Chapter one;
Just another morning
I've long since grown tired of the drab tone of my alarm clock. Beep, beep, beep, beep. Pause. Beep, beep, beep, beep. Long, boring, and not at all any motivation to get up and out of bed to live another day in the life of Rose Hathaway.
After hitting snooze several times, but not actually going back to sleep, I sighed, finally turning it off. The night sky was clear, and despite it being dark, the outside world seemed happy. Something I, unfortunately, was not. There was not a cloud in the sky and the stars shone brightly. A small voice, way in the back of my head whispered that the two brightest were my parents, shining down on me, but the voice was a whisper – a whisper I had learnt to ignore. I didn't find the point in giving myself false hope so whenever the voice tried to creep forward in my mind, to the place he had been once, I shut him out pushing him further and further back. The trees rustled softly in the wind, like they were whispering to each other the secrets the world couldn't know. Yeah, the outside world seemed overbearingly daunting today.
Heading over to my wardrobe, I couldn't help but look at myself in the long mirror that covered my entire wall. I was short for a moroi, I was curvy and I had nice breasts. I used to flaunt my body, always finding myself in compromising situations, but never let anything get to far. Guys had wanted me and I had loved their attention. But I'd discovered recently that I was living a fantasy and I needed to grow up. Looking in the mirror I realised just how much I'd changed in these past months. My hair was longer, but always tied back; I was skinnier, but always covered my body – even in private; and my eyes... my eyes were the same gorgeous brown I had inherited from my father, light chocolaty brown, but they were shadowed with grief and stress.
Curious to see what I looked like to the outside world, I plastered on the smile that everybody apparently saw through. After my grieving period – well assigned grieving period – I learnt the trade of fake smiles and lies. Day by day they became easier, but I knew that at any one moment my composure could be shattered and I would, well, shatter. Closely inspecting my pearly white teeth I noticed I did not show my fangs like so many proud moroi did. I noticed the smile did not reach my eyes, hell it barely reached my middle cheek! But what I noticed most was that the twinkle in my eye was not there. Of course I knew the smile I had was fake, so why should the twinkle be there? But, even on the fakest of smiles, and believe me I've seen them all, there is some hit of emotion in the eyes. Mine held nothing and betrayed my appearance. It seemed stupid that no one, not even those I had thought to be my best friends, had realised. It seemed stupid to me that no one had pulled me aside, sat me down and slapped me silly for my silly facade. Life itself seemed stupid to me.
I eventually pulled myself away from my reminiscent state and grabbed a high-waisted, plain black skirt, with a baby pink dress singlet to tuck in, with a simple patterned neck line to give the outfit a little pop. I pulled on a grey cardigan and pulled on a random pair of black heels – as I said, I was short for a moroi and needed the extra height. Today was our first day back at school after a short and unexpected holiday headmistress Kirova had thrusted upon the school and I was determined to show the entire school population that I had not indeed sat around for two weeks in my room, by myself doing nothing but nothing all day. I was determined to show them that I had been busy this break and I had been regal and doing things a princess should.
I made my way down to the feeders. I wasn't hungry today, but if I fed a little on some blood it would be enough to give me the energy to get through the day. Upon arriving I asked if Alice was free. She was my favourite feeder. She always had a story for me, and despite being a little crazy, I thought she was amazing. Nobody seemed to like her and would only go and "see" her if there was no one else available. Sure enough she was free. I actually felt the tug of a small, but real smile on my lips. The aspect of Alice sent half a ray of sun into my day.
"Ah, Rosie, how are you today?" I've despised the name Rosie since the day I was old enough to understand that it was in fact supposed to be a cute nickname for me. But with Alice, I couldn't bring myself to hate it.
"Much better now Alice." I flashed a genuine, full grin full of fangs and everything. Her eyes glazed over when she saw them.
