Trial

Sophia's P.O.V.

May/June

I shut my eyes and leaned my head back in my chair. I welled up a deep breath inside, expanding my belly and my lungs. And I blew it all out, deflating myself, for six seconds. Then I repeated it. In. Out.

I recalled Damon's words from our conversation last week. I completed all my exams and the rest of school was done. This was the last piece and hopefully, this evening I'd be wearing my promise mark and be titled Guardian Belikov from now on.

Use your brain. Was the hard-hitting message he reiterated several times. I'd even written a post-it note and stuck it on my mirror to read it everyday like a mantra. I was surprised it even came to me during my exams too and actually helped. It was a reminder. Not to just use my brain and think rationally but to remain steady and calm and to breathe, to go back to my safe place and use my head.

Mom and Dad had already visited me in the waiting tent earlier to spring upon their repetitive words of wisdom and knowledge. Dad urged me to take this seriously and remain calm out there. Mom told me whilst all that was important, it wasn't a crime to have a little fun out there too.

I had parted from Nadya and Sacha in the morning after breakfast and my cousins at the academy, all who had bestowed their best wishes upon me. Everybody I knew, including Dede and Grandmama sat together up in the stands; and Nadya was FaceTiming our family in Baia from her phone.

I sat hungry in anticipation, waiting for my name to be called. There were two more people in front of me and hearing the crowd's reactions to something didn't help. We weren't allowed to see the trials obviously and our waiting tent obscured the obstacle course from our view.

The rest of the novices here were balls of extreme nervousness that I couldn't stand it. I sneakily snuck in a cigarette before perching myself on this chair and it was perhaps the only thing that calmed me down.

As I remained there with my eyes closed, I had a sudden longing to see Damon. I wished he was beside me. At the very least, I wished he'd be in the stands watching me live. I knew he had his own commitments to St. Basil's of course, and that he could watch my tape back in his own time but it wasn't the bloody same.

"Belikov, Milana!" Stan's deep voice boomed out loudly across the speakers. The crowd went into a chorus of "ooh"s and I balled my hands into fists, clutching my practice stake harder than necessary.

"Good luck, Soph," I heard a few of my classmates whisper as I strode out of the tent. My eyes passed over them and I gave a small thank you smile. The last person I glimpsed at was Chad who gave me a big grin and two thumbs up. MJ's surname began with A, so he was one of the first ones to do his trial first. He was no longer hanging about here in this tent—not that it mattered. He'd barely uttered a word to me since he revealed his secret feelings about me. With an exhale, I pushed thoughts about MJ out of my head and approached the obstacle course.

I felt so small and timid stepping into the arena. The oval was fucking massive and if I hadn't been so nervous, my jaw might've dropped. There was shit everywhere that I couldn't even comprehend what I was about to undergo.

I glanced around the stadium's stands. There was hundreds of people here. I quickly found my family sitting up there cheering me on. My face felt like a stone wall. I couldn't break out into any emotion. The last thing I saw before my fake-Moroi, a guardian enlisted from outside the school, and I stepped into the field was a firm nod from my father.

On Stan's horn, my trial began and I was off.

Time was nothing to me. It felt like I'd be out here for five minutes and also an hour at the same time. Damon was right that I'd be tested and boy was this a challenge. We'd gone through an actual maze, ropes, mud, water that was meant to represent a deep river, bridges—the whole lot! I felt like I was acting out the children's book Going on a Bear Hunt.

My calves were covered in mud because the guardians strategically placed it after the water obstacle. I was a sopping mess and I was distinctly aware there was blood on my cheek too.

Since the sun was out, my clothes dried up pretty well and I was wearing thin layers so it wasn't too bad.

So far, I had protected my Moroi from any danger and miraculously fought off a number of fake Strigois I had lost count. I also was heedless to anything the crowd reacted to and just kept going.

The most challenging part was the last bit where my fake Moroi and I thought we made it out of a "cave" alive and well, only to be faced with fake Strigois all around us. We were trapped between them and so I had to fight several people coming in at all directions. My instruction to my Moroi was to duck and stay low and off to the side of the wall of the caves. I stood before my fake Moroi and defended him from every attacker. Once I cancelled out all those visibly in front or behind us, I told my Moroi to stay where he was as I stepped out of the "cave" a little and checked for any more Strigoi. It was lucky I did that because one launched on me which I dispatched quickly. After a few more deliberating seconds, I declared it safe and took my Moroi out of the fake cave.

We continued walking through the obstacle course and as we did not encounter anybody else, I became to grow certain that I might've finished my trial. But that couldn't be right. Stan hadn't sounded his horn to signal the end of my trial. The crowd wasn't cheering—unless I failed?

