"Sydney?" Rose shot up in her bed. Eddie was near the door, arms crossed over his chest and a serious look on his face. "What's going on?"

"You haven't been paying attention to your bond, have you?" Sydney asked, frowning.

Rose shook her head. Lately she'd been blocking out whatever managed to get through Lissa's meds. Watching her friend go through the excitement of wedding planning while her own heart slowly stitched itself back together wasn't helping.

"There've been credible threats made against St. Basil's," Eddie said, voice robotic. His eyes were hard, and she knew the horrors of what happened at St. Vladimir's were echoed in her eyes, too.

"Strigoi?" she asked.

He nodded.

"What are you guys doing here, then?"

"You've been pulled, temporarily, to help increase guardian numbers at the school," Sydney said. "So has most everyone else who survived the attack on your school that can be reassigned to St. Basil's. They want as many experienced people there as possible. I'm here because Lissa wanted someone close to you to tell you in person. Eddie tagged along as my escort off Court property."

"I thought . . ." Rose rubbed her temples, head suddenly pounding. "I thought Lissa had worked on shutting down attacks like this?"

"Key players were taken out at St. Vladimir's," Eddie said quietly. "But someone always rises to the top eventually."

"We need to go," Sydney said, standing and looking around. "Where's your suitcase?"

"Under the bed." Rose was wide awake now, her body a live wire as adrenaline coursed through her.

"Go take a shower," Sydney directed as she started taking clothes out of the dresser. "I'll be done by the time you get back."

When Rose came back not five minutes later, Sydney had indeed finished packing enough for a long, if not indefinite stay. She eyed Rose's still wet hair with a glance towards the snow falling outside the window.

"I'm not drying it," Rose said, handing over her toiletries bag for Sydney to shove into the full suitcase. "It's too thick. We'll be here until next year."

"That's fine," Sydney said, absent-mindedly touching her thin, blonde locks. She glanced at Eddie. "Ready?"

"After you," he said with a small, forced smile, and Rose was struck by the familiarity of the exchange. It was easy to forget they'd once worked together for a year, protecting Jill while Lissa got the quorum law reversed to secure her position as Queen.

Downstairs was silent. Olena was pacing by the front door, wringing her hands. She met Rose at the bottom of the stairs with a tight hug.

"Here." Olena pressed a pin into Rose's hand, curling the girl's fingers around it and squeezing her fist. "My mother needs you to give this to Dimka from her. I know—"

"I'll get it to him," Rose said. "Don't worry."

Olena paused, studying Rose's expression. "Take care of them for me, yes?" she asked after a moment.

"I will," Rose replied seriously.

It was still dark outside. Eddie added Rose's suitcase to their own in the trunk while Sydney turned the car on, ratcheting up the heat as high as it could go. Eddie slid into the backseat, gesturing at Rose to sit up front, and promptly fell asleep.

"How long does it take to get up there?" Rose asked when they hit the highway.

"Legally, four. Eddie drove in from Omsk so my lead foot and I can push that closer to three." Sydney handed her phone to Rose. "Plug this in, please?"

When Rose returned it, Sydney's eyes flicked between her phone and the road as she unlocked it and scrolled through playlists. Eventually she picked one — a soft guitar and some crooning male voice began floating through the speakers at a low volume — and then handed the phone back to Rose.

"Text Adrian and tell him we've got you and that we're on the road," Sydney said as dipped into the other lane to speed past a truck. "He's not at all happy I'm here, let alone walking into the lion's den with you guys, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Rose snorted, scrolling through Sydney's contacts. "Adrian's not in here," she said, showing Sydney the list of 'A' names.

"Oh, sorry, he's in there as Jet Steele. Don't ask, it's a long story."

"Sounds like it," Rose said, grinning despite her nerves. "I thought Jet Steele was your drug dealer or something."

"Hardly," Sydney scoffed. Then, smirking, she added, "If you want crazy names, there's a guy in there named Malachi Wolfe. I'm dead serious when I say that's his real name. I got to see his birth certificate when a friend of mine married him last year."

