Alberta took the book from Tatiana and opened it
TWO
MY HATRED NOTWITHSTANDING, I HAD to admit Dimitri Beli-whatever was pretty smart.
Dimitri's family nodded agreeing with Rose
After they'd carted us off to the airport to and onto the Academy's private jet, he'd taken one look at the two of us whispering and ordered us separated.
"Smart move," Alberta nodded at Dimitri
"Don't let them talk to each other," he warned the guardian who escorted me to the back of the plane. "Five minutes together, and they'll come up with an escape plan." I shot him a haughty look and stormed off down the aisle. Never mind the fact we had been planning escape. As it was, things didn't look good for our heroes—or heroines, rather. Once we were in the air, our odds of escape dropped further.
"She wouldn't jump out of plan would she?" Victoria asked looking at Alberta
"Lissa is with them, so I don't think she would take that chance," Alberta said looking at the book.
Even supposing a miracle occurred and I did manage to take out all ten guardians, we'd sort of have a problem in getting off the plane. I figured they might have parachutes aboard somewhere, but in the unlikely event I'd be able to operate one, there was still that little issue of survival, seeing as we'd probably land somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. No, we weren't getting off this plane until it landed in backwoods Montana. I'd have to think of something then, something that involved getting past the Academy's magical wards and ten times as many guardians. Yeah. No problem.
"Well she did to it once," Sonja said
"Yes but this time there would be a spotlight on them," Janine answered
Although Lissa sat at the front with the Russian guy, her fear sang back to me, pounding inside my head like a hammer. My concern for her cut into my fury. They couldn't take her back there, not to that place. I wondered if Dimitri might have hesitated if he could feel what I did and if he knew what I knew.
Everyone looked at Dimitri,
"I probably would have told the head guardian the school," Dimitri explained
Probably not. He didn't care. As it was, her emotions grew so strong that for a moment, I had the disorienting sensation of sitting in her seat—in her skin even. It happened sometimes, and without much warning, she'd pull me right into her head. Dimitri's tall frame sat beside me, and my hand—her hand—gripped a bottle of water. He leaned forward to pick up something, revealing six tiny symbols tattooed on the back of his neck: molnija marks.
Dimitri rubbed his neck remembering the four marks there. He was not looking forward to killing 2 more strigoi.
They looked like two streaks of jagged lightning crossing in an X symbol. One for each Strigoi he'd killed. Above them was a twisting line, sort of like a snake, that marked him as a guardian. The promise mark. Blinking, I fought against her and shifted back into my own head with a grimace. I hated when that happened.
"That would make sense," Alberta said looking at the book in her hands.
Feeling Lissa's emotions was one thing, but slipping into her was something we both despised. She saw it as an invasion of privacy, so I usually didn't tell her when it happened. Neither of us could control it. It was another effect of the bond, a bond neither of us fully understood. Legends existed about psychic links between guardians and their Moroi, but the stories had never mentioned anything like this. We fumbled through it as best we could. Near the end of the flight, Dimitri walked back to where I sat and traded places with the guardian beside me. I pointedly turned away, staring out the window absentmindedly
"Oh she really doesn't like you right now." Alberta smiled at Dimitri
several moments of silence passed. Finally, he said, "Were you really going to attack all of us?" I didn't answer. "Doing that…protecting her like that—it was very brave." He paused.
"Don't encourage her," Janine scolded Dimitri, who merely nodded at her
"Stupid, but still brave. Why did you even try it?" I glanced over at him, brushing my hair out of my face so I could look him levelly in the eye. "Because I'm her guardian."
"No you're not, you're a novice," Janine growled at the book, Tatiana nodded agreeing with Janine
I turned back toward the window. After another quiet moment, he stood up and returned to the front of the jet. When we landed, Lissa and I had no choice but to let the commandos drive us out to the Academy. Our car stopped at the gate, and our driver spoke with guards who verified we weren't Strigoi about to go off on a killing spree. After a minute, they let us pass on through the wards and up to the Academy itself. It was around sunset—the start of the vampiric day—and the campus lay wrapped in shadows. It probably looked the same, sprawling and gothic. The Moroi were big on tradition;
Every dhampir in the room nodded. The moroi's looked that them and lifted their eyebrows.
nothing ever changed with them. This school wasn't as old as the ones back in Europe, but it had been built in the same style. The buildings boasted elaborate, almost churchlike architecture, with high peaks and stone carvings. Wrought iron gates enclosed small gardens and doorways here and there. After living on a college campus, I had a new appreciation for just how much this place resembled a university more than a typical high school. We were on the secondary campus, which was divided into lower and upper schools. Each was built around a large open quadrangle decorated with stone paths and enormous, century-old trees. We were going toward the upper school's quad, which had academic buildings on one side, while dhampirs dormitories and the gym sat opposite. Moroi dorms sat on one of the other ends, and opposite them were the administrative buildings that also served the lower school. Younger students lived on the primary campus, farther to the west. Around all the campuses was space, space, and more space. We were in Montana, after all, miles away from any real city. The air felt cool in my lungs and smelled of pine and wet, decaying leaves. Overgrown forests ringed the perimeters of the Academy, and during the day, you could see mountains rising up in the distance.
