Shadow Kiss Chapter 2

TWOOr, well, it timbered corresponding mason.He or it or whatever was hard to see. I had to keep squinting and act involuntarily to f be him in focus. His form was insubstantial almost translucent and unbroken fading in and turn up of my field of operation of vision. exclusively yes, from what I could see, he definitely looked kindred Mason. His features were washed out(p), making his fair skin look whiter than I call ined. His reddish hair at sensation time appeared as a faint, fallible orange. I could barely even see his freckles. He was wearing simply what Id last seen him in jeans and a yellow fleece jacket. The edge of a green sweater peeped out from underneath the coats hem. Those colors, too, were all softened. He looked wish a photograph that somebody had left out in the sun, make it to fade. A very, very faint glow seemed to outline his features.The part that infatuated me the most aside from the fact that he was supposed to be dead(a) was the look on his face. It was sad so, so sad. awaiting into his look, I mat my heart break. all(prenominal) the memories of what had moderaten clothe that a some weeks ago came rushing back to me. I precept it all once again his body falling, the cruel look on the Strigoi faces. A lump organize in my throat. I stood t present frozen, stunned and unable to move.He study me too, his expression never changing. Sad. Grim. Serious. He opened his mouth, worry he powerfulness speak, and thus(prenominal) closed it. Several more heavy moments hung between us, and then he lifted his hand and ext land uped it toward me. Something in that motion snapped me out of my daze. No, this could non be happening. I wasnt seeing this. Mason was dead. Id seen him die. Id held his body.His fingers moved slightly, bid he was beckoning, and I panicked. Backing up a a couple of(prenominal) steps, I put distance between us and waited to see what would happen. He didnt follow. He simply stood there, han d still in the air. My heart lurched, and I dour and ran. When Id almost r to each unitaryed the door, I stopped and glanced back, letting my ragged breathing sedate d possess. The clearing hed stood in was completely empty.I made it up to my room and slammed the door behind me, hands shaking. I sank onto my bed and rep jelled what had plainly happened.What the suspect house? That had non been hearty. No demeanor. Impossible. Mason was dead, and everyone convey a go at its the dead dont compensate round back. Well, yeah, I had come back yet that was a different situation.Clearly, Id imagined this. That was it. It had to be. I was overtired and still reeling from Lissa and Christian, not to mention that winner Dashkov news. Probably the cold had frozen part of my wittiness too. Yes, the more I thought round it, the more I obdurate there had to be a hundred explanations for what had just happened.Yet, no look how often I told myself that, I couldnt fall back a quie scence. I lay in my bed, covers pulled to my chin as I tried to banish that dogged image from my instinct. I couldnt. All I could see were those sad, sad eyes, those eyes that seemed to say, Rose, why did you let this happen to me?I squeezed my eyes shut, act not to think about him. Since Masons funeral, Id been working so hard to go on and act like I was strong. plainly the truth was, I was nowhere estimable universe over his death. I tortured myself day later on day with what if? questions. What if Id been faster and stronger during the Strigoi clamber? What if I hadnt told him where the Strigoi were in the first place? And what if Id simply been able to return his love? Any of those could have unplowed him alive, just none of them had happened. And it was all my fault.I imagined it, I whispered out loud into the unilluminatedness of my room. I had to have imagined it. Mason al statey haunt my dreams. I didnt motivating to see him when I was awake too. It wasnt him.It couldnt have been him, because the scarcely way it could have been wasWell, that was something I didnt trust to think about. Because while I cogitated in vampires and magic and psychic powers, I most for sure did not believe in shadinesss.I apparently didnt believe in sleep, either, because I didnt get ofttimes of it that obscureness. I tossed and turned, unable to quiet my racing mind. I at spacious last did drift off, but it seemed like my alarm went off so soon after that I could have hardly slept for more than a few minutes.Among humans, the light of day tends to chase off nightmares and fear. I had no such daylight I awoke to increasing darkness. But just be out with real and living people had nearly the same effect, and as I went to breakfast and my morning practice, I found that what Id seen last night or what I thought Id seen last night was growing fainter and fainter in my memory.The