Vampire Academy Chapter 11

ELEVENYOU NEED SOMETHING TO WEAR? Lissa gather uped.Hmm?I glanced tout ensemble over at her. We were waiting for Mr. Nagys Slavic art class to start, and I was indifferent with listening to Mia adamantly deny the claims ab forbidden her parents to unrivaled of her friends.Its not ilk theyre servants or whateverthing, she exclaimed, clearly flustered. Straightening her face, she tried for haughtiness. Theyre practi prefigurey advisors. The Drozdovs dont decide anything with come on them.I clogged on a laugh, and Lissa shook her lintel.Youre enjoying this modality too practically.Because its awesome. Whatd you incisively ask me? I dug by dint of my bag, messily manifestationing for my lip gloss. I made a face when I found it. It was some unoccupied I didnt know where I was departure to score some more.I asked if you need something to wear tonight, she give tongue to.Well, yeah, of course I do. except n mavin of your wedge fits me.What are you going to do?I shrugged my shoulders. Improvise, resembling always. I dont in truth care anyway. Im vindicatory glad Kirovas permitting me go.We had an assembly tonight. It was November 1, All Saints day which also meant wed been cover version almost a month now. A proud base was visiting the school, including Queen Tatiana herself. H championstly, that wasnt what excited me. Shed visited the Academy earlier. It was passably joint and a toi permit less cool than it sounded. Be human faces, subsequently living among valet and elected leaders, I didnt specify very much of stiff violets. Still, Id gotten permission to go because e very(prenominal)virtuoso else would be in that location. It was a chance to hang come to the fore with actual raft for a change and not stay locked in my dorm fashion. A little freedom was definitely worth the pain of sitting by dint of a few boring speeches.I didnt stay to chat with Lissa after school the wants of I usually did. Dimitri had stuck to his prom ise about trim trainings, and I was trying to stick to mine. I now had two superfluous hours of practice with him, one before and one after school. The more I watched him in action, the more I understood the badass-god re entrustation. He clearly knew a lot his six molnija marks proved as much and I burned to eat him t each(prenominal) me what he knew.When I arrived at the gym, I noticed he was wearing a T-shirt and loose cart track pants, as opposed to his usual jeans. It was a easily grimace for him. very favorable. Stop loo powerfulness, I immediately told myself.He positioned me so that we stood facing each other on the mat and crossed his arms. Whats the first problem youll excrete into when facing a Strigoi?Theyre immortal?Think of something more primary.More basic than that? I considered. They could be bigger than me. And stronger.Most Strigoi unless theyd been human first had the alike efflorescence as their Moroi cousins. Strigoi also had let out strength, reflexes, and senses than dhampirs. Thats wherefore guardians trained so hard we had a learning curve to compensate for.Dimitri nodded. That makes it difficult save not impossible. You terminate usually use a persons extra height and weight once against them.He turned and demonstrated several maneuvers, pointing out where to bear on and how to strike someone. Going through the motions with him, I gained some insight into why I took such(prenominal) a regular b use uping in group practice. I absorbed his techniques quickly and couldnt wait to in reality use them. go on the end of our time together, he let me try.Go before, he say. leaven to hit me.I didnt need to be told twice. Lunging forward, I tried to knowledge base a blow and was promptly blocked and knocked fling off onto the mat. Pain surged through my body, except I refused to give in to it. I jumped up again, hoping to stoppage him rancid guard. I didnt.After several more failed attempts, I stood up and held out my hands in a gesture of truce. Okay, what am I doing wrong?Nothing.I wasnt as convinced. If I wasnt doing anything wrong, Id let rendered you unconscious by now.Unlikely. Your moves are all correct, notwithstanding this is the first time youve in reality tried. Ive through it for years.I shook my head and rolled my piths at his honest-to-goodness-and-wiser manner. Hed in one case told me he was twenty-four. Whatever you feel out, Grandpa. Can we try it again?Were out of time. Dont you take to get rakey?I looked at the dusty clock on the wall and perked up. Almost time for the banquet. The prospect made me giddy I felt like Cinderella, but without the clothes.Hell, yeah, I do.He walked off ahead of me. Studying him carefully, I realize I couldnt let the opportunity go by. I leapt at his back, positioning myself exactly the way hed taught me. I had the fixings of surprise. of all timeything was perfect, and he wouldnt even fit me coming.Before I could make contact, he spun around at a ridiculously high speed. In one deft motion, he grabbed me like I weighed nothing and threw me to the ground, pinning me there.I groaned. I didnt do anything wrongHis eyeball looked levelly into mine as he held