Chapter 12 - The Market

Present day - March

Rose POV

"I heard you're going on another field trip," Meredith said excitedly.

I didn't believe her. After the last time we went to the Christmas market a couple of months ago, I had wandered off. It hadn't been my intention, there were just so many people that I got lost in the crowd. I ended up in front of a bakery, and the smell of heaven possessed me to step inside.

I had briefly noticed a man standing behind the counter. I was nervous and kept my eyes to the ground. I didn't want to anger him or defy him. He had offered me vitrashka, no, what was it called - a vatrushka, for free. I was elated, and I couldn't help the smile on my lips as he handed it to me. I didn't get a chance to thank him before Moore had dragged me out of there.

He had eaten the vatrushka in the car on our way back with a smirk.

Meredith noticed that I didn't believe her. "I swear it's true, I heard Moore and the Headmistress discuss it!" she added.

"Are you coming with me like the last time? Did they say when we would go?" I asked. I wasn't entirely comfortable with going away again, the last time had been weird. And I had been punished for going into the bakery. Moore had hit me with his belt so hard that I couldn't lie on my back for a week.

"I don't know, maybe. And no, I didn't hear the details. Ask Guardian Sidorov if he knows something?"

Igor was probably my best shot at getting more information, so I went looking for him. It was a couple of hours before dinner, so I figured he might be at the gym. I walked outside and to the building where the gym was. The door was open, letting in some fresh air to the small space. I didn't know much about training, but it seemed to have the basic equipment. Igor was alone there, lying on a bench and pressing up a bar with weight plates racked on it.

I stood in the doorway watching him. As he was lying on his back, his shirt had ridden up a bit, revealing the lower part of his stomach. I noticed a trail of hair leading down to- Oh God, I was not supposed to look there. My cheeks flushed, I was so embarrassed. Luckily he was still working on his set and not looking at me.

I didn't really have a lot to compare to but seeing him now made me realize that he was kind of cute. But he was a guardian. They could not be trusted. And a part of me, especially lately, was increasingly uncomfortable with being alone with him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about him didn't feel right. I took a deep breath reminding myself of why I went here and that he never had hurt me.

Once he was done with his set he sat up, and looked at me with a smile. A thin sheet of sweat was on his forehead. "Rose, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Do you know anything about an upcoming field trip?" I asked him. He stood up and walked towards me.

He eyed me for a moment before he said "yes, but I'm not supposed to say anything to you."

Damn it. My curiosity was getting the best of me. Now I had to know. "Can't you just tell me? I promise not to say anything to anyone."

He contemplated my words for a while. "Why don't I make you a deal?" I didn't like where this was going before he continued. "Let me show you some moves and I'll tell you what I know."

I was filled with suspicion. No guardian would ever show us girls anything. "What kind of moves?" I asked, my voice almost trembling.

"You don't have to sound so suspicious, I'm almost hurt." he said and put one hand over his heart with a dramatic gesture. His attempt to lighten up my mood helped. "I don't know, maybe a protective stance or something. I don't agree with Moore that you shouldn't learn self-defense."

Oh. He had never openly disagreed with Moore on anything. My suspicion faded a bit. I really wanted to learn how to stand up for myself, and if I agreed he would also tell me what I wanted to know. It was too good of a deal to pass up on. "Okay, but I can't stay longer than five minutes, I have to get back to the kitchen."

"Let's make the most of those five minutes then. Show me how you would stand if someone were to attack you."

Already knowing I was doing it completely wrong, I put the feeling of embarrassment aside and crouched down a bit with my hands raised in front of me. I clenched my hands into fists and kept them in front of my face, recalling some of the lessons I had with Eddie and Mason.

He took a few steps closer so that he was standing to my side, so close that I felt the heat of his body radiate on my skin. "It's quite good, better than I expected." His hand touched my fist, fingers grazing my knuckles. "Thumb on the outside, always." I immediately corrected my error and swallowed the feeling of nervousness. His fingers grazed my forearm, slightly guiding my arm higher. "You want to protect that beautiful face of yours." He paused for a moment, standing close to me with his fingers still touching my arm. It felt as if he was caressing my skin, his fingers warm and rough. "Tomorrow you'll be going to the same village as the last time, there's a market. Probably won't be as many people there as last time so for the sake of you, please don't wander off again." His voice sounded concerned, almost as if he cared about what had happened to me. His hand dropped.

I felt his other hand between my shoulder blades, lightly pressing me forward a bit. He took a few steps back so that he was standing behind me. I felt the hand on my back move downwards towards my hip. He was now so close that I could feel his thigh against me. I felt sick.

The hand on my hip guided me slightly lower so that I was crouching more. He was too close. I didn't want this. Just as I was about to say something he took a few steps back and he was no longer touching me. A sigh of relief escaped me.

"You need to be ready for your opponent. By not standing so straight you will be able to move faster, and keep your stability" he said in his teaching voice. Was I paranoid?

He took a few steps forward so that I could see him again. He smiled at me and said "There, much better. How does it feel compared to the initial stance?"

I wanted to get away from the gym, so I straightened myself. "Better, thank you. I should get going now." I hadn't even finished my first step when he grabbed my arm.

"Rose, hey, what's wrong?" he said with concern. He looked so sincere that I had to remind myself that he was a guardian, and guardians couldn't be your friends, otherwise I would still have Eddie and Mason. I smiled half heartedly and said "Nothing, thank you for your help." He wasn't convinced, but dropped my arm. I quickly walked to the door and took a deep, steadying breath when I was outside. I felt so relieved.

I started walking back towards the main house, when I realized something.

