Hey! Sorry for the late update but I did warn you…
Anyways, enjoy this lovelllly chapter. School's been great so far. You know, only one day of actual classes so 100% on the no homeworkness so far :D
I just need to thank my secret partner for all her help in this chapter especially (she's like, a twist genius)
Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas Richelle Mead (lol, fail French grammer. I have it next semester though…)
Dimitri let out a soft groan. "Higher," I demanded, sucking in a quick breath as my stomach rolled and a trickle of sweat started to bead on my forehead. "Come on, the faster you do it the sooner you can let go."
"Oh, shut up." Still, I felt myself rise higher, his grip on my thighs tightening. If not for the fact they were almost at bruising point, I would have been thrilled at this.
"Jesus. I said higher not harder."
"If I go any higher and not harder, I'll drop you and then where would we be? Back in the hospital of course because of a broken neck. It's you're fault for being so short."
"Oh, shut up." I continued to try to grab onto the large branch that had fallen onto our roof last night in the storm. A storm that had apparently scared the tree so badly it let loose one of its biggest branches. We had been spending the last hour finding a way to get it down before it spontaneously caught on fire or somehow made the roof cave in. Dimitri claimed that it was ever important to have it off. There was no ladder and tall as Dimitri might be, he was nothing compared to a roof. There was nothing tall and stable enough to allow Dimitri the extra height and neither did me sitting on his shoulders.
And so here we were, Dimitri's arms straight out, shaking like a box of mice, holding onto my thighs because apparently I'd be too unstable if I just stood on his shoulders. Cause I wasn't already in a precarious situation. Note sarcasm.
I think he just wanted an excuse to touch my thighs. Really, he should have just asked.
I strained my arm to extend as far as it possibly could, once again praying for a go-go-gadget arm. I managed to grab onto a singular scraggly twig-branch and wrapped my sweaty hand around it. Pulling on it slightly, it caused the big-ass one to move further down the roof slightly before breaking off. I let out a heavy sigh. "I think this is useless. Just let me stand on your shoulders."
"No. Then you'll definitely break your neck along with getting my shirt dirty."
I let out a laugh. "Since when did you care about your shirts?"
"Since this became my favourite one that currently has no rips in it."
"Admit it, you just don't want my stinky feet by your face."
"Maybe," came his sheepish reply.
"I'm just gonna climb on the roof, kay?" Before he could yell his protests and many scenarios in which I would fall off and break my neck, I grabbed onto the edge and hauled my upper body onto the roof. Dimitri's hold on my thighs was now gone so I was able to wiggle the rest of my body onto the scratchy singles as well. I flipped onto my back and looked out at the view. It was a beautiful picture of trees, green pines and multicoloured aspens. The bright sun made it look welcoming and birds sang in the distance. The way the mountains glimmered in the distance because of the warm sun made me just want to lean back and stay there forever. My hair danced softly on my shoulders as a light wind breezed by. I shook myself and crawled towards the branch. Clutching the rough bark in my hand, I held it above my head for a split second before yelling out a loud "FORE!" that sent nearby birds flying and threw it off the roof with all my might. It landed with a crash, disturbing yet more wildlife, and Dimitri let out a small chuckle before demanding I come down before Abe murdered him for mistreatment after I rolled off the roof, breaking my neck along the way.
"You know, you should give my neck more credit. You know first hand how durable it is." I could practically feel his scowl. "Okay! Not funny! I get it. Help me down." I looked over the edge to see his arms eagerly outstretched, waiting for me to slide down so he could catch me. When I was back on the ground he scowled at my impulsiveness and I scowled back before walking into the sorry excuse for a house. Honestly, it may have seemed great at first but after a couple of days I realized just how small it was. Two small bedrooms. An okay sized kitchen and a small living room with the smallest bathroom you have ever seen. The only redeeming factor was that it managed to fit a bathtub with jets in it. And that it meant I had to be in close proximity to Dimitri at all times.
