Chapter Four - Relocation
I knew that it was about time I should get to my new residence at the guest accommodations, no doubt in my mind that my mother would be ready and waiting to scold me for not going directly to her. Dimitri was kind enough to escort me there after he made sure there were no tear stains on my cheeks, stating I was too beautiful to deserve to be crying. He left me at the bottom of the stairs with a promise that we would still train this evening, knowing that training would help me take my mind off things.
Going up to where the rooms lay, my mother was stood outside one of them with her arms folded and a worried look on her face. "There you are, Rose, I've been waiting for almost thirty minutes for you!" She instantly dropped her arms from across her chest when she saw me, meeting me half way down the corridor to wrap me in a warm embrace. I was surprised at first, though welcomed the hug quickly. I buried my nose into her thick red hair and closed my eyes, absorbing in the love from my mother that I'd longed for for so long.
I was the first one to pull away, and I watched as she placed a hand on my cheek and rubbed soothingly with her thumb. "Come on, let's get you inside." She moved to place a hand hesitantly at my back and gently pushed me towards the door she had been stood at before, guiding me inside.
I'd never been inside the guest accommodations so I hadn't really known what to expect. In reality it was a lot prettier than I had expected, in a sort of nondescript hotel sort of way. The main room was a three seater sofa sat in front of an average sized flat screen, a small glass table separating the two. There was a rounded table with four chairs on the other side in the same room, with an open-planned kitchen on the side of it. I could see besides the kitchen there were two doors, and I assumed one was for a bedroom and one was a bathroom.
"Would you like some coffee, Rosemarie?" My mother asked after closing the door, making her way past me and into the kitchen.
I made my way slowly over to the sofa as I continued to take the room in, looking at the Salvador Dali painting hung up near the dining table. "Tea actually, please." I curled my feet up underneath me as I sat down, wrapping my arms comfortingly around my knees as I watched the formidable Janine Hathaway domestically flutter around the kitchen making some tea and coffee.
She handed me a scolding hot mug of tea before settling down on the opposite side of the sofa, turning her body so she was facing me with her own cup of coffee sat on the table. I placed my mug on my lap carefully, still wrapping my hands around it as I looked down at the swirling liquid.
"How are you feeling?" She asked carefully, gauging my reaction. "I know you've had a rocky time since returning from Spokane, and I can only imagine how torn up you must be after this morning."
"I'm okay," I shrugged noncommittally as I looked up at her. "Truth be told I'm more worried about what's going to happen after this week rather than the Strigoi coming after me. Ironic, right?" I laughed quietly to myself, though it was evident on my mother's face that she didn't see the humour in it.
"Alberta, Kirova, and I are working very hard to think of a solution to this problem. My main concern is making sure that you're safe."
"Well my main concern is making sure I graduate as a Guardian!" I fired back with more passion this time, tightening my grip on the mug in my hands. "I'm not scared of Strigoi, not any more. I know that my duty is to protect the Moroi and in doing so that requires killing the Strigoi - but I can't successfully do that if I never graduate. You of all people must understand where I'm coming from, mom."
I watched as she looked down at her lap, clearly internally agreeing with me though not wanting to vocalise it. I shook my head and looked away from her, turning to face the empty TV screen while I sipped quietly at my tea.
"Do you have any idea why the Strigoi are after you?" I heard my mother ask after several moments of silence, and I shook my head. Strigoi never banded together and targeted certain places or people, typically being loners or travelling in groups of just two or three. From what Alberta said, this was a group of at least six who were after me - in terms of Strigoi, that was more than was usual, which was what was so worrying. If they were forming strategic attacks on such high-protected places such as St Vladimirs, then it meant they were getting ballsy, and nobody would be safe.
The next couple of hours was pretty awkward for the most part, full off half attempts from my mother trying to initiate conversation. I had to hand it to her, at least she was making an effort to get involved with my life, which was more than I could say for the 15 years since she left me at the Academy. It was 2am when there was a knock at the door. I was still on the sofa though I had changed positions so I was lying on my back with my eyes closed, and my mom was sorting some clothes out in the twin bedroom.
Within seconds she had left the bedroom and was in the centre of the living room, stake drawn as she slowly approached the front door. I pulled myself up into a sitting position to carefully watch. "Who is it?" She called out, hand on the door handle. It was strange how everybody acted for a couple days after an alert, being so much more careful in all their actions.
"It's Lissa. Is Rose in there?" I immediately recognised the voice and burst into a smile at my saviour, knowing Lissa would be able to relieve at least some of the awkwardness between my mother and I. She opened the door and lowered her stake to put it back in her jeans pocket, letting Lissa into the room. I couldn't help but notice the 6 foot 7 stance of my Comrade stood behind her, Guardian mask on with hands poised professionally in front of him.
