Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Something about Rose Hathaway intrigues Dimitri. He is determined to figure her out. Will he fall for her instead? Only Time will tell. Rated M for future lemons, language and violence.
I fought against the bond and returned to my own mind. My heart hurt at the thought of being sent away from Lisa. It almost hurt worse to think of being away from Dimitri. Dream or not, I remembered everything with perfect clarity. It didn't help my state of mind that now things were playing out in the exact same way. It was disturbing to think that the horrors that I had faced would have to be revisited, but in the same sense, if the dream was real, I had the opportunity to change everything. I could save a lot of lives. I could prevent terrible things from happening, or at least I thought I could. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the craziness of my current situation.
-Bonds of Time
Bonds of Fate
Chapter Two
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
The short drive from the landing strip to the academy was spent in tense silence. Hathaway kept nodding out and I feared the her head injury was worse than she had let on. She needed to get to the clinic as soon as possible. Her head was leaning on my shoulder as she mumbled incoherently. Something about rabbits and marshmallows. Laurence chuckled from the front seat and I narrowed my eyes at him, making him focus on driving through the gates instead of mocking an injured girl. I grimaced as I looked at the crowd of students that were gathered in the courtyard waiting for their next class. Getting the two runaways back to the Academy had been difficult enough, there was no telling what would happen now that they were back. I half expected Hathaway and the Princess to take off again the second they had the chance.
I unbuckled Hathaway's seat belt and pulled her out of the SUV when it was parked. The wheezing sound coming from her lungs was a very bad sign and I hoped that Dr. Olendzki would be able to help her. She groaned as I set her feet on the ground and held tightly to her arm as we walked across the quad. Laurence walked with the Princess as she was escorted towards Headmistress Kirova's office. Hathaway gave the Princess one last mournful look before she focused on where we were headed. The students stared at her shamelessly and Hathaway held her head high and proud as we walked. Yes, there was no questioning that she was quite the sight. The young men -both novice and Moroi- were taking in her appearance with awe and lust. Hathaway flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled widely, as though she was enjoying their attention. I tugged at her arm to get her to walk faster, but she ended up collapsing on her hands and knees on the sidewalk, vomiting up blood and fluid onto a small girls shoes.
"Mia?" She rasped out. "Is that you? You haven't grown a bit."
"Hathaway," I pulled her to her feet and she swayed unsteadily, "we need to get you to the clinic."
"I'm okay," she tried to sound convincing, but it didn't work. "I don't need the clinic."
Her eyes took on a faraway look as she stood stock still. Without hesitation, I picked her up and carried her the short way to the clinic. Her eyes stared lifelessly at the night sky and I worried that I was too late. The clinic was empty when I kicked the door open and rushed to place her on a vacant bed.
"Dr. Olendzki!" I shouted as I shook the girls shoulder to try and get her to respond. "I need some help in here."
Minutes passed without a response from Rose and there was still no sign of the doctor. I feared leaving her side in case she might start vomiting again, but I also couldn't wait much longer to get help. I shook her shoulders once again and her eyes rolled as she looked up at me with a grimace and held up a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light.
"Whoa, Comrade," she fought against me, "I might just puke again if you keep that up."
"You had gone catatonic. I couldn't get you to respond." I told her as I watched her eyes scrunch up in confusion.
"I was just with Lissa," She said and then winced.
She had said it so calmly that I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her. Was she hallucinating? Had the trauma from hitting her head caused brain damage? The Princess was on the other side of the campus and I hadn't let Hathaway out of my sight. She slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration and then let out a small squeak of pain when she hit the open wound. Yes, there was really something odd about her.
"We have a bond." She said finally as she wiped the blood off her hand onto her shirt.
"Explain." I narrowed my eyes at her in disbelief.
"I can sense her emotions to an extent." She looked at me straight in the eyes as her words came out in a quick harsh whisper. "You get my drift. She feels it, so do I. It helps me keep her safe, so that's all that matters."
It was unbelievable, but made sense at the same time. It explained how she had known that we were there to capture them. The bond must have alerted her to a threat. The way she and the Princess had looked at each other and the way Rose treated her as both the Moroi she had to protect at all cost and a sister that she loved. Bonds of that sort hadn't been heard of in many years. They were a rare and precious gift for a guardian or novice to have.
Hathaway begin to cough and choke again and I yelled again for help. Dr. Olendzki and her nurse rounded the corner, took one look at Rose, and then the nurse ran back out of the room.
"What's happened to her?" The older Moroi woman asked in an accusing tone as she rubbed Rose's back.
"She ran head first into a tree limb." I responded defensively, insulted that she would think that I would have hurt the girl. "She's been nodding in and out of consciousness and vomiting blood."
"She should have been taken to a hospital immediately." The doctor held the stethoscope to Hathaway's back. "Her lungs are full of fluid. You're not needed here Guardian Belikov."