"And I thought I had weird friends," Rose said, giving Sydney an approving look. She finished tapping out the message, added an "-RH" to the end of it so she wouldn't accidentally get anything back she wouldn't want to see, and handed the phone back to Sydney, who stuck the phone under her thigh.

There wasn't much to the scenery outside — flat, barren land stretched to the horizon in every direction, only broken up by the two-lane highway — which made conversation the only source of entertainment to keep time moving along. There was no way she could try to nap like Eddie, not with the way her fingers were picking at the bottom of her shirt.

"I missed you guys," Rose said about in an hour into the drive. "I mean, I still do, but the homesickness was pretty bad for a while. Seeing you and Eddie in person is making me realize just how much, though."

"We miss you, too," Sydney reassured her. "Adrian and I turned your send-off into a weekly group dinner thing. Everyone's able to come most of the time, but it's not the same without you."

"I've seen some of them," Rose said quietly, still looking out the window.

"Is it weird? Not the bond stuff — just seeing everyone you know hanging out together?"

"It wasn't at first, but then once reality settled in and I was very aware of, like, being here and you guys being there, yeah, it became weird. I don't think I ever fully left Court behind, which might be why I didn't recognize when I started getting homesick."

"Probably was," Sydney agreed. Her phone buzzed, muffled from her jeans and the canvas seat, and she grabbed it, smiling fondly at the text. "Adrian says to give you a hug and that he hopes you're alright."

"Syd, you have service?" came Eddie's voice from the back, and he leaned forward over the center console, blinking away sleep.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can I text Jill? I talked to her on the train yesterday so I know she's fine, I just—"

"Here." Sydney passed him her phone. "Code's oh-six-one-one."

"How is she, by the way?" Rose asked, twisting around to look at both of her friends. "I've emailed her a couple times since her announcement on Facebook, but nothing too deep."

"She's good," he said, face soft as he tapped out a message. "Pretty bad morning sickness, but she's tougher than she looks. She's more excited than anything." He shook his head. "I'm the one who's terrified."

"I bet," Rose laughed. "She's okay with having dhampir children?"

"We're starting out with just the one, thank you," he said, cutting her a friendly look of stop right there. "But yeah, she's fine with it. Loves me and all that." He handed Sydney her phone back and really looked at Rose. "How are you holding up? Lissa and Adrian've been having lots of hushed conversations and I only catch bits and pieces, but I know it's always about you."

Rose considered, noting the way Sydney shifted away from them, trying to give as much privacy as she could given the space they were sharing. "It's been rough," she settled on. "Emotionally, I mean."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

"Feel free to punch me in the face for asking a personal question, but wasn't there a guy or something? Lissa was really concerned about that for a while, I remember."

How to answer? He and Sydney wouldn't turn her in for admitting to anything, but there also wasn't anything to talk about. It was over. Done. The credits had rolled months ago.

"Not really." Lie. "Lissa was concerned for me because there was some minor issues with a couple of my reports, but it got worked out." Truth, lie, half a lie. "It was definitely annoying while it was going on, though." Understated truth.

"That sucks," he said. "So no guy at all then?"

She grinned. "If I fall in love tomorrow, I'll let you know."

"Deal," he said, bumping his elbow against hers and returning the smile. "You deserve some happiness like the rest of us."

She felt her mouth twist.

"Don't tell me you don't, Rose. I've known you your whole life. You've gotten over what happened with Mason — we all finally have — but it's like he took that part of you with him."

"I dated Adrian," she defended.

Sydney snorted, finally breaking her silence. "Adrian calls himself your rebound and would agree with everything Eddie is saying right now. He's essentially president of the 'Find Rose a Boyfriend' fanclub."

"Oh, do you think he'd make t-shirts for it?" Eddie asked. "That pirate frat shirt he made for you when you guys were undercover was amazing."

"It is amazing. I still have it," Sydney said. Her phone buzzed; she passed it back to Eddie again.

"Guys!" Rose waved her hand in front of her face. "Serious moment about my not dating anyone? Remember?"

Eddie finished his reply, nudged Rose's shoulder with his. "You've never been in a real relationship, is what I was going to say next, and we're worried about you."

"Who says I need a relationship to be happy?" Rose argued, suddenly wishing she hadn't brought the conversation back around to her directly.

