CHAPTER 1
Did you know that staring at a wall for along time helps you tune out the person who is talking to you nonstop? Like parents, for an example.
Time to tune back!
" … I know it is going to be hard for you to spend time with all the new teenagers - " I cut my father off, midsentence.
"I have never spent time with any teenager, dad!"
" Exactly, " he continues in his calm Zen-God mode, "I understand but your mother and I feel you have to come out of the shell! It is about time! We cannot hide you in this house forever! You wear that ring all the time. Never remove it. Everything will be very simple! Again, never tell anyone about the spirit and if you feel anything - anything at all - weird going on in our friend's family, you dare not say anything. For everyone's good and - "
" Whoa! What friends? What family?" I ask.
Shit. I should have paid attention! My father's Zen-God mask cracks a bit – just a bit.
But what is so important I may have to leave the security of my home! ? (More than necessary?)
My mum groans and says incredulously, " The Ivashkovs? Our friends? Adrian and Sydney? Their family?"
"Ah. Do continue," I still am vague about that but something rings a bell inside my brain….
My father sighs and starts, "Sweetheart…." yuck! " Don't ever break from the original cover story, okay? It is very important that you don't."
I sigh and nod.
"Remember, never lose your ring and please control your anger," adds mum.
"You got everything?" asks dad.
I nod and say, "Friends - Ivashkovs – behave – mouth zipped –stick to the cover story – shut up if something odd happens. Protect my super secret. Never lose the ring."
"And temper," mum has to pipe that in!
"And temper. You are giving me a hard time there - mum!
Get off my desk!"
My mum lifts her hands up as though to surrender and slides off my desk. (I gotta check later for any damage!) Then she does some posture as though to kick my desk! It makes me groan.
My dad just chuckles and says, "Roza…." affectionately as the door to my room shuts behind them.
Huh! This is my life. The Secret Life of Saina Belikova.
It is a very long, twisted, complicated, sad - very sad – secretive life.
It is Christmas holidays and I am in my home at the Moroi court. Well, I am always at my home in the court! I can't go out of my house almost ever. Even if I do go out, I have to wear this stupid spirit induced ring.
I am a dhampir like my parents: Dimitri Belikov and Rose Belikova (nee Hathaway).
Okay, let me start from the cover story.
The cover story: my parents found me almost seventeen years ago in an orphanage somewhere in Siberia. Mind you, their vacation - well at least my mother's - was for over six months. Irrelevant? Not really. Anyways, then the celebrity guardian couple decided their adopted dhampir daughter to not be guardian! This means she cannot go to 's either because her mother said so! And who would wanna question the Queen's best friend, Rose Hathaway?
So the girl stays forever confined in her room, not even for learning much of defense! (She does watch her parents fighting each other off on mats.)
School? Dad teaches at home when he isn't off protecting Lord Ozera. At times some Moroi teacher comes as part time and grills her with work. Mum? Sits beside her while she does self-study and plays frigging Candycrush!
I've met very few people in my entire 17 years!
The super royal family: the Queen, Vasilisa Dragomir; her husband, Christian Ozera and their 3 children.
The Tanners: Mikhail, Sonya and their son. I had to run away from that family due to few complicated reasons. Literally.
My mum's parents: the old man Zmey, Abe Mazur and Grandma Janine Hathaway.
My dad's family: Grandma Olena Belikova, Great Grandma Yeva Belikova (Don't even get me started on my grandfather.), my aunts - Karolina Belikova, Sonya Belikova and Viktoria Belikova, Viktoria's husband, Nikolai Zolnerowich and finally my cousins - Paul Belikov, Zoya Belikova, Bogdan Belikov, Petya and Lesya Zolnerowich(twins).
The princess: Jillian Mastrano Dragomir and her knight in shining armor Eddie Castile.
Our maid: Dilay.
Few guardians: Hans, Denis, Marx, Serena and Emil.
Few others: Ambrose, the barista in my usual coffee run and the lady Diana who brings over my clothes.
That's all!
Those who say my parents aren't great secret keepers…. think again!
In the millions of people I know (note the sarcasm), only very few know the truth about me: Aunt Lissa, Uncle Christian, Uncle Eddie and Aunt Jill.
Sonya Karp Tanner was suspicious. Hey! I may not have any guardian training but I am good at running away especially when it's away from a Moroi and when the sun was bright up in the sky!
Now.
The true story: I am not adopted.
Some spirit user, Robert or something restored a Strigoi (undead vampires) during some attack in some asylum. They took the blood and made a tattoo out of itand gave it to my mum. Due to some freak accident involving the spirit and the fact that my dad is a restored Strigoi, I was born. Not just that!
