Previously-
Another beating was taken to Lissa's leg again, but this time I couldn't take the pain. I blacked out.
Chapter 3 – Class Schedule
I gained consciousness for a few small intervals during the rest of the event. I opened my eyes for barely a moment to find myself being carried in the arms of the tall dhampir. Another time I found myself on the floor as he fought on the other side of the room, still somewhere in the house. And the last time was probably for a whole minute, with Lissa lying next to me in a car – out cold. I was able to search my surroundings for a moment to find I was in the back of a large van.
The dhampir who I saw fighting Qarleen was driving, and the tall one was sitting in the back with the two of us. I also recognised some more guardians and a bunch of the other humans and dhampirs from back at the Strigoi house. The tall dhampir was repeating a bunch of calming words to the conscious lot, before he realised I had opened my eyes. He started blabbing a string of incoherent words whilst shaking me in an attempt to keep me awake. But I blacked out quickly thereafter – with him still screaming in my face – before I could identify any in the van as Florence.
The next time I woke – and actually woke, without losing consciousness again – I was in a room I quickly identified as a hospital. Typically hospital scenario – lying in a bed, tubes in my arms, plain white, sterilised atmosphere, beeping machine. Not that I'd ever actually been in a hospital before – I'd never walked out of the Strigoi 'mansion' my entire life. But I'd seen movies.
I woke in so much pain. Aggravated, it took all my strength not to rip the tubes from my arms. I tried to stretch my limbs, but it only resurfaced the beating my leg had taken... or thought it had taken. There was obviously no flesh wound on my leg, and without my conscious input doctors would have no idea it was injured... or thought it was injured. Although I knew it wasn't broken, it certainly felt like it was... or something of the kind – considering I had never broken my leg, I didn't know what to go off of. I was sure I needed a cast or something to treat it. Not that I actually had an injury... it was Lissa's... I figured once Lissa's leg had healed, or her pain subsided, mine would to. However in the meantime, was there any way to treat me?
Eventually, I did rip the tubes out. They were just irritating me, and it was one of the few things I could do to ride myself of any negative emotions. I left my leg still for a moment hoping the pain would subside. Once it did, though, I felt the pain in my head. I figured it was there all along, but my leg hurt all the more, so it cancelled it out or something. It was only a minor headache, but irritated me all the more. I picked up the nearest thing – a plastic tray sitting on the table beside me – and threw it straight ahead of me – at the door. I felt momentarily better.
A moment later the door opened. "Oh, good, you're awake," said a monotone voice, taking a glance at the contents on the floor. "My name is Doctor Olendzki, and this is Adrian Ivashkov," she introduced, as the Moroi man from my dreams followed her inside.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" he almost squealed, pulling up a chair beside the bed and grabbing my hand. He smelt horrible – cigarettes wafted from his breath. "It didn't – as you probably realised – take us long to find the info we needed to get you out. I had to sit around here waiting though, as they all went and rescued you. I was stressed the entire time."
"Take a hundred and ten steps back there, buddy," I snatched my hand back, "Tell me everything from the beginning, like you promised." I wasn't going to be wasting any time on formalities. I wasn't entirely in the mood.
He glanced back at the doctor. She shook her head. "I'm not allowed," he rolled his eyes at me; "I have to wait until your better. Something about the stress affecting your recovery."
I almost shot out of bed, hissing at my throbbing leg as I spoke... no yelled, "No! You promised – you have to tell me!"
"She won't let me," he whined, flailing his arm in her direction.
I turned to the doctor, "Look, doc, I'm fine, okay? Not knowing is going to stress me out more. Now get the fuck out and let him tell me what I need to know," I spat.
"Excuse me!" Olendzki exclaimed, a rise in her voice I didn't expect possible. "Besides, young lady, you are anything but fine."
"If you are so sure of that, why isn't my broken leg plastered? Why don't I have any pain killers? Are you even a real doctor?"
"Rosemarie..." Adrian tried to calm, placing a gentle hand on my arm.
I snatched my arm up, his hand retreating to his body. "Just get out. If you aren't going to help me, just get out!" I spat, directing it to the both of them with my eyes. "Leave!"
Clearly not wanting to deal with my 'craziness' anymore, they both got up to leave.
I heard some murmuring outside, but I ignored it. Who cared if I was sick? I needed information. I needed to know everything. I spent my life in a Strigoi dudgeon; I could handle whatever crap they could fly my way. I could handle anything. Besides, I wasn't even really sick. It was Lissa's pain I had... not that I would let them know that. No one could know.
