Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy (unfortunately) and have used its characters and general plot in order to create this story. I have also kept the same sort of structure as the original story and include some of the original lines, and I AM NOT taking credit for Richelle Mead's work. This is my take on how the story could have gone with hopefully a few more things expanded on and explained. I also wanted more involvement of spirit and a more badass Rose, so...here it is.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed!
Chapter Three
Sending us straight to class after our meeting seemed beyond cruel, but that's exactly what Kirova did. At least we were given time to get changed into some of the clothes we'd left in our dorm rooms when Lissa and I had run away, having been unable to take everything with us. I had thrown on a pair of my old slacks and an everyday shirt, making sure it had a high back first, before slipping on a pair of trainers. The top and pants were a bit tighter around the bust and hips then when I first got them but that would work to my advantage today with most of my peers being male. I would have preferred a nice, warm shower though. I see through the bond that Lissa is thinking along the same lines. I was slightly cheered up though when they informed us they were collecting all our stuff from Portland. I just hoped they wouldn't get curious and look through our suitcases.
They then sent me to one of the guidance counsellors after leading Lissa away. He was an ancient Moroi guy, one I remembered from before I'd left. I honestly couldn't believe he was still around. The guy was so freaking old, he should have retired. Or died.
The visit took all of five minutes. He said nothing about my return and only asked a few questions about what classes I'd taken in Chicago and Portland. He compared those against my old (and some-what bulging) file and hastily scrawled out a new schedule. I took it sullenly and headed out to my first class, looking down at the hastily scrawled script.
1stPeriod Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques
2ndPeriod Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3
3rdPeriod Weight Training and Conditioning
4thPeriod Senior Language Arts (Novices)
—Lunch—
5thPeriod Animal Behavior and Physiology
6thPeriod Pre-calculus
7thPeriod Moroi Culture 4
8thPeriod Slavic Art
Great. I'd forgotten how long the Academy's school day was. Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first half of the day, which meant I wouldn't see Lissa until lunch at the earliest. Hopefully we would have some afternoon classes together. Most of them were standard senior classes, so I felt my odds were pretty good.
Dimitri and Alberta then escorted me to the guardians' gym for first period, neither one acknowledging my existence. Walking behind them, I saw how Alberta wore her hair in a short, pixie cut that showed her promise mark and molnija marks. A lot of female guardians did this and it only served as a reminder to make sure my own were safely covered. The last thing we needed was to attract attention and a novice with as many marks as I had definitely would.
They didn't say anything as we walked along, almost like it was any other day, but when we arrived the reactions of my fellow prisoners indicated it was anything but. They were in the middle of setting up when we entered the gym, and just like in the commons, all eyes fell on me.
Huh, all right, then. If I was going to be stuck here for a while, I wasn't going to take any crap. Lissa and I had once held this school's respect, and it was time to remind everyone of that.
Scanning the staring, open mouthed novices, I looked once again for a familiar face. Most of them, of course, were guys. One in particular caught my eye and I could barely hold back my grin.
"Hey Mason! Wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."
A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot. He was also one of the funniest guys I knew. We'd been good friends since my mother dumped me here as a small kid and I'd come to think of him as a brother. I had genuinely missed him when I was away from the Academy.
"This is my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session."
"Oh yeah?"I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then."
"It's always a good a time to think about you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another good friend of mine who I had missed.
Dimitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn't sound very complimentary. Meh, it was his problem. But my plan had worked and, just like that, I was one of the novices again. They were an easygoing bunch, less focused on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students. (I'll have to remember to check in with Lissa about those royal snobs next time I see her as I promised I would try not to go into her head unless it was necessary.)
The class soon engulfed me, and I found myself laughing and talking to those I'd nearly forgotten about. Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I couldn't tell them why we'd left of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts, smirks and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows that served just as well. Telling them where we went might also be problematic in case a guardian listened in and made the connection between where we were and the groups of strigoi bodies found.
The happy reunion lasted only a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily I realized I didn't know what most of them were. What I did know, however, I practiced to death so I assumed it wouldn't take that long to learn the new ones. Might even make training a bit more interesting with a few more things to do.
