Vampire Academy 1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my new, all-human story :) If you haven't already, go check out my other story, Why Me? if you get a chance**

"Rooosie! Where are you?" Lissa hollered drunkenly.

I giggled and climbed off the guy I'd just been making out with. "Sorry, whatever-your-name-is. That's my sister," I slurred out and stumbled away from him.

The guy reached out for me. "Wait…" He exclaimed in disappointment. I smiled to myself. This was obviously another fool who thought that he was going to have a relationship with me. _Bring it on, _I thought to myself. _Time to start the game of heartbreak. _I didn't believe in love. There hadn't been enough of it in my life so far, I guess.

At my old school, I was known for being a heartbreaker, as well as being a daredevil. People could always count on me for a good time. Lissa was the sweet and smart one who balanced me out. For the past two years, we hadn't had a real home. We had friends from school that we lived with-well, in their basement or attic at least. We never stayed for long. Actually getting enrolled in school was difficult as well. Lissa was amazing at convincing people and negotiating deals. She should seriously be a lawyer some day. She convinced the principals that our parents were shut-ins, or that we lived with only our crippled mother because our dad had ran off when we were babies.

I was excellent at forging signatures- that's how we got the paperwork signed. Unfortunately, we could never go on any field trips because we didn't have any money. Schools grew suspicious after a while, so we would drop out and move away as quickly as possible.

Foster homes suck. Lissa and I had been tossed around from foster home to foster home since we were five. After a while, I grew sick of moving every six months or so, and Lissa began to grow more and more unstable. TO protect her, we ran. And we've been on the run for two years.

Maybe I should explain something. Lissa's mental state was very fragile at times. She got upset easily and I'd caught her cutting herself a few times. When we were little, our father was married to my mother. While she'd been pregnant with me, he'd had an affair with another woman-Lissa's mom. When Lissa's mother learned she was pregnant and my dad refused to help support the baby, Lissa's mom told my mom everything. My mom left, and, as revenge, dropped me and Lissa off at his doorstep. I suppose he was nice at first, but I don't really remember. My earliest memory was of him pushing me down the stairs. I had been running around screaming and yelling while my dad was trying to work. My dad had stormed out, his face red and pushed me when I ran past him. After that, it's all a blur of sounds: Lissa screaming, my dad yelling, and me, my heavy breathing drowning out nearly everything else.

My dad abused us. For me, it was more physical. For Lissa, it was physical and mental. He would tell her she was worthless, a bitch. It was her fault my mother had left him, according to him. Everything was her fault. If he lost his job, it was because he had to take care of and worry about a bitch hell-bent on ruining his life. He beat me and Lissa almost every day.

I knew it had to stop when he pulled the gun out on us. Even at age five, I was independent. I was constantly trying to protect Lissa from his wrath. I saved her from some of the physical stuff, but I could never prevent the mental mind games he played with her. I called the police. My father was arrested. We were shipped off to our first foster home. It became clear to me they didn't have the love and support Lissa needed to heal.

I threw a temper tantrum and they kicked us out to our next foster home. The changes in Lissa were not subtle at first. She grew pale and withdrawn, barely speaking to anyone but me. Our foster parents took her to counseling and even enlisted me to try to get what was bugging her out of her. After about two months my constant badgering, she finally burst. She screamed that she wasn't good enough for friends, that she wasn't good enough for anything.

For the next eleven years, I told her that I loved her and that she was an amazing person, no matter what. It worked-to an extent. She grew more open and happy and social, making friends at school and even joining a sport, though she quit soon after because she sucked. Every so often, though, I would see a glimpse of lingering sadness in her eyes. I knew that my father's words could never be forgotten in her mind. What he had done to her could never be healed. And for that, I would never forgive him.

I suppose that being reckless was my way of dealing with what my dad had done to us. I figured that the worst had already happened to me, so why the hell not take the risk?

Back to the idiot at the bar.

I turned around and smiled my man-eating smile at the poor bastard who thought he could have me. "Sorry, but my sister really needs me" I told him insincerely. His face dropped.

"Well, could I at least get your phone number?" He asked desperately. Did he seriously not get it? I didn't want to be in a relationship.

My amusement at his foolishness faded. "Look, dude, I'm not interested, got it?" I snapped impatiently. "You're not even cute," I muttered before turning away.

A few seconds later, a hand grabbed my shoulder and jerked me back. I was already staggering; I'd had a lot to drink tonight and that caused me to practically fall. My eyes narrowed in fury. I had a temper.

I turned to face the retard who'd shoved me. "What the hell?" I shrieked. It was the guy I'd just turned down.

He was really angry with me. "If you have something to say, then say it to my face," He snarled.

I sighed. This guy had serious issues with being turned down. "Fine. I don't like you. I don't even know your name! But I'm drunk, and you're desperate. But I'm not interested," I spat out the last words.

He punched me. The fucking asshole actually had the nerve to punch me. "You bitch!"

I kicked him in the groin. "Yea, I am a bitch. And if you ever touch me again, I will break every bone in your body," I threatened. Just then, another guy ran up and helped the freak who'd punched me up.

"I called the police." The guy said, holding up his cell phone just as Lissa reached my side. She gasped and looked at me.

"Rose, what are we going to do? The police can't catch us!" She said, horror creeping into her tone.

I looked at her calmly, even though inside I was freaking out. "Liss, calm down. I'll get us out of this." I turned to the two guys and skewered them with my gaze. "I hope you're happy. You've upset my sister." I said haughtily. Lissa sniffed and looked at them tearfully.

