We all sat in Lissa's room, staring at the board on the floor in front of us. We had all broken curfew to be here. And to be honest, I think we were all a little nervous about the game. Mia was reading the instructions again, biting her lip as she read every word.
After a while I took the instructions from Mia, grumbling quietly about how slow she was at reading. As I read the instructions I shifted, moving the page as I got more comfortable. When I moved the page, something caught my eye.
"Hey, move that candle closer," I said to Lissa. She moved the candle closer and I tilted the page, seeing something similar to a watermark.
"It's the Moroi symbol," I said after a moment. They all tried to cram their heads together to see, Eddie nodding his head when he saw.
"What does that say?" Mia asked, pointing to the wording. I pursed my lips and shrugged.
"I don't know, but I know someone who might," I said as I shift things around so I could take a picture of the words written on the page. After snapping a picture I sent it to Dimitri. After a moment or so, he called.
"Rose? Where did you get that?"
"It was written on the instructions of some game. Do you know what it says?"
"No, but Nancy recognized?"
"Nancy? Who's Nancy?" Mia piped up.
I cringed. "Sorry, you're on speakerphone with Christian, Eddie, Mia, and Liss."
"My nurse. She said that it says 'once you roll the dice, you enter the game of your own validity and free will. Once you start, you have to reach the end. Fail to do so will cost you more than your secrets.' What kind of game is this?"
I looked and Mia and could see how crestfallen she was.
"It must be some kind of gag game Mia found at the thrift store. We were just curious about what it said," I said before taking him off speakerphone. I stood and walked a few steps away.
"You feeling okay?"
"I feel fine," Dimitri said. I nodded to myself.
"You didn't wake up with any weird like parchment notes did you?"
"Rose, what did you get yourself into?"
I looked back at my friends, worrying my lip between my teeth. What did we get ourselves into?
The hold this game had over us was sickening. Each night we were all plagued with dreams of the man with black eyes, his voice slithering through our minds with a warning. The five of us tended to stay together, always waiting for the next note to appear.
There was a distinct clicking on the floor, making us turn our heads in the library. It seemed to be the only place that we wouldn't be bothered. I smiled to myself when I saw Dimitri round the stacks, maneuvering slowly with his crutches.
"Hey," I said as I stood up, pulling another chair up to the table so he could sit. He smiled at me gratefully and sank down in the chair with a sigh. Even under the sweatpants I could see the cast bulging.
"It's good to see you on your feet, Guardian Belikov," Mia said before wincing. The rest of us chuckled at her expense.
"It's good to be out of bed," Dimitri said before looking at all of us levelly, "Now. Let me see these instructions."
Mia looked sheepishly at him as she pulled them out of her bag, sliding it across the table to him. He took them and started reading, shaking his head slightly as he head read them.
"What possessed you to play a game that had an Ouija board built into it? There's a reason why they are banned at the Academy," Dimitri said and I smiled at him pathetically.
"None of us thought a game would come to life," I said and he raised a brow at me.
"Are you sure someone didn't see you playing the game and decided to mess with you?" Dimitri asked.
"The notes we've all received had secrets on them that we've never told anyone before," Eddie said and looked at Dimitri, "The one Rose's said could hurt more than just her."
Dimitri looked at me and I bit my lip. Mia pulled the notes we had out of her bag and handed them to her as well. He read them too and shook his head.
"This can be an issue," he said. I nodded and wrapped my arms around my stomach.
"What do we do?"
Dimitri started to open his mouth when Camila Conta approached our table, leaning against it as she looked at Lissa.
"Is it true that you're a closet cutter?"
We all froze at the table. Only a few people knew about that.
"Excuse me?" Lissa asked alarmed.
"Just because you're the Princess doesn't mean you're better than everyone else. I mean really, what about your life is so bad?" Camila said before realizing that Dimitri was sitting at the table. Once she realized he was there she retreated, her gaggle of friends in her wake.
I looked at Lissa as she sank down in her seat. "Well," she said and cleared her throat quietly.
"Lissa was the first one to get a note," I pointed out, "Which means whoever got one after her is next."
"Next for what?" Christian asked.
"For a secret to be let out."
I was really starting to hate looking at this board game. It was a nasty taunt, and I just wanted to burn it. But I had watched to many scary movies to know that they may make it worse.
We set up the game so that we were all back at the beginning, Dimitri lingering on the bed as a precaution.
I picked up the dice and rolled, moving my piece and picking up the card.
Use the Planchette.
