~x~ Chapter 57 ~x~
"Valentine… are you alright?" he asked hesitantly.
"I've studied a little about them." I lied. I knew more than just a little. Hard not to know about them when Rosette was a Spirit user. "They can pretty much control everyone and anyone with a thing called compulsion, right?"
"All Moroi have compulsion but Spirit users have a special affinity with it amongst other things. You know Dr. Salvatore?"
"Yeah."
"She's a Spirit user and she heals people really well just as Lady Drozdov can. Apparently Dr. Salvatore is the best healer around."
"So… how many of these Spirit users are there? I mean, there doesn't seem to be that many around. Most Moroi in my year play around with elements."
"If we're talking about your year, I think O'Connor is a Spirit user. Who else do you know well?"
"Moroi? Just Ozera, Dan, Jacks, Quinn and O'Connor. I haven't had time to get to know others just yet."
"You will. It's only been two weeks after all so you have plenty of time. You already know about Dr. Salvatore and Lady Drozdov. Now you know about Eric."
"So I do. Can he do anything more with his Spirit?"
"Not really. He doesn't know how to heal no matter how many classes he's attended but he is unrivalled in terms of compulsion. No one can refuse him if he goes for it. It's actually kind of scary the things he can do."
"You mean how he just might try to take over the world?" I grumbled.
Tom looked startled and eyed me warily. The wariness wasn't directed towards me but rather to the situation. "Has he voiced anything like that to you?"
"When we broke up, he told me that with me by his side, he could take over court though I don't really get why things that way. Why would having me by his side make a difference?"
But now that I knew he was a Spirit user, it was possible that Eric knew who I really was. Could he have the ability to recognise and distinguish people in some way? It would explain why he said 'until you came along'. Was this why he said he didn't consider court domination seriously until I appeared? If he knew I was royal, it would explain the meaning behind some of his words.
"The court… He didn't mean the royal court, did he?"
"How did you know he was referring to the royal court specifically rather than the court in general?"
"I remember him joking about it once. Only, this was one of those jokes which weren't really jokes, merely disguised as one."
"Did you ever talk to anyone about your observations about Eric?"
"Who could I tell? What would I say? It's not as if he really has the power to do it."
"Don't underestimate people, Tom. It will get you killed. Eric could succeed if he had a royal girl with enough influence wrapped around him."
"Come to think of it. He definitely had Marissa controlled. It was kind of scary how… obsessed she was about him. That was another reason why she hated you."
"Because Eric was intrigued about me and she didn't like that, right?"
"Right. It will do her some good being away from his Academy and its people for a while. Give her a chance to start afresh."
"Considering the things she's said about my parents. I can't hope for her best from the bottom of my heart. To be honest, I'd love to bash her face in still. I reckon if I saw her again, I would happily punch her."
"If I was in your position, I would've done that already. I'm surprised you let her go without a scratch."
"I'd promised the headmaster I would behave. Unfortunately, I still ended up causing a lot of trouble."
"We're teenagers, that's kind of unavoidable." Tom chuckled. "By the way, thanks for inviting my sister last weekend to break out of here. You've showed her much more than you realise."
"Oh? What'd you mean? And no problem. Since they were interested in the outside world, it's only fair that I show them if I can."
"You proved to her that there really was a different life out there. Something more than just fighting to protect the Moroi which is all us two have ever known. Our parents pretty much drummed that into our system and didn't allow for anything else."
"That's the thing about this place. So many people don't know the alternative. Yes, it's an honour to protect the system, but you guys should at least have a choice."
"That's never going to happen. Far too many of us dhampirs would choose the alternative. We want to live, not spend our entire lives protecting someone we might barely know."
"I suppose, with the number of Strigoi out there, we do need to make sure enough people can fight them not only to protect the Moroi but also the humans. I mean, most humans would be pretty incompetent at fighting the Strigoi due to their lack of speed and strength in comparison to vampires."
"I think I've noticed this before, but you're not just good at fighting head on and recklessly, are you? You're actually quite the discreet and secret analyst, aren't you? You give off the impression that you have no plan when in fact more often than not, you do."