"Come on, Hathaway," he said, taking my arm. "You can be my partner. Let's see what you've been doing all this time."
An hour later, he had his answer.
"Jesus Christ, ow! What have you been doing?" He winced from his position on the floor. "You know steroids are bad for you, right?"
I extended a hand and helped him up from the mat I'd knocked him down on. Again. I might not have been able to do the new exercises the best but I still had my strength and speed.
"Ha ha, well you seem to be doing ok even without the drugs," I compliment as I rub the spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow. I wasn't expecting that move.
"Sure, Hathaway. You have one bruise. I'm not sure if I can walk tomorrow."
"I still hate you," I told him as he straightens out his shirt, "I won't be able to wear shorts for ages and I had this really cute dress..."
"In this weather?"
"Shut up."
"You'd hate me more if I held back."
"Yeah, that's true," I agreed as I helped to put the equipment away.
"Besides, I really didn't need to. You can kick ass Hathaway. You must have trained while you were away."
"Yeah, I made Lissa go to the gym with me. She sat in the corner doing homework while I showed off to the buff guys sweating in the back."
"Poor humans."
"Yeah. You should have seen their faces when I lifted those weights." I smirked before putting my hands on my hips. "They were like how the hell does a girl who doesn't even reach my biceps lift that!"
"Well, as long as you get those new exercises down pat you'll surely pass exams in spring."
"I'm sure I'll get there. They're making me take extra practice sessions," I explained. Not that it mattered. I planned on getting Lissa and me out of here before these practices, or exams, really became an issue. It was nice to catch up with my friends but Lissa comes first.
"Extra sessions with who?"
"That tall guy. Dimitri."
Mason stopped what he was doing and stared at me. "You're putting in extra time with Belikov?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"So? That man is a god."
"Exaggerate much?" I asked slightly miffed.
"No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial, but when he fights…wow. He'll give you a run for your money Miss Show-Off."
I'd love to see him try. I've been dying to know how I do in a fight against him since I got rid of all the endorphins in my blood stream.
In reply to Mason however I just elbowed him and went on to second period. This class covered the essentials of being a bodyguard and was required for all seniors. Actually, it was the third in a series of classes that had started junior year. That meant I was majorly behind in this class too, but I hoped protecting Lissa in the real world had given me some insight.
Our instructor was Stan Alto, whom we referred to simply as "Stan" (or some other more derogative names) behind his back and "Guardian Alto" in formal settings. He was a little older than Dimitri, but not nearly as tall, and he always looked pissed off. Today that look intensified when he walked into the classroom and saw me sitting at my desk. His eyes widened in mock surprise as he circled the room and came to stand beside me.
"What's this? No one told me we had a special guest speaker here today. Miss Rose Hathaway. What an absolute privilege! How very generous of you to take time out of your incredibly busy schedule and share your knowledge with the rest of the class."
I felt my cheeks burning, but in a great show of self-control, I smothered the rising colour and stopped myself from telling him to fuck off.
I'm pretty sure my face must have delivered the message though because his sneer increased. He gestured for me to stand up. Ass. As if I didn't have enough shit to deal with today.
"Well, come on. Don't sit there! Come up to the front so you can help me lecture the class."
My shoulders tensed and I remained firmly planted in my seat. "You don't really mean—"
The taunting smile dried up. "I mean exactly what I say, Hathaway. Go to the front of the class."
A thick silence enveloped the room. Stan was a scary instructor but I refused to crack. I have faced multiple strigoi; I can face one horrid teacher. I strode up to the front of the room and turned to face the class. I gave them a bold look and tossed my hair over my shoulders, being careful of my marks and earning a few sympathetic smiles from my friends. I then noticed I had a larger audience than expected. A few guardians—including Dimitri—lingered in the back of the room, monitoring the class.
"So, Hathaway," said Stan cheerfully, strolling back up to the front of the room and leaning against his desk. "Enlighten us about your protective techniques."
"My…techniques?"
"Of course. Because presumably you must have had some sort of plan the rest of us couldn't understand when you took an underage Moroi royal out of the Academy and exposed her to constant Strigoi threats."
It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with more witnesses. And I couldn't do anything about it if I wanted Lissa safe.
