Chapter 9

     I visted Lance every day during lunch, since that was the only time I could see him with my new training sessions taking up a lot of my time.  I didn't bother bringing myself any food.  All I could do is watch him as he slept.  I would occasionally stroke his raven black hair, then rest my hand on his cheek for a couple of minutes.  The nurses were unsure of when he would wake up and that got me so angry.  Angry and upset.  It was my fault he got hurt and now he might never wake up.   I took my anger out in the sparring classes, fighting harder than I ever fought before.  The only good thing, was no one knew about what happened with me and Ian.  They knew he left the Tower and beat up Lance, but I was out of it.  Keeping his promise, Tyler personally sparred against me.  I couldn't land a blow on him, but he and I both knew I was getting better slowly but surely.

 

     I was excited that I was starting to catch up with my peers, but now I needed help with my Non-Elemental Magic.  I needed to make three replicas of myself and I could just barely make one clone.  I asked Dimitri for help and he agreed and told me to do the spell.  I nodded and concentrated.

 

     "Replication!" There was a small cloud of smoke and a perfect clone of myself appeared.  Identical in every way, even personality.  It disappeared as I punched it in the face.  Dimitri performed the spell perfectly and three clones appeared.  I rolled my eyes and tried again, only to repeat the same process.

 

     "I think I know what your problem is," Dimitri said finally.

 

     I looked at him questioningly. "You do?"

 

     "Yes.  In order for the spell to work and for you to make more than one clone, you need to have a certain amount of aura.  Most of the time you don't have enough which is why you only come up with one clone instead of three."

 

     "Okay, so how do we fix it?"

 

     "You need to get better at controlling your aura," he walked over to his bag on the bleachers and produced a marker. "Lift up your shirt."

 

     I gaped at him, my face going hot and instinctively crossed my arms over my chest. "Excuse me?!"

 

     "Just enough to see your stomach," he quipped, annoyed.

 

     I looked askance at Dimitri, but slowly lifted up my shirt.  Using an elastic, I tied my shirt so it exposed all over my stomach.  He approached me and uncapped the marker.  I looked at him in bewilderment as he drew a dot on my stomach, just below my breasts.  It made me a little uncomfortable at first, then I giggled when it touched my skin.  He leaned away, recapped the marker and sat down, crossing his legs. He commanded me to do the same and I obliged.

 

     "Okay, so what are we doing?" I asked.

 

     "I'm going to help you control your aura.  First, breath in through your nose and out through your mouth." I obeyed. "Now, imagine that we are in the middle of a snow storm.  Cold and lost.  Up ahead is a cave with a fire.  The fire is your aura, which is located in your stomach where the dot is that I drew.  In order for us to survive, you need to keep the fire from dying out or spiraling out of control.  Use your breathing to help."

 

     I closed my eyes to help me envision the scene.  Dimitri and I.  In a cave.  Alone.  Snuggled together to keep warm.  Maybe even kissing--crap!  I shook my head and opened my eyes.  Why was I thinking this?  Dimitri studied me, his gorgeous green orbs bored into mine curiously.

 

     "Sorry.  I'll try again," I shut my eyes and concentrated hard to quell these strange feelings.  In my mind, I pictured only the fire, which was now on the verge of raging out of control.  I took in a large amount of calming breaths and the flames began to sedate.  At the same time, I felt my aura become controlled, more relaxed.

 

     "Now," my mentor whispered. "Try the spell."

 

     "Replication," I murmured, my eyes still closed.

 

     I heard a loud poof! and was suddenly surrounded by smoke.  There was a short period of silence before Dimitri spoke.

 

     "Open your eyes, Dialla,"

 

     I opened one auburn eye cautiously, then the other.  Surrounding both me and Dimitri were a dozen of clones, each one of them looking exactly like me except with different expressions on their faces.  I looked over at my teacher, who had a look of approval on his face for once.

 

     "Nice work," he complimented and I smiled.

 

     An idea suddenly popped into my head and I mentally ordered the clones to use a spell and they complied.  After a small cloud of smoke, twelve Dialla look-alikes all had short blonde hair in different styles.  I examined each one, my finger on my chin in a thoughtful manner, narrowing my eyes.

 

     "What," pryed Dimitri, "are you doing?  Practicing to be a hairdresser?"

 

     "Yeah, want me to cut your hair, Dima?" I laughed when a small smile crept on his lips. "No.  I'm trying to see what my hair would look like short."

    

     He arched one eyebrow, befuddled.. "What for?"

 

     Now it was my turn to be confused. "Isn't it required for girls to have short hair?  All the other girls do, even my own mother."

 

     "They prefer you to have short hair, seeing as long hair can become a nuisance in battle.  However, they forgot that girls can tie their hair back into a bun or pony tail." he explained. "You don't have to cut it."

