Vampire Academy: The Belikov Boy

Princess

   MASON POV

   My head was pounding.

   One wouldn't think of this as anything new, being that I had spent basically my whole life training in hand to hand combat and had sustained a number of concussions but usually I could at least remember what had happened.

   So yes, my head was pounding. But my mind was also blank.

   I opened one eye cautiously, I was in the infirmary at the academy. That was a good sign right?

   I opened my other eye, sitting forward a little and cringing as my whole body ached in protest. I ignored it. Once I was fully sitting, I caught the eye of several Guardians in the room.

   My heart took off racing. Why was I being monitored by several guardians?

   My mind raced ahead of me, all my worse nightmares coming true. What had I done? I could feel the fatigue from magic in me, I'd used a lot for me to feel this way.

   Had I lost it? Spirit Darkness always threatened to overtake its users, but I always had a nagging suspicion it was worse for me because I had so much more magic. Who had I hurt? What were they going to do with me?

   What had my parents thought? What had Primrose thought? Dear god.

   I forced myself to speak, keeping my voice even.

   "What did I do?"

   One of the guardians came over, and he didn't seem too afraid of me, which could only be good, right? I didn't know this Guardian though, he wasn't one who worked at the academy.

"You're Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov's kid right? The Famous Belikov Boy?" he asked, and my teeth immediately mashed together at the nickname.

"Mason. My name is Mason." I said coldly. He didn't seem to notice.

"Well, Mason, a lot has happened in the last few hours, I don't know how much you remember. What is the last thing you remember?"

I thought about his question, trying to recall the latest memory I had.

Compelling Katie Voda to forget about my and Prim's midnight adventure. That I remembered... And I faintly remember sneaking into the Ivashkov girls car and hitching a ride to the mall.

"Me and Prim snuck out." I told him, stating it like a question.

"That you did, and while that's usually a major punishment in this establishment I believe everyone's worrying about the bigger feat you accomplished."

"And what would that be?" I asked, more anger than I'd meant to seeping into my tone.

"You restored a strigoi, and killed one, exclusively with your spirit magic."

I restored a strigoi. With only my magic.

"Did I have a stake when I restored the strigoi? All spirit users can restore strigoi with a stake..." I said, hoping. I didn't need to be more different than I already was.

"No." he answered, and sounded pretty positive about it.

"Were there any witnesses? Besides the former strigoi, that is." I asked my voice quiet, but I could hear the underlying anger in it. I could feel the spirit darkness in veins, waiting for me to let it have control. I wasn't surprised with the amount of magic I'd apparently used.

"Yes. Princess Ozera Dragomir was there."

"What? Is she harmed?!?" I demanded, trying to move from my sitting position to standing, but fell back against the pillows. I was going to be out of commission for awhile.