Alright guys! Chapter 6 is here! Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews! I get so happy everytime I receive them! Well...I guess this is the chapter you all have been waiting for...read to find out why ;)
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead does. I only own the plot and some characters.
Chapter 6
Newbie Night
The bonfire burns really bright against the dark sky. The fire sends a soft orange glow everywhere, warming those within its radiance.
Christian, the rest of the campers and I are huddled close together in a big circle around the blazing fire.
It seems that in this cool night, everyone wants to get as close to the warmth of the bonfire as they can get.
In the middle of the circle stood Elvina. She is wearing a white, flowing cloak. Close to the orange glow, it looks like she's wearing a golden dress. Her silver hair is flying freely in the blowing wind and the glow seems to make her whole body radiates. Elvina looks angelic. In that moment she kind of reminds me of Cleopatra – an angel version of Cleopatra. Then just beside her is Aragon. He doesn't look any less beautiful. His usually tanned skin seems golden under the light of the fire. His messy hair is...well messy and wild. Aragon reminds me of an ancient, Greek god. Simply breath-taking.
"Greetings, boys and girls of Camp Magicka! As some of you might have already realized, tonight is our Newbie Night. Our first official night together as a family. Yes, everyone here is now a part of one, big family. A son, a daughter, a brother and a sister. The blood that runs in each of your vein is special – or as we like to call, is touched by magic. Everyone knows why they're here. You might think you know who you are. But really, you don't. Not yet anyway. What you know is what type of blood you have. The blood of a vampire, of a werewolf...a fae...that's really all you know at the moment. But here, at Camp Magicka, you will learn about who you truly are. What you can do, what kind of power you have and most importantly, how to survive in the world out there on your own because, my children, the world out there is much much more dangerous than you could ever imagine." Elvina's voice echoes around the circle, "But don't worry and stressed out just yet!" she laughs, "Our main focus is still for you to have fun, make new friends and for you to have a chance to really be yourself. Still, keep in mind that there will, nevertheless, be a time where you have to spend learning about yourself and some other stuffs that may be involved. But for tonight, let's just get to know each other! Are you ready to take the first, official step into Camp Magicka?" the camp leader's voice is louder, more excited now.
"Yes!"
"What? Is that all you've got? ARE YOU READY?" Elvina is shouting now, a grin spreads on her beautiful face.
"YES!" everyone shouts back.
"Alright! Then let the fun...BEGINS!"
The crowds begin to whistle, scream and shout loudly in excitement.
I turn to Christian, "They seem a little too enthusiastic to me, don't you think?"
Christian shrugs, but I can see the glint in his eyes. He, too, is really excited about tonight. "It's not really a surprise."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
He shrugs again but this time when he speaks, his voice sounds...sad, "Well, we have a better life here, don't we? A friend, someone who doesn't think we are freaks...I think these are the closest people to a family we'll ever get."
I let the meaning of those words sink in. Wait - is he saying..."You mean these kids don't have a family?" I feel like adding a 'too' after that but decided that I might be wrong and I don't want him pitying me.
He shakes his head, "Most of them don't."
My mouth forms a big "O"
Seriously? All these kids...poor them – poor us. Maybe the reason some of them are so cold is because of that. I think of Minerva and the fact that maybe she, too, lost her parents. Although it's no excuse for how she treats people, I don't think I can look at her the same way again.
"But I don't understand! Why? Why us?" I no longer feel like hiding it anymore.
Christian doesn't seem surprised, "Because of the world we live in, Rose. Everyday is dangerous, a challenge. You never know what's going to happen and when."
"Like what?" I press.
Christian has this look on his face that says should I tell her? I shouldn't but what harm can it done?
Finally he decides to tell me, "Hunters. My parents used to talk about them." he says in a hushed voice, as if what he is telling me is dangerous, a top secret.
That gets my attention. "Hunters?" I ask, in a voice somewhat disbelief. "Like what? Are we talking Van Helsing?" I joke.
Christian glares at me. "This is no joke, Rose. These hunters may only be humans but they are deadliest thing in our world."
Something about the way he says it sent chills down my spine. I swallow, "But they only hunt vampires, right? Like vampire hunters with the stake, holy water and all those stuffs?"