Igor hadn't really gotten anything out of our deal. A shiver went through me, and I hurried back inside. I had been so desperate to learn something new, something that helped me stand up for myself, that I hadn't really thought it through. I didn't know what ulterior motive Igor had, but I wouldn't be so naive in the future.

Moore had just parked the car when he turned around in his seat and glared at me. "Remember what happened last time, little Rosie? " he said.

I wanted to tell him to shut up, but swallowed the words. My face was completely blank, my tone neutral. "I remember, sir."

He narrowed his eyes at me before he turned back. He opened his car door and stepped out. Igor got out as well and opened my car door.

It was now afternoon and we had arrived at the same village where we visited the Christmas Market last year. Moore led us towards the market square, and Igor walked close to my side. Too close. His arm kept brushing mine.

Just before we reached it, Moore stopped and gave me a cold look. "You can look at the stands in a little while, I'm sure Ms. Carmack had something she needed." That was true, she had given me some money to buy a pair of knitted socks. "You can't wander off, I want you to stay close to us. But first we need to run an errand." He started walking again, and I followed him closely. I didn't want to give him any reason to repeat the last time's beating. Luckily the market wasn't as crowded this time, and it was easy not to get lost in the crowd.

Moore slowed his pace and glared at something. I followed his eyes and saw that he was glaring at a tall blond man who was talking on the phone. He wasn't paying any attention to us while he was talking to someone, maybe his girlfriend.

"I think gray curtains would be better for the living room," he said, and by the sound of it he couldn't really care less. He turned towards a stand with some jewelry and his left hand scratched his neck. He didn't have any tattoos like the ones I was used to seeing, Molnija marks. But then again he was human and it didn't seem like tattooing the neck was a common thing for them.

The man said something about saving the receipt when Moore picked up his pace again and led us to the other side of the market square. It was close to the bakery I had entered, and I shuddered from the memory of the consequences. I was not about to make the same mistake, and kept close to Igor and Moore. We came to a halt at one of the corners of the square and just stood there.

I was freezing. My jacket was thin and figure hugging, not providing much isolation. Although it was early March, it was still cold outside, and I wished that they had given me a thicker jacket. At least my boots were warming my legs a bit since I was only wearing a dress and tights underneath the jacket. I felt somewhat overdressed compared to what the humans around us were wearing.

We kept standing there, not really doing anything. I tried my best to keep my eyes to the ground in order not to rile up Moore. I wanted to ask them what we were doing, but I bit my tongue and kept silent. Was this the errand he mentioned earlier? Why the fuck are we just standing here like morons?

After a while Moore finally broke the silence. "What did Ms. Carmack ask you to buy for her?"

"Just a pair of knitted socks, sir" I answered as we finally started walking towards the center of the market square. "Did she give you money?" he asked. I nodded.

"Stay with Guardian Sidorov, I'll meet you here in half an hour." He gave me one final glare before he turned around and walked away.

Igor seemed relieved that Moore was gone. "Let's find those socks then." He put his hand on my lower back and guided me through the crowd. I tried to keep my face neutral, but couldn't help the tension I felt from his touch. He was too familiar, we weren't friends.

There were three market stands that were selling knitted items. Igor gave me some space while he checked out the stands he wanted. It's not like he ignored me completely, he kept watching me every now and then, making sure I didn't wander off. I tried to focus on my task and ended up with a pair of baby blue socks that seemed to be reasonably priced. My concept of money wasn't the greatest, but I had a basic understanding of it.

After I paid for the socks I turned around and started looking for Igor. I couldn't see him in the crowd yet, but I knew he wouldn't be far away. I accidentally dropped the pair of socks and bent over to pick it up. Just as I straightened myself, someone walked straight into me, almost making me trip over. A pair of strong hands steadied me, and I looked up into a pair of gray eyes. The man was tall, taller than any of the guardians at the Institution. He let go of me and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, miss. I didn't see you there," he said with a smirk, but his eyes were scrutinizing. I realized that it was the same man who had been talking on the phone with his girlfriend. I didn't answer him and lowered my gaze. If Moore saw me talking to someone he would punish me. I just wanted to find Igor before I was in trouble. I looked around to see where he was, and couldn't help but glance at the tall, blond man. He winked at me and flashed a what was probably meant to be a charming grin before heading off. What a fucking douchebag.

It surprised me that Igor still wasn't in sight, why would he leave me unguarded? I felt a prickle down my spine, as if someone was watching me and turned around. This was bad. Moore was on his way over carrying a brown paper bag and he looked angry. I blamed Igor for leaving me alone, if he hadn't left that douchebag wouldn't have caused me trouble. Suddenly Igor laid his hand on my shoulder, but not even my uneasiness from his touch made my fear ease. I had thought that this field trip had gone well but I knew that Moore wouldn't go easy on me. Even if I hadn't done anything wrong he would see it that way. It wouldn't be Igor that left me unsupervised but me who wandered off again. It wouldn't be a stranger accidentally bumping into me but I who caused problems. And it was Moore's job to correct problems.

My mind was so distracted trying to figure out how to get away from the punishment to come, that I didn't really notice that we had walked back to the car. The silence was deafening. Igor looked at me with pity in his eyes. I could feel my fear transform into anger, it was Igor's and the douchebag's fault, and he had the audacity to pity me. Suddenly the memory of the dead boy in the forest came into my mind. I'd always wondered if he really tried to escape or if there was another explanation, perhaps even caused by someone. As that thought was finished I randomly looked up and met Moore's ice cold eyes staring at me through the rearview mirror. Before I could look away he smiled a smile that made chills go down my spine.