As we walked into the main part of the upper school, I broke from my guardian and ran up to Dimitri. "Hey, Comrade."
That got a few laughs out of the people in the room.
"Oh I really like this girl," Ivan laughed at his best friend who was shaking his head.
He kept walking and wouldn't look at me. "You want to talk now? "Are you taking us to Kirova?"
"Headmistress," Janine and Tatiana frowned at the book
"Headmistress Kirova," he corrected. On the other side of him, Lissa shot me a look that said, don't start something. "Headmistress. Whatever. She's still a self-righteous old bit—"
My words faded as the guardians led us through a set of doors-straight into the commons. I sighed.
"What's so bad about that?" Ivan asked looking at Alberta and Christian
"Well it's morning, so if they take the route through the commons means all the students would see their back," Alberta explained
Were these people really so cruel? There had to be at least a dozen ways to get to Kirova office, and they were taking us right through the center of the commons. And it was breakfast time.
Novice guardians—dhampirs like me—and Moroi sat together, eating and socializing, faces alight with whatever current gossip held the Academy's attention. When we entered, the loud buzz of conversation stopped instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. Hundreds of sets of eyes swiveled toward us. I returned the stares of my former classmates with a lazy grin, trying to get a sense as to whether things had changed. Nope.
"That's good to know," Alberta smiled happy that Rose and Lissa would still have a few friends there
Didn't seem like it. Camille Conta still looked like the prim, perfectly groomed bitch I remembered, still the self-appointed leader of the Academy's royal Moroi cliques.
Tatiana glared at the book, Janine merely shook his head. Dimitri family, Dimitri and Ivan were shocked they all assumed that Rose would like or respect the other royals. Especially at how protective she was over Lissa
Off to the side, Lissa's gawky near-cousin Natalie watched with wide eyes, as innocent and naïve as before. And on the other side of the room…well, that was interesting. Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron,
"Who's that?" Victoria asked
"Lissa's ex," Christian smiled, Adrian and Tatiana looked at him and frowned
who'd no doubt had his heart broken when Lissa left. He still looked as cute as ever—maybe more so now—with those same golden looks that complemented hers so well. His eyes followed her every move. Yes. Definitely not over her.
"Good, then when they get back those two can end up back together," Tatiana smiled, Christian glared at her.
It was sad, really, because Lissa had never really been all that into him. I think she'd gone out with him simply because it seemed like the expected thing to do. But what I found most interesting was that Aaron had apparently found a way to pass the time without her. Beside him, holding his hand, was a Moroi girl who looked about eleven but had to be older, unless he'd become a pedophile during our absence. With plump little cheeks and blond ringlets, she looked like a porcelain doll. A very pissed off and evil porcelain doll. She gripped his hand tightly and shot Lissa a look of such burning hatred that it stunned me.
"Oh this won't end well," Alberta said already knowing what's going to happen
"What won't end well?" Tatiana asked
"that girl is going to pick a fight she can't win," Christian shook his head.
What the hell was that all about? She was no one I knew. Just a jealous girlfriend, I guessed. I'd be pissed too if my guy was watching someone else like that. Our walk of shame mercifully ended, though our new setting—Headmistress Kirova's office—didn't really improve things. The old hag looked exactly like I remembered, sharp-nosed and gray-haired. She was tall and slim, like most Moroi, and had always reminded me of a vulture.
Christian nodded agreeing with the description
I knew her well because I'd spent a lot of time in her office. Most of our escorts left us once Lissa and I were seated, and I felt a little less like a prisoner. Only Alberta, the captain of the school's guardians, and Dimitri stayed. They took up positions along the wall, looking stoic and terrifying, just as their job description required. Kirova fixed her angry eyes on us and opened her mouth to begin what would no doubt be a major bitch session. A deep, gentle voice stopped her. "Vasilisa." Startled, I realized there was someone else in the room.
Janine, Alberta and Dimitri shook their heads
I hadn't noticed. Careless for a guardian, even a novice one. With a great deal of effort, Victor Dashkov rose from a corner chair. Prince Victor Dashkov. Lissa sprang up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his frail body. "Uncle," she whispered. She sounded on the verge of tears as she tightened her grip. With a small smile, he gently patted her back. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa." He looked toward me. "And you too, Rose."
Tatiana shook her head, she didn't approve at how kind Victor was to Rose.
I nodded back, trying to hide how shocked I was. He'd been sick when we left, but this—this was horrible. He was Natalie's father, only about forty or so, but he looked twice that age. Pale. Withered. Hands shaking. My heart broke watching him. With all the horrible people in the world, it didn't seem fair that this guy should get a disease that was going to kill him young and ultimately keep him from becoming king.