"That's where you're wrong." he says, his voice dead serious. "These people hunts all of us – tainted blood, that's what they call us. They think our bloodlines was touched by dark magic. They don't care if you are a vampire, a werewolf or even a damn mermaid! Can you imagine that? Mermaids! What cold-hearted person could do that?" he shakes his head.
I shiver. "So they are responsible for most our people's deaths?" Some part of me is beginning to wonder if they are the ones who killed my mom and dad.
He nods, "And the worst part is, you never know where they are or what form they might take. For all we know, it could be one of our school teachers or even classmates."
I gasp, "Classmates? You mean some of the hunters are still teenagers?"
I don't know what worries me more, the idea of someone being a part of something this horrible this young or that just incase I run into one of them, I might be too stunned to defend myself – then a horrifying thought hits me, what if one of them turns out to be a boy or girl from my class? I push that thought away, terrified.
Christian lets out a short laugh but there's absolutely no amusement to it, "Not just teenagers. The gene is passed through bloodlines. So from the moment your child can walk, he or she is sent to training."
I swallow, "How old? How old when they are sent away for their first assignment?" I need to know.
Christian sighs, "I don't know, ten? Eleven?"
I must have look mortified because Christian quickly changes the topic. "So you see, there are lots of threats out there for us. Becoming an orphan at young age is consider a normal thing in our world."
I shake my head, "It's horrible..."
Christian's face softens, "It's how it is..." then he quickly adds, "That's why most of us are so excited about Camp Magicka. It's not often we get to be ourselves – let alone have any kind of fun."
Well, I guess that's understandable. Before I could say anything more, Elvina speaks up again, reminding me of where I am and what I'm supposed to be doing.
"Alright! First step, we're going to assign you a cabin and a roommate!" The crowds cheer. "Let me tell you how it's going to work," Another round of cheers and applauses. "So, I'm going to say the name of the cabin and then I'm going to draw two names from these boxes –" she points to two square boxes. One is blue and another is bright pink. I don't have to be a genius to figure out what they mean – one for boys, one for girls. "That way it's fair and you don't think I'm taking any sides. Once your name is called, both of you will step forward, into the middle of the circle beside me, and introduce yourselves. This way every single one of us can get to know you as well." Elvina pauses as if to see if we're catching up. Then she continues, "Okay, then. We'll start with the ladies. The first cabin is Alexandrite and the girls who will be staying in this cabin in..."
The silence is so...silent. I can practically hear everyone's heartbeat, including my own. Thump thump.
Elvina reaches into the pink box and pulls out a slip of paper, "Sebille Sommers." she reads out loud.
I notice one of the girls from Minerva's crew stands up. She gives the watching crowd a wave and winks at a group of hot guys.
Ugh.
If the fact that she's one of Minerva's puppies isn't enough, her attempt to flirt with half of the camp is. Please, don't let me room with her, Elvina. Just please.
The camp leader draws another piece of paper from the pink box.
Thump thump.
"Sierra Ross."
Phewwww, I sigh in relief.
From somewhere behind the crowds, a girl stands up.
It's Sierra from earlier in the lake, I realize.
Sierra the mermaid.
Only now she is walking swiftly to join Sebille in the center. On her feet.
I have to admit, I was taken aback. But come to think about it, I didn't expect her to stay in the water 24/7. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, what do I really know about this world?
"Alright, Sebille and Sierra. You may introduce yourselves." Elvina instructs.
They did, both sounding really confident. I already know that Sierra is a mermaid but I've just learned that Sierra and her two mermaid friends are really triplets. Sebille, a tall and skinny girl with dark hair, green eyes and olive skin, is a vampire from South Africa.
Elvina nods in approval, "Good job. From now on until the end of camp, you two are roommates and I hope you treat each other nicely and be there for support in times of need."
The two girls nod.
"Here's your key." and Elvina hands them two keys to cabin Alexandrite.
They both accept it and go back to their seats.
"Next...cabin Amethyst..." Elvina draws a name, "Minerva Sampson."
Forget Sebille and her earlier flirting. Minerva can't even walk pass a single guy without touching them. Well, Rose. She's the Queen Bitch after all.
My heart begins to beat even faster.
Thump thump thump thump.
Elvina reads the name, "Faylinn Frost."
Oh I wish I could explain how relieved I am.
"Thank god..." I whisper.
