Hello, my pretties (:
I just wanted to tell everybody to expect an update on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. I absolutely can't update on Mondays or Tuesdays... just so ya know. (:
Any ways... I dont really have anything to say...
Enjoy! (:
Mr. Nagy wasn't exactly one of my favorite teachers to begin with, but when he entered the Guardian lounge with a smirk and a little piece of paper, my dislike grew.
"Hello, Guardian Belikov. Guess what I found in my class this morning?" he asked, tossing the paper at me from across the table. I looked at him questioningly. What was this? I picked it up and slowly unfolded it, not quite sure what I would find…
So, I saw J last night.
What happened?
What do you think happened? We hooked up in one of the empty lounges.
How was it?
Good. (:
So, like, how far did you guys go?
Not very. We got caught. ):
What happened?
Dimitri showed up. He threw Jesse out and then bitched me out.
I knew that handwriting. The sloppy, loopy handwriting of the one and only- Miss Rosemarie Hathaway. I assumed Lissa was the one with more legible handwriting.
"Why are you showing me this?" I ask, completely dumb-founded. Why on earth would he show me this… and why on earth would he have it?
"I caught Rose and Vasilisa passing notes in class today." He stated simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I held the note in a clenched hand.
"Why do you have their note?" I asked, would he tell Kirova that I hadn't punished that Jesse Bastard? Eh. I could handle that.
"I caught them in class passing notes. So naturally I read it to the whole class." He said with a smirk. "I thought you were going to help her with her control issue, Belikov? She hasn't changed much since before she left." he said, and walked out.
Screw him. I would have punched him square in the face if I hadn't been staring at the note again.
How was it?
Good. (:
Those two lines taunted me, replaying over and over in my head.
Good. (:
Good. (:
Good. (:
Good. (:
I got almost no sleep for the next week.
"What's the first problem you'll come into while facing a Strigoi?" I asked Rose during practice. She had kept to her promise, coming in before and after classes. She was now training with me for two hours a day, instead of one.
"They're immortal?"
"Think of something more basic?" I told her.
I could see her thinking for a moment before stating, "they could be bigger that me. And stronger." I nodded at her.
"That makes it difficult but not impossible. You can usually use a person's extra height and weight against them. I turned from her and demonstrated a few quick maneuvers. I made it a point to show her when to move and how to strike someone. I went through it with her a second time and I could see realization spread across her face. She absorbed the techniques quickly and finally it was time to put the lesson to use.
"Go ahead." I said to her. "Try to hit me."
She definitely didn't need to be told twice. She tried to land a blow and I swiftly blocked it, knocking her to the ground. She quickly jumped up, probably hoping to catch me off guard. She didn't.
After several perfect-but failed-attempts, she stood up and held out her hands in a gesture of truce. "Okay, what am I doing wrong?" she asked, exasperated.
"Nothing." Rose didn't look as convinced. "if I wasn't doing anything wrong, I'd have rendered you unconscious by now." She said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Unlikely. Your moves are all correct, but this is the first time you've really tried. I've done it for years." I stated. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever you say, Grandpa. Can we try it again?" she was so dedicated- it was one of the things I admired about her the most. But sadly, our time together was just about up. She needed to get ready for the Banquet.
"We're out of time. Don't you want to get ready?" I asked, she quickly glanced at the clock and her face perked up, alight with the glow of happiness.
"Hell, yeah, I do." She exclaimed. I walked off ahead of her, and suddenly felt the heat of her gaze on my back. Then, loud and high, came Rose's battle cry. I suppressed the urge to smile. Before she could make contact, I spun around. I one deft motion I grabbed her and pinned her on the ground. She groaned.
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
My eyes looked levelly into her as I held her wrists. Her agitation amused me. She was right; she wasn't doing anything wrong…. Except for that little thing called a battle cry. "The battle cry sort of gave you away. Try not to yell next time." I said, a smile almost escaping my already deteriating Guardian mask.
"Would it really have made a difference if I had been quiet?" she asked. Hmm… would it have made a difference? No. it probably wouldn't have.
"No. Probably not." I said. She sighed loudly, and that's when I realized I was still flat out on top of her. I could feel every bump and curve of her body, which was tightly pressed against mine. I pushed the image of her clad in jeans and a bra as her face looked strangled. It looked like she was trying to appear calm. Huh.
"So, um… you got any more moved to show me?" she said after a while. There are plenty of things I can show you… my lips twitched, for a moment, I let my guard down, for a moment, she almost broke me free. For a moment. With visible effort, I pushed the smile back, not letting her see how happy I was to just be close to her. I shifted off of her, leaned back, and rose to my feet. Come on. We should go." She scrambled up on her own feet and followed me out of the gym, I didn't look back at her as we walked to her dorm, I couldn't. I couldn't look at her now, she probably knew about my silly infatuation with her. She probably thought it was disgusting. I had to be out of my mind. She was seven years younger than me. Younger. Seven years was a lot. I had been learning to read and write when she was born.
