Dimitri

10

I'm worried about Lissa. I love that she is learning that the best defense is a good offense, and believe me, I am all for putting mad munchkin Mia in her place, but this Operation Brainwash is turning Lissa into something she's not.

"She's overwhelming herself."

She can't see that. Rose and I can. It's like we feel Lissa's feelings more than she does. We need to put on our game faces. Can't wait around for my next psychedelic flashback. The stakes are too high. I was standing beside Dimitri watching the Novices train.

"She's getting better, a lot better since we came here."

"She's good but not enough."

"She's learning."

She took down the two, one of them being Mason. I moved to hear them, it was good practice l.

"I knew you'd improve. No fair learning from a god."

"I heard you were good at taking on two guys at once."

She kicked him in the stomach and he went to walk it off.

"Rose, uh, about Jesse and Ray..."

"Mason..."

"No, not that. In the locker room, it was weird. They had these bandages on their wrists. I don't know if it means anything."

I looked back at the God, smiling as I stood up.

"This is a fun ending to a gym class."

He didn't say anything, just continued to watch them.

🗡

The day had finally come around and the vampires were asleep. I heard that Rose was going to try sneaking into the headmistress office, hopefully she could do it.

"Forty-five minutes of silence. It has to be a new record."

"Yea well I got a lot of things to worry about."

I kicked the small pad out of his hand, he looked at it before back at me.

"What do you know about Ms. Karp? Rose speaks about her a lot and she seems to tie into everything."

"Karp? She retired before I even arrived."

"Kirova, Victor, you. She ask about Karp, and it's no eye contact and a subject change."

"Enough. Your training of late has been quite... fine."

"Fine? That's it?"

"What do you want me to say? That you are a remarkable quick study? That you bring originality to classic moves."

I nod and move closer to him.

"Yeah, I want you to say all those things."

"Good night, Andrea."

He went to turn around and before I could make contact, he flipped me over. He grabbed me and pinned me down, like I weighed nothing.

"What did I do wrong? I had you."

"The battle cry was your first mistake."

He laughed and I couldn't help but smile at him. He didn't look as serious as our other fighting rounds.

"I like your laugh. Singular, not plural. It's the first time I've heard it. It fits you. So even if I wouldn't have screamed, you still would have stopped me, right?"

"Probably, but nice initiative."

"I'm stronger and faster and yet you keep getting me down. How is that."