Dimitri's POV in Vampire Academy (Fanfic)

Chapter 14

Later that day, I saw the Ashford boy hand Rose a box of books. They exchanged some words I couldn't hear, though I got a clear visual of Rose flashing him a brilliant smile. Something in me tightened at that, but I quickly batted the sensation away. She didn't see me across the yard, attention focused inward as she hurried into the novice dorm.

What on earth?

Rose—and books? The two didn't go together. Not only because her grades were so bad, but because she'd told me explicitly a hundred times that my reading books was a waste of precious badass fighting time. I refused to believe that my habits were rubbing off on her.

Something was up.

What was it she had said? I'm a woman on a mission. What "mission" of hers could possibly be related to research?

Then I shook my head. None of your business, Dimka. I remembered I was supposed to keep my mind off Rose. I certainly wasn't supposed to gaze after her across the quad. With a sigh, I returned to my duties. She would tell me what was going on, if and when she was ready.

Passing through the cafeteria, I noticed that most of the gossip about Rose had subsided. There was now talk of some Mia that I barely remembered from the church incident. When I heard Lissa's name in passing, I froze. But instead of the usual whispered remarks, what I overheard was two Moroi girls singing praise about her. That was odd—but good. Deciding not to make a big issue of it, I moved on.

At my next training session with Rose—I discovered with some dismay that she was running late. She had been absurdly punctual for some weeks now, so this was uncharacteristic of her. I resorted to patience.

When she finally arrived, she looked stressed and haggard. As soon as she saw me, she apologised for being late. My annoyance immediately melted away. Seeing her like that, so worried, made me wonder again what was going on with her, because plainly, something was. I tried to telegraph receptiveness, hoping she'd confide in me, but she remained as tight-lipped as ever.

Deciding to break protocol, I approached her as she was packing her gym bag up.

'Rose,' I began, hand raised to touch her shoulder. I stopped it midway. 'Is everything alright?' I paused. 'You know you can talk to me.'

Her face shut down, and she actually took a step back from me. 'Yup, everything's fine,' she said quickly. 'Just, you know, busy.'

I kept watching her, waiting for subtle changes in her expression. Maybe if I kept up the scrutiny, she'd crack and tell me. In fact, Rose's expression did seem to relax somewhat as she regarded me, but there was still something guarded there. A secret.

'You sure?' I murmured.

She put a hand on her hip, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 'Stop worrying, Comrade. Nothing is going on. People have even stopped talking crap about me.' She frowned at the last.

'I noticed.'

She cocked her head at me. 'You didn't expect that? That it would stop so quickly?' She scrutinised me closely.

I shrugged, unnerved by her intensity. 'The Moroi always have something new to talk about. But I'm glad that it's over.' I smiled gently. 'You didn't deserve any of it.'

'I'm glad too,' she breathed, looking down. Her hair, which was loose now, fell over her face. I itched to touch it, but hardened my heart again.

'You should get going,' I suggested, glancing at the clock. 'Don't want to be late for your next class.'

Her head snapped up. She mumbled some words of assent, and was gone.

---

A few days later, I was summoned to Headmistress Kirova's office. I couldn't imagine how it could have anything to do with Rose; she'd been on such good behaviour lately. When I arrived, I saw that Victor Dashkov was there, accompanied by his guardians, none that I knew closely.