"Will she be okay?" I asked as I made no effort to leave.
"She's going to be in a lot of pain for the next couple of days." The doctor shook her head as she pulled a pair of shears out of the drawer. "I'm going to have to cut the clothes off. Rose, I'm sorry, but this might hurt a bit."
Rose was too far gone to have heard her and despite my own worry, I knew there was nothing I could do to help. I turned around and left the room as the nurse pulled up with a fairly large syringe and a bag on the tray she carried. She gasped as she opened the curtain and I spun around to see what about. The doctor had cut Rose's tank top off, leaving her in only her bra and shorts. Her upper torso was completely blue with large patches of purple bruising covering her rib cage.
The nurse shut the curtain as I stood there in momentary shock. The files I had read on Rose Hathaway all described a headstrong party girl who liked to pick fights. There wasn't a single mention of a girl that could be injured so badly and yet not complain about it. And I had fully expected the teenager to cry and scream about them. Most would have. But Rose looked as though she didn't even feel the pain. Yes, she was becoming more and more of a puzzle that I needed to solve. Her explanation on the bond she shared with the Princess would have to be expanded upon. After all, if I was to be the Princess's guardian, then I needed to know how this affected her.
As I walked back to the guardian offices, I wondered what would happen to the Princess and Hathaway. The Princess would surely be let off the hook given her Royal status, but Hathaway was a totally different story. She would most likely be sent to live with her mother and for the life of me I didn't understand why that thought bothered me.
"Belikov," Guardian Petrov greeted me as I walked into the main hallway. "Congratulations on a very successful mission."
I nodded my head in response and followed her to her office where she shut the door behind me. "Tell me. Did Hathaway really get the better of three of my men?"
Her tone was both curious and irritated and I knew that I would have to choose my words carefully.
"They attacked her first, in a attempt to subdue her." I said mechanically. "They were no match for her. Her files didn't warn any of us that she was so skilled."
"During her time here, Hathaway was at the top of her class, but she was far from skilled enough to take down a fully trained guardian, let alone three." She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the papers on her desk. "Where could she have learned to fight?"
"There are many places in the human world that teach fighting skills, but I saw no evidence that her techniques were learned there." I answered honestly as I mentally recalled the fight at the train station. "She must have been holding back while she was here."
"No," Alberta chuckled humorlessly, "Hathaway is a show off. If she had that kind of skill she would have wanted the entire student body to know."
"With a little bit of work on her control, she will make an unstoppable guardian." I told her.
"Kirova will decide if Hathaway is to remain here." Alberta waved the thought away. "I'm not going to bother volunteering myself to take on the girl's training. And we are short staffed as it is. Even if she's as skilled as you say, she is still woefully behind in her class work."
Hours later, after completing a mountain of paperwork, I went to the clinic to check on Hathaway. She is asleep and from the IV drip hanging next to her, I know it wasn't of her own free will. My fingers move of their own accord and feel the soft dark hair that had fallen over the edge of her pillow. It felt like silk beneath my fingers. I'm pulled from the moment by the nurse walking in with another syringe in hand. She stopped suddenly at the sight of me and I'm relieved that she didn't catch my moment of impropriety.
"Checking in on, Rose, Guardian Belkov?" She asked me with a smile.
"Yes," I responded quickly. "How is she?"
"She's doing much better." The nurse informs me. "I don't doubt that she'll be up to her usual shenanigans in a few days."
"Guardian Petrov will be happy to know that." I said evasively. "I'll just be going."
"Come by any time." The nurse winked at me.
After that awkward moment, I headed to the Headmistresses office, but I was not alone on waiting to speak with her. Vasilisa Dragomir sat on one of the leather chairs in the hallway as she sat with her head in her hands.
"Guardian Belikov." The Princess looked up at me with tired eyes.
"Princess Dragomir." I bowed my head in respect.
"You have to help me." She grabbed my hand and pleaded with me. "Kirova is thinking about kicking Rose out. She can't do that."
"Quit being overdramatic," Kirova barked when she opened her door to let the two of us in. "Hathaway will deserve what she gets."
The Princess and I both sat down on the other side of Kirova's desk as she took her seat.
"Miss Hathaway may have tagged along with Miss Dragomir, but I have reason to believe that she didn't do so out of malice or rebellion." I said promptly. "I sincerely think that she did what she thought would be best for the Princess. I also have reason to believe that the two girls share a bond."
"It's true," the girl look ashamed, whether of the bond or something else. "Rose can feel everything that I do."
"Impossible." Kirova exclaimed, looking at Lisa with disbelief etched on her face.
"I have seen it for myself." I wasn't lying completely. "Also, Miss Hathaway was able to take out three fully trained guardians while badly injured and she would have attempted to fight the rest of us had Miss Dragomir not stopped her."