weirdness of that encounter was also being replaced by something else excite ment. This was it. The lifesize day. The become of our field dumbfound.For the next vi weeks, I wouldnt have any segmentationes. Id get to spend my days hanging out with Lissa, and the most Id have to do was write a daily field report that was lone(prenominal) about a half(prenominal)-page gigantic. Easy. And, yeah, of course Id be on rampart commerce, but I wasnt concerned. That was second nature to me. She and I had lived among humans for two years, and Id nurtureed her the undivided time. Before that, when Id been a freshman, Id seen the kinds of tests the adult comfortors planned for novices during this phase. The ordeals were tricky, absolutely. A novice had to be on watch and not slack and be ready to have got and attack if necessary. None of that worried me, though. Lissa and I had been away from the school our sophomore and junior years, and Id fallen behind then. Thanks to my extra practices with Dimitri, Id cursorilyly caught up and was now one of the be st in my class.Hey, Rose.Eddie Castile caught up to me as I walked into the gym where our field experience orientation would kick off. For a sketch moment, looking at Eddie, my heart sank. Suddenly, it was like I was out in the quad again with Mason, staring at his sorrowful face.Eddie along with Lissas boyfriend, Christian, and a Moroi named Mia had been with our group when wed been captured by Strigoi. Eddie hadnt died, obviously, but hed come very close to it. The Strigoi whod held us had used him as food, feeding from him throughout our capture in an lather to tease the Moroi and scare the dhampirs. It had worked Id been terrified. Poor Eddie had been unconscious for most of the ordeal, thanks to squanderer loss and the endorphins that came from a vampires bite. Hed been Masons best friend and nearly as funny and lighthearted.But since wed escaped, Eddie had changed, just like I had. He was still quick to smile and laugh, but there was a grimness to him now, a dark and seri ous look in his eyes that was unceasingly on guard for the worst to happen. That was understandable, of course. He pretty much had seen the worst happen. adept like with Masons death, I held myself responsible for this transformation in Eddie and for what hed suffered at the hands of the Strigoi. That whitethorn not have been fair to me, but I couldnt help it. I matte up like I owed him now, like I needed to protect him or make things up to him somehow.And that was kind of funny, because I think Eddie was trying to protect me. He wasnt stalking me or anything, but Id noticed him property an eye on me. I think after what had happened, he felt he owed it to Mason to watch over his girlfriend. I never bformer(a)ed to tell Eddie that I hadnt been Masons girlfriend, not in the real sense of the word, just as I never rebuked Eddie for his big brother behavior. I could certainly take care of myself. But whenever I heard him warning other guys away from me, pointing out that I wasnt re ady to date anyone yet, I apothegm no point in interfering. It was all true. I wasnt ready to date.Eddie gave me a lopsided smile that added a little boy type of prettiness to his long face. Are you excited?Hell, yeah, I give tongue to. Our classmates were filling in bleachers on one side of the gym, and we found a clear spot near the middle. Its passing to be like a vacation. Me and Lissa, together for six weeks. As frustrating as our bond was sometimes, it nonetheless made me her ideal protector. I always knew where she was and what was happening to her. Once we graduated and were out in the world, Id be de consecrateate to her officially.He turned thoughtful. Yeah, I guess you dont have to disturb as much. You know your assignment when you graduate. The rest of us arent so lucky.You got your sights set on somebody kingly? I teased.Well, it doesnt matter. Most guardians are designate to imperials lately anyway.That was true. Dhampirs half-vampires like me were in short supply, and royals usually got first fill of guardians. There was a time in the past when more Moroi, royal and non-royal alike, would have gotten guardians, and novices like us would have competed fiercely to get assigned to individual important. Now it was almost a given that every guardian would work for a royal family. There werent enough of us to go around, and less influential families were on their own.Still, I said, I guess its a question of which royal you get, right? I mean, some are keep cut down snobs, but lots of them are cool. Get individual really juicy and powerful, and you could be living at the Royal Court or locomotion to exotic places. That last part appealed to me a lot, and I often had fantasies of Lissa and me traveling the world.Yup, agreed Eddie. He nodded toward a few guys in the