"You don't," Sydney agreed, "But all your friends are in relationships, and I can't imagine that's easy."

"Mia's single," Rose said.

"Mia's been dating Roschek in admin for the past three months, actually," Eddie countered.

"What? Since when?"

"Since he joined Christian's offensive magic group after the last call for combat instructors."

"Great." Rose slumped in her seat. "Mia is dating a guy stuck doing payroll because he's in between charges and I, the Queen's to-be personal guardian, haven't been on anything resembling a date in two years."

"You work too much," Eddie said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"No I don't."

"Rose, you're the only one at Court who's ever in danger of hitting overtime. I know. I hang out with Roschek these days."

She rolled her eyes.

"Eddie's right, though," Sydney said, trying to cover her amusement. "You barely have time for yourself when you're back home. I'm amazed we ever see you off duty."

"I'm Lissa's guardian. I'm dedicated to her before anything else."

That argument is beginning to sound worn out.

"No one's saying you're not." Eddie's tone was gentle and lightly concerned. "What we are saying is that you're on some kind of crusade to prove that you're worthy enough to get the official title of Lissa's guardian, and it's wearing you down."

Rose's mouth opened and closed a couple times before she remembered her other argument. "The rules—"

"Look at me," Eddie said. "Seriously, look at me. I've been dating Jill for, what, four years now? We're having a baby next winter and we're talking about maybe getting married at some point down the road. Nobody is hurt or in danger by us being together."

Grasping at straws now, she added, "But let's say something happens—"

"Then something happens and we deal with it as best we can. Look, Rose, you can't live a full life if you're constantly worried about what could go wrong. I started doing that after Mason died and it nearly cost me being with Jill. Yeah, as guardians we have to think ahead and plan for crises, but those aren't daily occurrences. What IS daily is your life and how you live it and who you put it in it."

Lips pressed together, Rose studied her friend. Everything he was saying was true; she just didn't want to hear it.

"It took me some time to figure that out, too," he finished.

"When did you get so wise?" she asked, tilting her head. "Last I checked, you and Mason were still laughing over fart jokes in PE class."

Eddie shrugged. "I fell in love."

BREAK

Of all people Rose expected to see doing check-in at St. Basil's front gate, Anton wasn't all that high on the list. Unlike when she met him on New Year's, he had no smiles to share now, only giving Sydney directions to guest housing and parking with minimal inflection and a nod to Rose through the open window.

Where St. Vladimir's had been all grassy quadrangles and stone-and-ivy buildings, St. Basil's was as ethereally Russian as Rose had imagined. The road through the front gate immediately turned to gravel and flanked the perimeter of a huge, expansive lawn — green in warmer months but presently hidden under snow — that set back a long, light blue building, three tall stories high and easily as many city blocks wide.

To the left of the road, stretching all the way back to parallel the main building was a huge garden, flowers and vegetation still perfectly manicured even in the winter; mirrored across the lawn was the other side of the road and another lawn, this one the same size as the garden but dotted only with pine trees.

The building itself winged back and connected to itself in a large rectangle; according to the campus map, the dormitories and regular dining rooms were in the rear building while classrooms, offices, ballrooms, and guest housing filled the front. The wings were little more than elaborately decorated hallways connecting the two buildings together. In the middle sat the school's lone quad, also covered in snow. The whole thing reminded Rose of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

Between the garden and the back edge of campus sat the gym, twice the size of the one at St. Vladimir's, and Sydney was quick to explain why.

"There's only one campus," she said as she pulled into a spot in the parking lot behind the gym. It looked out of place with all the Baroque architecture and tall, ancient birch trees that circled the school from behind the gated wards. "There was only one building when the school first started and they just built additions over the years to accommodate larger enrollments. Besides, it isn't like America. There's too many Strigoi here in Siberia to have multiple campuses."

"How on Earth do you know that and not us?" Eddie asked in astonishment, climbing out of the car and slamming his door shut.

"You forget I once had to know everything about your people," Sydney replied over the roof, amusement shining in her eyes for a moment.

