Chapter 7

For a week, life went on like normal. A routine developed with Rose and me. Seeing her around school was still a little difficult; I was so drawn to her I couldn't help following her every single movement with my greedy gaze. Ironically, it was only when she couldn't see that I allowed my attraction for her to burn through me. Thankfully, she seemed utterly oblivious to the internal battle I was suffering. In practice and in class she was her usual snarky, cocky self, but whenever I gave her an exercise to do, all the easiness evaporated from her, to be replaced by steely determination.

I fully and openly admired her dedication. I didn't often offer her compliments, and refrained from doing so lest I slip and say something that was unacceptable. But I would show my appreciation in discreet ways; nodding at her in approval when I felt she deserved it. It was wonderful to see how receptive she was to my approval; her eyes would light up and she'd give me one of those dazzling grins she'd offer only the luckiest of male victims.

Gradually, as her body began to grow accustomed to the heavy training, she started building more muscle, framed by a hardiness that allowed her to take much harder beatings than before. And thanks to the running I had her do every morning, her stamina increased to the point where our fights sometimes lasted for ages. It was delightful to fight her, because although I had experience and was far more skilful than she was – for now – she copied my movements effortlessly, which meant we were both predictable to the other. She'd anticipate my moves, which was good for me, because it forced me to stay agile and find new, surprising ways of attacking her. Still, she'd never give up, and more than once I'd feel my chest swell up with pride for her.

She was learning so fast. At this rate, she would surpass her classmates in no time.

This morning, she trudged into the gym with a peaceful expression on her face. She looked a little distant. I'd come to realise that whenever she had that distant look, it meant she was deeply attuned to Vasilisa's feelings and emotions. And more than once, she would space out completely, slipping into the princess' mind. Sometimes, her absence would last for so long that I'd grow worried, and at other times it would only last a minute. When that occurred, I had to battle for control to stop myself from comforting her in some way or another. She was so vulnerable when she was in that state – I felt I needed to be extra vigilant to protect her. Lately I'd grown more casual about it, not commenting when she'd return and continue on as if nothing had happened.

Rose gave me one, long look. She groaned. 'Please don't tell me I have to run laps again.'

I regarded her smugly. 'That is exactly what you'll be doing.'

'You know, for someone who's supposed to be a badass, your training methods aren't very badass.'

I blinked. A – badass? Had she really called me a badass? Puzzled, I cocked my head at her. 'Badass?'

To my utter astonishment, Rose blushed vigorously, not meeting my eyes. 'Uh,' she stammered. 'Nothing.'

Amused, I motioned for her to follow me into the stretching room. 'I know that, for now, your training isn't particularly "badass", as you call it. But it's necessary. You're still behind all your classmates; I've seen it. You first need to catch up to their level of fitness before I can further the training.'

Rose sighed loudly, rolling her eyes in the process. 'Yeah, yeah. I know what you're getting at. Being cautious, taking things one step at a time, and all that. You know, comrade, some of us like to run before we can walk.'

I stared at her, shocked by her unintentionally wise comment. I was so used to Rose's smartass comments that she could easily catch me by surprise. Rose's exterior may be that of a normal teenager, but she had hidden depths of wisdom inside of her. She had seen what many others hadn't seen, experienced that which many others wouldn't experience. Of course, that made her wise beyond her years.

It also – dangerously – made me view her as an equal instead of as a student.

I gave her a don't-give-me-any-more-crap look, which immediately made her lips flatten out into a line, and she plopped down on the floor to do her stretches. Satisfied that she was absorbed in her exercise, I settled down in my standard corner, grabbing for my Western novel. I gratefully let the narrative consume me, a much needed escape from the tirade of swirling emotions that Rose ignited inside of me.

When she slipped outside for her morning run, I placed the book gently on the floor, making my way into the centre of the training room. It was time for my morning meditation, which Guardian Avdonin had instructed me to do every day in my youthful years. My initial response to the boring, seemingly time-wasting meditation had been similar to Rose's – grumbling, unwilling. Every time I made an inappropriate noise – such as blowing out too much air than conventionally acceptable – Guardian Avdonin would shoot me a familiar, dangerous look.

'Any problems, Belikov?'

