CHAPTER 5

.DPOV

After my morning workout, where I'd met Rosemarie – Rose, I showered and got ready for my day. I was going to spend the first half of the day observing Rose in her classes to get a feel for where she is training wise and what her strengths and weaknesses are.

Her first class was Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection. The class was taught by Guardian Stan Alto, and from what I've heard he's a dunce and just plain cruel to his students. I suppose that it would be a test of her self-control, or her professionalism.

I headed to the classroom and found myself to be the first one there, even Alto wasn't presiding yet. I placed myself at the back of the room so I could observe the entire space.

"Ah, Guardian Belikov." Stan said coming in. "What can I help you with today?"

"I'm just observing today." I stated formally. He just nodded. Students started trickling into the classroom, all of them wearing similar expressions of exasperation, probably due to the man at the front of the room, not the subject. Though, I do remember this subject being dull.

Rose was one to the last students to enter. She was escorted by two other Novices: Ashford, whom I met yesterday, and Castile. All three of them wore smiles. My inner wolf lurched as her smile widened at something Ashford said. I felt the need to growl and assert dominance, but I guess that's just instinct as an Alpha. I'd rarely been around Lycanthrope, so my instinct to make other Lycanthrope know I was Alpha wasn't very strong, but it was making itself known, now.

Rose's head snapped around toward me and her smile turned into a smirk. I tried to school my face into one of indifference, but I probably just looked confused because I was. She was walking toward me, but she stopped at a desk off to my left.

"Belikov." She whispered to me, "I know you're new here and being the Alpha that you are, you probably have some instinct to assert dominance, but could you tone it down on the power waves? The Dhampir can't feel it when you do that, but I sure as hell can. You're making me queasy."

"I apologize, Novice Hathaway. I was unaware that I was producing such waves." She nodded and turned to the front of the room where Stan was getting ready to start class. She leaned back in her chair, one foot slightly in front of the other, one hand in her lap and the other holding a pencil, tapping it impatiently on her notebook.

Her head was lowered and her eyes closed. If she hadn't been tapping her pencil I would've thought her to be asleep. It seemed Stan thought she was, though.

"Hathaway! Look alive!"

"I'm very much alive, Guardian Alto. I was simply listening to your wonderful lecture." She responded, her eyes still closed.

"You're eyes need to be open for you to pay attention, Novice."

"On the contrary. I can see just fine with my eyes closed." She quipped. "Probably better."

"Is that so?" Stan questioned smugly. "How many Guardians are in the room right now?"

"Six." She responded. I look around the room and, including me, there were six Guardians.

"Right. You probably already knew that from the time you walked in." Stan retorted quickly. "Who are the Guardians and what are they wearing? Something specific each has on other than their uniform." I saw Rose smile.

"Finally, you give me a challenge. Guardian Matthews, by the door to the right, has a pin in the shape of a clover on his right lapel. Guardian Harlow's, approximately eight feet to the left of Guardian Matthews, left shoe is untied. Guardian Allport, toward the back of the classroom, missed a button when dressing this morning." Both Guardians rushed to fix their wardrobe malfunctions as Rose continued.

"Guardian Skinner, by the door to the left, has a stain under his uniform jacket, near the right breast pocket, I believe it's coffee. Guardian Zimbardo, approximately eight feet to the right of Guardian Skinner, has gum on the bottom of his shoe, it's fresh so it was chewed this morning. Guardian Belikov, standing three feet to my right, is the only Guardian with his hands behind his back instead of in front. I suppose it's a Russian thing, but he is wearing a ridiculous leather duster." She finished, her head still down, eyes still closed. "Is there anything else you need me to point out to you Guardian Alto?"

The longer Rose talked and the more she got right, Alto's face got more and more angry. I had to admit, I was extremely impressed.

"You can get that look off your face, Guardian Belikov," she whispered, "you'll only anger him further."

I schooled my face, but the shock was still there. She was magnificent. I don't know how she did it, but I wanted to learn. Maybe she could teach me while I taught her.

"Just keep your eyes open, Hathaway." Stan spat out. Rose's head snapped up and her eyes snapped open. I could have sworn I saw them turn purple, but they were brown upon closer inspection.

"Of course, Guardian Alto." Rose kept her eyes open for the rest of the class period, but she did not look like she was paying attention. However, every time Stan would call on her to answer a question or give an opinion, she was alert and focused with the right answer rolling off her tongue.

When class was over, I watched her pack up her bag and practically skip over to Ashford and Castile, who both gave her high-fives. Stan watched on with a sneer.

"Does she normally do that?" I asked when most of the students had cleared out of the room.

"Hathaway? Yes. She's a handful and exhibitionist, but she's the best Novice to come through this school. She's going to make a wonderful Guardian someday, as long as she keeps her emotions in check. She's got a habit of being impulsive. For her, it's fine, but if any other Novice tries what she does, they'll end up dead." I nodded, taking it all in. "Good luck with her, though. You're going to need it."

I gave him a small smile and walked out of the room and made my way over to the gym. Most of the Novices were still in their respective locker rooms getting changed. I took up residence in the back of the gym, in the shadows as to not intrude or be observed.