I set my card back in the deck and looked at the board. Everyone moved to put their hand on it, but I stopped them.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The planchette rattled before it moved, sliding across the board smoothly.
Stefan.
I looked at Eddie and nodded, indicating that it was his turn to go. He rolled but was knocked back to the starting place. Thankfully he had that card now and not near the end. Once we got around to Christian, the game started to show its danger.
"Tell the group why you refuse to use your family home," Christian read aloud, lowering the card as he spoke. Lissa reached over and gripped his hands gently.
"Most people think that my parents turned Strigoi at our estate outside of Court, but they did it at our house in Court. And I was there when they did it," Christian explained after a moment. I glanced at Dimitri and then at Lissa.
The game really was going to pull our secrets from us. We went a few more rounds, our eyes starting to droop as the hour drew late. Dimitri was half asleep where he was reclined back, his arms crossed over his chest.
Lissa picked up the next card and furrowed her brows.
"It just says sleep?"
I looked over and read the card too, puzzled but not about to turn down the opportunity for a slight break in the game.
"I think if it's telling us to sleep, we should sleep," I said. We all looked skeptically at each other but got up. I helped Dimitri onto his foot, waving to my friends before helping Dimitri out the door. We walked silently in the sun, the only reprieve from the daunting game.
"That was intense," Dimitri said as we walked, his crutches crunching against the grass. I nodded, trying to process some of the secrets that had been shared tonight. They weren't the worst I had shared, but they still weren't great.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about when I was on the run," I said, referring to the one night when I craved the high and took ecstasy with our roommate. Something I made him promise to never tell Lissa about.
"It's okay," he said with a gentle look, "We all have secrets we aren't proud of."
I nodded as he walked, coming to a stop outside the Guardian building.
"It feels backwards stopping at my dorm and not yours," Dimitri said. I chuckled and shrugged.
"Hey, sometimes I gotta walk you to your door," I said tiredly. Dimitri nodded and did a quick glance around us before leaning toward me, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.
"Good night," he whispered. I smiled at him and whispered goodnight as well, watching him walk into the dorm.
I knew that I was dreaming, but the fact that I knew was what made me nervous. I was standing in an old Victorian-style house, complete with a foyer. I slowly turned and surveyed the room, stopping when my eyes feel on a man.
The man I had seen in my dreams before.
"I see you figured out how to follow the rules," he said as he walked towards me. He was dressed differently, a billowing shirt that I had seen in too many Jane Austin movies Lissa watched, riding pants and boots. His hair was so blonde it looked white, but his eyes were what were the most haunting. They were black.
"What do you want?" I asked, clearing my throat and kicking myself for the cracking in my voice.
"For you to finish the game," he said as he stopped in front of me. The way he watched me was the way a predator watched his prey.
"Why?"
He smirked at me. When he did, I noticed the fangs poking out from beneath his lip.
"Do you really think Lissa and Adrian are the first Spirit wielders?"
I shook my head. "No. St. Vladimir," I said but he chuckled and cut me off.
"St. Vladimir was a pansy, simply showing the fearful Moroi what they wanted to see. He made a mockery of our power," he snarled. The power radiating off of him made me want to step back, but I couldn't. I was glued in place.
"A mockery?" I whispered.
"There used to be so many of us. But you should know by now, if the Moroi don't like how things are perceived, they rewrite history. It wouldn't be the first time. Once the Dhampir were the rulers, only to be overthrown and turned into slaves. I remember the fall, and I still remember hearing the warriors screaming as the Moroi burned the ones who wouldn't submit, making examples of them."
I shivered and swallowed thickly. "You're Stefan."
He was pacing as he spoke, but when I said his name, he stopped and smiled.
"Observant little thing, aren't you? I can see why Dimitri is so taken with you."
"Leave him out of this. He never played the game," I bit out.
"He's collateral," Stefan said with a wave of his hand. I glowered at him and took a step forward, but he whirled on me.
"Finish the game, Rose. You won't like what happens if you don't," he taunted.
"Or what?" I bit out.
"You'll pay with your lives. Don't you see, to lose the game, means your soul."
I felt sick to my stomach when I woke up. I was covered in a cold sweat as I gaped awake, blinking up at the ceiling. I eventually pulled myself out of bed and took my clothes to the washroom. I showered quickly and went down for breakfast, picking the first thing I saw and sat down at the table.
I felt on edge and I assumed it was because of the dream, but I noticed eyes on me as I ate. Not more than usual, but enough for me to notice.