It faded quickly, though, as a macabre mood fell over them, pulling them into the fear and adrenaline that quietly permeated the air. No one was outside, which was understandable anyway given the weather, but there was an unnatural stillness that set Rose on edge. It tinged the school's beauty, a twisted fairy tale featuring Baba Yaga herself.

Even still, as the three pulled out their luggage and headed for a side entrance, a loud part of Rose was pulling her to go find Dimitri in this labyrinth of a castle to make sure she hadn't just dreamed him up back in December. An even louder part wanted to get back in the car and return to Baia; she'd been telling herself she was over what could've been, but she wasn't entirely sure she believed that, and she didn't want to go start testing the theory out right now.

Guest housing was far nicer than anything she'd ever seen, antique furniture and centuries-old artwork giving the rooms a character the modern spaces at Court lacked. They were given a single room with two beds — nobody had remembered to factor in Sydney after Lissa had added her name to the list of visiting guardians — but Eddie beckoned the two off, claiming that even if the thick, plush couch was short for him, it was at least comfortably sleepable.

"You're going to get more stares than me," Rose said to Sydney while waiting on Eddie to finish changing into the monkey suit guardians used for official attire. She'd already done so; her jacket sat on her shoulders weirdly, and she kept lightly tugging on the hem of it to stretch it out more. "I have a feeling."

Sydney's fingers brushed her cheek where her golden lily tattoo lay dormant under a layer of concealer. "Maybe."

"You good in here?" Eddie asked, appearing from the joint bathroom they and the room next door had to share.

"I think so," Sydney said, pulling her laptop close and looking around. "I've got WiFi and a working toilet." Appearing to feel that was enough, she nodded more confidently. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You guys go to your meeting, I'll see you at dinner."

Placated, Eddie and Rose left.

"This has to be a lot on her," he muttered as they, along with a handful of other late arrivals, made their way from the guest housing wing of the main building to the ballrooms two floors down. "It took her forever to warm up to us in Palm Springs, and you know how she rarely goes outside at Court."

Despite the tension pricking at her skin and the unease rolling through her stomach, being surrounded by Eddie's perfectly bland American accent was comforting to Rose. She nodded, turning the corner for the building's main staircase and trying not to feel overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

They were among the last to arrive and two of the youngest guardians by far. A debriefing was being held in one of the ballrooms to catch all the visiting guardians up to speed and settle the current state of affairs. It was one of the smaller ballrooms — a fifty or so people standing and conversing was a comfortable but not snug fit — but it was no less opulent than anything else Rose had seen so far. It was as if St. Basil's hadn't gotten the memo that the imperial era was over.

Rose couldn't help it. She looked around, telling herself she was looking to see if there was anyone else present whom she knew, and ignored how she came up feeling disappointed when she didn't find Dimitri. Instead, up at the front, Rose saw Anton climb on top of a table and stick two fingers in his mouth. A sharp whistle brought conversations to a sudden halt.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Anton started, his voice ringing out loud and clear through the room. "For those who do not know, my name is Anton Rezinov and I am the deputy captain here at St. Basil's. I am aware almost all of you had to make long trips to get here and on behalf of the entire school, I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation for that.

"In particular, I know Captain Sosnitsky, myself, and the entire security staff are truly grateful for the assistance you have brought in your numbers, experience, and talent. What happened at St. Vladimir's five years ago was a horrible tragedy and our aim now is to prevent a repeat."

Anton then proceeded to explain the nature and validity of what they believed were threats of a Strigoi attack, going back to the school starting their winter holiday break early out of precaution, and listed the current plan of attack — up border patrols, wait out another threat — as well as the guardian policies and procedures specific to the school.

All the while, Rose could focus on little else beyond Anton himself. His position puzzled her — he and Dimitri both lost the same charge, and Anton more than likely would've had to testify at some kind of informational hearing as to the events that lead up to the loss of a royal Moroi life even if he didn't face any kind of disciplinary action. In light of that, why was Anton so high-ranked and Dimitri, well . . . not?

"Mostly what we need from you right now is assistance in daily operations and supporting the guardians currently in place here," Anton was saying by the time Rose tuned back in. "Foot patrols, classroom observation, the like. We have identified those we would like to speak as guests in our novice theory and practical classes as a favor of your already being here; if you do not wish to speak, inform the person listed in the email sent to you.

