Disclaimer: Richelle Mead is like awesome and I one day hope that she might at least glance at my mediocre work. But at least I know my people in .net are always there, even if my role model will never see it but you guys will do. (For now)
"Don't let them sit together", I whispered to the other guardian. They will probably think of someway to get off the plane; even if it means jumping off over Ohio. As the princesses guardian, I felt the need to get acquainted somehow. Out of courtesy, I let her take the window seat.
"You're going to get lightheaded if you keep gazing out of the window." I said after watching her intently stare into the darkness.
"I don't really mind," she responded. "It calms me down." Her response was very courteous and quite regal, yet at the same time, I got the hint that she wanted to be alone. Though I couldn't say the same for her companion, I decided to find out why Rose had done that what she did. She had to have some ulterior motive.
"Sit next to the princess for a while, I have orders from Kirova to assess her stability." I said pointing to Rose, the guardian agreed, discreetly walking to the front of the plane and took up his post.
I don't think Rose noticed, because she sat still the whole time. Was she asleep? Reaching out to touch her arm, a sudden recoil at my movement told me she wasn't. She was staring directly into the darkness, just as the princess was. Mesmerized, I grew dumbfounded and forgot everything that I was going to say to her.
I considered telling her the same thing I told the princess, but then I remembered the incident prior to boarding the plane.
(Flashback)
Thrashing back and forth in the car trying to find her way out, she looked wild with her unruly hair and desperate actions. Literally punching at the window, we finally got her under control, but only after placing a guardian between her and the glass. While Ms. Hathaway was actively trying to escape, the Princess sat quietly in the passenger seat. It made me wonder why the Moroi even left with the Dhampir, they were complete opposites.
The Princess had an air of elegance about her, true demeanor of a Royal as she calmly accepted their fate of returning back to St. Vladimir. (Even if her little friend was trying to break a window in the middle of a highway.)
When we finally arrived at the private airport, I took in Hathaway's disheveled appearance. Her hair needed a brush badly. At some point she had a ponytail, but after the car ride it was terrible with only half of it still in the elastic band. It stuck out in a nonsensical manner, almost comical. Seeing as though I had just stopped their little road trip, to relieve the tension, I tried to act a little playful with her, that was a big mistake.
"Nice hair." I said walking in step with her and giving her a smirk and a sidelong glance to see the reaction. I was hoping for a flippant "thanks" or even an "I know right". If looks could kill, I would be gasping for air and more importantly begging for forgiveness. She stopped about two feet behind me and just stared me down with those gorgeous brown eyes. I stuttered something in Russian and then awkwardly walked away.
Just as she was getting in her seat, I tapped her arm and apologized. Hopefully she wouldn't try to murder me in the near future.
(End flashback)
Sticking to my mission, I needed to know why she did this. So after an internal pep-talk, I spoke. "What you did... out there today, it was really brave." I waited a few moments to get a response, but when I didn't get one, I kept talking. "It was stupid, but brave. Why did you do it?" Glancing over hoping to see any movement, but there was none, she was curled up in a fetal position the whole time. She seemed so vulnerable, I almost couldn't believe that she was the dangerous Hathaway that everyone talked about.
The silence was killing me, I needed an answer. I tried my best to keep my cool, but the absence of sound was completely excruciating. "I get that your friends and all," I said running a hand through my hair in frustration, why was this so hard for me? "But why would you sacrifice your life like that? You're so young." I turned to her, almost pleading for a response this time, and I got one.
"Because I'm her guardian!" she growled spinning in her seat towards me. Coming face to face, we were startled by our close proximity, only a few inches away from each other. Just as quickly as she turned around, she spun back to the window. Afterwards, all I could think of, was her fierce eyes and her ruby red lips that were oh so close. I stayed in the seat for a while just fantasizing of those intense chocolate brown eyes.
Trying to reason with myself, my guardian instincts told me that I should go. Signaling the other guardian to return, I went back to the princess and started to read my western, but was continually haunted by those dark golden brown eyes. I kept thinking of what she would be doing when we got back to the academy, secretly wishing I could ask her out. No Dimitri she's seventeen and a student you can't do that. Ugh. There goes that guardian instinct again. Settling in for the long flight, the Wild West was calling my name. My mind was racing with unanswered questions, so I let it go, indulging in the only fantasy I could allow.