I'd gulped, afraid of whatever punishment Guardian Avdonin would cook up for me.

'No Guardian Avdonin.' Answering him in a straight manner was difficult, but strictly necessary. If I ever hesitated, stammered or whimpered while answering him, he'd grow annoyed at my weakness and force me to do fifty push-ups.

'Hmm, I think I sensed some displeasure, Belikov. You know what to do.'

Stifling a sigh, I'd just set out to do what he expected me to – ten laps. Once back, I would launch myself into the welcome meditation, glad I could just relax and not exhaust myself any further. It was strange how he could do that; brainwash me into realising something was very much wanted and desirable, such as meditation after a long run.

Guardian Avdonin was a very wise and smart man. As a child I had often viewed his harsh training as cruel, his manner as intimidating and heartless. Growing older, everything he did and had done seemed more and more reasonable. Along with all my fears, Guardian Avdonin wanted me to banish my fears of him.

'Come on, Belikov. Stop being such a slabak' – the Russian word for "weakling". 'Look at you,' he'd said, pinching my now-chiselled arms and shoulders. 'Strong in your youth. It is time you beat an old man.'

I had taken me four years to fulfil his demands. At the age of eighteen, I had finally struck him down. It was his last and final gift to me. Confidence – confidence that I had beaten the best guardian I had known so far in my life, and more confidence still that perhaps I could find myself in the same league as the other, older guardians.

Finishing up my meditation, I returned to my role as classroom spectator. Today, I was to be present in Rose's History class. Rose spent the entire time in class whispering with her classmates, mainly the Ashford boy. Observing them, it quickly became evident that Ashford was completely smitten by Rose. The way he regarded her, infatuation making his blue eyes sparkle – not to mention he jumped at any opportunity to do her a favour. Unfortunately for the boy, Rose seemed oblivious to his interest.

Rose also shamelessly flirted with every male within her reach. Every lucky enough male she would aim her flirtation at ate it up eagerly. And yet, Rose did not seem particularly interested in any Moroi or dhampir. Yes, she flirted, but afterwards she would dismiss them completely. I felt a little bad for the students, who obviously grew irate at her unpredictable behaviour. I once witnessed Ashford running his hand through his hair, regarding Rose with frustration.

I couldn't help but disapprove of her interaction with the males. The only female friends she had were, of course, Vasilisa, and another Moroi girl called Natalie. I felt like Rose needed to dedicate more time to paying attention in class, not allowing herself to be so easily distracted by her friends.

Guardian Avdonin had taken my dedication at school very seriously.

'Don't waste your time with girls, Belikov. You'll only regret that later. Pay attention in school, make sure your grades are excellent. If they're not – you can say goodbye to protecting an important Moroi.'

To me, it hadn't been so imperative that I protected a wealthy, important royal Moroi. Every Moroi's life was worth protecting. But I knew better than to question Guardian Avdonin's advice.

At first, though, it had been hard to follow.

As a teenager, many girls had paid attention to me. And it had been beyond my control to pay attention back. Unlike many of my classmates, I understood girls perfectly; after all, I had lived with many of them for all my life. If there was anything my sisters had taught me, it was that all other men seemed to be doing it wrong. So I did everything differently, and boy did it prove fruitful. Driven by raging hormones, it had been a delight to explore the female nature and sexuality. I could vaguely remember some of the girls, but none of them had been particularly extraordinary. Eventually, as I grew older, I had decided to follow Guardian Avdonin's advice, completely ignoring the girls at school. All my time and energy from there on had been devoted to becoming the best guardian possible.

What was more, in all my time of meeting and exploring girls, I had never met anyone before who made such a huge impression on me like Rose had. Nobody had glowed as bright as she did, as if there was a fire alit inside of her. Her passion was so strong that it seemed palpable. I was drawn to her, and it scared me. I hated feeling helpless, and yet I couldn't ignore the feeling that there was a force field present, drawing me into her like a magnet.

And I wasn't the only magnet caught in the force field.

The admission wasn't a pleasant one, but realistically, Rose's personal life was none of my business. I could advise her like Guardian Avdonin had with me, but in the end, it was her choice to make.

