Vampire Academy: Broken Trust

Chapter 19

ROSE

This year’s Christmas eve is funnier than last. Oksana and I are cooking delicious Russian dishes for dinner, Mark and Ivan went for a Christmas tree in the woods and Yulian is tuning his guitar for later.

"Smells good." Mark said when they brought the tree inside. It wasn't snowing today but the snow to your knees still got you the Christmas spirit.

Every Christmas I remember Lissa's family and how much fun we had with them. Lissa's parents had to attend a Christmas party but when the clock showed 8 p.m. they knocked on the dorm’s door. Even Andre was there. We had dinner, sang Christmas carols and danced all night long. And in the morning they were still there to see us opening Christmas presents. They were such good parents.

"No. Leave it." Oksana said when she saw I wanted to wash the dishes. We all went to the living room and had a great time. Yulian was playing on his guitar, they were telling jokes, we were drinking cocoa with marshmallows and the Christmas tree looked perfect.

But I still missed Lissa. She's probably on that Christmas party the Court has every year. I want to celebrate this day with her... I miss her laugh at my sucky jokes and pillow fight that we used to do before we went to sleep. She's not alone though. Christian is there with her. And I have these lovely people here that risked their lives for me.

"Here, that's for you. And the baby when it's born." Ivan smiled. We were sitting by the Christmas tree and I was watching Ivan cut sculptures from wood. He gave me a small wooden angel.

"Thanks. I... I have nothing for you." I always get the presents and never have any to give back. That sucks.

"It's okay. I just need a promise." he said. "If anything happens to me after we hunt that strigoi down, I want you to promise me you'll take care of him." Ivan said. I hate him talking about this. If anything happens to any of the people that try to save me, I'll feel guilty. I nod and we hug.

"You better say that's from both of us." Yulian said when he came back from bedroom. "I helped too."

"Thank you, both." we laugh.

When we go to sleep it didn't take long for me to say hello to the stars. But in the middle of night I woke up. I was turned to the wall and I had a feeling someone is watching me. When I turned around I saw the door a little open and a shape of a man that was just getting out the room. I wanted to get up and check but I got sleepy again. No, it was probably just Mark, or Ivan, or Yulian...

"Little dhampir!"

No way. I turn around and I see Adrian standing in front of me. He got into my head. He visited me in my sleep. I have to say, I missed him. Last time we talked was when I was still healing from the injury. I just woke from unconsciousness.

He wore a black tuxedo and his tie was undone. We were in the Court ball room. It was empty now, but it was clear there was a party in here. Dirty plates and glasses with still a little champagne in it were on tables.

Adrian was sitting on the stairs to the higher stage for the Queen. As always he had a drink in his hands.

"Sorry... To drunk to get us in a better place." ha said when he saw me looking around the room. "A baby, huh?" now he was checking out my stomach. "Oh, Rose... always something going wrong to you..."

"Decided to come back?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah... Mom wanted me here for Christmas... Moms." he rolled his eyes. Moms. My mom would never do that. "When Lissa told me what was going on around here..."

"You thought what everybody does. What a bitch, she cheated on Dimitri." I said.

"No."

"No what?"

"I don't think you cheated on him." Now, that's a surprise. I didn't expect that from him... Well... when I actually did cheat on him with Dimitri.

Adrian just finished his drink and walked to the table to pour some more.

"Why?" I asked him. "Why do you believe me?"

"I don't know... I have that feeling. A spirit thing." he said and then laughed. "I just can't get it! How can people be so stupid!" I can see how drunk he really is, now.

"I mean... how could Dimitri not believe you?"

"He believes my mom."

"Russian God my ass. He was turned into a strigoi and then back to a dhampir. The turn isn't just something normal that leaves no consequences! It's something extremely rare..." Dimitri wasn't always a dhampir. That has to be it! Or...

"But the doctors that took tests on him... said that everything is the same." I said.

"Come on, Rose... I'm a hundred percent sure that they didn't check and test all of it. They just wanted to check if he isn’t a danger ... Other didn't matter. Other was not important because it couldn't hurt anybody." Hurt anybody but me and Dimitri. And I can't keep myself from smiling. I finally get how my child is possible.

Adrian comes closer and touches my cheek with his hand that just came out of his pocket. "Rose... How I wish to be in his place."

Suddenly, a loud noise woke me up. It came from outside. It sounded like something broke. I get scared. It's Christmas. Yulian and Ivan are probably asleep now, when they were awake for whole day. I quietly step outside my room and I can see Mark sleeping in the room next to mine. I can't see the other side of the bed where Oksana sleeps but I'm sure she's also there.

When I walk to the living room I see Ivan and Yulian sleeping on the couch. I can see they tried to be awake because they were still half sitting. But I have to check what's going outside. I walk to the drawer next to the TV and I take out silver stake and a gun. I put the stake in my pocket and slowly walk to the back door with a gun in my hands very carefully.

I'm leaning to the door that is a little open and I start feeling nervous. Did Robert find out about my hiding place? If he did... how many strigoi are out there waiting to get me. And my child. Should I wake the others up?

That's when I hear footsteps in the snow coming closer. I can't wait anymore. I burst outside try to point my gun to the heart as much as I can but then I look to the faces.

Oksana and Dimitri.

I don't know why but I couldn't move my gun away. I was pointing it on Dimitri. Both of them looked surprised.

"Try to be more quiet next time." I say and give the gun and the stake to Oksana. Then I just walk back.

But only after I got back under blankets I remembered what I was dreaming before. Well... not really dreaming. I can tell him the truth. I can tell him how this child is possible.

I run to find Dimitri but all I find is Oksana putting her coat on the hanger.

"Where is he?"

"He left. Sorry but... he had to come here. He came to tell us something..."

"And?"

"Dimka got a letter from the Court. And it says, that there's still no clue of Robert Doru." she speaks quietly.

"That bastard got himself a good hiding place."

"Indeed, they don't even know on which continent he is..." she said. I went back to my room. What if they never find him? Then my child would be in bigger danger...

Great, Dimitri isn't here. It's only a matter of time when he'll be back again. And I can't call him here... or go anywhere. Now, when I know how it's possible it's going to be harder to wait to tell him.

But I have to tell him.