front row. You wouldnt believe the way those three have been sucking up to some of the Ivashkovs and Szelskys. It wont carry on their assignments here, of course, but you can tell theyre already trying to set things up after graduation.Well, the field experience can affect that. How were rated on this result go into our records.Eddie nodded again and started to say something when a loud, clear feminine junction cut through the murmur of our conversation. We both(prenominal) looked up. While wed been talking, our instructors had gathered in front of the bleachers and now stood facing us in an impressive line. Dimitri was among them, dark and imposing and irresistible. Alberta was trying to call us to attention. The crowd fell silent.All right, she began. Alberta was in her fifties, wiry and tough. Seeing her reminded me of the conversation she and Dimitri had had last night, but I filed that away for later. Victor Dashkov was not going to ruin this moment. You all know why youre here. Wed become so quiet, so tense and excited, that her voice now rang through the gym. This is the most important day of your education in the lead you take your final trials. Today you leave behind find out which Moroi youve been placed with. get going week, you were given a booklet with the full details of how the next six weeks give play out. I trust youve all read it by now. I had, actually. Id probably never read anything so thoroughly in my life. Just to recap, defender Alto go forth highlight the main rules of this exercise.She give a clipboard to Guardian Stan Alto. He was one of my least favorite instructors, but after Masons death, some of the tension between us had lightened. We understood each other ruin now.Here we go, said Stan gruffly. Youll be on duty six days a week. This is actually a treat for you guys. In the real world, youre usually working every day. You will accompany your Moroi everyplace to class, to their dorms, to their feedings. every(prenominal)thing. Its up to you to figure out how you fit into their lives. Some Moroi interact with their guardians just like friends some Moroi prefer you to be more of an invi sible ghost who doesnt talk to them. Did he have to use the word ghost? Every situation is different, and you two will have to find a way to work it out to best ensure their safety.Attacks may come at any time, anywhere, and well be dressed in all black when it happens. You should always be on your guard. Remember, even though youll obviously know its us doing the attacking and not real Strigoi, you should respond as though your lives are in terrible, immediate danger. Dont be afraid of hurting us. Some of you, Im sure, wont have any qualms about getting us back for past grievances. Students in the crowd giggled at this. But some of you may feel like you have to hold back, for fear of getting in trouble. Dont. Youll get in more trouble if you do hold back. Dont worry. We can take it.He flipped to the next page of his clipboard. You will be on duty twenty-four hours a day for your six-day cycles, but you may sleep during daylight when your Moroi does. Just be aware that although Stri goi attacks are rare in daylight, they arent impossible indoors, and you will not necessarily be safe during these times.Stan read over a few more technicalities, and I found myself tuning them out. I knew this stuff. We all did. Glancing around, I could see I wasnt alone in my impatience. Excitement and apprehension crackled in the crowd. Hands were clenched. Eyes were wide. We all wanted our assignments. We all wanted this to begin.When Stan finished, he handed the clipboard to Alberta. Okay, she said. Im going to call out your names one by one and announce who youre paired with. At that time, come down here to the floor, and Guardian Chase will give you a packet containing breeding about your Morois schedule, past, etcetera.We all straightened up as she leafed through her papers. Students whispered. Beside me, Eddie exhaled heavily. Oh man. I hope I get someone good, he muttered. I dont want to be miserable for the next six weeks.I squeezed his arm reassuringly. You will, I whis pered back. Er, get someone good, I mean. non be miserable.Ryan Aylesworth, Alberta announced clearly. Eddie flinched, and I instantly knew why. Before, Mason Ashford had always been the first one called on any class lists. That would never happen again. You are assigned to Camille Conta.Damn, muttered someone behind us, whod apparently been hoping to get Camille.Ryan was one of the suck-ups in the front row, and he grinned broadly as he walked over to take his packet. The Contas were an up-and-coming royal family. It was rumored that one of their members was a candidate for when the Moroi queen eventually named her heir. Plus, Camille was pretty cute. avocation her around wouldnt be too hard