Dimitri

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Dimitri was not known to Vasilissa - least of all to Rose - so he was entrusted to patrol the mall closest to the St. Vladimir Academy in Montana; common source of location of young people around the girls' age. Celeste - native to Montana and who had lived at the Academy for as long as she could remember - mapped the best common meeting places for young people to visit and divided up the guardians to patrol them.

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Dimitri walked around the mall, when he noticed a beautiful young woman - no more than 18 years old - on the shift at a coffee shop. The beautiful girl was dhampir, with long dark hair. He could not stop looking at her, her beauty seemed to go beyond herself. It was all of her... She was so beautiful in his eyes that it hurt to not look at her.

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So he went to ask for a coffee, trying to simply be near her.

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"Black coffee, please."

"Name?".

"Dimitri Belikov."

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She opened her big eyes and composed herself quickly. "Oh!, Russian?, I met some Belikovas in Russia," she smiled, flirting, and giving him his coffee, "Belikov is the male version."

"Da...", he smiled, "Belikov and Belikova in Russia aren't that weird," he looked into her eyes, taking a sip of it.

"Oh, in Baia they were just them", she let slip, dragging the words. She knew he was a dhampir, obviously... now she knew he was a dhampir... from Russia, what would be the odds of him to be of the same clan of the Belikovas she knew once?.

The cadence of her words reminded Dimitri of the snakes as they moved in the sand. "Yeva or Olena... Belikova?".

"Da! Both!".

"Olena Belikova from Baia is my mother".

"Mitya?" She asked, surprised, really surprised.

"That's what my Babushka always calls me," he smiled.

"Ah, Yeva," whispered the beautiful girl, "how are they and the girls and the little ones?".

"Doing well, the last time I talked to them," he took a sip of his coffee, still looking at her.

"Give them my regards... they were very kind to me", and moved to meet another client.

#

Dimitri was appalled. Who was the beautiful and mysterious girl? He picked up the phone to call his mother. But the feared Yeva attended. His Babushka.

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"Boy?", the sharp woman almost barked.

"Who is the beautiful young woman who traveled to Baia, Babushka?, long dark hair, big dark eyes... I don't remember hearing about her", with her, direct to the subject was the best way.

"She and her mother were in the winter here, about 4 years ago, her mother came to reinforce Baia's magic borders with Oskana and Roza was in St Basil that season... Roza hated the vampire schedule but endured it with dignity...".

"How did I not hear about that?".

"Janine asked us for discretion, she is hired by the Alchemists to ensure the safety of the communities."

"What?".

"This ensures that there are no dhampirs in the human world, they can do nothing to restrain the Morois, but it does restrict the dhampirs from wandering the world, if their communities are safe."

"And why Oskana?".

"She has a very rare magic, Mitya, along with the 4 elements she makes a more lasting protection, that discovery was found by Janine and she took it to the communities, she is recognized and well respected and we hope that Roza will follow her steps, even if it implies having a child - preferably a daughter - for the sake of the Dhampir race...".

"Janine... Hathaway?".

"Janine Hathaway, Miladi DeBruce."

"DeBruce?".

"Remember your lessons, boy. The Scottish King Robert TheBruce?, is the ancestor of Queen Victoria."

"Ah, Our ancestor," Dimitri finished.

"Treat them with respect, boy."

"The Dragomir girl is lost and only her friend Rose Hathaway can know her location."

"With respect, boy," and hung up.

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The beautiful young girl- yes, the same RoseMarie Hathaway - did not remain quiet either. She called her mother, to report the "sighting."

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"Olena's son, is right here, mom," she whispered on the phone.

"The son of Olena from Baia?, There in the cafeteria?".

"He isn't a guardian of the academy or to the Badicas... what to do? And Liss?".

"Watch over him and I warn you, do not let him go."

"Mom?". But Janine had already hung up.

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Meanwhile, Dimitri called the Court, to find out who the contact with the Alchemists was. He was transferred directly to Ibrahim. "Janine Hathaway can be located through the Alchemists... She was hired by them, she was even in Baia, with her daughter".

"In Baia, interesting, I was not aware, they kept it a secret, I wonder why. I'm going to call my contacts, and boy... where are you now?".

"The Mall closest to the Academy... I found RoseMarie Hathaway."

"Send me a photograph of her, boy, and continue your surveillance."

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Rose approached him a moment later and smiled. Dimitri moved his eyes from his book to her and returned the smile.

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"DeBruce, eh? We have the same ancestors."

"Olena?".

"My Babushka... and your mother, where is she now?".

"With me, obviously."

"Roza... I'm looking for a lost girl, moroi, with blond hair and green eyes, 16 years old, do you know where she could be?".

"Vlad or Badica?".

"What?".

"There is no more Moroi near Montana, that I have seen... the girl must be either one or the other, right?".

"Oh, yes, of course!", He realized, "the Academy of St Vladimir, in effect... why do not you go there?, you're Dhampir, you should be in training".

"Why should I? What have they done for me? My mother was abandoned at 18, without money, without help and with me in her womb... she went ahead alone, without Moroi help, without anything, despised for not aborting me. "

"Do you know any moroi, Roza, someone worth fighting or defending?".

"Dying, you mean?".

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Janine arrived at the end of the conversation. Dimitri looked at the petite Scotswoman without dissimulation and smiled gallantly. "Guardian Hathaway, I suppose ...", he nodded. It was as Rhea described it. Short height, curly red hair. Brown eyes... And yes, beautiful.

"Janine is fine... Dimitri Belikov, huh? You look a lot like Olena, how is your mother and grandmother? I have not been able to visit them again".

"All right, thank you... 4 years ago... I started as Lord Ivan Zeklos' guardian... I regret not meeting you then."

"What are you doing here, then? Are you no longer serving that Lord?".

"I'm on loan... a girl, daughter of prince Dragomir, was lost, her last location was in her academy... she came to this place a lot, it's logical to start here... the prince and his wife got injured and they have finally recovered the coma they were in... Lord André is still... unconscious... they are anxious for their daughter... ".

"Is that true? Lady Dragomir is alive?" Janine whispered.

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Dimitri picked up his phone and dialed the Dragomir Lady and handed it to Janine, speechless.

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"Yes?", The fragile voice of Rhea Dragomir was barely audible.

"It's Janine Hathaway."

"Janine!, do you know where my daughter is?".

"She's safe, with Rose and myself, obviously."

"Thank God! You can send her with guardian Belikov, Janine, please?".

"I'll see what we can do."

"Thank you!".

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"I'll wait for you in the afternoon," Janine looked at Dimitri as she handed him his phone.

"Mom!".

"They're her family, Rosie, they'll keep her safe... or so I hope, right?".

"Yes, with Prince Eric already out of danger, his daughter is under his care and if not, Lord Mazur will continue as her legal guardian... in either of the two ways, the queen will not be able to marry her to anyone."

"Marry Liss... by force... at age 16?, and they want her back there!" Rose jumped.

"No, Roza, Lord Mazur stopped that idea, but Lady Vasilissa must return with her family, to her mother and father."

"Come on, Rose," Janine said sharply, "we should talk to Lissa... 7pm, Dimitri."

"The address?".

"Ohhh, you are the guardians, you can find out, right?", she smiled.

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Oh, naughty Janine. What will happen now?

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Very soon in Senescal Mazur:

"NO, I have not a... father, guardian... of that Lord Mazur, he abandoned my mother and me, is that what do you call father?, surely he has a trophy wife and parasite children"

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