AN: Hello Friends! I am so excited that there were people who liked the first chapter, you have no idea how happy I am! This is my first fanfic and I'm new to all of this, so bear with me while I learn everything I need to know. I will reply to your reviews as soon as I figure out how to haha. Here's chapter two. Enjoy!
RPOV
Getting injured definitely sucks, like a blow to my ribs that left a lot of bruises but thankfully, I heal fast. Very fast. I lifted my shirt and looked at my stomach in the mirror. There was not a single dark spot left, which means I don't have be on bed rest. I hate having to sit in one spot.
I walked into my kitchen and opened my pantry. I wasn't the best cook but I knew how to make pasta. I took the pasta packet and the sauce bottle over to the stove and started cooking.
I heard a knock at my front door and went to go see who the unexpected visitor was. Only two people knew where I lived and who I was. Sydney Sage and Abe Mazur-my father. I opened the door and there he stood with a smug look on his face that always seemed to be permanent. Without a word, he walked past me into my living room.
"Make yourself at home old man," I said as I shut the door.
"Well I did buy you this home." He sniffed the air. "Are you cooking?"
I shrugged and walked back into the kitchen, aware of him trailing behind me. "That's what I do when I'm hungry and I'm sick of eating take-out."
He muttered something about burning the house down and sat down on one of the stools at the counter.
"Do you want some?" I offered.
He lifted one eyebrow and that was all I needed to know that he definitely wasn't going to eat something I was cooking. While the pasta was boiling I was starting on making a salad.
"So what are you doing here?"
"Sydney told me about your success with the strigoi and the human girl. I wanted to congratulate you."
I would never in a million years admit this to him or anyone but I felt warm inside whenever he was proud of me. It made me feel good.
"Thank you, it was easy to handle."
He smirked. "It always is for you." He paused for a moment before he spoke again sounding slightly nervous which was odd for him.
"I actually have a mission for you."
I looked up and gave him an incredulous look. "Oh no, whatever it is I am not doing it."
"Rose-"
"Remember the last time I did a "mission" for you?" I asked making quotation marks in the air. "I broke my leg. Broke it and I almost broke my collarbone too all because some guy was stealing money from you. It was $10, 000 and we both know that's nothing to you."
He shot me a bored look. "You heal fast, it wasn't that big of a deal besides that money was mine therefore it was important to me."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes and went to check on the pasta. "Fine let's hear it, what's this mission of yours."
"Actually that's not for me to say. You need to come with me to Court to meet the Queen."
I spun around. "Tatiana? I don't know what she's like but I've heard all sorts of stories of her being a bitch. I have no interest in this mission of yours."
Abe sighed. "Rosemarie, please. She specifically asked for you."
He only used my full name whenever he was being serious. "What's in it for me?"
"A wonderful experience and a hint of gratitude from the Queen."
"There's nothing else I would rather work for," I replied dryly. "I will hear Tatiana out but I won't make any promises to go through with the mission."
Abe grinned. "Then it's settled. You will come with me to Court tomorrow morning."
"Does she know?" I enquired.
"Know about what?"
I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. "About being The Dark One and your daughter?"
"No one knows you're the Dark One except for Sydney and Adrian. As for being my daughter, there's nothing wrong with people knowing that. I will introduce you to the Queen as The Dark One but she has given me her word that no one else will know."
"I suppose it helps that I take after mum's name," I whispered.
A pained look crossed Abe's face. "She would've loved it."
"You didn't really come out here to see me did you?" I questioned. "You went to go visit her grave."
His face fell and I suddenly forgot about dinner. I reached out and placed my hand over his trying to comfort him but neither of us were any good at that. We both tended to keep it to ourselves and put on a brave face.
My mother-Janine Hathaway-was killed by strigoi a few months ago and we were still grieving over our loss. I had spent that time trying to figure out which strigoi's were responsible but Abe and I had hit several dead ends. That doesn't mean that we had given up, it just meant that we had to find a different lead hopefully one that would work.
"I miss her," he murmured while squeezing my hand.
"Me too." There was a moment of silence until Abe stood up and straightened his suit.
"I should go. I'll be here tomorrow to pick you up." He reached out and pulled me into a hug, something he didn't do very often but I took comfort in his embrace. I might be eighteen but a girl still needed the comfort of her dad. I walked him out and ate dinner while mindlessly watching whatever was on TV.
I decided to have an early night and changed into a pair of pyjama shorts and a t-shirt. I was definitely not looking forward to whatever this mission Abe had set up for me nor was I happy to meet Tatiana but if I was going to fake politeness I needed my sleep. I crawled into bed and snuggled further into my sheets. There was a possibility that tomorrow would suck.
I tapped my foot impatiently while staring out my window. Abe was known to be fashionably late and I wished I had slept in another 30 minutes. Finally his car pulled into the drive way and I quickly did a last minute check in the mirror.
I was wearing black jeans, black boots, a tight-fitted top and a leather jacket with my hair up in a bun. I had one type of style and I wasn't going to steer from it just for the Queen. It could be worse. I made my way outside and slid into the backseat of the car next to Abe. He had his guardians drive him around everywhere who only knew me as Abe's daughter.
"Morning Pavel, Abe." Pavel nodded at me and pulled out of the driveway.
"I figured you would be hungry." Abe handed me a bag and a coffee.
I peered into the bag and saw a breakfast sandwich. "Thanks. How long is it going to take to get there?"
"About 45 minutes."
I leant back and ate my food while staring out the window. Despite not wanting to admit it, I was definitely nervous about going to Court since I had never stepped foot in there. Hopefully Tatiana will treat me with some respect even though I was only seventeen and not of any of the three-vampire race.