"We never ran into any Strigoi," I lied stiffly.
"Obviously," he said with a snicker. "I already figured that out, seeing as how you're both still breathing."
Darkness rose once again in my vision. It was getting harder and harder to control now that we were back in school gates. I would have let some out during practice with Mason but I didn't want to actually hurt him. Not like I wanted to hurt Stan at the moment.
When I didn't say anything, Stan straightened up and started pacing in front of the class.
"So what'd you do? How'd you make sure she stayed safe? Did you avoid going out at night?"
"Sometimes." That was true. We'd relaxed a little after I had begun to take out the strigoi in the area we were living in. It lowered the chance of surprise attacks greatly and if there were to be any strigoi around the darkness would immediately let me know and give me time to get Lissa to safety.
"Sometimes," he repeated in a high-pitched voice, making my answer sound so incredibly stupid. "Well then, I suppose you slept during the day and stayed on guard at night."
"Er…no." Again true. I felt it more important to be awake and alert when we went out so if we were to face any strigoi then I would be fully prepared to take them on. It was also harder to live on a human schedule and still go to school with only an hours sleep each night. I tried, it so didn't work.
"No? But that's one of the first things mentioned in the chapter on solo guarding. Oh wait, you wouldn't know that because you weren't here for that."
I swallowed back more swear words and darkness. "I watched the area whenever we went out," I said, needing to defend myself.
"Oh? Well that's something. Did you use Carnegie's Quadrant Surveillance Method or the Rotational Survey?"
I didn't say anything. How would I know? Stupid fancy names!
"Ah. I'm guessing you used the Hathaway Glance-Around-When-You-Remember-To Method."
"No!" I exclaimed angrily. "That's not true. I watched her. She's still alive, isn't she?"
He walked back up to me and leaned toward my face."Because you got lucky."
"Strigoi aren't lurking around every corner out there," I shot back. "It's not like what we've been taught. It's safer than you guys make it sound." And it was if you took them out on your terms, instead of waiting for them to come to you.
"Safer? Safer? We are at war with the Strigoi!" he yelled. I could smell coffee on his breath, he was so close. "One of them could walk right up to you and snap your pretty little neck before you even noticed him—and he'd barely break a sweat doing it." He somehow got closer. "You might have more speed and strength than a Moroi or a human, but you are nothing, nothing, compared to a Strigoi. They are deadly, and they are powerful. And do you know what makes them more powerful?"
Keep the darkness down. Control it.
Looking away from him, I tried to focus on something else. My eyes rested on Dimitri and the other guardians. They were watching my humiliation, stone-faced.
"Moroi blood," I whispered.
"What was that?" asked Stan loudly. "I didn't catch it."
I spun back around to face him."Moroi blood! Moroi blood makes them stronger."
He nodded in satisfaction and took a few steps back. "Yes. It does. It makes them stronger and harder to destroy. They'll kill and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood more than anything else. They seek it. They've done despicable things to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi even attack Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi have raided academies exactly like this one. There are Strigoi who have lived for thousands of years and fed off generations of Moroi. They're almost impossible to kill. And that is why Moroi numbers are dropping. Some Moroi don't even see the point of running anymore and are simply turning Strigoi by choice. And as the Moroi disappear..?"
"…so do the dhampirs," I finished strongly.
"Well," he said, licking sprayed spit off his lips. "It looks like you learned something after all. Now we'll have to see if you can learn enough to pass this class and qualify for your field experience next semester."
Ouch. I spent the rest of that horrible class—in my seat, thankfully—replaying those last words in my mind. The senior-year field experience was the best part of a novice's education. We'd have no classes for half a semester. Instead, we'd each be assigned a Moroi student to guard and follow around. The adult guardians would monitor us and test us with staged attacks and other threats. How a novice passed that field experience was almost as important as all the rest of her grades combined. It could influence which Moroi she got assigned to after graduation.
And me? There was only one Moroi I wanted and I was determined to get her.
Two classes later, I finally earned my lunch escape. As I stumbled across campus toward the commons, Dimitri fell into step beside me, not looking particularly godlike—unless you counted his godly good looks.