A few days later in the gym, I decided I wanted to listen to some music while Rose was out running. I brought in a portable CD player, playing one of my favourite songs: "When Doves Cry" by Prince. I rolled out a mat, and lay down, letting a Louis L'Amour book absorb me as I waited for Rose.

'Whoa, Dimitri,' Rose said, tossing her bag noisily on the floor. I ignored the fluttering feeling in my chest caused by her saying my name. 'I realise this is actually a current hit in Eastern Europe right now, but do you think we could maybe listen to something that wasn't recorded before I was born?'

My eyes flicked towards her, the rest of my posture remaining the same. I was honestly surprised that someone who sucked so much at history could know a thing about Eastern Europe. As always, Rose began our mornings with her usual snarkiness, her running commentary usually a little extra grumpy at my expense. I found it mildly amusing, and never bothered with responding in a similar tone. I didn't mind her communication style, as long as it didn't interfere with her training.

'What does it matter to you? I'm the one who's going to be listening to it. You'll be outside running.'

Rose made a face as she set her foot up on one of the bars and stretched her hamstrings. She remained thoughtful for a little while, and I couldn't help but feel curious as to what was going on inside her lively head.

'Hey,' she said, moving on to the next set of stretches, 'what's with all the running, anyway? I mean, I realise the importance of stamina and all that, but shouldn't I be moving onto something with a little hitting? They're still killing me in group practice.'

How many times was I going to have to say it so she could finally understand? 'Maybe you should hit harder,' I replied drily, figuring this was the only style of communication Rose understood.

Rose shot me a look of irritation. 'I'm serious.' Really?

'Hard to tell the difference.' I unwillingly set the book down, still not moving. There was something I needed to make her realise. 'My job is to get you ready to defend the princess and fight dark creatures, right?'

'Yup.'

'So tell me this: suppose you manage to kidnap her again and take her off to the mall. While you're there, a Strigoi comes at you. What will you do?'

I expected her to mull it over, but instead she replied with, 'depends on what sore we're in.' I only looked at her.

'Fine. I'll stab him with a silver stake.'

Oh boy. She really did settle for running before she could walk. I sat up, crossing my legs.

'Oh?' I raised my eyebrows at her, taunting her. 'Do you have a silver stake? Do you even know how to use one?'

She dragged her eyes away from me and scowled. I had my answer right there. Probably, she had never even held a stake before. She thought for a while, then looked up defiantly.

'Okay. I'll cut his head off.'

'Ignoring the fact that you don't have a weapon to do that, how will you compensate for the fact that he may be a foot taller than you?' I eyed Rose's body demonstratingly, immediately regretting it when my eyes flitted away from her bent-over body as she was touching her toes in a stretch.

When she straightened up, she looked annoyed. 'Fine, then I'll set him on fire.' Always the optimist.

'Again, with what?' I prompted.

'All right, I give up,' she muttered, hands up in surrender. 'You've already got the answer.  I'm at the mall and I see a Strigoi. What do I do?'

I looked her dead-serious in the eye. 'You run.'

Immediately her face heated with rage. She looked like she very much wanted to throw something at me. However, I too, was annoyed at her. She directed most of her anger at me, which was unfair, because I was the only one willing to transform her into a guardian when everyone else at the school wanted to throw her out. I suddenly had an idea. Her running times weren't improving fast enough, so I told her I'd join her for this run, to push her to run faster and harder.

When she finished her stretches, we set out. Having lived and trained in Siberia, I was used to the bite of the cold and the way my lungs craved more oxygen than normal. Rose wasn't as accustomed to the cold, and she was quickly breathing hard. I ran at my normal pace, when I glanced to the side and noticed Rose wasn't next to me. Obviously, I was much taller and thus took longer strides than Rose. I slowed my pace to match hers, but the action must have insulted her because she quickened her pace, working her lungs and muscles harder. Filled with approval, I ran alongside her, not feeling much of the exertion since I was so used to it.

Running beside her felt good. I had always liked running, and it felt so natural to do it with Rose, whereas it normally made me uncomfortable to have anyone join my morning runs. I let myself sink into a peaceful state, but it was abruptly interrupted by a couple of other novices who passed by.

