richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

Seven
A COUPLE WEEKS PASSED AFTER that, and I soon forgot about the Anna thing as life at
the Academy wrapped around me. The shock of our return had worn off a little, and we began
to fall into a semi-comfortable routine. My days revolved around church, lunch with Lissa, and
whatever sort of social life I could scrape together outside of that. Denied any real free time, I
didn't have too hard a time staying out of the spotlight, although I did manage to steal a little
attention here and there, despite my noble speech to her about 'coasting through the middle.' I
couldn't help it. I liked flirting, I liked groups, and I liked making smartass comments in class.
Her new, incognito role attracted attention simply because it was so different than before we'd
left, back when she'd been so active with the royals. Most people soon let that go, accepting that
the Dragomir princess was fading off the social radar and content to run with Natalie and her
group. Natalie's rambling still made me want to beat my head against a wall sometimes, but she
was really nice—nicer than almost any of the other royals—and I enjoyed hanging around her
most of the time.
And, just as Kirova had warned, I was indeed training and working out all the time. But as more
time passed, my body stopped hating me. My muscles grew tougher, and my stamina increased.
I still got my ass kicked in practice but not quite as badly as I used to, which was something.
The biggest toll now seemed to be on my skin. Being outside in the cold so much was chapping
my face, and only Lissa's constant supply of skin-care lotions kept me from aging before my
time. She couldn't do much for the blisters on my hands and feet.
A routine also developed with Dimitri and me. Mason had been right about him being
antisocial. Dimitri didn't hang out much with the other guardians, though it was clear they all
respected him. And the more I worked with him, the more I respected him too, though I didn't
really understand his training methods. They didn't seem very badass. We always started by
stretching in the gym, and lately he'd been sending me outside to run, braving the increasingly
cold Montana autumn.