richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02
Five OR RATHER, THEY HAD BEEN Strigoi. A regiment of guardians had hunted them down and killed them. If rumors were true, Christian had witnessed it all when he was very young. And although he wasn't Strigoi himself, some people thought he wasn't far off, with the way he always wore black and kept to himself. Strigoi or not, I didn't trust him. He was a jerk, and I silently screamed at Lissa to get out of there—not that my screaming did much good. Stupid one-way bond. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Taking in the sights, of course. That chair with the tarp on it is particularly lovely this time of year. Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St. Vladimir. And let's not forget that beautiful table with no legs in the corner.” "Whatever." She rolled her eyes and moved toward the door, wanting to leave, but he blocked her way. "Well, what about you?" he taunted. "Why are you up here? Don't you have parties to go to or lives to destroy?” Some of Lissa's old spark returned. "Wow, that's hilarious. Am I like a rite of passage now? Go and see if you can piss off Lissa to prove how cool you are? Some girl I don't even know yelled at me today, and now I've got to deal with you? What does it take to be left alone?” "Oh. So that's why you're up here. For a pity party.” "This isn't a joke. I'm serious." I could tell Lissa was getting angry. It was trumping her earlier distress. He shrugged and leaned casually against the sloping wall. "So am I. I love pity parties. I wish I'd brought the hats. What do you want to mope about first? How it's going to take you a whole
day to be popular and loved again? How you'll have to wait a couple weeks before Hollister can ship out some new clothes? If you spring for rush shipping, it might not be so long.” "Let me leave," she said angrily, this time pushing him aside. "Wait," he said, as she reached the door. The sarcasm disappeared from his voice. "What…um, what was it like?” "What was what like?" she snapped. "Being out there. Away from the Academy.” She hesitated for a moment before answering, caught off guard by what seemed like a genuine attempt at conversation. "It was great. No one knew who I was. I was just another face. Not Moroi. Not royal. Not anything." She looked down at the floor. "Everyone here thinks they know who I am.” "Yeah. It's kind of hard to outlive your past," he said bitterly. It occurred to Lissa at that moment—and me to by default—just how hard it might be to be Christian. Most of the time, people treated him like he didn't exist. Like he was a ghost. They didn't talk to or about him. They just didn't notice him. The stigma of his parents' crime was too strong, casting its shadow onto the entire Ozera family. Still, he'd pissed her off, and she wasn't about to feel sorry for him. "Wait—is this your pity party now?” He laughed, almost approvingly. "This room has been my pity party for a year now.” "Sorry," said Lissa snarkily. "I was coming here before I left. I've got a longer claim.” "Squatters' rights. Besides, I have to make sure I stay near the chapel as much as possible so people know I haven't gone Strigoi…yet." Again, the bitter tone rang out. "I used to always see you at mass. Is that the only reason you go? To look good?" Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground. More of that sinning-against-the-world thing.
- Page 2 and 3: One I FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard
- Page 4 and 5: Then, regretfully, it was over. It
- Page 6 and 7: He looked back and forth between us
- Page 8 and 9: It took every ounce of my willpower
- Page 10 and 11: Two MY HATRED NOTWITHSTANDING, I HA
- Page 12 and 13: and there. After living on a colleg
- Page 14 and 15: "Vasilisa.” Startled, I realized
- Page 16 and 17: My cockiness dried up. "I…what?
- Page 18 and 19: he might very well keep me here wit
- Page 20 and 21: Three SENDING US STRAIGHT TO CLASS
- Page 22 and 23: "Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well,
- Page 24 and 25: Our instructor was Stan Alto, whom
- Page 26 and 27: He walked back up to me and leaned
- Page 28 and 29: "Sure," I shrugged. "Now and then.
- Page 30 and 31: "Lucky, I think. It turns out I'm r
- Page 32 and 33: She didn't see me, though. Neither
- Page 34 and 35: "Hey, Aaron," I said cheerfully, re
- Page 36 and 37: "No—it's fine." The emotions comi
- Page 38 and 39: Natalie's friends eyed us with a qu
- Page 40 and 41: "Yes," I said, smiling. "It certain
- Page 42 and 43: "Huh? Nothing. Just thinking." I si
- Page 44 and 45: She nodded. "Rose?” We both looke
- Page 48 and 49: "Sure," he said. "Why else go? For
- Page 50 and 51: dark side. But the feelings humming
- Page 52 and 53: "Hey," I said, suddenly wanting to
- Page 54 and 55: She laughed. "Mia would claw my eye
- Page 56 and 57: I'd been climbing out of my dorm wi
- Page 58 and 59: Six AS MUCH AS LISSA AND Christian'
- Page 60 and 61: "Yeah…you too," I said. "I heard
- Page 62 and 63: although those guys usually went on
- Page 64 and 65: "Nothing to me. But Ms. Kirova will
- Page 66 and 67: "I'm sick of it too. We missed you
- Page 68 and 69: She wandered off, still eyeing us.
- Page 70 and 71: Mason had noticed my startled react
- Page 72 and 73: Three weeks after my return to the
- Page 74 and 75: Something about that bothered me; I
- Page 76 and 77: stared upward, glazed, over with a
- Page 78 and 79: I spun around, taking my anger over
- Page 80 and 81: "And it was just there," she explai
- Page 82 and 83: "Wolves, like many other species, d
- Page 84 and 85: Ms. Meissner changed from red to de
- Page 86 and 87: Nine I SNAPPED INTO HER MIND, once
- Page 88 and 89: "You're right," she admitted softly
- Page 90 and 91: space between them. "And I sure as
- Page 92 and 93: Sitting up, I moved closer to him a
- Page 94 and 95: "No, sir.” "Do you know the rules
day to be popular and loved again? How you'll have to wait a couple weeks before Hollister can<br />
ship out some new clothes? If you spring for rush shipping, it might not be so long.”<br />
"Let me leave," she said angrily, this time pushing him aside.<br />
"Wait," he said, as she reached the door. The sarcasm disappeared from his voice. "What…um,<br />
what was it like?”<br />
"What was what like?" she snapped.<br />
"Being out there. Away from the Academy.”<br />
She hesitated for a moment before answering, caught off guard by what seemed like a genuine<br />
attempt at conversation. "It was great. No one knew who I was. I was just another face. Not<br />
Moroi. Not royal. Not anything." She looked down at the floor. "Everyone here thinks they<br />
know who I am.”<br />
"Yeah. It's kind of hard to outlive your past," he said bitterly.<br />
It occurred to Lissa at that moment—and me to by default—just how hard it might be to be<br />
Christian. Most of the time, people treated him like he didn't exist. Like he was a ghost. They<br />
didn't talk to or about him. They just didn't notice him. The stigma of his parents' crime was too<br />
strong, casting its shadow onto the entire Ozera family.<br />
Still, he'd pissed her off, and she wasn't about to feel sorry for him.<br />
"Wait—is this your pity party now?”<br />
He laughed, almost approvingly. "This room has been my pity party for a year now.”<br />
"Sorry," said Lissa snarkily. "I was coming here before I left. I've got a longer claim.”<br />
"Squatters' rights. Besides, I have to make sure I stay near the chapel as much as possible so<br />
people know I haven't gone Strigoi…yet." Again, the bitter tone rang out.<br />
"I used to always see you at mass. Is that the only reason you go? To look good?" Strigoi<br />
couldn't enter holy ground. More of that sinning-against-the-world thing.
Change language