Dimitri's Point of View in Vampire Academy (VA fans) (Book 1)

Part 5

Chapter 5:

The next couple of days consisted of training Rose and protecting the Moroi. Nothing unusual happened like always.

Finally when Sunday rolled around I was more than happy to have the day off. The school requested the guardians to take the day as a holiday; students got the regular Saturday and Sunday off. Guardians only got Sunday off. But some of them (like me) didn't see the point in skipping a day for relaxation. But like every Sunday I attended church.

I took my regular seat in the back where I never really listened to the Priest. I'm not anti-religious or anything, but going to church helps me think. I always prayed for God's forgiveness on all the deaths I have committed, all the souls I have taken. Strigoi or not. Death was never easy like others here made it out to be. And it became a lot harder to cope with when the death had been caused by your hands. This also made life a lot more complicated.

I know it's my duty to kill and protect, but even I still have problems killing the evil creatures. They had lives once; they had a family and friends who loved them, even though they had turned. And I felt like I took that away from them when my stake pierced their heart.

I don't think I could kill my own family if they turned Strigoi. Or even my pasty friends or teachers, I just couldn't live with the pain for the rest of my life.

The service ended all too quickly. And as I left the church I felt renewed and fresh. Like God had cleaned my slate, even though I know I'll never get over those six faces I see every night.

I was halfway across the commons when I heard shrieking. I turned around to see the princess and Rose drenched in melted snow.

A small girl with blond bouncy curls stood in front of them smirking at what had happened to the two girls. I didn't approach them, they, or rather Rose, hadn't started a fight yet so I wasn't concerned. After giving the blonde girl her best glare Rose stripped off her jacket and draped it over Vasilisa's shaking shoulders.

No matter what Rose was always there for the princess, whether it is Strigoi or a simple cut in front of the line. Watching her take care of Lissa made me happy. And I knew right then that Rose was going to be an amazing guardian.

I smiled as I walked away proud that I had Rose as a student.

A couple weeks later I was sitting on a mat in the gym reading a Louis L'Amour book while listening to "When Doves Cry" by Prince. The song came out in America when I was young; although I still remember the Russian version of it I liked the American one a lot better. The song brought back memories, ones that kept my mind busy before a cold draft entered the gym.

 Rose was the cause for the icy air nipping at my face. Her light expression fell as she stepped onto the gym's hard flooring. Either it was the song or my choice in book, I didn't know. Rose truly was a mystery.

"Whoa, Dimitri," She said tossing her bag on the floor with a loud thump. "I realized this is actually a current hit in Eastern Europe right now, but do you think we could maybe listen to something that wasn't recorded before I was born?"

I only glanced at her and then back down at my book. She picked the perfect time to ruin the best part. Leave it to Rose to do that. "What does it matter to you? I'm the one who's going to be listening to it. You'll be outside running."

She walked over to one of the bars that were used for stretching. She placed her leg on it and begun stretching out her muscles. She winced but only a little, not as much as she had a week ago when she had just begun putting her muscles to work. I could slowly see them toughening up and becoming much more resistant to the harsh training the school and I put her through.