Oh, hi there. I am so sorry that it has taken so long for this chapter to be posted, but I have been so busy... am I forgiven?
Okay, so in this chapter we have a clifffieeee! Hope you like it...
Chapter 11 will probably be up tomorrow, or maybe Sunday, depends on the time I have.
Read and enjoy this chapter ( :
CHAPTER 10.
Rose's POV.
The next morning I woke to the sound of knocking on my door. I grumbled at being woken up early, but when I looked at the time on my alarm clock, it told me that I had actually slept in.
I opened my door and found Dimitri standing there, sexy as always. "Good morning, Roza." He greeted me, his Russian accent sounding more pronounced. I watched as he appraised what I was wearing. I looked down and realised that I was only wearing my underwear and a white tank top, practically see through. I felt the blush creep up onto my cheeks. A hungry look flashed across Dimitri's face, but he looked away quickly.
"Good morning." I replied, standing back and allowing him to pass through the door, into my room.
"Rose, the guardians have found some trails they believe belong to a group of Strigoi... there have been sightings of blood on a trail not far from here." He said it without emotion, his guardian mask slipping into place. I knew he was masking his feelings because his eyes still portrayed the truth. I felt my knees go weak, and I shook a little.
"Did they take Eddie, Christian and Jesse?" I asked.
"Yes, we believe so. We are going out into the woods to search further, but we have to wait until the okay to go. We can't afford to go barging out there when there could be Strigoi nearby."
"Oh, okay. I'm going with you when you do go." I told him with a note of finality in my voice. I knew he would try to protest. I was right.
"Rose, I can't allow that. If something happened to you..." he trailed off, and I could see pain twist his features.
"Dimitri, if you were out there risking your life, and I wasn't there to help, I could never forgive myself if you were hurt or... killed." I choked up a little thinking of the world without my beautiful Russian god.
Dimitri shook his head, frustrated. He was warring with giving me what I wanted and keeping me safe. He was indecisive.
He waited in my room while I showered and changed for the day. Lissa, Viktoria and I were going shopping for dresses to wear to the dance which was in less than a week. I couldn't believe that they were still holding the social after the disappearances of three of the students, but they had insisted that it continue because it was a tradition of the school. The seniors last dance at St. Vladimir's Academy.
I met Dimitri outside near the Aston Martin Vantage we were taking. I let my eyes roam over the glossy cherry red paint on the car. It was beautiful as it glistened in the early morning sunlight.
"Wow, pretty car." I pointed out the obvious. The last time I had left campus with Dimitri we had taken a Honda Pilot. Boring. But this car... well, this was just pretty. "Can I drive Comrade?" I asked, my eyes alight with hope.
He looked at me like I was crazy. "Do you have your permit?" He asked.
I nodded. "Yeap, I do. Got it when I turned sixteen."
"Fine, you can drive, but only one way. I want to drive it too." His eyes sparkled with amusement. He was such a guy, wanting to drive the nice sports car.
"Okay, deal. I drive there, you drive back?" I asked. I wanted to drive there because I would be tired when we finished a day of shopping.
"Sounds okay to me." He said, just as Viktoria, Lissa and little Paul joined us. I looked at Lissa, she had dark circles under her eyes that she had tried to cover up with make-up, and she looked depressed. I hoped she wasn't slipping into a depressed state again. She had gone through a sever bout of depression after we had returned to the Academy, and we had later found out that it was the result of Spirit.
As I reached out tentatively through the bond, I could feel depression, but it was not of the same magnitude it had been last time. I felt a little happier. Lissa saw me watching her, and gave me a small smile. "I'm okay Rose, I promise. I know Christian and Eddie will both be okay." She sounded confident, but I wasn't as sure. Ifthey had been taken by Strigoi, chances are they would have been killed or awakened by now.