"Good afternoon Guardian Hathaway, Novice Hathaway." He nodded politely to both my mother and I as he stood in the door way, before turning to Lissa. "I will remain guard outside of the door until you are ready to leave."
"Nonsense, Belikov." My mother chimed, ushering Lissa further into the room to sit with me on the sofa as she opened the door further to let Dimitri in. "This is a Guardian's quarters and you are more than welcome to sit inside and relax a little. I'm sure Princess Vasilisa will be more than protected with the both of us here." Dimitri seemed slightly awkward as he accepted her offer, and I hid a laugh behind my hand. I shuffled into a sitting position so Lissa could set next to me while mom grabbed two of the dining chairs, handing one to Dimitri and using the other for herself.
Lissa leaned into my side and hugged me kindly, before pulling back and leaving one hand placed comfortingly around my back. "Guardian Belikov told me what the meeting with Kirova was about. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, Rose!"
"I'm fine, Lis." I told her honestly, rubbing her arm soothingly to reassure her. "Though considering we spent two years away from the Academy, I'm not looking forward to being gone again. Not now, at least, not when I'm this close to graduation." I wrapped my arms protectively around my waist, looking up to see my mother beckon Dimitri into the kitchen for some reason.
Although the room was open planned, this did give Lissa and I a little bit of space to whisper among ourselves without being heard. I turned to face her, looking down at my lap. "I have no idea where they're gonna send me, Lis. I'm gonna be gone for five months at least."
"They can't do that, can they? Not while you're still a student, right?"
"They can do whatever they want with me because I'm not 18 yet, and legally my mother signed me over to the authority of the Academy when I was two." I admitted with a defeated tone, looking over my shoulder to make sure the two Guardians in the room weren't eavesdropping. They appeared to be talking very hushed between themselves just as I was doing with Lissa.
"But you're supposed to be my Guardian!" Lissa sounded outraged as I turned back to her, seeing she was looking down nothing with an expression of disbelief. "How on earth can they expect you to do that if you're missing five months of school?"
"I can't, Lis." I shook my head desperately, forcing her to look up at me. "I can't be a Guardian if I'm sent away. I can't be your Guardian." That seemed to reinforce the fear inside her as her face completely dropped, and she was left looking at me in utter despair. I placed a hand on her leg in an attempt to comfort her, though I had no words to do the same.
We sat in silence just for a little while after that as everything sunk in, and eventually I found myself leaning my head against the back of the sofa as I quietly rested. I was beginning to get hungry, and hoped that I would be allowed to go to the cafeteria to get some food. Lunch started an hour ago, and I had training with Dimitri in three hours, so I hoped I could get some sustenance beforehand.
"Rosemarie, I am going to head to Alberta's office to discuss the matter at hand." My mother said formally as she came into the living room, pulling on a long black coat. "Guardian Belikov will escort you and the Princess to the cafeteria if you'd like to get some food."
"I'd actually kill for some food." I agreed cheerfully, perking up from my previous miserable state as I jumped up to my feet. "I'm starving. Liss, have you fed today?"
"Guardian Belikov took me to the feeders before we came here, so I'll come with you."
Fifteen minutes later I found myself in food heaven with a heaping pile of chicken salad with rice, Dimitri sat with a plate of his own with similar food on the opposite side of the table, and Lissa eating prissily at a piece of baguette bread to my left. The cafeteria had been surprisingly full despite it being towards the end of lunch service, and I figured it was due to lessons being cancelled and most people not having much else to do.
"So, Comrade," I began, scooping some chicken and rice onto a piece of bread before eating it quickly, my stomach being satisfied almost instantaneously. "Any news on where they're sending me to?"
"Your mother is meeting with Alberta to discuss precisely that. While we were talking in the kitchen, I assured her how important it be for you to continue your education no matter where you are located. She knows as well as I do that being a Guardian is in your blood, and she cannot imagine how you must be feeling - to have your dreams potentially ripped away from you."
I nodded as I ripped a bit of baguette bread into pieces and popped them into my mouth, watching my fingers methodically as I worked. "Where do you think they'll send me?"
"Potentially to Court, where you can still learn your academics as well as be trained by some of the best Guardians." I wrinkled my nose distastefully at that, not particularly enjoying the thought of having to live at Court for five months. Queen Tatiana hated me as it was, so I couldn't see her agreeing to accommodate me, not to mention the hundreds of stuck up Moroi I'd have to deal with. Aside from being turned Strigoi, it was potentially my worst type of hell.
