Rumor Has It

I found myself flat on my back in the middle of campus.

“Hate to say it, but you’re ‘dead’, Ozera,” Stan broadcasted to anyone within hearing distance that would listen. Not upset at all. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he was glad to give me a mad mark in the field experience.

I groaned and climbed to my feet. “That was pure luck, Guardian Alto. It won’t happen next time.”

Stan sneered as he was writing something on a notepad. “We’ll see about that, Hathaway.” He closed the notepad, eyeing me pointedly. “I’m surprised. There is nothing but great marks from your training with Guardian Belikov. I expected more from you.”

“I’m having an off day.”

“More like a day off,” he muttered as he walked away.

I truly hated him. The next time I faced him in an ‘attack,’ I’d do my best to take him down.

“Bad mark on your first test?”

I turned around, startled, ready to attack. I calmed down visibly when I saw that it was Dimitri. “Yeah, unfortunately.”

His mouth twitched. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I just froze in the middle of it all.”

Actually, I did know what happened. Mason had decided to appear at that time and I became distracted. Before I could react, Stan flipped me and I was lying on the ground. He had gotten to Christian before I could move.

“…should have been paying more attention. Had this been away from the school, Lord Ozera would have been dead at your expense,” Dimitri droned on. This would be one of the rare times I found him unattractive. The chastising was extremely annoying. “You’ve never frozen before. And—something’s wrong. Rose, you know you can tell me anything.”

Okay, I take back not finding him attractive in that moment. He hid his concern well with the crowd around us. I just saw how soft the look in his eyes was. I just couldn’t tell him what actually happened, especially with people around. “It may not happen often, but it does. Even I, Rosemarie Hathaway, crack under pressure.” I smiled mocking at him. “I’ll try better next time.”

He nodded, looking around at those who had stayed behind. Probably to see if the rumors were true. “Shouldn’t you all be in class?”

“Shouldn’t Ozera and Hathaway be in class too?” Jesse Zeklos’s voice carried. He had been the only one to stay behind. Naturally, Dean Barnes hovered in the distance. Jesse smirked. “Unless you’re showing favoritism, which we all know why that’d be.”

Dimitri went into all out guardian mode then. “Lord Zeklos, I assure you that there is no show of favoritism.” I’d never heard him use such a cold tone. “What did I warn you about last time?”

“If you ever caught me in a compromising situation with Rose, you’d be handing out the punishment.” The smirk grew bigger as his eyes focused on me briefly. “I’m not into the same punishment you might give her.”

My jaw dropped. Dimitri’s jaw locked and his eyes narrowed. “Do not speak to me that way.”

“Don’t speak to—”

“You lost any chance at being shown respect when you suggested that Miss Hathaway and I are any more than student and teacher.” The glint in his eye was dangerous. Frightening even.

“But—”

“Mister Zeklos, either go to class or I will kindly show you to the headmistress’s office.”

“But—”

“Go.”

My eyes widened as Jesse scurried off. I had never seen Dimitri so worked up over a student, not even me when I first met him. I didn’t know if it was for the tone Jesse had been using or the accusations thrown at the both of us.

Christian whistled in amazement. “Now I see why the novices are afraid to fight you in the field experience, Guardian Belikov.”

Dimitri’s face softened into a peaceful smile. “It’s only my job. I’m not that intimidating.”

“Stop being modest.” I laughed. “You’ve never been that angry with me. Not when you captured Lissa and me. Not that last practice before the ski lodge when—” I caught my self. There’s no way I’d let that slip.

“I wasn’t too angry about that.”

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp. When that practice occurred, he’d been furious that I pushed his self-control over the edge. He later told me that no one had ever been able to understand him so well. Maybe it was just the small fear of being found out like he had told me after the Spokane incident and my molnija ceremony...

“I’d love to get to class, you know,” Christian complained.

“Oh, right,” I muttered, getting away from my daze. “We’d best get going.”

Dimitri had pulled a notepad out of a pocket of the duster and began writing something. I didn’t even bother trying to peek at what it was. So, I just asked, tapping my right index paper where he was writing. “What’s that?”

“A note,” he replied, his eyes never leaving the paper. “To excuse the both of you for being tardy.” He carefully tore the paper out of the notepad and extended it.

“Thank you, Guardian Belikov,” Christian said as I was just about to take the note from Dimitri’s hands and took it in his own.

“Rude much?” I scoffed.

“Hey, it’s my class that we’re going to,” he snapped before strutting off.

I rolled my eyes and began walking after him. Dimitri was walking beside me then. Christian’s next class wasn’t too far away. I sighed. There wouldn’t be much time to say anything. “Sorry about the whole Jesse fiasco.”

“It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize.”

“Well someone has to apologize. We all know that he won’t.”

He chuckled, much to my surprise; normally, I’d be chastised for a remark like that. “Again, it’s not your fault.”

I smiled. His being out of character lightened my mood.

“Rose, come on!” Christian shouted from right outside a classroom door.

“Lovely,” I muttered. “I’ll see you later, comrade.”

…

“Come on, Rose!” Lissa shouted, yanking the blanket off me. “Get up!”

It was two weeks into the field experience and I was no less irritated than I had been the first day. I’d been sleeping on the floor of Christian’s dorm. He, at the very least, let me use one of the pillows from the mountain of them on his bed once I’d realized that I’d forgotten to pack one.

It was a Sunday. My one day off in the week. I wanted to sleep in.

I grumbled and turned over. “Why do I have to get up? I’m not going to church today!”

“We’re going to Court!”

I turned back over and opened my eyes to see Lissa beaming. I groaned. “Why are we going to Court?”