Tatiana frowned, she didn't like the idea of anyone other than she and those she chooses would be the future ruler of their kind
Although not technically her uncle—the Moroi used family terms very loosely, especially the royals—Victor was a close friend of Lissa's family and had gone out of his way to help her after her parents had died. I liked him; he was the first person I was happy to see here. Kirova let them have a few more moments and then stiffly drew Lissa back to her seat. Time for the lecture. It was a good one—one of Kirova best, which was saying something. She was a master at them. I swear that was the only reason she'd gone into school administration, because I had yet to see any evidence of her actually liking kids.
Alberta nodded agreeing with Rose
The rant covered the usual topics: responsibility reckless behavior, self-centeredness…Bleh. I immediately found myself spacing out, alternatively pondering the logistics of escaping through the window in her office. But when the tirade shifted to me—well, that was when I tuned back in.
"Smart move," Alberta smirked at the book
"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomir; you nearly enabled them to do it." "Rose didn't kidnap me." Lissa spoke before I could, her voice and face calm, despite her uneasy feelings. "I wanted to go. Don't blame her."
"But why did she want to leave?" Tatiana asked
Ms. Kirova tsked at us both and paced the office, hands folded behind her narrow back. "Miss Dragomir, you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still her responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe." I snapped. "I did do my duty!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair. Dimitri and Alberta both flinched but left me alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone.
"Yet," Alberta shook her head.
"She wouldn't attack the headmistress would she?" Olena asked looking at Alberta
"She never has before, so I don't think she would," Alberta explained
Yet. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of you"—I made a sweeping gesture around the room—"could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."
"What happened before they left?" Tatiana asked looking at Alberts
"You have read the file. The only thing that happened was that Sonja Karp turned. But the girls never found out about that," Alberta said thinking back to a few months ago.
Through the bond, I felt Lissa trying to send me calming messages, again urging me not to let anger get the best of me. Too late. Kirova stared at me, her face blank. "Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?" I bit my lip. "I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left—aside from the novelty of it, no doubt—was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance." "No, that's not—" "And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on here at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."
Janine and Alberta froze at that. Abe sat forward, he wanted to see what was going to happen.
My cockiness dried up. "I…what?" Lissa stood up beside me. "You can't do that! She's my guardian." "She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. she's still a novice." "But my parents—" "I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave." I stared at Kirova, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone?
Janine's face fell. She didn't want Rose to thinks that she didn't love her, she just wanted the best for Rose.
Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?"
"I'd happily take her," Abe smiled. Everyone but Janine froze at that. Dimitri and Ivan looked at each other,
"You still like her?' Dimitri questioned Ivan,
"Well you're the one who attacked her," Ivan questioned back. Olena and her family were really shocked, they never would have imagined that Zmey would have a child.
Her eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke again, my voice was so cold, I barely recognized it. "Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore.
All the female dhampirs in the room looked down.
Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day." "Miss Hathaway," she hissed, "you are out of line." "They have a bond." Dimitri's low, accented voice broke the heavy tension, and we all turned toward him.
"Thank you," Janine and Alberta said at the same time
I think Kirova had forgotten he was there, but I hadn't. His presence was way too powerful to ignore. He still stood against the wall, looking like some sort of cowboy sentry in that ridiculous long coat of his. He looked at me, not Lissa, his dark eyes staring straight through me. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?" I at least had the satisfaction of seeing Kirova caught off guard as she glanced between us and Dimitri. "No…that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries." "It's obvious," he said. "I suspected as soon as I started watching them."
"Okay that sounds really creepy," Ivan said looking at his friend.
"Agreed," Dimitri answered
Neither Lissa nor I responded, and I averted my eyes from his. "That is a gift," murmured Victor from his corner. "A rare and wonderful thing." "The best guardians always had that bond," added Dimitri.
"In the stories," Tatiana glared at Dimitri.
"In the stories." Kirova's outrage returned. "Stories that are centuries old," she exclaimed. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?" He shrugged. "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential—"
"And now you've pissed Rose off," Alberta smiled
"Wild and disrespectful?" I interrupted. "Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?" "Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova. "Her sanctioned guardian."
Ivan's smile disappeared. Dimitri looked at him still in shock. He didn't want to believe that friend was dead, but now he had no choice but to accept it
"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?" That was pretty mean of me to say—particularly since most Moroi and their guardians were of Russian or Romanian descent—but the comment seemed cleverer at the time than it really was. And it wasn't like I was one to talk. I might have been raised in the U.S., but my parents were foreign-born. My dhampir mother was Scottish—red-haired, with a ridiculous accent
"It's not ridiculous," Janine said softly. Abe smiled at her and shook his head
—and I'd been told my Moroi dad was Turkish. That genetic combination had given me skin the same color as the inside of an almond, along with what I liked to think were semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes and hair so deep brown that it usually looked black. I wouldn't have minded inheriting the red hair, but we take what we get.
