Chapter 10
"So, what was that all about with Rinaldi earlier?" Mason asks, as we tuck into our dinners. Lissa and Christian; who are also dining with us, look on, intrigued.
I sigh before taking a bite of my jacket potato and beans. "Sprouting shit as usual." Through the bond, I note Lissa is intrigued to know what exactly Mia has said but knows I don't want to discuss it.
Mason laughs. "I'm surprised you didn't knock her out! It sure looked like you were about to." Christian smirks at this news.
"I'm proud of you, Rose," Lissa smiles brightly and I feel this through the bond, warming me. I smile back, gratefully.
"Can we possibly expect a new, tamed Rose?" Christian asks mockingly, eyes wide in shock.
"Oh man! But we need all the action and excitement we can get here!" Mason says.
"At the expense of me getting kicked out? I don't think so. I need to lay low until graduation," I explain.
"Where's the fun in that?!" Christian says, aghast.
"Shut it, flame boy. Eat your food, it's getting cold," I instruct, looking down at his untouched dinner.
"What the fuck, man?" Mason all but screams, leaping out of his chair. Flames appear under Christian's plate.
"What?" Christian asks innocently. "Just warming up my food."
Lissa rolls her eyes and places a delicate hand on Christian's thigh. Her unspoken words are clear. The flames immediately disappear.
"One day, you're going to burn the school down," Mason warns, sitting back down, not before edging as far away as possible from Christian.
"Anyway," I say, standing up with my tray. "I'm heading to the library, got some reading to do."
"Sorry," says Christian seriously, "I don't think I heard correctly. I thought you said you've got reading to do." He laughs as if this is the craziest thing he's heard. I'm glad to see Lissa look on disapprovingly.
I decide I'm better off not commenting. After all, I'm going to have to start taking the high road these days. I look at him blankly before leaving the cafeteria.
"Oh come on, Rose," Christian calls out after me, "give me something," he pleads. I hear Mason chuckle.
I find a quiet corner and pull out Vladimir's diary, along with a pen and post-it notes at the ready if I find anything significant. Ever since opening this diary, I've had a niggling feeling that it would somehow unravel some truth about spirit and the bond.
Ever since the bond appeared last year, Lissa and I had been reluctant to discuss it with anyone. Even in our vampire world, the ability to hear thoughts was abnormal. Paired with Lissa's inability to control any of the elements; the bond was something we didn't feel like sharing with others until we understood it a little more. To this day, only Mason, Christian and Adrian know our secret.
I'm engrossed in the text and it doesn't take long before I start sticking post-it notes against interesting parts of Vladimir's day. I begin noticing a trend between Vladimir and his loyal guardian, Anna. It's clear, through Vladimir's writing, the level of respect and fondness he shared for her. I'm confident it was mutual reading how Anna protects and comforts him in his times of need. There are more than a few occasions where Vladimir appears to have a breakdown but Anna was always there reassuring him.
"Fancy seeing you here, little dhampir." I look up to meet Adrian's charming smile. "I see you've taken interest in Vladimir's diary," he says, nodding towards the book while pulling out the chair beside me and placing his own books on the table. "Find anything interesting?"
"Lots," I say, brushing my fingers along the edge of the book where bright post-it notes poke out. "But before that, tell me what happened earlier with Lissa. I know you saw something."
His lips turn up slowly into a boyish grin. "What are you going to do for me if I tell you?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
I match him with my own devilish grin. "I think the real question is 'what will I do to you if you don't tell me?'."
He clears his throat and moves away from me slightly in his chair. "Fair point," he mumbles, his fingers unconsciously touching his neck. I'm positive he's recalling the moment I shoved him against the wall by the neck with my forearm the first time he ever made a pass at me. My grin widens.