my wrists, but he didnt look as serious as he had during the lesson. He verifymed to find this funny. The battle cry sort of gave you out. Try not to yell next time.Would it abide real made a residue if Id been quiet?He thought about it. No. Probably not.I sighed loudly, still in too much of a good snappishness to really let this disappointment get me down. at that place were some advantages to having such a kick-ass mentor one who also bumped to have a stern of height on me and outweighed me considerably. And that wasnt even considering his strength. He wasnt bulky but his body had a lot of hard, lean muscle. If I could ever beat him, I could beat anyone.All of a sudden, it occurred to me that he was still holding me down. The flake off on hi s fingers was warm as he clutched my wrists. His face hovered inches from my own, and his legs and torso were actually pressing against mine. Some of his yen brown hair hung around his face, and he appeared to be noticing me too, almost like he had that night in the lounge. And oh God, did he smell good. Breathing became difficult for me, and it had nothing to do with the workout or my lungs being crushed.I would have given anything to be able to read his estimate full then. Ever since that night in the lounge, Id noticed him wat bring upg me with this alike, studious expression. He neer actually did it during the trainings themselves those were business. But before and after, he would sometimes lighten up secure a little, and Id see him look at me in a way that was almost admiring. And sometimes, if I was really, really lucky, hed pull a face at me. A real smile, too not the teetotal one that accompanied the sarcasm we tossed around so often. I didnt ask to admit it to anyone not to Lissa, not even to myself but some days, I lived for those smiles. They lit up his face. Gorgeous no longer adequately depict him.Hoping to appear calm, I tried to think of something professional and guardian-related to distinguish. Instead, I said, So umyou got any other moves to put down me?His lips twitched, and for a moment, I thought I was going to get one of those smiles. My heart leapt. Then, with visible effort, he pushed the smile back and once more became my tough-love mentor. He shifted off me, leaned back on his heels, and rose. Come on. We should go.I scrambled to my own feet and followed him out of the gym. He didnt look back as he walked, and I mentally kicked myself on the way back to my room.I was crushing on my mentor. Crushing on my elder mentor. I had to be out of my mind. He was seven years older than me. Old enough to be mywell, okay, nothing. But still older than me. septet years was a lot. Hed been learning to keep when I was born. When Id been learning to write and throw books at my teachers, hed believably been kissing girls. Probably lots of girls, considering how he looked.I so did not need this complication in my tone right now.I found a passable sweater back in my room and after a quick shower, I headed off across campus to the reception.Despite the looming stone walls, fancy statues, and turrets on the outsides of the buildings, the Academys insides were quite modern. We had Wi-Fi, fluorescent fixture lights, and honest about anything else technological you could imagine. The parking lot in particular looked pretty much like the cafeterias Id eaten in plot in Portland and Chicago, with simple extraneous tables, soothing taupe walls, and a little room off to the side where our dubiously prepared meals were served. Someone had at least(prenominal) hung framed black and white(p) photos along the walls in an effort to decorate it, but I didnt really consider pictures of vases and leafless trees art.Tonig ht, however, someone had managed to transform the normally boring commons into a bona fide dining room. Vases spilling over with crimson roses and delicate white lilies. keen candles. Tablecloths made of wait for it bloodred linen. The effect was gorgeous. It was hard to believe this was the same buns I usually ate chicken patty sandwiches in. It looked fit for, well, a queen.The tables had been arranged in straight lines, creating an aisle down the middle of the room. We had appoint seating, and naturally, I couldnt sit anywhere near Lissa. She sat in the drift with the other Moroi I was in the back with the novices. But she did catch my eye when I entered and flashed me a smile. Shed borrowed a dress from Natalie blue, silky, and strapless that looked amazing with her sick(p) features. Whod known Natalie owned anything so good? It made my sweater brook a few cool points.They always conducted these formal banquets in the same way. A head table sat on a ambo at the front o f the room, where we could all ooh and ahh and watch Queen Tatiana and other royals eat dinner. Guardians lined the walls, as stiff and formal as statues. Dimitri stood among them, and a weird palpateing twisted my stomach as I recalled what had happened in the gym. His eyes stared straight ahead, as if focusing on nothing and everything in the room at once.When the time came for the royals entrance, we all stood up respectfully and watched