"Your placements, along with copies of everything discussed today, security building and land maps, and basic school information, as well as how to contact myself, Captain Sosnitsky, and division heads, can all be found in the information packets waiting for you in the back by the doors. Please take yours as you leave for dinner. They have been grouped by last name in English alphabetical order."

Anton managed a tight smile. "Again, I cannot begin to share the weight of the relief we feel knowing you all are here. You are the difference between life and death. Spasibo bolshoy, all our thanks for your commitment to the safety of our children."

The school guardians handing out assignment packets in the back by the doors were brusque, all sharp movements and lack of smiles, trying to get people through the lines as fast possible.

"Name?"

"Hathaway."

"Janine or Rosemarie?"

Rose stopped short. "What?"

"Your given name, Janine or Rosemarie?"

"Uh, Rosemarie."

She walked away from the guardian in a daze, scanning the line she'd just been in. Towards the back was a familiar head of auburn curls she never thought she'd see there in a million years. Forgetting trying to find Dimitri or meeting back up with Eddie to compare shifts and go to dinner, she made a beeline for her mother, who didn't seem surprised to see her. Rose flung her arms around her mother in a hug, the entire day suddenly weighing heavy on her.

"I didn't know if you were going to get called out for this," Janine replied when she pulled away a moment later. Underneath her calm front, Rose could see worry over the situation and relief from seeing her daughter in person. "But it makes sense. You're among the best out of everyone here."

Rose was still taking in the sight of her mother. All of her responsibilities melted away for a moment. They may not have been the poster family for close mother-daughter bonds, but Janine always had a way of making Rose feel like she was ten again. Sometimes it wasn't a good thing, but for the most part, it allowed Rose a moment to feel like she didn't have to carry the weight of everything on her shoulders. This was one of those latter times.

"I got kidnapped early this morning," Rose joked, falling back on humor to get through tough times like usual.

Janine nodded. "I heard Guardian Castile and your Alchemist friend were coming."

"Yeah, they, um-" In her peripherals, Rose saw Eddie gesturing towards Janine from across the room with a confused look. Fearing a long conversation, Rose asked, "Actually, do you mind if we talk later? I have some stuff I need to do." When Janine agreed, Rose rushed out a thanks and left to meet up with Eddie.

"When they said everyone with experience, they really meant it," Eddie said. "Took me a moment to remember she was there in the aftermath."

Rose glanced behind her. "Yeah. What's your schedule look like?"

Because there were so many extra guardians on hand, the school had put out extra tables in the student dining room, filling the gilded, carpeted space to near bursting capacity. It was loud and filled with kids who looked far too young to be in high school already; Rose felt like she was back in high school, albeit the language difference. Sydney's face said she was only present because she didn't want to eat alone in guest housing, but her eyes flicked across the rows of students with interest as they made their way through the room.

"They're split," she said to Rose as they and Eddie took empty seats at a table with other guardians off to the side. "They can't decide if you or me being here is more shocking."

Two Moroi girls walked past, conversation falling away when Rose made eye contact.

"What, do they think I'm dangerous or something?" she asked the other two, scowling.

"I mean, it is a known fact that you were the last person to see Victor Dashkov alive after he had Queen Tatiana assassinated," Eddie said.

"Thanks." Rose rolled her eyes. "I had definitely forgotten how murdering the worst criminal in recent history was fucking with my guardianship to Lissa."

Sydney snorted, hand flying to her mouth. "Sorry, that was probably rude."

"It's only spirit that makes me homicidal," Rose replied with far too much nonchalance.

"Which is just . . . so ironic," Eddie said, his grin fading when he took stock of his plate. He poked at a squarish roll. "What's this?"

"Golubsty," Sydney said, watching with mild interest as Rose started in on hers without protest. "It's a stuffed cabbage roll."

"Olena makes it better," Rose said off-handedly. She pointed to the soup on Eddie's tray. "If you don't eat that, I will."

"You've gotten better about the food here," Sydney noted.

"Eat or starve to death." Rose shrugged. "But I stand by what I said. Olena makes this stuff better."

