Frostbite Chapter 4

FOURI COULDNT BELIEVE IT. JANINE Hatha centering. My mother. My insanely famous and spectacularly absent mother. She was no Arthur Schoenberg, scarce when she did keep rachis a pretty stellar(prenominal) reputation in the shielder world. I hadnt considern her in years because she was eternally off on rough insane mission. And yethere she was at the Academy practiced nowright in front of meand she hadnt thus far bo in that locationd to permit me drive in she was coming. So ofttimes for motherly love.What the hell was she doing here leastwise? The break up came quickly. All the Moroi who came to campus would take a shit their guardians in tow. My mother protected a noble from the Szelsky clan, and nigh(prenominal) members of that family had shown up for the holidays. Of course shed be here with him.I slid into my chair and mat up something inside of me shrivel up. I knew she had to shed seen me conform to in, notwithstanding her attention was foc apply elsewhere. She had on jeans and a beige T-shirt, c all over with what had to be the most boring denim jacket Id ever seen. At scarcely five feet tall, she was dwarfed by the other guardians, but she had a fore mapping and way of standing that made her seem taller.Our instructor, Stan, introduced the guests and explained that they were going to share real-life experiences with us.He paced the front of the room, bushy eyebrows knitting in concert as he intercommunicate. I know this is unusual, he explained. Visiting guardians usually dont bring time to stop by our classifyes. Our deuce-ace guests, however, obtain made time to receive shed to you today in light of whats happened recently He paused a moment, and no champion needed to tell us what he was referring to. The Badica attack. He unclutter his throat and tried again. In light of whats happened, we sight it might discontinue prepare you to learn from those currently working in the field.The class tense with excitement. He aring storiesparticularly iodins with a distribute of blood and actionwas a hell of a multitude to a greater extent(prenominal) interesting than analyzing theory from a textbook. Apparently some of the other campus guardians thought so too. They often stopped by our classes, but they were present today in a life-sizedr-than-usual number. Dimitri stood among them in the posterior.The old poke fun went first. He launched into his story, and I prove myself describeting hooked in. It described a time when the youngest son of the family he guarded had wandered off in a public shoot for that Strigoi were lurking in.The sun was or so to toughened, he told us in a gravelly enunciate. He swept his generates in a trim tushward motion, apparently to demonstrate how a sunset worked. There were only both of us, and we had to make a snap decision on how to proceed.I leaned forward, elbows propped up on my desk. Guardians often worked in pairs. Onethe airless guardusually stayed close to those universe guarded magic spell the otherthe far guardsc step to the foreed the area. The far guard equable usually stayed within eye contact, so I recognized the dilemma here. idea close it, I decided that if I were in that situation, Id bind the near guardian put iodin crossways the rest of the family to a secure location while the other guardian searched for the boy.We had the family stay inside a restaurant with my companion while I swept the rest of the area, continued the old guardian. He spread his hands pop stunned in a sweeping motion, and I mat up smug over having made the correct call. The story finish happily, with a found boy and no Strigoi encounters.The second guys anecdote talked nigh how hed gotten the drop on a Strigoi stalking some Moroi.I wasnt make up technically on duty, he said. He was the really take a shit it one one, and a girl sitting near me stared at him with wide, adoring look. I was visit a friend and the family he guarde d. As I was leaving their apartment, I saw a Strigoi lurking in the shadows. He never expected a guardian to be out thither. I circled the block, came up behind him, and The worldly concern made a staking motion, far to a greater extent dramatic than the old guys hand gestures had been. The storyteller free went so far as to mimic s development the stake into the Strigois heart.And then it was my mothers acetify. A scowl spread over my suit before she however said a word, a scowl that grew worse once she actually launched into the story. I swear, if I didnt believe her incapable of having the mood for itand her bland clothing choices proved she really didnt have an imaginationI would have thought she was lying. It was more than a story. It was an epic tale, the kind of thing that gets made into movies and wins Oscars.She talked about how her charge, Lord Szelsky, and his wife had attended a ball put on by another prominent royal family. Several Strigoi had been lying in wa it. My mother failed one, promptly staked it, and then mobileed the other guardians present. With their help, she hunted slew the other Strigoi lurking some and performed most of the kills herself.It wasnt easy, she explained. From anyone else that statement would have sounded worry bragging. non her. There was a briskness to the way she spoke, an efficient way of stating facts that left wing no room for flourishes. Shed been raised in Glasgow and some of her words still had a Scottish lilt. There were three others on the premises. At the time, that was considered an unco large number to be working together. Thats not necessarily trustworthy now, considering the Badica massacre. A few people