Chapter 19: Lessons Learned

Twenty minutes before the dance was supposed to end, I met up with Alyssa Vogel in the gym locker room, where we had hidden our black "Strigoi" uniforms. We dressed quickly, hoping to catch students in transit. Field experience was serious business, but we couldn't help but find this part pretty funny. The sun was out in full force, and real Strigoi attacks couldn't occur outdoors during daylight. Our best bet was to hide in the dorms and attack students before they could get to the parties.

"Let's go to the Moroi dorms," I suggested. "The bigger parties will be there. They'll be mostly Moroi students, but I bet we can catch some dhampirs in the group."

Alyssa didn't question my insider knowledge. My reputation preceded me as always. With a nod, the Moroi security guard on duty let us in. We considered hiding in the elevators and ambushing students who tried to use them, but chose to just keep it simple and creep in a small lounge off the side of the main lobby. We let some students, mostly Moroi couples, go by. After about twenty minutes, I nudged Alyssa. A group of six Moroi—all royal—and three senior novices was approaching the dorm. The way Olivia Lazar was holding her purse made me think that she had a bottle or two tucked away in there.

"Attack on my count," I instructed Alyssa. "I'm going for the Lazar girl."

Todd Aleskola, one of the novices, opened the door to let the rest of the crowd pass through.

"Three… two… one." We sprang out of the lounge. Olivia shrieked as I grabbed her and dragged her into the lounge. Her purse slipped off her shoulder, and a bottle smashed. The old Moroi security guard just shook his head, watching the scene with both weariness and amusement.

Alyssa was fighting Todd, and the other two novices went for me. I recognized them as Damien and Bryson Redding, twin brothers from a relatively wealthy family. They were heavy and strong, but unusually clumsy that night. I backed them into a corner, figuring it would confuse them. Sure enough, it did. Alyssa finished off Todd. I hoped she would come help me with the Reddings, who were swinging clumsy punches left and right. I didn't want to make any offensive moves without backup. But first, I saw Alyssa grab Emma Voda's hand as it inched toward the trashcan. Alyssa pried a small bag of weed out of the girl's grasp. Neither of the Redding boys even made an effort to stake me, and Alyssa and I easily pinned them to the ground.

By the time we finished handing out nine sets of detentions and three failing grades and confiscating all drugs and alcohol, there was no time to actually bust a party. That was okay. We had certainly sent a message, one that would travel very quickly over the weekend. Guiltily, I wondered if I had chosen that group because they were the kind of students I had hated when I was one. Sure, I went to their parties before Lissa and I left, but I always knew that I was unwanted. I was only there because of Lissa's social status, and maybe because they thought they could hook up with me. At least my reputation as a slut got me some good party invites when I was a student, I suppose, but the cockiness of those three dhampir boys now just struck me as annoying.

The attack did, however, serve a purpose. There were five royal families represented in that group. Had those three novices failed to protect them, it would have been a major triumph for real Strigoi. Let's just say that's why I chose them.

During my Monday lunch break, I checked over my field experience to-do list:

Attack on first day

Attack after dance

Attack 5+ novices in one day to maintain badass reputation

Make Polina choose between Elliott and Savannah

Kick Aria's ass

So much to do, so little time, and I knew the list would only get longer. I was staring it down and devouring French fries when a small voice interrupted me.

"Hey, Rose?" I looked up to see Sydney standing in front of me with a tray of food. "Can I sit with you?"

"Of course!" I pushed aside my notes and cleared a place for her across from my seat. "Hey, you're out of captivity! They're letting you eat in the cafeteria now?"

She smiled, looking both happy and a little nervous. "Yeah, first day. Just for lunch. I'm sitting with you because it'll make me look like I'm trying to be normal."

"Missed you too." I surveyed her tray. It looked pretty good, but I knew she was still supposed to gain a little more weight. "And you got everything that you're supposed to eat?"

She proudly stuck a post-it note on the table in front of me. I recognized Dr. Olendzski's handwriting. "You can check it yourself." Sure enough, she had everything she was supposed to eat. I even signed the post-it, causing her to roll her eyes.

"What are you writing?" Sydney asked, looking at my checklist. "Even if you were a student, I wouldn't believe you were actually doing homework during your break."

"It practically is homework. It's my plans for my work, anyway."

"Doesn't it get old, attacking people all day?"

I considered this. "Not really. It might be the best part of this job."

After lunch, I changed into my black Strigoi uniform and staked out a spot near Savannah Conta's and Elliott Ozera's seventh period class. Once again, I enlisted Alyssa's help. Out of respect to Savannah and Polina, I was really vague about why I needed her to attack Savannah Conta, and as usual, Alyssa trusted that I had a good reason.

We lurked behind the corner until I got a good view. Polina was teamed up with Wesley, Savannah's guardian for field experience. They were pair guarding, and Polina was far guard. Perfect. Alyssa and I lunged for the two Moroi. She grabbed Savannah and I took Elliott. We pulled the Moroi in opposite directions.

There was no hesitation. Polina leapt into action… at me. My heart swelled with pride. She had done it. She had prioritized her Moroi over her girlfriend. Her job over her love life. My joy was interrupted by a kick to the stomach. She fought fiercely, pinning me down for the last time when I looked to see how Wesley was doing with Alyssa. When I was down for the count, Polina jumped back into the fray just in time to see Wesley stake Alyssa. I stood up again and met Polina's eyes. Then, not caring who saw, I reached forward and drew her into my arms, hugging her tightly as she leaned against my shoulder.

"You got it," I whispered in her ear, my cheek pressed against her hair. "You really got it."

It rained on graduation day, big drops pelting the windows and adding to the solemnity of the event for the new guardians. Dimitri and I watched, our backs to the wall. I'm sure I annoyed him when I nudged him and whispered something along the lines of, "that's one of mine!" every time one of my students went up to get his or her promise mark. I could see Sydney and Adrian sitting in the audience. She looked beautiful in a light blue dress. His hand rested casually on her knee.

As she walked back to her position in the rows of standing guardians, Polina's fierce blue eyes met mine. I gave her a small smile. She kept that neutral expression that we are all trained to wear in formal situations like this, but she gave just the slightest nod of her head.

You're welcome, I thought. But moreover, thank you.

Author's Note: So there you have it, the end of the school year! There will be one more chapter, which will hopefully be posted soon. If you're a fan of Rose/Dimitri and general adorableness, it should make you happy.