A hidden past. (A Vampire Academy fanfiction)

Strength

RPOV

The gym door slammed shut and Dad called the all clear.

"She's a bitch." I mumbled once I'd caught my breath.

"I agree." Dimitri pecked my cheek, causing it to tingle.

"Don't do that! I was seriously about one second away from ripping your pants off. So, if you tease me any more my poor father..." I let that hang. It worked.

"Sorry Roza."

"Get dressed you two. Alberta needed you in her office ten minutes ago." That snapped us into action.

"Why are you two so late?"

"We had a run in with Tasha Ozera." I explained in a hurry.

"Ah. The self-deluded one who thinks she's in the middle of a love triangle, slash thinks of Rose as 'the other woman'?"

"Exactly. Now, why are we here?"

"You're needed to check out a suspicious silence from Art's Badica house."

"Okay." We immediately agreed.

"Here." She handed Dimitri a set of keys and a note to get me off campus. "Get out of here." We nodded and left. There was an ominous feel to this mission, and a blanket sense of dread settled over me. And smothered me, it refused to move, leave, shift or lighten. Unfortunately, the closer we got the heavier the blanket of dread got and it was almost a physical force that was making me suffocate and choke by the time we pulled up. The second the engine stopped I was out, noticing the lack of noise, and off round the back entrance. God only knows why. I almost tripped on a stake. I quickly removed it and headed further 'round the back. I knew the wards were broken, and it had to have been humans, meaning Strigoi had done the true damage. And hadn't they ever. I had a dizzying sense of seeing the house from a birds-eye view, and could rotate it around. I saw Strigoi, seven at least, entering and slaughtering. The entire family gone. All, bar one, dead.

I headed through to where the toddler lay asleep, hidden from sight, sound and smell. This was a special child, clearly, because this was a specially designed cubby. I carefully knelt down after releasing my hair from its holders and placing the other stake in through the belt loops on my jeans. I don't know how I was the only one to find this child, to see the cubby and know how to get into it. I didn't get how I knew how to get this child out, but I just did.

"Hey baby." I gently nudged the small form in front of me.

"Mommy! Mommy Roza!" The little girl squealed after taking one look at me, and crawled into my arms.

"Hey baby girl." I gently cooed and stroked her hair. "It's okay. It'll be okay. I need you to do one thing for Mommy."

She looked into my eyes with ones so like mine, set in a face so like Dimitri's, "anything, I love you Mommy. Anything."

"Shut your eyes for me. Shut your eyes, hold your breath and nose. Please. The bad creatures came. That bad creatures came and it's bad smelling and messy out side. Please baby girl."

"Yes Mommy. Tell me when."

I kissed her cheek and stood up. "Now." She did as I asked and I carefully and quickly got her back to the car, and a curious Dimitri (and I promptly ignored him, this little girl needed all my attention right now). "It's okay baby, you can open your eyes and breathe now. It's okay baby girl." I ran my hand over her hair and she released her breath had opened her eyes.

"I love you Mommy. Thank you for saving me. For finding me." She kissed my cheek.

"It's okay baby girl. I love you too. Mommy's angel." I tapped her nose and kissed each cheek and forehead. It caused her to go into a fit of giggles.