"I had a friend like you once." There she went with her usual ramblings as I sat down on the seat next to her. "Not as pretty, not by a long shot, but just like you. She too suffered the grief of the world too young, I found it hard to help her through it. But Rosie," she paused waiting for me to look at her. "Someone is going to come into your life soon, just like what happened with, with... well with my friend. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. I know you're going to find that piece of happiness you deserve." She smiled at me lost in thought. I took this opportunity to sink my fangs into her neck. After a minute or so I licked the wound and my lips. I glanced at her before I stood up to leave. She was definitely out of it and I wasn't going to get anymore out of her today. Just before I closed the door I heard a whisper, and it was not the annoying man in the back of my head. "He's right around the corner Rosie. Closer than you think." I wasn't sure if I really had heard her, but I decided that even if I had, I wasn't going to believe it. She might have been my favourite feeder, and I had a huge amount of respect for her, but she was crazy. I silently closed the door leaving Alice to her thoughts and headed off to my homeroom, knowing very well I was going to arrive twenty minutes early.
I headed straight over to my seat, in the back right corner, by myself and sat down. (A/N: I know in VA they don't have homeroom, but well, in Australia we do and I kind of wanted to add it in. Plus it is an essential to the next part of the story). I pulled out my iPod and plugged in my earphones flicking through my playlist. I clicked on weightless by all time low, closed my eyes and listened to my music until the classroom began to fill up with my peers. Slowly they started piling in one by one and eventually my teacher, Guardian Alto, or as I preferred to call him Stan the Ass, walked in. I pulled out my earphones setting my iPod back into my bag. As usual he marked the roll, read out the notices and the upcoming events the school was holding. I wasn't listening. Quite frankly school bored me and I had no interest in the latest dance, or picnic or whatever it was this time. However when the Ass called my name, something I can assure you did not happen very often, my head snapped up and everyone in the class turned to stare at me.
"Yes?" I asked in my royal voice. I never spoke much and when I did, I always had the royal tone, the final tone – the tone that said I will get my way so don't mess with me. I don't recall the last time I simply just spoke, free of formalities and inhibitions.
"Headmistress Kirova would like to see you in her office after homeroom." My eyes narrowed at him but I nodded anyway and everyone went back to whatever it was that they did in homeroom.
Eventually the bell rang signifying the end of homeroom and I made my way to the administration building. It was the most boring building in the entire school and believe me, we had some pretty boring ones. The outside was plain brick, not even the sort-of-nice stone the rest of the schools buildings were made of. The inside was painted a dull cream colour and had bland furniture to match. They schools decorators may not have had any style, but at least they knew which colours meshed well. Without even speaking to the secretary that had looked at me expectantly when I walked in, I made my way to Kirova's office. I knocked on the door and she welcomed me in.
Her office was a little more colourful. The walls were still painted that wretched, boring cream colour, but she had a few paintings that hung on the walls of various landscapes – all of which were bright and cheery (probably in a poor attempt to make the room appealing to someone and make them feel at ease in hells earth office). She also had faded pink desk chairs – evidence on just how long she had been headmistress at this school – on either side of her desk, one of which she was currently occupying.
"Rosemarie, yes, yes, please sit down." She motioned with her hand at one of the chairs across from her. If there was one thing on this earth I hated more that being called Rosie, it was being called Rosemarie.
"Rose" I corrected her, again using my royal voice. She nodded at me but I highly doubted that she cared whatever I preferred to be called. "So..." I left the sentence open for her to continue as I gracefully sat, crossing my ankles and keeping my posture nice.
"Well, Rose, I have someone I'd like you to meet. As you know, you are an unusual circumstance in our world – being the last of your line that is – and the queen has taken it upon herself to find a guardian suitable enough to guard the last of the Hathaway's. Now, he has not yet graduated, but he shows great promise for a senior. She had him transferred all the way from Russia to ensure your safety. I suggest you thank her the next time she invites you to court." I nodded my head and waited for her to continue. "He will still attend school, but will be in three of your classes a day and with you at all other times. It is something you and he will need to get used to. I have arranged for him to have mentoring sessions with Alberta so as to keep up his physical training to be able to graduate, but other than that, he is on full guard of you. Wherever you go, he goes." I sighed. No moroi minor ever got a guardian, not even in the Ivashkov family – the richest and largest moroi royal family. Well, it just goes to show that money doesn't really get you everything.
"Ok," I whispered. I was treated differently enough without this to add to my plate. Everyone wanted to be my best friend, boys still wanted to date me, but most of all, everybody just wanted the popularity that came along with knowing the last Hathaway princess. This was only going to add to that special treatment. "So who is this Über cool guardian?"
So, there goes chapter one. What do you guys think? Reviews would be nice :D
Love JD xx