Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of misogyny, as well as derogatory language toward sex workers and toward those with mental health conditions.

Rose defends Lissa, mocking the other girl (whose name, as Rose and Lissa will later learn, is Mia Rinaldi). With the conflict averted, Lissa heads off to visit “the feeders,” or blood donors, and Rose finds herself feeling conflicted that she is no longer Lissa’s primary blood source. Rose follows Lissa to the feeder cubicle, instinctively looking down on the humans who have volunteered their blood. Despite the necessity of their role, the feeders are scorned because of the addiction that results from repeated Moroi bites. Now, Rose scolds herself for feeling jealous over the feeder’s blissful expression.

After Lissa feeds, they walk toward the regular lunchroom, comparing their schedules, which are similar in the afternoons, when Moroi and dhampir students study together. Because Lissa is a senior, Rose observes the oddity of Lissa’s enrollment in “elemental basics,” but Lissa reminds her that she has not specialized in her elemental magic, which is rare for a Moroi of her age. (The girls will later learn that Lissa’s supposed failure to specialize indicates that she has specialized in a rare element called “spirit,” which allows her to heal others.