Chapter 2

We swung by the office to pick up our time tables, mine was slightly average looking…

English

Calculus

French

Biology

LUNCH

Art

Gym

Russian

Food Science

I can't cook for shit. If not for the fact that my mum is a babe in the kitchen, I would be dead. Russian would be way to easy… my last name is Ivashkov after all. But the highlight of my day was Gym. One subject that I am genetically predisposed to excel in. I am the ultimate fighting machine after all.

However, Biology and French made me happy. French was the language taught at my school in Cairns, and Biology, well that I just love.

I walked further than the moon to find my English classroom, to stumble in to find the whole class looking at me with wide eyes.

"Mahalia?" A short, brunette teacher asked me.

I nodded in reply, still glancing around the room. Most of the other students were meeting my gaze. Except one. A built boy in the back row. While avoiding my stare, he was still managing to subtly survey the room.

Nikolai.

"Would you like to tell the class about yourself Mahalia Ivashkov?" The teacher asked.

I didn't really want to, but I thought that may be rude.

"Hey guys, I'm Mahalia but everyone calls me Mali. I've just moved here from northern Australia for my dad's job." I finished my well rehearsed speech with a huff, looking for the teacher for permission to sit. She took a form from me, signed it and gave me some books before dismissing me.

Walking down between the rows, I felt their glances move towards me, row by row. I didn't stop until I was standing next to the only available seat. Which happened to be next to Nikolai's. I squeezed a squiz at him while I was arranging my things at the table.

He was tall, I'm unsure how tall, but I know that he would be able to confidently stand next to my brothers. He had more bulk than either of my brothers, but he shared the Dhampir look that he had about him. He had blond hair, curls, waves and straight bits. Nice and long too, his lips were full and pink, his green eyes rimmed with long eyelashes.

Well holy shit. I think I'm in love!

To keep myself from throwing myself into his arms, I grabbed the Koala pen my friends had given me when they found that I; unlike them, was leaving the country. They all just scattered around the vast desert.

English here was different, The literature we had been assigned was completely foreign to me and I had a small struggle in understanding the accent as I waited for the teacher's attention to be sufficiently diverted.

Bingo.

"Nikolai?" I asked, quiet enough that the other students wouldn't hear me, but loud enough that his Dhampir hearing would clearly hear everything I said.

He looked at me with shock, well that was before he covered it with one of the best guardian masks I've seen.

"How?" His voice was deep and husky, straight to the point. His lips were slightly quirked though, a dimple showing. I want to lick it.

Hang on, what?

"I said how?" he repeated himself, probably about to get me tested for rabies based on the amount I was drooling.

"My mum, she heard about your family. Two Aussie Dhampir families in one suburb? Think about it." I defensively snarked him, hoping to seem composed.

"Well, how observant of you." He was sarcastic. We will be great friends. Hopefully more that little voice in my head says to me.

We continue talking after that, he tells me how his family had to leave their Dhampircommune Alice Springs, a large town in the center of Australia because of some Moroi that turned Strigoi to 'save' himself. This coward later told the other Strigoi the location of the previously unmapped town.

NIk, as he had me calling him, was actually quite funny, I found myself forgetting that we had only known each other for a short time. We had many bands in common and it helped that his cousin is my best friend… I know, we were tripping balls when we found that out. Nik, his mum and two older sisters are living just a street away from my family.

I was nervous about leaving to go to calc. until I looked at his timetable to find that he was with me for every lesson except Gym where we were divided by gender.

As we were strolling through the halls, I saw Noah and Zac approaching from the opposite direction.

"Mali!" They both yelled out.

Shame was that their accents caused everyone to look at us and listen for more strange speaking.

"Hello boys." I said that loud enough for the gossip channels to run, but then continued at a Dhampir volume. "Meet Nikolai, we have all our classes together."

The boys all nodded at each other, Noah and Zac both giving him a glare that said, 'stay away' as they protectively slung their arms over my shoulders. Luckily for us juniors, the bell for second period rung, and we were able to escape the ever so scary seniors.

"What just happened?" Nikolai's entire face showed confusion.

"My brothers, Noah and Zac, they're seniors." I looked ahead, embarrassed by the boys.

"Do you all have the same dad?" Unfortunately, it was all too common in Dhampir culture for siblings to be of mixed parentage, our Moroi parents – most likely men, hardly ever stuck around.

"We are. Strangely enough, our parents are married." That there was a huge surprise for Nikolai.

"Whoa, you're one of those real families that are starting to occur in the community. I haven't seen my dad since he came to see me for the first and only time when I was 10. He wanted me to train to be his other son's guardian!" We were nearing the classroom, but some of what Nik said made me need to ask a very prickly question.

"Who is your dad?" I blurted. Its poor manners to ask a Dhampir who their dad is, since most likely they just used out mothers for a quick romp.

"Alexandr Dragomir." Nik was curt, every syllable sharp.

Nik was a Dragomir, the smallest royal line. There's only about ten of them, Moroi members that is. They never count the Dhampir family members.

"Sorry, I know I overstepped my line." Nikolai just gave out a short, yet strained laugh.

"Don't worry about it, but it is only fair if I get to ask; who's your father?"

"He's an Ivashkov…" I began, my father was actually an extremely important member of Moroi society. "His name is Sergei."

"What! You mean the Queen's son!" Nik was shocked, I didn't blame him. Marrying a Dhampir to a Moroi would be like a normal human man marrying a prostitute. "That makes you the Queen's granddaughter!"

He was pretty surprised to say the least.

The morning's classes passed in a blur of get to know you conversation. When lunch came, I took Nikolai to where I had planned to meet my brothers. As planned I found them in the cafeteria, surrounded by their new friends. If there's one thing I can say about the twins, it's that they can make friends really easily.

They were with a bunch of jocks, all smaller than my brothers, who were actually shorter than Nik who stood at the almost impossible height of around 6'8. He truly is a monster. There were trays all over the table piled high with food that was currently been inhaled by the two hungry Dhampirs at the table.

It wasn't until Nik and I sat down across from them, me banging my tray did they look and notice us. Noah of course tried to start talking with his mouth full, failing terribly when he started choking; needing a new friend to smash him on the back.

Zac beat Noah to the point however.

"The Russian teacher! She's Moroi!"

Well this stuffed things up.