The guy's eyebrows rose. "Well, tell your sister-" I whirled around and stormed off before he could complete his sentence. I dragged Lissa with me. There was no way I was letting Lissa hear that thought, which was probably something along the lines of, "Get her some mental help."

Lissa pulled back. I stopped. "Lissa, we're leaving." I said impatiently.

She shook her head. "I have to get my purse," She said stubbornly.

I sighed. "When we get out of here, we'll buy you a new purse. Now come on, do you really wanna get caught?" The alcoholic buzz had faded enough for me to realize that this was a crisis.

Lissa didn't argue as I dragged her through the crowd. The security guard blocked the entrance.

I put on my best smile. "Me and my sister are tired. Can we leave?" I purred.

His expression didn't change. "Sorry," He said gruffly. He didn't sound sorry at all. "I've been instructed not to let anyone leave."

My smile dropped off and I tried to move around him. "Please, this is an emergency! We need to get home before our parents start to worry." I said desperately.

He shook his head stoically. "Not my problem. Now step away from the door." Panic clawed at me.

I tried again to move around him. I whirled around. "Lissa! Try to convince him!" I begged.

Lissa looked terrified as she stepped up to deal with the creepy security guard. "Please, sir, we really have to go-" She started, but a banging at the door cut her off. The security guard opened the door and policemen swarmed in.

"Oh shit," I said, and grabbed Lissa's hand. "Run!"

We ran past the two guys that were responsible for this whole mess. They grabbed at Lissa's coat. She shrieked and slipped out of it.

"Stop right there!" A loud, deep voice commanded us. I only ran faster.

We pushed through the emergency exit door and kept on running. I heard footsteps behind us. "Crap, Lissa, we're gonna get caught." I said, panting.

She whimpered and we slowed to a walk. The policemen surrounded us almost instantly. One, obviously the leader, stepped forward. "Are you two the girls that threatened Mr. Zeklos?"

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Who?" I asked innocently. Maybe I could lie my way out of this.

"Did you or did you not assault a young man tonight about 20 minutes ago?" This guy wanted to arrest someone, bad.

I blinked. "Of course not!" I exclaimed. "We were just trying to get home in time for dinner and the stupid security guard wouldn't let us leave." I pouted.

The policeman's forehead creased. "Why didn't you stop when we called out to you?"

Lissa stepped in. "You called?" She questioned innocently. "Wow, I guess we didn't hear you."

Another policeman stepped forward. "Even if your story is true, we still have to take you down to the station." He said authoratively. The other policemen looked confused.

"But if they're innocent-" He started.

"Matt, can I talk to you over there?" The policeman named Matt nodded and they stepped outside of the ring of policemen.

They came back a few seconds later.

"Alright, sorry girls. We're going to have to take you in." Matt said. I really didn't like that dude.

Lissa clutched my hand. I stepped forward. "Hey! We haven't done anything wrong!" I said indignantly.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on Rosemarie. Why don't you just come willingly? Unless you like handcuffs." He reached for his belt.

"No, no! I'll come." I said quickly.

It was only when I got into the car that I realized Matt had used my name. I was positive no one at the club knew my real name and I sure as hell hadn't told them.

Which meant one thing: They knew who we were.

Oh, shit.

**Please people, review and tell me what you think! And if you haven't already, check out my other story. It's pretty good, I think.**

**This story is second priority! That means I'll update every week or so. Most likely, I'll just update every time I finish a chapter. That means it could be anywhere from a couple of days to three or four weeks. I'll try to get an update in every week though. I promise! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I love everyone who reviewed or alerted/favorite this story! **

**Here's the second chapter**

"Hey! You guys can't take us in!" I hollered. Lissa next to me winced. We were in a police car and I was being as annoying as possible. If I was going down, I was gonna put up one hell of a fight.

The policeman whose name was apparently Matt turned around and frowned reproachfully at me. "Oh yes we can. We're policemen, we have that right."

I slumped down, defeated. Lissa, who'd been quiet thus far, spoke. "You can take us in, sure, but not without a justifiable cause." Yea! Go Liss!

He grinned. "Oh believe me. We have a justifiable reason." I seriously wanted to punch this dude. He was a creeper.

"Would you mind telling us that reason?" Lissa pressed. "We have a right to know, since we're being arrested and all that crap." I had a sinking feeling in my gut.

When Matt spoke, he confirmed my worst fear. "Are you or are you not Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway?" His question was met by a confirming silence.

I could literally feel Lissa's fear as she realized we weren't getting out of this. "Rose," She whispered. "What are we going to do?"

I squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Come on. What's the worst they can do? Ship us off to another foster family? We'll be free in no time." I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to be free again, though. I kind of missed having someone look after me—well, try to at least.

Lissa frowned and she looked away, her blonde hair creating a veil between us. The car was completely silent.

Officer Matt led us inside and told us to sit anywhere. "I just have to make a few calls," He said, and disappeared. I glared after him.

True to his word, Matt was back in no time at all. "I've got it all set up." He said eagerly, looking to us for some kind of reaction. We just stared at him blankly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked rudely. Lissa hit my arm reprovingly. I frowned and glared at Matt.

He seemed to deflate. Clearly he expected us to be at least sort of enthusiastic. Tough luck, buddy. "Your new foster home. She's a very nice woman named Janine." He said, as if, by some miracle, we could read his mind and know that, of course, our new mommy was named Janine.

I looked at him coldly. When I didn't like someone, I didn't hide it. "Janine what?"

He frowned. He was clearly not ready to answer that particular question. "Well, umm, she doesn't have one."

"She doesn't have one," Lissa repeated mechanically. We were both staring at him like he was stupid. He probably was.

