Chapter Eight - The Fight Ain't Fair
The dreaded sound of Dimitri's alarm clock woke me far earlier than I would have liked, and I found myself rolling over to bury my face in the pillow with a whine of complaint. I heard Dimitri chuckle behind me as he turned the alarm off, following me across the bed to wrap an arm around my waist and place a kiss on the back of my neck. "Time to get up, Malýshka."
"No." I pouted childishly, my voice being muffled by the pillow at my face. Dimitri laughed again, and I felt him nuzzle my hair away from my back with his nose.
"We have to train. We don't want you failing, do we now?" We both knew that me missing one training session wouldn't poorly affect my combat skills, but that didn't stop me from reacting.
I rolled back over to lay on my back, looking up at him with his hand now resting lightly on my stomach. I sneaked a hand up his chest before cupping it around the back of his neck, pulling him gently down to me. "We could do a different sort of training," I heavily suggested as I pressed my lips to his, feeling a hint of victory as I felt him immediately respond. The hand that was on my stomach wrapped around my waist, pressing our bodies tightly together as he growled softly against my lips.
I was about to push his shoulders back to roll us over, victory looming near, when Dimitri pulled away before I could. I whined at the sudden lack of contact, pouting automatically as I looked up at him. "As much as I'd love to, we've missed almost four days of actual training. Come on." He slapped my bottom playfully, resulting in a shocked squeal from me, before deftly climbing out of the bed and leaving me all alone.
I continued to pout up at him, hoping that the big doe-eyes would change his mind, but he just smirked challengingly at me while sliding on his boxers before rummaging around his drawers for some workout clothes. I sighed heavily as I soon admitted defeat, rolling my eyes as I reluctantly rolled out of bed. "Fine! You win, I'm up." I heard him chuckle as I went into the next bedroom to change into my own clothes, quickly flipping him the bird as I left.
The gym had been much bigger than what I'd expected, though with double the amount of Dhampir's than St Vladimir's I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Dimitri and I had spent a little less time than usual on our training, finishing a half hour earlier, promising to make up for it at this evening's session. I had suggested going to the main school's cafeteria for breakfast, though Dimitri had insisted that he wanted to keep his presence a surprise for Viktoria later in the day. I agreed easily, happy to spend another morning with my man's cooking.
A little before 9.30 we separated ways with a formal goodbye, him going to teach his first lesson and me heading to my own first lesson of Animal Behavior and Physiology - one of the lessons we Dhampir shared with the Moroi.
The teacher, a Moroi called Miss Lel, was nice enough, being the type of teacher that didn't embarrass new students by introducing them at the front of the class. She just gave me my necessary books before sitting me at one of the free tables in the back row. I could feel the peculiar looks I was getting from the other students in the class, Dhampir and Moroi alike, and so I took the opportunity to really make a show as I strode tall and confidently to my seat, barely even acknowledging the presence of anybody else.
Guardian Ludlam for Weight Training and Conditioning second period was a teacher I was hoping not to of gotten, picking on me from the moment I set foot into the gym. "Miss Hathaway, I presume? What a pleasure to meet you." The tone in his voice conveyed the exact opposite of his words, though I pretended not to notice as I tossed my duffel bag to the side of the room alongside the other Novice's bags. I removed my sweater and shoved it into the side pocket of the bag, having a tight black workout tank top on underneath and already wearing my favourite pair of leggings.
He had continued to introduce me to every single member of the class individually by name while I stood at the front, awkwardly nodding or waving to each person. I'm sure they were hating things just as much as I was. He even asked me to show the class some of the techniques they would be perfecting today, being irritatingly surprised when I knew exactly what to do. After that he seemed to ignore me, letting me drop to the back of the class once again.
By the time the third period bell rang, I was anxious since I knew my next lesson would be Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques with Dimitri, and I was excited to see how he acted with both me and the other class. Back at St Vladimir's he had only been my personal mentor, and as far as I knew he didn't have experience with teaching such large classes. I expected he would be nervous, especially teaching the seniors, but I knew he'd still rock it.