I grinned cheekily at him. "You've managed to ready my fighting approach impressively."
"The annoying thing about it is, even if I know you have a plan, I can't read your movements or the plan at all. Normally it's possible to guess the next move after studying the movements and patterns but with you it's impossible."
"If I'm not unpredictable enough, more people would be able to kick my ass." I scoffed.
Tom was about to respond to that when his watch sounded. Glancing down at it, he gave me a smile. "Thanks for the talk, Valentine. I really appreciate it. We should probably go otherwise we'll completely miss lunch."
"That would not be fun, missing lunch that is. Thanks for the insight on Eric's true nature, Tom. I hope I don't see him anytime soon."
"You shouldn't have to. In fact, he may not even graduate as a consequence of his actions."
"For a Moroi, that's not much of a problem at all, is it?"
"For a smart and manipulative one like him, no."
Tom and I headed towards the dining hall together and I found the table I was looking for easily since Ingrid had been waving so eagerly to catch my attention. I gave them a smile of greeting and went to get some food first before sitting at the table.
"So you got roped in for another senior lesson, huh? They're basically pushing you for an earlier exam, aren't they?" Jacks commented wryly.
"Somehow, I doubt that's Jenson's plan. I think he just didn't want to have to take the class alone." I scoffed.
"What's it like being an assistant instructor?" Els asked curiously.
"I'm not really instructing. It's pretty much normal training where you pair up and spar for the whole lesson after warm-up exercises."
"Did you pair up with Tom? He's a good fighter, isn't he?" Ingrid beamed proudly.
"Considering he's older than you four, he puts up more of a fight than you, which is kind of to be expected."
"By the way, what are you wearing on Wednesday?" Quinn asked.
I stared blankly at him in response, wondering what he'd meant. I tried to think why he'd ask about Wednesday specifically but came up with nothing. The four guys looked at my lost expression for a moment before they broke into laughter.
"Kai… Wednesday is the dinner with their families, remember?" Roxy reminded.
I blinked at her several times before grimacing. With everything that went on over the past couple of days, I'd completely forgotten about it. Judging by the glance Drew sneakily sent me, he knew exactly why I'd forgotten and he even went as far as to give me a reassuring smile as if to say that it was okay I forgot considering the circumstances.
If anything, his smile annoyed me. Since I had been panicking so much before, I couldn't believe that I actually forgot!
"Just a casual playsuit. Nothing fancy though it's not sloppy either since you guys emphasised the fact that it was casual. I've got some jewellery to style it up so that it won't look like I didn't bother making an effort." I explained.
"Considering you went on a shopping trip specifically for the dinner attire, I would say that that's effort enough." Quinn reassured me.
"Is Trace going to be there?" I asked, hopeful for the answer to be 'yes'.
"We haven't told you yet?" Jacks blinked in surprise.
"Our father was so ecstatic he almost broke our eardrums." Quinn shuddered at the memory.
"He's just happy that his family can be one again." Drew reasoned.
"You know, it's so weird. I really miss not seeing Trace even though it's only been two days." I admitted sheepishly.
"Trace has been asking why you haven't visited. I'd suggest going to see him this evening otherwise he might complain and find a way into the main school to look for you again." Jacks warned.
"It's not a possibility. It's a fact." Quinn chuckled. "He really will come over to look for you."
"I guess I had better go after my training with Maxwell and Jenson then." I laughed.
"He'd really like that, Kai," the twins chimed, smiles spread across their faces.
Lunch whipped by in a flash. When we finished eating, I headed off towards Martin's office for the discussion regarding the break-in to my home. By the time I got there, everyone had already arrived and they were seated comfortably around the coffee table.
All heads turned to face me when I entered and I gave them a reassuring smile to let them know that I was okay.
"You look well, Kalani." Rosette commented as she scrutinised me. "Much lighter than before."
Laughing, I couldn't resist the urge to pull her up from where she sat to give her a tight hug. "Thanks, I feel it too."
