Chapter 9
"How you doing, Rose?" asks Mason, swinging his arms around my shoulders as we walk to the gym for the final lesson of the day. "Heard you were in Guardian HQ. That true?" he asks excitedly.
"Yeah, Mase." Had I been in his position, I too would have been excited. I too would want to know all the details. But after being in on the conversations, learning about the gruesome attack and the repercussions it held for us dhampir and moroi, it sobered me up majorly.
"So," he says, longing out the word, waiting for me to talk more about it. "What was it like? What did you find out?"
"It was horrible actually," I say honestly. "The attack." I don't need to look at Mason's face to know he's sobered up too.
"Yeah, unheard of to have so many killed at once. And to think, it was only a few miles away right?"
"Yeah. How could this even happen? Stuff like this doesn't happen!" I look down and kick the grass.
"Hey," Mason says softly, squeezing my shoulders comfortingly, "it'll be alright."
"Yeah, tell that to the Voda's and Badica's." Mason stays quiet, not knowing what to say. "Come on, I feel like whooping arse today."
"Hell yeah," says Mason, a smile now back on his face.
"Given recent events, St. Vladimir's has been offered extra protection. You will notice new guardians on security as well as in your lessons," Belikov explains in combat training. True to his word, around the gym are several new faces. I spot Belikov's guardian friends from earlier, Valentin and Alexander. "Today, we have the opportunity to pair up with a guardian for 1:1 training." I can hear a few 'oohs' of excitement from fellow novices. Since elementary school, we have always trained in classes or small groups but never 1:1 with a guardian. There simply were not enough guardians to go around to make this possible. "As you know, this is a very rare and exciting opportunity for you all. Listen well to any advice you're given. Make this lesson count," Belikov says slowly, warning in his voice.
"Ok, let's sort out the pairs." Belikov looks down at his clipboard, ready to call out the names. Suddenly, Valentin is at his side whispering something to Belikov. Belikov and Valentin look at each other, Valentin with his eyebrows raised in question. As if they were communicating telepathically, they both turn and fix their eyes on me. I'm taken aback but meet their stare, now raising my eyebrows in question also. "Hathaway, you'll partner with Guardian Markov." I nod my head, not knowing what else to say. I can feel the eyes of fellow novices on me but don't give anything away.
"What did you say to Guardian Belikov?" I ask Valentin as we walk over to the mats.
Valentin shrugs. "I wanted to partner with you, wanted to know what Belikov's future partner was like," he says nonchalantly.
"What?" I stop in my tracks.
"What?" Valentin turns around, looking confused. "You'll both be guarding Princess Vasilisa once you graduate, right? I wanted to know more about the lucky lady who gets to partner up with my best friend," he says jokingly, his smile bringing out the dimples in his cheeks.
"Oh," I say. "Right."
"Why? What did you think I meant?" he asks, confused once more.
"Nothing," I say quickly. "So you and Guardian Belikov are best friends?" I ask, trying to change the subject but also intrigued.
"Oh yeah, we go way back," he says enthusiastically and we continue walking. "We both actually attended St Vlad's. I guess you would have been in the other campus while we were here," he smiles at me and I must admit, if I were any other girl, I'd be swooning in his presence.
That's all the casual conversation we have time for. I've wrapped up my hands and now practise punches and kicks. Valentin wears punch mitts, absorbing the blows.
"Good," he says appreciatively. "You pack a mean punch, good power. Rotate your shoulders a little more," he instructs, moving my shoulders. "That'll increase your power," he explains.
I nod and we practise some more.
"Wanna put what you've learnt to the test?" Valentin asks, wiggling his eyebrows. "Let's spar."
I laugh. "Let's do it Markov," I joke.
We get ready and into position. "Remember, rotate your shoulders to add power," he instructs one last time and I nod.
I put my practise to the test. I jab and Valentin blocks immediately. We bounce on the tips of our toes, each sending our fair share of punches and kicks. Valentin has virtually blocked everything I've sent his way. Meanwhile, a few of Valentin's punches have slipped through, weakening me only slightly. Adrenaline continues to course through me, keeping me energised. I aim another straight punch his way, but within seconds Valentin has twisted me and I smack to the ground.