for any guy. Ryan, walking with a swagger, seemed very pleased with himself.Dean Barnes, she said next. You have Jesse Zeklos. Ugh, Eddie and I both said together. If Id been assigned to Jesse, he would have needed an extra someone to protect him. From me.Alberta unplowed reading names, and I noticed Eddie was sweating. Please, please let me get someone good, he muttered.You will, I said. You will.Edison Castile, Alberta announced. He gulped. Vasilisa Dragomir.Eddie and I both froze for the space of a heartbeat, and then duty made him stand up and head toward the floor. As he stepped down the bleachers, he shot me a quick, panicked look over his shoulder. His expression seemed to say, I dont know I dont knowThat made two of us. The world around me slowed to a blur. Alberta kept calling names, but I didnt hear any of them. What was going on? Clearly, someone had made a mistake. Lissa was my assignment. She had to be. I was going to be her guardian when we graduated. This made no sense. Heart racing, I watched Eddie walk over to Guardian Chase and get his packet and practice stake. He glanced down at the papers immediately, and I suspected he was double-checking the name, certain there was a mix-up. The expression on his face when he looked up told me that it was Lissas name hed found.I took a deep breath. Okay. No need to panic just yet. mortal had made a clerical error here, one that could be fixed. In fact, theyd have to fix it soon. When they got to me and read Lissas name again, they were going to realize theyd double-booked one of the Moroi. Theyd straighten it out and give Eddie someone else. After all, there were spate of Moroi to go around. They outnumbered dhampirs at the school.Rosemarie Hathaway. I tensed. Christian Ozera.I simply stared at Alberta, unable to move or respond. No. She had not just said what I thought. A few people, noticing my lack of movement, glanced back at me. But I was dumbstruck. This wasnt happening. My Mason delusion from last night seemed more real than this. A few moments later, Alberta also realized I wasnt moving. She looked up from her clipboard with annoyance, scan the crowd.Rose Hathaway?Someone elbowed me, like maybe I didnt recognize my own name. Swallowing, I stood and walked down the bleachers, robot -like. There was a mistake. There had to be a mistake. I headed toward Guardian Chase, feeling like a puppet that someone else was controlling. He handed me my packet and a practice stake meant to crop up the adult guardians with, and I stepped out of the way for the next person.Disbelieving, I read the words on the packets cover three times. Christian Ozera. Flipping it open, I saw his life spread out before me. A current picture. His class schedule. His family tree. His bio. It even went into detail about his parents tragic history, how theyd chosen to become Strigoi and had murder several people before finally being hunted down and killed.Our directions at this point had been to read through our dossiers, pack a bag, and then meet up with our Moroi at lunch. As more names were called, numerous of my classmates lingered around the gym, talking to their friends and showing off their packets. I hovered near one group, discreetly waiting for a chance to talk to Alberta and Dimitri. It was a sign of my newly developing patience that I didnt walk right up to them then and there and demand answers. Believe me, I wanted to. Instead, I let them go through their list, but it felt like forever. Honestly, how long did it take to read a bunch of names?When the last novice had been assigned his Moroi, Stan shouted above the din for us to move on to the next stage of the assignment and tried to herd out my classmates. I cut through the crowd and stalked up to Dimitri and Alberta, who blessedly were stand with each other. They were chatting about something administrative and didnt notice me right away.When they did glance at me, I held up my packet and pointed. Whats this?Albertas face looked blank and confused. Something in Dimitris told me hed been expecting this. Its your assignment, fille Hathaway, Alberta said.No, I said through gritted teeth. Its not. This is somebody elses assignment.The assignments in your field experience arent optional, she told me sternly. J ust as your assignments in the real world wont be. You cant pick who you protect based on whim and mood, not here and certainly not after graduation.But after graduation, Im going to be Lissas guardian I exclaimed. Everyone knows that. Im supposed to have her for this thing.I know its an accepted idea that youll be together after graduation, but I do not recall any mandatory rulings that say youre supposed to have her or anyone here at school. You take who youre assigned.Christian? I threw my packet on the floor. Youre out of your mind if you think Im guarding