Christian just laughs at my reaction.
He was right earlier when he said Minerva is a witch. But Minerva herself has the nerve to add 'powerful' in front of it.
"Pathetic." I grumble.
Faylinn Frost is the complete opposite of Minerva. Minerva has long, orange hair, Faylinn has jet black hair styled into a bob. Minerva is tall and tanned while Faylinn is a tiny girl with pale skin. Minerva is a witch, Faylinn is a faerie - more like a pixie, in my opinion, judging from her size. And last but most importantly, Minerva seems like the biggest bitch, Faylinn, on the other hand, appears to be a sweet and innocent girl.
Poor girl, I feel truly sorry for her having to share a room with the biggest bitch of Camp Magicka.
But like they say, light travels faster than sound. That's why when she opens her mouth and started speaking, I realized I was dead wrong.
"I'm Faylinn Frost. A faerie, fay, pixie...tinkerbell. Whatever you want to call me." Then she winks at someone in the crowd. "I may be small in size, but if anyone of you dare to cross me..." she scowls and points her manicured-finger to the bonfire. White sparks flies from her finger and the fire cracks, shooting orange glow in every direction. People sitting close to the bonfire, including me, scatter away to avoid being barbecued.
Elvina scolds at her but Faylinn just smiles, her eyes glinting mischievously, "You get the picture." she says to the crowd. Then she cackles and turns to Minerva, "Hey, roomie." she says, grabs the key from Elvina and with a last wink to the crowd, strides back to her seat.
Minerva is stunned for a moment. Then she quickly scans the crowd. Her eyes fall on me and an evil smile begins to spread on her face. Our eyes locked for a moment and then with a flip of her carrot hair, she marches back to her friends.
"Just great..." I groan. Two bitches rooming together. Drama is just what I need right now. But then, if it will help keep my mind off things at home...bring it on, bitches.
Elvina continues to read the names of each cabins, two names were called and two girls would step forward and introduce themselves.
About twenty minutes passed and my name still hasn't been called. But while I was waiting, listening to other girls blabber about themselves, I learned one thing.
No one is a bitch like Minerva. And just recently, Faylinn makes the list too.
Most of the people here are just as new to the idea of the supernatural world as I am.
Finally, Elvina says, "The next cabin is Ruby..." she reaches into the pink box, pulls a piece of paper and smiles, "Rosemarie Hathaway."
I smile, standing up. Another thing I've learned from listening to Elvina reads the list of cabins is that every single one of them is named after a gemstone.
Ruby is my favorite. I like the red in the gem.
Once I'm standing in the middle, Elvina whispers to me, "Congratulation, Rose. You know your mom was also assigned this cabin when she was here."
I look at her, wide eyes.
Elvina smiles and nods before reaching into the box.
Until that moment the idea that I'm going to have a roommate totally slipped my mind.
Now, watching Elvina slowly draws another piece of paper out of the box, my breathing quickens again.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"Vasilisa Dragomir." she reads.
I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I've been holding. I don't know why, I've never heard of her before but there's something about the way her name sounds that reassures me everything is going to be great.
Searching around the crowds I notice Christian's smile. Hmm...I guess he also approves. But then I notice his eyes staring, without blinking, at someone from the other side of the crowd. I follow his gaze to find a tall girl making her way through the crowds to the middle.
As soon as she steps into the light and I get a glimpse of her face, I like her immediately.
She is beautiful with blonde, wavy hair that passes her shoulders to the center of her back. Her jade green eyes sparkle with excitement and yet at the same time they seem...shy...and almost uncertain. They soon land on me and she looks me up and down. At last they are looking straight at me in the eyes.
And she smiles.
And all is great with the world.
Elvina motions for me to start introducing myself.
I take a deep breath, look straight at the audiences and put on my best man-eater smile.
"I'm Rose Hathaway and that's that. You may only call me Rose and not Rosemarie and Rosie." I begin searching for faces in the crowds then. Finally, my gaze lands on Minerva and Faylinn, both sitting close together, staring straight at me.
I smirk, "I'm a shadow-kissed. And the last time I checked –" I stare right back at them, "We're quite powerful."
The silence that seems to hang in the air after I said those words is quite scary.
I can hear the wind blowing and the sound of fire cracking.
