Suddenly the door opened again and Mia came inside. The kids looked at each other. Rose just stared at Mia, her face blank. Mia sneered at her.
"Can we not start a cat fight here?" Mason sighed
"No guarantees." Rose said and leaned back on the couch.
"Better than nothing." Mason shrugged.
MY HATRED NOT WITHSTANDING…come up with an escape plan."
"Aw." Adrian groaned "Smart guy." He said
"Sensible guy." Janine corrected.
I shot him a haughty look…had been planning escape.
Everybody chuckled.
"Well, given some more time, I'm sure you would have." Viktoria said
"Why, thank you." Rose said with a grin.
"I'm sorry but who are you?" Lissa asked politely.
"Oh yeah, sorry for not introducing ourselves, I'm Olena." Olena said with a smile.
"That's quite all right." Lissa smiled warmly.
"I'm Viktoria"
"Karolina."
"Yeva"
"Nice meeting you all." Lissa said
"Same." Karolina smiled.
As it was, things didn't look…somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
"Not the best landing but sure." Adrian shrugged.
"Nah, that won't work slightly either." Rose said
No, we weren't getting off this plane…Yeah. No problem.
"Child's play." Mason said sarcastically.
Although Lissa sat at the front with the Russian guy
"Flattering. Thank you." Dimitri said dryly to Rose.
"You're most welcome." Rose said with a sweet smile.
Her fear sang back to me…He didn't care.
"If I would've known then I would've cared." Dimitri sighed
"But you would have still taken us back to the academy." Rose said to him
"I would have, yes, because that was my mission but I would have still helped." Dimitri told her
"I know." Rose said with a nod
As it was, her emotions grew…One for each Strigoi he'd killed.
Dimitri sighed, remembering the faces of each of the Strigoi.
"Its 7 now right?" Mason asked carefully. Dimitri nodded. The worst part was how and why Natalie had turned Strigoi and the fact that her sacrifice had meant nothing in the end and that the fact that he was the one who had to kill her at the end. Though, she had hurt Rose and that he would've hurt anybody who would have hurt her, he still didn't like killing Natalie. She was a Moroi and a person who had only been misguided and she was just a child.
Janine noticed the usual guardian pain of killing Strigoi. Maybe she didn't understand how it was for him but she knew that he didn't like killing those who used to be people either.
"Continue reading." She said quietly to Abe who nodded.
Above them was a twisting line…didn't tell her when it happened.
"Well, now I know." Lissa said
"I mean you still usually figured it out." Rose told her
Neither of us could control it…Stupid, but still brave.
"In my wise words, all brave things are stupid." Mason stated.
"You have a new follower." Rose said to him with a smirk
"What better a follower than a Hathaway?" Mason grinned and then he caught sight of Janine Hathaway who was staring into his soul and he cleared his throat.
"I meant Rose Hathaway." He corrected.
Why did you even try it?"… "Because I'm her guardian."
"No doubt." Lissa smiled.
"You're going to be able to understand the responsibilities well." Alberta said approvingly.
"I hope so." Rose sighed.
I turned back toward the window…returned to the front of the jet.
"My guy gave up." Adrian chuckled. Dimitri raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.
When we landed…go off on a killing spree
"Look into my eyes, you will see." Mason sang in the tune of Everything I Do. The ones who understood it burst out laughing. Rose ended up coughing so she drank water.
"I did not get it." Janine said crisply. Abe leant over and explained it and she cracked a small smile and that was when all the water from Rose's mouth was sprayed out on the poor floor. Mason and Eddie snickered and Alberta shook her head fondly.
"You have probably got some good way of explaining jokes." Rose said to Abe
"I'm just charming." Abe said with a grin. Rose snorted.
After a minute, they let us…mountains rising up in the distance.
"Sounds nice." Viktoria said with a smile
"You ain't seen the sunrises yet." Eddie told her.
"If I'm allowed-" Viktoria said with a pointed look at Dimitri "-then I'll drop by to check it out someday." She said
"Maybe during vacations. Not otherwise." Dimitri told her.
"Works." Eddie smiled.
"Brilliant." Mia scowled
"Shut up." Rose told her casually.
As we walked into the main part…"Headmistress Kirova," he corrected
All the kids from the academy snorted in amusement except Mia.
"Why would you do that?" Christian shook his head at Dimitri who chuckled lightly.
"She's just gonna insult her worse." Mason snickered.
On the other side of him…Don't start something.
"Won't work." Eddie said in a sing song voice.