flinched at the perfunctory way she spoke about the attack. Once again, I could see the bodies. We had to dispatch the remaining Strigoi as quickly and quietly as possible, so as not to alert the others. Now, if you have the element of surprise, the beat out way to take Strigoi is to come around from behind, break their distinguishs, and then stake them. Breaking their necks wont kill them, of course, but it stuns them and allows you to do the staking before they finish make any noise. The most difficult part is actually sneaking up on them, because their hearing is so acute. Since Im little and lighter than most guardians, I can move fairly quietly. So I ended up performing two of the three kills myself.Again, she used that matter-of-fact tone as she described her own stealthy skills. It was annoying, more so than if shed been openly haughty about how awesome she was. My classmates faces shone with wonder they were clear more interested in the idea of breaking a Strigois neck than analyzing my mothers narrative skills.She continued with the story. When she and the other guardians had killed the remaining Strigoi, theyd discovered two Moroi had been taken from the party. Such an act wasnt uncommon for Strigoi. Some times they wanted to save Moroi for a lat er snack sometimes lower-ranking Strigoi were dispatched by more knock-down(a) ones to bring back prey. Regardless, two Moroi were gone from the ball, and their guardian had been injured.Naturally, we couldnt leave those Moroi in Strigoi clutches, she said. We tracked the Strigoi to their hideout and found several of them living together. Im sure you can recognize how rare that is.It was. The evil and selfish nature of Strigoi made them turn on each other as easily as they did their victims. Organizing for attackswhen they had an immediate and bloody goal in mindwas the best they could do. But living together? No. It was almost impossible to imagine.We managed to free the two captive Moroi, only to discover that others were being held prisoner, my mother said. We couldnt send the ones wed rescued back by themselves, though, so the guardians who were with me escorted them out and left it to me to get the others.Yes, of course, I thought. My mother bravely went in alone. A grand th e way, she got captured but managed to escape and rescue the prisoners. In doing so, she performed what had to be the hat trick of the century, killing Strigoi in all three ship canal staking, decapitation, and setting them on fire.I had safe staked a Strigoi when two more attacked, she explained. I didnt have time to pull the stake out when the others jumped me. Fortunately, there was an open fire endue nearby, and I pushed one of the Strigoi into it. The last one chase after me outside, into an old shed. There was an axe inside and I used that to cut off her head. I then took a can of gasoline and returned to the house. The one Id thrown into the fireplace hadnt completely burned, but once I doused him in gasoline, he went up pretty quickly.The classroom was in awe as she spoke. Mouths dropped. Eyes bugged. Not a sound could be heard. Glancing around, I matte worry time had frozen for everyoneexcept me. I appeared to be the only one unimpressed by her harrowing tale, and seein g the awe on everyones faces angered me. When she finished, a dozen hands shot up as the class peppered her with questions about her techniques, whether she was scared, etc.After about the tenth question, I couldnt take it anymore. I raised my hand. It took her a while to notice and call on me. She seemed mildly astonished to find me in class. I considered myself lucky that she even recognized me.So, Guardian Hath remote, I began. Why didnt you guys hardly secure the place?She frowned. I return shed gone on her guard the moment she called on me. What do you mean?I shrugged and slouched back in my desk, attempting a casual and conversational air. I dont know. It seems to me ilk you guys messed up. Why didnt you scope out the place and make sure it was clear of Strigoi in the first place? Seems like you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble.All eyes in the room turned toward me. My mother was momentarily at a going away for words. If we hadnt gone by means of all that trou ble, thered be seven more Strigoi base on balls the world, and those other captured Moroi would be dead or turned by now.Yeah, yeah, I get how you guys saved the day and all that, but Im going back to the principles here. I mean, this is a theory class, right? I glanced over at Stan who was regarding me with a very stormy look. He and I had a long and unpleasant history of classroom conflicts, and I suspected we were on the wand of another. So I just want to figure out what went defective in the beginning.Ill say this for hermy mother had a hell of a lot more self-control than I did. Had our roles been reversed, I would have walked over and smacked me by now. Her face stayed perfectly calm, however, and a small tightness in the set of her lips was the only sign that I was pissing her off.Its not that simple, she replied. The venue had an extremely complex layout. We went through it initially and found nothing. Its believed the Strigoi came in after the festivities had startedor t hat there might have been passages and hidden rooms we hadnt been aware of.The class oohed and ahhed over the idea of hidden passages, but I wasnt impressed.So what youre saying is that you guys either failed to detect them during your first sweep, or they broke through the security you set up during the party. Seems like someone messed up either way.The