No Rose. Bad Rose. The Russian Giant is evil.
"I suppose you saw what happened in Stan's class?" I asked, not bothering with titles.
"Yes."
"And you don't think that was unfair?"
"Was he right? Do you think you were fully prepared to protect Vasilisa?"
I looked down at the ground in defiance. "I kept her alive."
"How did you do fighting against your classmates today?"
"I did well."
"Hmmm, I'm sure."
"I did!"
"If you can't fight them —"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I snapped. Fine! He doesn't have to believe me. I'll show him! Just wait until our first training session! I'll whoop his nice-looking arse.
"You're strong and fast by nature. You just need to keep yourself trained. Did you play any sports while you were gone?"
"Sure," I shrugged."Now and then."
"You didn't join any teams?"
"Too much work. I went to the gym to practice when I could though."
He gave me an exasperated look. "You'll never be able to really protect the princess if you don't hone your skills. You'll always be lacking."
"I'll be able to protect her," I said fiercely.
"You have no guarantees of being assigned to her, you know—for your field experience or after you graduate." Dimitri's voice was low and unapologetic. They hadn't given me a warm and fuzzy mentor. Not that I needed a mentor, I could easily catch up.
"No one wants to waste the bond— but no one's going to give her an inadequate guardian either. If you want to be with her, then you need to work for it. You have your lessons and you have me. Use us or don't. You're an ideal choice to guard Vasilisa when you both graduate—if you can prove you're worthy of the position. I hope you will."
"Lissa, call her Lissa," I corrected. She hated her full name.
He walked away without answering and I suddenly didn't feel like such a badass anymore despite the marks decorating my neck and back. After all, where Dimitri's marks – although much less in number – had all been acquired purely by skill, most of mine had been tainted by the ill effects of spirit and the added strength and speed that the darkness gave me, both of which made each kill easier. I needed to change that, I realised. I need to be a true guardian and not just pass with my skills, but excel without the dependence on the darkness as if it were a drug, and use it only as an asset. That way I can truly be my best and protect Lissa to the absolute best of my ability.
After I'd concluded my epiphany (yes, yes. I know), I'd burned up a lot of my lunch time. Everyone else had long since sprinted inside the commons for their break, eager to maximize their social time. I'd almost made it there myself when a voice under the door's overhang called out to me.
"Rose?"
Peering in the voice's direction, I caught sight of Victor Dashkov, his kind face smiling at me as he leaned on an old wicker cane near the building's wall. His two guardians stood nearby at a polite distance.
"Mr. Dash—er,Your Highness. Hey."
I caught myself just in time, having nearly forgotten Moroi royal terms. I hadn't used them while living among humans and they were a little fuzzy. I still remembered though that the Moroi chose their rulers from among twelve royal families. The eldest in the family got the title of "prince" or "princess." Lissa, however, had gotten hers because she was the only one left in her line.
"How was your first day?" he asked, hobbling forward.
"Not over yet." I tried to think of something conversational. "Are you visiting here for a while?"
"I'll be leaving this afternoon after I say hello to Natalie. When I heard Vasilisa—and you—had returned, I simply had to come see you. I was so worried."
I nodded, not sure what else to say. He was more Lissa's friend than mine.
"I wanted to tell you…" He spoke hesitantly. "I understand the gravity of what you did, but I think the Headmistress failed to acknowledge some things. You did keep Vasilisa safe all this time. That is impressive."
"Well, it's not like I faced down Strigoi or anything," I said, keeping up the lie.
"But you faced down some things?"
"Sure. The school sent psi-hounds once." This I was happy to admit to.
"Remarkable."
"Not really. Avoiding them was pretty easy."
He laughed. "I've hunted with them before. They aren't that easy to evade, not with their powers and intelligence." It was true. Psi-hounds were one of many types of magical creatures that wandered the world that humans never knew about or else didn't believe they'd really seen. The hounds travelled in small packs and shared a sort of psychic communication that made them particularly deadly to their prey. Successfully avoiding them had been a huge ego boost. "Did you face anything else?"
I shrugged."Little things here and there."
"Remarkable," he repeated.