"Headmistress…self-righteous old bit - "
"Aw, should've completed that." Viktoria grinned at Rose. Rose sighed dramatically.
"Don't I wish." She said, keeping a dramatic hand on her forehead.
My words faded as the guardians…And it was breakfast time.
"Life." Adrian sighed
Novice guardians - dhampirs like me…like someone had flipped a switch.
"Turn me on like a light-" Mason started but Eddie clasped his hand over Mason's mouth which apparently Mason licked because Eddie pulled it back immediately.
"I'm just glad Strigoi don't pull the shit off by licking your hand. It'd make life harder than it already is." Eddie said as he glared teasingly at Mason and wiped his hand on Mason's shirt sleeve. Alberta and Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle.
"Never thought of it that way but you do make a fair point." Alberta told him.
Hundreds of sets of eyes…groomed bitch I remembered
Tatiana glared at Rose for talking about a royal like that and Rose just shrugged.
"Can't change the facts." She stated. Janine just looked at Abe and shook her head. Tatiana just scowled.
"At least she's not just a bitch like you." Mia said to Rose.
"If you think I'm a bitch, then thanks for the compliment." Rose smirked at her.
Still the self-appointed leader…and naive as before.
The people from the Academy except Mia sighed.
And on the other side of the room…seemed like the expected thing to do.
"At least I was able to value him." Mia said angrily
"Sure you did. I just seemed to recall two names of boys starting with J and R but hey, nobody could've had more value for Aaron than you." Rose told her with raised eyebrows. Mia sneered at her.
But what I found most interesting…evil porcelain doll.
Mia glared at Rose.
She gripped his hand tightly…someone else like that.
"If only that was the only reason." Christian said.
Our walk of shame mercifully…always reminded me of a vulture
"You do not stop, do you?" Janine shook her head at Rose
"I have had my reasons." Rose replied
I knew her well because…even a novice one.
"That's true." Janine said
With a great deal of effort…tears as she tightened her grip.
Lissa, Rose and Christian gritted their teeth.
With a small smile…"And you too, Rose."
"You absolute mother-" Rose started
"Whoa, whoa. We'll do that swear chain later." Lissa stopped her.
"Yeah, maybe not in front of the adults?" Viktoria pointed out
"To be honest, I think the adults are going to have to get used to it. We literally have Rose, Christian and Mason in one room." Eddie shrugged
"Huh. That bad?" Viktoria chuckled.
"You have no idea." Eddie smiled. Olena chuckled at the thought of Viktoria and Eddie.
"I mean we also have Zmey here." Karolina said
"Who the fuck?" Rose asked in confusion
"The dude with the dark hair." Mason guessed.
"Yes indeed. The dude with the dark hair." Abe responded. "I'm going to continue now." He said with a raised eyebrow.
I nodded back, trying to hide…keep him from becoming king.
"My heart's breaking because with such a horrible disease is also not stopping that son a bitch." Christian said. Rose nodded in agreement.
"Rare for me to agree but yes." She said
"You always agree." Christian smirked
"Shut up."
Although not technically her uncle…I was happy to see here.
"Horrible taste." Adrian sighed. Tatiana looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "What? Never liked him much." Adrian defended.
Kirova let them have a few more…She was a master at them.
"I have all of them memorized by now." Rose sighed
"Good job." Alberta said with a small smile to let them know that she was sarcastic.
"I mean if she does zone out, she'll know what's coming next." Adrian pointed out
"Master at that are you?" Karolina asked him
"I'm used to lectures from my dad." Adrian said "I have experience." He said with a sideways grin.
I swear that was the only reason…evidence of her actually liking kids.
"The investigation is underway." Mason informed Rose with the straightest face ever.
"That investigation is not going to lead to clues, Mr. Ashford." Rose replied back equally seriously.
The rant covered the usual topics…a guardian to protect a Moroi.
"She's right, you know." Janine said
"No she isn't." Christian said quietly. "Me and Rose don't always get along but even I know that Rose did everything to protect Lissa out there and people just keep saying shit without knowing the reason." He said.
"The books are here for everybody to know now." Lissa said with a small smile.
"I think she just wanted attention." Mia said, looking at her nails.
"Since when does it look like I care about you what you think?" Rose said coolly.
It is a great trust…you nearly enabled them to do it."
"If they would've stayed then they would have enabled Moroi to hurt Lissa." Alberta admitted.
"Rose didn't kidnap me...Dimitri and Alberta both flinched
Everybody looked Dimitri and Alberta up and down.
