I am so sorry I haven't updated this story sooner! I've just gotten so side tracked and it's not that I've lost insperation on this story, it's just that it took me forever to figure out what I was going to do with it. but here's chapter two, and I hope you like it! :) I know there are porbably a bunch of grammer mistakes so help me out by pointing them out! oh, and also reviews are very welcomed!
Ok so, everyone here has probably heard of the evolution of humans? We all saw the same diagram right? The one with the ugly monkey people that slowly grow into less ugly monkey people and then there was the strange man with a suit that is just there? In any of those pictures did u see wings, or Jetpacks or any indication that they could possible fly? No? Let me tell you why: Because humans weren't meant to fly! So why fuck with evolution? Why make a giant 4 ton metal thing fly? Because people are stupid, that's why.
I won't go into detail about the plane ride, if I did we'd be here all day and there are better things that happened today other than me hugging the toilet the whole way there like it was Spring Break all over again. Sam even reenacted his part from back then, he stood there laughing like the shithead he is. Carrying on away from that embarrassing time in life that I will never live down, when I stepped off the plane with an un-green face, I actually had to force myself not to kiss the ground. The things we take for granted in life, say like gravity.
When all the stuff (mostly mine) was unloaded from the plane, we had an hour long drive to the academy to look forward too. Not only do I have to be jetlagged when I meet these people but I also get to be car sick. I've never been car sick, or jetlagged for that matter, but let me tell you, having them both at once was like being in hell with a donkey kicking my skull and the burn of bile always at the back of my throat. The flight was ten hours long with me puking my brains out more than half the time and I didn't get a wink of sleep after being told of my new living arrangements, so I was hoping that the jetlagged-car-sick-green-zombie look was finally in. Probably wasn't, knowing my luck.
Pulling up to the academy was like entering an alternate universe, from the outside it looked almost exactly like my home. It had the same Elizabethan look to it, it looked old but It probably wasn't as old as the ones in Europe. But when the big, black SUV went into the massive structure, I felt the nerves creep in. My face hardened automatically at that and I dug my nails into the palm of my hand, trying to squash the nervous feeling out of me. On the drive here, I finally got over my denial and my fear of change and began to think about the mission I was sent here to do. I might not have been a guardian yet, but I was close. I had just turned 17, I was in my final year of training, and what was I doing? Getting nervous going into a new school?
I wasn't here to make friends, I told myself. I had never really had them in the first place. When I was growing up at the academy, Sam and I had always been at each other's necks. Trying to prove to the other that we were better, but our ultimate prize was to make other people see that. Sam being 3 years ahead of me, he had a major first start, but I never let that stopped me. I watched Sam constantly, I copied every offensive and defensive move they taught him, I looked over every note he took and I learned almost everything he did. In my classes I began to make giant leaps in front of everyone else, which broke the little threads I had connecting me to my classmates. They started to think I thought I was better than them, and in the beginning, I thought that too. H.M began putting me with private tutors when my regular classes ended, but he never bumped me up to Sam's class.
Now that I look back, I can see why, even though I knew very advanced things, I wasn't physically or mentally ready to do any of the things that Sam's year really did. So, when Sam finally graduated and stopped taking classes, I was at a loss. Yes, I still could compete with my brother by getting better scores than he did when he was in school, but it just wasn't the same. I just wasn't standing out from him. So I began to start slacking, I still was at the top of my class and was far beyond them, I just didn't try as hard. That was when I began focusing on my look. I stood out because of my smarts and everyone knew me for that, but they would still compare me to Sam, always saying, That's Sam's little sister. I didn't have a problem being Sam's little sister; I just didn't want to be known as that. So I took a giant leap, and did something that would forever set me apart from the others. It's not traditional at all for Dhampirs to look the way I do, and there is a reason no one does it. The piercings I have to my eyebrow, lip, and ears could be a hindrance in battle. They could be ripped out and make me hesitate which would get me killed. My long hair would be grabbed onto and have me yanked back to the enemy if I was trying to flee, and the bright and odd color of my hair would also have given me away if I was hiding. I had taken all these things into account when I began experimenting with my look, but I had found ways to turn my disabilities into a great weapon.