The lesson was in the same gym as the last lesson, so I took the time to go sit down on the bench beside my bag and take a sip from my waterbottle. Several Novices left for different classes, and a lot more entered for this lesson. I remembered Dimitri saying there was near to 50 members in the class, and now I could really begin to see the full extent.
"Alright, class, settle down." I heard a domineering female voice echo through the gym, and immediately all the chattering seniors fell quiet. I placed my bottle back in my bag as I looked up, seeing a tall woman guiding the class into a huddle near the centre of the room.
She had a strawberry blonde pixie cut that framed her face well, defined facial features that were somehow soft against the harsh haircut. She was tall for a woman, maybe about 6'2, and like most Dhampir's appeared to be all muscle and no fat. I tore my gaze from her rather quickly once I approached the group, seeing my own Russian stood a little further behind her in an 'at ease' stance. He didn't have his Guardian mask on like he did back at St Vladimir's, and I guessed that was one major difference between here and back home.
"Now, as you all know Guardian Argent left St Basil's just before Christmas, leaving an opening as your second combat teacher." She had a very soldier-typed voice, being stern even without intention, and her Russian accent made her even more intimidating. "I'd like to present Guardian Dimitri Belikov, who for the next five months shall be filling in that position."
I could see some of the students take in Dimitri's formidable presence with awe and starstruck, since it was evident just from his size and aura that he was a man not to be messed with, whether Strigoi, Dhampir, Moroi, or Human. I watched as he nodded to a brunette girl in the front row who seemed to be jumping up and down, and I wondered if that was Viktoria.
"Guardian Belikov was previously a personal Guardian for a Princess Vasilisa Dragomir at St Vladimir's Academy, and before that has several years of experience with external charges. We here at St Basil's are very fortunate to be within his presence, and I hope you will all embrace his presence and take on his lessons with gusto." I didn't miss the wry smile she flashed in Dimitri's direction as she spoke his praise, and I felt a jealous rage build up in my stomach.
"We also have a new student in the class with us today. Novice Hathaway, if you please?" Great. I rolled my eyes sarcastically as I made my way to the spot besides her where she was gesturing. Another pissy teacher. "Rosemarie Hathaway is also from St Vladimir's, here on a five month transfer. So I have been told, despite recent absences to your education, you remain one of the single best Novices St Vladimir's has ever seen?" It was impossible to miss the underlying disbelief in her voice, and so I decided to embrace the mood.
"I don't mean to boast, but you could say something along the lines of that." I placed my hands on my hips with a small smirk as that got a few chuckles and sniggers from students in the class.
"I've also heard that you singlehandedly managed to escape and hide the Princess Dragomir from the Academy for two years, only to be brought back by the school's own Guardians." She was definitely beginning to get snarky with me, and I couldn't help but wonder what I'd done to make her hate me so much already. "That's quite impressive, especially for a Novice. I'm sure it wasn't as easy as it appears."
"It was easy enough." I said warily, not sure where she was going with this conversation. I also refused to indulge her in any further information on the matter, not willing to expose the bond Lissa and I shared if that wasn't already widely known. Dimitri and Alberta had both previously raised issues that if people knew we were of the few Spirit bonded people, then there may be those who would want to probe and experiment on that miracle. Since then, we had agreed on only telling people who needed to know.
"I'm sure it was." She laughed humourlessly in disbelief, walking scarily slowly around my back to stand on the either side of me. I glanced to the side at Dimitri to see if he was just as confused as I was, and was pleased to see that was definitely the case. He was watching the female Guardian, whom I'd yet to learn the name of, with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly she turned to face me, a scrutinising expression on her face. I could see her eyes were vaguely looming on my neck, before darting to my eyes. "Is it true you've killed two Strigoi?"