I looked around me, suddenly convincing myself that this wasn't the end. Something else was going to attack us. I stuck up close to my Moroi, not letting go of him as we continued through the course.

Nothing. There was nothing happening. "Keep close," I repeated. My Moroi nodded in response.

I circled my head around again, looking back and forth and into nooks and crannies for lurking fake Strigoi. I was looking in one direction when it finally happened. There was a landing thud behind me that sounded like boots sinking into the ground.

I spun around, keeping my Moroi behind me and had my practice stake ready when my opponent's features became apparent to me and I gasped so loudly I think the crowd heard me.

A wide grin, flashing eyes, tall stature and a body so broad I often thought two of me could hide behind him.

"No," I murmured, suddenly unsure if I could finish my test. Hell, screw that. I wasn't sure if I could finish the test and pass.

"Hi, Soph," his throaty voice sounded across the pit, low and guttural and full of cockiness. His grin was so arrogant and proud and I swear I saw the gaze in his eyes dip all over my body very briefly.

Use your brain, his voice suddenly urged in my head.

This was what he warned me of!

This was why he told me not to panic and get anxious.

This was why he told me to get creative.

Because beating him? Was going to be damn near impossible. Usually they kept mentors and mentees away from each other in trials due to bias. But I guess his transfer and him not being here for six months wiped that slate. It was also my biggest test yet. The school guardians were too freaking smart.

"I am going to kill you," I hissed. I firmly, without hurting, shoved my Moroi into a little alcove next to me where I could keep an eye on him and charged for Damon.

"You're going to have to try really hard," he taunted.

"Shut up, Damon Julian Petrov," I said through gritted teeth. Flourishing my anger right now could be exactly what I needed. I needed it to overtake the excitement inside me over seeing him after fucking months. I wanted to run and hug him and tell him how happy I was to see him. But I fucking couldn't. Not with our reunion being my damn trial.

I made it look like I was aiming high for him, then tricked him into sliding down. We were fighting in a sandy, dusty pit so my slide and sticking my leg out and with my finger, I kicked and flicked up dust everywhere. It created clouds of yellow dust and made Damon spatter.

"Brilliant, Soph."

I tripped his legs which only caused a slight stumble and I used that quick lapse to knock him down and dragged him to the ground. My best bet at defeating him was on the floor.

We got into a rough grapple and I laid into him with several punches each one harder than the next and jabbing the same spot over and over. It seemed like it hardly fazed him so I had to work efficiently here. I tried sweeping the stake over his chest any moment I got but he was too good. He grabbed my elbow and forcefully knocked the stake out of my fist (obviously not touching it as a Strigoi wouldn't). My stake flew to the other side of the pit, metres away.

Fuck. Now I had to physically fight Damon, simultaneously get away from him and get my stake and then fight him again to kill him.

In the same swift motion he tossed my stake away, he flipped me onto my back. This would be too easy to be pinned so I held my arms up over my neck and head in a cross. He wrapped his hand over the bare part of my ankle between the hem of leggings and my sock and pulled me towards him, kicking up more clouds of dust and dirt around us again. If this was any other moment, I'd judge that ankle pull as a sexy 10 out of 10.

Without wasting time here, I reached up grabbing one side of his head and clawed at it while I drew my other knee up and kneed him in the side of his head. I hit hard enough that he jerked aside and actually fell to the ground, clutching his head with a groan.

I jumped up and ran across the pit to snatch up my stake. Just as I did that, Damon was already back on me. He jerked me back, pinning my arms back which I tried to cleverly stab him with the practice stake. It didn't work. So I ducked and spun out of his grasp. It was then a series of blows and deflects on either end and we were so equally matched it felt like the fight was going nowhere. I had to do something. So in between one of our blows, I switched the stake into my left hand unnoticeable to him, and began punching with my right. It didn't knock him out but he grew weary faster and that's when I struck out. He wasn't waiting for my right hand to come over his heart anymore so when I had half a second of an opening, my left hand swooped in, stake poised and slashed over his heart.

Something sounded beyond me, a whistle or siren or horn, I don't know, but whatever it was signalled the end of my trial. The crowd in the stands stood up in applauses, whistles, cheers and screams. And I swear I could hear faintly them chanting 'Belikov, Belikov, Belikov.' And I thought I heard a group of girls that sounded suspiciously like my sister and cousins shouting 'Give me an S, give me an O,' and continue to spell out my name before yelling 'Sophia!'.

In the seconds after I fake killed my mentor, I wearily glanced up at him. I was happy. So happy to see him. Happy I completed my trial. Happy I did it. I defeated him.

He looked down at my left hand that was still clutching the practice stake. "Good fucking girl."