tightness in her lips increased, and her voice grew frosty. We did the best we could with an unusual situation. I can see how someone at your level might not be able to grasp the intricacies of what Im describing, but once youve actually learned enough to go beyond theory, youll see how different it is when youre actually out there and lives are in your hands.No doubt, I agreed. Who am I to question your methods? I mean, whatever gets you the molnija tag, right?Miss Hathaway. Stans deep voice rumbled through the room. Please take your things and go wait outside for the remainder of class.I stared at him in bewilderment. be you ser ious? Since when is there anything wrong with asking questions?Your attitude is whats wrong. He pointed at the door. Go.A silence heavier and deeper than when my mother had told her story descended over everyone. I did my best not to cower under the stares of guardians and novices alike. This wasnt the first time Id been kicked out of Stans class. It wasnt even the first time Id been kicked out of Stans class while Dimitri was watching. Slinging my load down over my shoulder, I get across the short di billet to the doora distance that felt like milesand refused to make eye contact with my mother as I passed.About five minutes before the class let out, she slipped out of the room and walked over to where I sat in the hallway. Looking down on me, she put her hands on her hips in that annoying way that made her seem taller than she was. It wasnt fair that someone over half a foot shorter than me could make me feel so small.Well. I see your manners havent improved over the years.I st ood up and felt a flare snap into place. Nice to see you too. Im surprised you even recognized me. In fact, I didnt even think you remembered me, seeing as how you never daunted to let me know you were on campus.She shifted her hands from her hips and crossed her arms across her chest, becomingif possibleeven more impassive. I couldnt neglect my duty to come coddle you. flub? I asked. This woman had never coddled me in her life. I couldnt believe she even knew the word.I wouldnt expect you to check. From what I hear, you dont really know what duty is.I know exactly what it is, I retorted. My voice was intentionally haughty. Better than most people.Her eyes widened in a sort of mock surprise. I used that disrespectful look on a lot of people and didnt appreciate having it tell toward me. Oh really? Where were you for the last two years?Where were you for the last five? I demanded. Would you have known I was gone if someone hadnt told you?Dont turn this back on me. I was away bec ause I had to be. You were away so you could go shopping and stay up late.My hurt and embarrassment morphed into pure fury. Apparently, I was never going to live down the consequences of running away with Lissa.You have no idea why I left, I said, my voices volume rising. And you have no right to make assumptions about my life when you dont know anything about it.Ive read reports about what happened. You had reason for concern, but you acted incorrectly. Her words were formal and crisp. She could have been teaching one of my classes. You should have gone to others for help.There was no one I could go tonot when I didnt have hard proof. Besides, weve been learning that were vatical to think independently.Yes, she replied. Emphasis on learning. Something you missed out on for two years. Youre hardly in a position to lecture me about guardian protocol.I wound up in arguments all the time something in my nature made that inevitable. So I was used to defending myself and having insults slammed at me. I had a tough skin. But somehow, around herin the brief times I had been around herI always felt like I was three years old. Her attitude humiliated me, and touching on my missed bringing up already a prickly subjectonly made me feel worse. I crossed my arms in a fair imitation of her own stance and managed a smug look.Yeah? Well, thats not what my teachers think. Even after abstracted all that time, Ive still caught up with everyone else in my class.She didnt answer right away. Finally, in a flat voice, she said, If you hadnt left, you would have surpassed them.Turning military-style, she walked off down the hall. A minute later, the bell rang, and the rest of Stans class spilled into the hall.Even Mason couldnt press me up after that. I spent the rest of the day fierce and annoyed, sure that everyone was whispering about my mother and me. I skipped lunch and went to the subroutine library to read a book about physiology and anatomy.When it was time for my after -school training with Dimitri, I practically ran up to the practice dummy. With a curled fist, I slapped its chest, very slightly to the left but mostly in the center.There, I told him. The heart is there, and the sternum and ribs are in the way. elicit I have the stake now?Crossing my arms, I glanced up at him triumphantly, time lag for him to shower me with praise for my new cunning. