Frostbite Chapter 3

ThreeTHE LOBBY OF MY mansion was abuzz when I sprinted downstairs to my forwards-school drill. The commotion didnt surprise me. A good nights sleep had g matchless far outside(a) to chase away the images from last night, but I k spic-and-span neither I nor my classmates would easily forget what had interpreted focalise outside Billings.And yet, as I stu authorised the faces and clusters of separate novices, I noticed something supernatural. The fear and tenseness from yesterday were understood around, certainly, but something new was there too excitement. A couple of freshmen novices were practic eithery oink with joy as they utter in hushed whispers. Nearby, a group of qats my own age were gesturing wildly, impatient grins on their faces.I had to be missing something hereunless all of yesterday had been a dream. It took every ounce of self-abnegation I had not to go over and ask somebody what was happening. If I delayed, Id be late for practice. The low density was ki lling me, though. Had the Strigoi and their humans been found and killed? That would certainly be good news, but something told me that wasnt the case. Pushing open the lie admittances, I lamented that Id plainly cook to wait until to-dofast to find out.Hath-away, dont run-away, a singsong verbalise called.I glanced behind me and grinned. Mason Ashford, another novice and a good fri rarity of mine, jogged up and fell in step with me.What are you, twelve? I asked, continuing on toward the gym.Nearly, he said. I missed your joyful face yesterday. Where were you?Apparently my presence at the Badica house still wasnt widely itemize apartn. It wasnt a secret or everything, but I didnt want to discuss any gory details. Had a training thing with Dimitri.God, muttered Mason. That quat is alship canal escapeing you. Doesnt he realize hes depriving us of your beauty and charm?Smiling face? bag and charm? Youre laying it on a little thick this morning, arent you? I laughed.Hey, Im middling telling it homogeneous it is. Really, youre lucky to have someone as suave and brilliant as me paying this much financial aid to you.I kept grinning. Mason was a huge flirt, and he liked to flirt with me in particular. leave of it was just because I was good at it and liked to flirt back. But I knew his feelings toward me were more than just friendly, and I was still deciding how I felt close to that. He and I had the uniform buffoonish sense of humor and frequently drew attention to ourselves in class and among friends. He had gorgeous gamey eye and messy red hair that never seemed to lie flat. It was cute.But dating someone new was going to be agreeable of difficult when I still kept thinking about the snip I was half(a)-naked in bed with Dimitri.Suave and brilliant, huh? I move my head. I dont think you pay intimately as much attention to me as you do your ego. Someone needs to knock it down a little.Oh yeah? he asked. Well, you can try your best on the slo pes.I halt walking. The what?The slopes. He lean his head. You populate, the ski trip.What ski trip? I was apparently missing something serious here.Where have you been this morning? he asked, look at me like I was a crazy woman.In bed I but got up, like, five minutes ago. Now, start from the beginning and tell me what youre talking about. I shivered from the lack of movement. And lets keep walking. We did.So, you k in a flash how everyones afraid to have their kids come home for Christmas? Well, theres this huge ski lodge in Idaho thats exclusively utilize by royals and rich Moroi. The passel who own it are opening it up for Academy students and their familiesand true(a)ly any other Moroi who want to go. With everyone in one spot, theyre going to have a ton of guardians to protect the place, so itll be totally safe.You cant be serious, I said. We reached the gym and stepped inside out of the cold.Mason nodded eagerly. Its true. The place is ideated(p) to be amazing. He ga ve me the grin that always made me smile in return. Were going to live like royalty, Rose. At least for a week or so. We take despatch the day after Christmas.I stood there, both excited and stunned. I hadnt seen this access. It unfeignedly was a brilliant idea, one that let families reunite safely. And what a reunion spot A royal ski lodge. Id expected to spend most of my holiday break hanging out here and watching TV with Lissa and Christian. Now Id be living it up in five-star accommodations. Lobster dinners. Massages. Cute ski instructors Masons enthusiasm was contagious. I could feel it welling up in me, and then, absolutely, it slammed to a halt.Studying my face, he saw the change right away. Whats wrong? This is cool.It is, I admitted. And I get why everyones excited, but the resolve were getting to go to this fancy place is because, well, because people are dead. I mean, doesnt this all seem weird?Masons cheery expression sobered a little. Yeah, but were alive, Rose. We cant stop living because other people are dead. And we have to make sure more people dont die. Thats why this place is such a great idea. Its safe. His look turned stormy. God, I cant wait until were out of here in the field. After hearing about what happened, I just want to go tear apart some Strigoi. I wish we could go now, you know? Theres no reason. They could use the extra help, and we pretty much know everything we need to.The fierceness in his voice reminded me of my outburst yesterday, though he wasnt quite as worked up as Id been. His eagerness to act was glowing and na?ve, whereas mine had been born out of some weird, dark irrationality I still didnt only understand.When I didnt respond, Mason gave me a puzzled look. Dont you want to?I dont know, Mase. I stared down at the floor, avoiding his eyeball as I studied the toe of my shoe. I mean, I dont want Strigoi out