Dimitri's POV starting at the office
This girl Hathaway sure had started an awful lot of trouble. I had been the one to spearhead the mission in retrieving her, and it was pure luck that a guardian with a child at the academy had seen them. The headmistress was giving a lecture, a very long, ruthless lecture. It's true that taking Vasilisa was a pretty dumb thing, but I thought part of it might have been that headmistress Kirova was just offended about the fact that she was able to do it in the first place. She took security very seriously, and didn't want any other students thinking they could just run off whenever they got in trouble. I agreed. If students getting out started to become a regular thing then security would be much harder. That's all my life was about these days, security. I wasn't allowed to feel, but I did. I missed my family, and the feelings of loneliness never left my heart. Thinking of loneliness had made me glance at Vasilisa and her friend named Rose, Rose sat back in her chair, her mind was not on the lecture from what I could tell. She had seemed pretty bored, like she had expected this and was just waiting for it to be over. Vasilisa looked…sad and, though it was hard to see at first, growing up with four sisters had shown me how to easily pick up on girls emotions, I especially knew this look. It was a look his sisters got when I realized that they had been out at another late night party, thinking of my sisters made me sad and I quickly turned my thoughts back to the princess. She wore a look of guilt, and shame; the others probably thought this look was because of running away, but I wasn't convinced. My attention turned back to Rose The look she had now was identical to the one she had given me on the plane when ii had questioned her motives, I was shocked at her answer. She had told me that she had defended the princess, while surrounded by a dozen guardians, because she was Vasilisa's guardian. She had stated it simply, and then turned away; but in the brief moment that she met my gaze, I could see a look of fierce determination, and deep loyalty. That was when I had first thought of the bond, it was pure coincidence that on the plane ride here I had done some reading and the bond had been mentioned. I had no way to prove it, so I simply made a mental note to watch for any more signs.
"…If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe." He had just caught the ending of her speech; he mentally chastised himself for getting so lost in his own thoughts.
"I did do my duty!" Rose had lost her cool mask and jumped from her chair, I automatically prepared to restrain her, but held back because this seemed as far as she would go, for now. I didn't know this girl, but I had the feeling she was one who didn't hesitate to throw punches.
"I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of you- she did a sweeping movement with her hand, as if to add emphasis to the fact that she was insulting her headmistress, and mature guardians-"could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."
It was the longest speech I had heard from her and I saw the feelings of unease it gave Vasilisa. I knew of their bond, for certain now, I had kept watch on them, and when we separated them, Vasilisa moved up front where Rose could not see her, I knew that this made them more uneasy, the princess especially. Vasilisa began to look afraid. She hid it best she could, but again my sisters had given me practice and I knew she was scared when she was without Rose. The flight took off and a look of terror was on her face I glanced back to look at Rose while still keeping an eye on the princess, and I saw how almost simultaneously a look of fierce determination, and protection took over Rose's face. I knew then that she had felt the fear, and that she would do anything to keep Vasilisa safe.
This was also something that puzzled me, the fact that Rose considered herself Vasilisas Guardian; she had made that fact clear on the plane. Most girls, or boys for that matter, her age did not even care who they would be assigned to protect, much less already protected them. She took it seriously, and despite the bond, and the friendship, I thought that there was something else. She also got very offended when the headmistress implied that she could not protect Vasilisa. I thought I understood why, at east partly, I never thought I would fully understand Rose. This thought was in my head before I even knew it was coming, it confused me, why would Rose stand out from all the other teenage girls her age? How was I to know that she was not just another average girl, who cared about boys, clothes, and gossip? Even as I thought these things I glanced at her and knew that I was wrong, she cared about one thing and one thing only. Vasilisa. This amazed, and puzzled me at the same time.
I had missed more of the argument, and realized what was happening as soon as I pulled myself from my deep thoughts. The headmistress was expelling her, telling her she could not go to the academy anymore. This ultimately meant that she could not become a guardian, or see Vasilisa anymore. This had shocked everybody, even Rose. For the first time since I met her, she was speechless.
"I…what?"
The princess jumped in, scared for her friend. "You can't so that! She's my guardian!"
"She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice."
The headmistress did not look like she was going to negotiate this.
"But my parents-" She desperately needed Rose, that much was easy to see, I got the feeling that she was the first person to ever really understand the princess as more than a traumatized little girl.
"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave." She wasn't expendable, they did not see the bond like I did, they did not know how rare a gift it was, she was quite the opposite of expendable if you asked me.
"Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?" I could see anger, and resentment in her, but I could also see fear, separating these girls would be the opposite of helpful, and I had to make them see that.
"Or maybe you're going to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that and we'll be gone by the end of the day."
I had the strange urge to protect her, and I did not spend time deliberating it, Rose was making implicating threats, and I had to stop her before she made my cause to help her hopeless.
"Miss Hathaway," 'Miss Hathaway' I repeated to myself mentally, why couldn't I think of her as that, it didn't fit her wild, impulsive personality, and I reasoned to myself that it was just because I go by the first thing I hear, that when the princess had used the nickname in order to calm her down, it had stuck in my head.
"You are out of line."
The headmistress was dangerously about to lose control. A side of her that I had never seen before, I was used to the control, to never being able to show how deeply you wanted to be somewhere else; but I knew the headmistress was not used to having her foundation endangered.
