[ this is a low-drama chapter, which i think we need. not any even mischa and dimitri interaction, but there will be plenty of those next chapter ]

☾

YOU MAKE HER HAPPY, AND TRUST ME — IT IS HARD TO MAKE MIA KARP HAPPY.

[ season 1 — episode 8 ]

"I think I'm dead," Mischa groaned.

Rose let out an amused snort while offering Mischa a hand up. "You're not dead."

"No, you've killed me," she insisted while getting up. Day one of 'Operation Rose Makes Mischa a Badass' had begun as soon as the convoy returned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Rose had just finished swiping Mischa's feet out from under her while testing her reaction time, which led to the Moroi falling flat on her back. And that led to childish grumbling, which, admittedly, was the most words anyone had gotten from her in the last couple of days.

It was difficult to get more than a few syllables out of Mischa on the trip back to the Academy. Really, it was hard to get any syllables out of anyone. Rose wasn't talking to Lissa, Lissa wasn't talking to Rose, and god knows Dimitri wasn't talking to Mischa. They didn't even ride in the same cars when going back.

Mischa stayed glued to Rose's side as they piled into one SUV and Dimitri escorted Lissa back in another. Lissa was, admittedly, a little confused about the tension between Mischa and Dimitri. The twin would have to wait and find out at a later time, as no one seemed to have a moment of downtime once they got home.

That was by design, of course. If Rose and Mischa were too busy training, they couldn't think about Lissa and Dimitri. So, they ran off while everyone was sleeping and used one of the empty, indoor training rooms that no one ever used and got to work. Mischa was quickly learning that watching the Novices train and actively participating were two very different things.

"Alright," Rose said with a small smirk. "Let's go back to hitting basics. That Camila girl did a fair enough job teaching you to punch Jesse."

"I mean, I didn't learn specifically to punch Jesse," she mumbled, dragging the toe of her sneaker across the ground innocently. "Felt really fucking good, though."

Rose led Mischa to a dummy used for hitting and got her into the correct position. She'd shift her hips the right way and make sure the fist she was forming wasn't made in a way that'd only cause her pain. Each time Mischa would punch the dummy, it'd wobble a little bit, but it was evident she was missing out on that genetic Dhampir strength.

That wasn't to say she was weak. Given that she'd continued exercising with Mikhail even after finishing up the prescribed physical therapy after getting out of the hospital for the car crash, she was stronger than most Royal Moroi girls her age, which Rose was happy to see, as they weren't starting from nothing.

As Mischa rhythmically punched the dummy, getting a little tired, Rose simply stood back and watched her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she followed the fluid movement.

"Hold on," Rose muttered, coming back over slowly as Mischa stopped and looked at her expectantly. "I've got a thought."

"Oh, that's never good," she joked, wiping some of the sweat off her forehead.

Rose rolled her eyes playfully before continuing. "So, obviously, being seen using magic as a weapon is a big no-no," she said. They both looked at Mischa's hands. The scars were covered with material to protect her hands as she continued to hit things. "But what if you do it in a way where they can't see it?"

"Could you clarify?"

"Shoot just a powerful blast of air at that thing," she said, nodding to the dummy.

Mischa did as she was told, holding out her hand and controlling the air around them. Though you couldn't see it, the dummy was pushed back a good five feet as the air knocked into it.

"But it's obvious that I used my magic to do that," Mischa reminded her.

"Right, but what if you took that technique and did it while throwing a punch? It'd look like you were the one doing that much damage," Rose said, the gears in her brain still turning. "It's not like throwing rocks or conjuring fire. It's an invisible force."

"That sounds kind of cool," she admitted, now excited to try it out. "Yeah, let's try it."

Rose quickly moved the dummy back in position, a little anxious to see her idea in action. Using magic as a weapon fascinated her, as she hoped that one day, Moroi that wanted to would be allowed to defend themselves instead of relying on Dhampir for everything.

With the human-shaped training dummy in front of her, Mischa got back in position. As she formed her fist, she focused in on the atmosphere around her, having the molecules conform around her hand, ready to move with it. Then she threw her fist forward just as Camila taught her, this time with the added force alongside it.

Half a second later, the dummy went sailing fifteen feet backward and hit the concrete wall, a loud thud echoing in the room. Mischa and Rose looked at each other with their jaws open, both amazed at how far it went. A real person wouldn't have gone quite as far, though.