The piercings on my face are blessed metal, the same kind that the stakes are made out of, and in my hair I have thin strips of the metal every where. They're to fine to see from far away; you have to be right up close and in the sun to see the metal. I'd like to see a Strigoi be able to hold onto my hair with that shit in it. Though it does cause a problem when an idiot moroi tries to start a fight with me by pulling my hair ( A.K.A, Monica. She learned her lesson very fast.). Though the hair color doesn't prove to help me in anyway, I have it in my mind that I can always get the blue out of my hair anytime I want with some black dye. And I'll say it to you like I said it to Sam, how could you turn down a hair dresser that said she would do it for half price? That's like God saying Do It.
Thinking back on all that helped a great deal to zap the emotion from my body and put on a face that could rival Sam's. Usually I could never do the 'no emotion' face, but desperate times called for Lucy to nut up or shut up.
. . .
I sat in a chair that must be used a lot. It didn't look old or anything, but the leather seat was worn and the cushion sank in a bit. Either the headmistress had a lot of guests come to her a lot, or there where a bunch of bad kids at this school. I couldn't really guess, because back home, I had left a personal butt mark in the chair in H.M.'s room. I doubted that this school could supply children like me here. I actually doubt that any Dhampir or Moroi or even a Strigoi would go to the extreme measures I have to stand out. What can I say? I don't have a problem with being in the spot light from time to time.
I stared at the headmistress with my blue eyes, relaxed and cool as a cucumber. Sam stood straight as a board next to me with his hands clasped behind his back, face expressionless. I had lost my no emotion face when we had made it to the headmistresses building but I was proud that I has held it all the way here.
Standing next to the headmistress on either side of her were two Dhampirs, one a women who looked to be in her fifties with sandy hair with streaks of gray, she looked to be around 5'9 with a short pixie type hair cut that no doubt showed off her molnija marks. On the other side of the headmistress was a man that would most likely make me look like a 5 year old child if I stood next to him. He was tall as hell probably standing at 6'6 or 6'7 with hard brown eyes and light brown hair that went to his shoulders. He was attractive to say the least. Big shoulders and muscles that looked good beneath his shirt, but he was a bit too old for my taste, he looked to be in his mid twenties. But even with his age I wouldn't mind getting closer to that fine piece of man…alright now I'm just scaring myself, bad images. Bad brain, get your mind out of the gutters, you shithead. He's too old, he's a guardian, and you will not do the dirty with him because you are a lady! A classy lady! Keep your legs closed ho! Ok, so I might have been undressing him with my eyes a little bit, but I didn't get that far, I swear! You ladies know how it is, sometimes really, really hot guys can make you do that. And just because I'm antisocial doesn't mean I haven't been around those…areas before. I haven't actually done it but I've done enough to know how babies are made and how good things can feel.
I snapped out of the dirty flashbacks as the headmistress, or Ellen Kirova as she had introduced herself as, began to debrief on what went on here at St. Vlad's. Her face still held a bit of shock, disappointment and a tiny bit of, was it disgust or discomfort at my appearance? H.M. had obviously forgot to send a picture of me to this women because when I first came in the shock on her face was so obvious, it was almost comical. Like a cartoon character, her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up so fast I thought they where running to hide in her gray hair. She looked a little like a surprised vulture I had to admit.
My mind's eye skimmed threw most of the things she was telling me, mostly about the rules here and about how smart everyone was and how the school was like number one or something. Yay, for yall, gold star and what not. I only began to really listen when she started to talk about the Rose Hathaway girl.
"She is a bright girl, but rash and hard to deal with. She has no discipline and listens to no one and has no respect. It's a wonder how her and Vasilisa are friends, complete opposites." Wow, does this not sound like a teacher-parent conference or what? "She also has a horrible temper, and an even fouler mouth. I'm sure Michael has told you about their adventure off campus," I could tell this was a sore subject for her. And I could totally tell she wanted this Rose girl out. The women on Kirova's left-Alberta Petrov, I had learned, who was the head of the guardians here, had to put a hand on her shoulder to make her shut up about Rose. Poor Kirova, her precious school must have been looked down on when a princesses and young Dhampir girl just sudden disappeared.