"They have a bond," I said. The look of surprise that crossed each face proved my theory; they had kept it to themselves. I understood why, mostly, they didn't want to be considered freaks, there were stories of the bond, but most believed that they no longer existed. "Rose, knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?"
"No. . . that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries." The headmistress said. She looked surprised, but not unbelieving, something in the way I said it must have made it clear that I was sure.
"It's obvious," I said. "I suspected as soon as I started watching them." And oh, were they interesting to watch, the princess trusted her so entirely that I knew they were more than just close friends, that there had to be more to their friendship than clothes and boys.
"That is a gift," Prince Victor murmured, and I was glad to have his support. "A rare wonderful thing," he continued.
The headmistress looked angry. She wanted to expel Rose so badly; to get her out of her academy, and away from the minds of her precious students. Having victor on my side was a great advantage, he was probably the closest thing to a parent Vasilisa had, and his wishes would have to be obeyed. If he said rose stayed, she stayed. The thought of her leaving made me unhappy, and I continued to fight for her to stay.
"The best Guardians always had that bond, in the stories." I was grateful, both for my earlier research, and an excuse for her to stay, I knew I would have had a much less chance of getting headmistress to let rose stay if they had not had the bond. I wondered again why I wanted her to stay, was it simply because I could tell that her strength would make her a remarkable guardian? Yes, I answered my previous thought. That was it, she would be an amazing guardian and we could not risk losing her.
"Stories that are centuries old. Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay after everything she's done?"
I shrugged, hoping that my desperation for her to stay did not show. "She may be wild an disrespectful, but if she has potential—''
Rose cut me off, "Wild and disrespectful? What are you? Outsourced help?" Why?! Could she not see that I was trying to save her?! She was not making it easy. Her remark also hurt, I did not want her to think badly of me, even though I knew her anger was really at Headmistress Kirova.
"Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now. Her sanctioned guardian."
I did not want her to think that I was replacing her, and I could tell that the fact of someone else having the title of Vasilisa's Guardian hurt more than she would show. Instead she lashed out with insults, directed at me.
"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?" This remark did not surprise me, but it did prove some of the headmistress's point.
"You see?!" If her control was not already gone, I could tell we were getting close to seeing it disappear altogether.
"Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."
"So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again." I knew that my argument was starting to sound more and more reasonable, I just needed a little more weight and I would win.
"Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers." I was expecting this, and I knew that it was partly true, but I also knew that in the short time I had known her she had shown nothing but determination, and I figured there was little that could not be accomplished if she put her mind to it.
"No I won't!" She did not realize exactly how much her peers had progressed in two years, I had a suspicion she was used to be a top fighter, and she was in for a rude awakening.
"Then give her extra training sessions." I said it simply and continued to state how much of an asset she would be with the proper training. Finally, I saw in the headmistress's eyes as she thought of something to win her battle.
"Who's going to put in the extra time? You?"
Whoa! No wonder she looked so smug. It takes quite a bit to catch me off guard, but she had succeeded. I was not a mentor. Kids did not look up to me; I didn't know how to be the understanding adult that you could always come to.
"Well that's not what I-"
"Yes. That's what I thought." The satisfied look on her face made it clear, she was not going to spare any other guardian on this girl that, for no obvious reason, she wanted out of her school so bad it looked as if it might hurt.
I looked at the girls, Vasilisa looked scared and pleading, I felt like a criminal denying her whatever would make that look disappear. But Rose, she was something different, she was not used to being taken care of, especially not by adult guardians. I remembered her earlier remark about how her mom would not have known that she was gone, and instantly had to show her that it wasn't true, I didn't want to help her, and I had to help her. Her eyes penetrated me, I felt that they could see past my always calm mask, and in them were pleads, pleads to help her. Also deep in them were promises, I didn't know if she knew about them, or if they made my decision, but I could see that if I trained her, she would do her best, that she would not let me down.
"Yes. I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."
I could see the shock and relief in her eyes, but I could not look into them long, because the headmistress was not satisfied.
"And then what? She goes unpunished?"
"Find some other way to punish her then. Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular." I felt the victory coming.
Victor spoke again. "I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose away would be a shame, a waste of talent." Yes! This is exactly what I needed, the final unarguable element, her last living 'family' member wanted this.
Headmistress Kirova stared out her window for a few minutes, looking as if she wished that she could find some way to expel her, but knowing that it was not best for the princess, or the academy. The Vasilisa decided to make one last attempt at pleading "Please Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay."
After that she finally turned around and looked at Rose, her control was fully back, and she did not let any emotion show how she felt about what she was saying "If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be. Your enrollment will be strictly probationary. Step out of line once and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have—before and after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and you will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply and you will be sent…away."
I should have known to expect more from Rose than humility, but I never expected that she would laugh at the headmistress! After all that I had done, I was ready to thank the headmistress myself, but not Rose. She laughed and made a sarcastic remark. I was beginning to think that respect was not in her vocabulary.
"Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us away from each other? Afraid we'll run away again?" Ugh! I wish she would stop! This was obviously the best she was going to get if she had any desire to stay at all she would say thank you, and leave before Headmistress Kirova changed her mind.
"I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for. You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it." At least she didn't threaten expulsion in that sentence, it was a step up.
Rose looked around the room, probably thinking of what would happen if she denied the terms, I knew what she would do I could see it in her eyes, she met my eyes for a second and then turned to the Headmistress, "Fine. I accept."