 

     I examined one clone's hair style.  Her hair ended at her chin and framed her face perfectly.  It was parted to the left and I was considering that kind of look while running a hand through my hair.  My hair was still at the middle of my back, which was the way I liked it, and I was planning on getting a trim soon, but maybe I'll go with that hairstyle.  A hand gently caressed my hair from behind.  I froze.

 

     Shocks spread throughout my body but they weren't painful.  They were full of life and joy.  Pure bliss.  I was able to turn my head slightly and Dimitri's hand was now on my cheek, playing with a lock of my hair.  My breath was caught in my throat and I was afraid to move.  Finally, Dimitri pulled his hand away, looking shocked and embarrassed.

 

     "Don't cut it," he spoke so quietly I barley heard him.  I heard what he said next very clearly, and continued repeating it throughout my head. "It's your only beauty."

 

     I blushed deeply and a soft gasp escaped my lips.  I was so stunned by his first compliment - his first compliment referring to my appearance - that it took me a few minutes for my mind to register what he said.  My only beauty? 

 

     "Hey!" I called after him but he was already out of the gym. "That's not my only beauty!"

 

     I heard his laughter as I sprinted after him, eventually catching and falling into step with Dimitri.  I came to a halt, however, when a woman screeched my name.

 

     "Dialla Marie Reinhart!" I winced when I heard my middle name.  Dimitri smirked. 

 

     I turned around just in time to get slapped in the face.  My head snapped to the right and while I took in the stinging pain, my mother wrapped me in a hug, sobbing slightly.  She was dressed like everyone else in the Tower, a black cloak with a hood.  I blinked startled and embarrassed.  Startled because my mom usually says hello to me, she doesn't slap me in the face and then hug me arbitrarily.  I was embarrassed because Dimitri was right next to us, equally confused.  I managed to pry her off me and she controlled herself for a moment before lashing out on me.

 

     "What on earth were you thinking?!" she yelled. "Getting sexually involved with--"

    

     "Daniella," Dimitri said calmly, cutting her off. "Your voice."

 

     My mother's face turned sheepish and she mumbled an apology.  Concern and slight anger was evident in her face and I sighed.

 

     "I'll explain everything to you, but can we do it somewhere more private?" I begged.

 

     She agreed and she showed me her room for the first time.  Dimitri had some mentor business to take care of and said he would see me tomorrow for practice.  I scowled inwardly, but did my best to answer all of my mom's questions.  She was still a little wary when I told her I wasn't pregnant, but I was finally able to convince her.  Then she started asking how my classes were, who my friends were and it was a light, gentle conversation which was how I liked it.  My mark occasionally throbbed, but I ignored it.

 

 

 

     The next morning, to my surprise, Dr. Perraudin greeted me at breakfast.  Lance was awake.  I was so excited I nearly tripped when I jumped up from my seat.  Lance was awake, a little groggy and disoriented, but awake.  Dr. Perraudin gave us a few minutes alone and I threw my arms around him, tears sprouting from my eyes.  He stiffened as I sobbed, catching us both off guard.

 

     "I'm sorry, Lance!  So, so sorry!  Ian he.... he tricked me!  He....and you....." my voice trailed off and he rubbed my back soothingly.

 

     "Stop beating yourself up.  It's over now.  Your eyes are much clearer now and you know not to make the same mistake twice.  There's still time to fix it," Lance said.

 

     I leaned away from our embrace, laughing. "You're out for at least two weeks, and that's the first thing you say?"

 

     He laughed as well. "Okay, what would you rather I say?"

 

     "Something like, "I forgive you for messing your entire life and getting me hurt and--"

 

     He put a finger to my lips and shushed me. "I forgive you, okay?"

 

     I nodded and the door opened.  With Lance's finger still pressed to my lips, I looked over at Dimitri who had an amused and curious look on his face.  I looked at him, then Lance's finger, then at Lance.  As if sending a silent message, Lance removed his finger and we both looked away.

 

     "I heard you were awake," Dimitri said, breaking the silence. "How are you feeling?"

 

     "Uh, fine, sir," I snickered when Lance said sir and Dimitri shot me a glare and I returned it with an innocent smile.

 

     "I apologize, but I need to steal Dialla for our practice sessions," Dimitri said and my shoulders sank.

 

     "Damn it," I swore softly.

 

     Lance patted my hand comfortingly. "Don't worry.  I'll see you in class."

 

     Knowing he was right, and that Dimitri would probably drag me out either way, I reluctantly got up from his bed and followed Dimitri out of the infirmary.