Janine smiled, she never knew that Rose wanted her red hair, she thought Rose was happy that she had gotten Abe's colour hair
Kirova threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to him. "You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian." "So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again." "Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers." "No, I won't," I argued. No one listened to me. "Then give her extra training sessions," he said. They continued on while the rest of us watched the exchange like it was a Ping-Pong game. My pride was still hurt over the ease with which Dimitri had tricked us, but it occurred to me that he might very well keep me here with Lissa. Better to stay at this hellhole than be without her. Through our bond, I could feel her trickle of hope.
Alberta and Janine were hoping that Dimitri would be able to keep her in the school
"Who's going to put in the extra time?" demanded Kirova. "You?" Dimitri's argument came to an abrupt stop. "Well, that's not what I—" Kirova crossed her arms with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what I thought." Clearly at a loss, he frowned. His eyes flicked toward Lissa and me, and I wondered what he saw. Two pathetic girls, looking at him with big, pleading eyes?
"Oh that's going to get you," Ivan smiled at his friend.
Or two runaway's who'd broken out of a high-security school and swiped half of Lissa's inheritance? "Yes," he said finally. "I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones." "And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. "She goes unpunished?" "Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."
The room was silent, no=one liked the idea that so many guardians dying.
His unspoken words made me shudder, reminding me of my earlier statement about "blood whores." Few dhampir girls became guardians anymore. Victor suddenly spoke up from his corner. "I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose away would be a shame, a waste of talent." Ms. Kirova stared out her window. It was completely black outside. With the Academy's nocturnal schedule, morning and afternoon were relative terms. That, and they kept the windows tinted to block out excess light. When she turned back around, Lissa met her eyes. "Please, Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay." Oh, Lissa, I thought. Be careful. Using compulsion on another Moroi was dangerous—
Tatiana looked about ready to pass out, she never imagined that Vasilisa would do something like that.
particularly in front of witnesses. But Lissa was only using a tiny bit, and we needed all the help we could get. Fortunately, no one seemed to realize what was happening. I don't even know if the compulsion made a difference, but finally, Kirova sighed. "If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be." She turned to me. "Your continued enrollment at St. Vladimir's is strictly probationary. Step out of line once, and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have—before and after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent…away." I gave a harsh laugh. "Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart?" I nodded toward Lissa.
"Well that is the best way to punish Rose, as Lissa's is the only thing she has ever cared about," Alberta smiled sadly
"Afraid we'll run away again?" "I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." Her thin lips tightened into a straight line. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it." I started to say it wasn't generous at all, but then I caught Dimitri's gaze. It was hard to read. He might have been telling me he believed in me. He might have been telling me I was an idiot to keep fighting with Kirova.
Probably both," Dimitri said as everyone looked at him
I didn't know. Looking away from him for the second time during the meeting, I stared at the floor, conscious of Lissa beside me and her own encouragement burning in our bond. At long last, I exhaled and glanced back up at the headmistress.
"Fine. I accept."
"Okay done. Who's next?" Alberta asked holding up the book. Janine held up her hand. Alberta smiled and passed the book to her.
~~~~
Janine opened the book
THREE
SENDING US STRAIGHT TO CLASS after our meeting seemed beyond cruel, but that's exactly what Kirova did. Lissa was led away, and I watched her go, glad the bond would allow me to keep reading her emotional temperature. They actually sent me to one of the guidance counselors first. He was an ancient Moroi guy, one I remembered from before I'd left. I honestly couldn't believe he was still around. The guy was so freaking old, he should have retired. Or died.
Alberta nodded agreeing with her
The visit took all of five minutes. He said nothing about my return and asked a few questions about what classes I'd taken in Chicago and Portland. He compared those against my old file and hastily scrawled out a new schedule. I took it sullenly and headed out to my first class.
1st Period Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques
2nd Period Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3
3rd Period Weight Training and Conditioning
4th Period Senior Language Arts (Novices )
-Lunch—
5th Period Animal Behavior and Physiology
6th Period Pre-calculus
7th Period Moroi Culture 4
8th Period Slavic Art
Ugh. I'd forgotten how long the Academy's school day was. Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first half of the day, which meant I wouldn't see Lissa until after lunch—if we had any afternoon classes together. Most of them were standard senior classes, so I felt my odds were pretty good. Slavic art struck me as the kind of elective no one signed up for, so hopefully they'd stuck her in there too.
"Probably," Alberta nodded knowing how few kids took that class
Dimitri and Alberta escorted me to the guardians gym for first period, neither one acknowledging my existence. Walking behind them, I saw how Alberta wore her hair in a short, pixie cut that showed her promise mark and molnija marks. A lot of female guardians did this. It didn't matter so much for me now, since my neck had no tattoos yet, but I didn't want to ever cut my hair.
All the Belikov women nodded, Janine and Alberta both reached up to their short hair.