A tray landed on the table next to Rose. "Glad you think my mother's food is edible," Viktoria said, plopping down with a flourish and waved to Sydney and Eddie across the table. "Viktoria," she said, holding her hand out to Eddie.

"Eddie," he replied, eyebrows slightly knit in confusion.

"She's the youngest daughter of the family I'm staying with," Rose explained, accepting Viktoria's piece of black bread for her own second cabbage roll as she spoke.

"Oh shit," Eddie swore and when Rose made a noise of confusion, he added, "I forgot you're living with the Belikovs."

Rose stared him down, silently hoping nothing would give her away. She wanted to keep those In The Know limited to Sydney and Adrian.

Eddie didn't look at her, though, instead turning to Viktoria, excitement on his face. "Your brother is pretty much who we all aspired to be in school. If I could be half the guardian he is? Shit, I'll die happy tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear," Viktoria said with a straight face, kicking Rose's foot under the table. "He's well-respected here in Russia, but we don't want to assume that everyone feels the same way. Rose," she added, turning to look at the girl in question, "You never mentioned this."

Rose saved a glare at Sydney for her terrible poker face to instead smile sweetly at Viktoria and say, "I didn't want come off as some obsessive fan, so I didn't say anything."

"Dovolno lyubovnik deystvitelno," Viktoria muttered under her breath just as Rose swallowed, and Viktoria watched Rose choke and recover with a shit-eating grin.

Quite the fan indeed.

Sydney had given up trying to keep her expression in check and her surprise and excitement shone bright. "You didn't—" She started and Rose shook her head, cutting her friend off.

"Later." She glanced at Eddie, who looked as lost as ever, and the room of students behind him, all oblivious to their conversation. "There's enough rumors about me right now."

"By the way, Paul is looking for you," Viktoria said, deftly changing topics. "He wants to ask you something. A favor, I think."

Rose nodded. "If you see him before I do, tell him I'll track him down tomorrow morning. They've got me in the gym during morning classes."

"Something else that doesn't surprise me," Viktoria replied, eyes dancing with a secret and, ignoring Rose's open mouth of protest, she turned to Eddie to grill him on how he felt about being in Russia so far.

Rose had forgotten about Viktoria's lack of surprise over her morning placement until she walked into the novice's gym — on the first floor of the building, bigger than St. Vladimir's with a full-size running track circling the perimeter — and straight into Dimitri. He was as gorgeous as ever, his hair loose around his face, and she was hit with the desire to fall into his arms and not worry about why she was there before she could even process that she'd bumped into him.

"Hi," he said, face blank, like nothing over the winter had happened.

A little piece of her twisted at his non-emotion, but she forced on a professional smile. "Hey. This, um, is the gym, right?"

He looked behind him at the students milling about and warming up. "Yes, this is the gym," he replied, this time letting some amusement through for a second.

"Good." God, were the next few weeks really going to be this awkward? "How—"

Someone called Dimitri's name and he turned, shouted something back in Russian, and then addressed Rose. "Sorry, I've got to—"

"It's fine," she said, trying not to feel like she'd rather the floor swallow her whole.

He nodded, paused mid-turn, and then nodded again, like he, too, was so unsure of how to proceed.

"What's up with you and Belikov?" Eddie asked, causing Rose to jump a foot in the area at the sudden voice behind her.

"Nothing," she said nervously.

"Really?" He didn't look convinced. "Because he looked like you ran his dog over."

She snorted, finally entering the gym and looking around for a spot along a wall to take up for the next few hours. "Dimitri doesn't have a dog."

Eddie opened his mouth to say something but got cut off by the bell signalling the start of class, and she flashed him a there's nothing, trust me smile.

The curriculum varied very little from school to school, so even though Rose only understood about half of what was being said, she still had a good idea as to what was going on. The class was first year novices, and Rose was shocked by how young they seemed. St. Basil's, like several other schools, had shifted the training years for novices in response to Tatiana's age decree, so while it wasn't much of a surprise that a bunch of twelve-year-olds would seem like children in comparison to her own memories of school, it definitely looked wrong.

"Kids are being sent off into battle," Rose muttered to Eddie as classes changed and fourth year novices switched with the first years. "It's unsettling."