I was so angry at them all. But should I really be angry? It was Adrian that insured that I had gotten out. Without him I wouldn't be out. Wait... I was out! No longer did those walls and gates hold me in. I no longer had anyone to keep me doing what I wanted to do. "I'm out!" I screamed as loud as I could, before I jumped out of bed and climbed out of the window.
My leg throbbed, but I pushed it to the back of my head. I was out! I couldn't let a minor injury – that wasn't even real – keep me from soaking in that feeling. There was grass outside. It was night, the moon hanging overhead and eliminating everything in a soft white glow. It was also slightly chilly – I could really feel it beneath the tiny hospital gown that covered me – but it just made it all the more amazing. It gave the grass a slight cold, damp layer. It felt... there were no words. When I thought the dream grass was amazing... it was nothing compared to this.
I was out! Finally, we had done it! Florence and...
Wait... where was Florence?
I turned back to the window of my hospital room to see the doctor, Adrian, the tall dhampir from the rescue, and two other unfamiliar faces looking at me through the window.
"Where is Florence?" I asked the group.
They all shot each other grave looks. The dhampir climbed through the window and approached me.
"Where's Florence?" I repeated, knowing I was about to get the answer from him.
"Adrian told us you mentioned her," he began. "We asked Lissa to try to identify her from the ones that we saved."
He spoke in an apologetic tone. He didn't need to say it. The way he said it made it as clear as day. "She didn't get out."
"We can't find her anywhere," he confirmed.
"Okay." I had to deal with this. I couldn't think the worse, after all. There was every possibility she could still be alive. If I thought the worse, I wouldn't be able to function. After all, it was my fault she didn't get out. No... no. It was Lissa's fault. If she wasn't hurt, then I wouldn't have had to go help her. No, even more than that – if she had never formed that stupid bond, then I would have never felt her pain in the first place. That was the blame.
I shivered involuntarily. "Let's get you inside," he suggested, putting his arms around my shoulders. As he came closer, a whiff of his scent swarmed me. It was delicious. I welt weak for a moment, and my already unstable leg gave way. "Ohh-woops," he muttered, catching me before I touched the ground. He lifted me up into his arms, "Here we go."
He climbed through the window with me in his arms successfully. He ushered the rest out of the room once he put me in the bed.
"Bye, little dhampir," Adrian said, the last one to leave, and shut the door behind him.
"I don't think I like him," I told the dhampir as he pulled a chair up beside me. "Doesn't help that he smells."
He let out a seconds worth of laughter, "Yeah, Adrian's a Spirit user. Drowns the psycho-crap with cigarettes and alcohol."
"Spirit? He mentioned that before. What is Spirit?"
"It's the fifth element. Earth, fire, water, air, and then there's Spirit. Not very well known, only resurfaced recently when Adrian and Princess Dragomir were found to possess it."
"Lissa? She uses Spirit?"
He nodded.
"What does that mean exactly? I know she heals people, but-"
"Wait, what? She's healed you before?"
I nodded, "Yeah. The first time, I think I actually died before she brought me back." Woah! Hold up! Did I just tell him that?
His brows furrowed and he looked down.
"What?"
"She hasn't done any healing to anything more than a plant... well, other than the crow. But that was her first time. She isn't supposed to do any more... she physically can't. It drains too much of her energy. She practically passes out."
There was a knock on the door. "Dimitri?"
"I'm in here," he called. Dimitri – that suited him.
A platinum blonde came in. It was Lissa. She was in a wheelchair, pushed by Adrian. He must have smoked recently; the smell of cigarettes followed him.
Dimitri spoke up once the two were completely inside, "Lissa... what were you doing healing people in that place? You can't..." he said, worryingly.
She sighed, looking utterly guilty beneath his gaze, "I'm sorry, Dimitri. But it was only her. I didn't heal anyone else, promise."
"Why only Ro-"
"Will you please get out?" I snapped, relatively loudly and un-expectantly, covering my face with my hands. I moved my hand away to find them all looking at me slightly shocked, and probably wondering who I was referring to. "Adrian!" I exclaimed, "Adrian, all I can smell is the freaking smokes fuming off you and it's giving me a migraine!"
"Adrian..." Lissa whispered, "Please?"
He rolled his eyes, "Fine," and left.
"Why is he so irritating? I mean, I'm glad he helped get us out. But man, could he be a bigger pain?"
