Chapter 12

     Dimitri was once again thinking of his student.  He knew it was wrong, he knew he shouldn't be thinking the things he was.  But no matter how hard he tried, she kept coming back to him.  He remembered so vividly the night Ian slept with her.  He was in the middle of a shower when she was beating the crap out of his door.  He was surprised to find Dialla in that dress.

 

     "Dimitri," she had moaned before burying her face into his soaked chest.

 

     Perhaps that was when it all started.  His feelings for Dialla were becoming more passionate with each passing day.  He would often lie awake in his room, replaying every thing she said and did.  Including her facial expressions.  Dimitri sighed and his eyes fell upon a clock.  It was three-fifteen and Dialla had not returned from her date.  He had purposely dragged out their training session by a half and hour, not wanting her to leave.  Since he gave her fifteen minutes extra, he figured it was even and went to search for her.

 

     Dimitri recalled that they were going ice skating on a pond nearby and headed in that direction.  He was twenty minutes away when his keen ears heard a faint scream that the wind carried.  Though it was faint, he still recognized it.  It was Dialla.  Quickening his pace into a run he arrived at the pond just as Lance pulled Dialla's unconscious body out of the icy water.  There was a large hole in the middle of the pond and he noted that she fell.  Lance pulled her out of the water, quickly skated over to the land and placed her gently on the ground.

 

     "Lance!" Dimitri bellowed, rushing over to them.

     "Master Dimitri!  She's not breathing!" Lance cried frantically.

     No, she can't be... "Move aside." he ordered and examined her body.

 

     Her skin was pale with bits of blue and her chest wasn't moving.  Dimitri pressed his ear against her chest, listening for a heartbeat.  There was a faint one, indicating she was alive, but she wasn't breathing.  Tilting her chin up slightly and pinching her nose, Dimitri pressed his lips against hers and blew until her chest rose slightly.  Lance was agitated at this because he wanted to be the one to save her, to kiss her.  Then again, CPR didn't really count as a kiss.  Then Dimitri pumped her chest three times and forced more air down her throat.

 

     "Breath!" Dimitri ordered. "Come on, Dialla!  Breath!"

     He reiterated the process twice before she coughed up water finally.  She remained unconscious and started breathing erratically, but she was alive.  However, depending on how cold the water was, and how long she had been in there, she could possible get hypothermia.  Lifting her up with meticulous care he rushed back to the Tower with Lance close behind him.

 

 

     The nurses stripped Dialla of her wet clothes, quickly replacing them with warm ones and covered her with blankets.  Meanwhile, Lance and Dimitri were using fire magic to try and warm her up.  Lance had used up almost all of his aura before Dimitri told him to stop.

     "I'm not stopping until she wakes up," Lance snarled and continued.

     "Lance, if you don't stop--"

     "She could die!"

     "So could you!  If she lives and you don't, it'll tear her apart.  I know you want to save her, I do too, but for now, just rest and calm down."

    

     Lance glared at him, but stopped, aware of his exhaustion.  Dimitri continued with the spell, determined to keep her alive.  She couldn't die.  He wouldn't let her.  After fifteen minutes, Dr. Perraudin checked her temperature.  It was 96°F; not too critical, but she would live.  Dimitri sighed with relief and stopped with his spell, allowing Lance to take over for a couple of minutes.

 

     "How did this happen?" Dimitri demanded.

     "We were ice skating and the ice broke, how else would it have happened?" Lance said disdainfully, not taking his eyes off Dialla.

     "Lance, she's going to live.  You don't need to be so upset."

     "How can I not be upset?  It's my fault this happened!  I never should've left her!"

     As Dimitri listened to his outburst, he deciphered that Lance cared about her as well.  A lot.  His eyes flickered to Dialla, wondering if she felt the same way.  She should be with someone like Lance.  She needed to be with someone her own age.  Not her mentor.  It was the right thing to do, no matter how much he detested it.  Yolande said that only one person could visit and Dimitri decided to give Lance some alone time with Dialla so he got up and left.

 

---

    

     The first thing I saw was Lance's face.  He was seated in a chair next to a bed I was in.  Even in my groggy state my mind registered that I was cold and shivering, despite being swathed with blankets.  After a quick glance, I realized I was in the school infirmary.  I tried to bring back what had happened but my mind was all fuzzy.

 

     "Lance," I slurred. "What happened?"

     "We were skating on a pond and you fell in," he said, then quickly added. "But you're safe now.  Don't worry."

     I was able to smile slightly.  Then, my eyebrows furrowed together. "How did we get here?" Lance couldn't have carried me by himself.  I'm not saying he's weak, but I'm not exactly the lightest person around.

     "Master Dimitri found us just as I got you out of the water.  You weren't breathing, so he did CPR.  Then he carried you here," I was too hazy to notice a slight venom in his words as he spoke about Dimitri.