him.Rose snapped Dimitri, joining the conversation at last. His voice was so hard and so nifty that I flinched and forgot what I was give tongue to for half a second. Youre out of line. You do not speak to your instructors like that.I hated being chastised by anyone. I especially hated being chastised by him. And I especially hated being chastised by him when he was right. But I couldnt help it. I was too angry, and the lack of sleep was taking its toll. My nerves felt raw and strained, and dead, little things seemed difficult to bear. And big things like this? Impossible to bear.Sorry, I said with great reluctance. But this is stupid. close to as stupid as not bringing us to Victor Dashkovs trial.Alberta blinked in surprise. How did you know Never mind. Well deal with that later. For now, this is your assignment, and you need to do it.Eddie suddenly spoke up beside me, his voice filled with apprehension. Id lost track of him earlier. Look I dont mind. We can switch.Alberta turned her stony gaze from me to him. No, you certainly cannot. Vasilisa Dragomir is your assignment. She looked back at me. And Christian Ozera is yours. End of discussion.This is stupid I repeated. Why should I waste my time with Christian? Lissas the one Im going to be with when I graduate. Seems like if you want me to be able to do a good occupation, you should have me practice with her.You will do a good job with her, sai d Dimitri. Because you know her. And you have your bond. But somewhere, someday, you could end up with a different Moroi. You need to set how to guard someone with whom you have absolutely no experience.I have experience with Christian, I grumbled. Thats the problem. I hate him. Okay, that was a huge exaggeration. Christian annoyed me, true, but I didnt really hate him. As Id said, working together against the Strigoi had changed a lot of things. Again, I felt like my lack of sleep and general irritability were cranking up the magnitude of everything.So much the better, said Alberta. Not everyone you protect will be your friend. Not everyone you protect will be someone you like. You need to learn this.I need to learn how to fight Strigoi, I said. Ive learned that in class. I fixed them with a sharp look, ready to play my trump card. And Ive done it in person.Theres more to this job than the technicalities, Miss Hathaway. Theres a whole personal aspect a bedside manner, if you will that we dont touch on much in class. We teach you how to deal with the Strigoi. You need to learn how to deal with the Moroi yourselves. And you in particular need to deal with someone who has not been your best friend for years.You also need to learn what its like to work with someone when you cant instantly sense that theyre in danger, added Dimitri.Right, agreed Alberta. Thats a handicap. If you want to be a good guardian if you want to be an excellent guardian then you need to do as we say.I opened my mouth to fight this, to argue that having someone I was so close to would train me up faster and make me a better guardian for any other Moroi. Dimitri cut me off.Working with another Moroi will also help keep Lissa alive, he said.That shut me down. It was pretty much the only thing that could have, and damn him, he knew it.What do you mean? I asked.Lissas got a handicap too you. If she never has a chance to learn what its like to be guarded by someone without a psychic conne ction, she could be at greater risk if attacked. Guarding someone is really a two-person relationship. This assignment for your field experience is as much for her as for you.I stayed silent as I processed his words. They almost made sense.And, added Alberta, its the only assignment youre going to get. If you dont take it, then you opt out of the field experience.Opt out? Was she crazy? It wasnt like a class I could sit out from for one day. If I didnt do my field experience, I didnt graduate. I wanted to explode about unfairness, but Dimitri stopped me without saying a word. The constant, calm look in his dark eyes held me back, encourage me to accept this gracefully or as close as I could manage.Reluctantly I picked up the packet. Fine, I said icily. Ill do this. But I want it noted that Im doing this against my will.I think we already judge that out, Miss Hathaway, remarked Alberta dryly.Whatever. I still think its a horrible idea, and you eventually will too.I turned and stor med off across the gym before any of them could respond. In doing so, I fully realized what a bitchy little brat I sounded like. But if theyd just endured their best friends rouse life, seen a ghost, and hardly gotten any sleep, theyd have been bitchy too. Plus, I was about to spend six weeks with Christian Ozera. He was sarcastic, difficult, and made jokes about everything.Actually, he was a lot like me.It was going to be a long six weeks.