Vampire Academy

Still in Lissa’s mind, Rose recalls that Christian’s parents were killed by guardians, and Christian reportedly witnessed this incident. Lissa and Christian banter, and then he asks Lissa who really provided her with blood while she was away from school. He assumes it was Rose and promises not to tell anyone. The two sit together, discussing Christian’s specialization in fire.

Dimitri snaps Rose back to her own perspective. She explains that she was “with” Lissa, as part of their psychic bond. She is surprised when he seems briefly concerned, but he does not go easy on her during training. While she does her exercises, he explains that he trained in Siberia and was reassigned to St. Vladimir’s after his previous charge died while on another guardian’s watch.

She compliments his capture in Portland, claiming it better than the near-miss she and Lissa had in Chicago. Dimitri states that his capture was the first time the academy located the girls, but Rose insists that she and Lissa were pursued by psi-hounds in Chicago; psi-hounds are magical, wolf-like canines with superior tracking abilities, and they could only have been sent by the Moroi. Dimitri is unconvinced but lets the matter drop. (Rose later learns that Victor actually sent the psi-hounds.) Now, their practice session ends, and Rose returns to her dorm, where she finds an email from her mother, scolding her for running away.

The next day, Rose aches from the strenuous training. She scolds Lissa for befriending Christian, and Lissa scolds her in turn for remaining in her head so long, even if it wasn’t intentional. Rose warns Lissa against being seen with someone with Christian’s reputation. They go to class, and Rose resists the urge to break up a fight when several royal Moroi torment a Moroi of lower status. A conversation with Jesse causes her to recall the time she encountered “Crazy Karp” while trying to sneak out of her dorm after hours. The teacher had healed the scrapes on Rose’s hands, which was not a Moroi power that Rose recognized.

Seeking a way to circumvent her “house arrest,” Rose asks Headmistress Kirova if she can attend church. Kirova is skeptical about Rose’s religious devotion but allows her to attend Sunday services. However, Rose finds this victory limited; she is not interested in church but enjoys sitting near Lissa. She fixates on the description of St. Vladimir’s guardian, Anna, as “shadow-kissed” and asks the priest for more information. He gives her a book called Moroi Saints. Outside, she finds Aaron gossiping with Lissa about two guardians leaving their posts to marry. Rose thinks that such a thing would challenge the very basis of dhampir-Moroi society. Because dhampirs cannot reproduce with each other due to their mixed human-vampire backgrounds, they became invested in Moroi survival. This has led to the guardian system. Because of Moroi values that urge intermarriage with other Moroi to propagate their species, few dhampirs have long-term relationships, leaving many single dhampir mothers and few dhampir fathers. Single dhampir mothers sometimes create communities together; these communities are frequently visited by Moroi men, who fetishize dhampir women and refer to them using the derogatory term “blood whores” if they allow those men to drink their blood during sex. Marriage between two guardians is considered to be scandalous because it represents the abandonment of two Moroi charges.

As Lissa and Rose walk past the church, slush slides off the roof, soaking them. Mia’s smug face indicates that she used her water affinity to cause this. Rose encourages Lissa to “steal” Aaron in revenge, but Lissa claims to be uninterested in revenge. Back at her dorm, Rose spends time in the common room even though she isn’t allowed to do so. Mason asks when she’ll get revenge on Mia, speculating that due to her punishment, she’ll do it in a way that won’t get her in trouble. He reveals that, despite her airs, Mia isn’t royal; her parents are servants for a royal family. In Moroi Saints, Rose learns that Anna and Vladimir were “bound” together after Vladimir saved Anna’s life. The book calls Anna “shadow-kissed” but doesn’t define the term. (Rose later learns that Anna was brought back from the dead via Vladimir’s “spirit” powers; she will learn that Lissa also revived her from death during the car accident, forging their bond.) At this moment, she does realize that the bond between Anna and Vladimir is the same type of bond that she shares with Lissa.

Rose and Lissa settle back into Academy life. Rose makes progress in her training, although she questions Dimitri’s insistence on making her run during her extra sessions rather than focusing on combat techniques. He argues that running will be her best defense if she “kidnaps” Lissa again and encounters a Strigoi. Even so, Rose finds herself wanting Dimitri’s approval.

Rose suddenly gets a flash of Lissa’s fear and bolts toward the Moroi dorm; Dimitri follows. Frightened but unharmed, Lissa throws herself into Rose’s arms. Someone has left a slaughtered fox on her bed. Rose worries that Lissa will touch the dead animal. (It is later revealed that Rose’s private suspicions are correct; Lissa’s powers include resurrection). Now, Rose reassures Lissa, but Dimitri sends her back to her own dorm and asks her what she knows about the incident. She denies knowing anything, which is partially true; she doesn’t know who could be responsible, but she fears that whoever it is may know of Lissa’s mysterious powers.

Fueled by her anger over the incident with the fox, Rose throws herself into training, earning her peers’ praise. Mason agrees with Rose’s theory that killing a fox is not Mia’s style. Meanwhile, Natalie exacerbates Lissa’s distress by using the fox incident for attention. Jesse and Rose arrange to “slip away” for a romantic encounter, which Lissa criticizes as irresponsible.

When a boy named Ralf tries to bully Lissa, he suddenly bursts into flames; Christian used his fire affinity against Ralf, frightening Ralf but not burning him. Because using offensive spells is forbidden by the school rules and is also a taboo in Moroi culture, the incident incites gossip. Rose, concerned that “Christian might really and truly be a psycho” (111), once more urges Lissa to stop spending time with him. Lissa refuses to give up her friendship with Christian but promises to be careful. Later, when Rose feels “sneakiness” from Lissa, she tries for the first time to make their bond manifest, using meditative techniques to enter Lissa’s mind.

Through their bond, Rose sees Lissa meet Christian in the chapel. He claims that he attacked Ralf for Lissa and contends that using magic as a weapon would help the Moroi in their war against the Strigoi. He says that the Moroi and guardians used to fight together, with Moroi adding their magic to the dhampirs’ physical strength. When Lissa references Christian’s parents, he deflects, saying she can’t afford to be so judgmental about “forbidden” magic when she uses compulsion. Lissa tries to deny this, but Christian contends that it’s the only logical explanation for how she and Rose were able to survive out in the human world. He is impressed that she can use her skills against Moroi and dhampirs. As their flirtation intensifies, Lissa nervously confesses Rose’s qualms about Christian. Christian implies his willingness to use violence against whoever left the dead fox in Lissa’s bed, which alarms and thrills her.

Back in her own head, Rose feels unsettled by the growing relationship between Christian and Lissa. Later, she meets Jesse and reveals Mia’s parents’ humble jobs, knowing Jesse to be a fervent gossip. They kiss. Rose tells him that she doesn’t want to have sex, and he agrees, but he attempts to bite her during their encounter. She stops him, but her instinctual interest makes him realize that she gave Lissa her blood during their time away. He claims that she “[likes] it [like all] dhamp girls do” (122). Though his pressure upsets her, she uses humor to diffuse the tension.

Just then, Dimitri bursts in, scolding a frightened Jesse and sending him away. When they’re alone, Dimitri notices Rose’s half-dressed state; she is surprised to find herself curious about sex with him. Dimitri scolds her for getting into “that kind of situation” (125) and makes suggestive and unkind comments about her reputation. He says that Rose is unlike other teenage girls, because she will soon have someone’s life in her hands. He was her age when he met his late charge, Ivan Zeklos. Rose suddenly realizes that Dimitri’s former employer was related to Jesse. Dimitri promises to teach Rose about combat if she promises to be fully dedicated. She agrees, and they plan to start the following day.