"Kel, after summer vacation, I'm going to schedule you to join in with the seniors during training once a week." Aunty Jules told me bluntly and I turned to face her in shock.
"Did I just hear you right?" I gaped in disbelief.
I just stared at her for several moments as she gave me a smile that answered my question. She was. She was completely serious and I knew that she would do it too and there was nothing I could do about it. The pride that gleamed in her eyes warmed my heart and it lessened the frustration at my lack of choice in this decision.
"But really now? Every week? Don't you think I'll have more than enough to worry and stress out about?"
"How about once a fortnight?" Aunty Jules bartered. "If I don't do this, Jill is never going to get off my back or Martin's."
"As in Lady Drozdov? What does she have to do with this?"
"She's been pushing for you to be put into more intensive training ever since you got back from your breakout." Martin explained.
"What would be more productive than bumping her up a couple of years would be to get her to skip out on her training once a week and teach some of the juniors a thing or two. They could do with someone whipping them into shape and who better than someone they gossip about and admire?" Joey scoffed.
"Guys, no." I protested with a defensive squeal. "I have enough on my plate as it is already. I'm going to have no social life if you do that!"
The only one who wasn't affected by my outburst was Crispin.
But the others. They all stared at me first with shock before proud smiles spread across their faces.
"What?" I scowled, feeling self-conscious from their constant staring.
"Our little Kalani… worrying about having time to socialise!" Joey cheered, throwing his arms up in joy and delight.
"Seriously?" I drawled. "I mean come on, it's been two weeks and you're still teasing me about my lack of socialising back then?"
"Not teasing." Maria appeased. "But we are still trying to get used to the change. You have never been this proactive in getting to know people before."
"I didn't used to think that there were people worth knowing." I retorted cheekily. "No one was more important to get to know than you guys and I had one hell of an entertaining childhood with Ali by my side."
"Thanks, Kalster." Ali cheered in agreement.
"But seriously though, I don't want to have any more commitments on my plate!"
"It's technically no more than what you already have." Aunty Jules reasoned. "The senior training will take the place of one of your scheduled sessions."
"And the junior training will take the place of one of your extra training sessions. How about on a Wednesday?" Joe added.
"It's not really taking up more of your time." Martin agreed. "It would be very helpful if you helped get the juniors to face training with the right kind of attitude. In fact, I have considered asking Chance, Prince Ozera, Prince Zeklos and the two Dragomir Princes to do the same."
"You're trying to get all of us to do more training?" I gaped. "Best of luck with that."
"Crispin tells us that something has been bothering you today." Maria cut in with a sterner tone.
I met all of their expectant gazes and gave a nervous laugh. "Um… yeah… sort of."
"Has something happened?" Ali asked worriedly, dragging me over to sit beside him on one of the sofas.
"I had a dream last night." I explained to them. "I saw the memory of when Mum and Dad showed me the vault."
"Did they tell you what the letters were?" Rosette asked.
"No." I grumbled, running a hand through my hair. "All they said was, it was really important that I read them if something happened to them before my sixteenth birthday. They gave me absolutely no clues as to what those letters could be about."
"How old were you when they showed you the vault?" Martin inquired.
"About ten. If I remember rightly, it was a couple of weeks before the attack. They seemed awfully urgent about it. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that they might have anticipated that something bad was going to happen."
"You think they were aware of the attack?" Aunty Jules demanded sharply.
"No. That's different." I protested. "I just said that they might have known that something bad would happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that they knew about the attack."
"Val, I'm not going to lie but there is a very fine line between the two. Something bad happening while they are at the Academy would most likely insinuate an attack." Crispin commented with a frown.
"Well… I don't know. I don't know what they could sense happening. All I know is that they were gearing up for something big."
"And you're confident about that memory?" Martin asked me sternly.
"Completely. I remember them being a little more on edge than usual. I wouldn't mistake something like that. Not when it's my parents."
"Kai… that just confirms that what happened six years ago couldn't possibly have been a freak attack." Joe spoke slowly to make sure that I understood the severity of my statement.