"Lucky, I think. It turns out I'm really behind in all this guardian stuff." My thoughts drifted back to Stan's class and the fancy-ass terms I will need to learn.
"You're a smart girl. You'll catch up. And you also have your extraordinary bond."
I looked away. My ability to 'feel' Lissa had been such a secret for so long it felt weird to have others know about it. I just prayed the rest would stay only between me and Liss.
"Our history is full of stories of guardians who could feel when their charges were in danger," Victor continued. "I've made a hobby of studying up on it and some of the ancient ways. I've heard it's a tremendous asset."
"I guess." I shrugged. What a boring hobby, I thought, imagining him poring over a stack of huge, dusty books in some dank library covered in spider webs. Though I guess it could be useful, I just wouldn't know how to ask about what Liss and I have without giving some information back.
Victor tilted his head, curiosity all over his face. Kirova and the others had had the same look when we'd mentioned our connection, like we were lab rats. "What is it like—if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's…" How do I answer this? "I don't know. I just sort of always have this hum of how she feels. Usually it's just emotions. We can't send messages or anything." Well, not both ways. And he doesn't need to know about the whole out-of-body-experience thing.
"But it doesn't work the other way? She doesn't sense you?"
I shook my head. That I could tell the truth about. And thank God too. I like my privacy and in no way want to give it up.
His face shone with wonder, momentarily erasing some of the physical effects of the disease that marked his face. "How did it happen?"
"I don't know," I said, still glancing away."Just started two years ago."
He frowned."Near the time of the accident?"
Hesitantly, I nodded. The accident was not something I wanted to talk about, that was for sure. Lissa's memories were bad enough without my own mixing into them. Twisted metal. A sensation of hot, then cold, then hot again. Lissa screaming over me, screaming for me to wake up, screaming for her parents and her brother to wake up. None of them had though, only me.
The doctors said that was a miracle in itself. They said I shouldn't have survived. And I shouldn't of. Lissa had saved me. It was a debt I'd never be able to repay especially when she could of saved one of her parents or brother instead.
Apparently sensing my discomfort, Victor let the moment go and returned to his earlier excitement.
"I can still barely believe this. It's been so long since this has happened! I could only imagine if it did happen more often…just think what it could do for the safety of all Moroi. If only others could experience this too. I'll have to do more research..."
"Yeah."
I was getting impatient, despite how much I liked him. His niece Natalie from what I remembered rambled on a lot, and it was pretty clear which parent she'd inherited that quality from. Lunch time was ticking down and, although Moroi and novices shared afternoon classes, Lissa and I wouldn't have much time to talk. Plus I was really hungry.
"Perhaps we could—" He started coughing, a great, seizing fit that made his whole body shake. His disease, Sandovsky's Syndrome, took the lungs down with it while dragging the body toward death. I cast an anxious look at his guardians, and one of them stepped forward. "Your Highness," he said politely, "you need to go inside and get warm. It's too cold out here."
Victor nodded. "Yes, yes. And I'm sure Rose here wants to eat." He turned to me. "Thank you for speaking to me. I can't emphasize how much it means to me that Vasilisa is safe— and that you helped with that. I'd promised her father I'd look after her if anything happened to him, and I felt like quite the failure when you left."
A sinking sensation filled my stomach as I imagined him wracked with guilt and worry over our disappearance. Until now, I hadn't really thought about how others might have felt about us leaving. Lissa was the only one I was truly worried about as it wasn't like I had a true family of my own other than her.
We made our goodbyes, and I finally arrived inside the school. As I did, I felt Lissa's anxiety spike.
Ignoring the rumbling in my stomach, I picked up my pace and ran into the commons and almost right into her.
She didn't see me, though. Neither did the people standing with her: Aaron and that little doll girl he was with earlier. I stopped and listened, just catching the end of the conversation. The girl leaned toward Lissa, who seemed more stunned than anything else.
"It looks to me like it came from a garage sale. I thought a precious Dragomir would have standards."
Scorn dripped off the word Dragomir.
Grabbing Doll Girl by the shoulder roughly, I jerked her away. She stumbled three feet and nearly fell, she was that light.
"She does have standards," I said putting myself between them, "which is why you're done talking to her."