely different reason.
When the time came, all St. Vladmir's students lined the corridor waiting for the arrival of the Queen. Quiet whispered filled the hall as Moroi and dhampir alike waited in anticipation. At last, the door swung open, and in walked a young Moroi boy, "Announcing the arrival of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, and Guardians Belikov and Hathaway." A collective sigh of awe filled the room as the Queen entered.
She was much more regal than I had ever remembered her looking before. When she went to school here, I had only seen her a handful of times because she was older than I was. But she seemed so much more mature now. Experienced. Her silvery, blonde hair was swept back in a bun, just a few delicate tendrils falling around her face. Her body was poised and calm as she demurely nodded towards the guardians that had once been her teachers.
Walking closely behind her were two familiar faces. Dimitri Belikov. Boy, had time done him justice. For someone pushing thirty, he hardly looked a day over twenty. His wardrobe hadn't seemed to change since he had left the academy. I took not of the dilapidated, old duster he still wore.
Standing closely behind was her. One of the most famous guardians of our time: Rose Hathaway. She looked...old. Well, maybe not old. She was only in her twenties, but she seemed so much more calm than I remembered. Seeing as I was one of the only female dhampirs at St. Vladmir's, I should've been awestruck at the sight of her. But, when her steady eyes scanned over the room and locked with mine, I felt my stomach churn.
The moment lasted a second before I broke the gaze. Queen Vasilisa spoke, "Thank you so much for extending the invitation to stay here. I pray that while we are present, the students will not be shy with myself, Guardians Belikov and Hathaway, and Christian Ozera." Only then did I notice a handsome, Moroi man standing by her side. The Queen continued, "We were all students not that long ago." Without another word, Vasilisa turned to Headmistress Kirova and was escorted out the door into where, I assumed, they would be living.
Sylvie's eyes were wide with amazement. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" I asked. Once again, I guess had spaced out. "What are you talking about?"
"Guardian Hathaway. She was staring at you the entire time." Sylvie whispered.
"No she wasn't" I scoffed, but as I glanced around the room I saw all my classmates staring at me. Including Petya. On a normal day, this wouldn't have been so bad. But today...
I felt my face flush. And excused myself from my friends.
I walked around outside. The chill of Montana air helped clear my head. Calm down, Violet. Nobody knows. You're overreacting, just like the fire alarm thing. I kept telling myself. But the sound of footsteps caught me off guard.
"Hey." She said, running a hand through her dark brown ponytail.
Looking at her eye to eye, I finally saw what everyone else had noticed earlier. Her brown eyes looked like mine, her thick hair was a longer version of my own...
Rose Hathaway.
I spoke through tight lips, attempting to keep my voice low, "Hey sis." I replied.