"That only shows that she is uncontrollable." Kirova looked like that was exactly the ammunition she needed. "The girl has a history of being violent and rebellious. And that's beside the point." Kirova waved her head dismissively. "She is too far behind in her training. We don't have the staff to dedicate to get her back up to speed with her peers."
"Headmistress," I said in a placating tone. "Hathaway is one of the few female novices enrolled at this Academy. With a little effort on her part, she can become just as successful as her mother."
The princess tilted her head and stared at Kirova with pleading eyes. "Let her stay."
"Fine," Kirova shook her head and sighed and then grinned with a look I did not like, "Hathaway can stay if she accepts the terms of her punishment. She will also need to ask one of the instructors to mentor her if she wants to catch up with her peers."
"Thank you, Headmistress." The Princess smiled at her. "I can't wait to tell, Rose."
"You will not be allowed to associate with her outside of meals and classes." Kirova barked, making the Princess jump in surprise. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, Headmistress." She said carefully. "I understand."
"Good," Kirova smirked, "You both can show yourselves out."
I nodded my head as I followed the princess from the room. Her hands were at her sides and she kept trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down. I feared that she would pass out if she kept it up for much longer.
"That bitch!" She finally exclaimed, and I had to contain my laughter, because it mirrored my own feelings. "Rose doesn't deserve this. You have to believe me, it really was all my idea to leave. There's no reason for Rose to be punished for being a good friend. We stayed safe the entire time we were gone. She protected me from the psi-hounds and she…"
Her words died on her lips and her cheeks reddened. It made me curious about what she was going to say, but it was not my place to ask.
"Where did Rose learn to fight like that?" I asked as we walked out into the empty courtyard.
"Honestly," the Princess looked up at me with wide eyes, "I didn't know she could fight that well. It kind of scared me to see her that way."
"She didn't attend any karate classes or gymnastics?"
"Only if sitting on the couch eating cheetos is considered a work out." She said with a laugh and then sobered up immediately. "I shouldn't laugh. She's hurt and it's all my fault."
"The doctor assured me that she will be fine in a day or two." I tried to comfort her.
"Thanks for helping with Kirova." She said as we reached the door to the Moroi dorms. "I'm sure Rose will appreciate it too."
"Good day, Princess." I nodded as I shut the door behind her.
The following days were spent planning the next stage of novice training. Alberta had asked me to take a novice to mentor, something that the instructors did for the ones with real potential. She had been very surprised when I requested Hathaway, but had agreed to it under the condition that Hathaway not get into any more trouble. That was the part that worried me. I knew very little about the girl and hoped that I hadn't made a huge mistake. She had the potential, but she was also unpredictable. The Princess's words still floated in my head. Hathaway hadn't trained at all during their time away from the Academy. No one had expected her to fight as well as she did. There was something that I was missing. A person didn't just wake up one day knowing how to fight like that.
The novices that I normally worked with all spoke highly of Rose. Eddie Castille and Mason Ashford both couldn't say enough good things about her when I questioned them about her previous training. They appeared to have been close to the girl and Ashford spoke of her in a way that suggested that his feelings were past the line of friendship. Guardian Alto despised the girl, saying that she was a menace and that Kirova should have put her on the street. It took all of my self-control not to retaliate. No one deserved to be put out on their own like that. And I had no doubt that had Kirova kicked Hathaway out, the Princess would have followed immediately.
The day that Hathaway was released from the clinic was one of the oddest days I had ever had. To start out, no matter how hard I tried to clear my head and just enjoy the book I was reading, my mind would not stop from wandering. The coffee I had poured myself in the cafeteria ended up being decaf. The first chair I sat on in the conference room splintered and broke. The second creaked ominously under my weight and I had to hold myself completely still when I heard the light footsteps coming down the hallway. There was no way that she would take me seriously if I ended up falling to the floor courtesy of another broken chair. She rounded the corner and I tried to appear at ease even though I was mildly shocked. She looked far better than she did the night I brought her back. The gash on her forehead was mostly healed, a few butterfly bandages were all that covered it. She looked magnificent. Her eyes roamed my face as she smiled at me.
My heart beat faster at her smile. "Your schedule, Miss Hathaway."
"Rose." She said softly, making me groan inwardly. "My name is Rose."
"You're going to miss breakfast, Rose." I said in an effort to get her out of the office when the chair creaked again. "I'll meet you in the gym in thirty minutes."
Her smile widened and she gave me a cocky look as she saluted me. "Aye, Aye, Comrade."
The book was just a small paperback and I feared that it was not enough to hide my smirk. No, she was not going to be easy to work with. As soon as I heard the main door shut, I jumped to my feet just as the chair crumbled to the floor.
End Chapter Two
Thoughts? Comments? Should I keep going? Let me know.
I'm working on chapter 21 of Bonds of Time right now and hope to have it up soon.
Special thanks to Caden29 for her help and support. ::: Sends Rum and cookies:::