"Okay, so basically," he begins, turning serious, "your aura has always been," he pauses, trying to find the right word, "…unique." I nod, recalling what he's told me in the past about my aura. His eyes travel around the perimeter of my body and I know he searches my aura once more. "With everyone else, the colours swirl around. Nothing's distinct but you still get a sense of their emotions. Yours… always has that haze of darkness floating around." I keep listening without interrupting, despite having heard all this before. "But earlier with Lissa…" Adrian's brows furrow, as he recalls what happened. "It was weird because I didn't see any darkness in Lissa's aura and yet when you walked over to her it was as if your aura sucked out the darkness from Lissa's."
"So that's what you saw?" I ask slowly. "How do you know it came from Lissa's aura if she didn't have anything there in the first place?" I ask, confused.
"I don't know how to describe it. You walked over to her and it's as if this darkness was being pulled out from Lissa's and sucked into yours. It's the only way I can explain it," he shrugs.
"Huh." I don't know what else to say. "Just let me know if you see it happen again," I say, rubbing my eyes. I had thought what Adrian saw earlier would help. Instead, it leaves me feeling more confused than ever.
"Of course," Adrian replies softly, sensing how I feel, whether through my aura or in my tone. "So," he says, perking up once more, "anything worth sharing?" he asks, nodding to the diary once more.
I open the diary and reveal the sections in the diary with Vladimir's breakdowns but then his sense of relief once Anna is there to comfort him.
"You think they share a bond like you and Lissa?" asks Adrian, his eyes skimming over the last piece I found.
"Don't you? It can't be a coincidence. Anna's always there at the right times."
"She is his guardian."
"Yes and how rare would that have been all those centuries ago?"
"True," Adrian agrees, finally looking at me.
"If Vladimir is like Lissa," I say, my voice dropping low, "what does that tell us about her?" I know Adrian sees the fear in my eyes. The fear that Lissa too will have more frequent breakdowns.
"This is an insight into Vladimir's life, not Lissa's. There might be some similarities potentially but let's not assume anything just yet," Adrian says, smiling kindly. I nod. I try to take the comfort he is offering but the worry remains.
Usually waking up Monday morning is a pain! Usually I'm groggy and smacking the snooze button and dragging the covers above my head, begging for a few more moments of precious sleep. Not today. I'm wide awake before my alarm even goes off.
I hate to admit it to myself but I know why. I finally accept the embarrassing fact that I'm crushing on my drop dead gorgeous and badass instructor / soon-to-be guarding partner. I pull the pillow from under my head and press it to my face and let out a scream.
Why is this happening to me?! This time last week he wasn't even a blip on my radar, he was just another asshole instructor who made my life a pain. Now… I close my eyes and picture his bottomless brown eyes and dark silky hair tied up in that man bun of his that he pulls off so effortlessly. Butterflies swirl in my stomach at the thought of him. I scream one last time into my pillow before jumping up from bed and hopping into the shower, hoping it will wash away my inappropriate thoughts.
In record time, I'm walking towards Belikov down at the field. As usual, he is already there and has begun on his stretches. I ignore how my heart skips a beat just at the sight of him. Fool, I scold myself. Belikov straightens up when he notices me. A smile graces his handsome features. I find myself unconsciously glaring at him, blaming him for how I feel right now! His eyes narrow slightly but his smile remains.
"What?" he asks, once I reach him.
"Nothing," I reply innocently.
He nods as if to say 'okay'. I know he's confused. I bite my lip to stop from laughing. He notices and sighs, exasperated. His eyes dart away in a half roll of his eyes at my antics before reaching mine once more.
"You came?" he says it as if in question. Now I know my behaviour has truly confused him that he has to confirm whether I'm joining him or not. I can't help it and I end up laughing aloud this time. He watches on amused. "What is with you today, Hathaway?"
"Nothing," I repeat once I stop laughing.
Belikov sighs once more. "You've officially wasted 2 minutes of my time," he says, glancing at his watch. "Come on, stretches."
"Ay, ay, comrade," I say with a salute.
He ignores me.
More of the story will unravel next chapter J