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Fan Forum Star
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 240,742
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Here we go..
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Scanning the staring, openmouthed novices, I looked for a familiar face. Most of them were guys. One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin.
"Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time.”
A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot. He was also one of the funniest guys I knew. We'd been good friends back in the day.
"This is my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session.”
"Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then.”
"It's always a good a time to think about you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine.
Dimitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn't sound complimentary. But as for me…well, just like that, I was one of the novices again. They were an easygoing bunch, less focused on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students.
The class engulfed me, and I found myself laughing and seeing those I'd nearly forgotten about. Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows that served just as well.
The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily I realized I didn't know most of them.
"Come on, Hathaway," he said, taking my arm. "You can be my partner. Let's see what you've been doing all this time.”
An hour later, he had his answer.
"Not practicing, huh?”
"Ow," I groaned, momentarily incapable of normal speech.
He extended a hand and helped me up from the mat he'd knocked me down on—about fifty times.
"I hate you," I told him, rubbing a spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow.
"You'd hate me more if I held back.”
"Yeah, that's true," I agreed, staggering along as the class put the equipment back.
"You actually did okay.”
"What? I just had my ass handed to me.”
"Well, of course you did. It's been two years. But hey, you're still walking. That's something." He grinned mockingly.
"Did I mention I hate you?”
He flashed me another smile, which quickly faded to something more serious. "Don't take this the wrong way.…I mean, you really are a scrapper, but there's no way you'll be able to take your trials in the spring—”
"They're making me take extra practice sessions," I explained. Not that it mattered. I planned on getting Lissa and me out of here before these practices really became an issue. "I'll be ready.”
"Extra sessions with who?”
"That tall guy. Dimitri.”
Mason stopped walking and stared at me. "You're putting in extra time with Belikov?”
"Yeah, so what?”
"So the man is a god.”
"Exaggerate much?" I asked.
"No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights…wow. If you think you're hurting now, you're going to be dead when he's done with you.”
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"So when's the big catfight going to happen?”
Mason was waiting for me outside our dorm after I'd parted ways with Lissa. He looked lazy and cute, leaning against the wall with crossed arms as he watched me.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”
He unfolded himself and walked with me into the building, handing me his coat, since I'd let Lissa go off with my dry one. "I saw you guys sparring outside the chapel. Have you no respect for the house of God?”
I snorted. "You've got about as much respect for it as I do, you heathen. You didn't even go. Besides, as you said, we were outside.”
"And you still didn't answer the question.”
I just grinned and slipped on his coat.
We stood in the common area of our dorm, a well-supervised lounge and study area where male and female students could mingle, along with Moroi guests. Being Sunday, it was pretty crowded with those cramming for last-minute assignments due tomorrow. Spying a small, empty table, I grabbed Mason's arm and pulled him toward it.
"Aren't you supposed to go straight to your room?”
I hunkered down in my seat, glancing around warily. "There are so many people here today, it'll take them a while to notice me. God, I'm so sick of being locked away. And it's only been a week.”
"I'm sick of it too. We missed you last night. A bunch of us went and shot pool in the rec room. Eddie was on fire.”
I groaned. "Don't tell me that. I don't want to hear about your glamorous social life.”
"All right." He propped his elbow up on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "Then tell me about Mia. You're just going to turn around and punch her one day, aren't you? I think I remember you doing that at least ten times with people that pissed you off.”
"I'm a new, reformed Rose," I said, doing my best impression of demure. Which wasn't very good. He emitted a choking sort of laugh. "Besides, if I do that, I'll have broken my probation with Kirova. Gotta walk the straight and narrow.”
"In other words, find some way to get back at Mia that you won't get in trouble for.”
I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. "You know what I like about you, Mase? You think just like I do.”
"Frightening concept," he replied drily. "So tell me what you think of this: I might know something about her, but I probably shouldn't tell you…”
I leaned forward. "Oh, you already tipped me off. You've got to tell me now.”
"It'd be wrong," he teased. "How do I know you'd use this knowledge for good instead of evil?”
I batted my eyelashes. "Can you resist this face?”
He took a moment to study me. "No. I can't, actually. Okay, here you go: Mia isn't royal.”