"That was so bitchin'!" Rose exclaimed, throwing an arm around Mischa's shoulder. "And it really didn't look like you were using magic."

"It felt great," Mischa said, looking down at her hand. Even though they were covered with fabric, she knew they weren't glowing — that only seemed to happen when she was using more than one element at the same time.

"You could do some major damage with that in the field," she complimented. "Honestly, I'm a little jealous. I've got a long list of people I'd like to hit that hard — starting with Tatiana Vogel and ending with Dimitri."

Mischa tensed at the mention of his name. Rose had been doing a pretty good job of not bringing him up just like she'd done a good job of not bringing up her twin. Neither was ready to talk about Dimitri or Lissa.

"You'll have to watch threats toward Tatiana if she wins these trials," Mischa murmured, not dwelling on him even though she wanted to. "I mean, I hope it's Victor, of course. But given how much older he is, I'm worried he won't fare very well in this first one."

"Well, can't you go easy on him?" she questioned while stretching her arms over her head.

The first of the three Elemental trials that Victor and Tatiana would have to go through as they battled out who would be the next ruler was a long day of physical endurance tests. During the test, they'd have to brave the four Elements for several hours. And someone thought it was a great idea to have Mischa provide the magic.

Usually, it was split between four Moroi, meaning none of them got exhausted or overwhelmed. But now, they expected for Mischa to carry it all out on her own. She figured the reasoning was a toss-up between continued punishment for using her magic as a weapon or simply wanting to test her endurance and capabilities, as the scientists at the school still were scratching their heads over how her magic worked and where it came from.

Because of that, Rose wouldn't be training Mischa for long. She needed to get some sleep before having to stand around using magic all day. But even with just a few hours under their belts, they'd made a lot of progress, especially with that powerful punch.

"I don't know if I can risk being caught," Mischa said, having already thought about going easier on Victor. Not only would she get in trouble, but it'd ruin any and all of his reputation and cause people to question his integrity as a potential ruler.

"I get that, but you can't tell me you haven't thought of just absolutely obliterating Tatiana," Rose said, smirking.

Mischa shrugged innocently. Sure, maybe she'd pictured getting fire a little too close to her hair or accidentally losing concentration long enough to lightly waterboard her. But then she'd look at her hands and remember that violence definitely wasn't going to help. The best way — at the moment, at least — to avenge Mikhail was to insure that Tatiana's ass never saw the throne.

"Can we practice that punch a few more times?" Mischa asked, wanting to forget about everything wrong going on around them. "I wanna be so good at it that I can do it on instinct."

☾

"Cowboy, you're hogging all the covers," he could hear Mischa whine, a playful twinge in her voice.

Dimitri could practically feel her shifting closer for warmth. Rather than release the blanket, he smiled and rolled to his other side to pull her body against hers, knowing it was the much more preferable way to warm her up. However, when his muscular arm hit a cold mattress, his tired eyes flew open.

Mischa wasn't there, which he was painfully aware of as his mind cleared, realizing he'd just been dreaming of her. The other side of his mattress back at St. Vladimir's was empty and cold — how had he only slept with her at his side for two nights and already he was longing for her like she'd been there for years?

His head hit the pillow as he stared up at the blank ceiling, thinking about her. Dimitri wanted her curled up against his chest. He wanted to hear her sleepy voice greeting him for the morning. He wanted to kiss her softly as they slowly woke up together.

There were a thousand things Dimitri needed to do, to think about, and Mischa wasn't one of them, but he couldn't help it. He'd spend every moment thinking of her if he could — his mind certainly tried.

Finally, he let out a low groan and sat up, knowing he had to begin his morning training exercises.

Then her voice echoed through his head. "What if I came with?" Mischa had asked, tracing her finger along his chest, not wanting to part with him while he went on his jog.

Dimitri threw the comforter off and got out of bed, shaking his head as if it'd rid all his thoughts and memories of her. With each step he took to the bathroom, his mood worsened, knowing his day would only go further downhill as he inevitably would have to see her face.

