Vampire Academy Chapter 3

THREESENDING US STRAIGHT TO CLASS after(prenominal) our group meeting fulfillmed beyond cruel, scarce thats exactly what Kirova did. Lissa was led away, and I watched her go, glad the confederation would exclusivelyow me to keep reading her emotional temperature.They actu solelyy sent me to iodine of the guidance counselors first. He was an ancient Moroi guy, one I remembered from to begin with Id left(a). I honestly couldnt believe he was still nearly. The guy was so freaking old, he should exhaust retired. Or died.The vi pattern excessivelyk tot eachy of five minutes. He give tongue to nothing ab kayoed my return and asked a few questions round what classes Id interpreted in Chicago and Portland. He comp ard those against my old file and hastily scrawled out a new schedule. I took it sullenly and headed out to my first class. world-class Period Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques2nd Period date Theory and Personal Protection 33rd Period encumbrance Training and Con ditioning4th Period Senior Language arts (Novices)-Lunch 5th Period Animal Behavior and Physiology6th Period Pre-calculuss levelth Period Moroi Culture 48th Period Slavic artistic productionUgh. Id disregarded how farsighted the Academys school daytime was. Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first fractional of the day, which meant I wouldnt suppose Lissa until after lunch if we had any afternoon classes together. more than or less of them were standard senior classes, so I matt-up my odds were fairly good. Slavic art struck me as the kind of elective no one signed up for, so hopefully theyd stuck her in in that respect too.Dimitri and Alberta escorted me to the reserveians gym for first period, neither one acknowledging my existence. Walking layabout them, I power saw how Alberta wore her hair in a short, pixie virgule that showed her stipulation mark and molnija marks. A good deal of female withstanders did this. It didnt matter so very overmu ch for me now, since my neck had no tattoos yet, tho I didnt call for to ever cut my hair.She and Dimitri didnt phrase anything and walked along almost compar equal 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 analogous in the commons, all eyes fell on me. I couldnt decide if I felt equivalent a rock star or a circus freak.All reclaim, then. If I was overtaking to be stuck here for a spot, I wasnt going to act afraid of them all anymore. Lissa and I had once held this schools respect, and it was fourth dimension to remind everyone of that. Scanning the staring, openmouthed novices, I presented for a familiar saying. close to of them were guys. One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin.Hey Mason, wipe the tale off your reflection. If youre going to venture about me naked, do it on your feature time.A few snorts and snickers broke t he awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, adult me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot. He was in any case one of the funniest guys I knew. Wed been good friends back in the day.This is my time, Hathaway. Im leading todays session.Oh yea? I retorted. Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to destine about me naked, then.Its unceasingly a good a time to compute about you naked, added several(prenominal)one nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine.Dimitri agitate his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didnt sound complimentary. yet as for me?well, just the wishs of that, I was one of the novices again. They were an easygoing bunch, less center on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students.The class engulfed me, and I found myself express emotion and seeing those Id nearly forgotten about. Everyone cheri shed to know where wed been apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I couldnt tell them why wed left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldnt-you-like-to-knows that served just as well.The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the reading 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 substantiveized I didnt know most of them.Come on, Hathaway, he said, taking my arm. You can be my partner. Lets see what youve been doing all this time.An hour later, he had his answer.not practicing, huh?Ow, I groaned, momentarily incap adapted of normal speech.He panoptic a hand and admirered me up from the mat hed knocked me down on about fifty times.I hate you, I told him, rubbing a detail on my thigh that was going to score a wicked outrage tomorrow.Youd hate me more if I held back.Yeah, thats original, I agreed, staggerin g along as the class put the equipment back.You actually did okay.What? I just had my ass hand to me.Well, of course you did. Its been two age. merely hey, youre still base on balls. Thats something. He grinned mockingly.Did I consult I hate you?He flashed me another smile, which quickly faded to something more serious. Dont put forward this the wrong way?I mean, you actually are a scrapper, but theres no way youll be able to take your trials in the spring Theyre make 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. Ill be ready.Extra sessions with who?That tall guy. Dimitri.Mason stop walking and stared at me. Youre putting in extra time with Belikov?Yeah, so what?So the man is a god.Exaggerate much? I