Lissa looked at me sadly, "He's okay once you get to know him. He has to deal with the darkness someway though, doesn't he?"
"Darkness? What are you talking about?" So many riddles with these people.
"From using Spirit. Adrian used up a lot when he walked your dreams. I mean, he usually needs a lot of alcohol and stuff to deal with it. But it really took a lot out of him when he helped us, so he needs more. It's his way of getting rid of the darkness – the, I suppose you could use the word, evil that seeps through from using it. Mood swings and stuff, but more severe."
"Well how do you deal? When you kept healing me?"
"How much healing did you do, Lissa?" Dimitri interjected before she could answer me.
"I told you – not a lot!" she defended herself, "And only for Rosemarie. Anyway, ever since the first time I healed her, it didn't take as much out of me."
"Took a lot out of you last night." I mentioned, remembering having to drag her downstairs.
"Last night?" Dimitri asked, "You mean the night before we rescued you?"
"Yeah... last night?"
"No, it was the night before. You were out for a good twenty-four hours, give or take." He paused, "Lissa! You should not have been healing so much!"
"Dimitri! She was weak! I had to do something! She couldn't even stand!"
"Hey, I can take care of myself!" I insisted.
They both looked at me, humour planted on their expressions. "Yeah, right," Dimitri joked, before turning back to Lissa, "You need to be more careful. You could have gotten yourself hurt."
"Dimitri..."
"Lissa! I'm not kidding!"
"Well it doesn't even matter anymore! Besides, we aren't there anymore. We are safely here in the courts and the Academy when we're better. So she won't be getting hurt anymore."
"The Academy?"
"St. Vladimir's Academy. You'll be enrolling when you have recovered," Dimitri informed me.
A couple of weeks later, that's exactly what we were doing. Although I was deemed better shortly after, I was still stuck in the hospital room – which I learnt was at the 'Royal Courts'. Whatever that meant. I basically woke up one morning, was thrown my washed, however, still tattered clothing from the incident, and told we were to leave on a plane in an hour.
Lissa was on crutches with a practically healed leg, but even if it wasn't – I stopped feeling the pain a week after the incident. It took a bit of mental effort, but I got a barrier up. It wasn't strong enough to keep any other feelings away, though. Blocking out her pain was hard enough. But at least I could now function properly without someone else's injury holding me back. It was all a miracle that I was so quickly healed! Hell, they didn't even bother to find the source of the pain in my leg. Well... they did. But finding nothing they dropped if as sympathy for my friend. Technically, they were pretty close. Scratching the friend part.
"Rosemarie Hathaway?" The headmistress, Kirovia, confirmed.
"Yes," I replied. Lissa and I sat on chairs in front of her desk, with Dimitri standing along the wall with the rest of the guardians in the room.
"And you want to enrol here?"
"Yes."
"Yes, ma'am," she corrected.
I simply nodded in response.
"So you have no experience what's-so-ever in combat?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You do?"
"No. I meant 'yes' as in you are right. I've had none."
She pushed the glasses further up the bridge of her nose, "Right. Well, in this case, Miss Hathaway, you are going to be well behind the rest of the novices your age. I can only advise you sit in a few years below."
"Headmistress, if I may?" I turned to see Dimitri step forward. I looked back at the headmistress, and she nodded her head once in approval for him to continue. "I believe Rosemarie has great potential. I suggest extra combat classes in her spare time. If you are committed enough?" he directed to me. I nodded my head vigorously towards Dimitri and then back to her.
"Very well, then. Would you care to take up the honour, Guardian Belikov? If you are so interested in Miss Hathaway's education?"
"Well... I didn't mean..."
"No, no. I rather like this notion. Besides, you are Princess Vasilisa's guardian and you therefore will be accommodated here. But without any other formal obligations, you seem a rather fit candidate. I'm sure you will train Miss Hathaway do the best of her potential. If you are struggling at all, come see me, Miss Hathaway, and I will not hesitate to adjust your classes to suit your academic needs.
"On another note," she turned to Lissa, "I am overjoyed to find you well, Princess. I would like to apologise for your recent loss. I would also like to inform you that they are planning a funeral for a month's time to honour your family. There was not enough time to organise them during your absence. I have only recently learnt of this myself, and will contact you with further details as I learn of them."
I felt a sharp pain from Lissa. It wasn't like the leg, no, not physical. The mention of her family surfaced some great emotions she had managed to bury since the incident. She, however, put on a brave face and thanked her.
