It All Started As Revenge

Chapter 1: Graduation surprise

[Edited 11/7/2016]

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I'm searching for something, that I can't reach.

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Months have passed since Dimitri was found completely reversed back from Strigoi to Dhampir, and released back to mingle, at the cost of living in a personified jail cell. I had been avoiding him, but I today was a day I could't avoid seeing him. Today is the Guardian Distribution day, and Dimitri had come to "pay for his sins". Tasha, Christian's aunt, hadn't brought up the matter concerning him becoming her Guardian again either, so he just contacted Kirova and told her to put him in the list of Guardians needing Moroi charges.

The Graduation Ceremony was coming around the corner, and the Distribution served as a test week for Guardian-Moroi compatibility and Guardian skill. I've already expected to be assigned to Lissa forever due to our long-time friendship, and have made adjustments with her already. I bounced my leg up and down nervously as I waited for Lissa's and my name to be called.

My mind drifted off as I waited impatiently, but unfortunately, it had floated to where I didn't want it the most- thinking of Dimitri, providing stupid excuses for his words all those months ago that even the most naive optimist knew was hopeless. The faintest trickle of concern in the bond from Lissa prompted me to abruptly snap my mental shields back up violently after throwing a shard of apology down the bond.

The whole shield issue took my mind off Dimitri and his words just long enough to hear Lissa's name being called. I tensed up, my body ready to bound up the stage to join Lissa in a second, but my name wasn't called.

"Dimitri Belikov, please step forward," Alberta called, holding up Dimitri's silver stake as he came up the stage. My mind clouded with confusion. I thought Lissa had requested for me as her Guardian? Yet Dimitri took his stake from Alberta confidently, kneeling beside Lissa respectfully as he pledged to protect her from dangers, the pride in his eyes for Lissa leaving me strangely hollow. I swallowed, half-convincing myself that maybe Dimitri would protect Lissa better than I ever could.

The hollowness consumed me whole until Christian Ozera was called. The hole inside me ached, but my wry amusement at his nervous finger drumming had the wounds filling with sardonic amusement. Who would be called to guard this pyromanic-like Moroi? I laughed softly under my breath, silently pitying whichever poor Dhampir that was going to be chosen to guard the stupid bastard.

I held my breath, waiting in anticipation to see who would end up guarding him- only to hear my own name called. "Rosemary Hathaway, please step forward," Alberta called, and unlike mine, her face was completely calm and composed and free from any confusion. 

But I stepped on the stage anyway, knowing there would be great consequences if I caused any scene during the ceremony. Though guarding Christian would be a difficult and annoying choice, it would've been better to accept the distribution and protest about it later with Christian's help to better harness the very slim chance of partner switching.

Christian looked about as confused as I was, but we both kept our cool as Alberta presented me with my new official silver stake and I pledged to protect Christian with my life. Even with all the bad things happening in my life and my charge being unexpectedly changed, I was still elated to receive my very own silver stake.

As Alberta dismissed Christian and I, I saw Lissa and a few other students that I knew shooting me a couple of sympathetic looks. Everyone knew Rose Hathaway, the badass Novice and Christian Ozera, the royal Moroi whose parents willingly turned into Strigoi, did not go well together. Most situations involving the both of us together tended to end up with bloody lips and bruised egos.

But I had no desire to end my career even before it had started, so I bit my lip and sucked in the insults threatening to burst out of my mouth. There would be a time of protest after this ceremony ended and I had convinced Christian to help me.

So I followed Christian back to his dorm room with my belongings in tow obediently like all the other newly sorted Dhampirs.

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Songs on loop during writing:

BITE - Troye Sivan

FOOLS - Troye Sivan

Gasoline - Halsey

Alphabet Boy - Melanie Martinez

DOLLHOUSE - Melanie Martinez