A hidden past. (A Vampire Academy fanfiction)

Lessons

We made it out without anyone noticing and I sat out of class. The class got shut up by Alberta about five minutes in. Thank god.

"Shush!" She boomed. "Enough. Leave Rose alone. She's just had her first kill. And that is one no one is ready for. The injuries she received are significant enough to put her out for the week. She had to take out a turned Natalie Dashkov. Don't let that turn into the stuff of gossip. You are novices who are months, months, not years away from having someone's life or death in your hands. I suggest you take possession of your tongues and sensibilities now. Now get to work!" She came and joined me on the bleachers, "you okay?"

"Yeah. I'll survive."

"I saw you know?"

"What?"

"You re-opening the cuts thanks to taking breakfast's tension out on the bag."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah. I saw the Belikov take action to clean you back up. How many cuts did you reopen?"

"All." I sighed. "I caused all of them to reopen, legs, chest, and stomach included."

"And he cleaned them all didn't he? I can tell by the wardrobe change."

"Yeah. He did."

"I'm surprised he even let you near the bag."

"It would have been taken out on him otherwise. It was a choice between letting me use the bag and reopen cuts or risk creating new injuries by sparring with me. If you were him which would you choose?"

"The same one he did."

"So would I."

"Do you want to critique Mason and Eddie? You're ahead of the curriculum- I've been watching how you take down those two puppies of yours."

I sighed. "They are not my puppies. And yeah. I'd like that."

"They are your puppies."

"I've had this argument with Dimitri in Russian and English." I got up and headed over to my lovesick puppy who goes by the name of 'Mase' and my sibling-love puppy called 'Eddie'.

"Guys! Seriously." I shook my head, I had already seen two major issues.

"What?"

"Issue one: spontaneity, you're too predictable. Issue two: focus." They'd been talking, chatting and laughing. Natalie had tried to distract me like that. Never talk back, focus only on the fight, tune out the talk.

"Say what?"

"Never talk back. Focus only on the fight. Tune out the other's talk. Now, Eddie, you try engaging Mase in a conversation, throw insults, anything. While Mase, you ignore it, literally only listen for battle sounds. And don't forget to change it up. Now, try it." They just stared at me. "Stop staring, start sparring!" They did- thank god.

"Better. Not excellent, but better, much better. Did you feel the difference?"

"Yes." They responded in turn.

"Rose?"

"Yes, Mase?"

"Why are you critiquing us?"

"Dimitri has me ahead of the curriculum apparently, so Alberta offered for me to try and teach you why I'm no longer on the mat when I spar with you two. That said, I'm never off the mat when against Dimitri."

"Seriously? You're ahead?"

"Guys! Switch roles. Mase, try and distract Eddie. And try changing it up more often. Now!" They were improving a tiny bit. But not enough. "Eddie, did you feel the difference?"