"Of course, Princess. As for you, your classes will continue as before you left. You will require assistance from your teachers to catch up on what you missed, but I am confident you will be capable."
"Thank you, Headmistress Kirovia," she repeated.
"Guardian Belikov, Miss Hathaway – I am going to suggest private combat training sessions before and after the bulk of daily classes. Seeing as this is not a punishment, however, I will not deem these sessions compulsory. If for whatever reason you wish not to attend one of the sessions, Miss Hathaway, I think it only appropriate if you contact Guardian Belikov so he does not go to the trouble to wait for you. Guardian Belikov, you will need to give Miss Hathaway your private contact number. However, Miss Hathaway, I think it wise to attend the majority of these sessions. Your education is in your hands. I can do nothing more but hope you take this opportunity as a privilege, not a right." We both nodded as she directed her speech to us.
She paused for a moment, "That will be all. Classes will begin tomorrow. Please collect your schedule and dorm information from my assistant."
1st Period - Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques
2nd Period - Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3
3rd Period - Weight Training and Conditioning
4th Period - Senior Language Arts (Novice)
-Lunch-
5th Period - Animal Behaviour and Physiology
6th Period - Precalculus
7th Period - Moroi Culture 4
8th Period - Slavic Art
Looking at my class schedule seemed like I would be enduring very long days. On top of the extra training classes in the morning and after school. Things were looking down already. This was the place that we wanted to be? Well, with Florence it surely wouldn't be so daunting. But Florence wasn't here...
"Hey," Dimitri called, coming up behind me. I had been walking ahead of him and Lissa as they talked over her schedule. "Do you even know where you are going?"
"No," I told him, but like I didn't really care.
"At least let me show you to your dorm?" he suggested.
I shrugged, and turned around to lead me in the other direction. "Bye, Princess," he called out, as she was swarmed by a group of Moroi.
"So," he began, breaking the relatively comfortable silence we had going, "What do people call you? Surely it's not just 'Rosemarie' all the time? Bit long."
"Marie," I said.
"Marie," he repeated. I shivered. No... that wasn't right. Only Witmoore called me that. When Dimitri said that, a slight accent seeped through – not French, thank God, but Russian. Still, it was a foreign accent, and similar too.
"No..." I whispered.
"No?"
"Just call me Rosemarie."
"What about Rose?"
"Huh?"
"Well, if not Marie," I flinched, "then Rose. I mean Rose plus Marie...? Is Rose okay?"
I shrugged, "Yeah, sure, whatever."
We walked another moment in silence before we reached the dorms. "What's your room?" he asked. I handed him the sheet, "Over here."
We opened the door. It was small and plain with a twin bed and a desk with a computer. "No roommate?" I asked, recalling many movies and shows where they seemed to inevitably have the most annoying person to live with.
He shook his head, "There are so very few novices these days, even less of them female." I nodded.
I then realised I had no belongings at all. Everything was still back at the Strigoi hellhole, and even there I had few clothing.
He must have noticed my already dim mood worsen, "Rose?"
"I have no clothes or anything, besides these," I said, waving a gesture over my destroyed clothing.
"I'll look into getting you some stuff," he told me, pulling a piece of paper and pen out of his pocket. "For now, they'll do. I want you to find someone to give you a tour of the school and meet me in the gym in an hour and a half," he wrote on the paper.
"Sure thing, Comrade," I saluted, before he handed me the paper, shut the door and was out.
This was not going to be fun.
A/N- I'm BEYOND glad that you all like this so much! :D
All these, 'So different!', 'I really like it!', 'UPDATE SOON!' 's have got me so happy! I never expected so much for this. ^_^ This chapter is a bit of a filler... but at least look forward to the Dimitri training session first thing next chapter! YAY!
I'm just going to keep reinforcing this, because it's important! - These quick updates... you guys are just really lucky! I mean, they aren't too quick, but really, for me, they are. It takes me at least two days (when JUST school is added into the mix) to write these. I can't sit down and manage to write a whole thing in one go. Then there is homework and study and LIFE! This chapter so quickly is really surprising because I have a full weekend, in which I'm currently in the middle of, and I STILL have to get my homework done... In which I haven't started. :S
I will try my best to continue updates this quick. But if I go missing for lengthy periods of time, be assured - I'm still alive and writing this story!
Once again - LOVE FOR YOU ALL!
Oh, and can't forget - REVIEW! It's like cake for my inner fat kid! Getting fatter being, in this case, me writing more!