 

 

     I was surprised at how casual Dimitri was acting.  It was like yesterday never happened.  But it did.  I knew it, because his words kept coming back to me.  It's your only beauty.  I ignored the only part, knowing he didn't mean it.  The beauty part was what was bothering me.  Maybe he wasn't feeling well.  No, he probably would've cancelled practice if he was ill.  There's something about him and I can't seem to get him out of my head.  Is this what love is?  Truly?  Love and lust often get confused and lust was probably what was between Ian and me.

 

     Every time I was with Dimitri I was... safer, perhaps?  Calmer was probably a better word.  I still felt the shocks from yesterday and for a while, I wasn't sure I could spar with him today if it meant him touching me.  I decided at the last second to deal with it and we sparred.  He handed me a strange suit and told me to change into it.  The suit was gray on my legs, turning red and white on my shins.  The red stretched up my body and covered my stomach but my ribs were gray and my chest was white.  The white covered my shoulders and arms, as well as a little bit of red.  White gloves and red shoes came along with the outfit and I slipped them on.

 

     When I emerged from the locker room, Dimitri had on the same outfit as me.  I was a little anxious about what he had in store for me especially when he pulled out a knife.  It was a bizarre knife, with tape around the hilt and a circle.  He twirled it around his finger then threw it into the air.  He caught it neatly with his pointer and middle finger then threw it onto the floor.  It immersed into the floor like it was paper.  My eyes widened in surprise.

 

     "We'll be fighting using these knives.  As you just saw, these knives are very sharp and dangerous which is why we are using these combat suits.  You can cut me up as much as you want and I won't be hurt at all.  These suits are designed with a regeneration ability so any wound inflicted upon them will be healed instantly.  So you don't have to worry about hurting me,"

 

     Even though he said that, I was still a little nervous. "What about your face?"

 

     "Avoid the face for now.  Aim for the vital areas on the body.  Use what you learned in Anatomy Class," he said and that made me even more nervous.  I was falling behind in that class and couldn't remember many vital areas on the body.  Nonetheless, we sparred and I was able to land a few cuts on him, despite the fact that they recovered in a few seconds.  I swiped my knife upward, aiming for his chest, but ended up slicing his cheek instead.

 

     A rivulet of blood oozed out of the wound and I gasped.  Dimitri quickly disarmed me and pinned me to the mat.  Blood fell out of his wound and on to my cheek and I gazed up at him.  He paid no mind to his wound.  It wasn't critical, but a fair amount of blood was showing.

 

     "You shouldn't lower your guard no matter what," he chastised me.

 

     "But, your cheek..."

 

     "It's nothing," he said, though he got off and headed over to the bleachers where a first-aid kit lay.

 

     "We should take care of it," I said, following him.

 

     "Don't worry about it," he reached for the kit the same time I did.

 

     "Here, let me help you." I pulled it towards me.

 

     "I can do it." He tugged it away.

 

     "Let me!  Come on!" I pulled back.

 

     "Look, just forget it!" He brought it closer to him.

 

     "Just let me do it!  Come on!" I gave a yanked it and hugged the kit to my chest. "You've helped me a lot especially after what happened with Ian and I want to pay you back.  It's the least I can do for you!"

 

     Dimitri started to argue but sighed. "Alright then."

 

 

     I smiled victoriously and gestured him to sit down while I got the supplies.  Wetting some gauze, I gently dabbed his cheek.  We sat in silence for a few moments and at one point his hair was in the way.  I brushed it aside, my fingertips grazing his skin and I felt a slight shock.  Whether he noticed or not, I wasn't sure because he remained completely still, like a statue.  Once the cleaning was done, I placed a bandage on it.

 

     "You're a pretty good nurse," he commented.

 

     "You think so?"

 

     Dimitri nodded. "Yes, but you forgot about yourself."

 

     I looked at him confused. "You have blood on your cheek."

 

     He wiped the blood away and another shock wave was sent throughout my body.  This time, I was sure he felt it as well because he quickly pulled away and got back to his feet just as Tyler appeared in the doorway.  I skipped over to him casually and hugged him.  He appeared to be taken aback but recovered.

 

     "I just finished my last class and thought I'd stop by.  How are you guys doing?" he asked.

 

     "Fine," I said quickly. "We were practicing with some knives."

 

     "I can see that.  Not bad," he noticed Dimitri's bandaged cheek. "She managed to swipe you, eh, Dima?"

 

     Dimitri put away the supplied. "Yeah, she did very good."

 

     "I did?"

 

     My mentor nodded. "Yes.  It's almost like you've been doing it for a long time."

 

     I smiled at his compliment and noticed it was almost time for dinner.  I departed from the gym and after a quick shower I met up with Asalie, Cleao and Lance for dinner.  For the most part, dinner was good.  The chicken cordon bleu was fantastic and there was a lot of laughs at my table.  There was ten minutes of dinner left when the door burst open and an upperclassman came running inside.

