He, the worst of all Men
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Ibrahim put his eyes in Janine. The same Ibrahim, who would inherit one day a dark empire, formally courting Miss Renee Szelsky, (she would be a Lady of the Szelsky House when she turned 18) and had no place for the affections. But Renee and Ibrahim broke up near the prom night, and he took advantage of this to invite Janine to be his plus one, an scandal, because at the dance the morois only went with morois... a non written rule.
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That night, Ibrahim seduced her been an unusual charming one (and not with his bites, as she would later say to herself) and took her to his bed. Janine was a virgin. She trembled with nerves, fear and excitement. So, to convince her, he took her as his wife. It wasn't valid (no one used the Old Uses anymore), but Janine believed him, especially when he said "with this hand, I will lift your sorrows, your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine... With this candle, I will light your way into darkness, and with this one, my nazar, I ask you to be mine". She considered that he was very kind and generous. And he was careful not to get her pregnant when using condoms. Well, her previous experience was zero so she had a rather romantic view of the first time. With a war veteran grandma - who lost her husband in battle - and a mother who became pregnant in Beltane with the Horned One, she could not be less, right?
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Janine did not have a good time in the year that followed Ibrahim's departure. Every time she thought about it, in the coldness of her bed, she wondered why she slept with him, why believed she would be his everything. Her goal was clear, it was not to be the guardian or lover of him or any other moroi, but to be a army girl like her grandma. Be the owner of her own destiny.
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Ibrahim returned to the Academy to see her graduate and ask for her as his guardian (third, he had two guardians, already), not knowing that it was not what she wanted. And Janine again believed in his words of love "my darling with that lovely hair, brows curved like a bow, eyes that ravish ... I am at your your to, singing your praises... I am the Lover, this joy is mine" and she allowed him back into her bed. She was in love and could not control it.
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Janine scored as the best of her class, and therefore, the one that could get the best assignment. But she did not want a moroi to protect forever. She did not want to become a guardian. But she did not have the money to buy a ticket to her house. And since the assigned guardians received a commission to prepare for their position, she needed that commission to travel to Scotland, so she waited.
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Ibrahim watched her. She did not seem happy with her assignment of a Lady from the House of Drozdov, and was very nervous about returning to Scotland for the 72 hours the commission lasted, to resolve her affairs. Janine bought the cheapest ticket to Scotland, where she put a letter of resignation to Captain Schoenberg in the mail, explaining that she was going to run for the army. She then submitted her application to the army and went to her grandma's house to wait for the results.
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Ibrahim moved quickly. Fly to court in his private jet and once there, bought immediately (as simple as that) Janine's pass, paying the commission for the Lady Drozdov to receive another guardian. The Captain Schoenberg read the information without being surprised. The Mazurs did that all the time, buying the passes from promising guardians (The brothers Pavel and Sergei Prokofiev, two brilliant alumni from St. Basil's Academy, were acquired from Lord Nathan and Lord Randall Ivashkov, the very nephews of Queen Tatiana Ivashkov, for Mustafa Mazur, as a 18 birthday gift for his son).
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"What do you want with this guardian, Ibrahim? As far as I know, you have no female relatives to justify it... and you have two guardians already."
"We went to the same Academy, we knew each other", he smiled with his fangs visible.
"Which of all of you were expelled from?".
"St. George, England, where I graduated ... I was a senior, she arrived that year, to the lower class".
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When the letter arrived, the Captain called Ibrahim and without words gave him the letter of resignation.
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"So that was it, that's why she was nervous and uneasy, well, it's not her last word, I already pay her commission, I'll keep her as my guardian."
"She resigned, Ibrahim."
"Do not forget, captain, that the commission has a character of bank draft," he smiled, "If Janine does not return, the letter of credit is not canceled."
"And what will you gain from this?".
"We'll see each other again and when that happens, I'll have something to negotiate with."
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The results of the application arrived at 4 weeks. Janine opened the envelope and read the document, dropping it to the ground in shock. And she began to scream, both hands on her belly. She was 6 weeks pregnant, reason for rejection. She was 18 years old. She had a baby in her belly. And had no more. And did not want them. She never looked for that.
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She thought about aborting and repostulating it, rearming her life again. But something stopped her. Like the flutter of a butterfly in her ear. And a whisper, saying mathair. Her decision was made and she would not look back. She would have her baby and she would get into life with them. So went to the nearest town - the one in which could make an international call - and wait on the line.
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"Mazur."
"Its Janine, Ibrahim."
"Ah, Janine, how's the Army?"
"They rejected me ... I am 6 weeks pregnant and it is yours".
"Logical, they reject you and it's my fault ... what makes you believe that it's mine?"
"I ... uh ... I was with you."
"And who knows who else, huh?, and you know the worst? I bought your pass from Lady Drozdov, so that we could be together, how stupid of me, you can keep your commission, you'll need it. Goodbye, Janine", and hung up.
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Ibrahim's words are of the marriage ritual of the Corpse of the Bride and the verses of Sultan Suleiman to his wife, Sultana Hurrem.
Mathair: mother or mom in Scottish Gaelic
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In the following chapter:
"Rosie conquered the whole academy - from the Headmistress to the youngest of the students. Her sleepy dark eyes, with her thick lashes, totally enamored everyone, they wanted to see her, touch her, pamper her and take care of her".
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Any opinions? I await your comments.
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