I slouched back in my chair. "No kidding. I already knew that. I've known who's royal since I was two.”
"Yeah, but there's more than just that. Her parents work for one of the Drozdov lords." I waved my hand impatiently. A lot of Moroi worked out in the human world, but Moroi society had plenty of jobs for its own kind too. Someone had to fill them. "Cleaning stuff. Practically servants. Her dad cuts grass, and her mom's a maid.”
I actually had a healthy respect for anyone who pulled a full day's work, regardless of the job. People everywhere had to do crappy stuff to make a living. But, much like with Target, it became another matter altogether when someone was trying to pass herself off as something else. And in the week that I'd been here, I'd picked up on how desperately Mia wanted to fit in with the school elite.
"No one knows," I said thoughtfully.
"And she doesn't want them to. You know how the royals are." He paused. "Well, except for Lissa, of course. They'd give Mia a hard time over it.”
"How do you know all this?”
"My uncle's a guardian for the Drozdovs.”
"And you've just been sitting on this secret, huh?”
"Until you broke me. So which path will you choose: good or evil?”
"I think I'll give her a grace—”
"Miss Hathaway, you know you aren't supposed to be here.”
One of the dorm matrons stood over us, disapproval all over her face.
I hadn't been joking when I said Mason thought like me. He could bull**** as well as I could. "We have a group project to do for our humanities class. How are we supposed to do it if Rose is in isolation?”
The matron narrowed her eyes. "You don't look like you're doing work.”
I slid over the priest's book and opened it at random. I'd placed it on the table when we sat down. "We're, um, working on this.”
She still looked suspicious. "One hour. I'll give you one more hour down here, and I'd better actually see you working.”
"Yes, ma'am," said Mason straight-faced. "Absolutely.”
She wandered off, still eyeing us. "My hero," I declared.
He pointed at the book. "What is this?”
"Something the priest gave me. I had a question about the service.”
He stared at me, astonished.
"Oh, stop it and look interested." I skimmed the index. "I'm trying to find some woman named Anna.”
Mason slid his chair over so that he was sitting right beside me. "All right. Let's 'study.'“
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"There you go," Mason said. "She was his guardian."
"It doesn't say what 'shadow-kissed' means.”
"Probably doesn't mean anything.”
Something in me didn't believe that. I read it again, trying to make sense of the old-fashioned language. Mason watched me curiously, looking like he very much wanted to help.
"Maybe they were hooking up," he suggested.
I laughed. "He was a saint.”
"So? Saints probably like sex too. That 'brother and sister' stuff is probably a cover." He pointed to one of the lines. "See? They were 'bound' together." He winked. "It's code.”
Bound. It was a weird word choice, but that didn't necessarily mean Anna and Vladimir were ripping each other's clothes off.
"I don't think so. They're just close. Guys and girls can just be friends." I said it pointedly, and he gave me a dry look.
"Yeah?We're friends, and I don't know what's in your 'heart and mind.'" Mason put on a fake philosopher's look. "Of course, some might argue that one can never know what's in the heart of a woman—”
"Oh, shut up," I groaned, punching him in the arm.
"For they are strange and mysterious creatures," he continued in his scholarly voice, "and a man must be a mind reader if he ever wishes to make them happy.”
I started giggling uncontrollably and knew I'd probably get in trouble again. "Well, try to read my mind and stop being such a—”
I stopped laughing and looked back down at the book.
Bound together and always knows what is in his heart and mind.
They had a bond, I realized. I would have bet everything I owned—which wasn't much—on it. The revelation was astonishing. There were lots of vague stories and myths about how guardians and Moroi 'used to have bonds.' But this was the first I'd ever heard of anyone specific that it had happened to.
Mason had noticed my startled reaction. "You okay? You look kind of weird.”
I shrugged it off. "Yeah. Fine."
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"The comeback's starting," observed Mason after class.
"So it would seem.”
He gently touched my arm. "How's Lissa?”
It didn't surprise me that he knew. Gossip spread so fast around here sometimes, it felt like everyone had a psychic bond.
"Okay. Coping." I didn't elaborate on how I knew that. Our bond was a secret from the student body. "Mase, you claim to know about Mia. You think she might have done that?”