Eddie just looked grim.

Among the fourth year novices were a handful of older students, Viktoria included, and they joked around with the guardian supervising the combat classes in a way that the rest of the typical-aged students seemed wary to do. Paul wasn't present, but his friends from Christmas were and Rose wondered where he was.

He showed up in fourth period with the third years and gave Rose a friendly punch in the shoulder as he passed by.

"I've got a favor to ask," he said.

"Viktoria told me."

"Good." He grinned and jerked his chin at Eddie. "Paul Belikov. You a friend of Rose's?"

"Yeah," Eddie said, sizing the kid up.

"Cool, cool. Rose is on my short list of people I like, so you're probably alright, too."

Eddie's eyebrows creased together. "Thanks?"

"No problem." To Rose: "Hey, you ever finish that book I gave you for New Year's?"

Haven't started it. "Mostly finished. Why?"

"Because we're discussing it in class next week and I want your opinion on it."

Dimitri, to Rose's middle school crush horror, was the lead instructor for the third year class, and when he called Paul's name out from across the gym after the bell rang, she felt Dimitri's eyes slide over her. His face was completely unreadable.

He was poetry in motion, she decided while watching him. For as much as she'd heard about his skills and joked to his face about being a sad, surly warlord, she'd never actually seen him do anything relatively combat-related until then. The class had learned a new set of upper body blocks earlier in the week and now they were practicing, repetitive reinforcement that Rose had hated as a student.

She didn't bother trying to hide how she watched nothing but him, correcting hands and stances with a firm patience that warmed her from the inside. She had no doubt that in an actual sparring situation, he would be deadly quick and almost impossible to beat.

After the class finished, Paul came bounding up to her, bookbag slung over a shoulder. "So, that favor."

"Hit me," Rose said, pushing the door open for both of them, Eddie following close behind.

"You saw how I was with the third years," he started.

"Your suspension held you back a year?" she guessed, and he nodded.

"I know you're only going to be here through Easter, but I was wondering if you could do some after-school sessions with me? Like a temporary mentor? You managed to graduate on time after missing two years, so I thought—"

"Sure," Rose said, swelling with pride. She liked Paul well enough and it would give her something to do to eat up the hours between the end of classes and dinner. Outside of classroom observation, she was scheduled for perimeter walks every other day after student curfew. It left her with more free time than she would've liked. At the very least, though, mentoring Paul would give her a chance to run every day. "I'll do it."

"Really?" He lit up like he'd been anticipating for her to say no.

"Yeah. It's going to be every afternoon, though. Weekends, too. Like you said, I'm only here for a few weeks."

Paul was still shining. "Awesome." The word came out awkward from a mouth not used to English consonants; the aw came out sounding more like ohv.

He ran off after that, his friends waiting at the door for him so they could head off to the main building for lunch, and Eddie ran a hand through his hair. "It's easy to forget we're here in case of a Strigoi attack, isn't it?" he asked. "It's like we're just normal guardians assigned to work an academy."

"I'm still not used to being a guardian, period," Rose admitted, reaching up and adjusting her ponytail.

"True." Eddie's smile was weak. "Mason would've loved it."

"What, having a license to kill?" Rose quipped. "If I do, he definitely would have."

"Do you ever miss him?"

It was snowing outside and a gust of cold smacked them in the face when Eddie pushed the door open. Rose zipped up her coat, wishing she'd remembered her scarf before she'd left for breakfast that morning.

"Sometimes," she said. Around them, students and guardians rushed towards the commons where the dining rooms were housed. "I usually miss him most in the winter, though."

"Somehow it doesn't feel like it's been five years."

"Time is funny like that," she said, definitely thinking about Dimitri and the three weeks they had over the holidays. "It leaves you without saying good-bye."

She didn't see Dimitri during her afternoon shifts, nor did he ever seem to be at meals. In fact, Rose was fairly certain he was going to great lengths to avoid her, just as he had after she'd explained why they couldn't be together. The only time she saw him was in the morning, when they had to be in the same room together, and while he wasn't rude, he didn't go out of his way to make conversation.

