A Shadow Story Of St. Vladimir's Academy

Chapter 12: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 12: The Beginning of the End

            The next thing Liliya remembered was waking up in the hospital room, she looked to her right and saw some flowers and a few cards. A nurse entered the room. "What happened?" Liliya asked sitting up, rubbing the back of her aching head.

            "You fainted when they finally got you to settle down, from dehydration and starvation. You've been in here for two days." Two days? So much could have happened in two days. She could barely even think about what had happened.

            "How's everyone else?" She asked concerned, needing to know how her friends were.

            "Alright," the nurse began in a soft voice. "Azailia and Evander suffered the same as you, but they left early this morning and went back to their dorms. They're allowing you all a week to get back into the routine." Liliya felt as if she needed a life time to recover from what happened. "Nicolai is still here, he's awake. He suffered from a lot of blood-loss but is regaining strength. Daelin had a broken wrist and sprained ankle, not that she even noticed until we pointed it out. Strong fighter that girl." Liliya was waiting for her to tell her about Devin, some miracle that they found him and the transformation never happened. That he was sitting in the room right next door regaining strength. She knew he was gone though. She felt the same pain as she did last year, yet another friend gone. Taken in the world of darkness.

            "Can I leave now?" Liliya asked, "Please? I feel perfectly fine." The nurse tested her senses once more before allowing her to leave. She thanked her before she got up and walked around the infirmary. She passed by Nicolai but he looked as if he wanted to be left alone. She knew how he felt. Finally she came to Daelin's room, "Hi," she said knocking on the door lightly.

            Daelin looked up surprised. She had thought it would be another nurse or doctor, "Hey," she said after a few moments, "How are you?" She asked worried and looked her over as she swung her legs off her bed. She was being made to use crutches, though she didn't think she had too.

            "I'm alright," Liliya said leaning up against the wall, "Just...I don't know." Liliya felt as if she was about to explode, "I hate this! Its last year all over again, it took me months to get back to being normal. Strigoi attacks and now Devin's gone." Liliya glanced out the open door and noticed a few of her classmates walking by, probably got small injuries and had a headache. How could they be living like nothing happened? "I don't get it, people are just moving on. We were all excited about the dance tomorrow night a few days ago, now I don't even know if I want to go." She slumped down in the arm chair.

            "It's what they do. They knew him, but they weren't as close to him as we were. Even if they were, he's evil now. And if they do care, they're hiding it." Daelin wanted to cry, but held in her tears, instead feeling angry. "I had a hard time to last year, though guardian training distracted me, but now? With Devin as a Strigoi, I have no one to help me when I'm in my Dhampir classes, not anyone I'm really close to. Raksha is transferring schools, she visited me this morning. The family her mother is guarding is moving back to Russia, so she's going along."

            Liliya glanced down, "Let's leave, this place brings back bad memories." They passed Nicolai and his brother Afon, who was relieved to see him, they didn't want to interrupt. They left the infirmary, passing people who were laughing and gossiping. A few stopping and staring at the two, making Liliya even angrier but at least they were noticing that something happened. "I'm just going to go back to my room..." Liliya said, no longer wanting to be out in public. "Are you still going tomorrow? I will if you are." She wasn't really in the mood for a dance but maybe it would get her mind off things. Before everything happened, she was hoping Evander would ask her. He probably wasn't even going to go.