XXX
"Dimitriii," I whined, my cheek pressed against the cool counter top.
He sighed and looked up from his cowboy book. "What, Rose? Are you seriously hungry again? You just had like, three pizzas."
"Three and a half. But that's not the point." I lifted my head long enough to put my arms underneath it. My cheek was growing numb. "I think I'm having a donut withdrawal. Can't we get Abe to bring some? Maybe you can bake some…?"
He rolled his eyes. "Donuts are not my forte. I don't even know how to make them."
"Then learn."
"Why don't you? You're the one eating everything."
"Ha! You eat just as much as I do, if not more. And you know I can't cook. I'd probably burn the house down." Again, he rolled his eyes, not even bothering to reply. He flipped a page in his book. "Dimitriiii."
"What?" His patience was clearly not at its peak today.
"I'm fucking bored." I'd given up finding entertainment in watching Dimitri. Watching him read was just as boring as doing the reading myself.
"Then go tree-hugging or something. You're lack of creativity is not my problem."
"Ughhhh. Now I understand addicts. There is seriously nothing else to do in life." Ignored. Damn him and his reading. "Fine!" I threw my hands in the air. "I'll go build a tree house! Anything to escape cabin fever." I stomped out, unreasonably pissed. I was acting childish, I know, but really. Sitting around doing nothing all day is not a way to keep sane. And I like my sanity.
I stepped into the fresh air, air that wasn't currently directly shared with Mr. Reading Is Good For You, and walked into the throng of trees, leaves and needles crunching beneath my shoes. It felt nice to be in the open after so long in that small house with an infuriating man. Just cause he's a gorgeous Russian God doesn't make him any less infuriating. Maybe it makes him more so since he has a bigger ego than most men. Even though he controls it. Screw control though. Sometimes, you just gotta let go.
Once the cabin was out of sight, I let it slip out of mind and slid down to the soft ground, leaning against a non-pokey tree. My head fell back against the trunk and my eyes fluttered closed. Taking in a deep breath, I entered Lissa's head. Lissa was lying on her bed, trying to figure out a way to free me of all my charges. A loud rapping on the door interrupted her thoughts and she got up, slightly annoyed. When she saw a flushed and breathless Adrian behind it, she immediately brightened up and ushered him in. "Lissa," he breathed out. "I think I've found the way to free Rose."
"Really?" she exclaimed. Pure happiness rushed through her. She'd finally have Rose again! "How?"
He held up a gleaming transparent black CD case with a DVD inside it. "This." She reached forward to grab it from his hand but he shook his head and pulled it back. "We need a private place with a DVD player and TV." Lissa rolled her eyes and motioned to her extraordinarily expensive set behind him.
"Private as can be." He nodded and moved towards it, placing the disc carefully in the slot, as if it held his soul and one scratch would kill him. He turned on the TV, motioned for Lissa to sit down and pressed play.
A shuttering breath filled the air as Ambrose, the hot and spicy personal bloodwhore of Tatiana's, entered the screen. He was sitting in a chair with the backdrop of what, Lissa presumed, was his bedroom. He took another deep breath before letting out, "I've got a story to tell you all. This is my confession, my apology and my suicide letter, so listen closely.
First of all, I killed Queen Tatiana."
Lissa gasped and let out a soft "No, not Ambrose. He'd never do that to Rose."
"Second, Rose Hathaway had and has nothing to do with it.
"After the court meeting where it was decided that Dhampirs would graduate at age sixteen, Rose exploded. She was inexpressibly pissed and confronted the Queen about it. At some point during their argument, the Queen called Rose a bloodwhore. Of course, Rose shot back. Said the she was 'one to talk' considering she had her own personal one. Me. Tatiana immediately called me to her and told me that I was being sent to some other place to avoid any more scandal than what had already taken place. I felt hurt and was angry at Rose for what she had done to me. I know she had never done it on purpose but still, I went to her room to confront her.
