Vampire Academy 1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The birth

Olena's first son came suddenly.

Little Karolina ran for the midwife as soon as her mother began screaming, leaving a terrified Sonya in the house.

"We have… to go… hospital" Olena panted between contractions

Yeva looked at her daughter and shook her head "That baby isn't gonna wait for you to go anywhere. He's coming, Olena – right now"

The woman sobbed and clutched her youngest's hand. "It's Ok, baby. It's… Oh, God"

Karolina returned with the woman's hand in her own, her big brown eyes as wide as saucers. Trusting her grandmother to help, she took her sister and locked herself in their room.

The two older women moved the young mother to her bedroom and began readying everything for the new baby's arrival.

The screams began soon afterwards. They were so loud, even the neighbor – a young schoolteacher – came over to find out what was going on. The sisters shakily explained the situation and turned on the radio as loud as possible to drown out the screaming.

There was nothing but agony in those shrieks – they were pure, undiluted pain, ripping out of Olena's throat without her consent.

And then, suddenly, there was silence. A silence almost as terrifying as the sounds had been. Next came a weak, watery cry – and it was heartbreaking.

Yeva trudged downstairs soon afterwards and hugged her granddaughters "It's a boy"

A boy it was. With soft, downy dark hair and eyes, none of the women had ever seen anything so beautiful. The baby's pink lips formed a little 'O' as he nursed in his sleep, dreaming or warm milk and his mother's voice.

The girls fussed over him as Olena cried with happiness "He's so… my God, thank you… oh, doesn't he look like his father?"

"Yes, and all the worse for him" Yeva grunted, her usual mood back "Though he _is_ a looker, that one. You'll have girls chasing after him as soon as he can walk"

So Dimitri Belikov came into the world – like a ray of sunlight in the midst of pain and tears.

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**The next chapter is ever so much better... it's in DPOV. **

**REVIEWS MAKE MY DAY =)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Screaming – such a horrible, high-pitched sound it hurts my ears, and yet, I know that voice.

Mother? Is that my Mother?

No, no. Mommy's voice is always soft and kind and sweet. Like chocolate cake or warm bread. Mommy's voice doesn't hurt.

Karolina clutches me to her chest with one arm, the other one wrapped around Sonya.

Someone else is screaming now – this new voice, I have never heard it before. I don't want to hear it again. It's ugly. It's deep and rough.

It makes Karolina cover Sonya's ears.

There's something wet on my face. I touch my face with a finger and bring it to my lips uncertainly. Salt means tears. Mommy said so. But are they coming from my sisters or from me?

A man bursts into the room like one of those angry characters in the cartoons that Karo watches every Saturday. Mommy taught me the names of the days. Is that Mommy? That woman with the red face, the red arms and legs?

It doesn't _look_ like Mommy, but it is. Mommy's crying – she's sad. Did she fall down? I squirm in my eldest sister's grip, trying to get to my Mother so I can give her a hug and kiss her boo-boo. She always kisses mine. She says it helps when someone gets hurt.

The big man screams – his voice is getting louder and louder. He stinks. Mommy is crying even harder, clutching at his leg, asking for something… what? I cannot understand what she says. Maybe it was her throat that got hurt.

Karo's arms tighten around me and she places Sonya between herself and the wall. And suddenly I understand that the man is bad, and he wants to hurt Karo.

I break free of her arms and, in a show of strength, start beating my fists as hard as I can against him.

I fly against the wall in the other side of the room. I didn't know I could fly, but I don't like it. It hurts. I don't understand. Why does my head hurt so much? Why can't I move?

The big man is kicking Karo and Sonya now. Mommy tries to stand up – but she can't. He drags her back to her room by the hair.

I am angry, now. I have to help my mother. I have to help my sisters. But I can't move.

At the age of two years old, I learn my most valuable lesson: I must always keep my girls away from that big, bad man called 'Daddy'.

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**Sonya IS older than Dimka, guys - I googled it. Lol.**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It is cold. I can feel it through the blankets Mom piled on me before I went to sleep last night, seeping into my bones. I drowsily stand up and look out the window.

It's snowing! Karo is already outside by the time I get dressed and run downstairs, playing with another girl named Lada. Sonya and her friends Rina and Tanya are playing tag. When I was littler, I wanted to play with them. But I'm five. I'm big now. Besides, girls have cooties.

Before Mom can see me and make me eat my breakfast, I'm sneaking out of a window into the street to go find Alexei and Feliks. By the time I can see them, they have gone to Sergey's house and back. We all race back to my house to make a snowman, because the other kids have brothers hogging all the snow.

I'm so glad it's Christmas. I'm so glad school is over for a while.

We get there and start building, the girls around us. Karo and Lada must have gone somewhere else, because they're not here anymore. Sergey is in charge of piling up the snow, and Alexei and Feliks start making snowballs while I run in to get a carrot and some buttons from Grandma Yeva, who is locked in her room. Mom went out to the market for a while – that's what the note on the kitchen says. I think. I can't read very well yet.

I just found the broom. Now all I need is to find that carrot…

But then someone screams. Loudly. And I can tell it's a girl.