as they walked down the aisle. I recognized a few, mostly those who had children attending the Academy. Victor Dashkov was among them, go slowly and with a cane. While I was happy to see him, I cringed to watch each agonizing step he took pullard the front of the room. one time that group had passed, four solemn guardians with red-and-black-pin-striped jackets entered the commons. Everyone but the guardians along the walls sank to our knees in a silly show of loyalty.What a lot of ceremony and posturing, I thought wearily. Moroi monarchs were chosen by the previous monarch from within the royal families. The king or queen couldnt choose one of his or her own head descendents, and a council from the noble and royal families could dispute the choice with enough cause. That almost neer happened, though.Queen Tatiana followed her guards, wearing a red silk dress and matching jacket. She was in her early sixties and had dark gray hair bobbed to her chin and crowned with a Miss America-type tiara. She moved into the room slowly, like she was victorious a stroll, four more guardians at her back.She moved through the novices member fairly quickly, though she did nod and smile here and there. Dhampirs might only when be the half-human, illegitimate children of the Moroi, but we trained and dedicated our lives to serving and defend them. The likelihood was strong that many of us gathered here would spend spring chicken, and the queen had to show her respect for that.When she got to the Moroi section, she paused longer an d actually spoke to a few students. It was a big deal to be acknowledged, mostly a sign that someones parents had gotten in good with her. Naturally, the royals got the most solicitude. She didnt really say much to them that was all that interesting, mostly just a lot of fancy words.Vasilisa Dragomir.My head shot up. Alarm coursed through the bond at the sound of her name. intermission protocol, I pushed out of my position and wiggled over to get a better view, knowing no one would notice me when the queen herself had personally singled out the last of the Dragomirs. Everyone was eager to see what the monarch had to say to Lissa the runaway princess.We perceive you had returned. We are glad to have the Dragomirs back, even though only one remains. We deeply regret the loss of your parents and your brother they were among the finest of the Moroi, their deaths a true tragedy.Id never really understood the royal we thing, but otherwise, everything sounded okay.You have an interestin g name, she continued. umteen heroines in Russian fairy tales are named Vasilisa. Vasilisa the Brave, Vasilisa the Beautiful. They are different young women, all having the same name and the same excellent qualities strength, intelligence, discipline, and virtue. All strike great things, triumphing over their adversaries.Likewise, the Dragomir name commands its own respect. Dragomir kings and queens have command wisely and justly in our history. They have used their powers for miraculous ends. They have slain Strigoi, fighting right alongside their guardians. They are royal for a reason.She waited a moment, letting the weight of her words sink in. I could feel the mood changing in the room, as well as the surprise and shy plea certain(a) creeping out from Lissa. This would shake the social balance. We could probably expect a few wannabes trying to get in good with Lissa tomorrow.Yes, Tatiana continued, you are doubly named with power. Your names represent the finest qualities peo ple have to cater and hearken back in time to deeds of greatness and valor. She paused a moment. But, as you have demonstrated, names do not make a person. Nor do they have any bearing on how that person turns out.And with that communicative slap in the face, she turned away and continued her procession.A corporal shock filled the room. I briefly contemplated and then dismissed any attempts at jumping into the aisle and tackling the queen. Half a dozen guardians would have me down on the floor before Id even taken five steps. So I sat impatiently through dinner, all the while feeling Lissas absolute mortification.When the post-dinner reception followed, Lissa made a beeline for the doors leading out to the courtyard. I followed, but got delayed having to weave around and avoid the mingling, enculturation people.Shed wandered outside to an adjacent courtyard, one that matched the Academys grand external style. A detonating device of carved, twisting wood covered the garden, with little holes here and there to let in some light, but not enough to cause ill-use to Moroi. Trees, leaves now gone for the winter, lined the area and guarded routes leading out to other gardens, courtyards, and the main quadrangle. A pond, also emptied for the winter, lay in a corner, and standing over it was an imposing statue of St. Vladimir himself. Carved of gray rock, he wore long robes and had a beard and mustache.Rounding a corner, I stopped when I sawing machine Natalie had beaten me to Lissa. I considered interrupting but stepped back before they could see me. Spying might be bad, but I was shortly very curious to hear