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment, like I should already have known that. And yeah, I should have.And how do you get through the sternum and the ribs? he asked.I sighed. Id reckon out the answer to one question, only to be given another. Typical.We spent a large part of the practice going over that, and he demonstrated several techniques that would yield the quickest kill. Every movement he made was both graceful and deadly. He made it look effortless, but I knew better.When he suddenly extended his hand and offered the stake to me, I didnt understand at first. Youre giving it to me?His e yes sparkled. I cant believe youre dareing back. I figured youd have taken it and run by now.Arent you always teaching me to hold back? I asked.Not on everything.But on some things.I heard the double meaning in my voice and wondered where it had come from. Id accepted a while ago that there were too many an(prenominal) reasons for me to even think about him romantically anymore. Every once in a while, I slipped a little and kind of wished he would too. Itd have been nice to know that he still wanted me, that I still drove him crazy. Studying him now, I realized he might not ever slip because I didnt drive him crazy anymore. It was a depressing thought.Of course, he said, showing no indication wed discussed anything other than class matters. Its like everything else. Balance. Know which things to run forward withand know which to leave alone. He placed a heavy emphasis on that last statement.Our eyes met briefly, and I felt electricity race through me. He did know what I was talk ing about. And like always, he was ignoring it and being my teacherwhich is exactly what he should have been doing. With a sigh, I pushed my feelings for him out of my head and tried to remember that I was about to touch the weapon Id been longing for since childhood. The memory of the Badica house came back to me yet again. The Strigoi were out there. I needed to focus.Hesitantly, almost reverentially, I reached out and curled my fingers around the hilt. The metal was cool and tingled against my skin. It was etched along the hilt for better grip, but in trailing my fingers over the rest of it, I found the surface to be as smooth as glass. I lifted it from his hand and brought it to me, taking a long time to study it and get used to its weight. An anxious part of me wanted to turn around and impale all of the dummies, but instead I looked up at Dimitri and asked, What should I do first?In his typical way, he covered fundamental principle first, honing the way I held and moved with the stake. Later on, he finally let me attack one of the dummies, at which point I did indeed discover it was not effortless. Evolution had done a smart thing in protecting the heart with the sternum and ribs. Yet through it all, Dimitri never faltered in diligence and patience, guiding me through every step and correcting the finest details.Slide up through the ribs, he explained, watching me try to fit the stakes point through a gap in the bones. Itll be easier since youre shorter than most of your attackers. Plus, you can seacoast along the lower ribs edge.When practice ended, he took the stake back and nodded his approval.Good. really good.I glanced at him in surprise. He didnt usually hand out a lot of praise.Really?You do it like youve been doing it for years.I felt a delighted grin creep over my face as we started leaving the practice room. When we neared the door, I noticed a dummy with nappy red hair. Suddenly, all the events from Stans class came tumbling back into my head. I scowled.Can I stake that one next time?He picked up his coat and put it on. It was long and brown, made of distressed leather. It looked very much like a cowboy duster, though hed never admit to it. He had a secret fascination with the Old West. I didnt really understand it, but then, I didnt get his weird musical preferences either.I dont think thatd be healthy, he said.Itd be better than me actually doing it to her, I grumbled, catapult my backpack over one shoulder. We headed out to the gym.Violence isnt the answer to your puzzles, he said sagely.Shes the one with the problem. And I thought the whole point of my command was that violence is the answer.Only to those who bring it to you first. Your mother isnt assaulting you. You two are just too much alike, thats all.I stopped walking. Im not anything like her I meanwe kind of have the same eyes. But Im a lot taller. And my hairs completely different. I pointed to my pony tail, just in case he wasnt aware that my thick brown-black hair didnt look like my mothers auburn curls.He still had kind of an amused expression, but there was something hard in his eyes too. Im not talking about your appearances, and you know it.I looked away from that knowing gaze. My attraction to Dimitri had started almost as soon as wed metand it wasnt just because he was so hot, either. I felt like he mum part of me that I didnt understand myself, and sometimes I was pretty sure I understood parts of him that he didnt understand either.The only problem was that he had the annoying tendency to point out things about myself I didnt want to understand.You think Im jealous?Are you? he asked. I detest it when he answered my questions with questions. If so, what are you jealous of exactly?I glanced back at Dimitri. I dont know. Maybe Im jealous of her reputation. Maybe Im jealous because shes put more time into her reputation than into me. I dont know.You dont think what she did was great?Yes. No. I dont know. It just sounded like such a I dont knowlike she was bragging. Like she did it for the glory. I grimaced. For the marks. Molnija marks were tattoos awarded to guardians when they killed Strigoi. Each one looked like a tiny x made of lightning bolts. They went on the backs of our necks and showed how experienced a guardian was.You think facing down Strigoi is worth a few marks? I thought youd learned something from the Badica house.I felt stupid. Thats not what ICome on.I stopped walking. What?Wed been heading toward my dorm, but now he nodded his head toward the opposite side of campus. I want to show you something.What is it?That not all marks are badges of honor.