He flushed and tried to backpedal. "No, I mean, she does—but she prefers to just remain Janine. That's her name in the system, too."

"So, our new 'family' is a woman called Janine No-Last-Name?" I clarified.

"Yes," He said, almost defensively. "I'm supposed to take you to the airport right now."

"Airport?" Lissa shrieked. For some reason, she'd always been terrified of flying. We'd been on a lot of planes on our travels to different families. She hated it. She would sit on the plane with her squeezed shut, either until we landed or until she drifted off to sleep.

"She's afraid of flying. Can't we drive?" I said plaintively.

"Um, no. We're in Portland. She lives in Florida. I refuse to drive that far and I'm sure you'd agree." He said.

I huffed. "Fine. But if she has a panic attack and dies, you're to blame."

"Isn't that a little overboard?" He asked. The douche was amused! Lissa glared at him.

"Not really. If I die, not only are you to blame, but you're going to pay for my funeral." She told him seriously. I knew she was kidding, but Matt clearly didn't. Lissa should be an actress, I swear.

Matt cleared his throat nervously. "I'm sure it won't come to that." He didn't sound sure, though. "We need to leave. Your flight's in an hour and a half.

"Alright girls, behave." Matt said firmly as the boarding call for our plane was called.

"I can't promise anything." I said, rolling my eyes. Was guy this for real? If he had done his research, he should know that I was why we were constantly getting kicked out of foster homes.

Matt frowned reproachfully at me. I gave him an angelic smile. "Can we board the plane now?" Lissa cut in impatiently.

I sighed dramatically. "Bye, Matt. Have a good life."

Matt nodded emotionlessly. He watched us enter the tunnel that led to the plane. I suppose he was going to stay there until our plane took off. I was surprised he didn't walk us to our seats.

Once we were seated and the plane was in the air, I leaned over and whispered to Lissa, "When this stupid plane lands and we get to Janine's house, I'll get us out. The second her attention is diverted from us okay?"

Lissa opened one eye and glanced at me. "I don't know. Maybe we should just stay for a week or two." She said quietly.

"You want to stay?" I shrieked. It was really loud. Needless to say, my neighbor glared at me, obviously pissed off. I smirked. I loved annoying people. Others were staring at me curiously. I gave them all a dazzling smile. Most of them returned their attention to the movie or whatever else they were doing. Lissa giggled nervously.

"Why do you want to stay?" I asked in a hurried whisper.

"Because I know that you miss having someone take care of you and I think we both miss having beds to ourselves." Lissa shrugged. "It just seems like a good idea. What could it hurt if we stay for a few weeks? Plus, they're going to be on the look-out for a while, most likely. They're not that stupid."

I considered her words. "All right," I said grudgingly. "We'll stay. But the first signs of trouble and we're outta there." I warned.

Lissa nodded serenely. "I wouldn't expect anything less." She leaned back in her sleep and drifted off to sleep. I followed her lead was also soon asleep.

**Sooo, how was that chapter? I know it's very boring right now, but I promise it will get better. Just stick with me for a bit. Dimitri'll be in the story in about five chapters, hopefully. **

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey amazing people who gave me 11 reviews! Because I got so many awesome reviews, I stayed up late writing this chapter so I could update. This story got twice as many reviews as my other story! (If you haven't read it, check it out and tell me what you think) **

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" I asked Lissa as we walked through the tunnel.

She looked at me fearfully before quickly nodding. "Rose, you could go to jail for taking me away, even though I wanted to. We should take this deal and be happy about it."

I sighed in defeat. "I know, but… promise me that the moment you feel depressed or anything, you'll tell me. The moment you do, we'll be gone." I told her.

She laughed quietly. "Oh, Rose," She sighed. "You're always trying to protect me. I promise."

I didn't have time to respond because at that moment, a short lady with slightly curly red hair walked up to us. Her face was hard and looking at her, I doubted she had any emotions. Her hazel eyes assessed me, then turned to Lissa.

"Are you Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir?" She asked. I noted that she had a slight Scottish lilt to her voice.

Lissa smiled and held out her hand. "Please call me Lissa. And this is Rose." Lissa smiled charmingly. I just crossed my arms and looked at Janine.

She ignored Lissa's hand and turned to me. "I am Janine and I'm your foster mother. Uncross your arms," She snapped.

My eyes widened slightly in surprise, but I tightened my arms defiantly. Lissa elbowed me, silently telling me to be good and obey.

I sighed and uncrossed my arms, but redoubled my glare of death; Janine was _so _going down. Nobody could resist my crazy evil stare. They always gave in.

Janine's lips tightened, if that was possible. "Follow me. I have a car waiting outside."

When Janine was about ten feet in front of us, I hissed, "Bitch," in Lissa's ear. Lissa smiled and pushed me away.

"Be nice. She's probably just nervous." Lissa said.

I snorted. "Yea, right. I bet she's going through menopause." Lissa rolled her eyes.

The car ride to Janine's house was quiet and uncomfortable. In the beginning, Lissa had tried to fill the uncomfortable silence with a conversation, but when that had fallen flat, Lissa had subsided into silence as well. Apparently, Janine had absolutely no interests.

As we drew closer to Janine's house, I could sense Lissa's increasing unease. I reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. The car pulled up to a curb and came to a halt.

I looked out the window and my eyes widened when I saw Janine's house. It was actually more like a mansion. I mean, it's not like it had a long, winding driveway with a giant white house sitting on top of a hill. To be honest, I was glad it wasn't that type of house. They gave me the creeps, and I always thought that they would be fit for vampires. Sighing, I leaned against the door.

