Protection - d. belikov

Chapter 11

Kat was running, but not from something. She was running to her father who had his arms stretched out to catch her. Her laughter filled the space around them. She was almost in his arms when her mother yelled out, "Food's ready!"

Kat ran to where her mother sat on the picnic blanket. Ivan ran past her and blew her a raspberry.

"Keep up, Kat."

"I can't. I have little legs."

"That's because you ARE little," Lev said.

"I'm only five Levvy. I'm still growing."

"Exactly."

Kat and her siblings sat down and dug into the food that their mother had prepared. Kat was eating a slice of watermelon when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her mother instantly saw the look of pain on her daughter's face and raced to her side.

"What's wrong Bumblebee?" Kat tried to speak but the pain was unbearable. Priscilla cried out for her husband, that picked Kat up and ran to the car. Three little pairs of footsteps followed their parents. Alberta took up the role of oldest sister, and loaded them into the car. The few minutes it took the family to get to the hospital went at snail's pace. Kat was rushed into the emergency room and the doctors immediately went to work. Hating to leave their baby, Priscilla and Ivan Sr gathered their other children and made themselves at home in the waiting area. Hours past when a doctor came to deliver the news. Kat needed an emergency heart transplant. Her heart had suffered a trauma, that the doctors couldn't explain. A few more hours went by when the same doctor came to tell Kat's parents that she will be okay. She was put on a new diet and was given a strict exercise program to follow.

Priscilla and Ivan vowed that their daughter would never feel such pain again. Not if they could help it.

Thirteen years later the Voda family found themselves in the same uncomfortable chairs, waiting for news on their youngest daughter. Kat had passed out after the attack and they were waiting on news of her state. Alberta was pacing up and down the corridor, blaming herself. She had a bad feeling that this mission wasn't a good idea for her sister to be apart of. It had broken her when Kat was rushed to the hospital. She was the leader of this test, and although the command to send Kat came from the Council, Alberta blamed herself for not fighting against them, harder.

"Albert, come sit down." Alberta turned towards her step mother and felt instant love. Priscilla had taken Alberta under her wing when she and Ivan got married. Alberta was two at the time and she had just lost her biological mother. Her mother was one of the best Guardians around, but was killed in a Strigoi attack while she was protecting a royal Moroi in St Ignatius Province. She sat down next to Priscilla and was pulled into Priscilla's side. "It's not your fault."

With those words, Alberta finally let the tears that had been building fall. "Thanks... Mom." Priscilla stilled at the words. It was the first time that Alberta had called her Mom. Priscilla pulled her tighter against her and they sat in silence.

"Family of Katerina Voda?"

All five members of the family stood up and approached the doctor. He told them that her heart had a shock and that she would be in pain for a while, but would ultimately be okay. They were given the go ahead to go and see her. Dimitri beat them to the room. He was helping Kat sit up when her family came in. He knew that it was selfish of him to want to be the first to see her, even before her family, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He couldn't relax until he knew she was safe. He had felt it personally when she had fainted. Priscilla gave him a kind smile, as if she knew that he was going to be there. He was in love with her daughter after all.

"Hey Bumblebee. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was driven over by a semi-truck, Mama," Kat replied in a soft voice that turned into a cough. Dimitri held a cup of water to her lips and she took a small sip. Kat smiled at the usually stoic guardian and he gave a small smile in return. She could see the worry on his face, but he was trying to keep it from her.

"I'm ok, Cowboy." At her thoughts he gave her a bigger smile.

"What happened?" Kat asked her family. There was a moment of silence before Alberta said, "There was a Strigoi attack."

"What?"

"The Council decided that it was a good idea to put a monster in a field test with children. The Strigoi turned Mikhail and together they killed the entire Bravo team and Herk. Both Strigoi are dead."

Kat had a vague memory of Rose lying over Mikhail's dead body. "How is Rose doing?"

"She's having a hard time."

"I have to go see her," Kat moved to get out of the bed, but Dimitri stopped her. he gave her a stern look and she sunk back into the bed with a sigh.

"There is something else that we need to tell you," Alberta said hesitantly. "You specialized last night. You set the Strigoi on fire and killed him."

"So I'm a fire elemental?"

"Not exactly..."

"You're also an air elemental. You were floating above the air right before you passed out."

"Are you sure it wasn't someone else that did that?" Alberta shook her head and it finally sunk in. Kat has specialised in TWO elements, seemingly overnight.

"How did this happen?"

"The doctor thinks that the trauma of the attack activated your elements to protect you. However, he doesn't know why you specialised in two elements, but he said it's never happened before." Kat thought for a moment and asked, "Can I still go on the Royal tour?"

"He said that you can." The family talked for a while, but when Kat let out a few yawns, they excused themselves so that she could get some rest. Dimitri was the only one that stayed behind.

"I hate to leave you Printsessa, but I have a shift now. I'll be back in four hours. Try to sleep, but if you can't, I'll keep you company." He gave her a kiss and they said goodbye. After Dimitri left, Kat was left alone with only her thoughts as company. She went to take a sip of water, when the glass moved. She moved her hand away – out of shock – but when she did the glass stopped moving. She reached her hand out again and the water in the cup rose up. She stretched out her hand and the water went higher. She had just unlocked another element. She wondered if she could do the other element as well. She looked around the room to see if she could use anything, when her eyes caught the flower pot in the windowsill. She stretched her hand out and the droopy flower petals perked up, and grew a bit bigger. She had just become master of all four elements. She didn't even know that it was possible. She didn't know what it meant, except that a whole lot of drama was to follow.