One Moroi girl lingered at the table nearby, rocking on the balls of her feet before leaving her table despite the call of her friends. She sat across from me and folded her hands on the table.
"Hi, you're Rose, right?"
I put my cardboard-like toast down and raised a brow.
"Yeah?"
She bit her lip and glanced at her friends before looking back at me.
"I don't know who started it, but there's a really nasty rumour going around about you and Guardian Belikov," she said and tucked her hair behind her ear, "I don't believe it, but I figured if you didn't know yet, you should know."
I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead.
"What was said?"
She blushed, clearly uncomfortable about the rumour.
"Some nasty things about you having a threesome with him and Lady Ozera. And that you let her feed off you," she said with a wince. I groaned and shook my head.
"I can guarantee that it's not true. Thanks for telling me," I moaned. She nodded and stood up, scurrying back to her table. I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head. I thought the game, Stefan, was letting out secrets, and since it didn't happen, I wasn't sure where it came from. But when I saw the smirk on Jesse Zeklos' face, I felt rage boil in my blood. I abandoned my toast and marched over, gripping the front of his shirt in my head.
"What is your problem? Where do you get off starting something like that?!" I demanded.
Jesse just smirked at me. "What are you going to do about it? It's not like anyone will believe anything different, Dhamp-tramp."
"Oh, how about we have a repeat of the lake," I snarled darkly, and I watched fear flicker in his eyes.
"Hathaway, I think you've scared him enough," a voice said cooly. I let Jesse go and turned to find Yuri behind me.
"You tell everyone that you were lying out of your ass, or I will hurt you. And I don't even care if it will get me kicked out this time," I said and shoved him a little.
"Yes, Yuri?"
"Petrov wants to see you," he said. I nodded and went back to collect my back, grumbling the whole way to Alberta's office.
I was slumped back in the chair under Alberta's watchful eyes. Kirova was nothing but her usually snarky self and started in on a punishment before I even had a chance to open my mouth.
"I should point out, Headmistress, that this is not the first time a vulgar rumour was started about Hathaway that was indeed false," Yuri said from where he stood by the door. Dimitri had also been called in for a meeting but sat silently beside me.
"And from what I heard of the conversation between Novice Hathaway and young Lord Zeklos, he in fact started the rumour."
Kirova looked at me over her nose, her eyes sliding toward Dimitri.
"Anything you care to add?"
"From what I have heard of the said rumour, I was not on campus when such event occurred, nor was I conscious. I was in surgery. Natasha is in Berlin as well. I believe that Lord Zeklos is trying to retaliate against what happened at the pond the night of the attack," Dimitri explained cooly, but I noticed a slight sheen of sweat on his head. He was either in pain or had a fever.
Alberta stated the same, waiting for Kirova to make up her mind.
"We will leave this here for now. But if I hear another word of an incident-"
"Why would I be penalized for a rumour that isn't true?" I snapped. Kirova stopped and looked at me like I had asked her to strip naked.
"I think that you have not given me the benefit of the doubt more than once in the years I've been here, and if you punish me for something that I didn't do, I will make you rue the day you decided to become a teacher."
"And what's you make think you have that kind of influence?" Kirova said.
"Abe Mazur," I said coldly and I watched the colour drain from her face. In fact, it drained from everyone's face. Kirova cleared her throat and dismissed me. I stood up and left the room without looking back, but waiting outside for Dimitri. I was confused about where that had come from. I had never heard that name before, and I didn't understand why everyone seemed so terrified.
It wasn't long before I heard Dimitri and his crutches, and I held the door open for him.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good?" I asked him quietly but he shook his head.
"How do you know Abe Mazur?" he asked, almost demanding.
I bit my lip. "I don't. I don't know why I said that or who he is. It was like the name just popped into my head.
Dimitri cleared his throat and swallowed a few times. In the natural light, I could see that he was not well.
"Comrade, are you okay?"
He shook his head. "No. I need to go see Olendzki. It would be best if you headed to class. We'll meet later in the gym for conditioning," he said with a cant of his head. I nodded and watched him walk in the other direction before catching Alberta as she came out.
"I need a favour."
She wasn't reluctant to help me with my favour and I twirled the phone cord around my finger as I listened to it ring.
"Hathaway."
"Mom? It's Rose."
She was silent for a moment. "Rosemarie? Is everything okay?"
I nodded and then spoke. "Yeah. Um, do you know Abe Mazur?"