She then described how they had found both girls and what happened during the two year long period when the girls were missing. Apparently the queen herself had spoken with the headmistress about finding the Dragomir Princess. This surprised me; I hadn't known that this girl was the next in line to the thrown. Maybe I should've paid more attention in the recent class on Moroi politics. After that she told me about the team she sent out to capture the girls and I finally got the name of tall, dark and handsome; Dimitir Belikov. As she went on droning about this predicament, her words not mine, I could hear the rage and contempt in her voice, especially when she talked about the Rose girl. I got the feeling she didn't like girls like Rose, and the more she described her, the more Rose sounded a little too much like me. Damn girl, people can barely stand me, how was I supposed to stand another me?
By the end of the lector-I mean debrief-I was surprised I hadn't fallen asleep, but my head did bob a few times and I'm sure Kirova noticed because when I reached to over the desk to get the folders of Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir she gave me the stink eye and tried very obviously to not touch me. What a little ingrate.
I casually looked threw the folder and didn't read a word in either one and yawned, when I looked up I saw the vein pop out of her forehead, oops. I heard her take in a breath and her mouth became a thin line, her lips disappearing all together.
As I got up to go, folders still in hand, and a surprising fact that I didn't need to say a single word in this whole 2 hour long conversation, Kirova decided to open her mouth.
"Actually, Lucya, if you could please give those folders to Guardian Ashwood." Kirova said, her face still tight but lips had turned upward a bit, I guess to show that she was 'glad' we talked.
"And why would he need to see these, Headmistress? He'll be leaving to go back tomorrow." Ok, yes, I did let a little bite come threw on my sentence, only because I got the feeling she wanted Sam to do this more than I did. A lot more than I did actually. It irked, got under my skin a lot more than I thought it would because all of a sudden I felt very defensive. I was just as good as my brother, no, I was better than him, just because I wasn't a guardian didn't mean he could do this better than me.
The curve to her lips tightened and it look kinda painful the way her face was right now, but I kept mine relaxed, and I stared at her unwaveringly, almost daring her to say that she didn't want me here.
She did actually, "I'm afraid, Miss. Ashwood, that I would be much more comfortable for Guardian Ashwood to watch Rose and Vasilisa. I'm afraid that you're lack of experience would- ." I didn't even think before I started talking. My face stripped of emotion and I put on a hard, cold face. I turned to fully face her with my back stiff. I felt Sam stiffen beside me but he didn't try to stop me, he knew I had to say something to defend myself.
With a voice like a razor blade I cut into her. "Headmistress, I'm sure that you have read my file and that Headmaster Michael has given you a strong recommendation for me to take on this mission. I'm sure that you did not mean to insult his decision. I am at the top of my class and I'm one of the strongest at Blackthorn Academy and I am more than qualified to look after the Dragomir Princess. I will make sure that no harm comes to her or to Rose Hathaway. I'm very aware of the promise I have made to keep Moroi safe and I am prepared to lay my life down to protect Vasilisa and I'm sure, by the looks of you, that you have lived a long life and I'm told with age comes wisdom, and I hope that you are wise enough to understand that you should never underestimate a warrior by his or her looks." The whole time I spoke, my eyes never left Kirova's. Somewhere in the middle I had to put my hands behind my back so I wouldn't do anything drastic. I was proud that my voice sound strong threw the whole thing and I didn't sound like a whiney teenager. Kirova's eyes narrowed at the end of speech and she too now stood, a whole 3 inches taller than me. I bet she was wearing heels.
She said nothing though, and I took that as her defeat, and I kept going, "So there for I would like the schedule for Rose and Vasilisa, I noticed that they weren't in the folder. I would also like to be put into as many classes as I can be with Vasilisa, and Rose too." I looked away from Kirova's face, it held some contempt, shock, and was that a little, awe? Wow, well at least she knew to know a strong person when she heard one. I looked over to Alberta, "I would also like to have a word with you and Guardian Belikov when you have the time." I turned back to Kirova when Alberta nodded, "Finally I would like a dorm near Rose Hathaway's and freedom to room the campus at will. If it is not too much trouble I would also like to be kept up to date on current issues involving the school and Vasilisa."