I could also see the slight disdain in Dimitri's face as he offered that suggestion, seeing he wouldn't particularly enjoy that either. Under the watchful eye of the Queen, Dimitri and I's relationship would be put under even more strain than it already was, and after fighting my feelings for so long I'm not sure I could manage with that.
The next two days passed without incident, and as I was told there was an extra Guardian stationed in every single one of my classes, typically being either my mother or Emil - the silent watcher, as I liked to call him. Stan was the only one who made the situation difficult, though that was expected of him.
"Rosemarie Hathaway, making trouble again?" He asked as I entered the classroom directly on time, seeing my mother stood behind me as I walked in. "What have you done this time to earn your own protection detail?" Clearly the knowledge of the Strigoi attack had not been wildly told, as I'm sure he would have been less irritating on the matter if he had known the situation.
I was just about to answer with my typical smart-mouth retort when surprisingly my mother stepped forwards, her 5 foot nothing stature somehow managing to make Stan cower in fear. "Novice Hathaway has been ordered protection under Headmistress Kirova's request. Should you have any issues with that, please take it up with her." I slipped my way past her and into my usual seat next to Eddie, wishing to Vlad that I could just sink into the floor and disappear from the wondering eyes of the rest of the class. I was thankful Eddie didn't making a passing comment, instead telling people to shove off when they tried asking me about it.
It was now 9am on Thursday, curfew for all students both Dhampir and Moroi alike. Sat in my single bed in the room I shared with my mom, I was thankful that she typically sat in the living room watching TV until I fell asleep. Both of us where still at this awkward in between where we weren't completely comfortable as mother and daughter, but at the same time both of us were trying to further our relationship. We talked between lessons, and if she was guarding me at lunch time, but other than that we mostly kept to ourselves. It was good, in a sense. At least that way there wasn't much time for either of us to pry too much into private lives, especially since I wasn't ready to tell anybody about Dimitri and I.
I was almost drifting off to sleep when I had the vague knowledge of a knock on the door, though it wasn't enough to arouse me from my slumber. I buried my face deeper into the pillow when I heard the door open, though still I didn't stir.
"Rose, are you awake?" It was my mother's voice, and she was speaking just above a whisper as if she was trying to wake me if I was sleeping. I whined in complaint before turning over onto my back, opening my eyes to look at her. "You've been requested at Alberta's office. Will you be ready in fifteen minutes? We'll go over together." I was instantly awake at that moment, knowing a request from Alberta meant that she had more knowledge about where she would be sending me at the week's end. I had just two days left, possibly even less, until I said goodbye to St Vladimir's.
In record time I had changed out from my sleep wear and into some sweatpants and a black bra and vest top, not bothering to brush through my hair and so just throwing it up into a pony tail. Walking into the living room my mother was already waiting for me, dressed in some black jeans and a dark green blouse that complimented her hair colour.
Travelling across campus in the sunlight was pure bliss, especially since Alberta's office was towards the East side of the campus. I leaned my head back and hummed in contentment as I made my way over with my mum, absorbing as much of the heat as I could during the short walk.
Walking into Alberta's office I was surprised to see Dimitri was there as well, stood to the side of two leather seats facing the desk. The older woman I knew so well looked towards the door as we entered, ushering us to sit down in the vacant seats. "Rose, Janine, please sit down." It was nice to be here without Headmistress Kirova breathing down our shoulder, since I know that the Guardians typically were more relaxed around each other. I called Alberta by her first name all the time and she did the same with me, though never in front of a superior like Kirova.
"I suspect you know why I called you here today."
"Finally decided where you're shipping me off to?" I remarked bitterly, earning a scolding hiss from my mother. I looked up to Alberta apologetically, dipping my head slightly. "Sorry, Alberta."
"It's perfectly reasonable, Rose. I can only imagine how you're feeling right now." She placed her hands together and leaned forwards, elbows almost on the desk. "But yes, with the assistance of Guardian Belikov here we have managed to come to a suitable agreement for your relocation."
I looked up to the side where Dimitri was stood, raising a quizzical brow. He didn't look directly at me, focusing his gaze straight ahead of him, though I knew he could sense I was looking at him due to the slight twitch at his cheek. When I figured I wouldn't get much else out of him, I turned back to Alberta. "So? Where am I going?"
"St Basil's in Siberia." She said calmly, looking down at her hands.
"Siberia?"
"St Basil's?" My mother and I both uttered in shock at the news, and she was instantly out of her seat and looking frantically between Alberta and Dimitri. "I cannot let you send my daughter half way across the world just for her protection. Surely there must be some other option? Court? At least that way she's still close here to where her friends and family are."