'Good form, Rose!' The Ashford boy cheered, shooting her an appreciative look. Rose smiled at him and waved back. Seeing that; how the boy could always bring her to smile so casually irritated me. Not to mention she had slowed down for the sake of those novices.

'You're slowing down,' I snapped, jerking her gaze from the boys. The harshness in my voice startled me, but I kept going. 'Is this why your times aren't getting any faster? You're easily distracted?'

Rose flushed, but once more she increased her pace, and soon we finished the laps with no more distractions. I checked my watch, noticing primly that she'd shaved two minutes off her best time. I announced it without congratulating her, still a little angered by the incident before.

'Not bad, huh?' Rose managed breathlessly as we headed back inside for cool-down stretches. 'Looks like I could get as far as the Limited before the Strigoi got me at the mall.' I resisted the urge to laugh. 'Not sure how Lissa would do,' Rose concluded, smiling a little at some internal joke.

'If she was with you, she'd be okay,' I found myself saying before I could halt the words.

Rose's gaze snapped towards me in surprise. Clearly, she was used to me never paying her any real compliments, even though I always wanted to. I regarded her, a little amused just by how shocked she was. I realised then that anything regarding Vasilisa was the best compliment anyone could ever pay Rose. Her entire life revolved around the princess, after all. Once again, I felt approval edge its way onto my face.

Suddenly, her expression changed to one of severe pain, and she doubled over, losing her balance a little. Immediately, my hand shot out to steady her, and I was instantly worried.

What was happening? Why was she in pain? We were just standing here talking...

Rose's eyes went unfocused for a second, but then she snapped back into consciousness. Panic flashed in the depths of her eyes. Without a word, she tore off, suddenly running at least twice as fast as she had earlier on the track, channelled by some inner force. She took off towards the Moroi dorm, and I snapped out of my trance, running after her.

'Rose!' I yelled, attempting to urge her into stopping and explaining what the hell was going on. She paid no attention to me at all, completely engulfed in the sprint. I caught up to her, and her eyes were filled with a steely determination; a sense of duty I'd never glimpsed in anyone's eyes before. 'What's wrong?' I demanded. I reached for her arm, but she shook me off as easily as if I was a fly, and increased her speed. 'Rose!' I yelled, but it was to no avail. I resorted to just following her.

When we neared the dorm, I saw Vasilisa in the distance, running towards us. She looked tear-streaked and panicked; the same expression I had seen in Rose's eyes when she had snapped out of Vasilisa's head. Instantly, I knew what had set Rose off. She came to a jarring stop in front of the princess, breathing so hard I thought she might topple over with exhaustion.

'What's wrong? What happened?' she barked, clutching Vasilisa's arms, forcing her to look into her eyes. The grief-stricken princess flung her arms around Rose, sobbing heavily into her chest. Rose's posture immediately shifted from battle-ready to consoling, and she held her against her, stroking her hair.

'Liss, it's going to be all right. Don't worry, I'm here now.' Her voice was soft and soothing, almost melodic.

I regarded them in silence, stunned silent by the disarray of my thoughts. The overriding emotion clouding up my brain was awe. Awe at what I was witnessing before me. The connection they had was truly remarkable; one of a kind. I had been right to fight for Rose – a bond such as this was worth fighting for.

Finally, I recovered and remembered the threat. I hovered over the two girls, trying to shield them from whatever or from wherever the danger would come. I poised my body for an oncoming attack, adopting a defensive stance, my eyes darting around to assess our surroundings.

There was nothing. Nobody attacked or tried to harm the princess. I allowed myself to relax a little, but still stood close by the two girls as Rose comforted the princess. When Vasilisa had stopped crying, I decided it was time to involve the other guardians. I snatched up my phone and made a few calls, all the while regarding Rose, who grew increasingly troubled as she no doubt sensed the turmoil upsetting her friend.

I was shocked to realise I felt a faint twinge of jealousy. Rose was capable of doing more than just physically protect her friend; she could even enter her Moroi's mind! I couldn't help but think of Ivan. If I had had Rose's abilities while I was guarding Ivan, perhaps I could have saved him, despite not being on duty.

Immediately, I stopped that line of thought. There's no point dwelling on the past, I chastised myself.

