Vampire Academy Chapter 6

SIXAS MUCH AS LISSA AND Christians meeting bothered me, it gave me an idea the nigh day.Hey, Kirova er, Ms. Kirova. I stood in the doorway of her shootice, non having bothered to diagnose an appointment. She raised her eyes from some paper tutor, in averigibly annoyed to see me.Yes, Miss Hathaway?Does my stand arrest base I cant go to church?I beg your pardon?You verbalise that whenever Im not in class or pr typifyice, I have to quench in the dormitory. But what closely church on Sundays? I dont cerebrate its re al oney fair to documentation me away from my religious?um, needs. Or deprive me of another chance no matter how short and slow to hang out with Lissa.She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. I wasnt aware you had any religious needs.I found Jesus while I was g unitary.Isnt your mother an atheist? she asked skeptically.And my dads probably Muslim. But Ive moved on to my receive path. You shouldnt obtain me from it.She made a noise that sort of ski lfuled akin a snicker. No, Miss Hathaway, I should not. Very well. You may attend services on Sundays.The victory was short-lived, however, because church was e very(prenominal) bit as lame as I remembered when I attended a few days later. I did construct grow to sit next to Lissa, though, which made me feel analogous I was braceting away with something. Mostly I salutary people-watched. Church was optional for students, exclusively with so umpteen Eastern European families, a pass around of students were Eastern Orthodox Christians and attended either because they believed or because their parents made them.Christian sat on the foe side of the aisle, pretending to be just as holy as hed said. As much as I didnt like him, his fake faith noneffervescent made me smile. Dimitri sat in the back, face line with shadows, and, like me, didnt relegate communion. As sound judgmentful as he looked, I wondered if he even bear in minded to the service. I tuned in and out.Followi ng Gods path is never easy, the non-Christian priest was saying. Even St. Vladimir, this works own patron saint, had a anesthetisesome measure. He was so filled with spirit that people often flocked around him, enthralled just to listen and be in his presence. So great was his spirit, the old texts say, that he could heal the sick. Yet despite these gifts, many did not respect him. They mocked him, claiming he was misguided and confused.Which was a nice way of saying Vladimir was insane. Everyone knew it. He was one of a contactful of Moroi saints, so the priest liked to talk or so him a lot. Id perceive all about him, many measure oer, before we left. Great. It looked like I had an eternity of Sundays to hear his story over and over again.?and so it was with shadow-kissed Anna.I jerked my head up. I had no idea what the priest was public lecture about now, because I hadnt been listening for some time. But those words burned into me. Shadow-kissed. It had been a while sinc e I heard them, merely Id never forgotten them. I waited, hoping hed continue, but hed al learny moved on to the next crash of the service. The sermon was over.Church concluded, and as Lissa turned to go, I shook my head at her. Wait for me. Ill be right there.I pushed my way through the crowd, up to the front, where the priest was speaking with a few people. I waited impatiently while he finished. Natalie was there, asking him about volunteer work she could do. Ugh. When she finished, she left, greeting me as she passed.The priest raised his eyebrows when he saw me. Hello, Rose. Its nice to see you again.Yeah?you too, I said. I heard you lecture about Anna. About how she was ?shadow-kissed. What does that mean?He frowned. Im not entirely sure. She lived a very long time ago. It was often common to refer to people by titles that reflected some of their traits. It might have been given to make her sound fierce.I tried to hide my disappointment. Oh. So who was she?This time his fro wn was disapproving rather than persuasionful. I mentioned it a number of times.Oh. I must have, um, lost that.His disapproval grew, and he turned around. Wait just a moment.He disappeared through the door near the altar, the one Lissa had taken to the attic. I considered fleeing but thought God might strike me go through for that. Less than a minute later, the priest returned with a book. He handed it to me. Moroi Saints.You can learn about her in here. The next time I see you, Id like to hear what youve learned.I scowled as I walked away. Great. Homework from the priest.In the chapels entry way, I found Lissa talking to Aaron. She smiled as she spoke, and the feelings coming mop up her were happy, though certainly not infatuated.Youre kidding, she exclaimed.He shook his head. Nope.Seeing me saunter over, she turned to me. Rose, youre never loss to believe this. You subsist Abby Badica? And Xander? Their guardian wants to resign. And marry another guardian.Now this was evoke gossip. A scandal, actually. Seriously? Are they, like, going to run cancelled together?She nodded. Theyre getting a house. going away to get telephone circuits