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THREE

SENDING US STRAIGHT TO CLASS after ourseemed beyond cruel, but that’s exactly what Kirova did Lissa was led away, and I watched her go, glad the bond would allowher emotional teuidance counselors first He was an ancient Moroi guy, one I remembered from before I’d left I honestly couldn’t believe he was still around The guy was so freaking old, he should have retired Or died

The visit took all of fiveabout my return and asked a few questions about what classes I’d taken in Chicago and Portland He coainst my old file and hastily scrawled out a new schedule I took it sullenly and headed out to my first class

1st Period Advanced Guardian Couard Theory and Personal Protection 3

3rd Period Weight Training and Conditioning

4th Period Senior Language Arts (Novices)

-Lunch -

5th Period Aniy

6th Period Pre-calculus

7th Period Moroi Culture 4

8th Period Slavic Art

Ugh I’d forgotten how long the Academy’s school day was Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first half of the day, which meant I wouldn’t see Lissa until after lunch - if we had any afternoon classes together Most of them were standard senior classes, so I felt ood Slavic art struck ned up for, so hopefully they’d stuck her in there too

Diybehind them, I sa Alberta wore her hair in a short, pixie cut that showed her prouardians did this It didn’t matter so much for me now, since my neck had no tattoos yet, but I didn’t want to ever cutand walked along almost like it was any other day When we arrived, the reactions ofbut They were in the ym, and just like in the commons, all eyes fell on me I couldn’t decide if I felt like a rock star or a circus freak

All right, then If I was going to be stuck here for a while, I wasn’t going to act afraid of them all anymore Lissa and I had once held this school’s respect, and it was ti, openmouthed novices, I looked for a faht rin

"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 s 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 istoday’s session"

"Oh yeah?" I retorted "Huh Well, I guess this is a good time to think about ood a ti the tension further Eddie Castile Another friend of mine

Di 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 engulfedthose I’d nearly forgotten about Everyone wanted to knohere we’d been; apparently Lissa and I had becoends I couldn’t tell them e’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 uardian who oversaw the training carinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with Uneasily I realized I didn’t know most of the my arm "You can beall 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 ti a spot onto 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 soly

"Did I mention I hate you?"

He flashedway¡­I mean, you really are a scrapper, but there’s no way you’ll be able to take your trials in the spring - "

"They’reme take extra practice sessions," I explained Not that itLissa and me out of here before these practices really became an issue "I’ll be ready"

"Extra sessions ho?"

"That tall guy Di and stared atin extra time with Belikov?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"So the erate much?" I asked

"No, I’m serious I mean, he’s all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights¡­ If you think you’re hurting now, you’re going to be dead when he’s done with you"

Great So else to improve my day

I elbowed him and went on to second period That class covered the essentials of being a bodyguard and was required for all seniors Actually, it was the third in a series that had started junior year ThatLissa in the real world had given ht

Our instructor was Stan Alto, e referred to simply as "Stan" behind his back and "Guardian Alto" in fors He was a little older than Dimitri, but not nearly as tall, and he always looked pissed off Today, that look intensified when he walked into the classroo there His eyes widened in mock surprise as he circled the room and came to stand beside my desk

"What’s this? No one told uest speaker here today Rose Hathaway What a privilege! How very generous of you to take tie with us"

I felt reat show of self-control, I stoppedhim to fuck off I’e, however, because his sneer increased He gestured for me to stand up

"Well, come on, come on Don’t sit there! Come up to the front so you can help me lecture the class"

I sank into my seat "You don’t reallysmile dried up "I mean exactly what I say, Hathaway Go to the front of the class"

A thick silence enveloped the room Stan was a scary instructor, and race quite yet Refusing to crack, I strode up to the front of the rooave the a few syer audience than expected A few guardians - including Diered in the back of the roouardians focused on one-on-one protection Here, guardians had a lot more people to protect and they had to train the novices So rather than follow any one person around, they worked shifts guarding the school as a whole andclasses

"So, Hathaway," said Stan cheerfully, strolling back up to the front with hten us about your protective techniques"

"My¡­techniques?"

"Of course Because presumably you must have had some sort of plan the rest of us couldn’t understand when you took an underage Moroi royal out of the Acadeoi threats"

It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with oi," I replied stiffly

"Obviously," he said with a snicker "I already figured that out, seeing as how you’re still alive"

I wanted to shout thatbeat up in the last class, I now suspected I couldn’t have survived an attack by Mason, let alone an actual Strigoi

When I didn’t say anything, Stan started pacing in front of the class

"So what’d you do? How’d you ht?"

"Sometimes" That was true - especially e’d first run away We’d relaxed a little after months went by with no attacks

"So my answer sound incredibly stupid "Well then, I suppose you slept during the day and stayed on guard at night"

"Er¡­no"

"No? But that’s one of the first thingsOh wait, you wouldn’t know that because you weren’t here"

I sed back more sords "I watched the area whenever ent out," I said, needing to defendDid you use Carnegie’s Quadrant Surveillance Method or the Rotational Survey?"

I didn’t say anything

"Ah I’ you used the Hathaway Glance-Around-When-You-Rerily "That’s not true I watched her She’s still alive, isn’t she?"

He walked back up to ot lucky"