We all piled into the car, and I slid into the driver's seat. Dimitri tossed me the keys. "Now Rose, remember this is a $90,000 car, do not crash it." He said it jokingly, but there was an edge of seriousness to his voice.
I shot him an angelic look. "I would never crash this pretty little thing." I told him, running my hand around the steering wheel.
"Yeah Rose," Viktoria started. "Wouldn't want to ruin my brother's handsome face." She joked. Dimitri shot her a mock glare. Lissa giggled.
I started the car, and slowly pressed down on the accelerator. There were two other guardians following us in a black M5, also a very pretty car.
I settled into the leather seat, and relaxed as we passed through the gates and out onto the ice covered Montana roads. This car was a dream to drive, it responded to everything I wanted, and handled with ease. Just the slightest press on the accelerator and it would speed up.
The mall was about a three hour drive, and talk soon stopped, leaving the car in silence. I turned on the radio and tuned it to a station that played good music. I stopped when 30 Seconds to Mars' song; Closer to the Edge came on. I loved this song. It was what I liked to call my feel good happy song. I cranked up the volume and began to sing along to it. Dimitri gave me an amused look and to my astonishment, also began to sing the words. Wow, Dimitri Belikov, the Russian God, a 30 Seconds to Mars fan! I would never have guessed this of the man who had a passion for westerns and 80s music. He was a good singer too!
I don't remember the moment I tried to forget,
And I lost myself and is better not said
Now I'm closer to the edge.
It was a thousand to one and a million to two,
Time to go down in flames and I'm taking you.
Closer to the edge
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again
NO NO NO NO!
(Can you, can you, can you)
Can you imagine the time when the truth ran free
The birth of a sun the death of a dream
Closer to the edge
This never ending story
It fall with pride and faith
We all fall short of glory
Lost in myself
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again
NO NO NO NO!
(NO NO NO NO!) I will never forget
(NO NO!) I will never regret
(NO NO!) I will live my life
(NO NO NO NO!) I will never forget
(NO NO!) I will never regret
(NO NO!) I will live my life
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again (NO NO)
No I'm not saying I'm sorry,
One day, maybe we'll meet again (NO NO NO NO!)
Closer to the edge
Closer to the edge
NO NO NO NO!
Closer to the edge
Closer to the edge
NO NO NO NO!
Closer to the edge. (AN: Sorry, I just HAD to put it in. I am so in love with 30 Seconds to Mars. :P)
The song finished and Dimitri looked over to me. "You like 30 Seconds to Mars?" he asked.
"I freaking love them!" I told him in a matter of fact tone. "You?"
He nodded. "Yeap, I went to the concert a few years ago with Viktoria." I looked at him incredulously. Dimitri at a rock concert? No freaking way! I had to see it to believe it.
Over the next couple of hours, we talked very little. Only Lissa and Viktoria talked. Lissa was telling her about being a Spirit user, and what it was like being able to heal. Viktoria listened to the older girl with rapt attention; taking in everything she was being told.
When we arrived at the mall, everyone felt lighter and happier after the events of the last couple of days.
We made our way to the first dress shop, accompanied by Dimitri and the two other guardians whom I didn't know. My excitement rose, the last time we had gone on a shopping trip, I hadn't had any fun because I was guarding and guardians aren't allowed to have any fun when they are on duty.
As we entered the shop, Lissa and Viktoria raced forward to a rack crammed with dresses of all designs and colours. Lissa picked up one and held it out to me. It was a light pink dress, fell to about mid thigh. Normally I wore strapless dresses, but this one had straps, and I liked it. It had a bow flowing from the middle of the breasts.
"Rose, you should try this one on." Lissa told me, looking the dress up and down.
I nodded. "Yeah, I like it. Grab me one." She handed over the dress and I slung it over my arm.
I continued scanning the rows and rows of dresses. I found one for Lissa. It was a practical dress, just the way she liked them. It was a dark navy blue made of silk. It was a balloon dress, ruffled slightly at the bottom. "Liss, do you like this one?" I called to Lissa. She turned and looked at the dress with a thoughtful expression on her pale face. As she examined it, her pale green eyes began to sparkle.