      "Although, if it wasn't for him you'd probably..." His voice trailed off and he and I both knew what he meant.

 

     "Is he here?" I changed the subject.

     "Yeah, but Dr. Perraudin only wants one person visiting at a time," he said. "Anyway, how are you feeling?  Do you need anymore blankets?"

     I shook my head, managing a soft laugh. "I'm fine, Lance.  And, er, not to be rude, but could I talk to him?  It's important."

     He thought it over then nodded, smiling. "Sure."

     Lance stood up and left.  A moment later, Dimitri walked in.

 

     "Are you alright?  Lance said you had something important do discuss," he always got right to the point.

     I nodded. "Yeah, I--" I paused, feeling a sneeze coming a long.  I made a face but it never came.  I waited a few more seconds and no sneeze happened.  A blush crept on my cheeks and I felt like an idiot.  What's worse was Dimitri laughed.

     "Not funny," I mumbled, rolling onto my side so my back was to him.

     "But, anyway, what is it you wanted to talk about?" his normal, stoic demeanor appeared.

     I sat up straight and shivered, pulling the blankets closer to me.  Dimitri grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders.  His hands lingered on my shoulders for a few seconds before he sat down again.

  

     "Is it possible that someone can control ice?" I blurted without thinking it through.

     "Ice is a form of water, which, as you well know, is an element we can control.  It's possible, but I've never seen anyone use it," He paused. "You have a theory?"

     "Kind of.  I think someone deliberately broke the ice.  Someone must've known we would be there and they were lying in wait for us.  Or, me, specifically."

     "If that's true, you can't be that far away from water in order to control it.  The furthest away you could be is five meters.  If not you, then Lance should've been able to sense someone.  Or me, even.  No one was there, Dialla."

     "What if he could hide his aura?"

     "That's impossible."

     "Is it really?  If we have the ability to detect other people's presence, couldn't it also be possible that we could hide our own presence as well?"

 

     Dimitri's eyebrows pulled together. "Then that person would have to be incredibly skilled with aura control. Even so, if someone is after you don't you think that after you had fallen into the ice, they would've taken out Lance and I so that you would've died?"

     I chewed my lip, defeated. "Oh, yeah.  Crap." I laid back down on the bed, sighing. "Why is this happening?  Why do they want me?"

     I was speaking to no one in particular, but Dimitri answered either way. "Master Gilbert thinks it's because of your mark.  He believes that Akumu wants to use your mark to give him power."

     "But how would it give him power?"

     "When a sorcerer is defeated - whether by an Extended or another sorcerer - his power is transferred into whoever defeated him, making him stronger.  So if he kills you, God only knows how much stronger he'll become."

 

     My mark throbbed and my eyebrow twitched in pain, but other than that, my composure remained still.  I was starting to get used to the pain and I realized there was kind of a pattern.  The pain would start off light at first, then it would become more frequent and stronger.  I just hoped it was a good thing that I was getting used to this.  Dr. Perraudin came in and suggested that I get some rest.

 

     "Hypothermia usually takes three to twelve hours to heal.  Maybe even days.  Either way, all you have to do is sleep and try and stay warm.  Drink some tea, maybe a bath, stuff like that, and you should be fine," she said.

     I thanked her and swung out of the bed, keeping the blankets wrapped around me.  Lance was waiting for me when we stepped outside.  He offered to escort me back and I agreed.

     "Dimitri, make sure you tell Tyler what happened.  I want him in on this as well," He nodded and left us.

 

     Lance brought me back to my room and he was about to depart but I stopped him by grabbing his wrist.  He looked at me shocked and my body acted on its own as I leaned forward.  Our lips met and as we kissed I realized he was nothing like Ian.  They may look similar, but his lips were soft and gentle, and judging by the way he reacted, I assumed it was his first kiss.  He relaxed and kissed back, his hands slowly moving to my hips, pulling me towards him.  I wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other one to keep the blankets around me.

 

     We pulled away when a throat was being cleared conspicuously and audibly.  We jumped apart and I nearly fell due to me being clumsy.  Lance's arm shot out and steadied me.  Red-faced and surprised, I looked up into a pair of green eyes and a coy smile.

 

     "Well, glad to see you're recovering," Tyler smirked.

     I turned away from him, embarrassed, and Lance mumbled a goodbye.  I waited for him to turn the corner before quickly disappearing into my room and shutting the door in Tyler's face.  Or, at least, the clone of Tyler.  The real one was already in my room, a cup of tea in his hands.  I scowled at him but noticed a sweatshirt folded over his arm and realized that was for me.  I dropped the blankets and shrugged into his large sweatshirt.  I sat down on the bed and sipped the tea.

 

     "So, when were you going to tell me you were dating?" Tyler joked.

     "We're not dating.  I only kissed him because he saved me," I snapped.

     He wasn't convinced by he let it drop.  Once I finished my tea, I wrapped myself up in blankets and shut my eyes.