As he looked in the mirror, his traitorous brain conjured another image to the front of his mind. The reflection of Mischa writing in the hotel mirror with him thrusting deep into her, knowing that nothing and no one would ever feel as perfect and right as they did when moving together. Look at you, Printsessa, so pretty and fucked out just for me. Telling her it was nothing special to him had been a desperate lie that ate away at him.

But it had to be done, at least, that's what he kept telling himself. It was forbidden. It went against the Guardian code he swore to follow. It made him weak. It broke so many rules that his entire moral center was built on. It was wrong. That's what he kept having to tell himself.

Loving Mischa Dragomir was wrong. It must have been.

☾

Mischa was tired — so tired. The trials started just after the sun went down, and classes were even canceled so that everyone could either be at the palace to watch them or view the live coverage from the news. Each Elemental task took roughly an hour, which was an insane amount of time to endure that much heat, water, and keeping upright while an earthquake was happening beneath you. Though at least they were given breaks in between, keeping the spaced out.

However, she'd have liked a day to recover in between each one since it wasn't as if the actual candidates were having to use their magic for this long. But no, Mischa's hands were burning and her muscles ached, but the final test of Air was almost over.

Up above her, Victor and Tatiana were up in a tall bell tower, each standing in an opening. And Mischa was aiming harsh blasts of air at them, never letting up. It was hard to focus with so many people cheering ridiculously loud all around her, watching Mischa up on her pedestal or the two candidates up above.

It was clear that Tatiana was faring much better than Victor, though both managed to stay upright with the harsh wind whipping around them. Mischa's eyes were locked on Tatiana, wishing she'd topple right over and fall off the bell tower — it wasn't unheard of for people to get harmed in trials like this. She then wondered what the general reaction would be if Tatiana suddenly stopped breathing for a moment, which could happen with just a twitch of Mischa's fingers. She shook away the intrusive thought as fast as it came, knowing she didn't need to let her dislike for Tatiana get in the way of Victor's campaign.

As the trial came to a close, the Queen's face was displayed on every screen in the town square, making sure no one would miss the verdict. "As we reach the end of the first trial, I remind you all that these ancient trials were designed to produce an heir to the throne robust in body, in wisdom, and in spirit. Your candidates, Lord Victor Dashkov and Lady Tatiana Vogel, have spent a long and grueling day in a physical endurance test, braving the four Elements at the hands of Lady Mischa Dragomir. Thus, it is the Elements, not I, that decide who prevails. The winner of the first trial is..."

The Queen paused for dramatic effect, but then red signal smoke was released from a nearby tower, and everyone knew a moment before who the winner was because it was her color, while Victor's was blue.

"Lady Vogel."

Mischa dropped her arms instantly, feeling the fatigue set in as she ceased using her magic. Those supporting Tatiana began to cheer loudly while waving their banners, and those supporting Victor were left to mope. Mischa was certainly among them, sort of wishing she'd taken Rose's advice to be harsher on her.

☾

In a world tied together by the four-part Elemental harmony, Mischa Dragomir was a goddess made of that magic. At least, that's what Dimitri thought. With that ability to control all four elements, she had to be some kind of deity or saint — she had to be.

Because only a saint could have him still doubting everything like this. The beliefs he was raised on, the code that kept him together, his identity as a Guardian. All of it. Only a saint could have him in the mostly-empty church, praying for guidance when he should be doing a thousand other things.

Dimitri didn't even know how long he'd been there, leaning against one of the pews in the front row and looking at the high altar but only seeing images of Mischa in his mind while he questioned everything inside of him.

There were only two stable things in his life — the Guardian Code and the Elemental harmony of their world. Those were the things that kept him from falling apart on the inside, and with one single trip to the human world, his inside was crumbling and the ground was falling beneath his feet. He didn't know if he could trust the Dominion. He didn't know if he could trust the church. He didn't know if he could trust himself.

And since running away from Mischa and what they had, Dimitri had never felt so alone. It seemed he couldn't get her out of his head, which made his day all the more unbearable. She was in everything he did, saw, and thought, and it was driving him nearly insane.

So, yes, Mischa Dragomir had to be a goddess, because the only other explanation to this madness was—

Just like he couldn't let himself hear her say it, he couldn't think it. Not without his chest aching horribly, thinking about what they could be if he wasn't her Guardian. But Dhampir went where Moroi told them, and the Council still wanted him assigned to Mischa. At least they were at the Academy, meaning he wasn't glued to her side twenty-four-seven, which would be unbearable.