Janine opened the car door and I went sprawling onto the sidewalk. Fuming and trying to ignore Lissa's laughter, I lifted myself up and glared at Janine. She was staring at me dispassionately.

"Way to try and kill me," I snapped angrily.

Janine's icy stare didn't waver. "Well, next time don't lean against the car door so much."

I didn't respond. I stalked to the back of the car and pulled out my suitcase. "Well, _Mother, _are you going to show us in?"

Next to me, I felt Lissa shift uncomfortably. She'd always had a problem with the disrespectful way I talked to our foster parents.

Janine's lips tightened. Turning on her heels without saying a word, she disappeared through the front door. I looked at Lissa questioningly. She shrugged and gestured for me to follow. Silently, we made our way to the front door, where a really old dude appeared and took out luggage.

"Wait—what—where are you going—okay," I said awkwardly, breaking off when he didn't stop moving. I started after the man. Lissa hurried to catch up to me.

The man—I'm assuming he was Janine's butler—walked up a set of stairs and turned right, heading down a very long hallway with five or six doors. He paused at the second door for a few moments, just long enough to throw Lissa's luggage through the doorway.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed. "Is that supposed to be Lissa's room?" He didn't respond. I felt my anger starting to rise. Lissa put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay." She said softly, her green eyes glowing with humor. "Come to my room when the butler's done throwing your luggage around."

"I'm gonna hurt him if anything in my suitcase is damaged in any way. Even if it's just a scratch," I growled. My elbows were still stinging from my tumble on to the sidewalk and now I had to deal with an irritating and rude butler.

A loud thump made me spin around, ready for any danger to Lissa or myself. It was the damn butler, throwing my suitcase into the fourth door down. Anger clouded my vision.

"I'll be right back," I told Lissa through clenched teeth. She bit her lip nervously and nodded, staring worriedly at the butler.

"Don't do anything stupid." Lissa murmured to me.

"No promises," I muttered back. Lissa gave a half-exasperated, half-amused sigh and went into her room, shutting the door gently behind her.

I turned to face the butler, who was studiously avoiding my glare. I marched right up to him, intending to give him a piece of my mind. "Hey! Look at me! Or are you blind as well as stupid?" I said spitefully.

Reluctantly, the butler raised his head and looked at me. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Could you be more disrespectful?" I demanded.

He lifted his chin defiantly. "Miss Hathaway, please refrain from yelling. It upsets the mistress."

"Oh, shut the fuck up! I'll yell if I wanna frickin' yell. And stop talking like someone from the 1700's, would you?" I said, raising my voice just to annoy him. His eyes hardened. "Oh, and another thing: who the hell are you anyway? Are you just here to amuse Janine or annoy the shit out of me?"

"I am Janine's butler, for lack of better word. I take care of guests such as yourself and Miss Dragomir and I watch the house when Janine is working." The butler answered coolly. Well, at least he'd stopped talking like some freaky dude from the early 1700's.

I leaned in closer. "Then why," I hissed. ,"are you so damn disrespectful? If you ever toss my luggage, or anyone else's luggage, into a room like that, I will hurt you. And it will be painful, and you will be begging for mercy." I gave him my most chilling smile.

He blinked, slightly taken aback. "I wasn't being disrespectful, Miss Hathaway."

"Oh, right. So, tossing people's belongings into a guest room without telling them what the hell is going on is just normal etiquette?" I said, pretending to be surprised. "For some reason, I find that hard to believe."

He glared at me. "Janine told me not to interact with you two."

"Don't fucking listen to her!" I exclaimed. "The next time I demand information out of you, I expect an answer—and it better be a damn good one." I slammed the door in his face, fuming.

~.~.o.O.o.~.~

His breathe was hot on my face. I did my best not to cringe and wrinkle my nose as the overwhelming smell of alcohol reached me. Fear crept up to the front of my mind. He'd been drinking again. At the time, I hadn't known what the smell was, but I knew that when I smelled it, we were in for a rough night.

"So, little girl, you wanna disrespect me again?" He breathed in my ear. Behind me, I heard Lissa whimper slightly. Her fear encouraged me. I had to stand up for us.

"I wasn't being disrespectful." I said boldly, standing up straighter.

His eyes narrowed in hatred. "Why, you little _bitch," _He sneered. A stinging force across my cheek sent me reeling away from Lissa. I stumbled and fell, faintly hearing her cry out in fear for me and herself.

I slowly picked myself up, tasting blood in my mouth. My head spinning, I tried to focus on Lissa's voice.

"Please, Daddy, don't do it!" She was pleading with him. Even in my confused state, I knew that was a bad thing. I had to warn her.

I licked my lips. "Lissa," It came out as a croak. Crap. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Lissa," It came out louder, but by now, Daddy was screaming at her. I cleared my head and tried to listen to what he was saying.

"Shut the fuck up, you little bitch! You have no right to exist! I'm all alone and it's your fucking fault!" He was screaming and spitting. Lissa flinched as the spit hit her face. "Don't frickin' close your eyes when I talk to you! Just because your mother was a whore doesn't give you the right to ignore me!"

I bit my lip nervously, knowing what was coming. He was going to beat her up now and I was going to throw myself in front of her and try to save her from Daddy until he got mad and stormed off to drink some more. Then, I would take Lissa upstairs and we would hide out for the rest of the night.

"Your mother was a slut and you will be too! It's because of you that Rose's mother left me! You should be punished!" I flinched. Tonight he was going farther than normal, and I could sense what he was going to say. Lissa's wide, frightened eyes met mine and I knew that she also knew what was coming. Tears started streaming down her face, but she held back her whimpers, afraid Daddy was going to hurt her even more if she made a sound.