Kirova obviously didn't like to be told what to do so when she replied she made it sound like it was all her that came up with what I needed. I blew it off and didn't make a comment, I got what I wanted, but I didn't want to be on the wrong side of the Headmistress. Well, more than I already was.
Before I turned to go, Alberta spoke, "We have a meeting Wednesday at four P.M. You may come to that and after you may ask Guardian Belikov and I any questions you may have." I gave an appreciative nod and a small smile in her and Guardian Belikov's way. "Thank you, comrades, it's much appreciated." I nodded at Kirova one last time before I followed Sam out the door.
. . .
While walking I didn't even try to keep the No Emotion face up, I wore the pride I'd won in Kirova's office like it was a crown. No, I wasn't boasting, I was just simply stating that I could hold my own on things like this. And by this I mean beat kirova's ass down and showing her that I am a badass! Now I'm boasting, and probably sounding like I'm totally full of myself, but sometimes you just need to give yourself a little pick me up ya know?
Once Sam and I reached the front door of the Administration building I finally looked up at the blonde. I couldn't see his eyes but I could see him trying to hide his smile. This time though, it didn't annoy me. A big goofy grin came to my face as soon as I saw it and Sam looked down.
"What are you grinning about, dork?" I could hear that he wanted to smile and congratulate me, it's good to know I wasn't that out of line. Hell I'm sure anyone in my position would have been pissed as shit. But I could also see another emotion in his eyes. And like a mind reader, he went right into telling me what it was. "Lucy, it's good that you stood up for your self, but I want you to be careful about what you say here. You are not only on a mission here but you are also representing Blackthorne and H.M. and everyone else back home. Very powerful people live here and you need to be on your best behavior. This could be a great chance for you." He said it so serious that when the smirk came on his face I thought it was a completely different person. "And also, if you screw this up, it proves that I'm the better one and I always will be and I can hold it over your head forever." I didn't even give him a second to breath after that sentence came out. My fist connected with his stomach, and I knew he was ready for it because he flexed but I did see the tiniest flinch in his eyes.
"The hell you are! I'm always gonna be the better one! You can be my less attractive sidekick! And don't think for a damn second I'm going to give the satisfaction of that! You're going down Sam! I'll make su-." The rest of sentence was mumbled threw Sam's thick hand as I saw Guardian Belikov approach us and Sam wiped the giant grin off his face. That shithead; I'll punch him again, and then give him a coupon for hand wash. Jesus Christ.
After I stopped yelling into Sam's hand he released me and nodded to Dimitir, who then nodded back. They looked at each other, having a silent conversation. I rolled my eyes, what was it with men and thinking that it's macho to say as little as possible to each other. I cleared my throat and got both of there attention.
"Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but I'm here to give you the tour of campus and show you to your rooms." Dimitir said, and then looked at me, "Good speech by the way." And then he walked toward the double doors opposite to the one me and Sam were about to take. I followed after the Russian Rambo and couldn't help but let the grin take over my face, now I really felt like a badass. I looked back at Sam and stuck my tongue out, it was childish but I felt too good to care. Sam gave me a big eye roll and pushed my head forward, making me stumble. I gave a grunt, which made Dimitir look back and stare at me. I cleared my throat and straightened up, forcing the red blush out of my face. I looked back at Sam and saw that he had his No Emotion face goin' on. I glared at him, that little shithead, making me look like a clumsy doofus.
The double doors opened to a room Dimitir named the Commons. It looked like a cafeteria but groomed much better. It was clean and white and what cafeterias should look like, on the left side it was all windows that were heavily tinted but still gave you a nice view of what was outside. The tables that scattered around the room where round and looked like they could hold up to ten or twelve people at a time. There were concession stands against the wall with bright pictures that advertised the names of sweets. I saw on the right side of the wall there was a door shaped hole cut into the brick and I could see inside that it was set up like a buffet line, there was an exit hole identical to the first farther on down the wall. On the far wall I saw another double doors but Dimitir didn't take us down there so I guessed that it wasn't an exit, my best guess was it probably was where the Feeders were.