They had definitely out-done themselves. The normally boring commons was transformed into a bona fide dining room. Vases spilling over with crimson roses and delicate white lilies. Glowing candles. Tablecloths made of- wait for it –bloodred linen. How cliché. The effect was stunning though. You could barely recognize the place. It looked fit for the queen.
The tables have been arranged in straight lines, creating an aisle down the middle of the room. The students had assigned seating, naturally, Vasilisa was up in the front with other Royal Moroi, Rose was in the back with the other novices. I saw Lissa catch Rose's eye and smile at her, Rose waved to her and took her seat.
They always conducted these formal banquets in the same fashion. A head table sat on t dais at the front of the room, where we would be able to all have a clear view of Queen Tatiana. All of the Guardians lined the walls, stiff and formal. We had broken out or formal black and white suits complete with earpieces for communicating in case of an emergency. My eyes stared straight, looking at nothing, but seeing all.
When the time came for the Royals to come in, all of the seated students stood up respectfully as they walked down the aisle. Once the Royals passed, four solemn Guardians entered with red-and-black-pin-striped jackets entered the commons. Everybody but the Guardians standing with me up against the wall sank to their knees as a sign of respect. Which was kind of silly, but it was Moroi tradition, and we all know how much the Moroi love their traditions.
Queen Tatiana followed her Guardians, wearing a red silk dress that somewhat matched her Guardian's jackets. She was in her early sixties and had dark grey hair that bobbed to her chin and crowned with a Miss America-type tiara. She moved into the room slowly, like she was taking a stroll, four more Guardians at her back.
She moved through the novice section fairly quickly, though she did nod and smile here and there. Dhampirs might just be half-human, illegitimate children of the Moroi, but we trained and dedicated our lives to serving and protecting them. The likelihood that most of these students would die young, protecting their Moroi was strong- and the Queen had to show her respect for that.
When she got to the Moroi section, she paused longer and actually spoke to some of the students. Which quite frankly, was really rude. It was a big deal to be acknowledged, mostly a sign that someone's parents had gotten in good with her. And naturally, the Royals got the most attention.
"Vasilisa Dragomir." Both mine and Rose's heads shot up. Rose, breaking protocol, pushed and wiggled her way to get a better look at what was happening. I happened to have a perfect view of both Rose and Lissa.
"We heard you had returned. We are glad to have the Dragomirs back, even though, only one remains. We deeply regret the loss of your parents and your brother; they were among the finest of the Moroi, their death a true tragedy. The queen stated. I was completely shocked. That was a complement. The queen continued, and just as everybody else in the room, I hung on her every word.
"You have an interesting name," she continued. "Many heroines in Russian fairy tales are names Vasilisa. Vasilisa the Brave, Vasilisa the Beautiful. They are different young women; all have the same name and the same excellent qualities: strength, intelligence, discipline, virtue. All accomplish great things, triumphing over their adversaries.
"Likewise, the Dragomir name commands its own respect. Dragomir kings and queens have ruled wisely and justly in out history. They have used their powers for miraculous ends. They have slain Strigoi, fighting right alongside their Guardians. They are royal for a reason." Tatiana paused for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully. This isn't going to end very well… "Yes," she finally continued. "You are doubly named with power. Your name represents the finest qualities people have to offer and hearken back in time to deeds of greatness and valor." She paused again, and I could feel it coming on. The queen would not just say this to her without having something to rebuke it with. "but, as you demonstrated, names do not make a person. Nor do they have any bearing on how a person turns out." And with that verbal bitch slap, she turned away and continued her procession.
A collective shock filled the room. Nobody could believe that the queen had gone there. I couldn't even believe that she had gone there. But she had. I chanced a glance at Rose and flinched. She looked about ready to jump the queen and rip her to smithereens. The look on Lissa's face was a look of total mortification. I instantly felt bad for her. The queen had no right in saying that in front of everybody, it was completely unjust. Uncalled for. Rude even. But she was the queen; she could go there and not go through hell for it. For the rest of the dinner, I stood there, in the back, completely spaced out, thinking of ways I could successfully, punch the queen in the face.
After the dinner, the school had planned a reception for all of the Royal guests in one of the other common rooms. As everyone was leaving to go to the reception, Alberta came up to me, speaking into her earpiece- one that I hadn't been given.