She and Dimitri didn't say anything and walked along almost like it was any other day. When we arrived, the reactions of my peers indicated it was anything but. They were in the middle of setting up when we entered the gym, and just like in the commons, all eyes fell on me. I couldn't decide if I felt like a rock star or a circus freak. All right, then. If I was going to be stuck here for a while, I wasn't going to act afraid of them all anymore. Lissa and I had once held this school's respect, and it was time to remind everyone of that.
Tatiana and Abe nodded proudly. Janine merely rolled her eyes
Scanning the staring, openmouthed novices, I looked for a familiar face. Most of them were guys.
Janine shook her head, angry at that comment. Victoria giggled thinking about a boy from back home.
One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin. "Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."
Alberta laughed happy that Rose and Mason seemed to still be friends.
"She's just a kid, she's allowed to have fun," Olena said looking at Janine who was glaring at the book. Janine looked at Olena and glared at her. Dimitri sat forward and sent a glare of his own to Janine
A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot.
"I wonder what type of guys she's into," Victoria asked tilting her head.
"Hard to say, she does tend to flirt a lot with many of the boys but she never really showed that she was interested in anyone. My guess someone in-between Mason and Jessie," Alberta answered thinking back to Rose and the guys
He was also one of the funniest guys I knew. We'd been good friends back in the day. "This is my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session."
Alberta smiled proudly at the book. Happy that Mason was getting more time to shine.
"Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then." "It's always a good a time to think about you naked,"
"She can't be that beautiful can she?" Sonja asked looking at Janine trying to see how beautiful a child of her can be. Out of the book fell a drawing of a 17 year old Rose and Lissa. Janine picked it up, she had a small smile on her face. Abe looked at the picture and gasped, he couldn't be prouder of how mature HIS daughter would become. Abe took the drawing and passed it around. Adrian was shocked as well, he was glade that he was only three years older than her, so it wouldn't be as big as a problem for him to pursue. Sonja held up the drawing for her mother, grandmother and sister to see. Paul looked at the photo and smiled
"She's so pretty," Paul smiled, "But not a pretty as you momma," Karolina smiled down at her son and kissed his cheek.
"Holy hell, why did she have to be underage?" Ivan groaned when the drawing came to him and Dimitri. Dimitri was shocked, he looked at Janine and then at Abe. He never though that those two would be able to make such a beautiful daughter.
added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine. Dimitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn't sound complimentary.
"Knowing him, she's right," Ivan laughed
But as for me…well, just like that, I was one of the novices again. They were an easygoing bunch, less focused on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students. The class engulfed me, and I found myself laughing and seeing those I'd nearly forgotten about. Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends.
"well that won't end well for their egos," Christian said rolling his eyes.
I couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows that served just as well. The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily I realized I didn't know most of them. "Come on, Hathaway," he said, taking my arm. "You can be my partner. Let's see what you've been doing all this time." An hour later, he had his answer. "Not practicing, huh?"
All the guardian in the room shook their heads, disappointed in Rose.
"Ow," I groaned, momentarily incapable of normal speech. He extended a hand and helped me up from the mat he'd knocked me down on—about fifty times. "I hate you," I told him, rubbing a spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow. "You'd hate me more if I held back." "Yeah, that's true," I agreed, staggering along as the class put the equipment back. "You actually did okay." "What? I just had my ass handed to me." "Well, of course you did. It's been two years. But hey, you're still walking. That's something." He grinned mockingly. "Did I mention I hate you?" He flashed me another smile, which quickly faded to something more serious. "Don't take this the wrong way…I mean, you really are a scrapper, but there's no way you'll be able to take your trials in the spring—" "They're making me take extra practice sessions," I explained. Not that it mattered. I planned on getting Lissa and me out of here before these practices really became an issue. "I'll be ready." "Extra sessions with who?" "That tall guy. Dimitri." Mason stopped walking and stared at me. "You're putting in extra time with Belikov?" "Yeah, so what?" "So the man is a god."
All the Belikov's laughed, Dimitri just shook his head. Ivan was probably laughing the hardest of everyone in the room.
"Exaggerate much?" I asked. "No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial usually,
Ivan hit Dimitri over the head.
"What was that for?" Dimitri asked rubbing his head.
"You turning into a loner after my death, you better not do that this time around," Ivan scolded Dimitri, who just looked sadly at him
but when he fights…wow. If you think you're hurting now, you're going to be dead when he's done with you." Great. Something else to improve my day. I elbowed him and went on to second period. That class covered the essentials of being a bodyguard and was required for all seniors. Actually, it was the third in a series that had started junior year. That meant I was behind in this class too, but I hoped protecting Lissa in the real world had given me some insight. Our instructor was Stan Alto,
"Oh no," Alberta said worried, she knew that Stan and Rose never got along.
whom we referred to simply as "Stan" behind his back and "Guardian Alto" in formal settings. He was a little older than Dimitri, but not nearly as tall, and he always looked pissed off. Today, that look intensified when he walked into the classroom and saw me sitting there. His eyes widened in mock surprise as he circled the room and came to stand beside my desk. "What's this? No one told me we had a guest speaker here today. Rose Hathaway. What a privilege! How very generous of you to take time out of your busy schedule and share your knowledge with us."