I tried to smile at him but I felt so bloody tired. "Damon," I murmured and I felt shaky all over like a bowl of jelly. He saw it in me before I felt it completely. He grabbed my left hand first, taking the stake out of my hold, and the other hand slid around my waist, lending me strength to keep upright.

"Let's go, Guardian Belikova," he whispered in my ear and led me out of the obstacle course and oval. Every guardian I 'killed' passed on their congratulations as I walked out. Someone wrapped a towel over me and passed me a water bottle.

"Well done, Belikov. I knew you'd be the best," Stan said as I brushed past him.

We sat in a different tent this time, the post-trial, newly-graduated tent. It was pretty much cleared out now so we had it to ourselves. The crowd was still going wild for me, much to my surprise and I urged myself to block it out.

I flopped down onto a plastic chair and Damon drew one up opposite me. I threw the water down first and as I did, the single TV screen that was plastered up in the tent displayed a time. 1:32:54.

I read it outloud. Damon glimpsed at the screen then back to me. "That's your time, beautiful."

I blinked. "I was out there for an hour and a half?"

He nodded. "One of the longest times by far."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"Neither," he shrugged. "It's just a timestamp. Not to worry."

He shouldered the towel off me and told me to wipe off the mud and sweat. "I can't be fucking bothered right now. I'd rather you just dump a bucket of cold water over me instead."

His lips curled upwards into a cheeky smirk. "I'm sure I can arrange that."

I leaned back in my chair and rolled my eyes as I rested my head back and looked up to the sky—or rather, the ceiling of the tent. "An hour and a half. No wonder I'm so exhausted," I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes for a little while and just relaxed. After a few minutes I opened them again. Damon was still sitting before me but he held snacks and a protein shake in his hand for me. Where did he get that from? I hadn't even heard him get up.

Nonetheless, I took it and bit into it straight away. After my mini recharge, I felt a little more human and rested. I observed him and it finally hit me. Damon was back.

"How are you here?" I asked incredulously.

He snorted. "As if I would miss this." He ignored my question. "You listened to me."

I frowned. "Which time?"

"All of them," he said proudly. "You used your brain. You got creative and you 'staked' me using your left hand. How many novices are out there doing that?"

"Obviously no one that you taught." In spite of myself, I couldn't help the small grin creep over my face.

He leaned forward in his chair, closing a fair portion of distance between us. He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingertips. "You should be proud, Milana, and celebrate yourself well tonight," he told me huskily. I felt goosebumps rise all over me and the fact that he called me Milana made something dance inside me. It was gone in a split second however because I heard a stampede of people scuttling outside the tent.

Voices I knew from birth came floating in. Damon leaned back in his chair and a few moments later, my family joined us full of beaming and blasting smiles.

"Milana!" My mother screeched first. She raced over to me the quickest and squeezed the crap out of me. "Baby, you did it! You did so fucking well, I can't tell you how proud I am!"

She was bursting with enthusiasm I couldn't help but laugh. When she let go of me, she pressed a firm kiss to my head and then I was wrapped up in Dad's more careful embrace.

"Mila, my malyshka," he kissed the top of my head like Mom. "I am so immensely proud. Congratulations. You did fantastic."

He let go and Nadya flooded me next. "Milana, Milana, Milana Sophia!" She pinched my cheeks in a fair imitation of Babushka. "Okay, everybody stop!" She flung her arms out wide and hushed everyone's excitement. "Can we all just talk about how you fucking did that! Mila, you fucking did that! How did you fight him?" She looked over and gestured at Damon. "And you staked him with your left hand!"

I laughed and then Sacha came up. "Congratulations, big sis! You're part of the big crowd, now." He gave me a small hug, wary of any injuries.

"Soph, everyone was screaming for you! That was the loudest the crowd's ever been," Nadya told me, beaming from ear to ear.

"I wondered how you'd go seeing Damon out there for the first time," Mom said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against a table stocked with water bottles. Everybody was full of cheesy, happy smiles that I sort of became tired. I was thrilled too, but I think it was all just taking a toll on me and I desperately wanted to lie down and clean myself up.

"You should go unwind for a while," suggested Dad, assessing my demeanour. "We will see you later, Mila."

They all bid their goodbyes one by one. "Do you need help getting up there?" Sacha paused and stopped by my chair before leaving.

I quickly switched glances with Damon. "I think I'll be fine. Thanks, Sach," I shook my head and shooed him off.

Once they left, Damon offered me his arm. "Come on."

Heheh! Please let me know what you think of this chapter!

Question for fellow Americans, is graduation May or June? That's why I wrote either month at the start of this chapter, I am not sure as I am not American! Thanks :)