"Sonya?" I run back outside and see my sister's friends crying. Some of the big boys had a kitten, and they smashed its head in with a rock… The snow is all red.

Then they're taking another baby cat out of the bag, and Tanya covers her and Rina's eyes. Sonya tries to yank the kitten out of the boy's hands and he pushes her down. Another boy laughs and kicks her.

And before I know what I'm doing, I'm hitting them. The broom is still in my hands – and, though the boys are bigger, I can hit harder than them with it. Someone yanks away the broom and all I have left are my fists and my legs, but it doesn't matter "Don't you ever touch my sister again!"

Suddenly, Mom is there and the big boys are running away. Sonya is alright – she wasn't too hurt, and she's not crying anymore. But my eye hurts. Maybe someone punched me. Then it'll get all black and blue. Cool.

"Wow!" The twins chorused.

"That was awesome" Sergey gave me a high five before my mother kneeled down before me.

"Dimitri! What were you doing?"

I smiled "Just taking care of my sister, momma"

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**Karo's ten, Sonya's eight and Dimka's five. Aren't they cute?**

**R E V I E W**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I wake up and it's Saturday – Valentine's Day. Still half-asleep, I trudge down the stairs in my pajamas. It's not like anyone cares anyway.

Karo is already in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands as she tells Mom about her plans with her boyfriend, Frank, while she bakes a batch of sugar cookies. I don't like Frank. He ruffles my hair every time I see him.

I mutter a greeting a give both my girls a kiss on the cheek. Though it's only eight, Karo's as dressed up as she gets.

"Where ya going?" I ask my sister through a mouthful of cereal.

"Frank and I are going skating" Karo just turned seventeen and has no time for us anymore. She's out the whole day. Mom doesn't complain.

"Again?" Sonya asks, coming into the kitchen "Hey, Mom, is the heat on? I'm freezing"

"Well, turn it up, then, sunshine" Mom tells her, a smile on her face "There's coffee on the table. That should warm you up"

Sonya grabs a chipped mug and turns to me "Hey, D, why don't you turn up the heat a little?"

I roll my eyes but do it anyway. Sonya's fifteenth birthday is coming in a couple of months but she's already bossing me around like she's my mother.

Not that I mind it when Mom bosses me around. She does it nicely.

But it's not my fault Sonya's angry today. I heard her talking on the phone yesterday. She likes some kid named Garret, but he has a girlfriend, so today's a pretty depressing day for my sister.

What kind of idiot wouldn't like Sonya anyway? I mean, she's a little bossy to me, but I'm her brother. It's practically her job. Besides, she's beautiful, smart, and nice – all my girls are. So Garret must be pretty stupid not to like her, which means he doesn't deserve her.

Mom puts the cookies in the oven and turns towards me "You're quiet, Dimka. Have any plans for today?"

My sisters stay silent, interested. I shrug, uncomfortable at all the attention "I dunno. I guess I'll just go to The Coffee Bean with Sergey"

"I thought Sergey had a little girlfriend" Karo says. I nod. "Oh. Well, then, I wouldn't count on him, if I were you. He'll probably spend all day with her"

"He has a girlfriend? You're twelve, for Christ's sake!" Sonya exclaims.

My mother frowns at her. "Twelve is old enough" She says firmly "Is there anyone _you_'re interested in, darling? How about that girl you talk so much about? The blonde one. What was her name?"

"Hannah? She's nice" I answer, finishing my cereal. "Where are Yeva and Vickie?"

"Yeva's at the market and your sister sleeps 'til noon" Mom sits down "Don't change the subject"

"I'm just going to see what Alexei and Feliks are doing, ok? I'll be back before dinner" I promise, running upstairs to change before shooting out into the street.

Siberia is incredibly cold this time of year, and I practically have to drag the twins out. It takes a while to plod through all the snow, but we finally got to The Coffee Bean, which is where our class passes the time during the weekends.

We burst in loudly, arguing about baseball stars and whether tomorrow will be sunny enough to play. Alexei and Feliks choose a table by the girls'. I catch Hannah's eye and grin.

"Hey, Hannah. Happy Valentine's day" I say. Her friends giggle, and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl blushes.

"Happy Valentine's day, Dimka" She answers, her voice soft, and I realize that not only is she one of my best friends, she's really smart and nice and pretty, too.

Plus, Hannah can play baseball like the best of them.

I'm not gonna do it right now, I decide, but before we leave, I'll ask Hannah if she wants to go skating.

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**So D's 12 in this one. Vickie's 5. Thanks for all the awesome reviews, guys, but I've been impossibly busy with my other stories and my life keeps getting in the way of this... sigh. Sorry.**

**Anyways, I try. The next chapter should be up soon, and I swear it's gonna be interesting - probably the best yet.**

**BTW, does anyone remember who Viktoria's boyfriend was in BP? I need his name for this!**

**Oh, and if you wanna review and tell me which chapter of this you've liked best and why, not only would it help my writing a lot but it would also make me hilariously happy AND I'll post my favorite review in the next chapter. But, you know, it's optional.**

**Lissie**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The house is quiet. I fidget in my seat beside Sonya as Mom and Karo finish setting the table. Even Yeva looks a bit nervous. My father's coming for a visit today, but thought that's awful, it's still not the worst problem. Before, he's always called in advance and Mom could send Vickie off our Aunt Katya's house for about a week, but _Daddy_ let us know he was coming an hour ago, and we can't get her there and back on such short notice.