"Yes, I do... a little different for me because it has a lower neckline than what I would normally wear, but it looks very elegant. It's perfect for me." I glowed. I had a good sense of style, but usually Lissa wouldn't let me choose out her outfits because my taste in clothes was a little more provocative than hers. But for once, it seemed that I had chosen something she really liked.
We continued around the store. We had to find Viktoria the perfect dress. Normally she wouldn't be allowed to go, being a guest to the school, and not a senior, but the seniors could invite someone of any age to go with them. And, Eddie had invited Viktoria! When I had found out that, I had seriously jumped up and down with joy. On the other hand, when Dimitri had found out... well, let's just say, he didn't like the idea of his little sister dating someone older than her but, when I pointed out the seven year age difference between him and me, he had shut up about it, and fumed silently to himself.
I wanted Viktoria's dress to match perfectly with the creamy colour of her skin. I walked around the store, with Lissa constantly packing more and more dresses onto my arm. There was no way that I was going to try them all on! I didn't have an eternity.
"Hey guys," Viktoria's voice sounded from the other side of the large dress store. "How about this one?" She held out a black strapless dress. It was low cut and tight around the bodice, the flared out falling to about half way between the top of her thigh and knee. It was something that I would wear, only I would have it a little tighter. But, I liked it, and I thought it would look great on Viktoria.
"It's perfect, Vik." I told her with a smile.
Dimitri was standing just behind me, looking at the dress. "I don't know Viktoria..." he said, looking like he thought that the dress was a very bad idea. It was sure to catch Eddie's eye. "Maybe something less revealing and a little longer?" Was he serious! Brothers had no say in what their little sisters wore. Viktoria was almost seventeen, she could look after herself.
"Um, Dimitri... I think it will be fine once she has it on, it will add shape and pull the top up making it less revealing." I comforted him with a quick kiss on the cheek, and a smile when Lissa and Viktoria weren't looking. He gave me an incredulous look. I had never kissed him in public before, where we ran the risk of exposing our illicit student – teacher relationship.
We made our way to the dressing rooms and I slipped on the dress that Lissa first picked out for me. It was tight fitting around my breasts and upper torso then began to flare a little at my hips. It was a beautiful dress and it looked great on me.
"Rose?" Lissa's voice came through the door of my dressing room. "I wanna see the dress. Do you like it? Does it fit?" I sighed and opened the door in my dress. Lissa gasped and I shrank back a little.
"What? Don't you like it?" I asked her. Lissa continued to stare at me.
"It's... beautiful!" She murmured, looking me up and down. I took a closer look at her and realised that she was wearing the dress I chose for her.
"Lissa, that dress looks perfect on you. It's really a nice colour with your skin tone." She blushed with appreciation.
"Viktoria? You coming out?" I called, knocking on the door to Viktoria's dressing room.
"Um...?" She sounded nervous. "Is Dimka out there?"
I looked around. "Nope. He's somewhere with Paul I think. Why? Come out! I want to see it." I used my persuading voice.
Slowly, the lock on the door turned and Viktoria poked her head out, glancing around to make sure the room was clear. Then, she cautiously stepped out.
"Wow, Vik... that's one fine dress." I drawled in a southern accent. She giggled.
The black dress was tight, but not too tight. I think the thing that embarrassed Viktoria most was the low cut top. It showed a little cleavage, but not a lot really. I have worn dresses that showed more cleavage than that dress. But the dress suited Viktoria.
"Do you like it?" I asked her.
Viktoria nodded. "Yeah, I do like it. I think I will get this one. Do you guys agree?" she looked a little uncertain, asking us for our opinion.
