Adrian's POV
The gavel clanked and rang in our ears as the judge brought it down. After three months of arguing and fighting the judge had finally come to a decision. The battles the rate of decease of dhamphir and moroi had convinced everyone that they were not yet ready to be let out into the world just yet. They decided to extend novice through the summer. Everyone was sick of death around here.
"Adrian?" Whispered the Dragomir princess and a close friend. I turned and put on my best I'm-happy-despite-the-circumstances face. It was all we could ever do to make her feel safe these days. "Will she ever come home?" No one ever dared mention the name around the academy or around Lissa; all accept my incredibly insensitive aunt, the queen. The thought of her name made my heart hurt.
It had been three months tomorrow that she left to hunt down Dimitri Belikov. I was the one who funded this little trip of hers and I questioned myself for it everyday. I never told anyone that I'd given her the money to leave, Lissa would have my head, so it just ate me up inside. This had been the first time in weeks that Lissa had mentioned her non-existent best friends and talking about it always brought tears to her eyes.
"Yes cousin, someday she will return." It tried smiling but I knew pain leaked through so I tried to hold a neutral face. "Let's go home." Home really wasn't what it was; after all they'd run away once before and now half of a second time, but it was the closest thing any of us had anymore. It was all we had left of her. Left of the girl I loved, left of Lissa's closest thing to a sister left of hope.
Left of Rose.
Lissa tugged on her quiet boyfriends sleeve and pulled him along as we left. We all stayed silent on the way to the jet. Ozera had finally gotten over his magical jealousy and we managed to be friends but loosely. At least he wasn't glaring and planning my perfect demise every minute of the day anymore.
Alberta, Stan, and a new Guardian added to the academy's staff, Tanya, were all waiting for us outside and the foot of the plane. "Five minutes, let's get going," Alberta shouted to us as we excited the building. We slowly loaded the plane that would take us back to St. Vladimir's Academy.
Mia had returned to the academy after her father went on an expedition in the Amazon with the Moroi he worked for. Her, Christian and a few others practiced using their elemental magic from time to time. Eddie was there too and would soon become Lissa's Guardian after graduation my request of the princess.
When the plane landed it was the middle of the night for us, aka the middle of the sunlight day. We can handle a bit of sunlight, but just in case, we rushed to the campus and split to our private dorms. Lissa and Christian went to the novice dorms while I ambled my way toward the guest area. But something pulled me in the opposite direction, to the Guardian building. It was past curfew so most everyone was a sleep but inside the door I heard whispers. I snuck up to the main door, which was cracked and pressed my face against the glass.
"…Yep, two of them found right on the border…Coroner identified one as Belikov no doubt." Stan Alto informed. "The other was a bit difficult, her neck was purple and blue from being fed on, cuts and bruises all over her body…" No. "Torn clothes, dark hair." No. "She was so desecrated that they couldn't get a facial match. But the star and two marks on her neck gave her away." No. "It was Hathaway."
No!