there, attacking people either. And I want to stop them in theory but, well, we arent even close to being install. Ive seen what they can do I dont know. Rushing in isnt the answer. I shook my head and looked back up. Good grief. I sounded so logical and cautious. I sounded like Dimitri. Its not important since its not going to happen anyway. I suppose we should just be excited about the trip, huh?Masons moods were quick to change, and he turned easygoing at a time more. Yup. And youd break in try to remember how to ski, because Im calling you out on knocking down my ego out there. not that its going to happen.I smiled again. Boy, it sure is going to be sad when I make you cry. I kind of feel guilty already.He opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver some smartass reply, and then caught commode of somethingor rather, someonebehind me. I glanced over and saw Dimitris tall form approaching from the other side of the gym.Mason move me a gallant bow. Your lord and master. Catch you later, Hathaway. Start planning your ski strategies. He opened the door and disappeared into the frigid dar kness. I turned around and joined Dimitri.Like other dhampir novices, I spent half of my school day on one form or another of guardian training, be it actual physical combat or learning about Strigoi and how to defend against them. Novices overly some sequences had practices after school. I, however, was in a unique situation.I still stood by my decision to run away from St. Vladimirs. Victor Dashkov had present too much of a threat to Lissa. But our extended vacation had come with consequences. Being away for two years had put me behind in my guardian classes, so the school had declared that I had to make up for it by going to extra practices before and after school.With Dimitri.Little did they know that they were also giving me lessons in avoiding temptation. But my attraction to him aside, I was a fast learner, and with his help, I had almost caught up to the other seniors.Since he wasnt wearing a coat, I knew wed be working inside today, which was good news. It was freeze out. Yet even the happiness I felt over that was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw what exactly he had set up in one of the training rooms.There were practice dummies arranged on the far wall, dummies that looked amazingly lifelike. No straw-stuffed burlap bags here. There were men and women, wearing cut-and-dried clothes, with rubbery skin and different hair and eye colors. Their expressions ranged from happy to scared to angry. Id worked with these dummies before in other trainings, using them to practice kicks and punches. But Id never worked with them while hold opening what Dimitri held a silver stake.Sweet, I breathed.It was monovular to the one Id found at the Badica house. It had a hand grip at the bottom, almost like a hilt without the little side flourishes. That was where its resemblance to a dagger ended. Rather than a flat blade, the stake had a thick, rounded body that narrowed to a point, kind of like an ice pick. The entire thing was a little shorter than my forearm.Dimitri leaned casually against the wall, in an easy stance he always pulled off remarkably well, contempt being almost six-seven. With one hand, he tossed the stake into the air. It spun around in a cartwheel a couple of times and then came down. He caught it hilt first.Please tell me I get to learn how to do that today, I said.Amusement flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. I think he had a hard time keeping a straight face around me sometimes. Youll be lucky if I let you hold it today, he said. He flipped the stake into the air again. My eyes seeed it longingly. I started to point out that I had already held one, but I knew that line of logic would get me nowhere.Instead, I tossed my backpack on the floor, threw off my coat, and pass over my arms expectantly. I had on loose pants tied at the waist and a ice chest top with a hoodie over it. My dark hair was pulled brutally back into a ponytail. I was ready for anything.You want me to tell you how they work and why I should always be cautious around them, I announced.Dimitri stopped flipping the stake and stared at me in astonishment.Come on, I laughed. You dont think I know how you work by now? Weve been doing this for almost three months. You always make me talk safety and responsibility before I can do anything fun.I see, he said. Well, I guess youve got it all figured out. By all means, go on with the lesson. Ill just wait over here until you need me again.He inclose the stake into a leather sheath hanging from his belt and then made himself comfortable against the wall, work force stuffed in pockets. I waited, figuring he was joking, but when he said nothing else, I realised hed meant his words. With a shrug, I launched into what I knew.Silver always has powerful effects on any wizardly creatureit can help or hurt them if you put enough power into it. These stakes are really hard-core because it takes four different Moroi to make them, and they use each of the elements during the forgi ng. I frowned, suddenly considering something. Well, except spirit. So these things are supercharged and are about the only non-decapitating weapon that can do damage to a Strigoibut to kill them, it has to be done the sprightliness.Will they hurt you?I shook my head. No. I mean, well, yeah, if you case one through my amount of money it will, but it wont hurt me like it would a Moroi. Scratch one of them with this, and itll grade them pretty hardbut not as hard as itd hit a Strigoi. And they wont hurt humans, either.I stopped for a moment and stared absentmindedly at the window behind Dimitri. Frost covered the glass in sparkling, crystalline patterns, but I hardly noticed. Mentioning humans and stakes had