Then Elvina steps forward, "Ah... I'm going to guess that none of you have heard of a shadow-kissed before. Am I right?"
The silence that follows confirms her. "A shadow-kissed is a rare species. We hardly stumble upon one in our lifetime...They are very powerful and can be dangerous if they use their power in a wrong way. Rose, here, is one of the very few shadow-kissed in Camp Magicka's history. She is here to learn more about herself and her powers just like the rest of you. So I hope you will treat her the same way you treat your friends considering she's the only one of her kind here. Thank you."
Elvina smiles at me reassuringly.
I feel like smirking at Minerva and Faylinn but thought better of it.
The camp leader gestures for Vasilisa to go on.
She smiles shyly before talking, "Hello, I'm Vasilisa Dragomir but please just call me Lissa. I'm a witch but don't worry! I won't put a spell on you or anything."
While Lissa is talking I still notice some people staring at me as if trying to figure me out.
Well, good luck with that.
When Lissa finishes, Elvina gives us two keys to Ruby. We thank her and I'm about to walk back to my seat next to Christian when Lissa speaks up. "Hey, Rose? Do you want to go sit together?"
I look at her, and then at Christian. He won't mind, will he?
No, probably not. "Sure." I tell her and she leads me to the very back of the crowd.
Elvina finally finished with the girls. Now she starts calling out the guys' names. Their cabins are named after mythical creatures like Griffin, Phoenix, Sphinx, Pegasus... Although at this point, any one of those creatures can just appear in front of me and I wouldn't be so surprised.
Christian rooms with a buff, werewolf guy called Simon Hunter. I make a mental note to tease him about it later.
Then I notice that guy from the forest – Adrian – stepping forward after Elvina assigned him to Dragon. Another guy is already standing there before Adrian so I didn't catch his name. He has his back to me so I can't see his face, but even from behind I can tell that he's good looking.
"I'm Dimitri Belikov. A vampire and this is my second time at Camp Magicka." says the guy with his back to me. Dimitri.
Elvina's words come back to me,But... there are others who had discovered their true nature for a while now. For some of them it's not their first time at Camp Magicka.
Well, Dimitri is one of those people then. And I notice something...different about him. The way he stands, walks and talks...he seems really confident. Not confident in a cocky and selfish way. Just...really reserved and proud. If you know what I mean.
Then as if he notices me staring – more like burning holes in his skull – he turns around in a swift, graceful motion and is now staring straight back at me. His dark eyes boring into mine.
He is too far and it is too dark to see what color his eyes are but that doesn't matter a bit. Even without seeing his eyes color, I can tell that he's impossibly handsome. He is tall with a muscular built. He has shoulder length dark hair that seems really soft. For a moment there I was day-dreaming about running my hands through it.
"Rose!" Lissa's voice snaps me out of my little day dream.
"Yeah?" I ask, finally tearing my gaze away from Dimitri.
She passes me a wooden basket.
I raise my eyebrow at her.
"They're collecting your phones." she groans, "So drop yours in there along with the others."
Oh.
Right.
Elvina mentioned it in the car. It totally slipped my mind.
I reach out for my practical Nokia, feeling a little bit out of place as I drop it into a pile of IPhones and Blackberries.
Jeez, do these kids think money grows on tree? I wipe the thought away. Probably daddies' credit cards, I snort.
Afterwards after everyone got assigned a roommate and a cabin, Elvina announces that we are going to be playing some games. An easy way to bond with each other is through having fun , she had said.
Finally, I thought, something like a normal campfire activity.
So we sang some songs, roasted marshmallows and played games like Twenty Questions, A What, and Telephone.
I have to admit, they are quite fun. The memory of me, Liv and Lana with a few of our classmates last summer pops into my head. We were having a similar party down by the Castle Rock lake.
That was also where I had my first kiss with the class snob, Vincent Clark. Uh no. Before you even think that those guys are my type. No. Get rid of that thought. We were playing Truth or Dare. I chose Dare, of course, and my ex-bestfriend Mindy Monroe – who hated me ever since I got crowned Homecoming Queen instead of her – dared me to kiss Vincent. She knew it was going to be my first and she knew I wanted it to be special. And that's exactly why she'd chosen it. I remember being so pissed at her but I decided that I wasn't going to give her that satisfaction she was hoping to get if I use the 'First Kiss' card. So I grabbed Vincent by his shirt and practically crushed him with my lips. We ended up making out right in front of the bonfire. It must have been quite hot because later on a guy told me we were practically 'on fire.' But I couldn't careless what people had to say, the look on Mindy's face when we were done was enough to kept me smiling for the rest of the night.
