Sorry about the time it's been taking me to update. I've been feeling a little down about my writing lately, like maybe it's not that good. So, no guarantees that this one will be any good.
Btw, me and my good friend Miiz April, (yes, I was promptly informed by Miiz April herself that I spelt it wrong) are still trying to see who has more reviews on their stories. She is now 21 reviews in front of me. Very sad-making :'( Please help me :)
Anyway, hope this chapter was worth the wait,
WIWR xx ;)
V.A? Not mine :(
Sorry it's shorter, makes it easier to update the next chapter sooner, plus I had to merge chapters 10 and 11 from the book. There is no Dimitri in chapter 10 and I had no idea what to write.
-Chapter 10-
The next day, I was walking across the quad ready for my last duty for the day, in Rose's Slavic art class, when suddenly some young guardian came running up to me.
"Guardian Belikov!" he called. "Headmistress Kirova wants to see you in her office, right away."
Oh no. Had she found out about last night? I informed Alberta about taking extra trainings with Rose, she didn't argue. So maybe that was what I was being summoned for. But if Headmistress Kirova had found out. . . . This wasn't good.
I walked to her office alongside the young guardian. I remembered when he was a student at the school just after I was transferred. But I couldn't remember his name.
When I entered Kirova's office, she was nowhere to be found, so I waited. It was twenty minutes before she showed up.
"Oh," she said, a little startled when she walked in to find me standing and waiting patiently in the middle of the room. "Guardian Belikov, what can I do for you?"
"I was informed you wanted to see me, Headmistress Kirova," I told her. Typical.
"Oh, yes of course. It's about Rose," she said as she sat behind her crowded desk. I started to worry, a small bead of sweat dripping along my temple. "As you know, All Saints Day is approaching and Queen Tatiana is coming for the dinner." What did any of this have to do with Rose? "So, how as Rose been doing in these trainings of yours? Is her temper in control? Has she been working hard?"
Realization dawned on me. "Oh, yes, she's been much more controlled and we've even added on an extra two hours a day, because she's so eager to catch up and graduate."
Headmistress Kirova looked taken aback. "Oh, really? Well, then I guess she will be granted permission to go to the banquet dinner, but if she ruins this dinner, in front of the queen, her punishment will be very severe."
I nodded and she excused me from her office.
That afternoon I arrived at the gym a few minutes early in some loose clothes.
When Rose walked in I caught her looking me up and down. I watched her as she mentally slapped herself. She was a strange one.
I moved her to face me on the mat and crossed my arms. "What's the first problem you'll run into when facing a Strigoi?"
"They're immortal?" Oh, Rose. Always going for the obvious answer.
"Think of something more basic."
She thought about it for a moment. "They could be bigger than me. And stronger." That was a very high likelihood. Rose was short, yet still taller than her mother. And the chance of a Strigoi being stronger than her was inevitable. I could never really show her that strength personally.
I nodded to her. "That makes it difficult, but not impossible. You can usually use a person's extra height and weight against them." And so it began.
I showed her several strategic maneuvers to help her gain an advantage over me. The height difference was something I could show her personally, and it worked.
"Go ahead," I said. "Try to hit me."
I knew she wouldn't need to be told twice, and I was right. Instantly she attacked. Well . . . she attempted to land a blow on me. Just like the first night we met, I blocked her attack swiftly and put her on the mat. Only, unlike that night in Portland, her technique was near perfect.
She went at me again. This time it was more like an 'epic fail'. Followed by several more.
When she finally gave up, she asked, "Okay, what am I doing wrong?"
"Nothing," I said to her smugly, but not letting it show.
She obviously didn't believe me. "If I wasn't doing anything wrong, I'd have rendered you unconscious by now."
I resisted the urge to laugh. "Unlikely. You're moves are all correct, but this is the first time you've really tried. I've done it for years."
I didn't understand why she shook her head and rolled her eyes at me like I was some grandpa. I was only twenty-four. Twenty-four, I reminded myself, seven years older than her. This sent my mood down a little. Huh?
"Whatever you say, Grandpa. Can we try it again?" I would have said yes, but then I remembered the banquet.
"We're out of time. Don't you want to get ready?"
She looked to the clock and instantly her mood rocketed a thousand times. She was suddenly very giddy and it made me smile at her, although she wasn't paying attention to me.
"Hell, yeah, I do."
I walked towards the door ahead of her, and suddenly heard, "Attack!" from behind me. With a small smile I turned around at high speed and didn't even let her make contact. Like she weighed less than air, I pinned her down on the ground with a thud.
She groaned in my ear. I pulled back slightly to look her in the face. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
For what must have been the third time, I resisted the urge to laugh at her, and it was much harder this time. She really knew how to be funny. "The battle cry sort of gave you away. Try not to yel next time."
"Would it have really made a difference if I'd been quiet?"
It probably would have, just a bit, but as if she wouldn't cry out. "No. Probably not."
She sighed loudly.
I stayed on top of her for a minute longer. Her eyes bore into mine and I knew I should have gotten up, but I just couldn't make my body move. The silence between us wasn't eerie, it was peaceful. I seemed to find so much peace with Rose.
"So um . . . you got any other moves to show me?"
I almost smiled, and then, with a strange amount of effort, pulled back. I finally shifted off her and rose to my feet. "Come on, we should go."
We both exited the gym and just before we parted, I had to make sure.
"I can trust you tonight, can't I Rose?" She stared at me, confusion all over her fierce face. "I've been sticking my neck out for you for the last month. You're not going to ruin all that hard work tonight are you?"
Confusion turned to realization. "Oh." She seemed a little upset that I doubted her, but she quickly let her normal nature kick in. "Only if Tatiana doesn't start something."
I shook my head and walked away, only letting myself laugh after she was long out of hearing range.
Thanks for reviewing: Baseballshoppingmomma, Cladooshkaa, amberrosalie, VampHeart9123, et1141412, twimomlovesdimitri, 3Zayna3, Mordanyes and lukesxgirlfriend for the lovely reviews! I love it so much, praise from you guys gives me a goal.
So I'll have the next chap up in a few days :)