Moving Objects

Chapter 22

By the time I got to the reoccurring nightmares, our drinks had gone cold. We sat in our chairs looking at each other; Tasha's lips pressed together in a thin line and my breathing slightly laboured. Tasha sat back in her seat for a moment and release a slow breath that she had been holding before closing her eyes and breathing again.

"That must be very difficult to cope with," she regarded me softly, "But it was in no way, shape, or form your fault. You understand this right? You are the victim here, not him. It doesn't matter if you are a Guardian, he preyed on you and he does not get to make you feel inferior. He's dead, and honestly, good riddance."

I nodded and leaned back in my chair took, sighing and running my fingers through my hair.

"And if this ever leaves the table, I'll burn you to a crisp. But you are not the only person at this table who's been through this."

My head snapped back down to look at her with wide eyes. "What?"

Tasha raised her brows for a second and tilted her head to the side. "It happened a few years ago, and I was lucky that it was after I started to work at the martial arts studio. My point is, you don't need to feel the guilt your feeling. That is probably part of the reason you're having nightmares. I know that it's easier said than done, but I really want you to focus on that. I want you to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say that you did nothing wrong. You may think it, but I think that you still feel the opposite."

I nodded my head and drank the rest of my cold hot chocolate before she spoke again.

"Thank you for confiding in me, Rose."

"Thank you for listening."

"Of course. What are friends for?"

___________________________

The ringtone woke me violently. I jumped out of the dream world and back into reality. I groaned and rolled over to find my phone. Out of convenience to the Belikova's I had switched to daytime schedule but I was utterly exhausted. I moved my hand blindly around the nightstand before pulling my phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I mumbled; my voice thick with sleep.

"Hello, Roza."

My eyes snapped open and I was instantly awake.

"How is my mother? Is she enjoying her stay at Court? She had always talked about wanting to visit but could never make the money work."

I sat up in bed silently, biting my tongue as I listened to his voice.

"I know you're there Roza, I can hear you breathing," Dimitri said, his voice thick and accented.

"What do you want?" I said bluntly, not really wanting to discuss anything with him, but I knew him. He would just call back if I hung up.

"I want you to reconsider my offer," he said.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, shaking my head at him. "The answer was no before, and it will continue to be no, Dimitri. Let it go."

Dimitri's laughed echoed over the line and I shivered involuntarily. "I won't let it go. Either you let me awaken you or I kill you. There are no other options. You can't stay inside the wards forever."

"Goodbye, Dimitri," I said before ending the call. I looked to see if the number he called from could be blocked, but it was an unknown number. I shook my head and set my phone back down on the nightstand before laying down. I got myself comfortable again when my phone chimed, alerting me to a text message. I huffed and rolled back over to look at the message, only to find a photo instead. A photo that was almost as threatening as Dimitri's words.