Knowing he'd spent hours in the church — not that he'd wasted time given that all earlier Academy classes were canceled for the trials — Dimitri finally pushed off the pew and began to leave. Coming hadn't helped. In fact, he might have been leaving with more doubts than he arrived with.

The silence he'd been surrounded with for hours was broken as he walked back down the aisle and heard Tatiana Vogel, who he didn't even know was in the church. "You're up late."

Dimitri came to a stop and saw Tatiana, who was kneeling at a side altar as she spotted him. "I like the quiet," he told her. The quiet that she was coincidently interrupting.

Tatiana got to her feet and moved in his direction. "It's a shame how few people I see in here, off hours or otherwise."

"It's a shame how few people pray at all," he muttered.

"I'm sorry our paths haven't crossed recently," she said. They'd only met once before at the Dhampir bar on the night of the St. Judas memorial. "I'd hoped we might be friends."

Dimitri nearly scoffed. "There's room for Dhampir friendship in your ideology?" he asked doubtfully. Granted, he knew very little about Tatiana Vogel — only that she was running for Queen, she was an Elementalist, preferred Royal Moroi over non-Royals, and she was the one to bring up the ancient law that took away the Dragomir quorum. And everyone knew the Dragomir vote would always favor the Dhampir, so surely, Tatiana couldn't consider them her equals.

Perhaps if Dimitri paid a little more attention whenever Rose was gossiping — or rather complaining — he'd know how twisted Tatiana actually was. He'd know he didn't need to spend even a second long in her company. But Dimitri didn't know. He didn't know how she pushed for Live Fire or how she declared it a success, as he'd been too busy with relocating the Moroi and Dhampir in Caroni to know about it.

Meaning when she began talking about faith — something he was desperate to cling to — he listened. "My ideology is rooted in faith, as is yours. I believe that makes us kindred spirits, if nothing else," Tatiana said, moving a little closer. "I heard you lost a charge before you came to this province. A friend. And for three days after his death, you were on your knees before the altar, just you anchored in your faith. I admire that."

Dimitri's face hardened, not wanting to talk about Alexei with someone he hardly knew. He glanced back at the altar, though, and thought back on her words and all that he'd been feeling the last few days. "Lately, I've been feeling... unmoored," he admitted, knowing there wasn't a better word at the time. It felt almost silly to admit to the relative of the High Priestess. "Have you ever doubted... any of it? All of it?"

"Every day. But if faith were easy, it wouldn't need to be practiced," she said with a small, knowing smile. And though Dimitri knew Tatiana didn't fully understand what he was going through — no one would — he found himself smiling with her.

☾

Though the sun was up, Mischa wasn't asleep. It seemed she wasn't the only Moroi with a rebellious spirit. Christian wanted to learn to use his magic offensively, so he not only asked Mischa for pointers, but Meredith for help as well. Since she was still healing from the Strigoi attack, she couldn't participate in Novice training exercises. This gave her something to focus on.

Meredith also knew about Rose beginning to train Mischa — Mason and Eddie knew as well, as Rose figured she'd ask for their help every now and then. So, they all knew to keep all this involvement a secret, knowing they'd be punished far worse than Mischa and Christian ever could be.

Given that she spent all day using her magic, Mischa wasn't actually doing much. In fact, she was just laying down and watching as Christian shot streams of fire at a training dummy's chest. Meredith set up a nice training area on a restricted rooftop patio that had a roof and curtains surrounding the sides to keep the sun out. You'd only find them there if you were looking for them.

"Now!" Meredith shouted, beginning the start on her timer.

Christian threw out his hand and shot another line of fire at the dummy, managing to hold it for several seconds without wavering. He'd only been able to conjure so much fire back when fighting Mikhail because of the adrenaline. It was impressive then and now, though, as many Fire Users struggled to conjure fire out of nothing and usually relied on the aid of a candle or lighter.

"It's gettin' hot in here," Mischa sang as the flames died out. Christian just rolled his eyes playfully, unfamiliar with the human song.

"You know, I thought you'd be rubbish when you asked me to train you, but your timing's improving," Meredith complimented. "You're getting those off pretty quick."

"I need to be faster," Christian insisted.