Turning to where the windows were, I saw that there was a glass door near the corner of the room that opened to a garden where more tables could be found. When we walked out of the door I could see the sun setting out in the west behind the mountains. Well I could give Montana props for that, it had a hell of a scenery. I looked down from the sun and was able to get a good look at all the landscape around this place. And there was a lot of it, acres and acres of land surrounded this place and kept it totally isolated. Like a tiny old secret village hidden in the mountains.
Dimitir lead us around the commons and into a court yard that had giant old trees of every kind. There was a fountain that was half frozen, surrounded by beautiful willow trees and a brick walk way circled around them and branched off into other paths. I could tell there were two main paths that lead in the opposite direction of the other. When we reached the fork, Dimitir looked to the left while saying, "That way is to the dhampir dorms and the gym. It's where you'll both be standing. The school is divided into two sections; the lower section and the upper section. Each section has a quadrangle in the center, right now we are in the upper section's quad. Here you'll find the academic buildings over there on your right; the moroi dorms are on other end, next to the lower sections." I looked around at both buildings. Holy shit, how the hell was I supposed to find my way around this bloody campus? I needed like a map or some serious GPS shit. I worked my way into a circle, mapping out the whole area and following every individual path. When I had turned a full 180 degrees I say the very tip of a church.
What a cliché that Vampires couldn't go into churches. Some are very religious I'll have you know, and no I'm not one of them but I can tell you one thing, if I want to kill you, stepping into God's house is not going to save you from me. But if you're running from a Strigoi, then it's a different story, it's probably where the Vampires-are-damned-thing came from. Strigoi are the only things that can't step foot on holy ground. It's kinda like the No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service rule, only this one goes No Soul, No Humanity, No Touchy While I'm In Churchy. The first time I thought of this I busted out laughing, when I told Sam he just rolled his eyes and mumbled about being a corny lame ass. Whatever No Sense of Humor Man.
"When do the classes start?" Sam crossed his arms and looked at Dimitir. Geez Sam, chill out, it's not like I'm gonna skip out on classes. But I was hoping to take a break the first few days, thanks for ruining that one Sam.
"They start soon, Breakfast will be in two hours," which is around eight, great, I'm gonna get no sleep at all. They both ignored my very obvious yawn and Dimitir continued, "Mistress Kirova is making Lucy's schedule now and she will be expected to show up to classes tomorrow." Then Dimitir turned to me and said, "Rose is prohibited from doing any social activities, instead she is to be with me in her free time, you may join when you like, but it would be best if you stuck with Lissa." I gave him an appreciative nod and assumed that Lissa was the Princess' nickname. Looked like I would be kickin' it with royalty, they always threw the best parties.
Dimitir lead us to the dhampir dorms, telling us-and by us, I mean Sam-about the security here. What the hell? Sam was leaving tomorrow. He wasn't going to be here for this, was he? I didn't really want to be separated from Sam but I also didn't want to be kept out of the loop just 'cause he was here.
When we reached the dorm I was met by a pleasant sight. It was very nice and cozy I would say. The doors opened to a space that had a long couch that hugged the wall on right side that faced a TV that was currently off. Further into the room I could see two full sized kitchens that were obviously meant for everyone that lived here. I was glad that the heater was on in here, it was beginning to get chilly outside as the night set in. It looked like me and Sam had come in at the perfect time because the place was nearly dissertated and I wasn't really looking forward to a lot of staring eyes. I did get some though from the few early rises that were enjoying breakfast.
Dimitir lead us past them and to the left where there was a stairway, "This is where the girl's dorms are, on the other side to the left is where the boys' rooms are." Even with that knowledge, Sam followed me and Dimitir up the stairs and if it was anything like it was at home at this time, there was going to be some girls half dressed walking around in the hallways.
Dimitir lead us up two flights of stairs and much to my pleasure there was no half naked girls running around to cause an awkward moment. Dimitir lead me half way down the hall and stopped at a door on the right side. "This is Rose's door, you're things have been moved to the room there." He pointed to a room that was on the other side and two doors to the left. It was perfect. I would be able to see when she left and have a perfect view of the stairs….Damn I sounded like a freakin' stalker. All I needed now was a few cameras and a map to Brittany's house.