Some spirit bullshit made me the first and the only dhampir spirit user. My parents are going through hell to protect me.
My mum wore a ring charmed with spirit for the first 3 months of her pregnancy then he took a vacation to Baia and gave birth to me. They made up a cover story. Not an easy job, but there are perks of the Queen's best friend!
I am like a Moroi spirit user. My teacher is the Queen. My parents one mentioned another dhampir - dhampir cild, but nothing about the child being a spirit user. Everything is still an enigma.
Yes, I am basically a walking Agatha Christie novel!
Speaking about her…. I am currently reading Sparkling Cyanide, lying on my bed. Around half an hour later someone knocks on my door and enters before I could answer. My mother. Who else? She puts on a look of mock horror and says, "What are you doing without getting ready?"
I sigh and cover my face with a pillow.
" Now move your ass into the shower! I will pick out some nice clothes for you!"
I groan internally but comply.
As I come out of the shower I am welcomed with a few contents of my wardrobe spread on my bed: black jeans, black V- neck T- shirt, black Vera Moda leather jacket and some black boots. I again groan internally as I put on my clothes. Mum. Always wanting to make a fashion statement.
I blow- dry my hair and put on some makeup: lip gloss and eyeliner. I slip in the silver ring onto my right pointer finger and shove in a galaxy chocolate bar inside my mouth as I skip down the stairs.
Chanting my internal mantra: Zen God. Calm. Composed. Serene. Polite. Friendly. Welcoming. Not crazy.
My father gestures for me to arrange the cushions on the suede sofa and sprints into the kitchen as a sound of metals clattering comes out of it. As I correct the cushions, the door bell rings.
Shit!
This is it!
I heard that the Ivashkovs were related to my dad somehow, but I know for a fact that they are highly respected royals.
My parents stick their heads out of the kitchen and look at me as I make my way to the door.
Fug!
I take a deep breath and swing the door open with a smile plastered to my face.
My breath catches as I come face to face with a dhampir guy taller than me by a few inches with dark styled as messy hair. His deep green, beautiful emerald eyes bore into me as though he can look right through my soul. He has a surprised expression on his strikingly handsome face.
Suddenly someone pushes both of us to one side of the doorframe. Another tall twenty something dhampir guy with brown eyes comes and lifts my mum off the ground into a bear hug. "Look at you! All grown up! I missed you so much, Declan!" says mum.
"Aunt Rose! I missed you too!" says Declan. An Irish name, I note.
The dude with emerald eyes roars with laughter in front of me and I smile at everyone awkwardly. The dude raises an eyebrow (a trait that makes me jealous) as a smirk graces his face and shrugs.
"Now, now, Rose! Are you let us in or what?" comes another voice from behind Declan. The owner of it was a Moroi around mum's age and pretty much a look alike to the dude in front of me.
My mom squeals and hugs the Moroi, "Adrian!"
So that's the royal badass Adrian Ivashkov, huh?
My dad enters the picture from behind me and says, "Roza?"
That snaps my almost teary mum and she says, "Come in! Come in!"
The dhampir dude takes a step towards me, startling me. My reaction brings out a genuine smile onto his face, which very surprisingly made my heart race.
As the family takes seats on our suede sofa I sit on the arm of my dad's, I notice a human lady the same age as my mum with a silver tattoo of a lily with touches of gold. Ah! An ex-alchemist! Interesting. Very interesting. " Wow! Rose! Your home looks lovely!" she says.
" So guys? This is our daughter, Saina Belikova," my dad starts the introduction. I give a polite nod to everyone as I shake their hands and say "Hello!"
Adrian Ivashkov as the world knows.
Sydney Ivashkov (nee Sage), the ex-alchemist.
Declan Ivashkov- 21 years old.
Iolanthe Ivashkov- a 7 year-old replica of her mum with shoulder length blonde hair and amber eyes. She looks very pretty. Both.
Then comes Mr. Emeralds: Adrian Ivashkov Jr.?!
Now I am really curious.
"Your name is also Adrian? Wouldn't that be super confusing?" I ask before I knew it.
To that my Aunt Sydney laughs gently and says, "When Declan was born, your Uncle wanted to name him Adrian. Then he was born and all I could think was Adrian!"
See? Very interesting family!
I can actually -kind of- can see it. They do look a lot like each other!
As I nod politely, I notice Uncle Adrian staring at me with his eyes filled with affection? He abruptly turns to mum and says, "It's her!'"
What? What the hell is going on!?
My mum nods with moist eyes and Uncle Adrian's green gaze holds me as the unexpected happens.
Do I know him?