"…yup. He is right here. Yes. I will tell him right away." she was saying. She looked up to me with a small smile. "Headmistress wants you to make sure Rose goes directly back to her dorm." I gave her a sharp nod before turning away to go find Rose.
I made my way around all of the socializing Moroi, pushing through the immensely thick crowd. Once I made it through the crowd, I pushed open the heavy, solid wood doors and stepped outside, in the crisp, fresh air. Glancing around I noticed there was a forming group surrounding none other than Rose, Lissa, and Mia Rinaldi. Joy.
"..Try and touch me now and find out." Rose said menacingly, which wasn't hard for her because she was already pissed off at the queen for humiliating Lissa just before dinner. She suddenly looked past Mia and looked directly at me. When we made eye contact, I strode quickly forward, shifting my attention when I noticed that the crowd had grown while I had been walking over to them.
I stood in front of her and crossed my arms across my chest. "Everything all right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Rose, daring her to tell me the truth.
"Sure thing, Guardian Belikov." She said smiling with a fake kind of sweetness, but I could tell she was a walking fire bomb, furious and ready to explode on any innocent bystander. Rose got a kind of evil glint in her eyes, "We were just swapping family stories. Ever heard Mia's? It's fascinating." She said with a sneer.
"Come on," Mia said to her posse. She led them off, but not before she gave Rose one last chilling look that said this is so not over. She would be back, and no doubt with something nasty to say about both Rose and the Princess.
"I'm supposed to take you back to your dorm," I tell her drily, as Rose watches Mia walk away. "You weren't about to start a fight, were you?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"Of course not," she said, still staring at the door Mia had just disappeared into. "I don't start fights where people can see them." She said drily. Lissa groaned. "Rose…"
"Let's go. Goodnight Princess." I said to Lissa, forgetting momentarily that she didn't like to be called that. Whoops.
I turned to leave, while Rose didn't even move. she was talking to Lissa.
"You going to be okay, Liss?" she asked, all of the anger drained from her voice as she looked at her best friend. And overwhelming feeling took over me then, I think it might have been pride? Rose may not know when to keep her mouth shut, she may not have the best control in the world, and she may be reckless, but she cares about Lissa more than anything. Lissa just nodded. "I'm fine…"
Both Rose and I knew that that was a lie, and I knew right away what Rose was thinking as she looked at her friend. That they shouldn't have come back. That it was wrong for them to be here. "Liss…" she whispered.
Vasilisa gave her a small, sad smile and nodded in my direction. "I told you I was fine. You've got to go." After a few moments of contemplation Rose reluctantly followed me. I led her out toward the other side of the garden. "We may need to add an extra training on self-control," I noted.
"I have plenty of self-contr-hey!" Rose stopped talking as she saw Christian Ozera slip past us, moving down the path that we had just come from. Ozera? What did he have anything to do with Rose?
"You going to see Lissa?" she demanded, releasing some of her pent up "Mia anger" onto the poor guy. God bless anyone who has been on the receiving side of Rosemarie Hathaway's rage tantrums.
"What if I am?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave her that bad-boy indifference.
I suddenly realized what was about to happen. "Rose, this isn't the time," I said. But Rose being Rose, she completely ignored me and gave me a look that said, oh, this is the perfect time!
"Why don't you just leave her alone? You are so messed up and desperate for attention that you can't tell when someone doesn't like you?" he scowled at her. "You're some crazy stalker and she knows it. She's told me all about your weird obsession- how you're always hanging out in the attic together, how you set Ralf on fire to impress her. She thinks you're a freak, but she's too nice to say anything." She yelled at him with menace and rage in her voice. Christian paled and something dark churned in his eyes.
"But you aren't too nice?"
"No. Not when I feel sorry for someone." I stood there in complete shock. Did she just say what I think she did? I think my mouth was hanging open. What the hell? Why the hell would she say something like that to someone? And straight up to their face? That was just… uncalled for.
"Enough." I said, putting my hands on Rose's shoulder and steering her away from the poor guy.
"Thanks for 'helping,' then." Christian snapped, his voice just dripping with animosity.
"No problem." She called over her shoulder.
Alright people. What did you think? I wanna know, and to be completely honest, I was a little hesitant to update today because of the lack of reviews... ): I understand that there are about 2,000 people who have read this story and only 20 of you have been nice enough to review... I dont want to come off as ungrateful because my mood just sky-rockets when I get a message saying that I have a review, or a new story alert, or a new author alert, reviews are what make me want to update... so please just take a minute out of your precious time and give me a little feedback. I really do appreciate it.
Thanks, and again, I don't mean to come off as ungrateful, I just gotta know what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.
Again, thanks.
Much love,
~Brittany3