Chapter 4
The meeting with Lissa and Christian did give me an idea though, I needed to go to church to hear about Shadow kissed Anna and Vlad, and that could only be done by asking if I was allowed to go. I stood in the doorway of Ms. Kirova's office and knocked on the door. "Ms. Kirova." She raised her eyes from her paperwork, clearly annoyed to see me. "Yes, Miss Hathaway?" "Does my ban from social activities include Church?" I asked her hoping my tone was respectful enough. "I beg your pardon?" "You said that I have to stay in the dorm whenever I'm not in class or practice. But what about church on Sundays?" I clarified. "I wasn't aware that you were religious." She looked at me pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Lissa managed to convert me," I said. "Isn't your mother an atheist?" she asked skeptically. "She probably is, but I grew up with Lissa and her family, not my mother." I told her, "My father is probably Muslim or something like that, not that I would know." I shrugged. "Yes, Miss Hathaway, you are allowed to go to church on Sundays."
The entire Saturday I spent catching up on my homework and reading the books I missed last year. I was feeling great about my progress and on Sunday, I got to sit next to Lissa in church. I saw Christian sitting on the opposite side of the aisle, pretending to be just as holy as he'd said. Dimitri sat in the back, face lined with shadows, as thoughtful as he looked, I wondered if he even listened to the service. I tuned in and out -- this was nothing like regular church, they were talking about St. Vladimir and I tuned in again hoping to hear something that wasn't written in the books, I needed to make sure that there wasn't anything new. "Following God's path is never easy," the priest said. "Even St. Vladimir, this school's patron saint, had a difficult time. He was so filled with spirit that people often flocked around him enthralled just to listen and be in his presence. So great was his spirit, the old texts say, that he could heal the sick. Yet despite these gifts, many did not respect him. They mocked him, claiming he was misguided and confused."
"..... and so it was with shadow-kissed Anna." There it was, that was what I was, Shadow kissed. Apparently, Ms. Karp told me that once, and I needed that book he gave Rose. When the sermon was over, Lissa turned to go and I told her I needed to ask the priest something. "Wait for me. I'll be right there." I pushed my way through the crowd, up to the front where the priest was speaking with a few people. I waited impatiently while he finished.
Natalie was there asking him about some volunteer work she could do. When she finished, she left greeting me as she passed. The priest raised his eyebrows when he saw me. "Hello, Rose. It's nice to see you again." "Hallo Father," I hoped I was calling him on the right term. I was used to going to a church with pastors in my first life and since being reborn I really hadn't had the opportunity to go to church again, something I should probably look into. "What can I help you with today." "You talked about Anna and St. Vladimir today and I wondered if you had some information about her. She was shadow kissed, but what does that mean?" He frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. She lived a very long time ago. It was often common to refer to people by titles that reflected some of their traits. It might have been given to make her sound fierce. I do have something about that." He left through the door near the altar, and then less than a minute later, he came back with a book. Handing it to me. The book was titled Moroi Saints. "You can learn about her here. The next time I see you. I'd like to hear what you've learned." "Thank you." I turned around and headed towards Lissa, she was talking to Christian. When she saw me she smiled but Christian frowned, waiting for something.
"Hey Rose," Lissa looked at me nervously. "You know Christian right?" "Only by reputation, which doesn't say much." Lissa looked appalled at my words and Christian was angry. I realized that I might have sounded a little harsh. "Sorry, I only meant that I only know you from what others told me, and rumors, which is something I learned to ignore. The rumors about me and Lissa are pretty ridiculous ... " I trialed of feeling stupid. As we stepped outside, I heard a funny shifting sound and then something sliding, I had time to push Lissa back and use my body to cover Christian, who fell on his back, eyes wide as saucers as I was lying on top of him. I braced myself for the impact. A pile of slush slid off the chapel's roof and onto me, I took the brunt of it but some of it still managed to hit Christian. Slushy half-melted chunks of snow landed on my now bruised back since it managed to knock the air out of me. When it was over I rolled over onto the grass beside him on my back breathing deeply to get my breath back.
"Rose! Christian!" Lissa screamed, running forward with Dimitri beside her, I wondered where the hell he came from. "Are you guys okay?" "I'm okay," Christian said. "I think Rose got the worst of it." He looked at me with surprised gratitude, no one had ever done something like that for him it seemed. I just nodded at him and got up. My body is already hating me, what is another bruise or ten in the grand scheme of things? "You ok, I checked Lissa, who was luckily caught by Dimitri when I pushed her. She nodded at me smiling. "You?" "Fine, I have to go back to the dorm." Christian handed me the book I had in my hands, I left it on him when I got off of him, at least it didn't get wet. "Thank you." He said with a strange look in his eyes. "No worries Christian." I took the book and then left, ignoring the laughs and the taunts of Mia and whoever was there. I worked on the catchup homework for a while until 09:00 then I went to bed.
I woke up at 18:00 on Monday morning the 9th of October 2006, looking outside at the darkening light. It was still really weird for me to switch my day and night so completely. I got up from the bed and ready for the day, grabbing my book bag with the day's books and the Priests, I wanted to read it when I had a chance. Then I headed over to the Gym where I would meet Dimitri at 19:00 for my before-school practice. Dimitri was not there, I was 20 minutes early so I opened the book to read a bit, wanting to find the passage where I could show Lissa about our bond. And with Vladimir always is Anna, daughter of Fyodor. Their love is as chaste and pure as that of brother and sister, and many times has she defended him from Strigoi, who would seek to destroy him and his holiness. Likewise, it is she who comforts him when the spirit becomes too much to bear, and Satan's darkness tries to smother him and weaken his own health and body. This too she defends against, for they have been bound together since he saved her life as a child. It is a sign of God's love that he has sent the blessed Vladimir a guardian such as her, one who is shadow-kissed and always knows what is in his heart and mind.
I looked up when I heard Dimitri come up shoved the book into my bag and trained with him.