what Natalie had to say to Lissa.She shouldnt have said that, Natalie said. She wore a yellow dress similar in cut to Lissas, but somehow lacked the deck and poise to make it look as good. Yellow was also a terrible color on her. It clashed with her black hair, which shed put up into an off-center bun. It wasnt right, she went on. Dont let it twoer you . Kind of late for that. Lissas eyes were locked firmly on the stone walkway below.She was wrong.Shes right, Lissa exclaimed. My parentsand Andrethey would have hated me for what I did.No, they wouldnt have. Natalie spoke in a gentle voice.It was stupid to run away. Irresponsible.So what? You made a mistake. I make mistakes all the time. The other day, I was doing this assignment in science, and it was for chapter ten, and Id actually read chapter elev Natalie stopped herself and, in a remarkable show of restraint, got herself back on track. People change. Were always changing, right? You arent the same as you were then. Im not the same as I was then.Actually, Natalie seemed exactly the same to me, but that didnt bother me so much anymore. Shed grown on me.Besides, she extended, was caterpillar tread away really a mistake? You must have done it for a reason. You must have gotten something out of it, right? There was a lot of bad stuff going on with you, wasnt there? With your pa rents and your brother. I mean, possibly it was the right thing to do.Lissa hid a smile. Both of us were pretty sure Natalie was trying to find out why we had left just like everyone else in the school. She sort of sucked at being sneaky.I dont know if it was, no, Lissa answered. I was weak. Andre wouldnt have run away. He was so good. pricy at everything. Good at getting along with people and all that royal crap.Youre good at that too.I guess. But I dont like it. I mean, I like peoplebut most of what they do is so fake. Thats what I dont like.Then dont feel bad about not getting involved, Natalie said. I dont hang out with all those people either, and look at me. Im just fine. Daddy says he doesnt care if I hang out with the royals or not. He just wants me to be happy.And that, I said, finally fashioning my appearance, is why he should be ruling instead of that bitch of a queen. He got robbed.Natalie nearly jumped ten feet. I felt pretty confident her diction of swear words mo stly consisted of golly and darn.I wondered where you were, said Lissa.Natalie looked back and ahead amid us, suddenly seeming a little embarrassed to be right between the best-friends dream team. She shifted uncomfortably and tucked some messy hair behind her ear. WellI should go find Daddy. Ill see you back in the room.See you, said Lissa. And thanks.Natalie hurried off.Does she really call him ?Daddy?Lissa cut me a look. Leave her alone. Shes nice.She is, actually. I hear what she said, and as much as I hate to admit it, there was nothing there I could really make fun of. It was all true. I paused. Ill execute her, you know. The queen, not Natalie. Screw the guardians. Ill do it. She cant get away with that.God, Rose Dont say that. Theyll arrest you for treason. Just let it go.Let it go? After what she said to you? In front of everyone?She didnt answer or even look at me. Instead, she toyed absentmindedly with the branches of a scraggly bush that had gone dormant for the wint er. There was a vulnerable look about her that I recognized and feared.Hey. I lowered my voice. Dont look like that. She doesnt know what shes talking about, okay? Dont let this get you down. Dont do anything you shouldnt.She glanced back up at me. Its going to happen again, isnt it? she whispered. Her hand, still clutching the tree, began to tremble.Not if you dont let it. I tried to look at her wrists without being too obvious. You havent?No. She shook her head and blinked back tears. I havent valued to. I was upset after the fox, but its been okay. I like the coasting thing. I miss seeing you, but everythings been all right. I like She paused.I could hear the word forming in her mind.Christian.I wish you couldnt do that. Or wouldnt.Sorry. Do I need to give you the Christians-a-psychopathic-loser talk again?I think Ive got it memorized after the last ten times, she muttered.I started to found into number eleven when I heard the sound of laughter and the blabber of high heels o n stone. Mia walked toward us with a few friends in tow but no Aaron. Immediately my defenses snapped on.Internally, Lissa was still shaken over the queens comments. grief and humiliation were swirling inside of her. She felt embarrassed over what others must think of her now and kept thinking about how her family would have hated her for running away. I didnt believe that, but it felt real to her, and her dark emotions churned and churned. She was not okay, no matter how casual shed just tried to act, and I was overturned she might do something reckless. Mia was the last person she needed to see right now.What do you want? I demanded.Mia smiled haughtily at Lissa and ignored me, winning a few steps forward. Just wanted to know what its like to be so important and so royal. You must be so excited that the queen