Dimitri Belikov

"So, you know those two girls everyone is talking about?" Vika asked as she caught up to, sitting her tray on the table. "The ones that ran away?" she needlessly clarified. "People are saying she killed Strigoi and a pack of Psi-hounds while they were among the humans."

"Vika, you should know better than to listen to gossip." I warned her, as I brought a spoonful of Chili to my mouth.

"Her name is Rose something. They say she can be a real bitch. Right before they ran away, she went crazy and completely destroyed an entire room because she got mad at some Moroi. I overheard a group of Moroi in the hallway earlier…"

"Vika, why do you even care? We are here to train, graduate, and hopefully find good charges. You shouldn't waste your time on their gossips and problems." I chastised her. I had heard the story, well parts of it first hand, and it was nothing like people were making it out to be. The memory of Rose being led from the classroom in tears looking like a war torn soldier flickered in my mind. "It's better to not get close to anyone here. You most likely won't see them again after this year."

"Dimka, you can't expect me to go a whole year without friends." Her voice raised an octave in disbelief.

"By the time school starts next year, St Basil's will be rebuilt and you will be returning to Russia. I will have graduated and will be most likely guarding Ivan. Don't set yourself up for heartbreak, Vika. I'm not saying you have to be antisocial, but don't let them close to you. Don't get caught up in their lives. It will just make leaving even harder."

"I understand." Vika mumbled her face showed her disappointment.

"Hey, we will use the computer and call home before we go to practice. Seeing Momma and the others will cheer you up, aye?" I knew we were both beginning to miss home. Vika eyes brightened up and a big smile spread across her face.

"Sonja and Karolina are going to get a good laugh when I tell them that the girls around here have dubbed you 'the Russian God'." She laughed. "I think the boys are beginning to get jealous. You're stealing attention away from them. I bet it makes Nika…" Her words trailed off as the cafeteria began growing silent. Looking over her shoulder, I could see Rose and the princess were walking through. "It's so sad. The people are being so cruel. Maybe I should invite them to sit with us."

"Vika, remember, don't get caught up in their lives. Leave them be. Especially the Rose girl, they might be unfair to her, but she brought a lot of it on herself. She's trouble Viktoria. Trouble that you don't need to be caught up in," she gave the two girls one last sad look at my words and turned back to meal.

We finished our meal and as we were leaving, one of the school Guardians approached us. "Head Guardian Petrova would like for you to join her in Headmistress Kirova's office. I'm to lead you there." I gave Vika a questioning look, but her widened eyes and small shrug told me she had not done anything to warrant discipline. The headmistress welcomed us in with a sincere smile.

"Guardian Petrova, Guardian Hathaway, please meet Novices Dimitri and Viktoria Belikov." She said in introduction. "Please, take a seat." She waved towards a couple of empty chairs. "Guardian Petrova, now that they are here, please continue."

"Oh, yes. While I was assessing Novice Belikov, I realized he was months ahead of our students here at St. Vladimir's. Through our discussion, I have firm believe that Novice Belikova is just as advanced. St. Basil's Academy had a very interesting system in place. One that I think would benefit this school." Guardian Petrova began. My shoulders relaxed, knowing that neither of us was in trouble. The head guardian went on to explain how training at St Basil's worked.

"That seems like it would be a large undertaking. St Vladimir's is one of the larger schools, but even we don't have an endless supply of Guardians. Guardian numbers are dropping more and more every day. How did St. Basil's acquire enough Guardians to carry out that sort of training?" Headmistress Kirova turned her attention to me.

"Well, some of them traveled in a few times a week from nearby Dhampir Communities. It kept them up on their skills in conjunction with providing extra training for the novices." I said quietly. Headmistress Kirova's face turned to shocked disgust at the mention of Dhampir communities. They really weren't viewed all that well with most of our kind.

"Ellen, really, they aren't as bad as you lot make them out to be. I raised Rose in a Dhampir community for the first few years of her life. They aren't made up of just blood whores and Dhampir who are lucky enough to live long enough to retire. There are more respectable women than what you have been led to believe." Guardian Hathaway spoke in a cool even tone. I felt my respect grow for her with each word of defense she uttered and found myself nodding my head in agreement with her.

"Still not everyone is blessed with Ma…" Kirova began. Guardian Hathaway stood quickly from her chair.

"Remember your promise, Ellen." She said near threateningly as she peered at Vika and me from the corner of her eye. Headmistress Kirova cleared her throat and with dipped her head in apology. Weird, I thought. "Yes, I was lucky to have financial help; many of the Dhampir mother's actually receive small allotments from their Moroi partners. Those that don't will usually find very respectable ways to earn their living." Guardian Hathaway sat back down, but her words were still laced with a good bit of venom.

"That may be so, we are getting off topic. Even if we did hire out from these communities, how do you think parents would react to that, Moroi parents, especially?"

"A Guardian is a Guardian; there is no need to explain where they come from. It's not like they pay that close attention to faces that they will only see a few times a year anyhow." Guardian Petrova pointed out.

"How well did the Guardians from the communities do in their teachings?" Headmistress Kirova asked.

"Well, they're months ahead of the other students. How do you think they did?" Guardian Petrova answered the headmistress' question before I could. The headmistress nodded and then looked as if she was deep in thought.

"I will consider it then." She finally conceded to the room.

"If it helps any, the reason why so many Dhampir children attended St Basil's, was because of the employment of their parents. Though most of the girls did not receive their promise marks, they still came away with training." Vika piped in, giving them something else to think on.