By the time the other guardians began to arrive with headmistress Kirova, the two girls had composed themselves – or, at least Vasilisa had to the best of her abilities. Rose looked like she was sincerely dreading what would come next.

After Vasilisa had assured the headmistress she was fine, we ended up crammed inside her dorm room. Her half of the place appeared bare and too neat – as if nobody lived there. As my eyes fleeted across the room, I noticed a picture taped to the wall.

It was a photo of Vasilisa and Rose. I carefully schooled my features as the shock at what I was seeing began to register.

The pair of them wore short dresses that flared at the knees. Vasilisa's dress was a pale green colour, while Rose's was the colour of red grapes. Their hair was noticeably styled, and they had attached glittery wings to their backs. Their stance displayed the nature of their friendship; Vasilisa's arm was slung over Rose's shoulder, while Rose held the princess around the waist. Both of them leaned forwards, towards the camera, joyful, open smiles lighting up their features. They wore some kind of strange make-up that glittered and gleamed; bright and colourful.

Fairies – the word popped up in my head. They were probably dressed up as fairies.

Involuntarily, I glanced sideways where Rose stood. She too, was regarding the picture. She seemed a little nostalgic.

My assessment of the general setting took all of two seconds, then all of my attention was drawn to Vasilisa's bed. Curled up on the pillow was a reddish-orange fox, tinged in white. At first glance, one might think the little creature was sleeping or snuggling, but that was ignoring the fact that its throat had been slit.

All I could feel was disgust as realisation dawned on me. Someone, probably a moronic student, had decided to pull a prank of this vile nature?

Vasilisa immediately dropped her gaze to the floor, and even Rose seemed a little nauseous. For a moment, I thought she would look away, but her mouth resolutely flattened into a straight, grim line, and she kept looking.

I brushed away the tinge of pride I felt towards her, stepping forward to examine the fox more closely. The inside of the throat looked pink and jellylike, and even though the cut was deep and long, it was slightly jagged, as if the person doing the throat-slitting didn't have a very steady hand.

How odd.

Stranger still was the choice of animal. Why a fox? Why not some animal more easily acquired?

I stared at the fox intently, noting the beautiful reddish-orange colour, the thick fur which appeared so soft and cuddly, the fact that the culprit had positioned the fox in a particular way, making it look vulnerable and small. The fox's eyes stared upwards as if it couldn't believe what had happened to it.

The fox looked like it could have been a pet, I decided. The staging, the choice of animal – it seemed to have been done purposefully to generate sympathy.

Unfortunately, I couldn't fathom for what reason anybody would do that.

Suddenly, the princess stepped up beside me, her gaze haunted by – guilt? Shakily, her hand reached out towards the fox, as if she wished she could somehow bring it back to life. Before she could take another step, Rose's hand slid into hers, gently tugging her away from the gruesome scene. The two of them began whispering, Vasilisa pleading with Rose, the latter looking grim but resolute.

Vasilisa clutched Rose's arm, and Rose's features filled with anxiety.

I tuned into their conversation. '...forget about it,' Rose said sharply, eyes holding the princess'. 'It's stupid. Somebody's stupid joke. They'll clean it up. Probably even give you a new room if you want.'

'Rose...do you remember...that one time...'

Now that peaked my interest. I faced them openly now, a thousand questions shooting through my mind. Had something like this happened to them before? And if it had – had it resulted in them leaving the Academy? Why?

'Stop it,' Rose snapped. She said it harshly; a little too harshly. Hmm – was she hiding something? 'Forget about it. This isn't the same thing.'

The princess' earlier distraught look completely disappeared, now replaced by a wild, haggard visage.

I froze, mind buzzing as I tried – and failed – to discard the resemblance. I had seen that hunted look before. On the video footage of Sonya Karp, as her condition began to rapidly deteriorate, she had often worn the same expression.

'What if someone saw?' What if someone knows?...'

They're always watching... Sonya's voice came unbidden to my memory.

Suddenly Rose's grip on the princess' arm tightened, and the girl visibly flinched. That snapped me out of my musings. 'No. It's not the same. It has nothing to do with that.' Do with what? 'Do you hear me?'