asked.No, Im serious. I mean, hes all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights?wow. If you think youre hurting now, youre going to be dead when hes through with(p) with you.Great. Something else to improve my day.I elbowed him and went on to wink period. That class covered the essentials of being a clayguard and was required for all seniors. Actually, it was the third in a series that had started junior year. That meant I was after part in this class too, but I hoped protecting Lissa in the real world had given me some in hoi polloi.Our instructor was Stan Alto, 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.Whats this? No one told me we had a guest verbalizer 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.I felt my cheeks burning , but in a great show of self-control, I stopped myself from telling him to fuck off. Im fair certain(a) my face mustiness take a shit delivered that message, however, because his sneer increased. He gestured for me to stand up.Well, come on, come on. Dont sit there Come up to the take care so you can help me lecture the class.I sank into my seat. You dont really mean The taunting smile change 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 cobwebby 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. Outside the Academy, guardians focused on person-to-person p rotection. Here, guardians had a lot more people to protect and they had to train the novices. So rather than fol funky 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 cast had some sort of plan the rest of us couldnt understand when you took an small-scale Moroi purplish out of the Academy and exposed her to constant Strigoi threats.It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with more witnesses.We never ran into any Strigoi, I replied stiffly.Obviously, he said with a snicker. I already figured that out, seeing as how youre still alive.I wanted to shout that maybe I could swallow defeated a Strigoi, but after getting beat up in the last class, I now suspected I couldnt feel survived an attack by Mason, let alone an actual Strigoi.When I didnt say anyt hing, Stan started pacing in front of the class.So whatd you do? Howd you make sure she stayed safe? Did you avoid going out at night?Sometimes. That was true especially when wed first run away. Wed relaxed a little after months went by with no attacks.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? plainly thats one of the first things mentioned in the chapter on solo guarding. Oh wait, you wouldnt know that because you werent here.I swallowed back more swear words. I watched the area whenever we went out, I said, needing to contain myself.Oh? Well thats something. Did you use Carnegies Quadrant Surveillance Method or the rotational Survey?I didnt say anything.Ah. Im guessing you used the Hathaway Glance-Around-When-You-Remember-To Method.No I exclaimed angrily. Thats not true. I watched her. Shes still alive, isnt she? He walked back up to me and leaned toward my face. Because you got lucky.Strigoi arent lurking around every corner out there, I shot back. Its not like what weve been taught. Its safer than you guys make it sound.Safer? Safer? We are at war with the Strigoi he yelled. I could olfactory modality 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 hed barely break a sweat doing it. You ability shake 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 jar 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.Moroi channel, I whispered.What was that? asked Stan loudly. I didnt catch it.I spun back around to face him. Moroi source Moroi blood make s them stronger.He nodded in satisfaction and took a few clapperclaws back. Yes. It does. It makes them stronger and harder to destroy. Theyll pour down and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood more than anything else. They seek it. Theyve turned to the dark side to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi book attacked Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi charter raided academies exactly like this one. There are Strigoi who have lived for thousands of days and fed off generations of Moroi. Theyre almost impossible to kill. And that is why Moroi numbers are dropping. They arent strong enough even with guardians to protect themselves. Some Moroi dont 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, thrash sprayed spit off his lips. It looks like you learned something after all. Now well have to se e if you can learn enough to pass this class and narrow for your sphere experience next semester.Ouch. I spent the rest of that horrible class in my seat, thankfully replaying those last words in my mind. The senior-year field experience was the best part of a novices education. Wed have no classes for half a semester. Instead, wed each be charge a Moroi student to guard and follow around. The adult guardians would monitor us and test us with represent attacks and other threats. How a novice passed that field experience was almost as important as all the rest of her grades combined. It could influence which Moroi she got assigned to after graduation.And me? There was only one Moroi I wanted.Two classes later, I lastly 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.I suppose you saw what happened in Stans class? I asked, not twainering with titl es.Yes.And you dont think that was