Moving Objects

Chapter 11

The table was crowded and we all squeezed in close to listen. Dimitri was on the other side of me with Tasha on his other side, my parents, Eddie and Adrian on the other side. The Guardians that came with us from the school and Abe's additional Guardians sat at a table just off to the side of us, blending in with the other patrons in the restaurant. We decided to go to an all-day breakfast bar given that it was our morning but to the humans, it was dinner time.

"So there she was, standing on top of the dining room table in a duck hooded towel screaming that Mr. Quack can't be alone in the bathtub," Dad explained over his laughter. I was slightly mortified at the tale of me as a child but happy to hear of them. Hell, even Dimitri laughed at some of the stories my parents told of me as a toddler and young child.

"So where did the name Rosemarie come from? It's very American for her background," Tasha said as she sipped her orange juice.

Dad smiled as he looked at me before responding. "Well, Rosemarie was a name that Jeanie always loved. Rose is also partly named after my sister, Aergul, which means blooming roses in Turkish. But the origin of Rosemarie is 'dew of the sea'. It's fitting since Rose never wanted to leave the water when living in Turkey."

I leaned forward in my seat with my mouth open in awe. "I lived in Turkey?"

"Yes," Mom replied. "We lived there until you turned four and then moved here when we brought you to the academy."

I sighed trying to imagine it, but even I couldn't picture it. Lissa was explaining to my parents about the time that her family and I went to Alaska on a summer break trip and how even though the water wasn't exceptionally warm, that I loved to swim in it. Mom and Dad both laughed at the story and agreed that I should have been born a mermaid instead of a Dhampir.

I felt content listening to the people around me converse as a family; even with Tasha and Adrian there. I may have had regards about the two but these people were all becoming my family. Eddie being one of my closest friends, my parents, Lissa my best friend and sister, Christian becoming steadily one of my friends. Adrian could be a huge pain in the ass but I knew that I was a part of his family as well.

And then there was Dimitri, who came into my life like a wrecking ball and yanked me out of my apartment in Portland, dragging me back to St. Vladimir's and turning my life around. I didn't realize how much I needed someone to believe in me for me to pull myself back together and get back into training. And here I was, nine months later, graduating. That and I couldn't imagine not having him in my life now.

Dad leaned back in his chair and fished envelopes out of his pocket, distributing them to Lissa, Christian, Eddie and myself. I looked down at the envelope confused and looked up at my dad.

"What are these?" Eddie asked, setting his down on the table.

"Graduation gifts, you all deserve them after the hell of a year you've had."

Out of politeness, we didn't open them right away, but looking at mine I could tell that mine was empty. It struck me as odd but I decided to wait to ask about it in private. Our breakfast/dinner arrived shortly after and I perked up at the prospect of eggs benedict. I didn't get it very often but it was my favourite aside from chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.

I observed Dimitri's egg white omelet with raised brows and a smirk. He was such a health nut. Although I noticed that Dad and Mom ordered something equally as healthy. I observed the table and looked over to see that the table of Guardians were eating breakfast feasts too. It made me happy to know that Dad wasn't the kind of Moroi to make his Guardians sit there and sip coffee while he ate.

"What are you planning to do when the lot graduates, Adrian?" Dad asked in the middle of his meal. Adrian had been playing with most of his meal, although I couldn't call it much of a meal because it was just a fried egg sandwich.