“The trial.” She trotted over to somewhere else in the room.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes at the vague light coming through the tinted window. “It’s still night. When are we leaving?” The words eventually processed and I felt as excited as a kid in a candy shop. Dimitri came through after all.

“In an hour or so,” Christian replied as he stuffed something in a bag.

“I already packed you a bag so that you could sleep in,” Lissa chimed.

“Ah, thanks,” I muttered.

She gasped, causing Christian and I to freeze until she smiled. “Guardian Belikov wants to see you by the way.”

“Really?” For being in some type of forbidden relationship, I didn’t hide the excitement in my voice all too well.

“Yes. He said to meet him in the gym.”

Being inconspicuous never crossed my mind. I grabbed the bag that Lissa had packed for me and quickly head toward the gym. I mumbled a greeting to Eddie, who was groggily and unnecessarily surveying his surroundings outside the door.

When I got to the gym, Dimitri was meditating in the middle of the floor. I silently set down my bag and then crept to his side, imitating his position. The only acknowledgement of my presence he gave was a small smile once briefly looking out of one eye.

Damn. My ninja skills suck.

We sat like that for several minutes. Despite I was sitting there in some bizarre yoga position to mock him, it was peaceful.

At least until the silence got to me. I quickly sat like a normal person. “Why’d you want to see me?”

Dimitri exhaled. “I don’t want you jumping to any conclusions.”

“What do you mean?”

“I promised you that I would try to get you to Court for the trial.” He slowly opened his eyes. “I did try everything that I could, but my influence outside of the academy doesn’t seem to be great enough to have much say when it comes to any legal procedures.”

“Then how are we going to Court?”

His eyes slightly narrowed. Otherwise, he kept control. “Ivashkov used his family ties.”

“Did he?” I grinned. Yeah, I was disappointed that it hadn’t been Dimitri to get us there, but at least Adrian was useful for something.

“He did.” Dimitri almost immediately began meditating again. Or pretending to meditate would be better of me to say.

I chuckled. “So, how long will we even be at Court?”

He sighed in defeat and shifted to a position similar to mine. “Three days. The trial is tomorrow.”

I scoffed. “I can’t get away for any longer than that?”

“You can’t.” He eyed me warily. “If this has to do with the rumors—”

“Of course it doesn’t,” I interrupted him and lied.

“Rose.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t think that after six months of training with you that I don’t know better when you’re lying?” One eyebrow rose coolly. “Not only that, but you’re a terrible liar. I doubt that even Paul would let any of your lies go.”

“Damn,” I cursed.

“I’m not going to press the matter, but, if you ever want to talk about it, you know that you can talk to me.”

“I know.” The two simple words left my mouth before I could even process anything. The autopilot mode I was in just stayed. I may have rambled about all that was bothering me at the time, but it felt like a weight off my shoulders once I told someone. “I just don’t understand how it all started in the first place and how it’s even allowed. I mean, you’re part of the academy staff and you were dragged into some stupid high school drama. Ironically, my mother has been here through it all. Your family is visiting and I feel like I have to impress them, even when they already consider me as family. I still don’t know what that sight stuff is that you all talk about. Christian is a pain in the ass. Lissa can’t stop thinking about the accident. So, in short, I am stressing over so many things that would hardly mean anything most of the time, but, of course, my life is never easy. It’s like everyone plots to see how to push my sanity to its limits. Something has to happen that makes me want to—”

“Roza, stop.”

I felt like he murmured my name in Russian because he knew that it always calmed me down, despite a voice in my head shouting that it wasn’t. I glared at him and snapped, “Don’t even start with the ‘Roza’ stuff. It’s not working today.”

His face fell. “Rose, I’m trying to help. I’m worried about you.”

And just like that, I regret snapping at him. I sharply inhaled, wishing it’d help the tears developing in my eyes. It didn’t. “Sorry. It’s just that ever since returning to the academy, life is ten times worse than it was before. I don’t get a break from being the center of gossip. It’s difficult to block out Lissa’s mind. And I can’t get a break from Christian in the field experience. I can’t control any of it.”

Dimitri pulled me into his side and I welcomed the gesture by burying my face in his chest and crying. Everything about this was innocent. He was being a friend and lending a shoulder to cry on. He didn’t ridicule me. For once. He just sat there, holding me.

I just hated being vulnerable, especially in front of Dimitri. I let simple high school trouble get the best of me.

“I’ll be an awful guardian.” The words came out muffled, but I figured he knew I’d be beating myself up before too long.

“No, you won’t,” he said sternly. “You’ll be one of the best.”

I pulled my head back at little so that my voice didn’t muffle this time. “How? I can’t even handle all the high school drama I’m going through now. There’s no possible way I can defend anyone from Strigoi. Mason died because of me; I couldn’t save him.”

Mason.

How did I not let that slip in my little rant? I’d been stressing over that just as much as everything else. But I didn’t understand why I was even seeing him. Hallucinating. Was I going insane? None of it made sense compared to my other troubles.

“…wish you’d stop thinking that you can’t do anything.” Dimitri had been rubbing my shoulder slowly to try and calm me down. “For one thing, your mother is here simply because her Moroi is visiting; they’ll be leaving a couple days after the trial. My family, other than Viktoria, is only here for a few more days too. They already love you simply because I do. Don’t worry about them not liking you.” He sounded so reasonable. “The rest of it…it is out of your control.”

Gee, thanks, Dimitri.

The gym doors opened then. Lissa’s voice carried across the room. “The plane is leaving in ten minutes.”

Oh joy.

Just an hour ago, I was in a great mood and ecstatic that I’d be going to the trial and see Victor Dashkov receive his sentence. Now, I dreaded going to Court. The queen and I had a mutual dislike for each other. And the possibility of Victor bringing up the lust charm at the trial lingered in my mind.