Not that she was upset about that. He had every right. Still, it felt like in the process of ignoring her, he was ignoring them, and the realization that she hated that nearly knocked her over one evening a couple days after their literal run-in.

Sydney picked up on Rose's unhappiness about the situation almost right away and she was nothing but sympathetic and supportive, listening attentively as the dhampir laid out the entire story of their relationship and frowning when Rose detailed why she wasn't actively making out with him on a daily basis anymore.

"That sounds like Alchemist rhetoric," Sydney had said when Rose finished, both propped up against the headboard of the latter's bed. On the comforter in front of them sat long forgotten laptops and half-eaten packs of the Russian gummy snacks Rose practically lived on. "And you know how I feel about that."

Rose managed a smile through her sadness and leaned her head against Sydney's shoulder. "I wish I had more free will."

"I know." Then, "Adrian and I want to leave Court. Move up to Maine. My mom's up there with Declan but Adrian's nervous about my dad or any of my former superiors trying to find and drag me back to reeducation, so it's up in the air at the moment. I get where you're coming from, though. Adrian's free to go wherever whenever he pleases but I have to worry about things like potentially being kidnapped and brainwashed again. It's claustrophobic."

Rose made a face. "Can't you guys go somewhere like Mexico? Montana was bad enough and Russia's hell-bent on making me think I'll never see green grass again. I mean, I'll visit if you move to Maine, but I'll complain about it loudly the whole time."

Sydney laughed and said, "You belong on a beach, Rose Hathaway. Nowhere else is warm enough."

As it always does, time passed and routines established themselves.

Viktoria mostly kept to her friends, though she took to sitting with the trio at meals, occasionally inviting along her roommate, a nineteen-year-old dhampir girl from a town similar to Baia who'd also left school for a while to have a baby. Neither were planning on getting a promise mark, they'd shared one day, and while both expressed sadness over having to change their life plans, neither considered the decision a sacrifice.

(Rose's twelfth report spent three pages talking about that particular conversation at length.)

Paul was true to his word and diligently showed up early to his after-school practices, not complaining at all when Rose spent most of the time making him run. When she asked him why he was so neutral about it, he'd shrugged and said he was used to it since a lot of his earlier physical education had been running laps and regardless, she was the guardian and he was the student, so I should listen because you must know what you're doing, yes?

Most afternoons she ran, too, varying between keeping his pace and speeding up to her usual time depending on her mood - which was directly influenced by how much Dimitri looked in her direction during the morning combat classes.

The first couple of practices, though, were spent sitting against the wall, tearing through Fathers and Sons so she was prepared for Paul's book club discussion. For four afternoons straight, she travelled around 19th century Russia and watched Arkady Kirsanov go after the girl he loved and come to odds with his best friend about his willingness to question everything while doing nothing to follow his own heart. For four afternoons straight, Rose mentally declared Paul Belikov to be the Ultimate Little Shit, even if she did straight up just enjoy the book for its story value.

She didn't see much of her mother, either, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. They'd been working on establishing a friendlier relationship between them for a time before Rose left Court, but at the same time, she didn't want her mother to see the tangle of emotions she was on a daily basis.

Because it wasn't just Dimitri himself that left her confused and hurting and pining - it was being at St. Basil's, too, the place that had seen Dimitri when he'd been younger and happier, the school that had watched him grow up and become the man Rose was slowly begin to admit to herself she may not be as over as she was trying to convince herself she was.

If there was anyone who could figure out Rose's current emotional struggle with just a look at her face, it was Janine Hathaway. Mother's instinct and all that.

Eddie had picked up that something was different about Rose's relationship with Dimitri compared to her friendships with the other two Belikovs, but whatever observations he'd made he blessedly kept to himself. Instead, he cracked jokes under his breath during their morning shifts in the gym to keep her distracted and occasionally joined her and Paul in the afternoons, making bets with the kid over whether or not he could outrun Rose. (His success rate was lower than he'd openly admit to.)

And day by day, Rose was slowly coming to the realization that maybe she could put herself first and be in a relationship with Dimitri Belikov. It was only when she saw him, though, that she was sobered with the reminder that she'd already royally fucked up her chances of that ever happening.