I am a Draugr. When I was about five, I started showing signs of strength that no child should have at that age, I was able to compel and I healed faster than any creature on this earth.
I also found out that it took a specific way to kill me when I was fifteen and I was staked in the heart with some wood that a strigoi used. Instead, nothing happened. I didn't fall to the ground; I managed to pull it out-painfully-and the wound healed up. Nothing can kill me, stake to the heart, neck snapped or anything that would normally kill anyone.
Once I found out that I was different, I studied up on my own kind and learned so much. The only way for me to die is to be decapitated, have my body burned and dumped into the sea. Of course, no one was strong enough to get anywhere near to ripping my head off.
I was immortal-I think, had the ability to compel, had the strength and speed of 1000 strigoi and had heightened senses. However, I didn't burn in the sun in fact it didn't bother me at all, blood was not a part of my diet and I didn't have any magic.
I looked like a regular dhampir. Abe's a moroi and mum was a dhampir. I should've been a dhampir but Janine came from a long line of Draugr's and only one Draugr could exist in this world. When they died, a new one would be born.
As long as no one finds out how to kill me, I should be fine. No one knows how to kill me, not Abe, Sydney or Adrian. I act as if I don't know and I want to keep it that way. It's not that I don't trust them; it's just that it would be easier for no one to know except for me.
"We're here," announced Abe.
I must've been out of it because time flew by and we were suddenly at the gates of court. The guardians on patrol out front approached our car and Pavel had the window down, allowing the guardian to peer in. I had my sunglasses on and head turned so they couldn't get a close look at me. They let us through and I took a couple of deep breaths.
I was fortunately able to control my breathing and emotions quite well. The car came to a stop and Abe and I stepped out of the car, making our way inside. I took my sunglasses off and looked around in awe. The court was beautiful, obviously it had to be if the Queen was living here and I wished I was here to explore and look around, not have a mission handed to me.
"She's the Queen Rose, I expect you to be polite and show her respect. You are The Dark One here, not Rose Hathaway."
I rolled my eyes. "I only show respect to those who do the same in return."
"Rose," Abe said sternly.
"Relax old man, I'll behave. Now stop worrying, I'm starting to see wrinkles appear."
He scoffed at my comment and we came to a stop at what I believed to be the entrance to Tatiana's office. A moroi woman who I assumed to be her secretary looked up as we approached.
"Abe Mazur, Tatiana is ready to see you."
He thanked her and we walked into her office. She was sitting behind her desk and glanced up at us. Abe bowed gracefully and I mimicked what he did. When I straightened up, she was staring at me.
"You must be Rosemarie."
I was stunned. I didn't think Abe had given her my real name and from the corner of my eye, Abe shot me look saying 'go along with it.' I kept my face blank and my tone polite.
"Yes your majesty it's an honour to meet you. Please call me Rose."
"You're a lot younger than I expected you to be and I believed that with the strength you were rumoured to have may have been because the Dark One was male. I didn't expect a… girl."
What. A. Bitch. I clenched my jaw and kept my mouth shut before I said something that would get me thrown out.
"What do you want from me?" I asked bitterly, not even bothering to add on 'your majesty' out of respect.
Her eyes narrowed and mouth twisted slightly. Ha, serves her right. "You will be assigned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Guardian Petrov-the head guardian-and Headmistress Kirova have requested help from court in regards to a threat made upon the academy. As you know we can't have any of that since there are a lot of royal moroi's lives at risk."
I had to hold back on arguing that non-royal moroi and dhampir lives were just as important but once again, I couldn't push it.
"No one knows of these threats except them and the guardians. When you arrive there, Guardian Petrov will help you with whatever you may need."
"I do not want anyone knowing who I am. You may be an exception but I would rather people know me as Rose and not the Dark One," I stated. I have spent all my life trying to keep who I am a secret and there was no way I was going to let that all unravel.
Tatiana nodded. "I wouldn't want word of who you really are coming out either. Ibrahim will accompany you and you will enrol into the academy as Rosemarie Hathaway-a new student. Abe will assist you in this mission and he will inform you on any recent events. You are going undercover. Do not let anyone know who you are."
The mission seemed harmless and the idea of attending an actual school and living a normal teenage life excited me. I was still cautious about what the Queen was up to.
"What if I don't accept this mission?" I challenged. Abe shifted next to me silently telling me to shut up.
Tatiana looked ready to strangle me. "You will take on this mission."
I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step closer, lowering my voice. "I am the Dark One. You might be able to get away with shouting out orders at others but I do not respond to you. Your people would be cleaning up bodies after bodies if it weren't for me."
Abe placed a hand over my shoulder attempting to keep me calm. I uncrossed my arms and stepped back waiting for her to speak. I almost missed the hint of fear in her eyes. Almost.
Abe cleared his throat. "We will be taking on this mission your majesty."
Tatiana rolled her shoulders back. "Good. I expect a weekly report. You may leave."
She didn't have to tell me twice. I spun on my heel and left the room, Abe falling into step with me.
"I ask you to be polite and you go and threaten the Queen," muttered Abe.
I laughed once. "I would hardly call that threatening."
We made our way out of Court and back into the car where Pavel was waiting for us.
"What now?" I asked.
Abe turned to me smirking slightly. "Now we're going to enrol you as a student Miss Hathaway."
AN: I love reading reviews so please leave one and let me know if it's any good. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this but I'll do my absolute best to upload frequently. Chapter 3 will be up soon :)