I walked over to the door and found a key hanging from the knob. Unlocking the door I found that the room was completely white with no decorations at all. In fact it was completely void of color, making all five of my bags stand out like the elephant in the room. There where two tinted windows that where on either side of a kid sized bed on wall opposite of the door I stood in and to my left I could see another door that had to be a bathroom. I really hoped I didn't have to share with anyone. They would be in for a long wait in the morning.
I sighed before stepping into the room, I was tired as fuck and that bed was looking very good right now. I turned to look back at Dimitir and Sam, and I could already tell by the look on Sam's face that he was about to do something that would cause my fist to most likely connect with his face.
"It's a good thing that white isn't your color. It makes you look like shit." I couldn't help feel the annoyance at that. And I'm sure he couldn't help but feel the pain in his neck when my punch went wide and missed face. Oops. Don't fuck with me when I'm jetlagged, asshole.
. . .
I didn't even bother to unpack my shit, as soon as Sam stopped gasping for air in front of my door, I crashed so hard I probably made coma patients look like they were taking a nap. All I did was just strip down to the basics and fell into oblivion. So when the knock at my door came and turned into pounding, I was still dead to the world. Five minutes later I swam out of sleep and had a strange since of déjà vu when I heard the pounding. I groggily made my way to the door, but tripped over two suit cases on the way there and said some very colorful words. I opened the door and was met with Sam hitting me in the head with his knuckles. Talk about a rude awakening.
I recoiled and my hands shot to my forehead and I squeezed my eyes shut. "God fuck Sam! What the hell? You don't fucking hit people when they answer the door! You shithead!" I yelled this all while doing my pain dance across the floor. When I opened my eyes I saw Sam trying-and failing-not to laugh. Ugh, can't he leave already?
"Woops, my fault. Sorry." He gave me a smile and chuckled.
"Yea, woops my ass. What the hell do you want? Y are you waking me up?" I grumbled as I fell back on the bed and sighed, it was so damn comfortable. Sam then decided to ruin that moment by jabbing me in the side and making me roll of the bed and onto the floor.
"Sorry, but you can't go back to sleep, you have classes that start in, hmmm, about 30 minutes. Just thought I would give you a heads up before I leave." I tried to process what he said. What the hell did he mean? Classes? And then it finally kicked in. "What the fuck? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Without further embarrassing myself I jumped up and ran to the shower and hoped to God there was hot water.
Ten minutes later I came out in a towel to still find Sam there, laying on my bed with his eyes closed. I rolled my eyes and tried to send him a telepathic thought that he was a jackass and walked over to the suit cases. I finished unzipping the last one and pulled out everything I needed when Sam woke up from his cat nap. He rubbed his eyes and looked at me as I started for the bathroom. "Aren't you ready yet?" I gave a snort and closed the door to the bathroom. Please, I wasn't ready for any of this. Not for classes and defiantly not for what was going to happen in the very near future.
. . .
It took me more than twenty minutes. In fact it took me all threw breakfast, which was thirty minutes and half of the ten minutes they gave you to get to class. Part of it was because I was procrastinating, I didn't want to go. And no matter how hard I tried to focus on the why I was here in the first place, the nerves of going into a new school still got to me. I didn't tell Sam this as he rushed me to my class that was all the way on the other side of the academic building. I didn't because I was too busy trying to get my good bye out and sounding meaningful while running full speed. Now that he was really leaving, I didn't want Sam to go. I wanted him here so he could help me threw this. I wasn't ready for a mission like this by myself.
When I told Sam this, just looked at me-without breaking stride-and gave me the most serious face. "You have to. This is part of your final exams. Instead of taking it at the school, you'll be doing it here. If you fail this and can't complete what you were sent here to do, you'll fail your final exam." Well this sure wasn't what I was expecting. What the hell? Since when was this happening? Why the hell wasn't I told sooner? I wasn't even supposed to be having these yet. They would happen later on in the year, but I guess H.M. thought it would be nice to let me take them in advance, and then forget to tell me!
