Chapter One

Left roundhouse kick, duck, punch right, up. I'm out of breath, my hair is sticking to my forehead despite my attempt to tie it up. Dimitri still looks flawless by every small glimpse I get. He's not even panting. Sometimes I swear the rumours are true and he is some kind of teenage God.

"Come on, Hathaway!" He gets a good hit to my shoulder, one I would have been proud of. "Where's the effort?" I grit my teeth harder, start hitting harder, but it makes no difference. I go to kick the side of his stomach but he grabs my foot and swings me to the floor. I land flat on my back. Winded. Defeated.

I hear a few laughs from the other novices around me and I can barely look up. Dimitri holds a hand out to me, but I can see his shoulders basically shaking from the urge to laugh. I send him my best glare and push myself up. My stomach cramps in protest from those final hits and I can taste that tang of blood at the back of my throat.

"Asshole." I mutter, pulling the hair tie out from my hair with a sharp yank. Every lesson I get paired up with Dimitri. Yes, he's amazing to look at, yes, I would happily sleep with him (as would every other girl and probably most guys of this academy). But he fights like a god-damn Guardian on crack.

Dimitri takes a step towards me, "round two?" I give him a dirty look and turn sharply away from him, making my way towards the girl's shower room. "Can I at least join you?" I hear the other guys jeering and whistling and feel sick. I suppose I used to have a reputation, before me and Liss ran away, but now it's different. Now I understand that it's get my head into gear, or lose not only the Dragomir princess, but also my best friend.

I strip out of my training clothes and step into the shower, ignoring the cold spray against my back as I wait for it to warm. The heart is best hit when pushing the stake up under the ribs. They come first. In the case of far guard, check the room outwards from the Moroi. Don't hesitate. Strogoi are faster, stronger.

My head bangs from all the information that I need to remember, but I keep drumming the rules through my head. They come first. Me and Lissa have only been back for a few months, but I'm at the level of all the other novices. Except Dimitri, of course. The extra training I do is tiring. I'm sick almost everyday, my hair is limp, my face is chalky. I'm no longer the beautiful naïve novice I was before we left the academy, but it will all be worth it. I hope.

The only thing that matters to me now is protecting Lissa. Well, that's what I'm trying to aim for. Sometimes I can't help but miss the freedom of sneaking out and flirting and all those other teenage pieces of normalcy.

"Uhm, Hathaway?" I gasp and grab the shower curtain, wrapping it round myself.

"Dimitri, what the hell?!" I shriek, recognising the voice, holding on to the damp curtain for my life.

Dimitri walks sheepishly round the corner. He's running his fingers through his hair, looking anywhere but at me. Thankfully, well... I wouldn't mind him looking. "I thought you would be out by now and, well, I just had to say sorry for what I said-"

"Go away!" I shout, awkwardly reaching out to grab my towel which is just a couple inches to far. Dimitri tenderly picks it up and passes it over, and he looks like he isn't even breathing.

"You have really nice-"

"Dimitri!" I'm practically screaming now, fumbling to get the towel round me.

"No, I mean, you have really nice roundhouse kicks, I can't do-"

"Leave, now!" I'm even shaking now, but underneath the embarrassment of Dimitri standing only a few metres away, it's exciting. I'm blushing, and I haven't felt this warm in weeks, despite the fact that the shower is now dripping cold water onto my towel.

Dimitri holds his hands up to cover his eyes, and I can't help but laugh. He peeps through his fingers and I can see that small smile on his lips that I stupidly love so much. Then he is walking backwards, and he is gone.

My smile lasts longer than I wish it would had, but then slips away suddenly. Would he tell the other guys about this? What if they think he saw? What is he says he saw? I groan to myself and slump out of the shower, forgetting my aching stomach with the new presence of butterflies. I want to rip their wings off. I do not have time for pathetic little crushes, especially for ones on Dimitri.

I've been sitting in an empty classroom, deciding whether or not to do the walk of shame into the lunch hall. The gossip has probably already started since it spreads like wildfire here. I stay there for a while and then decide I would probably feel better if I see Lissa for a while.

It's nearly the end of lunchtime now and I spot her waving at me from across the room, holding up which awesomely looks like my favourite type of doughnut. This is why she is my best friend.

"How was practise?" She asks happily when I get closer.

"Totally normal, I mean, average practise." I basically stutter, hoping she doesn't know about the shower situation with Dimitri. She passes me the doughnut with a smile. "How was element practise?" I ask her.

She sighs at this. "Still not specialised. I am basically a child. Dad always said it would be like not going through puberty..."

I smile sympathetically, knowing how she felt. Literally. Ever since the accident we've had this weird... bond. I can feel her, know what she's thinking. Sometimes I even slip into her head. Thankfully I have never seen her go to the bathroom or masturbate or oh god-

"Earth to Rose!" Lissa laughs.

I shake my head, physically trying to get away from that train of thought. "You will specialise. Besides, you have a pretty kick ass ability on all of them. I would say more than average."

She scoffs. "No way."

The bell goes, signalling that it's time for last lesson. We both share a look of annoyance then get up and go our separate ways. As I'm walking out, I catch a glimpse of Dimitri, and for a moment I almost think he's looking at me. But before I know it, he's looking away, joining in with whatever the guys are talking about.

I press my ear against my door until I hear the guardian checking the doors walk past. It's after curfew, and most novices and Moroi will be asleep by now. The sun is up, and it's my favourite time to train.

I slip out my door, as quiet as a half vampire can be, and walk swiftly down the hall. As soon as I get round the corner I know I'm safe, and I make my way down to the training hall. Part of the walk is outside, and I relish in the feel of the chilled sun against my skin. So much nicer than the darkness I can never really get accustomed too.

I spend the next couple of hours working my body to its limits. Usually we're not allowed to work this hard in lessons. I'm basically on the verge of fainting, black stars in time to my hits to the bag of sand. They come first. They come first. They come first. My nose is running, my body is burning, my knuckles are bleeding.

Before I pass out, I slump to the floor and count to twenty. Then, with weak steps, I quietly fumble my way to my room, making sure I'm not seen. I fall straight into bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.

I fall straight into Lissa's dreams, too tired to fall into my own.