"This is not going to end well, is it?" Olena asked looking at Alberta
"With them, nothing ever ends well," Alberta answered remembering all the fights they got into.
I felt my cheeks burning, but in a great show of self-control, I stopped myself from telling him to fuck off. I'm pretty sure my face must have delivered that message, however, because his sneer increased. He gestured for me to stand up. "Well, come on, come on. Don't sit there! Come up to the front so you can help me lecture the class." I sank into my seat. "You don't really mean—" The taunting smile dried up. "I mean exactly what I say, Hathaway. Go to the front of the class." A thick silence enveloped the room. Stan was a scary instructor, and most of the class was too awed to laugh at my disgrace quite yet. Refusing to crack, I strode up to the front of the room and turned to face the class. I gave them a bold look and tossed my hair over my shoulders, earning a few sympathetic smiles from my friends. I then noticed I had a larger audience than expected. A few guardians—including Dimitri—lingered in the back of the room.
Victoria winced, most of the people in the room understood that this was not going to end well.
Outside the Academy, guardians focused on one-on-one protection. Here, guardians had a lot more people to protect and they had to train the novices. So rather than follow any one person around, they worked shifts guarding the school as a whole and monitoring classes. "So, Hathaway," said Stan cheerfully, strolling back up to the front with me. "Enlighten us about your protective techniques." "My…techniques?" "Of course. Because presumably you must have had some sort of plan the rest of us couldn't understand when you took an underage Moroi royal out of the Academy and exposed her to constant Strigoi threats." It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with more witnesses.
"Well Kirova is more there for the moroi's, so we had to have a way to punish the novices. And most times Stan is the one who gets the job," Alberta shook her head.
"We never ran into any Strigoi," I replied stiffly. "Obviously," he said with a snicker. "I already figured that out, seeing as how you're still alive." I wanted to shout that maybe I could have defeated a Strigoi, but after getting beat up in the last class, I now suspected I couldn't have survived an attack by Mason, let alone an actual Strigoi. When I didn't say anything, Stan started pacing in front of the class. "So what'd you do? How'd you make sure she stayed safe? Did you avoid going out at night?" "Sometimes." That was true—especially when we'd first run away. We'd relaxed a little after months went by with no attacks.
"Well that is to be expected," Abe said thinking back to his days at school.
"Sometimes," he repeated in a high-pitched voice, making my answer sound incredibly stupid. "Well then, I suppose you slept during the day and stayed on guard at night." "Er…no." "No? But that's one of the first things mentioned in the chapter on solo guarding. Oh wait, you wouldn't know that because you weren't here." I swallowed back more swear words. "I watched the area whenever we went out," I said, needing to defend myself. "Oh? Well that's something. Did you use Carnegie's Quadrant Surveillance Method or the Rotational Survey?" I didn't say anything. "Ah. I'm guessing you used the Hathaway Glance-Around-When-You-Remember-To Method." "No!" I exclaimed angrily.
"And he just got the opening he wanted," Alberta said shaking her head.
"That's not true. I watched her. She's still alive, isn't she?" He walked back up to me and leaned toward my face. "Because you got lucky." "Strigoi aren't lurking around every corner out there," I shot back. "It's not like what we've been taught. It's safer than you guys make it sound." "Safer? Safer? We are at war with the Strigoi!" he yelled.
"Well if she was able to keep the princess safe for 2 years, then it isn't as bad as it seemed," Victoria said.
"Well it is hard to track down one Moroi when it's easier to target court," Dmitri said looking at his youngest sister.
I could smell coffee on his breath, he was so close. "One of them could walk right up to you and snap your pretty little neck before you even noticed him—and he'd barely break a sweat doing it. You might have more speed and strength than a Moroi or a human, but you are nothing, nothing, compared to a Strigoi. They are deadly, and they are powerful. And do you know what makes them more powerful?" No way was I going to let this jerk make me cry. Looking away from him, I tried to focus on something else. My eyes rested on Dimitri and the other guardians. They were watching my humiliation, stone-faced.
Dimitri felt sorry for Rose. He didn't want to be in that situation and he hoped his sister would never be in the same situation.
"Moroi blood," I whispered. "What was that?" asked Stan loudly. "I didn't catch it." I spun back around to face him. "Moroi blood! Moroi blood makes them stronger." He nodded in satisfaction and took a few steps back. "Yes. It does. It makes them stronger and harder to destroy. They'll kill and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood more than anything else. They seek it. They've turned to the dark side to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi have attacked Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi have raided academies exactly like this one. There are Strigoi who have lived for thousands of years and fed off generations of Moroi. They're almost impossible to kill. And that is why Moroi numbers are dropping.