"Goddamn, Rose…you made these two flinch." Mason said, openmouthed and then he burst out laughing. "Dimitri be getting used to the Rose temper." He said
"That was nothing from what I've seen." Alberta chuckled.
But left me alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone.
"Yet." Mason and Eddie grinned. Mia grimaced and unknowingly touched her nose. Rose smirked as she noticed that.
Yet.
Everybody laughed. Abe looked amused.
"Well, just a few seconds away, I suppose." He said.
"Don't encourage her." Janine told him with a glare.
"I'm stating facts."
"I did keep her safe...You certainly weren't going to."
"She's got a point." Adrian stated. He thought he partially understood the reason why Rose took Lissa away.
"Not really." Tatiana grumbled. Abe rolled his eyes at Tatiana's words. He never liked her and he knew that the feeling was mutual.
Through the bond…before your disappearance."
"Wow. Soo smart. She's done worse and got screwed than run away." Mason rolled his eyes.
"No, that's not - "…but things have changed.
"It is not up to you to decide when things have changed or not especially when it was something that Lissa's parents had requested." Christian said with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah, investigation dissolved." Mason sighed, trying to lighten the mood.
Miss Hathaway is expendable…and she will leave."
"And this is why guardian numbers drop." Alberta sighed.
I stared at Kirova…Did she even know I was gone?
"I did." Janine deadpanned
"Gee thanks. Means a lot." Rose said coldly. Olena furrowed her eyebrows.
Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?"… bite in that last word.
Abe tried to hide the slight flush of pain that came in his eyes by the book. He knew he was absent in her life and it stung.
"See, I told you." Mia said. Now, Rose's eyes clouded with anger.
"Rose." Dimitri said calmly.
"Mia, do you happen to remember the broken nose?" Rose asked too sweetly which was dangerous
"Lets try keeping it peaceful." Dimitri said, trying to calm the situation.
When I spoke again…gone by the end of the day."
Olena, Yeva and Karolina winced and so did Rose.
"I'm really sorry." She said to them. They barely knew Rose but by her friends' comments, they knew that she rarely apologized and when she did, she meant it.
"Its all right. Happens." Olena smiled at her. Rose gave her another apologetic look.
"Miss Hathaway," she hissed…I started watching them."
"Smart guy." Adrian said
"Thanks." Dimitri answered.
Neither Lissa nor I responded…at the time than it really was.
"Jesus Christ, you got better with that." Alberta said, shaking her head
"Training rubs off, eh?" Eddie said to Rose.
"Yeah." She said
And it wasn't like I was one to talk…red-haired, with a ridiculous accent
"Its not ridiculous." Janine said
And I'd been told my Moroi…brown that it usually looked black.
Dimitri tried not to stare and luckily he succeeded.
"I think you mostly inherited your features from you dad, not going to lie. Like the hair, eyes and the relatively tanner complexion." Lissa wondered out loud.
"That's true." Rose nodded.
I wouldn't have minded…take what we get.
Everybody looked at Rose.
"Nahhhh." Mason said after a few seconds. "Definitely not the red hair." He said
"Agreed." Eddie and Adrian nodded.
"Well, got the opinions. Thank you. I got wicked awesome hair so I'm good with that." Rose said
"Exactly." They said. Abe couldn't help but smirk behind the book.
Kirova threw her hands up…swiped half of Lissa's inheritance?
"Two girls who shared a bond and would have had reasons because you actually cared about her and had the actual determination to become a guardian and should have been kept at the academy because you'd be a good guardian especially since we have less guardians." Dimitri said, in the way of a trainer.
"Thanks, comrade." Rose said with a grin.
"It's the truth." Dimitri shrugged.
"He's right." Alberta nodded.
"Yes," he said finally…a waste of talent."
"At least he did one good thing." Rose said
Ms. Kirova stared out her window…front of witnesses.
"Damn." Abe said and looked at Lissa with appreciation. Tatiana shook her head. She did not like compulsion and definitely did not like Lissa using it.
But Lissa was only using a tiny…but finally, Kirova sighed.
"I don't think it made that much of a difference as others were already posing arguments." Adrian said logically.
"Fair point." Eddie said.
"If Miss Hathaway stays…don't let your attitude endanger it."
"She's got a point." Karolina said to Rose.
"That's what I don't like." Rose said with a sigh.
I started to say it wasn't generous…I didn't know.
"Even if you did it for Lissa, it went against academy rules so there would be consequences for that and also don't stretch it too much." Dimitri explained
Looking away from him for…"Fine. I accept."
Everybody exhaled in relief.
"Chapter's done." Abe sighed
"I'll read next." Lissa said politely.