"Wake up, Mira," whispered Dimitri in my ear.
Immediately, I opened my eyes, "Is something wrong?"
"No, but it's time to meet the other guardians to discuss the training exercise for the novices," explained Dimitri, "Now get up!"
"What?" I asked.
Dimitri sighed, "I really didn't want to have to resort to doing this here."
"Doing whhhhhhaaaaattttt?!?!?!?!" I asked freaking out as he picked me up and dragged me to the bathroom.
"Get ready," ordered Dimitri laughing, dropping me.
I got up off the floor laughing too, "Okay, I'll be ready in five."
Dimitri nodded in approval, "I'll wait for you if you really are that quick."
"Do you remember nothing from the old days?" I laughed, closing the bathroom door.
Dimitri shrugged, calling back at me, "Maybe you've gotten old."
I smiled as I went through the same old motions, rushing at the end to get up hair up into a bun in order to finish within the time frame I had specified. I followed Dimitri to the guardian lounge, many of the guardians were already up and eating breakfast, chatting amicably among themselves. A few guardians cast a look towards the door and nodded acknowledging us as we entered.
"Forgive our tardiness," apologized Dimitri.
"You're not late, Guardian Belikov," stated Alberta.
I swear, when she said that, she looked straight at me. I dropped my gaze, slightly embarrassed as to yesterday's late situation. Never in my life had I been tardy, why now? Was Dimitri one of the reasons?
"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can discuss the training exercise," started Alberta.
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All the novices filed into the gym, whispering excitedly among themselves. I could see Rose laughing and I knew in a few minutes that smile, that happiness would all turn into rage. I cast a quick look at Dimitri across the stage.
Alberta cleared her throat, bringing everyone to attention...at about her fifth or sixth try to quiet everyone down. I could feel the excitement, the tension in there air. Everyone was waiting in anticipation for this moment. Every novice was waiting for this moment.
"You all know why you're here," started Alberta sternly, her voice projecting across the gym, "This is the most important day of your education before you take your final trials. Today you will find out which Moroi you've been placed with. Last week, you were given a booklet with the full details of how the six weeks will play out. I trust you've all read it by now. Just to recap, Guardian Alto will highlight the main rules of this exercise."
Then she handed a clipboard to Guardian Stan Alto. I didn't like him much, but I didn't dislike him either. He was just one of those guys who were just there. The competent sort that had a tendency to blend into any environment.
"Here we go," said Stan gruffly, "You'll be on duty six days a week. This is actually a treat for you guys. In the real world, you're usually working every day. You will accompany your Moroi everywhere-to class, to their dorms, to their feedings. Everything. It's up to you figure out how you fit into their lives. Some Moroi interact with their guardians just like friends; some Moroi prefer you to be more of an invisible ghost who doesn't talk to them."
"And some," I thought sadly, "become so much more..."
I quickly shook the thought out of my head and tried to look neutral, like Dimitri was looking like right about now.
I had never really noticed how intimidating he was. I mean he stood at 6' 7" and well, most guardians were really not that tall, especially not the girls. I wasn't tall for my age; I still had a few years of growing left in me. Compared to Rose, I was about the same height; both of us coming up to Dimitri's shoulder.
"Every situation is different, and you two will have to find a way to work it out to best ensure their safety. Attacks may come at anytime, anywhere, and we'll be dressed in all black when it happens. You should always be on your guard. Remember, even though you'll obviously know it's us doing the attacking and not real Strigoi, you should respond as though your lives are in terrible, immediate danger. Don't be afraid of hurting us. Some of you, I'm sure, won't have any qualms about getting us back for past grievances."
That earned Stan a couple giggles from the student body. This was very different from my training at St. Basil's in Russia. We never got to attack the teachers or even go through such a simple exercise as this. Our six weeks was actually a lot more dangerous. The teachers would unleash hundreds of captured Strigoi into the school for six weeks. They would keep the school in a constant state of alarm that way, but everything was carefully monitored so that none of the Strigoi could or would escape. Teachers never intervened unless a Moroi's life was in danger. As a result hundreds of novices, dhampirs, died in what was simply an exercise. We were already in demand, so this was not the best way to train dhampirs, but it ensured that only the very best were left, survival of the fittest, as they used to always say.
"But some of you may feel like you have to hold back, for fear of getting in trouble. Don't. You'll get into more trouble if you do hold back. Don't worry. We can take it," continued Stan, flipping to the next page of his clipboard, "You will be on duty twenty-four hours a day for your six-day cycles, but you may sleep during daylight when your Moroi does. Just be aware that although Strigoi attacks are rare in daylight, they aren't impossible indoors, and you will not necessarily be 'safe' during those times."
I could tell by this point, at least half the student population had already tuned him out. They were all so excited; they just wanted to know who they had been assigned to.
When Stan finished, he handed the clipboard to Alberta.
"Okay," she said, "I'm going to call out your names one by one and announce who you've been paired with. At that time, come down here to the floor, and Guardian Chase will give you a packet containing information about your Moroi's schedule, past, etcetera."