"It was a freak attack. It just wasn't an unorganised one." I corrected. "Whoever was behind it, my parents knew them. Otherwise, there's no way that they could've possibly known about the danger."
"Kalani," Rosette called to me with a warning tone. "You have to promise us that you won't be reckless."
"You're going to have to be more specific than that, Rosette."
"You have to promise us that you won't go looking for the people behind the attack six years ago."
I froze and stared at her in disbelief. When I saw that she and everyone else were dead serious, I narrowed my eyes and stiffened my posture defensively. "I'm not making that promise." I stated.
"Kai!" Maria chastised. "We want to protect you and your wish to remain a secret but we cannot do that if you go around endangering yourself."
"I won't put myself in danger but I'm not backing down on this."
"If you try to investigate, you will definitely alert whoever was behind the attack."
"Those bastards killed my parents. There is no way I'm just going to let this go."
"You've put yourself in enough danger this past week with Eric Cooper. Don't push your luck, Kai." Aunty Jules warned.
I couldn't restrain the anger that bubbled and I shot up from my seat to pace the room in frustration. "Alright then, let's talk about Eric Cooper. He was a Spirit user with the most spectacular control over compulsion. Why wasn't he under strict surveillance?"
"What are you talking about, Kai?" Martin crossed his arms warily, his eyes narrowed with confusion.
"I'm talking about his compulsion and all those girls he's hurt and ruined way before I came back." I informed them flatly. "You guys must have known about all those Moroi girls being bitten. If you didn't know about all of them, you must have been aware of some. At least half the girls in the same year group lost their memory of a single night – the very same night Eric Cooper took them to bed and fed off of them!"
"Val," Crispin reached out to stop my pacing. "How did you know about those girls?"
"There are some people who aren't brainwashed by his popularity." I stated. "Surely someone suspected him when that was going on."
"We had placed watchers around all the Spirit Users for two whole months to monitor them, Kai." Martin informed me. "But we could find no evidence against any of them. What makes you think that Cooper was the cause of all those cases?"
"For one thing, he was drawn by bloodlust. Now that I'm thinking with a clear head, I know that his desire for blood is a lot stronger than the average Moroi's." I told them. "That and the fact that I know people who know what happened."
"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Ali demanded in disbelief. "Did you know that you were in danger since the beginning?"
"Of course not!" I protested. "I might be a little reckless but I'm not an idiot. If I knew that he would be that dangerous I wouldn't have gone anywhere near him!"
"When did you start becoming aware?" he asked warily.
"He didn't give me a chance to be aware. Not properly at least. Every time I had my doubts, he chased it away with his compulsion. Just to say, I am only realising this now that his hold is gone and I've thought about it more carefully."
"Who are the people who told you about him? I thought that the entire student population were blinded by his charisma." Aunty Jules questioned.
"Ozera was one of them."
"And?"
"And my lips are sealed."
"Kai!" Joe reprimanded.
"I don't know if they want to be revealed. I'm not saying anything more."
"Why didn't you tell us about your doubts?"
"I told you. Eric's compulsion is more powerful than anything I'd encountered before. I never had the chance to tell you." I grumbled in frustration. "You have him under house arrest, right?"
"He hasn't done anything to suggest a break out." Martin reassured me.
"Is there something that we can do to fight the compulsion or something? Even if Eric did break out, the guardian in charge of him might not know a thing."
"We have already considered that. The guardian is wearing a specially designed accessory which repels compulsion no matter how strong it is."
"So there really is no way for him to break out without people knowing about it?"
"That's right." Aunty Jules reiterated.
"Kalani, we still want you to promise not to be reckless."
"I can promise not to be reckless." I scoffed. "But I'm not promising not to get involved in finding out what happened back then. I know how to investigate discreetly without people questioning a thing."
"We're not comfortable with this." Joe glared at me.
"I won't put myself in danger." I reassured them. "I'll be really careful."
"How do you know who the right people to talk to are?"
"I just do. Also, I know it hasn't been very long but do we have any idea who might have been poking around the old house without permission?"