with humans, I guess.I glanced at Aaron, who had suddenly turned shy with me there. How are Abby and Xander dealing with that?Okay. Embarrassed. They phone its stupid. Then he echtized who he was speaking to. Oh. I didnt mean Whatever. I gave him a slopped smile. It is stupid.Wow. I was stunned. The rebellious vocalization me of loved any story where people fought the system. Only, in this case, they were fighting my system, the one Id been trained to believe in my entire life.Dhampirs and Moroi had a strange arrangement. Dhampirs had originally been born from Moroi mixing with humans. Unfortunately, dhampirs couldnt produce with each other or with humans. It was a weird genetic thing. Mules were the same way, Id been told, though that wasnt a comparing I really liked hearing. Dhampirs and full Moroi could have ch ildren together, and, through another genetic oddity, their kids came out as standard dhampirs, with half human genes, half vampire genes.With Moroi being the only ones with whom dhampirs could reproduce, we had to stay close to them and blend with them. Likewise, it became important to us that the Moroi simply survived. Without them, we were done. And with the way Strigoi loved picking score Moroi, their survival became a accredited concern for us.That was how the guardian system developed. Dhampirs couldnt work magic, but we made great warriors. Wed inherited enhanced senses and reflexes from our vampire genes and better strength and endurance from our human genes. We also werent limited by a need for subscriber line or trouble with sunlight. Sure, we werent as powerful as the Strigoi, but we trained hard, and guardians did a kick-ass job at keeping Moroi safe. Most dhampirs felt it was worth risking their own lives to make sure our lovable could still keep having children.Sin ce Moroi usually wanted to have and raise Moroi children, you didnt remark a lot of long-term Moroi-dhampir romances. You especially didnt find a lot of Moroi women hooking up with dhampir guys. But plenty of young Moroi men liked effortless around with dhampir women, although those guys usually went on to marry Moroi women. That left a lot of single dhampir mothers, but we were punk and could handle it.However, many dhampir mothers chose not to become guardians in order to raise their children. These women sometimes worked regular jobs with Moroi or humans some of them lived together in communities. These communities had a bad re rigation. I dont agnize how much of it was true, but rumors said Moroi men visited all the time for sex, and that some dhampir women let them drink blood while doing it. tide rip whores.Regardless, almost all guardians were men, which meant there were a lot more Moroi than guardians. Most dhampir guys accepted that they wouldnt have kids. They knew it was their job to protect Moroi while their sisters and cousins had babies.Some dhampir women, like my mother, still felt it was their duty to become guardians even if it meant not raising their own kids. After Id been born, shed handed me over to be raised by Moroi. Moroi and dhampirs start school pretty young, and the Academy had essentially taken over as my parent by the time I was four.Between her example and my life at the Academy, I believed wholeheartedly that it was a dhampirs job to protect Moroi. It was part of our heritage, and it was the only way wed keep going. It was that simple.And that was what made what the Badicas guardian had done so shocking. Hed abandoned his Moroi and run off with another guardian, which meant shed abandoned her Moroi. They couldnt even have children together, and now two families were unprotected. What was the point? No one cared if teenage dhampirs dated or if adult dhampirs had flings. But a long-term relationship? Particularly one that m ultiform them running away? A complete waste. And a disgrace.After a little more theory on the Badicas, Lissa and I left Aaron. As we stepped outside, I heard a funny shifting sound and then something sliding. Too late, I realized what was happening, just as a pile of slush slid off the chapels roof and onto us. It was early October, and wed had early snow last night that had started melting almost immediately. As a result, the stuff that fell on us was very wet and very cold.Lissa took the brunt of it, but I still yelped as icy water landed on my hair and neck. A few others squealed nearby too, having caught the march on of the mini-avalanche.You okay? I asked her. Her coat was drenched, and her platinum hair clung to the sides of her face.Y-yeah, she said through chattering teeth.I pulled off my coat and handed it to her. It had a slick surface and had repelled most of the water. overhear yours off.But youll be Take this.She did, and as she slipped on my coat, I finally tuned into the laughter that always follows these situations. I avoided the eyes, instead focusing on holding Lissas wet jacket while she changed.Wish you hadnt been wearing a coat, Rose, said Ralf Sarcozy an unusually grand and plump Moroi. I hated him. That shirt would have looked grievous wet.That shirts so ugly it should be burned. Did