When I got to class-Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3 as it was charmingly called-I was late. Sam had promised that he would stay for this one class and watch from the back for moral support in case I got eaten alive for being late but as I walked threw the door, it seemed that wasn't going to happen. The teacher, and the whole class and the Guardians who weren't looking at me, all had there attention on a girl who sat in the middle of the class. I caught the tail end of what the teacher had said. "Come up to the front so you can help me lector the class." He said it in a voice that made me immediately feel sorry for the girl. What an ass.
The teacher had his back to me but I saw her shrink into her seat a bit and heard her reply, "You don't really mean-"
"I mean exactly what I say, Hathaway. Go to the front of the class." I perked up when I heard Hathaway. Wasn't that the Rose girl? Damn, I had forgotten to read there folders and now I wished I had look at the picture better when I first looked threw it in Kirova's office. I studied the girl as she walked up, trying to remember the face in the picture. She had dark brown hair that almost looked black and had a very tan skin tone that made her have an exotic tint to her. She put on a bold expression to the class and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes locked with mine for a brief moment as she swept the class and I could see the curiosity in them as she took in my look. Then her eyes went back to the teacher and they hardened. Yep, this was definitely her. It something of a gift I guess, I can just sense people who seem to be real hardasses like me.
I still stood in the back of the class, unsure of where I was suppose to sit, and watched at the man began to ground on her. "So, Hathaway," his voice held amusement as he went back and forth across the front of the class. "Enlighten us about your protective techniques."
I saw her shift uncomfortable as she answered back with a question. It kept going like this, him making fun of what I assumed was what she had missed when she had left the school. I felt bad for this girl. Having to go through this, and it's probably going to happen the whole day. I watched as the teacher started to get into the subject of Strigoi and couldn't help but open my mouth at a comment he made about us being a war with the Strigoi and how the moroi weren't strong enough against them even with us.
"Then why aren't they helping?"Maybe it was because I felt bad for Rose or because I'm a dumbass who can't keep her mouth closed. Either one, it ended up sounding like I stood up for her; maybe this will help me and her become 'friends'.
The man's head spun around so fast it reminded me of the little girl from the Exorcist. His face held surprise when he looked at me and then it turned back to an annoyed pissed off expression. "Ah, you must be Miss. Lucy. You're late I believe." I tried hard to keep the blush down, but I didn't work so well. He noticed and a satisfied expression came on his face. "And to answer your absurd question, moroi can't stake a Strigoi. Did they not teach you that at Blackthorne." He spat out the name like it was a cursed word. My gaze hardened as I stared at him. "Yes sir, they did teach us that at Blackthorne. I wasn't saying that the Moroi-" I was cut off by the male dhampir, his face now red. "And I suppose at Blackthorne they teach you to fight Strigoi dressed like some punk super hero? Do you think that you can honestly fight a monster like that when you look like this? The piercings on your face for instance, they will go straight for that! And why you're crying on the ground because the pain to your face, they will have already killed your moroi and you!" I glared at him and thought of all the venomous things in the world that could happen to this man. This asshole was getting beaten into the ground the first chance I got. Who the fuck was he to start saying this shit about me? Who does he think he is? I opened my mouth to defend myself, and possibly say some very colorful thing but he beat me to it.
"Both of you have no idea what it is like when you fight of those monsters!" he began to address both of us now. Shit what have I just gotten my self into? "They are desperate creatures that want Moroi blood more than anything in this world. They'll kill and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood. They seek it. They've turned to the dark side to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi have attacked Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi have raided academies exactly like this one! Just ask Miss. Ashwood here! She knows exactly what that is like! Some Dhampir have betrayed their own kind for immortality. I'm sure you have all heard of the story that happened at Blackthorne. That school is a living example that these monsters are ruthless and will show no mercy." His tone became very dark now. It was beginning to level out. He said his next words calmly and with no emotion. "Miss. Ashwood, I'm sure that you know the story very well, and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Tell me, who was the dhampir that betrayed every moroi and dhampir there at Blackthorne. Who was the one who is responsible for countless lives lost?"
I stopped breathing, I felt everything in me tense up and I felt rage and hate run threw my blood and spill into the two words that I spoke, "Eric Ashwood."