Meredith chuckled and shook her head, knowing it was time to pack up for the day. "So do I, if they catch me helping a Moroi secretly use their magic to fight."

"Time to actually sleep," Mischa muttered, rubbing her eyes. Then she let out a long sigh. Actually, she knew for a fact Rose got smashed at the bar during the first trial, as Mason had to carry her home. So, Mischa wanted to check on her before going to bed. "Never mind, to the Dhampir dorms for five minutes, then bed."

"I'll walk you there," Meredith offered while grabbing her jacket. Then she glanced between her and Christian. "Have either of you seen Mia around anywhere the last few days?" she asked nervously.

"She's helping Victor with the trials," Christian answered, shrugging.

"Ah, okay. Back at her dad's side, palling around with royals. Nothing to worry about there," Meredith said a bit awkwardly, forcing a smile. As she moved toward the stairs, she saw the doubtful looks coming from Mischa and Christian, who knew she was worried. "I liked new-Mia. I just hope it wasn't a phase."

Before Mischa could reassure her that it wasn't a phase, the curtain at the door opened, and Lissa came in. "Hi," she greeted. Christian, who was packing his things up in a bag, froze and slowly looked up at Lissa. He hadn't seen her since they left on the Royal Tour. She'd told him that she had to marry someone like Jesse Zeklos, and then they slept together despite thinking they'd never be together. So, seeing her again was definitely a tense situation given that they were still definitely in love with each other.

"Can I... Christian, do you have a minute?" Lissa asked, avoiding looking at Mischa and Meredith.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Christian said, setting his things down.

Meredith and Mischa shared an uncomfortable look, both feeling the tension in the air. "So, we're just... I'm gonna..." Meredith trailed off while grabbing Mischa's wrist and pulling her out of the room. Mischa went silently, opening up her umbrella to keep the sun away.

But Mischa couldn't help but nosily hang by the curtain for a second, wanting to see where this was going.

"So," Christian began to try and make small talk, "what are you doing out so—"

"Will you marry me?" Lissa suddenly asked.

Mischa gasped audibly and moved to storm back inside, but Meredith pulled her back, knowing the last thing the couple needed was Lissa's older sister intruding on a marriage proposal.

"Fucking married?" Mischa asked Meredith with wide eyes as they started toward the Dhampir dorms. "I mean, yeah, he's way better than Jesse, but she didn't even tell me!"

"I mean, I know you've only been back for like three days, but it doesn't seem like Lissa has been talking much to anyone," Meredith said, shrugging. "But hey, you'll get your vote back sooner rather than later — Vlad knows we need it if Vogel keeps winning."

"Victor can do it," Mischa said, having faith in her godfather. "And when he's done, Mia will be back at your side."

She let out a disbelieving scoff. "Yeah, right. When he wins, she'll have everything she's ever wanted — all the Royal shit. She'll have nothing to do with me then."

"Don't say that," she said, frowning. "I know that Mia can be... an acquired taste. But part of this campaigning is making sure people see that Victor's family is united. With Sonya away and still mourning, he needs her with him and Richard. I know it might feel like she's not making time for you, though. She likes you, Meredith. You make her happy, and trust me — it is hard to make Mia Karp happy."

"That's true," Meredith muttered, knowing how hard to please Mia was. And before the trials began, it seemed like Meredith was pleasing Mia well enough. "I don't know... when I was still healing, and she wouldn't leave my bedside, it was... nice. I miss it."

Mischa smiled softly and nudged her shoulder with hers. "Well, if you want her back so bad, I'm sure Rose could rough you up free of charge."

Meredith rolled her eyes but still smiled. The two walked the rest of the way to the Dhampir dorms, talking mostly about Mia and different things to try next time they worked with Christian and his magic. Mischa also told Meredith about her air-enhanced punch. The Novice was quite excited to see it in action. Sure, she wasn't a fan of fighting and preferred to think about strategies, but the concept of combining magic and physical strength was definitely interesting to think about.

Once they reached the Dhampir dormitories, they headed to the lounge area. On the way, they'd seen Mason and Rose through one of the second-floor windows, telling them where to go. While going up the stairs, Meredith quickly informed Mischa that she and Mason had been compiling all the research they could about the most recent Strigoi attacks, which he was likely filling Rose in on.