you get that from a homeless person?I glanced up as Mia walked over and looped her arm through Aarons. Her light-haired curls were arranged perfectly, and she had on an awesome pair of black heels that would have looked much better on me. At least they made her look taller, Id give her that. Aaron had been a few steps behind us but had miraculously avoided being nailed by the slush. Seeing how smug she looked, I decided thered been no miracles involved.I ponder you want to offer to burn it, huh? I asked, refusing to let her know how much that insult bugged me. I knew perfectly well my fashion sense had slipped over the last two years. Oh, wait fire isnt your element, is it? You work with water. What a coincidence that a bunch just fell on us.Mia looked as if shed been insulted, but the shine in her eyes showed that she was enjoying this way too much to be an innocent bystander. Whats that supposed to mean? aught to me. But Ms. Kirova will probably have something to say when she finds out you used magic against another student.That wasnt an attack, she scoffed. And it wasnt me. It was an act of God.A few others laughed, much to her delight. In my imagination, I responded with, So is this, and then slammed her into the side of the church. In real life, Lissa simply nudged me and said, Lets go.She and I walked off toward our respective dorms, leaving behind laughter and jokes about our wet states and how Lissa wouldnt know anything about specialization. Inside, I seethed. I had to do something about Mia, I realized. In addition to the general surliness of Mias bitchiness, I didnt want Lissa to have to deal with any more stress than she had to. Wed been okay this first week, and I wanted to keep it that way.You know, I said, Im thinking more and more that you stealing Aaron back is a well(p) thing. Itll teach Bitch Doll a lesson. I bet itd be easy, too. Hes still crazy about you.I dont want to teach anyone a lesson, said Lissa. And Im not crazy about him.Come on, she picks fights and duologue about us behind our backs. She accused me of getting jeans from the Salvation Army yesterday. Your jeans are from the Salvation Army.Well, yeah, I snorted, but she has no right making fun of them when shes wearing stuff from Target.Hey, theres nothing wrong with Target. I like Target.So do I. Thats not the point. Shes trying to pass her stuff off like its freaking Stella McCartney.And thats a crime?I affected a solemn face. Absolutely. Youve gotta take revenge.I told you, Im not interested in revenge. Lissa cut me a sidelong look. And you shouldnt be either.I smiled as innocently as I could, and when we split ways , I felt relieved again that she couldnt read my thoughts.So whens the big catfight going to happen?stonemason was waiting for me outside our dorm after Id parted ways with Lissa. He looked lazy and cute, leaning against the fence in with crossed arms as he watched me.Im sure I dont know what you mean.He unfolded himself and walked with me into the building, handing me his coat, since Id let Lissa go off with my dry one. I saw you guys sparring outside the chapel. Have you no respect for the house of God?I snorted. Youve got about as much respect for it as I do, you heathen. You didnt even go. Besides, as you said, we were outside.And you still didnt answer the question.I just grinned and slipped on his coat.We stood in the common area of our dorm, a well-supervised lallygag and discipline area where male and female students could mingle, along with Moroi guests. Being Sunday, it was pretty crowded with those cramming for last-minute assignments collect tomorrow. Spying a small, empty tabularize, I grabbed masons arm and pulled him toward it.Arent you supposed to go honest to your room?I hunkered down in my seat, glancing around warily. There are so many people here today, itll take them a while to notice me. God, Im so sick of being locked away. And its only been a week.Im sick of it too. We missed you last night. A bunch of us went and shot pool in the rec room. Eddie was on fire.I groaned. Dont tell me that. I dont want to hear about your glamorous social life.All right. He propped his elbow up on the table and rested his chin in his hand. Then tell me about Mia. Youre just going to turn around and punch her one day, arent you? I think I remember you doing that at least ten times with people that pissed you off.Im a new, reformed Rose, I said, doing my best impression of demure. Which wasnt very good. He emitted a choking sort of laugh. Besides, if I do that, Ill have broken my probation with Kirova. Gotta walk the straight and narrow.In other words, find some way to get back at Mia that you wont get in trouble for.I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. You know what I like about you, Mase? You think just like I do.Frightening concept, he replied drily. So tell me what you think of this I might know something about her, but I probably shouldnt tell you?I leaned forward. Oh, you already tipped me off. Youve got to tell me now.Itd be wrong, he teased. How do I know youd use this knowledge for good instead of evil?I