I tensed for Daddy's next words. "You should be punished," He repeated slowly. He turned to face me, and a chill crept its way up my spine. His eyes had a maniacal glint to them. When he saw my fear, his face twisted into a grotesque smile. "Rosie, Rosie," He crooned softly, stepping closer to me. My breathe caught in my throat. I looked at him, not bothering to disguise my fear. "What should this whore-to-be's punishment be?"

Lissa stared at me, wide-eyed and fearful. I tore my gaze from her face and looked up at Daddy's face. "Daddy," I whispered. It was one word, my last plea to him and his sanity. He gazed at me, disappointment filling his face. "Please," I tried again to reach him.

"Rosie, I thought you were stronger. You know what we do to people like Vasilisa?" He spat her name as if it was a curse. I shook my head, tears falling freely. Lissa was dead silent, not daring to breathe. He smiled a slow smile. "We kill them," He whipped around, pulling out a knife. Lissa barely had time to scream before the knife was sliding along her throat, causing blood to pour out.

Her eyes met mine one last time, terrified and betrayed, betrayed by me, the one who had promised to protect her. Her scream turned into a horrifying gurgling noise. I heard another scream, this one shrill, terrified, and very much alive. It took me a second to register that the scream was my own.

Daddy turned to face me slowly. Gasping for breath, my mind spinning, I tried to close my mouth. "Lissa," I sobbed. "Lissa, please don't die," I turned my face towards Daddy. He wore an expression of pure rage and hate, directed towards me.

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" He yelled. "She deserved what she got!"

He strode over to me. Whimpering, I scampered to Lissa's side and dropped to the ground next to her. I ignored the blood staining my hands.

"Lissa," I gasped out. "Don't leave me here alone. Please don't die." I was jerked up by my hair and found myself face to face with my furious Daddy, who was holding a bloodstained knife in his hand threateningly.

"I'll kill you!" He bellowed.

"No!" I screamed, terror taking control of my mind. I twisted wildly, trying to pull myself free. Getting away from this crazed man was all I could think about. He threw me down on the ground next to Lissa. I blinked dazedly and found myself staring into Lissa's glazed over, horrified green eyes. Seeing this, I felt all my strength leave me. Shock and sadness consumed me.

"I'm gonna kill you," Daddy repeated, reaching down to pick me up again.

I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable.

~.~.o.O.o.~.~

A loud banging on my door woke me with a jolt.

"Rose! Rose open up!" Lissa's voice came through the door. She sounded worried and scared.

I shivered, recalling how real the nightmare had felt. It was something I had suffered with for years, this nightmare of what could have easily happened to me and Lissa. It haunted my dreams frequently, something I usually made sure that Lissa didn't know about.

I stumbled to the door, wiping my tearstained cheeks and trying to calm my jittery nerves. Wrenching the door open, I was ambushed by a tall blonde, who came barreling into my room.

"Rose, what's wrong?" Lissa demanded, turning to face me once she was in my room. She looked around slowly. "There's no one in here."

I shuffled to my bed. "I—yea. No, nothing's wrong. I was sleeping." I swallowed back the tears that threatened my vision.

Lissa looked at me closely. Realization dawned on her face. "Oh. Was it another nightmare?" Keeping Lissa from knowing about the frequent nightmares was impossible at times, when they got so bad that I was literally screaming in my sleep. Usually, I was able to wake up, sweating and crying, but able to pull myself together enough so that Lissa wouldn't worry. However, sometimes, they were so vivid and real that I couldn't help but scream.

I nodded slowly, not trusting myself to speak. I hated this. I was supposed to be the strong one. When these nightmares happened, Lissa took care of me. She comforted me until I calmed down enough to talk about them. It made me feel weak, like I was letting Lissa down.

Lissa's sympathy was evident. She suffered from nightmares too, just as often as I did, though she didn't know that. Silently, she held out her arms, and I flew into them, stifling my sobs.

"It's okay," She soothed. "It was just a dream. That's all over now." I held back my tears, but couldn't stop the shaking. Lissa rubbed my back comfortingly.

I pulled away slightly. "I know I wasn't screaming that loud. What did you need?" I asked, my voice thick with suppressed tears.

"The butler that you were yelling at came up to tell me it was time for dinner. He's waiting by my room to take us to the kitchen." Lissa smiled slightly. "He seems kinda afraid to come to your room. What'd you say to him?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Well, I might have threatened him a few times."

Lissa slapped my shoulder softly. "Rose!" She exclaimed. "You have got to stop threatening everyone you don't like!"

I rubbed my shoulder, pretending her hit had hurt. "Well, he bugs me." I replied defensively.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Let's go. I'm starving."

I followed her out the door to meet the butler in the hallway.

**Ta-da! Chapter Three is COMPLETE! **

**Lemme know what you thought of the whole dream scene. It was really hard for me to write, so it'd be nice if you'd let me know if it's super crappy. **

**Until next chapter! (please review)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So guess what? I know what I'm going to do with this story! I started this out with no real plot, but now I've got quite an interesting idea. Thank you DarkRomanceAddict for giving me the idea that will lead to the main plot of the story! And, guys, go read her stories. They're awesome :) Read them and review them for me. DO IT!**

Dinner was silent and uncomfortable, to say the least. As the butler led us through the house to the kitchen, I was aware of him sneaking glances at me, alternating between nervous and death glares. Every time he did, I would fight to choke back a fit of laughter and Lissa's bewilderment would rise.

Janine was already seated at the table when we arrived. She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly when she looked at me. I looked back dispassionately.