transported me back to the Badica house. Blood and death flashed through my thoughts.Seeing Dimitri watching me, I shook off the memories and kept going with the lesson. Dimitri would occasionally give a nod or ask a clarifying question. As the time ticked down, I kept expect ing him to tell me I was finished and could start hacking up the dummies. Instead, he waited until almost ten minutes before the end of our session before leading me over to one of themit was a man with blond hair and a goatee. Dimitri took the stake out from its sheath but didnt hand it to me.Where are you going to put this? he asked.In the heart, I replied irritably. I already told you that like a hundred times. Can I have it now?He allowed himself a smile. Wheres the heart?I gave him an are-you-serious look. He merely shrugged.With overdramatic emphasis, I pointed to the left side of the dummys chest. Dimitri shook his head.Thats not where the heart is, he told me.Sure it is. People put their hands over their hearts when they differentiate the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem.He continued to stare at me expectantly.I turned back to the dummy and studied it. In the back of my brain, I remembered learning CPR and where we had to place our hands. I tapped the center of the dummys chest.Is it here?He arched an eyebrow. Normally I thought that was cool. Today it was just annoying. I dont know, he said. Is it?Thats what Im asking youYou shouldnt have to ask me. Dont you all have to take physiology?Yeah. Junior year. I was on vacation, remember? I pointed to the gleaming stake. Can I please touch it now?He flipped the stake again, letting it flash in the light, and then it disappeared in the sheath. I want you to tell me where the heart is the next time we reckon. Exactly where. And I want to know whats in the way of it too.I gave him my fiercest glare, whichjudging from his expressionmust not have been that fierce. Nine out of ten times, I thought Dimitri was the sexiest thing walking the earth. Then, there were times like this I headed off to first period, a combat class, in a bad mood. I didnt like looking incompetent in front of Dimitri, and Id really, really wanted to use one of those stakes. So in class I took out my annoyance on anyone I c ould punch or kick. By the end of class, no one wanted to spar with me. Id accidentally hit Meredithone of the some other girls in my classso hard that shed felt it through her shin padding. She was going to have an ugly bruise and kept looking at me as though Id done it on purpose. I apologized to no avail.Afterward, Mason found me once again. Oh, man, he said, studying my face. Who pissed you off?I immediately launched into my tale of silver stake and heart woes.To my annoyance, he laughed. How do you not know where the heart is? Especially considering how many of them youve broken?I gave him the same ferocious look Id given Dimitri. This time, it worked. Masons face paled.Belikov is a sick, evil man who should be thrown into a pit of rabid vipers for the great offense he committed against you this morning.Thank you. I said primly. Then, I considered. Can vipers be rabid?I dont see why not. Everything can be. I think. He held the antechamber door open for me. Canadian geese might be worse than vipers, though.I gave him a sidelong look. Canadian geese are deadlier than vipers?You ever tried to feed those little bastards? he asked, attempting seriousness and failing. Theyre vicious. You get thrown to vipers, you die quickly. But the geese? Thatll go on for days. More suffering.Wow. I dont know whether I should be impressed or frightened that youve thought about all this, I remarked.Just trying to find creative ways to avenge your honor, thats all.You just never struck me as the creative type, Mase.We stood just outside our second-period classroom. Masons expression was still light and joking, but there was a suggestive note in his voice when he spoke again. Rose, when Im around you, I think of all sorts of creative things to do.I was still giggling about the vipers and abruptly stopped, double-dyed(a) at him in surprise. Id always thought Mason was cute, but with that serious, smoky look in his eyes, it suddenly occurred to me for the first time that he was actually kind of sexy.Oh, look at that, he laughed, noticing how much hed caught me off guard. Rose gets rendered speechless. Ashford 1, Hathaway 0.Hey, I dont want to make you cry before the trip. It wont be any fun if Ive already broken you before we even hit the slopes.He laughed, and we stepped into the room. This was a class on bodyguard theory, one that took place in an actual classroom instead of the practice field. It was a nice break from all the physical exertion. Today, there were three guardians stand at the front who werent from the schools regiment. Holiday visitors, I realized. Parents and their guardians had already started coming to campus to accompany their children to the ski resort. My interest was piqued immediately.One of the guests was a tall guy who looked like he was about a hundred years old but could still kick major ass. The other guy was about Dimitris age. He had deeply tanned skin and was built well enough that a few of the girls in class looked ready to swoon.The last guardian was a woman. Her auburn hair was cropped and curly, and her brown eyes were currently narrowed in thought. As Ive said, a lot of dhampir women choose to have children rather than follow the guardian path. Since I too was one of the few women in this profession, I was always excited to meet otherslike Tamara.Only, this wasnt Tamara. This was someone Id known for years, someone who triggered anything but pride and excitement. Instead, I felt resentment. Resentment, anger, and burning outrage.The woman standing in front of the class was my mother.