Dimitri's POV in Vampire Academy (Fanfic)

Chapter 4

I supervised some more classes that day, the school day dragging by like it normally did. I didn’t run into Rose for a while, which was good. Her absence enabled me to think.

Suddenly I stopped right in my tracks. What was wrong with me? Was I purposefully avoiding a young dhampir girl? When did I ever become such a coward? My old mentors in Siberia would surely have laughed at me. Shaking my head in disgust, I continued on my way through the corridors towards the gym where I would – unfortunately, and equally fortunately – have my first lesson with Rose.

In the gym I prepared everything in advance, dragging out the equipment and covering the floor with mats – nothing too advance, since we were just going to practice some fighting techniques today. When I was done, I checked my watch. Rose should be here by now. Unsurprisingly, she was going to run late. I groaned internally; I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. Resolutely, I marched out of the gym in search of the infuriating Hathaway girl.

I searched in all the obvious places – the last classroom she was in, the cafeteria, the lounging rooms, half expecting to find her plopped down on a bean bag, surrounded by her admiring fans. She was nowhere to be seen. I grabbed a student’s arm, a male novice that yelped in surprise as he took in my big, looming form.

‘Have you seen Vasilisa and Rose anywhere?’

‘No, sir,’ the boy stammered. I nodded, letting him go.

I asked a couple of more people, until finally one Moroi girl pointed down the hall that led outside the school. Of course, I thought. I should have known I could find Rose especially where she was not supposed to be.

I exited, moving quietly around a corner until I caught sight of them. The girls were engaged in a vivid conversation that I couldn’t hear. Rose was gesticulating wildly, no doubt drilling the sullen-looking princess about some matter or another. It was amazing what a stark contrast they created.

On one hand you had the tall and slender Moroi, fair and frail like Moroi typically looked like. And on the other hand…you had Rose.

She was so bright and alive and vivid. How could I ignore her? She was average-sized, and yet she took up so much room, like her soul swelled with a throbbing need to just exist. She held back nothing, her emotions so exuberantly visible on her features, her stance, her tone of voice. I had never seen any person surrounded by such a buzzing aura of energy, like every cell on her body was vibrating with life-lust. She was mind-bogglingly impressive, and there was no point denying it any longer.

But, right now I was supposed to be angry with her for skipping class, and I needed to act accordingly. Stepping out of the shadows, I made my way up to where they were standing, catching the last words of Rose’s tirade.

‘No arguments.’ Vasilisa nodded in surrender to Rose’s command.

‘Rose?’ I spoke, looming over them in an attempt to get them to notice me. They both swivelled around to look up at me, faces blank. Were they hiding something? ‘You’re late for practice,’ I said evenly, wondering if Rose was ever going to figure it out herself. I remembered Vasilisa was standing there, and certain protocol had to be followed. I gave her a polite nod. ‘Princess.’

Understanding flooded Rose’s features, and she unwillingly offered the princess a ‘see you later’, before turning to walk with me. I glanced at her, noting that a worried frown had edged onto her face. Frowning was something she did very often, and I recalled the hazy memory of her grinning at gym practice. I very much wanted to see that smile directed at me.

What?

Horrified by my thoughts, I came to an abrupt halt when I suddenly realised Rose had stopped walking. I turned to face her, puzzled by her behaviour. Searching her eyes, I realised they were vacant, staring, absent. How odd. I waved my hand in front of her face, needing her to snap out of it. She looked…strange, like her soul had suddenly abandoned her body.

What was going on?

Suddenly emotions flashed across her face too fast for me to follow. Confusion. Fear. And more. Was it her own?

It was with a sudden jolt of surprise that I realised what was occurring. No, these feelings did not belong to Rose – they belonged to the princess.

But that still did not explain this spooky behaviour. Growing worried, I gently poked her arm. ‘Rose.’ No response.

I let my fingers wrap around her arm, surprised by the bulge of a bicep hiding under her baggy clothing. I tugged at her arm. ‘Rose! Snap out of it!’ No response. She was staring right ahead; right through me, as if I didn’t exist. I felt chilled to the bone; how long was this going to last?

I shook her this time, refraining from slapping her in the face. ‘Rose? Roza! Come back to me.’ I froze, stunned by my own choice of wording. Roza…the Russian version of Rose – where had that come from?

As the minutes dragged on, I was growing increasingly uneasy, panicked by the thought that I was powerless to do anything – it was not a feeling I associated myself with often. Rose seemed suspended in time, an empty shell with no will of her own. The look did not suit her. The wind wrapped around us then, blowing her hair into her face. Automatically, I reached forward with a trembling hand, tucking it behind her ear. My fingers lingered on her cheek a second longer than they should have. Realising what the hell I was doing, I snatched my hand back, staring helplessly at Rose as I battled for control over my own emotions.

Urgh, I grumbled. I hated feeling helpless. Determined to not succumb to my worry, I leaned toward Rose again, this time gripping her shoulders.

‘Rose? Rose?’

Finally, finally, consciousness began to trickle into the depths of her chocolate brown eyes…