"It's not that simple," she replied. "The venue had an extremely complex layout. We went through it initially and found nothing. It's believed the Strigoi came in after the festivities had started - or that there might have been passages and hidden rooms we hadn't been aware of."
The class ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the idea of hidden passages, but I wasn't impressed.
"So what you're saying is that you guys either failed to detect them during your first sweep, or they broke through the 'security' you set up during the party. Seems like someone messed up either way."
The tightness in her lips increased, and her voice grew frosty. "We did the best we could with an unusual situation. I can see how someone at your level might not be able to grasp the intricacies of what I'm describing, but once you've actually learned enough to go beyond theory, you'll see how different it is when you're actually out there and lives are in your hands."
"No doubt," I agreed. "Who am I to question your methods? I mean, whatever gets you the molnija marks, right?"
"Miss Hathaway." Stan's deep voice rumbled through the room. "Please take your things and go wait outside for the remainder of class."
I stared at him in bewilderment. "Are you serious? Since when is there anything wrong with asking questions?"
"Your attitude is what's wrong." He pointed at the door. "Go."
A silence heavier and deeper than when my mother had told her story descended over everyone. I did my best not to cower under the stares of guardians and novices alike. This wasn't the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class. It wasn't even the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class while Dimitri was watching. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I crossed the short distance to the door - a distance that felt like miles - and refused to make eye contact with my mother as I passed.
About five minutes before the class let out, she slipped out of the room and walked over to where I sat in the hallway. Looking down on me, she put her hands on her h*ps in that annoying way that made her seem taller than she was. It wasn't fair that someone over half a foot shorter than me could make me feel so small.
"Well. I see your manners haven't improved over the years."
I stood up and felt a glare snap into place. "Nice to see you too. I'm surprised you even recognized me. In fact, I didn't even think you remembered me, seeing as how you never bothered to let me know you were on campus."
She shifted her hands from her h*ps and crossed her arms across her chest, becoming - if possible - even more impassive. "I couldn't neglect my duty to come coddle you."
"Coddle?" I asked. This woman had never coddled me in her life. I couldn't believe she even knew the word.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand. From what I hear, you don't really know what 'duty' is."
"I know exactly what it is," I retorted. My voice was intentionally haughty. "Better than most people."
Her eyes widened in a sort of mock surprise. I used that sarcastic look on a lot of people and didn't appreciate having it directed toward me. "Oh really? Where were you for the last two years?"
"Where were you for the last five?" I demanded. "Would you have known I was gone if someone hadn't told you?"
"Don't turn this back on me. I was away because I had to be. You were away so you could go shopping and stay up late."
My hurt and embarrassment morphed into pure fury. Apparently, I was never going to live down the consequences of running away with Lissa.
"You have no idea why I left," I said, my voice's volume rising. "And you have no right to make assumptions about my life when you don't know anything about it."
"I've read reports about what happened. You had reason for concern, but you acted incorrectly." Her words were formal and crisp. She could have been teaching one of my classes. "You should have gone to others for help."
"There was no one I could go to - not when I didn't have hard proof. Besides, we've been learning that we're supposed to think independently."
"Yes," she replied. "Emphasis on learning. Something you missed out on for two years. You're hardly in a position to lecture me about guardian protocol."
I wound up in arguments all the time; something in my nature made that inevitable. So I was used to defending myself and having insults slammed at me. I had a tough skin. But somehow, around her - in the brief times I had been around her - I always felt like I was three years old. Her attitude humiliated me, and touching on my missed training - already a prickly subject - only made me feel worse. I crossed my arms in a fair imitation of her own stance and managed a smug look.
"Yeah? Well, that's not what my teachers think. Even after missing all that time, I've still caught up with everyone else in my class."
She didn't answer right away. Finally, in a flat voice, she said, "If you hadn't left, you would have surpassed them."
Turning military-style, she walked off down the hall. A minute later, the bell rang, and the rest of Stan's class spilled into the hall.
Even Mason couldn't cheer me up after that. I spent the rest of the day angry and annoyed, sure that everyone was whispering about my mother and me. I skipped lunch and went to the library to read a book about physiology and anatomy.
When it was time for my after-school training with Dimitri, I practically ran up to the practice dummy. With a curled fist, I slapped its chest, very slightly to the left but mostly in the center.
"There," I told him. "The heart is there, and the sternum and ribs are in the way. Can I have the stake now?"
Crossing my arms, I glanced up at him triumphantly, waiting for him to shower me with praise for my new cunning. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment, like I should already have known that. And yeah, I should have.
"And how do you get through the sternum and the ribs?" he asked.
I sighed. I'd figured out the answer to one question, only to be given another. Typical.
We spent a large part of the practice going over that, and he demonstrated several techniques that would yield the quickest kill. Every movement he made was both graceful and deadly. He made it look effortless, but I knew better.
When he suddenly extended his hand and offered the stake to me, I didn't understand at first. "You're giving it to me?"
His eyes sparkled. "I can't believe you're holding back. I figured you'd have taken it and run by now."
"Aren't you always teaching me to hold back?" I asked.