"Yes, yes. That makes sense." Kirova noted the time and turned her gaze on us. "You'll be late for class. Let me give you a hall pass and you can go." She finished, giving us a small smile. I walked Vika to her class and after telling her I would see her later, I headed off to finish my afternoon schedule.

I met Vika in the commons area of the Novice dormitory and together we went to my room to call home. It was good to see my family's faces. Vika launched into detail about the Moroi Princess and the girl novice. My sisters ate up the gossip, looks of shock on their faces.

"The girl will have to battle darkness unknown to our time, but with the right friends, she will overcome." My babushka's voice spoke over the others. "I have seen it and it will be." She looked knowingly at us through the camera. My grandmother, Yeva, was nearing her mid-sixties and enjoyed bestowing cryptic messages of foretelling dreams she claimed to have had. She was much respected back home, and her words were never ignored. They always had a way of coming to be. Not really knowing what she spoke of, I thanked her and after saying our goodbyes, I closed my laptop.

Vika grabbed her gym bag, saying she had to run and go change and would meet me at the gym shortly. I stopped her and led her to the small bathroom attached to my room. "You have your own bathroom?" Her voice filled with envy and admiration. I smiled at her and gave her a push through the door. I sat at my desk and pondered my grandmother's words as I waited for her to finish so I could change my own clothes.

The gym was empty when we arrived. It was a big difference from St. Basil's. The gym there seemed to always be at least half filled back home. I led Vika through some stretches and running lines before heading out to the track.

"First one to the track gets half of the other's cookies Mamma is sending." Vika called out as she dashed forward. I began to follow her, but noticed Guardian Hathaway and her daughter already running laps. My steps slowed as I raked my eyes over Rose. Feeling my body begin to react, I shook my head and seeing that Vika was nearly to the track. I picked up my pace to rejoin her.

We had run half our laps, when I watched as the Hathaway paired slowed down and jogged into the field the track encircled. "She's very pretty." Vika said as she followed my gaze. I looked back at her trying to find an appropriate reply when her face lit up like it was Christmas. "They're going to spar. I wonder how good she is."

"Keep running Vika, we aren't done yet. We can watch them then." Bumping her shoulder and causing to stumble slightly sideways, I sped away from her, laughing. Vika yelled out behind me and I heard her pace pick up as well. I watched the mother daughter team from the corner of my eye.

Slowing to a jog so Vika could catch up, I saw Guardian Hathaway pin her daughter several times. It was as if the girl didn't know how to fight at all. Where was the feisty fighter I had seen in the gym? If she was already worn down from this morning's training, there was no way she could have killed a Strigoi. To think, I felt bad for the girl and even somewhat defended her in class. It looked like I had been made a fool. I had defended the girl against her own lies.

I finished my laps, without giving them another glance. I had taken some comfort in knowing that I wasn't the only student here that had killed Strigoi but loosing that common ground even if it was with a stranger made me miss my family and Ivan even more.

"….must have done some good. Look at them now." Vika broke through my thoughts.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Whatever the Guardian had said to her must have done some good. Rose is really putting up a fight now."

I glanced over and saw that Rose was blocking much better than before. Then without warning, Rose froze just as Guardian Hathaway sent a punch right towards her head. Vika gasped next to me, "That's going to hurt." She murmured. "I think she needs help with her technique. Maybe you could offer to help her out. You've done a good job with me."

"I don't think so Vika; her mother can probably teach her more than I could."

"Her mother," she questioned.

"Yeah, the woman she is sparring with is the Guardian you met in the headmistress' office. Guardian Hathaway is Rose's mother." I explained. Vika pursed her lips as she processed the new information.

"Well they've left the field so let's spar." She said coming out of her musings.

I nearly had Vika; I grabbed her arm, to spin her away from me so I could bring my practice stake to her chest. Instead I felt her hand dig into my forearm and she kept the spin going. Narrowing my eyes as I was about to admonish her for playing around, she quickly let go, the loss of her counterweight causing me to stumble. Before I could catch my balance, I felt as she landed on my back, legs wrapping around my waist, as her arm came around, landing her stake against my chest. "Dead," She crowed, as clapping began behind us.

I spun around, Vika still attached to my back. "Ivan!" her surprised yelp came. I grinned down at Ivan and tried to shake Vika off my back. The little fiend just held on tighter.

"Dimka, I didn't know that you were allowed to carry monkeys around at schools in America." Ivan greeted me laughing. He reached around as if he was going to hug me, but began tickling Vika's sides.

"No Ivan, don't, you'll make me pee." Vika thrashed in laughter.

"Zeklos if she pees down my back, we're trading clothes." I told him backing away. "How have you been? Did you have fun at Court with your parents?"

"Good and yes. I've just about talked them into letting me stay with my Uncle and finishing the school year out here in Montana." He looked like he had just won the lottery. "Well you little tree nymph, come down off that mountain and give me a proper hug." Vika giggled and I felt as she dropped from my back, before launching herself into Ivan's waiting arms.

"Ivan." I warned. He raised his eyebrows at me, letting go of Vika with one arm and guiding her back towards me. With one arm around each of our shoulders, he led us to an apartment in guest housing. His parents had decided that they would stay and tour the school for a week before making a final decision of whether he would stay or not.

"Ivan, there's word that there is a party in the Royal student lounge. Think you could sneak me in?" Vika said after we had finished dinner. Great, Ivan never turned a party down. I was hoping that Vika hadn't caught any talk of it. Ivan immediately jumped at the idea and before I knew it, we were heading off toward the Moroi dormitory.