unfair?Was he right? Do you think you were fully alert 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 didnt answer and knew I didnt need to. Id had another training class after Stans, and no doubtfulness Dimitri had watched me get beat up there too.If you cant fight them Yeah, yeah, I know, I snapped.He slowed his long stride to match my torture-filled one. Youre strong and fast by nature. You just need to keep yourself trained. Didnt you play any sports while you were kaput(p)?Sure, I shrugged. Now and then.You didnt join any teams?Too much work. If Id wanted to practice that much, Id have stayed here.He gave me an exasperated look. Youll never be able to really protect the princess if you dont hone your skills. Youll always be lacking.Ill 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. Dimitris voice was low and unapologetic. They hadnt given me a warm and fuzzy mentor. No one wants to profusion the bond but no ones 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 dont. Youre an ideal choice to guard Vasilisa when you both graduate if you can prove youre worthy. I hope you will.Lissa, call her Lissa, I corrected. She hated her full name, much preferring the Americanized nickname.He walked away, and suddenly, I didnt feel like such a badass anymore.By now, Id burned up a lot of time leaving class. Most everyone else had long since sprinted inside the commons for lunch, raring(predicate) to maximize their social time. Id almost do it back there myself when a voice under the doors overhang called to me.Rose?Peering in the voices direction, I caught sight of lord Dashkov, his kind face smiling at me as he lean ed on a cane near the buildings 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 hadnt 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?Ill be leaving this afternoon after I say hi to Natalie. When I heard Vasilisa and you had returned, I simply had to come see you.I nodded, not sure what else to say. He was more Lissas 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, its 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. Ive hunted with them before. They arent that easy to evade, not with their powers and intelligence. It was true. Psi-hounds were one of many types of magic creatures that wandered the world, creatures that humans never knew about or else didnt believe theyd 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 Im really behind in all this guardian stuff. I sounded just like Stan now.Youre a smart girl. Youll 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 uncanny 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.Ive made a hobby of studying up on it and some of the ancient ways. Ive heard its a tremendous asset.I guess. I shrugged. What a boring hobby, I thought, imagining him poring over prehistoric histories in some dank library covered in spiderwebs.Victor tilted his head, oddity all over his face. Kirova and the others had had the same look when wed mentioned our connection, like we were lab rats. What is it like if you dont mind me asking?Its?I dont know. I just sort of always have this hum of how she feels. Usually its just emotions. We cant send messages or anything. I didnt tell him about slipping into her head. That part of it was hard even for me to understand.But it doesnt work the other way? She doesnt sense you?I shook my head.His face shone with wonder. How did it happen?I dont know, I said, still glancing away. Just started two years ago.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. Lissas memories were bad enough without my own concoction into them. Twisted metal. A sensation of hot, then cold, then hot again. Lissa shrieking over me, screaming for me to wake up, screaming for her parents and her brother to wake up. no(prenominal) of them had, only me.And the doctors said that was a miracle in itself. They said I shouldnt have survived.Apparently sensing my discomfort, Victor let the moment go and returned to his preliminary excitement.I can still barely believe this. Its been so long since this has happened. If it did happen more often?just think what it could do for the condom of all Moroi. If only others could experience this too. Ill have to do more explore 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 shed ancestral that quality from. Lunch was ticking down, and although Moroi and novices shared afternoon classes, Lissa and I wouldnt have much time to talk.Perhaps we could He started coughing, a great, seizing ascertain that made his whole body shake. His disease, Sandovskys 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. Its too cold out here.Victor nodded. Yes, yes. And Im sure Rose here wants to eat. He turned to me. Thank you for harangue to me. I cant emphasize how much it means to me that Vasilisa is safe and that you helped with that. Id promised her father Id 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 ungodliness and worry over our disappearance. Until now, I hadnt really thought about how others might have fe lt about us leaving.We made our goodbyes, and I last arrived inside the school. As I did, I felt Lissas anxiety spike. Ignoring the pain in my legs, I picked up my pace into the commons.And nearly ran right into her.She didnt 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.She does have standards, I said, which is why youre done talking to her.