"Hell yeah, I do! You look hot in that dress. You're gonna have Eddie drooling all over you!" That made her giggle and blood pooled in her cheeks. She turned to Lissa with a questioning look.
"You look gorgeous Vik, you should defiantly get it." Lissa told her in a gentle voice.
"Okay, I will." She suddenly noticed that Lissa and I were wearing our dresses too. Her eyes roamed
up and down our bodies. "Oh wow! You guys look great! You should get those dresses." She told us in a matter of fact tone.
I nodded. "I plan to get this one." It really was a nice dress.
Just then, Dimitri walked over with Paul tagging along behind him, looking bored.
"Hi there stranger." I joked. Dimitri smiled at me.
"I like the dress, Rose..." his voice trailed off as he took in the site before him. I gestured to Viktoria.
"See Comrade, I told you the dress would look fine once she got it on." He chucked lightly.
"You were right. You look beautiful Vik." Awww, now wasn't that cute. I could see how much he really loved his sister.
After that, we all got changed back into our own clothes, and made our way to the checkout to pay for the dresses.
Once everyone had paid for their dresses, we left the shop. "Right everyone," I called. "Shoes now."
Paul groaned. He was getting tired and bored with all the shopping in girls shops. "Hmmm, actually, I could really go for some lunch. How about you Paul?" I asked the little boy. Paul's face lit up in a huge smile and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Lunch!" he yelled.
We all headed to the food court to get lunch. Dimitri and the other guardians fell behind to keep watch as the rest of us moved forward to find a table.
Lunch was uneventful... unless you count Paul's little temper tantrum about not getting the flavour drink he wanted. Poor little guy, he was tired and bored.
After lunch, we went in search of shoes and accessories to go with our dresses. That only took about an hour and a half and we were soon back in the car, this time with Dimitri driving, and heading back to the academy.
No one spoke much during the car ride, just a few comments about outfits, but that was about it for conversation. Everyone was tired, but it was the middle of the day for us nocturnal creatures.
As we neared the gates to St Vladimir's Academy, I was suddenly overcome with a great sense of nausea and a blinding head ache. Something was wrong. The school appeared to be completely calm, but had an eerie silence about it.
Dimitri stopped the as we passed through the gates. There were no guardians at the gate, which was highly unusual; in fact, it was unheard of at this school where the safety of its students was of utmost importance.
I was riding shotgun and, fighting off the blackness that threatened to overcome me, I turned to face Dimitri. "What's wrong? Something isn't right...There are no guardians around the grounds."
Dimitri looked over at me. "I have to go see Alberta, please Rose stay in the car and do not get out until I come back for you, unless there is known immediate danger." He stressed the point and I could see the desperation clearly on his features.
I nodded. "I won't go anywhere, I promise." He surprised me then by leaning in and kissing me passionately on the lips. Lissa gasped. I remembered then that I hadn't told her about me and Dimitri. Oops. There was going to be hell to pay now.
Dimitri pulled away all to soon, but before he left, he reached into a compartment of the car and pulled out something glistening silver. A stake. "Rose, I want you to take this and only use it if you have to..." he trailed off.
I was frozen. A sudden and frightening thought had just occurred to me. "S – Strigoi?" I stammered out in fear. Dimitri wore a grim expression.
"I hope not, but just remember everything I have taught you in practise, and protect Lissa..." he turned to his sister. "Stay with Paul, make sure he's safe, and stick to Rose and do everything she tells you."
Then without another word, he slipped out of the car and took off in the direction of the school. I was still fighting the nausea but it was beginning to get hard. I needed a distraction. I turned in my seat to face the three in the back. I opened my mouth to speak when Paul let out an ear piercing scream. Dread settled over me and my heart rate picked up. Everything seemed to go in slow motion.
I turned and my eyes were met with the site I most dreaded. Ghostly pale skin and crimson red eyes.
It was a face I knew well. The face of the self-righteous old bitch herself. Headmistress Kirova. A Strigoi...
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