talked to you. Giggles surfaced from the gathering group.Youre standing too close. I stepped between them, and Mia flinched a little, possibly still worried I might tick her arm. And hey at least the queen knew her name, which is more than I can say for you and your wannabe-royal act. Or your parents.I could see the pain that caused her. Man, she wanted to be royal so badly. At least I see my parents, she retorted. At least I know who they both are. God only knows who your father is. And your moms one of the most famous guardians around, but she couldnt care less about you either. Everyone knows she never visits. Probably was glad when you were gone. If she even noticed.That hurt. I clenched my teeth. yeah, well, at least shes famous. She really does advise royals and nobles. She doesnt clean up after them.I heard one of her friends snicker behind her. Mia opened her mouth, no doubt to relax one of the many retorts shed had to accumulate since the story started going around, when the lightbulb suddenly went off in her head.It was you, she said, eyes wide. Someone told me Jessed started it, but he couldnt have known anything about me. He got it fro m you. When you slept with him.Now she was really starting to induce me off. I didnt sleep with him.Mia pointed at Lissa and glared back at me. So thats it, huh? You do her dirty work because shes too pathetic to do it herself. You arent always going to be able to protect her, she warned. You arent safe either.Empty threats. I leaned forward, making my voice as menacing as possible. In my current mood, it wasnt difficult. Yeah? Try and touch me now and find out.I hoped she would. I wanted her to. We didnt need her messed-up vendetta in our lives just now. She was a distraction one I very much wanted to punch right now. smell past her, I saw Dimitri move out into the garden, eyes clear-cut for something or someone. I had a pretty good idea who it was. When he saw me, he strode forward, shifty his attention when he noticed the bunch gathered around us. Guardians can smell a fight a mile away. Of course, a six-year-old could have smelled this fight.Dimitri stood beside me and cro ssed his arms. Everything all right? confident(predicate) thing, Guardian Belikov. I smiled as I said it, but I was furious. Raging, even. This whole Mia confrontation had only made Lissa feel worse. We were just swapping family stories. Ever heard Mias? Its fascinating.Come on, said Mia to her followers. She led them off, but not before shed given me one last, chilling look. I didnt need to read her mind to know what it said. This wasnt over. She was going to try to get one or both of us back. Fine. Bring it on, Mia.Im retrieved to take you back to your dorm, Dimitri told me drily. You werent about to just start a fight, were you?Of course not, I said, my eyes still agaze at the empty doorway Mia had disappeared through. I dont start fights where people can see them.Rose, groaned Lissa.Lets go. Good night, Princess.He turned, but I didnt move. You going to be okay, Liss?She nodded. Im fine.It was such a lie, I couldnt believe she had the nerve to try to put it past me. I didnt ne ed the bond to see tears shine in her eyes. We should never have come back to this place, I realized bleakly.LissShe gave me a small, sad smile and nodded in Dimitris direction. I told you, Im fine. Youve got to go.Reluctantly, I followed him. He led me out toward the other side of the garden. We may need to add an extra training on self-control, he noted.I have peck of self contr heyI stopped talking as I saw Christian slip past us, moving down the path wed just come from. I hadnt seen him at the reception, but if Kirova had released me to come tonight, I suppose she would have done the same for him.You going to see Lissa? I demanded, shifting my Mia rage to him.He stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave me that look of bad-boy indifference. What if I am?Rose, this isnt the time, said Dimitri.But it was so the time. Lissa had ignored my warnings about Christian for weeks. It was time to go to the source and stop their ridiculous flirtation once and for all.Why dont you just leave her alone? Are you so messed up and desperate for attention that you cant tell when someone doesnt like you? He scowled. Youre some crazy stalker, and she knows it. Shes told me all about your weird obsession how youre always hanging out in the attic together, how you set Ralf on fire to impress her. She thinks youre a freak, but shes too nice to say anything.His face had paled, and something dark churned in his eyes. But you arent too nice?No. Not when I feel good-for-nothing for someone.Enough, said Dimitri, steering me away.Thanks for ?helping, then, snapped Christian, his voice dripping with animosity.No problem, I called back over my shoulder.When wed gone a little ways, I steal a glance behind me and saw Christian standing just outside the garden. Hed stopped walking and now stood staring down the path that led to Lissa in the courtyard. Shadows covered his face as he thought, and then, after a few moments, he turned around and headed back toward the Moroi dorms.