"I knocked on the door but there was no answer and so I turned the knob, expecting it to be locked. For some reason it wasn't. It turned smoothly in my hand and I pushed the door open. She must have forgotten to lock it. If she had, I might not have walked in and noticed a stake resting on her desk, might not have grabbed it (after putting on rubber gloves) and felt a sudden impulse. A sudden impulse to take things into my own hands and get revenge. Knowing Rose, I knew she'd never go anywhere without a stake and so she wouldn't miss this one too badly. And if she did, she could always just get another one.
"Anger and heartbreak blinded me. It's no excuse for what I did next, but as they say 'Love blinds even the most sensible of people.'
"I ran back to the Queen's room and her Guards let me in without a second glance, used to my arrivals. I had hid the stake within my clothing and when I stepped into the room I walked up to Tatiana, caressed her soft cheek one last time, ignoring her confused expression, and then drove the stake through her heart. As a previously trained Guardian, I knew perfectly well how to kill someone with it, Tatiana not being an exception. She fell to the ground, blood everywhere and I was engulfed in panic. What had I done? I had just killed the most important and powerful person in the Moroi world. And killed the woman I loved.
"I ran into the bathroom and slowly washed every bit of blood that may have splattered onto me and removed my gloved, stuffing them into my pocket for later disposal. I walked back out and toward the hidden security camera in her room that was meant to help avoid situations like that one that had just taken down. I removed the disc, placed in my pocket, and walked out, waving politely at the Guardians as I went by. I was so calm, so serene. I really thought I had gone mental in that moment.
"After entering my room, I got rid of the gloves and hid the video footage. At that point I realized I had forgotten to take the stake out. I guess I just didn't want to touch her dead body.
"Later, I heard that Rose had been arrested for the murder of Queen Tatiana. As much as I was upset with her for being the reason I was to be sent away, I really hadn't meant her any harm. I sure as hell didn't want her to be executed for my impulsive crime.
"And so, wracked with guilt, I say my final goodbyes.
"Rose, I am so sorry for what my actions put you through and only hope this gets found before your execution date. I wish you luck on the Queens final mission for you. That, I assure you, was from the Queen herself.
"All of society, I am sorry for taking away your Queen, She really was a kind and fair woman.
"Sorrys are not enough, and so after this is over, I will take my life.
"Here is the footage from Tatiana's room, if you still need more evidence."
The screen flashed to a dim room. Tatiana was sitting on her bed, brushing her hair when a man, distinctively Ambrose, walked in. He seemed friendly, at first, but the sudden glint of the stake was unmistakable. It plunged through Tatiana's heart, a gasp barely audible before she fell to the floor.
And then the screen went blank.
Lissa and Adrian were quiet for some time, just thinking about what they had just seen. Adrian broke the silence. "I just got it in my mail. It was labelled 'Confidential.' Dated today."
"So," Lissa's voice broke. "Ambrose?"
"After I watched this in my room, I sent people to his. He was found in his bathtub, wrists slit and dead."
Lissa let out a sob and Adrian wrapped her in his arms, comforting her.
"Shh, Lissa." Words, unspoken, moved through the air. Ambrose did what he did out of love for Rose. Both of them shivered.
"But, why did Victor say…?" Adrian just shook his head.
"Why indeed," I said out loud, coming back into my own head. I realized I was shivering along with them.
Yayyyy, another chapter complete. This was just going to be a filler chapter but then I realized that what kind of person would I be if I just gave you a filler chapter after all this time?
Not a very nice one.
Yeah, the first part is pointless but… it shows the concern that Dimitri has for her and her neck.
Call Me Kat? Would you mind terribly if I asked (or begged) you to continue that little piece you were writing? It would be kind of… short if I ended it where you stopped and I think my mind just might implode if I tried to continue it. And even if it didn't, it would be fail blog worthy. Thanks :D
School tough. Darla's tired. She's helping rip out her fence this weekend. Her long weekend. Wanna make her feel better? Reviews always do.