I stared openly at Rose. She was obviously trying to protect her friend, but something about her seemed a little... off. She was hiding something.

After a while, the headmistress began barking out commands, snapping every guardian in the room into action.

'Guardian Belikov,' she called. She gave Rose a pointed look. 'Hathaway is not supposed to be here. Take her away.'

Predictably, Rose's jaw dropped in indignation. She glared at the headmistress. 'What? You can't take me away. Lissa needs me.' She crossed her arms in defiance.

I walked over to her, gathering I should just drag her out of the room before she could somehow manage to get herself expelled from the school. I grabbed her upper arm, tugging her towards the door. Immediately, she began to protest.

'Let me go!' A pleading look replaced her earlier defiance. She seemed genuinely worried for the princess, and I hated to separate them when they needed each other. 'Please let me stay with Lissa,' she begged me, eyes bugging out.

'You know I can't do that,' I replied wearily, pushing her out into the hallway. She twisted around to shoot Vasilisa one last wistful look before I steered her away.

As I walked her back to the novices' dorm, I mulled the incident over. I looked at it from every angle, but every time, my logic hit a dead-end. All I had was questions, and no answers. Yet, I wouldn't budge. I had to figure this out, especially considering how Vasilisa and Rose had reacted.

I recalled everything I knew about the princess. She was a royal with an interesting past. It was inevitable that she'd get caught in twisted royal games. But what student would go to the extent of hunting down a fox, bringing it up to the dorm – during the day – and killing it in such a horrid way?

Any student willing to do that must have something very personal against Vasilisa.

I tried to remember any unusual encounters between the princess and the people she interacted with at school. Usually, it was just mindless banter and name-shaming, but one person's actions tugged at my memory.

Mia Rinaldi and her group of friends insulting Rose and Vasilisa after church service.  

I glanced at Rose, who was walking quietly beside me. Her expression was a little uneasy. She looked... guilty.

I just knew I needed her input regarding this entire fox incident.

'You know something. Something about what happened. Is this what you meant when you told Headmistress Kirova that Lissa was in danger?'

She wouldn't meet my eyes. She was also absently tugging at the zipper of her zip-up hoodie.

'I don't know anything. It's just some sick joke.' So, she was not going to give up the information willingly. Well, I could be persuasive when I tried to be.

'Do you have any idea who'd do it? Or why?' I prompted.

Rose pursed her lips, seemingly considering my question. While she contemplated, I allowed myself to openly study her. So many emotions battled for the monopoly of her features. Weariness. Unease. Determination. Shrewdness. But the bottom line was: she wanted to help Vasilisa as much as I did, and two brains working together was better than one brain working alone. All I needed to do was make her realise it.  

'No,' she finally replied. 'No clue.' She sounded sincere, but I suspected she still withheld information that could help me unravel the mystery of the incident.

'Rose,' Ibegan in a soft voice, hoping it would persuade her to confide in me. 'If you know something, tell me. We're on the same side. We both want to protect her. This is serious.'

Abruptly, she spun around to face me. Her eyes lit up with anger.

Woah. Where had that come from?

'Yeah, it is serious. It's all serious. And you have me doing laps every day when I should be learning to fight and defend her!' Ah, so that is what this burst of anger was about. 'If you want to help her, then teach me something! Teach me how to fight,' she punctuated viciously. 'I already know how to run away.'

I stared at her, unfazed by her outburst. She was practically vibrating with need. I was once more acutely aware of that buzzing energy inside her. Despite all the training I had her do, she had plenty spare. It was what caused her recklessness, her impatience. I realised she was right. I could channel more of that energy into her training, but... well, there was no way I was cancelling her running. If she wanted to learn how to fight, she was going to have to learn it in addition to her normal practice.

Well, I would give her what she wanted, but right now, she had places to be. I calmly beckoned her forward. 'Come on. You're late for practice.'

As we headed towards the gym, her words replayed in my mind over and over again. Teach me how to fight. I wondered then if this wild dhampir girl had any idea how much she reminded me of myself.

And why? Because I had said the exact same thing to my mentor; only I had been twelve, and not seventeen, and my intention then had not been to defend anyone, instead, it had been to attack a certain someone.

A certain abusive Moroi father.