"That's precisely why she cannot spend her time at court, Janine." Alberta said firmly. "She would be too close to St Vladimir's, and there is a higher chance that whoever the Strigoi are that are after her will find her if she remains here in the States. Besides, whether you like it or not, you don't get much of a say in this matter. You lost that responsibility the moment you signed her over to the Academy." I knew that was a low blow to my mother, but I couldn't help but agree. I also knew that although Alberta respected the Guardian that my mother was, she'd always had her own opinion about her leaving her two year old daughter in the hands of a private school.
"Rose will not be going alone, I assure you. Guardian Belikov has been reallocated teaching Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques over at St Basil's. It took a little bit of convincing to allow such a relocation the middle of the year, however we managed it. That way, Rose can still catch up on her two years missed training from her escapades with the Princess, as well as being under the watchful eye of one our own."
I tried to contain the burst of excitement from within me at the news that I would be going with Dimitri, and nobody else, all of a sudden the impending doom of a Strigoi attack being pushed to the back of my mind as the thought of living with Dimitri for 5 months came to the forefront. Admittedly I knew 'us' would still have to remain a secret, but at least half way across the world people wouldn't know us. It was Russia, for Vlad's sake - who knows how different it would be?
"And you're comfortable giving up your Guardian position here at the Academy, just to look after a Novice?" My mother turned to Dimitri, still stood up from her seat. I glanced up to see his reaction, watching as he turned to face her with an attitude of steel.
"St Basil's is where I trained myself, Guardian Hathaway, so I assure you that my reallocation is not 'just' to look after a Novice. I have also spoken with Guardian Petrov and she has assured me that once the five months are terminated, I am more than welcome to take up my position back here at St Vladimir's."
Now I really couldn't stop myself from smiling as I turned back to Alberta, though I tried my hardest to look professional. I knew that I should be at least slightly worried since there was a target on my head, but right now all I could think of was spending a few months private time away from my mother and the eagle eyes of people I was too familiar with.
At St Basil's I could also keep up with all my subjects since I knew it had all the exact same courses as Vlad's, and Dimitri in attendance meant that he could continue to be my personal mentor. I knew that Russia was where he grew up, so I could only imagine how excited he was to be visiting his home. Maybe he could see his family? I'm sure he'd like that.
"I think it's a great idea." I clarified, speaking for the first time since I came into the room. "And I think Guardian Belikov accompanying me is a great idea as well. We've spent enough time together that he knows how to whoop my ass into gear, don't you, Comrade?" I asked with a teasing grin, seeing him shake his head slightly as a smile played on his lips. "St Basil's is far enough away that the Strigoi hopefully won't be able to know where I am, and it means I can still complete all my studies and still graduate as a Guardian. I don't see the problem."
"Then it's settled," Alberta clapped her hands finally before my mother could say much more on the matter, which I was thankful for. "I shall book the tickets for both Belikov and Rose to travel in the middle of the night tomorrow. That should hopefully give you all enough time to pack and make your final farewells."
"Can I tell Lissa where I'm going?" I asked before she completely dismissed us, knowing that my bestfriend would probably hunt me across the world and kill me if I didn't tell her.
Alberta nodded. "You may tell a selected few that you're sure you can trust, the Princess being one of them, however I hope to keep the knowledge of your whereabouts a secret for anybody not directly involved. Now, the three of you are excused - I'm sure you'd like to rest up before your trip. I will send over a printed information sheet of flight times to both of your rooms for when you wake up."
I could see mom was still not completely on board with my temporary move to St Basil's, but I could also tell that she had given up on the fight. She knew a lost cause when she saw one. The three of us thanked Alberta, profusely on my part, before leaving her office.
Mom turned immediately to Dimitri, her serious face on. "Belikov, since you will be accompanying my daughter on this trip I trust that you will look after her with your every being. Protect her as if she was your charge, and that is an order." I was about to shout at her for being so serious when Dimitri interrupted me, as cool as collected as ever.
"I understand your concern, Guardian Hathaway, and I promise you I will protect Rose with my life, should it come to it." I could sense the double meaning beneath his words as he spoke, though I knew to my mother it would appear to be a simple Guardian oath. She seemed contented enough with it as she nodded, turning to retreat back to her room.
"See you tomorrow, Comrade." I smiled at him, a twinkle in my eye as I stepped backwards in the direction she was also walking. "I'm looking forward to it."
"See you tomorrow, Roza. Sleep well."
Thank you all for your overwhelming support the past day with this fanfic, your reviews motivate me so much and I really am feeling the love. I hope you enjoyed!