I heard the rest of the class gasp in surprise at that, and my breath caught in my throat. That was a question I definitely wasn't expecting to hear today, and I was so not prepared. I glanced around to take in the reaction of the rest of the class, seeing some of them staring at me with admiration and some with a look of disgust. I swallowed hard, deciding to let the actions speak louder than words as I lifted my hair up and spun around to show the class the two small yet powerful molnija. Another gasp echoed through the class, and I looked up to see Dimitri smiling at me with a look of proud adoration. I winked in return, confident that nobody could see my face from this angle, before dropping my hair and facing back to the instructor.
She had a sour expression on her face, clearly disliking the fact that a Novice had any molnija - or perhaps it was because that Novice was me. I cleared my throat pointedly to get her attention, looking up at her expectantly. "Sorry, what was your name again?"
"Guardian Charkov." She said plainly, not elaborating on much else as she made her way to the far end of the room. "Forgive me if I offend you, Novice Hathaway, but as a Guardian I am expected to trust my gut instincts. And my gut instincts are telling me that your... repertoire of skills have been overexaggerated."
"I'm sure there's a compliment there somewhere." I mumbled quietly to myself as she stepped foot into the sparring ring, the rest of the class turning to follow her movements. She stood there expectantly for a moment, just looking at me, before gesturing for me to enter the ring alongside her. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, looking around the room to make sure there was no mistake before heading over to her.
The rest of the class behind me were talking and gossiping behind me as I walked, and I could feel several pairs of eyes boring into my soul. I shook my hair out and lifted my shoulders back, showing I was more confident than I was feeling as I stepped into the ring.
I had barely taken two steps towards the centre when she swung a low kick to the back of my legs, knocking me on my ass instantly. I shouted in both surprise and pain, seeing her quickly move towards me as if to tackle me completely to the ground. I quickly rolled to the side and pushed myself to my feet, turning around to face her. My butt was now throbbing and I was seething with anger as I glared at the woman, having known her all of ten minutes and already wanting to stake her ass to the ground.
She was circling me around the ring in an offensive stance, and I could hear the class once again chattering from their spectator's view. I silently wondered if Dimitri was watching as intently, before shaking the thought out of my head. Focus, Rose.
Just in time, too, as she swiftly went on the attack by launching two successive punches for my stomach and sternum. Using my forearms I managed to block both the attacks, quickly returning the favour with a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. She attempted to evade it though it still connected slightly, forcing her to stumble backwards.
Going on the offensive, I took her lack of stability into my own hands by taking a small running start before jumping, kicking her twice in her stomach and once at her sternum. I used the momentum of my last kick to throw me back slightly so I could land safely, watching as she fell backwards onto the floor. There was a round of appreciative cheering from somewhere in the class as well as some 'oohs', an evident sign that the attack must of looked like it hurt.
I made my way forwards in an attempt to stake her, but she quickly grabbed both my hands and threw me backwards away from her. I landed on my feet, though stumbled, giving her enough time to regain her own balance. She advanced towards me with a renewed sense of passion, throwing punch after punch, kick after kick, relentlessly at me. She was fast, though not faster than me, and so I was able to successfully evade at least half of her attacks.
She was tiring herself out from the sheer amount of attack she had produced in such quick succession, and I knew that now was when she would begin to get sloppy. I kicked for her midsection with a powerful thrust, sending her stumbling backwards once again. I spun around as I gained momentum, sending another side kick to the right side of the ribs. This almost forced her to the ground again, and I knew that I must have seriously damaged her at this point, but I was through with caring.
She started towards me though I quickly retaliated, sending several sharp punches to the centre of her chest to knock her back. She quickly grabbed both my wrists in an attempt to stop me, swiping her dominant leg to tackle mine from below me. I saw her hesitate before moving, which gave me the advantage as I quickly jumped to avoid falling, sending one harsh kick to her mid section which forced her flying back, releasing me from her grip.
I advanced, kicking once for her dominant shin then using my other leg to kick her stomach again. I used my arm for momentum, which was my downfall for that move, as she managed to quickly grab it and throw it backwards, preventing my attack from being very strong. She swung a punch for my face which I quickly evaded by stepping back, and she used that space to swing another attack - this time with her elbow - to just above my sternum. I didn't have enough time to react, the blow connecting completely. I shouted out in pain, knowing that space had next to know muscle to protect from the pain.