"Not that we know of just yet but we haven't started a proper investigation." Martin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Did my parents have any enemies who would be reckless enough to target the last surviving members of a royal family?"
"We won't lie and tell you they didn't have enemies. But enemies who are reckless enough to orchestrate an attack with Strigoi? That's going to need more consideration." Maria told me.
I rolled my eyes and slumped into a seat. "That's basically your way of telling me that you know a few leads but have no plans on telling me about them."
"We would really prefer you not to do anything, Kai." Joe told me honestly. "At least for now."
I stayed silent for several moments before giving them a nod. "Alright, fine. But I think that our best lead is to find out who broke into the house. Whoever it was is going to lead us to whoever was behind the attack six years ago."
"You think that there's a connection." Ali stated rather than asked.
"I don't really believe in coincidences. It would be too far-fetched if the two cases weren't linked in some way."
"What makes you say that?"
I hesitated for a few moments to think carefully about the words I should use. "What happened six years ago… I know that my parents weren't the only ones killed in that event but nothing should have happened to them. There shouldn't have been so many Strigoi attacking that one place without other guardians coming to our aid until it was already too late."
"You think that the attack on the academy was aimed at your parents?"
"I know it's presumptuous of me to think that and it's a probably a biased view but yeah."
"It makes sense." Ali agreed. "There were far too many Strigoi gathering around the area of the house. We already agreed on that but we didn't want to say that the Strigoi were explicitly after the Ivashkov family."
"There hasn't been an organised attack on the royal families for decades. Why now?" Crispin questioned.
"This might not be a simple attack on the royal families." I reasoned. "I mean… there haven't been that many other attacks on the royal families for the past six years, right?"
"There have been a few but none of them were nearly as organised as the attack on the academy."
"Do you mean the attacks on the Ozera family and the Dragomir family?" I asked.
"You know about those?"
"I know about Trace's mother dying because of a Strigoi attack. I also know that Ozera has been through fights with Strigoi before. But none of those were grand scale attacks, right?"
"There have been no suspicions that they were grand scale attacks. The only reported one for the past couple of decades has only been the one here." Crispin informed.
"So… there is a slim chance that the attack could very well have been aimed at my parents?" I whispered, covering my face with my hands.
There were so many thoughts running through my mind. Was the attack not as random as it had been put down to be? What if it hadn't been? What if it was a planned attack and someone desperately wanted to get rid of my parents? If that was true then why? Why were my parents such a threat to whoever was behind this? Just what the heck was going on?
The very fact that my tight family unit wasn't the only ones who thought that the attack from six years ago wasn't as random as people thought scared me. If other people speculated that the attack might have been planned, it made the idea of it all the more feasible. Remembering my conversation with Drew yesterday, I decided not to tell the others just yet. I didn't know just how certain Drew was about the whole thing and there was no way the others could discuss such a thing with the Ozera family without exposing the fact that the Ivashkov princess was back.
No… it would definitely be better to find out more about what Drew's parents thought about the attack from six years ago first before telling the others about it. I knew that I would get a heavy lecture for keeping it a secret from them later. But it was better than stressing them out with a lead that they couldn't possibly follow without exposing my return.
Sensing and seeing my distress, Ali wrapped an arm around my protectively as if to shield away all the bad things in the world. My forehead rested against his chest and I took several deep breaths to calm myself.
Just take it steadily. Rushing would get me nowhere except landing myself in serious danger and I promised not to get into dangerous situations. I could at least uphold that one promise for a while until something else got out of hand.
After another half an hour of heavy discussions, I excused myself so that I could find sanctuary at the Elementary Division. I couldn't wait to get away from that heavy atmosphere. As much as I wanted to solve this speculation and find some answers, just talking about it was getting us nowhere and it was giving me one heck of a bad headache. Ali asked me to wait for him in the courtyard just outside of the main building and so I did.
Crossing my arms, I leaned against the statue at the centre of the courtyard to reorganise my thoughts. Steadily, my nerves calmed and the headache went away.
"What happened to your extra training?" a curious voice called out, drawing me out of my thoughts.