batted my eyelashes. Can you resist this face?He took a moment to study me. No. I cant, actually. Okay, here you go Mia isnt royal.I slouched back in my chair. No kidding. I already knew that. Ive known whos royal since I was two.Yeah, but theres more than just that. Her parents work for one of the Drozdov lords. I waved my hand impatiently. A lot of Moroi worked out in the human world, but Moroi society had plenty of jobs for its own kind too. Someone had to fill them. Cleaning stuff. Practically servants. Her dad cuts grass, and her moms a maid.I actually had a well-grounded respect for anyone who pulled a full days work, regardless of the job. People everywhere had to do crappy stuff to make a living. But, much like with Target, it became another matter altogether when someone was trying to pass herself off as something else. And in the week that Id been here, Id picked up on how desperately Mia wanted to fit in with the school elite.No one knows, I said thoughtfully.And she doesnt want them to. You know how the royals are. He paused. Well, except for Lissa, of course. Theyd give Mia a hard time over it.How do you know all this?My uncles a guardian for the Drozdovs.And youve just been seated on this secret, huh?Until you broke me. So which path will you choose good or evil?I think Ill give her a grace Miss Hathaway, you know you arent supposed to be here.One of the dorm matrons stood over us, disapproval all over her face.I hadnt been joking when I said Mason thought like me. He coul d bullshit as well as I could. We have a gathering project to do for our humanities class. How are we supposed to do it if Rose is in isolation?The matron contract her eyes. You dont look like youre doing work.I slid over the priests book and opened it at random. Id placed it on the table when we sat down. Were, um, working on this.She still looked suspicious. One hour. Ill give you one more hour down here, and Id better actually see you working.Yes, maam, said Mason straight-faced. Absolutely.She wandered off, still eyeing us. My hero, I declared.He pointed at the book. What is this?Something the priest gave me. I had a question about the service.He stared at me, astonished.Oh, stop it and look interested. I plane the index. Im trying to find some woman named Anna.Mason slid his chair over so that he was session right beside me. All right. Lets ?study. I found a page number, and it took me to the section on St. Vladimir, not surprisingly. We read through the chapter, scanning f or Annas name. When we found it, the author didnt have much to say about her. He did allow in an excerpt written by some guy who had apparently lived at the same time as St. VladimirAnd with Vladimir always is Anna, the daughter of Fyodor. Their love is as chaste and pure as that of brother and sister, and many times has she defended him from Strigoi who would seek to destroy him and his holiness. Likewise, it is she who comforts him when the spirit becomes too much to bear, and Satans darkness tries to smother him and weaken his own health and body. This too she defends against, for they have been bound together ever since he saved her life as a child. It is a sign of Gods love that He has sent the blessed Vladimir a guardian much(prenominal) as her, one who is shadow-kissed and always knows what is in his heart and mind.There you go, Mason said. She was his guardian.It doesnt say what ?shadow-kissed means.Probably doesnt mean anything.Something in me didnt believe that. I read i t again, trying to make sense of the old-fashioned language. Mason watched me curiously, looking at like he very much wanted to help.Maybe they were hooking up, he suggested.I laughed. He was a saint.So? Saints probably like sex too. That ?brother and sister stuff is probably a cover. He pointed to one of the lines. See? They were ?bound together. He winked. Its code.Bound. It was a weird word choice, but that didnt necessarily mean Anna and Vladimir were rive each others clothes off.I dont think so. Theyre just close. Guys and girls can just be friends. I said it pointedly, and he gave me a dry look.Yeah? Were friends, and I dont know whats in your ?heart and mind. Mason put on a fake philosophers look. Of course, some might argue that one can never know whats in the heart of a woman Oh, shut up, I groaned, punching him in the arm.For they are strange and sable creatures, he continued in his scholarly voice, and a man must be a mind reader if he ever wishes to make them happy. I started giggling uncontrollably and knew Id probably get in trouble again. Well, try to read my mind and stop being such a I stopped laughing and looked back down at the book.Bound together and always knows what is in his heart and mind.They had a bond, I realized. I would have bet everything I owned which wasnt much on it. The revelation was astonishing. There were a lot of vague stories and myths about how guardians and Moroi ?used to have bonds. But this was the first Id ever heard of anyone specific that it had happened to.Mason had noticed my startled reaction. You okay? You look kind of weird.I shrugged it off. Yeah. Fine.