That was confirmed when they reached the second floor and overheard Rose talking about the attack at St. Jude's, Christian's parents, and the twins. It was all connected in some way, they just had to figure it out. "Maybe they're not coming after Christian at all. Maybe they're coming after Lissa and Mischa," Rose guessed, dread filling her.

"Okay, but what about St. Jude's?" Mason asked.

"That's how Lissa lost her shot at being queen and took out the rest of their bloodline," Meredith spoke up, dropping her bag by the wall as she did.

"And the power of our vote," Mischa whispered, eying the table of documents uneasily.

Mason and Rose were standing around a small table with tons of papers on it. They were by the window, and Mason quickly lowered the shade, blocking the sun so that Mischa could come closer. And when she did, she saw all the documents were about either Christian's parents, St. Jude, or the Strigoi attack in the tunnel.

"Okay, but what do Strigoi care about who's queen or not?" Mason asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

"They don't, or at least, they didn't use to," Rose muttered. Then she looked at Mischa, remembering the Strigoi that was in the tunnel, at the club, and at Clarice's apartment. "They didn't use to hunt specific Moroi down either, though."

"So you think that someone inside the Royal Court is conspiring with Strigoi to take Lissa and Mish out?" Mason had to ask.

They all looked at Mischa, knowing she'd have the closest idea since she'd been on the Council even if for only a short time. But they found Mischa's eyes glued to the window. She was frozen, looking through the semi-transparent shade, her eyes on the single body walking with purpose toward the Guardian housing building across the courtyard.

Dimitri looked content as he walked with his hands behind his back and a serene look on his face. Mischa thought he looked far too fucking content for someone that had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. She hadn't seen him since they arrived back at the school, and for that, she was thankful.

Because right now, with a concrete wall and courtyard separating them, she felt horribly enough. She felt like crawling into bed and crying again. There was no telling how she'd feel if she were any closer.

"Mish," Meredith said softly, seeing how she was watching Dimitri like she was about to fall apart.

Before she could speak, Rose took off with the intent to knock some sense into Dimitri. Mischa did nothing to stop her and only watched as Dimitri slowly disappeared from view. "I think we should accept that anything is possible. Things change so quickly."

Everything had changed so quickly.

☾

Mischa was much more well-rested the next day now that she wouldn't be participating in the following trial. At the end of the day, everyone would gather and watch Fight Night, which everyone was quite excited about. Victor and Tatiana would each choose a Guardian to represent them and fight in a boxing ring. The winner of that match would declare which candidate won while showing they had good judgment when it came to the protection of their species.

That wasn't the biggest thing that would be happening, though. As soon as Mischa got back to their room, Lissa told her all about getting engaged to Christian. Apparently, Adrian put in the work and did some digging to find out there were a few more eligible men that Lissa — technically, Mischa as well — could marry to get their quorum back, and Christina Ozera was one of them.

So, before publicly announcing it to the Dominion, they were going to have a private blood-marking ceremony in the church before the monks. Mischa was going to be the only one in attendance since Lissa wasn't speaking with Rose.

The twins were sitting at a table in the school courtyard, waiting for the time to pass as they quietly discussed future details. Despite her nerves and being sad about Rose, Mischa knew that Lissa wanted to marry Christian. Sure, it was moving fast and wasn't for the right reasons, but the two knew that when he agreed and were still happy about it.

"That's really what you're wearing?" Mischa asked quietly, side-eying her sister.

Lissa looked down at her outfit, which was an all-white ensemble of dress pants and a flowy, collared shirt with a bunch of embellishments on it. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, letting out an amused scoff.

"Nothing, nothing," she said, waving her hands. Then she spoke under her breath. "Assuming you want to look like Marie Conta's grandmother."

That earned an elbow in the side from Lissa as they both laughed. "And are you offering to swap with me?" she asked, looking at Mischa's outfit that consisted of a light purple sundress and some sheer tights underneath to keep her warmer. "And what happened to the green outfit you put on? It was cute. You've been in a lot of green the last few weeks."

"Um, I guess I just wasn't feeling it after I put it on," she mumbled. Mischa wore so much green because it reminded her of Dimitri's eyes. She didn't want to think of his eyes anymore. "But just make sure you consult me before choosing your outfit for the actual wedding."

