Chapter 3 – The 2:00 am Phone Call

Dimitri's POV

Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. At first I thought it was part of my dream, but I woke up enough to recognize that my phone was really ringing. It took a moment for me to wipe the sleep from my eyes.

I looked at my alarm clock. The numbers blurred together, but I was able to make out the red 2:00. I reached over and grabbed my phone, wondering who on earth would be calling me right now. "Hello?" I asked tiredly.

"Hello. This is Stan Alto, head guardian at St. Vladimir's Academy. Is this Dimitri Belikov?" a man asked.

I sat up instantly alert. He had never thought he would hear back from St. Vladimir's. The reputation of the school spoke for itself, and they don't let just anybody work there. "This is he," I said formally. All signs that I had just been woken up were erased from my voice. I had sent my guardian application to several schools in America about a month ago, but this is the first time I've heard back from someone.

"I had a chance to review your application. I was wondering if you area available for an interview. We have an open position at the Academy, and depending on how your interview goes, that position may be yours," Stan told me. Yes! I screamed silently in my head.

"Absolutely! I would be honored to interview with you," I told him sincerely, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. I had sent my application to St. Vladimir's without believing I would actually get hired there.

Ever since my charge had been killed by Strigoi, I had been trying to find a job that didn't involve one on one guarding. I knew that I may not always have a choice in the matter, but the guardian council had been willing to let me seek my own work after Ivan had been killed. Ivan and I had gone to school together and he had been my best friend. I had always had difficulty making friends, because I put too much time into my school work and not enough time into relationships. Ivan changed all of that. When he died, it crushed me.

St. Vladimir's being interested in me gave me hope that perhaps I wouldn't have to put myself in the position where I became that close with someone again.

"Great," Stan said, pulling me from my reverie. "How is next Wednesday for the interview? Once you book a flight, you can send us your invoice and we will reimburse you for your travels. And of course, while you are here all of the St. Vladimir's facilities will be available to you. You will be interviewed by several representatives from the staff and then you will be given a tour of the grounds. By nightfall, we will tell you whether or not we are going to extend an invitation for employment to you. If we do choose to hire you, your duties will entail making sure St. Vladimir's is secure by surveying the perimeter. You will have daily classroom shifts where you will secure a specific classroom. We may also employ you to teach a basic combat class. The position we are considering you for also has a mentorship role as we need you to provide one-on-one supplemental training instruction to a new student. Robert Hemmingway will be joining us in a week and he will need to catch up to the other novices," Stan explained. My mind was reeling with everything he had just told me. "Do you have any questions?"

"Uh… yes," I said. I composed myself quickly. "Once I find out whether or not I am being offered this position, when would I start?"

"Immediately," Stan told me. "We need this position to be filled as soon as possible. We normally would have a more demanding interview process, but you came so highly recommended."

"I am honored that you are considering me," I told him, my head already abuzz with planning training sessions. I started wondering what I would say during my interview to convince them I deserved this position.

"I'll see you in a week," Stan told me, then the line went dead. I stared at my phone for a moment. I hardly believed what had just happened.

As my adrenaline wore off, my fatigue replaced it. I lay back in bed exhausted. I knew I would have to call the airlines and get a flight from Russia to Montana, but I knew that could wait until morning. I wasn't sure I would be able to see the buttons on my phone, much less coherently make that phone call, so I didn't feel too bad about the delay. I instantly fell back asleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I immediately went downstairs to find my mother in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. I could tell that she was cooking blini, by the ingredients that were cluttered on the counter.

"Morning," I said alerting her to the fact that I was awake.

She turned to me. "Morning Dimka," she greeted me fondly. I saw her look me up and down, just like she did every morning. I think she kept expecting me to have a breakdown because of Ivan.

I sat down at the kitchen table. The newspaper on the counter caught my eye and I saw an article about a young dhampir who had been selected to attend St. Gregotz's Academy. I suddenly sat up, remembering the phone call I had received last night.

My mother must have seen the alarm on my face, because she looked at me concerned. "Is everything okay?" she asked me worriedly.

"I have to book a flight," I said hurriedly.

"For what?" she asked me. I didn't respond as I ran back to my bedroom to grab my cell phone. I knew the number for the airlines. I had memorized it just in case.

I was on hold for nearly an hour before I managed to book a flight to Montana. I almost sighed in relief when I got off the phone.

I went back down to the kitchen where Karolina was sitting with her son, Paul. Zoya was babbling in her own baby talk. She had dry cereal in front of her that she seemed more interested in playing with than eating.

My mother raised her eyebrows at me. "I… I got a job. Well technically an interview, but he made it seem like the job was mine," I explained to her.

My mother's face lit up with a grin. She knew that I had been restless lately without anything to do. "That's great Dimka. What will you be doing?" She asked me.

"Guarding St. Vladimir's Academy," I told her. "I have to be there in a week."

Her face fell slightly, before she hid it. A week wasn't a very long time, but I had been ready to leave a long time ago. "I'm so happy for you Dimka," she said.

"Thanks," I told her. Anything else I was going to say was cut off as Viktoria walked into the kitchen. She had never been a morning person, and she never even tried to look like a civilized person until she had eaten breakfast. Her hair was matted to the back of her head. It looked frizzy and knotted. She was in a tank top and sweatpants and wore an I don't give a fuck look on her face.

"Viktoria," I greeted.

"Guardian Belikov," she returned bitterly, her eyes flashing with anger.

Viktoria and I used to be really close. Even though she was nine years younger than me, we hung out a lot together. I was the overprotective older brother and she worshipped me for it. I would read to her all the time, and I would be the monsters in her make-believe world, letting her kill me over and over again. I never complained.

But, that all changed as she grew older. When she found out she couldn't become a guardian like me, she started to turn bitter towards me. Don't get me wrong, I love my little sister, and I know she still loves me, but she just is upset with her life. I don't really know what she wants me to do about it. I can't help that I was born a guy and she was born a girl. I do feel bad for her and I wish there was something I could do, but I can't make the queen change her mind. She wanted to be a guardian more than anything else in the world. She hates that because she is a woman, she's not allowed to. Viktoria had trouble accepting things couldn't go her way.

I filed my worried about Viktoria away for another time. I had to hope time would heal our relationship. Right now, I had to prepare for a new life in the states.