"Whoa, hey, I'm not an expert on her or anything. But honestly? No. Mia won't even do dissections in biology. I can't picture her actually catching a fox, let alone, um, killing it.”
"Any friends who might do it for her?”
He shook his head. "Not really. They're not really the types to get their hands dirty either. But who knows?”
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On the quad, outside my dorm, someone was saying my name.
"Hey, Rose? I've called you, like, a hundred times.”
I forgot about Ms. Karp and the raven and glanced over at Mason, who had apparently started walking with me toward the dorm while I was off in la-la land.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm out of it. Just…um, tired.”
"Too much excitement last night?”
I gave him a narrow-eyed look. "Nothing I couldn't handle.”
"I guess," he laughed, though he didn't exactly sound amused. "Sounds like Jesse couldn't handle it.”
"He did okay.”
"If you say so. But personally, I think you've got bad taste.”
I stopped walking. "And I don't think it's any of your business.”
He looked away angrily. "You made it the whole class's business.”
"Hey, I didn't do that on purpose.”
"Would've happened anyway. Jesse's got a big mouth.”
"He wouldn't have told.”
"Yeah," said Mason. "Because he's so cute and has such an important family.”
"Stop being an idiot," I snapped. "And why do you even care? Jealous I'm not doing it with you?”
His flush grew, going all the way to the roots of his red hair. "I just don't like hearing people talk **** about you, that's all. There are a lot of nasty jokes going around. They're calling you a ****.”
"I don't care what they call me.”
"Oh, yeah. You're really tough. You don't need anyone.”
I stopped. "I don't. I'm one of the best novices in this ****ing place. I don't need you acting all gallant and coming to my defense. Don't treat me like I'm some helpless girl.”
I turned around and kept walking, but he caught up to me easily. The woes of being five-seven.
"Look…I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just worried about you.”
I gave a harsh laugh.
"I'm serious. Wait…" he began. "I, uh, did something for you. Sort of. I went to the library last night and tried to look up St. Vladimir,”
I stopped again. "You did?”
"Yeah, but there wasn't much on Anna. All the books were kind of generic. Just talked about him healing people, bringing them back from the edge of death.”
That last part hit a nerve.
"Was…was there anything else?" I stammered.
He shook his head. "No. You probably need some primary sources, but we don't have any here.”
"Primary what?”
He scoffed, a smile breaking over his face. "Do you do anything but pass notes? We just talked about them the other day in Andrews' class. They're books from the actual time period you want to study. Secondary ones are written by people living today. You'll get better information if you find something written by the guy himself. Or someone who actually knew him.”
"Huh. Okay. What are you, like, a boy genius now?”
Mason gave me a light punch in the arm. "I pay attention, that's all. You're so oblivious. You miss all sorts of things." He smiled nervously. "And look…I really am sorry about what I said. I was just—”
Jealous, I realized. I could see it in his eyes. How had I never noticed this before? He was crazy about me. I guess I really was oblivious.
"It's all right, Mase. Forget about it." I smiled. "And thanks for looking that stuff up.”
He smiled back, and I went inside, sad that I didn't feel the same way about him.
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I had to pass through the doorway they stood in to get outside. Glaring, I pushed past, but Miles caught me around the waist, his hand sliding down to my butt.
"Get your hands off my ass before I break your face," I told him, jerking away. In doing so, I only bumped into Anthony.
"Come on," Anthony said, "I thought you didn't have a problem taking on two guys at the same time.”
A new voice spoke up. "If you guys don't walk away right now, I'll take both of you on." Mason. My hero.
"You're so full of it, Ashford," said Miles. He was the bigger of the two and left me to go square off with Mason. Anthony backed off from me, more interested in whether or not there'd be a fight. There was so much testosterone in the air, I felt like I needed a gas mask.
"Are you doing her too?" Miles asked Mason. "You don't want to share?”
"Say one more word about her, and I'll rip your head off.”
"Why? She's just a cheap blood—”
Mason punched him. It didn't rip Miles' head off or even cause anything to break or bleed, but it looked like it hurt. His eyes widened, and he lunged toward Mason. The sound of doors opening in the hall caused everyone to freeze. Novices got in a lot of trouble for fighting.
