We Are Shadows

Chapter 20

A/N Hi my fellow cyber book worms. Sorry it has been a while since I last published a chapter but I have been very ill of late and recently just started a new round of treatment. While I've had the energy and time I have managed to write the next chapter for you. I hope to have another one for you soon but it is all dependent on my health. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 20

RPOV

It's been two days since the fight and the school was trying to get back to normal but the amount of guardians, not to mention the students both novice and moroi, who lost their lives that night were still weighing heavily on people. A steady stream of moroi parents were arriving to take their children away, which didn't make sense to me as this was still the safest place for them, given the bunkers and the defences St. Basil's has. Some of the parents complained that the bunker doors were left open even though witnesses clearly stated that it was moroi students who opened the doors and paid the ultimate price for doing so but no, in the eyes of some, the moroi can do no wrong.

We were still laying low in my cabin due to all of the hubbub going on in the school and any news was being brought to us by Roman and Alberta, who I'm glad to say recovered very well from her injuries and was staying around longer to help Roman with the aftermath before returning to St Vladimir's after Christmas. Klara also dropped by bringing with her gossip and food because neither of us wanted to venture out and risk being seen, especially Dimitri after the 'Lady Ozera' incident. With a bit of luck we will fade into the recesses of people's minds given time.

Although we were sharing accommodation now, as the cabin had two bedrooms, Dimitri had taken to avoiding me. We really needed to talk through a lot of things especially about what happened the other day, not just the fight but what went on before it and then there are the added skills that we now seem to have. I wanted to get to the bottom of them and find out why they have now appeared all of a sudden. I've been racking my brain trying to come up with reasons for them but each one seems more and more unlikely or damned scary. I was driving myself crazy with the possibilities and I needed Dimitri to work through them all. At that point Dimitri entered the kitchen where I was sitting. Now is a good a time as any and if he was going to try to avoid me again I was going to push the issue.

"Dimitri?" I said and he looked up at me. "We need to talk." There was silence for a few minutes and I thought he was going to turn and leave again as he had done for the last two days but he sighed, slammed his guardian mask on and spoke.

"Yes Rose, we need to talk" he said in a business like voice that he used in the beginning, not the one I had grown used to. It fell quiet again, this time uncomfortably so. I was about to break the silence when Dimitri continued. "It was a mistake."

"What was?" I asked wondering what he was talking about.

"Coming back here, training with you, everything, all of it" he said.

"Why?" I said trying to fight off a dreadful sinking feeling.

"I should have remained dead. Now people could find out" he said but I think he was talking to himself.

"Dimitri?"

"No Rose, as soon as everything has calmed down I'm leaving."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Does our friendship not mean anything to you? And what about what happened before the fight?"

"That's the biggest mistake of the lot" he shot back and I felt like he had just slapped me in the face. I slammed my own guardian face on just in time to stop traitorous tears that threatened to fall. "It should never have happened and will never happen again" he added. My heart was aching. I was really falling for Dimitri and I thought he felt the same but obviously not. The kiss or near kiss hadn't meant anything to him at all and that hurt. I composed myself before I spoke, maybe a little harshly but I didn't care anymore.