Tatiana nodded agreeing with Stan, Christian just rolled his eyes
They aren't strong enough—even with guardians—to protect themselves. Some Moroi don't even see the point of running anymore and are simply turning Strigoi by choice. And as the Moroi disappear…" "…so do the dhampirs," I finished. "Well," he said, licking sprayed spit off his lips. "It looks like you learned something after all. Now we'll have to see if you can learn enough to pass this class and qualify for your field experience next semester." Ouch. I spent the rest of that horrible class—in my seat, thankfully—replaying those last words in my mind.
"Well, that could have been worse," Janine said thinking about it.
"She was humiliated in front of her fellow peers and her mentor's as well. How could that have been any worse?" Olena asked looking at Janine who just looked away from her.
The senior-year field experience was the best part of a novice's education. We'd have no classes for half a semester. Instead, we'd each be assigned a Moroi student to guard and follow around. The adult guardians would monitor us and test us with staged attacks and other threats. How a novice passed that field experience was almost as important as all the rest of her grades combined.
"That's why she has a mentor," Alberta said looking at Dimitri as if she was trying to see if he would be able to help Rose.
It could influence which Moroi she got assigned to after graduation. And me? There was only one Moroi I wanted. Two classes later, I finally earned my lunch escape. As I stumbled across campus toward the commons, Dimitri fell into step beside me, not looking particularly godlike—unless you counted his godly good looks.
Victoria and her sisters laughed at that. Ivan was also laughing at the face Dimitri was making. Abe looked at Dimitri trying to figure out if he was trouble.
"I suppose you saw what happened in Stan's class?" I asked, not bothering with titles. "Yes." "And you don't think that was unfair?" "Was he right? Do you think you were fully prepared to protect Vasilisa?" I looked down at the ground. "I kept her alive," I mumbled. "How did you do fighting against your classmates today?" The question was mean. I didn't answer and knew I didn't need to. I'd had another training class after Stan's, and no doubt Dimitri had watched me get beat up there too. "If you can't fight them—" "Yeah, yeah, I know," I snapped. He slowed his long stride to match my pain-filled one. "You're strong and fast by nature. You just need to keep yourself trained. Didn't you play any sports while you were gone?" "Sure," I shrugged. "Now and then." "You didn't join any teams?" "Too much work. If I'd wanted to practice that much, I'd have stayed here." He gave me an exasperated look.
"Ouch, I know that look," Ivan said looking at Dimitri who was frowning at him. Olena smiled at her son and nodded agreeing with Ivan.
"You'll never be able to really protect the princess if you don't hone your skills. You'll always be lacking." "I'll be able to protect her," I said fiercely. "You have no guarantees of being assigned to her, you know—for your field experience or after you graduate." Dimitri's voice was low and unapologetic. They hadn't given me a warm and fuzzy mentor. "No one wants to waste the bond—but no one's going to give her an inadequate guardian either. If you want to be with her, then you need to work for it. You have your lessons. You have me. Use us or don't. You're an ideal choice to guard Vasilisa when you both graduate—if you can prove you're worthy. I hope you will."
"That was the way this Stan should have handled it. Thank you," Olena said smiling at her son. Yeva also looked at her grandson and smiled as well.
"Lissa, call her Lissa," I corrected. She hated her full name, much preferring the Americanized nickname. He walked away, and suddenly, I didn't feel like such a badass anymore. By now, I'd burned up a lot of time leaving class. Most everyone else had long since sprinted inside the commons for lunch, eager to maximize their social time. I'd almost made it back there myself when a voice under the door's overhang called to me. "Rose?" Peering in the voice's direction, I caught sight of Victor Dashkov,
Tatiana shook her head, she wasn't overly fond of him.
his kind face smiling at me as he leaned on a cane near the building's wall. His two guardians stood nearby at a polite distance. "Mr. Dash-er, Your Highness. Hi." I caught myself just in time, having nearly forgotten Moroi royal terms. I hadn't used them while living among humans. The Moroi chose their rulers from among twelve royal families. The eldest in the family got the title of "prince" or "princess." Lissa had gotten hers because she was the only one left in her line. "How was your first day?" he asked. "Not over yet." I tried to think of something conversational. "Are you visiting here for a while?" "I'll be leaving this afternoon after I say hello to Natalie. When I heard Vasilisa—and you—had returned, I simply had to come see you."
"Why does he care about my daughter?" Janine asked worriedly.
"I don't know," Alberta answered worried as well.
I nodded, not sure what else to say. He was more Lissa's friend than mine. "I wanted to tell you…" He spoke hesitantly. "I understand the gravity of what you did, but I think Headmistress Kirova failed to acknowledge something. You did keep Vasilisa safe all this time. That is impressive." "Well, it's not like I faced down Strigoi or anything," I said. "But you faced down some things?" "Sure. The school sent psi-hounds once." "Remarkable." "Not really. Avoiding them was pretty easy." He laughed.
"No there not," Dimitri and Ivan said at the same time.