"Probably some guardians coming." Mason grinned. "You want them to know you were beating up on a girl?”
Miles and Anthony exchanged glances. "Come on," Anthony said. "Let's go. We don't have time for this.”
Miles reluctantly followed. "I'll find you later, Ashford.”
When they were gone, I turned on Mason. "'Beat up on a girl'?”
"You're welcome," he said drily.
"I didn't need your help.”
"Sure. You were doing just fine on your own.”
"They caught me off guard, that's all. I could have dealt with them eventually.”
"Look, don't take being pissed off at them out on me.”
"I just don't like being treated like…a girl.”
"You are a girl. And I was just trying to help.”
I looked at him and saw the earnestness on his face. He meant well. No point in being a bitch to him when I had so many other people to hate lately.
"Well…thanks. Sorry I snapped at you.”
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Mason continued watching me admiringly, oblivious to what was going on in my head. And seeing that adoration, I suddenly realized how I could use it to my advantage.
Feeling a little guilty, I shifted my conversation to a more flirty style and watched Mason's glow increase.
I leaned beside him on the wall so our arms just touched and gave him a lazy smile. "You know, I still don't approve of your whole hero thing, but you did scare them. That was almost worth it.”
"But you don't approve?”
I trailed fingers up his arm. "No. I mean, it's hot in principle but not in practice.”
He laughed. "The hell it isn't." He caught hold of my hand and gave me a knowing look. "Sometimes you need to be saved. I think you like being saved sometimes and just can't admit it.”
"And I think you get off on saving people and just can't admit it.”
"I don't think you know what gets me off. Saving damsels like you is just the honorable thing to do," he declared loftily.
I repressed the urge to smack him over the use of damsels. "Then prove it. Do me a favor just because it's 'the right thing to do.'“
"Sure," he said immediately. "Name it.”
"I need you to get a message to Christian Ozera.”
His eagerness faltered. "What the—? You aren't serious.”
"Yes. Completely.”
"Rose…I can't talk to him. You know that.”
"I thought you said you'd help. I thought you said helping 'damsels' is the honorable thing to do.”
"I don't really see how honor's involved here." I gave him the most smoldering look I could manage. He caved. "What do you want me to tell him?”
"Tell him I need St. Vladimir's books. The ones in storage. He needs to sneak them to me soon. Tell him it's for Lissa. And tell him…tell him I lied the night of the reception." I hesitated. "Tell him I'm sorry.”
"That doesn't make any sense.”
"It doesn't have to. Just do it. Please?" I turned on the beauty queen smile again.
With hasty assurances that he'd see what he could do, he left for lunch, and I went off to practice.
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About ten minutes after the dance's start time, I decided to clean up and take a shower. When I came back down the hall from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my head, I saw Mason standing outside my door. He wasn't exactly dressed up, but he also wasn't wearing jeans. It was a start.
"There you are, party girl. I was about ready to give up.”
"Did you start another fire? No guys allowed in this hall.”
"Whatever. Like that makes a difference." True. The school might be able to keep Strigoi out, but they did a horrible job at keeping the rest of us away from each other. "Let me in. You've got to get ready.”
It took me a minute to realize what he meant. "No. I'm not going.”
"Come on," he prodded, following me inside. "'Cause you had a fight with Lissa? You guys are going to make up soon. No reason for you to stay here all night. If you don't want to be around her, Eddie's getting a group together over in his room later.”
My old, fun-loving spirit perked its head up just a bit. No Lissa. Probably no royals. "Yeah?”
Seeing that he was starting to get me, Mason grinned. Looking at his eyes, I realized again how much he liked me. And again I wondered, Why couldn't I just have a normal boyfriend? Why did I want my hot, older mentor—the mentor I'd probably end up getting fired?
"It'll just be novices," Mason continued, oblivious to my thoughts. "And I have a surprise for you when we get there.”
"Is it in a bottle?" If Lissa wanted to ignore me, I had no reason to keep myself sober.
"No, that's at Eddie's. Hurry up and get dressed. I know you aren't wearing that.”
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When I saw Kirova in a sleeveless plaid dress, I turned to Mason and said, "Are you sure we can't hit the hard liquor yet?”