"You're late," She said flatly. "I've been waiting and delaying the chef from sending out the food for at least fifteen minutes."

The stupid butler bowed. "I am very sorry, Ma'am. Miss Hathaway was a while in leaving her room." I shot a frown at him angrily. How dare he blame this on me?

Janine raised her eyebrows expectantly. I sighed. "I'm very sorry," I said sarcastically. This woman was not my mother. I was not offering up excuses for her.

Lissa sighed next to me. She knew me well enough to know that I wasn't going to say anything else. "Rose was sleeping when I came to get her for dinner," She explained. "It's been a very long trip for us and we're both very tired." I frowned. Lissa had already said too much for my liking, but I knew that she'd go even farther and explain that I had a nightmare, even go so far as to explain our entire past. Lissa was like that. She'd go a long way to please someone.

Janine stared at her for a moment, thinking. She nodded curtly. "Very well. However, I am going to warn you now. If you are ever late for dinner again, there will be consequences." The butler frowned at this and hurried to her side, bending over and whispering something in her ear.

Janine nodded and murmured something back. I strained my ears curiously, but only caught the word "holiday." I frowned and looked over to Lissa. Shrugging, she slipped her hand into my mine and gestured to Janine with her head.

I looked at Janine and the butler, both of whom were gazing at us. "What?" I asked defiantly. "Is there something we should know?"

Janine's expression remained neutral. "Actually, there is. Sit." Hesitantly, we sat down.

The butler cleared his throat and left. Janine watched him, then looked down at her plate. She was silent for a few moments.

"Rosemarie, Vasilisa," She began. I opened my mouth to correct her, but Lissa kicked me. "Did anyone inform you about my job?"

I looked to Lissa to answer, as she was the one paying attention after we'd been arrested, not me. I never paid attention to anything. Lissa shifted in her seat. "No one told us what you do, but judging by this house, you must have a very high position of power." She said respectfully.

Janine laughed slightly. "Yes, well, I suppose I do. Having a rich ex-boyfriend helps too, I guess. I work as a government agent. AS part of my contract, that's basically all I can tell you. It's very top-secret. Only the best get in. We work closely with foreign countries and world leaders to do many things. As a result of having this job, I am away often, most of the time out of the country.

"I have decided that, because of this, I am going to enroll you in a private boarding school." She continued. Horror flashed through me. A boarding school? Sensing my anxiety, Lissa squeezed my hand tighter. "I know this may seem a bit odd, but this is what's going to happen: your new school is in Montana (**A/N: That's right, isn't it? That's where ST. Vlad's is in the book right?) **and you will be attending classes there for the rest of your senior year. They have a wide variety of classes, including self-defense." Janine pulled out two booklets. "These are a list of all the classes they offer, as well as the teacher and a short description of what the class is like. Pick nine of these classes, any ones you like, and then I'll talk to you about extra credit and such so that you can graduate." She handed the booklets to us. I took mine numbly.

"Why even bother adopting us?" I burst out. Janine looked surprised at my outburst, and Lissa groaned quietly. "I mean, seriously, you adopt us, knowing that you're going to have to send us off to a boarding school, and yet you do it anyway. Why? Why not just let someone else take us home?"

"Because, truthfully, when my company tells me to do something, I jump up and do it. No questions asked, until I've done what they want." Janine replied after a few seconds. She was choosing her words carefully.

"Wait, your company asked you to adopt us?" Lissa broke in, stunned. Janine gave a curt nod. "Wow, do you know why? I mean, we're just two orphans from off the street. How important can we be?"

Something flashed through Janine's eyes, but it was gone before I could tell what it was. "They have told me why, yes." Janine shifted uncomfortably. Obviously, she wasn't allowed to say much to me.

"They told you why, but you're not allowed to tell us, am I right?" I asked, suddenly very tired.

Janine nodded. "Anyways, about these classes. I need them in two days' time at the most. If you can get them to me sooner, please do. The sooner you do, the sooner I can enroll you."

I stood up. Suddenly, I wasn't very hungry. "I'm just gonna go to bed. I'm not very hungry." I said abruptly. Why was I so upset by this? I shouldn't have been surprised. People have been doing things like this to me practically since I was born. I ran to my room, miraculously remembering the way. I heard Lissa get up and say a hasty apology to Janine before chasing after me.

Blindly, I reached my room and wrenched the door shut, only to hear it open again a few seconds later as Lissa caught up to me. I collapsed on my bed while Lissa, panting, sat next to me.

"Rose, what's wrong?" She asked gently. I reminded myself that this wasn't how it was supposed to work. I was supposed to comfort Lissa while she had a breakdown. I summoned up my walls to try and hide my emotions.

Sitting up slowly, I responded, "It's not fair. Everyone we care about or don't care about abandons us in one way or another. Sometimes it's major and sometimes it's minor." I drew my knees up to my chest. Maybe by becoming smaller, I could draw in my emotions and make myself disappear.

Lissa sighed. "I know, Rose. It's really not fair. But we have to deal with it." I sniffled to show that I knew that. Lissa went on. "What I don't understand is why you're so upset by this. I thought you hated Janine. I thought that you'd jump at the chance to be away from her. Why are you just getting upset now, after all these years of disappointment and heartbreak?"

I shrugged. "I don't know… I guess I thought that maybe Janine would be different. I thought that maybe she was so cold because she wasn't used to us or teens in general. I thought that maybe, we had a real shot at being happy for once, because Janine might actually make an effort to make us feel like we belong. And now she's sending us off to a boarding school? It kind of crushed me." I admitted. "I honestly don't know why I took it so hard."