"Fuck," I yell.
Valentin laughs. He grabs my hands and pulls me up.
"You ok?"
"I'll be fine," I say, rubbing my back. "So what could I have done differently?"
Valentin's smile grows wider at my question. "You were great. Powerful and precise punches. If your opponent is taller than you, like me, use that to your advantage. Bring yourself closer to your opponent so they can't fully extend themselves." I nod, taking it all in. "5-minute break and we'll try again?"
"Yeah, sounds good," I wheeze, still catching my breath. I turn around to walk over to the water fountain.
Just as I finish drinking, a shadow hangs over me. I straighten up to see Mia Rinaldi standing before me. She's glaring at me, waiting expectantly.
"What?" I glare back.
"Enjoying the attention, are you?" I narrow my eyes, not knowing what she could mean. "First Belikov, now this guy? And don't get me started on Ivashkov!" She laughs evilly. My fists clench and I grit my teeth. "You must be working your way up the food chain. No wonder you're top of the class. Whore," she finally snaps, spitting next to my foot.
"What did you call me?" my voice shakes.
"You heard me. You're a fucking whore."
My fists clench but before I can even think of acting something catches my eye. Belikov watches our encounter from a distance, not close enough to hear what's been said, but close enough to notice this conversation may not end so well. He gives me a warning look. It's enough for me to rethink my actions. I face Mia once again. I paste a fake smile on my face.
"Ahh, Mia. Always a pleasure." With that, I walk away, shaking in anger.
I storm off outside, unable to continue with the lesson. I push the doors open forcefully and it bangs open and then shut. I breathe in the fresh air, letting it calm my temper. I pace back and forth, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Don't let her get to you, I keep repeating to myself.
I hear the door open. I don't need to look to know who it is. I've spent enough time with him recently to pick up on his cool but spicy scent, immediately signalling me of his presence.
"Want to tell me what that was about?" Belikov asks calmly.
"Not really," I answer, immediately.
There's a moment's pause.
"Well done for not retaliating. You did well."
My eyes snap to his and my movements still. Of all the things, I thought he would say, this was not what I had expected. A small smile graces his lips at my stunned expression.
"You thought about your actions and you were the better person."
"Only because there were witnesses." I keep it to myself that it was because he was watching.
He schools his expression to remain impassive. I have a strong feeling he's preventing himself from rolling his eyes at my comment.
"Always choose to be the bigger person, Hathaway. And let me remind you," he adds, folding his arms, "you graduate in a few months. One more outburst and you may ruin your chances of graduating, let alone being Princess Vasilisa's guardian." I swallow, letting his comment sink in. He edges a little closer, lowering his voice. "Promise me you won't get yourself into trouble."
My heart flutters.
"You know I can't promise anything," I say softly… honestly. "Sometimes…" I frown, trying to piece my thoughts together. "Sometimes, I don't know what comes over me," I say slowly. "I can't help but burst, you know?" I say meekly, feeling younger than I've ever felt before in front of Belikov.
His expression softens at my honesty.
"You've got Princess Vasilisa and other close friends, who I'm sure you can trust. Talk to them when you feel stressed, upset, angry." Belikov surprises me once more with this advice. "Sometimes we can't help but burst because we're dealing with so much and holding it in. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. Thanks," I smile.
I'm rewarded with a sweet smile back.
"And," he continues carefully, "if anyone bothers you, you can let me know too." I know he means it as my teacher, but I can't help but feel that it means more. I'm being ridiculous of course!
"I will if you hand it to them in combat training?" I say innocently, phrasing it like a question.
This earns me my biggest reward yet. He laughs aloud, a deep melodic sound.
I realise that during this whole encounter, my previous anger has diminished and now I am as relaxed as ever.
"Thanks, Guardian Belikov," I say with a smile once more. He smiles back.
"You ready for round two with Valentin?" he asks, gesturing towards the doors. "You held up nicely the first round." I grin. His admission notifying me that he had been watching.
"Yeah, let's get it!"