He snickered and took my hand again. "Come on, time for your surprise.”
Letting him lead me, I walked across the room, cutting through a cluster of freshmen who looked way too young to be doing the kind of pelvic thrusts they were attempting.
Where were the chaperones when you needed them? Then I saw where he was leading me and came to a screeching halt.
"No," I said, not budging when he tugged my hand.
"Come on, it's going to be great.”
"You're taking me to Jesse and Ralf. The only way I can ever be seen with them is if I've got a blunt object, and I'm aiming between their legs.”
He pulled me again. "Not anymore. Come on.”
Reluctant, I finally started moving: my worst fears were realized when a few pairs eyes turned our way. Great. Everything was starting all over again. Jesse and Ralf didn't notice us at first, but when they did, an amusing array of expressions played over their faces. First they saw my body and the dress. Testosterone took over as pure male lust shone out of their faces. Then they seemed to realize it was me and promptly turned terrified. Cool.
Mason gave Jesse a sharp poke in the chest with the end of his finger. "All right, Zeklos. Tell her.”
Jesse didn't say anything, and Mason repeated the gesture, only harder.
"Tell her.”
Not meeting my eyes, Jesse mumbled, "Rose, we know none of that stuff happened.”
I almost choked on my own laughter. "Do you? Wow. I'm really glad to hear that. Because you see, until you said that, I'd been thinking it had happened. Thank God you guys are here to set me straight and tell me what the hell I have or haven't done!”
They flinched, and Mason's light expression darkened to something harder.
"She knows that," he growled. "Tell her the rest.”
Jesse sighed. "We did it because Mia told us to.”
"And?" prompted Mason.
"And we're sorry.”
Mason turned to Ralf. "I want to hear it from you, big boy.”
Ralf wouldn't meet my eyes either, but he mumbled something that sounded vaguely like an apology.
Seeing them defeated, Mason turned chipper. "You haven't heard the best part yet.”
I cut him a sidelong look. "Yeah? Like the part where we rewind time and none of this ever happened?”
"Next best thing." He tapped Jesse again. "Tell her. Tell her why you did it.”
Jesse looked up and exchanged uneasy looks with Ralf.
"Boys," warned Mason, clearly delighted about something, "you're making Hathaway and me very angry. Tell her why you did it.”
Wearing the look of one who realized things couldn't get any worse, Jesse finally met my eyes. "We did it because she slept with us. Both of us."
Y MOUTH DROPPED OPEN. "Uh…wait…you mean sex?”
My astonishment prevented me from thinking of a better response. Mason thought it was hysterical. Jesse looked like he wanted to die.
"Of course I mean sex. She said she'd do it if we said that we'd…you know….”
I made a face. "You guys didn't both, uh, do it at the same time, did you?”
"No," said Jesse in disgust. Ralf kind of looked like he wouldn't have minded.
"God," I muttered, pushing hair out of my face. "I can't believe she hates us that much.”
"Hey," exclaimed Jesse, reading into my insinuation. "What's that supposed to mean? We're not that bad. And you and me—we were pretty close to—”
"No. We weren't even close to that." Mason laughed again, and something struck me. "If this…if this happened back then, though…she must have still been dating Aaron.”
All three guys nodded.
"Oh. Whoa.”
Mia really hated us. She'd just moved beyond poor-girl-wronged-by-girl's-brother and well into sociopath territory. She'd slept with these two and cheated on a boyfriend whom she seemed to adore.
Jesse and Ralf looked incredibly relieved when we walked away. Mason slung a lazy arm around my shoulders. "Well? What do you think? I rule, right? You can tell me. I won't mind.”
I laughed. "How'd you finally find that out?”
"I called in a lot of favors. Used some threats. The fact that Mia can't retaliate helped too.”
I recalled Mia accosting me the other day. I didn't think she was entirely helpless yet but didn't say so.
"They'll start telling people on Monday" he continued. "They promised. Everyone'll know by lunch.”
"Why not now?" I asked sulkily. "They slept with a girl. Hurts her more than them.”
"Yeah. True. They didn't want to deal with it tonight. You could start telling people if you wanted to. We could make a banner.”
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