Vampire Academy: Dimitri's Point of View

Back To Class

We escorted the girls to the guidance councilors office where they picked up their schedules, and then I watched as another pair of guardians took Vasilisa to her first class. Guardian Petrov and I walked towards the guardian's gym for the Advanced Combat Techniques class while a slightly moping Rose followed close behind. We were silent, as not to encourage her behavior.
As soon as we entered the gym, all eyes fell on Rose. She was infamous for her record at the school, and her return was almost as sudden and mysterious as her disappearance. Some of the novices scowled and gawked at her, but most met her eye with a amiable (if slightly stunned) smile of recognition. Rose strode up to one of the boys, a red head named Mason Ashford, and gave him a small punch on the shoulder. It was far from gentle, but was more friendly than violent.
"Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time." Well, that was an unusual greeting. I guess her discipline issues aren't the only thing she's infamous for. The boy feigned pain, stumbling and wincing over dramatically. The rest of the class resumed with whatever they were doing before our arrival.
"This is my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session."
"Oh yeah? Huh. Well, I guess it is a good time to think about me naked then."
I eyed Guardian Petrov questionably, but she only answered with a shrug and a what-can-you-do smile.
"It's always a good time to think think about you naked," another young novice boy commented, joining in on the banter.
I took that as my cue to dismiss myself. I shook my head muttering under my breath in Russian. What have I gotten myself into?
I started out the door, making my way to the novice dorms. Guardians had their own small apartments in a separate wing of the same building. I knew I didn't have time to rest before my next scheduled shift on campus, but I did have a few moments to shower and change. Hopefully that would be enough to invigorate me for the rest of the day.
Before I stepped out of the gym however, I heard my name.
"Belikov." I turned to see Guardian Petrov a couple of yards back. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
As Captain of the School Guard, I didn't have the option of saying no even if I wanted to. I quickly glanced at the clock on the wall and hoped it wouldn't take too much time, before closing the gap between us.
"I wanted to thank you for standing up for Rose and taking her on as your student." Alberta was over twice my age, but she could still command attention with ease. I was surprised to see her eyes soften at the name of the delinquent girl. It was obvious that she had some sort of soft spot for Rose. "She's hard headed and has one of the worst tempers I've seen, but she is also extremely talented and dedicated to what she believes in. With the right mentorship, she could be better than us all one day. I tried to take her under my wing before the girls ran two years ago, but I never could quite get through to her. I sincerely hope that your experience is different."
I was glad to see that there was someone else who recognized the potential, but I began to doubt my ability to train her. If Alberta – who has known her almost her entire life – couldn't get through to her, how would she respond to someone she's just met? On top of that, I was the one who had taken her back to the prison she so desperately escaped a few years back? Either way, I knew my responsibility and would do my best to tame the wild girl.
"Thank you Guardian Petrov. I will do my best and keep you updated on her progress."
"Dimitri," she smiled, "please call me Alberta. Now go get whatever rest you can, this day promises to be a challenge for you." She turned and walked away, leaving me to do the same. I stepped outside and made the quick walk across the quad.
Alberta had encouraged me several times to be more casual with her, as have other guardians. While we address each other by title in front of students and in more formal settings, guardians generally referred to each other by simply their first or last name. After my own graduation, I had fallen into the same practice and made many friends with those around me. After Ivan's murder however, I chose to be less casual. Something as simple as being casual and letting your guard down could lead to a error. I had learned that first hand, and I wasn't planning on making the same mistake twice. My skills and reputation helped me to make plenty of contacts and connections in the Guardian network, but few friends. While I did still have some friends from school and my career prior to Ivan's death, I had been less sociable for months. I was now even distant from my family, only calling every few months to check in and update them on my location and assignment. I couldn't think of anyone I would consider close now. Occasionally I felt lonely, but I gladly traded the alternative for a sharper focus on my responsibility.
After only a few moments, I reached my dorm. I knew it was only slightly larger than those of the students, but I was fine with that. Some of the tenured and more permanent employees lived in full apartments not to far from the heart of campus. There were even some town houses available for those moroi who live here with their families. It was rare for dhampirs to marry, even rarer still for a dhampir and moroi to marry and start a family, so all the occupied townhouses belonged to moroi.
As for me, my room was more than enough. It was sparse beyond the necessities. A bed, a table and a few chairs, a small book case. The biggest difference between my place that those that the students lived in was the small kitchenette, and that was hardly used for more than making coffee. The only decoration was my growing collection of books. They were the only escape I allowed myself, and even those were brief.
I striped myself of my clothing, hanging my jacket on a hook next to the door and tossing my clothing in the basket in the corner. I respectfully laid my silver stake on the counter before stepping into the heat of the shower. The muscles in my shoulders and back were sore, less from action and more from the inaction of standing at attention. It was often harder to stand still than it was to attack. The heat penetrated the stress and I felt the stiffness relax. After only a few minutes, I stepped out and got ready for my next shift.
Before leaving, I tied my hair back at the nape of my neck. Brushing my shoulders when left down, it was longer than most male (and even some female) guardians. I knew I should probably cut it, but it hid the reminders of my profession. In the reflection of the mirror and glass shower door, I could see a long S-shaped promise mark on my neck with what looked like three "X's" on either side. The six cross shaped molnija marks were jagged, somewhat like a lightning bolt. I heard a guardian joke that it was supposed to represent how fast we strike our enemies: as fast as lightning.
Instead, I saw six faces. One for each Strigoi that I killed. My six closest brushes with death. The six times I had been directly responsible for taking a life, even if it was a soul-less one. I also saw the two other faces, the lives of my friends that were lost because of my negligence.
I returned my stake to it's holster and threw on my jacket, ready for my next assignment.