"So, who's up for some Truth or Dare?" Elvina's voice brought me back to the bonfire.
I blink then look around. Everyone has this ooh-I-can't-wait look on their faces. It's extremely obvious on Faylinn's face, as if she can't wait to kiss some random hotties.
It turns out Camp Magicka's version of Truth or Dare is a little different than our usual one...
Instead of having to answer questions like 'Who do you like?' 'What was the biggest lie you've ever told?' and 'Who was your first kiss?' – I can't help but groan at the last one – if you choose Truth, you have to draw a name of the same gender from the name box. The opposite goes for Dare. And afterwards your challenge will be drawn from another box by Elvina. So basically this is a pair version of Truth or Dare.
"Alright then," Elvina's booming voice got everyone's attention once more, "Shall we start?"
We started.
The first one to go is Lissa – despite her protests about not wanting to.
"Truth or Dare, Vasilisa?" Aragon asks, his eyes glinting.
Lissa hesitates for a few seconds before choosing Truth.
She then fished up a name from the pink name box. "Uh, Minerve Sampson." Lissa reads out loud.
I groan for her.
Minerva steps in the middle of the circle, she quickly snatches the paper away from Lissa's hand.
"It's Minerva or can't you read?" She shoves the paper into Lissa's face.
Lissa blushes, "Oh. Haha...sorry. It must have been the light! I thought that was an E"
"Dumb blonde." Minerva whispers harshly.
Lissa's face flushed red.
"Oh now your face's as red as a –"
Afraid that she's going to say something that would hurt Lissa's feelings, I decide I've had enough.
She messed with me, that's one thing. Go after my friend? Not cool.
"What? Red as your Botoxed lips? You think it's sexy? Like your fake hair? Well sorry to inform you but no, it's not. You look like a crazy witch – oh wait...you are! Now, back off." I practically snarl at her, stepping forward to shield Lissa with my curvy body.
Now it's Minerva's turn to become so red it looks like she's going to explode any second. "You bitch! The last time I checked? Blondie here is also a witch. And for your information, these lips are real! Mommy and Daddy gave it to me! Unlike you, the only thing they seem to have passed on to you are these poor manners!"
That did it.
Without hesitation, I lung for her, knocking us both to the ground.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF MY PARENTS, BITCH!" I scream at her, grabbing for her throat.
Things happened in a slow blur after that.
First, I was SO angry I seem to have forgotten absolutely everything around me. It was just me and this bitch laying underneath me.
Second, I remember wanting her dead. How dare she speaks of my mom and dad in that way! She knows nothing. Absolutely nothing! She deserves to die. I should kill her.
In fact, my next thought was I'm going to kill her right now.
Then all of sudden, dark forms began to materialize from the corner of my vision. Slowly, they floated into view.
I was taken aback for only a second when I realized what they are...
Shadows.
And just like that all my anger towards Minerva was back.
A low voice, almost like a hiss carried to me by the wind, whispers, "What can we do for you, Mistress?"
I was surprised by the fact that I didn't seem at all shocked at the sound of that voice.
Instead, I began to picture Minerva being choked to death. She deserves it, a voice echoed inside my head. And just like that these shadows, as if they were my slaves, obey.
They slam into Minerva at the exact same moment I feel arms restraining me, pulling me away from the girl on the ground.
"Rose! Rosemarie Hathaway!" a beautiful woman dressed all in white yells at me.
I glare at her, "Let me goooo!" my voice comes out low and scary. Like a hiss.
The woman is clearly taken by surprise. Alarm reflecting in her eyes, she calls out to someone called Aragon. "The shadows." she mouths and that was the last thought I had before the darkness clouds my vision, pulling me under with them.
TADAAAAA! :)
SO, Dimitri IS BACK! There will be a lot more of him from now on :) I know you guys would love that, hahah. Sorry about the cliff-hanger! I'm halfway through the next chapter now! Will update really soon!
As always, thanks for reading!
Annnnnnd a review would be nice! ;)
Prim.