For the next couple of weeks I ditch lunch and practise my Russian. By the end of a couple weeks I am fluent. I walk to Moroi science to find Mia sitting in my seat. I clench my jaw. I will not loose my temper. Instead I start swearing in Russian. From the corner of my eye I see Dimitri staring at me wide eyed. I sit in another chair and grab my notes. In the middle of the lesson I see my mother walk in. She starts telling stories of her 'bravery' and how she was so good. I slouch in my chair.
"Any questions?" My mother asks
I raise my hand. People generally looks surprised. "Jeez don't look so shocked people." I mutter
"Rose tell us the question" Stan barks
"Don't get your knickers in a twist Stannie." That earned some laughter "My question is why didn't you just take the Moroi out the back door. That would have been ultimately safer because there were humans and cars there which they could mix in and hide with. But by taking the Moroi with you, you made a fatal mistake that could of cost lives because by taking them you led them straight to the enemy. The prey to the predator. Also you said that you were outnumbered. Well you should've just ran. If you are outnumbered running is the best option. Because if you ran you could've gotten the strigoi away from the moroi" I point out
"Well Rosemarie"
I cut her off "You know it's Rose"
"Well Rose your plan is good but there is one flaw which we figured out thankyou very much. The flaw is that by running the strigoi could of caught the moroi"
"Then next time don't decide to make the irrational decision to face a fricking army of strigoi When half of you were so drunk that you couldn't stand Guardian Hathaway" I spit
My mother doesn't loose her stone face "And how would you get access to that information Rosemarie"
"It's Rose" I seethe "And I got access the same way everyone does. By compulsion"
"SO YOU USED THE DRAGOMIRE PRINCESS?!"
I flick her off "I'm not that stupid mother. Of course I didn't use her. Some Moroi owed me a favour so I asked him"
"YOU PROBABLY HAD SEX WITH HIM FIRST!" My mother yells
I flinch and the class gasps. I stand out of my seat cursing in Russian and stalk out. I walk to my dorm and sit on my bed. Oh how I hate her! How dare she?! She hasn't been in my life 13 years. She has no right to do that. About three minutes later Dimitri walks in. I turn away from him.
"You learnt Russian?"
"Well you refused to teach me" I spit back
"Rose what your mother did in there was wrong. A couple of weeks ago you told me you were made of steel. But I see through that. You are not. But you have a façade that you can't let down. Rose I need you to let it down for me. Please Roza" His voice cracks at the end
I turn to face him. His eyes are watering.
"Oh Dimitri. If only you could see that I wasn't made of steel. But I can't let that down for anyone. Maybe one day I can but not when everything and everyone is crumbling like walls around me Dimitri. I can't show you because that is my shield. So none of these chunks of walls come and hit me. So I can't get hurt. But the façade doesn't work sometimes. Sometimes my shield breaks and I get hit. I get wounded like a soldier in battle. But i'm not a soldies. I don't do anything good and everyone I touch or love gets taken away from me or they hurt me insead.
"Roza I love you with my soul and it hurts me to see you like this. So broken and so scared"
I hug him and he softly hugs me back. It feels comforting to smell his aftershave and to feel his presence. I untangle myself from the hug and walk back to the classroom with Dimitri behind me. I ignore the sympathetic looks and glare at my mother. I sit in my seat and pay attention to the lecture and when it is five minutes left I get a note chucked at my head. I open it.
Even Mommy thinks your like that
I glare at a smirking Mia and ignore her. As soon as the bell rings I run to the cafeteria and pile food on my plate. I grab two chocolate glazed donuts. A burger, a large chips and a coke. I sit down at my table and smile at my friends.
"Whats up"
"Why are you in such a good mood Rosie?" Christian asks
"Cause I can Pyro"
"Christian Ozera don't you dare ruin my best friends good mood"
Christian goes to open his mouth but shuts it. I give a high five to Lissa and the rest of lunch is filled with laughter.