Lissa was silent for a moment. "You know, I'm supposed to be the emotional one, so I can relate. Half the time, I don't know what I'm feeling or why I'm feeling that way. It's all very baffling. But I have you and that's a constant. You're the one I know will make it possible to get through whatever I'm going through. Now, it's my turn to be that person for you."

I gave her a weak smile. "I just wanna sleep right now, thanks." Honestly, Lissa's words scared me. I'd been independent for so long, the thought of leaning on someone for comfort and support scared the shit out of me. I was supposed to be the immovable pillar, the "guardian" of Lissa.

Lissa studied me for a few seconds. "All right. You look exhausted. I'll let you sleep, but I'm coming back tomorrow and you're helping me pick my classes."

Smiling cheerfully, she left, leaving me to my own thoughts. My tiredness suddenly peaked and it was all I could do not to fall asleep right then. Fighting to keep my eyes open, I turned off my light and crawled under my covers. Darkness consumed me almost instantly.

**K, so I know that this story is really kinda boring and I'm trying to work on that. I'm really looking forward to writing the romantic tension between Dimitri and Rose :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for your reviews!**

**So I just finished my first story ever (Why Me?)! *dances* So, yea, I'm hyped up from that and then I typed up this chapter and yea, now I need to go work on the sequel to WM… **

Lissa smiled brightly at me. "Ready to pick our classes, Rosie?" I grimaced at her old nickname for me.

Sighing dramatically, I picked up the class book Janine had given us last night and sat up. "Let's get this over with."

We were silent for a few moments as we scanned through the classes, circling the ones we wanted to take.

I tapped my pencil on the page impatiently. I hated school. One class caught my eye.

"Self-defense and Karate," it read. "Class taught by: Mrs. Alberta Petrov." I grinned. Learning how to fight had always been something I wanted to do. I had thought that Janine was kidding when she said they taught self-defense and karate. Without a second thought, I circled it twice.

The other classes I picked:

"Statistics. Taught by Stan Alto."

"Biology I. Taught by Emeril Tork."

"Basic Art. Taught by Yuri Farmer."

"Russian I. Taught by Celeste Hemingway."

"World History. Taught by Eva Garrow."

I was stuck. School was not my thing and I had no idea what other classes to take. I turned to Lissa. "What classes are you taking?" I asked.

She handed me her book wordlessly.

She had picked:

"Biology I"

"Russian I"

"World Cultures"

"World History"

"English IV/Poetry"

"Basic Art"

"Calculus"

"Free Period/Study Hall"

I finished looking over her choices. "You only have eight." I told her.

She laughed. "Rose, my last period is reserved for lunch. Didn't you read the opening letter from their headmistress?"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would I do that? Why did you bother?"

"It was on the first page." She took my book from me and pointed it out. "See?"

"Oh." I looked down and circled "English IV" and "Free period/Study Hall."

"What'd you choose?" Lissa asked curiously. I looked over my sheet once more and then, satisfied by my choices, I handed it to Lissa. She scanned it, eager to see what classes that we might have together. "Self-defense and karate?" she laughed, handing it back to me.

"What?" I said defensively. "You know that I've always wanted to learn how to protect us, in case anything were to happen to us." I hated what our father had done to us, but what I hated more was the utter helplessness I had felt while he was torturing us. Being beaten I could handle, but watching Lissa get hurt—physically and mentally—was more than I could stand. If we ever were to meet him again, I wanted to be prepared to defend us.

As if she could read my thoughts, her smile faded and she looked away from me quickly. "Yea, maybe it isn't such a bad idea for you," she agreed quietly.

"Come on, let's go give these to Janine. She said that she'd take care of it." I said, grabbing Lissa's hand and pulling her through the hallway.

The damn butler blocked us from entering Janine's office.

"Miss Janine is busy at the moment." He said coldly. "What do you need?"

I glared at him and opened my mouth to release some sarcastic remark, but Lissa elbowed my stomach. Grimacing, I shut my mouth and stepped back, letting Lissa do the talking.

"Um, we've chosen our classes for," she checked the cover of the booklet. "Saint Vladimir's Boarding School. Janine said that once we chose them, we should give them to her so she can enroll us." Lissa smiled politely at the butler.

"You may leave them with me. Once Miss Janine is free, I will give them to her. I would start packing if I were you." He said, smiling without humor.

I crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue at him. "C'mon Liss. Let's leave the darling butler to his misery." I grabbed her hand and dragged her away from him. "Besides, as he so kindly pointed out, we need to pack."

Lissa pulled away from me, looking confused. "But, we don't have anything to pack." It was true. We'd left all our stuff at Jeremy's house.

I bit my lip, unsure of what to tell her. Fortunately, we were still in the butler's hearing range. He answered her for me. "Miss Janine has arranged for someone to pick you up today and take you shopping. She said you may buy whatever you need or want. Money is not an issue."

I spun around. "Oh, that's great to know," I snarled. "And when were you planning on informing us?" Lissa tugged on my arm, trying to distract me and get me upstairs. I shook her off and continued glaring defiantly at him.

"I was on my way up to tell you when I saw you about to enter Janine's study without knocking," He said coolly.

Lissa finally succeeded in pulling me away before I could respond. "Let it go, Rose. It's not important. What is important is getting ready to go shopping." She whispered in my ear.

"He's an ass," I growled in a low voice, but I fell silent, following her to our rooms. Lissa smiled at me before slipping into her own room. I made a face at her now closed door and went into my room. Time to take a shower. Thankfully, the bathroom came equipped with a comb, shampoo, and toothpaste; it was like my very own five-star hotel.