"Oh, you know I wouldn't dare," she said, smiling. But the happiness didn't quite reach her eyes. No real emotion had quite met her eyes since leaving the St. Ignatius province. Then she glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Christian should be here soon, and then we'll go and get it over with."

"Get it over with? How romantic," Mischa said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"You know what I mean," she said. "I mean, it is a blood-marking ceremony. I've never seen one, but it sounds gross and awkward."

"If so, then I'll be overdramatically gagging from my pew—"

Mischa cut herself off when a trio of Novices walked through the courtyard with purpose. Rose was leading Meredith and Mason, and though she didn't know it yet, they were looking for her and Christian. But Rose stopped short when she saw Lissa, and they made eye contact. Slowly, Lissa got to her feet, never taking her eyes off her best friend. Though, Mischa supposed her firing Rose made them not friends at all anymore.

After a second, Mischa awkwardly cleared her throat and stood as well. "Right, so—"

Rose turned suddenly and bolted before she could get any more words out, which wasn't that unexpected. She disappeared, and a moment later, Lissa did too. Mischa let out a defeated sigh and watched as her sister ran away, tears falling from her eyes.

"Great," she muttered, looking at Mason and Meredith. "I'm gonna go fix that. You go calm Rose down."

"Might help if we know what we're calming her down from," Mason said stiffly. No one knew what the fight was about, but as yet another day back at the Academy passed, word was spreading. It wouldn't be long before even the gossip-avoiding faculty knew that Lissa and Rose's friendship was on the rocks, and that after graduation, Mischa would be asking for Rose to be assigned as her Guardian.

"It's this little thing called none of your business, Mase," Mischa said, patting him on the shoulder as she walked past him.

Mischa didn't go right after Lissa. Given that she'd already tried countless times to get through to her sister, Mischa knew it'd be fairly pointless. Lissa didn't want to talk to her about Rose or Spirit or the Darkness they were sharing. Hell, she didn't even want to talk about the antidepressants and anxiety medication she'd started taking.

So, Mischa figured the next best thing to try was her fiance. They were getting married — she was half Christian's problem too, now.

Christian was in the male Moroi dormitories, finishing putting on a nice, red blazer to wear to the ceremony. And it only took a couple of words from Mischa before he took off with her so they could find Lissa. It took a little while given that she hadn't exactly watched her sister run off, but they eventually tracked her down.

"I'll see you at the church," Mischa whispered to Christian, spotting her sister up ahead, sitting on a bench and crying over Rose.

"You aren't helping?" Christian asked, his voice equally as low.

"I'm not the one putting a ring on it," she joked while walking backward. "See you in a few. I'll be the one in the front row gagging."

Christian furrowed his eyebrows, as Lissa hadn't really explained the full process of what they were about to do. He just knew he needed to be at the church after breakfast. "Why will you be gagging?"

Despite her claims, though, Mischa did not gag during the blood-marking ceremony. In fact, she found herself tearing up a bit at the intimate scene. Blood was everything to their kind — not only was it sustenance, but it was the very symbol of life.

The church was empty except for them and the monks. Lissa and Christian knelt in front of each other as the monks chanted words about eternal love rhythmically in Old Moroi. Then they were presented with thick, gold rods with pointed tips, which they used to prick their fingers and draw blood.

Lissa went first, smearing traces of her blood across Christian's forehead, then his cheeks, and ended with a mark on his lips. Christian followed, making the same gentle patterns before ending with a small dot of blood on her bottom lip. Mischa watched it all with a soft smile on her face, hoping against all hope that Lissa could finally have something good and happy in her life with Christian and this marriage.

Once the ceremony was complete, Christian got to his feet and helped Lissa stand as well. They made their way over to a bowl of holy water, where some cloths were set out so they could wipe the blood off. Mischa leaned back against her pew, not wanting to be the first to say anything, feeling like it would ruin the intimate moment as they wiped the blood off each other.

But Lissa hadn't even finished up with both of Christian's cheeks before he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway. Mischa quickly turned and saw that it was Meredith, an urgent look in her eyes as she caught both their gazes and nodded her head to the side, silently telling them to follow her.

Mischa was the one to break the silence as she got to her feet and whispered, not caring that they were still within the walls of the church. "For fuck's sake."