My eyes were drawn to her immediately, like a moth to a flame. She had on skin-tight multicolored leggings and a black tank top, underneath which you could just barely see a sports bra that matched her leggings. The outfit was not supposed to make her look more alluring, but it did anyway. She'd pulled her long hair into a high ponytail, which swung behind her.

I heard a few of the male Novices whistle and I couldn't help but release a low growl. She winked in the direction the whistles came from, but quickly turned her head in my direction. Her eyes met mine and she mouthed the word "stop," but I didn't understand. She rolled her eyes and snarled in my direction. She made a motion almost like puking.

Shit. I was going all Alpha again. I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender, and she nodded sharply before going to speak with her instructor. She pointed up to the ceiling, and I followed her finger up, but there was nothing but structural beams with a few climbing ropes tied to them. Looking back to where she stood, I saw her instructor nod. Her smile widened.

She took off at a sprint toward one of the climbing ropes and started her assent. I watched as she reached the top, grabbed on to one of the beams, and hoisted herself up. The rest of the class seemed uninterested in the progress she made and continued on with their warmup.

Rose had taken root on a beam in the middle of the gym and was stretching along with the class below her. The instructor, Guardian Erikson, was explaining the moves of the day and Rose was nodding along. When the Novices started practicing their moves, Rose was doing the same, just THIRTY feet in the air. She moved with confidence, whereas her fellow classmates were choppy and uncoordinated. Her footing was solid as she did her combination kicks, there was no risk of her falling off.

When the time came around for them to start their spinning kicks, my stomach knotted up and I became nervous. She turned from where she had been diligently watching Guardian Erikson and met my stare. She gave me a smile that quickly calmed my nerves. I'd been watching her all period and not once had she fallen, stumbled, or hesitated from where she was suspended.

Little did I know that the females were doing aerials while the males were just doing spinning hook kicks. My stomach dropped as Rose launched herself into the air. Her hair flew out behind her before following the direction her head had turned. Her body spun, joining the path of her head and hair. One leg tucked up underneath her torso as she spun, the other leg was outstretched, aiming high. The move was flawless and she landed with the smallest thump on the beam.

"Very nice, Hathaway." Guardian Erikson called up to her. "See if you can cover more ground with it."

Rose just nodded, but my nerves were back and nothing she did, other than coming back down on the ground, would ease them. I watched on with a worried expression as Rose progressively jumped further and further.

At one point, Erikson had stopped the other Novices and instructed them to watch Rose as she executed each flawless jumping kick. I could tell he wanted to find some criticism of her technique, but it was immaculate. She was perfect.

"The only thing you can do now, Hathaway, is to the get the jump further."

"How far?" She asked, not even breaking a sweat.

"I would think that if you could jump from beam to beam and still land each kick, that would be the farthest you'd ever have to jump." She looked over at the beam ten feet beside her and nodded her head.

The only problem, well, there were many, with jumping to another beam is that there is no launching point that you can plant a foot on. She'd have to jump without any momentum to propel her forward. She turned to face the aforementioned beam and squared her shoulders. Her eyes took in the expanse that lie between her and her destination. Her feet parted and her knees bent. She shifted her right foot back to where her toe was perched on the very edge of the beam.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, she let out the breath. Her muscles prepped for a split second and she launched herself into the air. I was surprised by the power of her jump. Most wouldn't be able to leap that high without a running start. She was halfway between the two beams when she started her spin. Just like her other kicks, she was impeccable.

Her left foot touched down on the beam first, quickly followed by her right. She landed in a crouch, her fingertips gripping the edge and halting her forward momentum. I let out the breath that I was holding and studied her again.

Her eyes were shining bright with fire and accomplishment. There was barely a drop of sweat on her brow and not a wisp of hair was out of place. I'm not really sure how many times I've iterated this, but she was perfect. There wasn't a thing wrong with her.

"That was perfect, Hathaway." Erikson praised. "Now, how 'bout you join the rest of us normal people down here on the ground."

Rose smirked before she launched herself, yet again, off the beam and grabbed the nearest climbing rope. As her ponytail swung around her head, I caught a glimpse of the back of her neck. There were probably half a dozen Molnija marks there. I can't believe I was still being surprised by this girl and we'd only had one conversation. I quietly pondered how and when she earned her marks as she was climbing down the rope.

When she was safely back on the ground she joined the group and they reviewed the moves from the class and started their cool down exercises.

Guardian Erikson approached me while the class was stretching.

"She's really something, isn't she?" He asked motioning toward Rose.

"Indeed. Does she normally do that?" I questioned for the second time that day.

"She normally adds her spin onto the lesson of the day, but she doesn't do it to show off. She does it to better herself." He told me. "She's an excellent student, one of the best."

"How did she get her Molnija?"

"You'll have to ask her that, she hasn't told us. The only ones who know are Alberta, the Princess, and Rose."

I only nodded as Erikson shook my hand and walked off. Rose only had one more class before lunch and it was still in the gym. I leaned back against the wall and waited for Weight Training and Conditioning to start.