It seems to take an eternity, but the sound of a car outside makes Mom sprint to the window, take a deep breath and open the front door. We stand behind her, and I can tell Viktoria's excited to meet her father from the way she takes my hand and squeezes.

"Hello, Olena" He says, kissing my mother's cheek, and I want him far away from us, because he's always nice at first and it only makes it worse when things get ugly. My Momma beams – still so terribly in love with him, even after all the time's he's tore her heart to pieces. He doesn't deserve her.

I don't even know why she feels that way. The man comes once a month, pretends his children are either servants or inexistent, rudely ignores Yeva, and hits my Mother like there's no tomorrow. But I behave, I always will, because I can see in the girls' eyes the hope that this time will be different, that life will spontaneously become perfect and everything will run smoothly and things will _change_. They don't understand that the absence of kindness in a guy's eyes is something permanent – how could they? They're women. Women can soften. Men never do.

Viktoria – who was repeatedly warned by all of us to _stay still_ for a few minutes until we can safely put her to bed – yanks her hand out of mine and throws her skinny arms around my father's waist.

"Daddy!" She cries, excited because this is her first time seeing him and she's never heard the screaming and she's only a little girl with no Papa, and Karo blanches and holds on to a shaking Sonya for support.

If he hurts her, I'll kill him.

"Come on, let me show you my butterflies" This is something Viktoria does to every new person she meets, since she's obsessed with the little winged friends she found fluttering beside the rose bushed, but of course _he_ has no way to now that.

Everyone expects him to frown and push her away, but instead my dad lets her wrap her little pink hand around his and drag him outside, into the garden. They make a pretty picture, this huge Russian monster led by a tiny six-year-old, her pigtails bobbing as she skips – kind of like a kitten cuddling up to a Doberman.

They spend half an hour outside, and when they come back in and sit at the table they're both grinning. For a moment I'm jealous – why does he like Viktoria and not the rest of us? – but I push the thought away, reminding myself that our father is horrible and he's just gonna get her hurt.

We kids eat in silence, listening to my Mom chattering almost incessantly. And then it's eight, and Karo takes Vickie's arm and takes her to bed, but not before she runs over and kisses my father's cheek.

He still disgusts me.

Suddenly it's late, and my parents lock themselves in Mom's room and the rest of us crowd into Vickie's, because the girls don't like to sleep alone when this happens and we all wanna be there if our little sister wakes up.

Sonya's asleep, her head on my shoulder, with Karo squished next to her. She looks at me and smiles and I think we might just make it through one peaceful night this time when the sounds begin.

I shudder. Something slams against a wall, and then there's some grunting and ohmyGod, was that crystal breaking? Sonya starts awake and takes my hand. We hear another slam, and a muffled scream, and then a string of loud profanities in a man's voice.

I'll never get used to this.

A door slams and ours bursts open, the smell of alcohol filling the room. He's drunk. He's always drunk, but he's never come in here before, and what am I supposed to _do_? The light from the hallway is blinding, but my eyes recover quickly enough to see my mother on the floor, her hair being yanked by his hands.

"Do you see this? _Do you_?" He roars, shaking my mother's head "You ruined my life! Four bastards, all because you wouldn't have a fucking abortion!"

This wakes Viktoria, and she squints into the light and hears her father scream at her mother that she's a whore, that he hates her and she is so motherfucking _gross_ he can't bear the sight of her. She trembles, her eyes filled with tears, as my Mom is dumped on the floor like a rag and promptly kicked.

Then, damn him to hell, my Father hears Viktoria's little whimper and turns towards her, but before his arm can collide with her face I'm off the bed, and this time it's _him_ that's being yanked by the hair because I've had enough, and _he's_ the bastard, and he will _never_ touch my Mother again.

I punch his face and pull him downstairs and outside, though he struggles. We're finally out in the front lawn and I'm kicking and punching and doing everything I can imagine because he _has_ to pay, and he screams and screams and I get a twisted satisfaction that this is my Mother's suffering being avenged.

Our neighbors hear the commotion and a little part of me registers their horror, but I don't stop because now I don't think I _can_, and then someone's got my arms in his and I can see blood on the ground, the royal blood he's so proud of, and I finally take a deep breath and let my anger dissolve into peace.

Five minutes later an ambulance takes him away, and once the neighbors leave I go back into the house and see Karo tending to my Mother in the kitchen. Sonya gives me a weak smile, Yeva looks proud, but it's Viktoria who rushes at me and gives me the hardest hug she can manage.

"I was wrong, I was wrong" She sobs into my chest "_You're_ my hero, Dimka, not him"

And at that I fall down on the floor and take _her_, my most precious little girl in my arms, and I cry as I think of the hero I am not.

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**Thoughts?**


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Vampire Academy, Family, Humor