"I've hunted with them before. They aren't that easy to evade, not with their powers and intelligence." It was true. Psi-hounds were one of many types of magical creatures that wandered the world, creatures that humans never knew about or else didn't believe they'd really seen. The hounds traveled in packs and shared a sort of psychic communication that made them particularly deadly to their prey—as did the fact that they resembled mutant wolves. "Did you face anything else?" I shrugged. "Little things here and there." "Remarkable," he repeated. "Lucky, I think. It turns out I'm really behind in all this guardian stuff." I sounded just like Stan now.
Dimitri was shocked he didn't really suspect Rose of being so mature, but he got a feeling that Rose was going to surprise him more in these books.
"You're a smart girl. You'll catch up. And you also have your bond." I looked away. My ability to "feel" Lissa had been such a secret for so long, it felt weird to have others know about it. "The histories are full of stories of guardians who could feel when their charges were in danger," Victor continued. "I've made a hobby of studying up on it and some of the ancient ways. I've heard it's a tremendous asset." "I guess." I shrugged. What a boring hobby,
All the kids in the room nodded agreeing with Rose. Tatiana frowned, she had hoped that Victor would grow out of his hobby.
I thought, imagining him poring over prehistoric histories in some dank library covered in spider webs. Victor tilted his head, curiosity all over his face. Kirova and the others had had the same look when we'd mentioned our connection, like we were lab rats. "What is it like—if you don't mind me asking?" "It's…I don't know. I just sort of always have this hum of how she feels. Usually it's just emotions. We can't send messages or anything." I didn't tell him about slipping into her head. That part of it was hard even for me to understand. "But it doesn't work the other way? She doesn't sense you?" I shook my head. His face shone with wonder. "How did it happen?" "I don't know," I said, still glancing away. "Just started two years ago."
"So around the time of the accident," Tatiana said out loud.
He frowned. "Near the time of the accident?" Hesitantly, I nodded. The accident was not something I wanted to talk about, that was for sure. Lissa's memories were bad enough without my own mixing into them. Twisted metal. A sensation of hot, then cold, then hot again. Lissa screaming over me, screaming for me to wake up, screaming for her parents and her brother to wake up.
The room seemed to grow colder. Yeva sat forward a small smile on her face. She was getting a feeling that Rose would be the most interesting person
None of them had, only me. And the doctors said that was a miracle in itself. They said I shouldn't have survived. Apparently sensing my discomfort, Victor let the moment go and returned to his earlier excitement. "I can still barely believe this. It's been so long since this has happened. If it did happen more often…just think what it could do for the safety of all Moroi. If only others could experience this too. I'll have to do more research and see if we can replicate it with others." "Yeah." I was getting impatient, despite how much I liked him. Natalie rambled a lot, and it was pretty clear which parent she'd inherited that quality from.
Tatiana and Janie both shook their heads, not approving of Rose's thoughts
Lunch was ticking down, and although Moroi and novices shared afternoon classes, Lissa and I wouldn't have much time to talk. "Perhaps we could—" He started coughing, a great, seizing fit that made his whole body shake. His disease, Sandovsky's Syndrome, took the lungs down with it while dragging the body toward death. I cast an anxious look at his guardians, and one of them stepped forward. "Your Highness," he said politely, "you need to go inside. It's too cold out here." Victor nodded. "Yes, yes. And I'm sure Rose here wants to eat." He turned to me. "Thank you for speaking to me. I can't emphasize how much it means to me that Vasilisa is safe—and that you helped with that. I'd promised her father I'd look after her if anything happened to him, and I felt like quite the failure when you left." A sinking sensation filled my stomach as I imagined him wracked with guilt and worry over our disappearance.
"Why does she have respect for only some of the moroi's and not everyone?' Tatiana asked looking at Alberta then at Janine
"If you're nice to Rose she will be nice to you. That's just how she is," Alberta answered
Until now, I hadn't really thought about how others might have felt about us leaving. We made our goodbyes, and I finally arrived inside the school. As I did, I felt Lissa's anxiety spike. Ignoring the pain in my legs, I picked up my pace into the commons.
All the guardians in the room sat forward, they didn't like the idea of Lissa being in danger
And nearly ran right into her. She didn't see me, though. Neither did the people standing with her: Aaron and that little doll girl. I stopped and listened, just catching the end of the conversation. The girl leaned toward Lissa, who seemed more stunned than anything else. "It looks to me like it came from a garage sale. I thought a precious Dragomir would have standards." Scorn dripped off the word Dragomir. Grabbing Doll Girl by the shoulder, I jerked her away. She was so light, she stumbled three feet and nearly fell.
"Please let her not be a royal," Alberts begged under her breath
"She really can't get a break can she?" Karolina asked looking around. Alberta nodded agreeing with her.
"She does have standards," I said, "which is why you're done talking to her."
"Okay who's next" Janine asked holding up the book. Abe took the book and opened it.