I gritted my teeth and swung two hits for her neck this time, which she successfully blocked using her forearms like I had done before. She attempted a punch straight for the centre of my face, though I quickly redirected it by moving my fist with the inside of her elbow, her own hand missing the side of my face by centimetres. I used this close proximity to use my other arm, elbowing her upwards against her nose and connecting almost all the way as I heard a satisfying crunch.
She stumbled backwards and clutched her nose, and I used this as opportunity to finish the fight once and for all. I took a step forwards and swung my body low, before throwing myself upwards and sideways to perform an aerial kick called the 'butterfly twist'. I kicked out twice - once at her sternum, once at her face - before landing safely right in front of her as she tumbled backwards onto the floor. Carrying my momentum through the kick, I launched myself forwards and faux staked her the moment she landed on the ground. "Dead." I cried out victoriously, giving her a cocky smirk that I was sure would wipe her attitude away.
The class immediately erupted with cheers and claps as I stood up, wearily turning to see where they were all stood on the one side of the ring. I let out a small laugh as I doubled over to catch my breath, resting my hands on my thighs for support. Not knowing how she fought had definitely proved difficult for me, and I wasn't expecting to use so much energy as I did. Although fighting with Dimitri was a lot harder, at least I knew what to expect with him. Fighting with unknown talents was definitely a challenge I would have to work on.
I didn't even bother to check if Guardian Charkov was okay as I exited the ring, my body aching and tired as I made my way over to get my bottle of water. I slumped down on the bench with my head against the wall as I drank until it was empty, watching as the Guardian stumbled cautiously to her feet. Now that I properly looked at her, she was definitely looking more beaten up than I felt, marks of blood on her lip and coming from her nose. I saw Dimitri head over to her and ask her a quiet question, which she quickly dismissed.
"Guardian Belikov will be taking over the rest of the class for today." She announced in a tired voice, and I noticed she didn't even dare look in my direction as I regrouped with the rest of the class. "It will be good to for him to get to know your styles and him to know yours. I shall see you at class tomorrow." She nodded solemnly as she wiped the blood from her nose, before quickly exiting the classroom presumably to head to the infirmary.
"Alright, class, that's enough excitement for now." Dimitri commanded the class easily, making his way towards the front. "Pair off and start your stretches. Hathaway, over here, please."
I heard several passing comments as I made my way to Dimitri about how I would be in trouble, and I had to hold in a laugh at how wrong that statement was. Dimitri waited until all the students had cleared off until he turned to me. "Are you alright? She had no right to attack you like that."
"I'm fine." I assured him. "Probably going to be a little bruised in the morning, but I definitely got off better than she did." I gestured my head back to the door where Guardian Charkov had left. "Where did she go?"
"To the infirmary." I could tell he was trying to hold back a smile, though not very successfully. I grinned up at him, folding my arms confidentially.
"Are you proud of me?" I fluttered my eyelashes innocently up at him, knowing that my teasing would get him riled up in all the right ways.
He laughed, looking down at the ground for a moment before returning his gaze to me. I bit my lower lip at the dark, lustful expression in his eyes, hiding the smirk that threatened to break through. "Not only am I most definitely proud of you, Malýshka," he said quietly to make sure nobody would be able to hear apart from me. "But that might possibly be the sexiest thing I've ever seen you do."
I swallowed hard as I held in an inappropriate noise, giving him a seductive look. "Well I guess that gives me something to look forward to tonight." I chimed, knowing that the anticipation would just kill him. I took a step back and gave him a formal nod of goodbye, pretending to ignore the strained look on his face.
"For that, you can do ten sets of lines." He said a little louder so that a couple of the other Novices could hear, implying it was a punishment for something I had done, when in reality it was just his own way of teasing. I gave him a mock salute to say that I would do it, before turning to start my 'punishment' with an obvious sway of my hips as I went.