 

     Covered in blood.

 

     He ran down the middle of the cafeteria, his eyes widened with fear, as the students watched him, curious and confused.  He stopped abruptly and turned.  His red eyes locked with mine a second before he leapt at me.  If it wasn't for my new reflexes, he would've sent me crashing into the wall.  I quickly got up from my seat and staggered to the left, tumbling into Lance in the process.  I gripped his forearm and he wrapped an arm around me protectively as the student charged at me again.

 

     Tyler appeared in front of me and backhanded him in the face.  It was probably against the rules, but this was a serious situation.  Even I knew that.  The student was quickly restrained by two teachers - Master Dragon Akemi, my Elemental Magic teacher and Mineva Gladys my Anatomy teacher.  He struggled for several moments before he spoke in a chilling voice.

 

     "He's waiting for you, Dialla," His crimson eyes flickered to blue and then shut and he fainted.

 

     I blinked several times and the two teachers looked briefly at Master Gilbert before disappearing in a flash of light.  Everyone's eyes fell on me.  Somehow, even if that message wasn't directed to me, I had a feeling everyone would look at me either way.  Master Gilbert ended dinner and ordered everyone back to their rooms immediately.  Lance helped me to my feet, his arm still around me, and Asalie and Cleao were by my side as well.  Looking up at my older brother, I sent him a silent message.

 

     "Go to your rooms and stay there, all of you.  It's nothing to worry about." Bullshit.

 

     I followed my friends out of the cafeteria, ignoring every set of eyes that fell upon me.  I slipped into my room and collapsed onto my bed.  My mark was throbbing painfully and I did my best to endure it.  I'm not sure if it was the pain, or my exhaustion that did it, but I eventually fell asleep.

 

   

 

     I was actually afraid to go to breakfast this morning.  When Asalie and Cleao stopped by my room I feigned being in the shower and said I would meet them there.  Breakfast, like all other meals, was forty-five minutes long so I decided to refresh my mind with some of the stuff I had missed in Anatomy and Psychology.  I did the best I could, though I was getting ready to burn my books, and the bell rang for the end of breakfast.  Grabbing my bag and tying my hair into a pony tail, I departed for my practice.

 

     Dimitri didn't say anything about my hair being up, even though he pretty much implied that I should wear it up, which irritated me.  We continued practicing with the knives and I made sure to avoid his cheek.  The cut was healed, probably because he used a healing spell, but Roselia gave me a cold glare and she was being quiet for the time being and I wanted to keep her that way.  She would still whisper about me to her friends, but I couldn't care less.  During class with Tyler, he let us use wooden staffs to fight with.  He paired me up with Asalie and we weren't equal but she wasn't kicking my a*s either.  She managed to clout me on the head when I was off guard, only thanks to Tyler's distraction, and it was enough to knock me unconscious.

 

     Awaking later, I focused on Asalie's concerned face.  I was laying on a white bed which was severed from the rest of the room by a small curtain.  Asalie sat in a chair next to me.  I realized I was in the infirmary and groaned.

 

     "How humiliating," I mumbled.

 

     She smiled. "Wow, he was right."

 

     I looked at her questioningly. "Who was?"

 

     "Tyler," she answered. "He said the first thing you would saw is 'how humiliating', 'how embarassing', or something mordant."

 

     I rolled my eyes. "How long was I knocked out for?"

 

     She looked at a nearby clock. "An hour or so," She turned apologetic. "Sorry about that.  I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

 

     A sudden throbbing in my left temple made me wince and she got up abruptly.

 

     "Anyway, I better head to class.  Dr. Perraudin wants you to stay a little longer, to make sure you're not seriously injured, so I'll see you later." Asalie smiled and left just a second before I heard a slightly Italian accented voice.

 

     "How is she feeling?" Dimitri asked.

 

     "Much better," Yolande replied. "She should be waking up soon."

 

     I heard footsteps approaching the curtain and flinched.  Dimitri was probably going to scold me or make fun of me and I didn't want that.  Shutting my eyes and laying on my back, I feigned being asleep, struggling to keep my breathing even.  I heard the curtain and froze.

 

     "Dialla?  Are you awake," his voice made me want to shriek but I remained as still as possible.

 

     For a couple of moments, there was silence.  Then he moved.  I assumed he was going to sit in the chair until his breath was on my face.  His lips pressed against mine for a few seconds, warm and soft and my body felt like fire.  I wanted to kiss back - so, so badly - but he pulled away, brushed some hair out of my face and left.  Making sure he was gone, I wrenched upwright in bed, my face burning.  My trembling hands went to my lips and they felt like they were on fire.

 

     My mentor, my twenty-five year old, Italian, badass mentor, just kissed me.

 

     What the heck was that about?!