After a long, hot shower, I slipped into the only other clean clothes I had: a Lakers sweater from an ex-boyfriend and a pair of jeans with a ripped knee. The Lakers sweater had never been returned because, while we were still dating, Lissa and I had to make a break for it. It was warm and soft; I was glad I'd brought it with me to the bar.

I gave myself a quick glance in the mirror and deemed myself presentable enough to go out in public. Lissa crept into my room, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Are you naked?" she asked, blushing. I grinned.

"Don't you wish," I teased. "I'm decent, Liss. Open your eyes."

Still blushing wildly, Lissa opened her eyes and blinked. "Janine's down the hallway. Her friend's already here and she wants to tell us a few things before we leave."

I grabbed my handbag and looked at Lissa curiously. "What kind of things?"

"I dunno. Rules, I guess," Lissa shrugged and walked out. I followed her.

"Great. Rules. That's just fabulous. Can't I just go get some food while she tells you the rules?" I complained in a soft voice so Janine wouldn't hear. Lissa shot me a disapproving glance. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, come on, Liss. You and I both know I wouldn't follow those rules even if I did care enough to listen."

"Be nice!" she scolded. As we approached Janine, we grew silent, not wanting her to overhear our discussion. "Hi, Janine! What was it you needed to tell us?"

Janine gave me a hard stare. Taken aback, I looked at Lissa. She wasn't paying any attention to me. She was focused solely on Janine. Her creepy glare made me wonder if she had actually heard Lissa's and mine conversation.

"Don't talk to strangers," Janine said finally. I gaped at her

"What the fuck? That's seriously all you have to tell us? That is messed up," I snorted. "We learned not to talk to strangers when we were like three. We're 17 now, in case you haven't noticed. I don't think we have to worry about some random person wandering up to us and trying to kidnap us."

Janine's face grew very severe and cold. Unconsciously, I recoiled slightly from her. "Now is especially important for you to keep that lesson in mind Rosemarie. Unless you like being tossed into the back of a van,"

"My name isn't Rosemarie, it's Rose," I hissed. "And why would you even care, mother dearest? I would think you'd be happy to get rid of us." Lissa gave a small gasp at my words and tugged at my arm.

"Rose, come on, we don't want to keep Janine's friend waiting," she said desperately. I ignored her and continued shooting daggers at Janine. Lissa grabbed my handbag and started walking with it tucked under her arm. I gave one last death glare at Janine before turning to walk away with Lissa.

"Don't forget my rule, girls!" She called after us in an expressionless voice. I stiffened but continued walking after Lissa. This was going to be a looong day.

~.~o.O.O~.~

**Third Person POV:**

Janine reached her office just as the phone started ringing. Walking briskly over to her desk, she answered it.

"This is J," she said in a cool voice. With her job, it was better not to answer the phone with her full name.

"Janine," Her boss's voice rang through the phone. Janine couldn't help but shiver at how icy he sounded. "Do you know what you've done?" At this point, his voice changed. It was no longer icy and dispassionate, but angry now.

Janine swallowed, feeling her mouth go dry. This didn't sound good at all. Trying to remain cool and aloof, she responded, "No, sir."

"You've signed the two girls up at an unsecured location." He hissed. "Do you realize what could happen now? There are no full-fledged agents stationed at that boarding school!" He was full of anger; Janine could feel it emanating through the phone.

"But I—The sources told me there was an agent stationed there masquerading as a teacher!" She cried out in desperation. If what he was saying was true, things could get very ugly very fast.

"There _was._ Two years ago. We freed him from his duty after he tested positive on the drug tests!"

"Isn't there anyone else there we can contact?" she pleaded desperately.

There was a long pause. "I will see what I can do. But this mistake will not be treated lightly Janine. You better pray nothing happens to those girls." Before she could respond, the dial tone sounded in her ear, signaling he'd hung up.

Carefully, Janine set the phone down. Shaking, she slid to the ground, worry and disbelief running through her. How could she have made such a major mistake? She might as well have signed the girls' death sentences if he couldn't do anything to ensure their safety.

_What have I done?_

**Whew! Done! **

**Were you confused by the last part of this chapter? Good :) That was what I wanted. **

**Review and tell me if you think you know what danger Rose and Lissa are in. Even if you don't have a clue, review and tell me that you have no idea :D Yea, I'm a review addict…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello :) This is chapter six. I think that either next chapter or chapter 8 we will have our first look at Dimitri and the other guys. **

**Guess what? I JUST POSTED THE SEQUEL TO MY OTHER STORY WHY ME! I'm so excited and that's what this chapter is celebrating ;)**

**And thanks to Twilighternproud for giving me another idea! **

**Also, three of my reviewers, thosebrowneyes, BiancaVA, and princessofthenight, deserve a congratulations and a HUGE round of applause. You two know what you did ;D**

Janine's friend—Tanya—was cheerful and energetic, nothing at all like Janine. I wondered how those two could be friends. They were polar opposites. Tanya had blonde hair and bright turquoise colored eyes. Her face was fresh and innocent, giving her the look of eternal youthfulness, though she assured us she was the same age as Janine.

Tanya had a bubbly personality. She and Lissa hit it off right away, leaving me feeling like the third wheel.

"Tanya, Rose—Look at this!" Lissa called, holding up a cute ruffled black skirt.

I smiled at her. "That's so cute! Lissa, go try it on!" I pushed her towards the dressing room. She turned around, her smile faltering.

"But—I've already bought so many things. Won't Janine be mad that I keep spending so much money?" Lissa looked at Tanya worriedly. Tanya laughed and shook her hair back.

"Lissa, dear, how many times do I have to tell you? You can spend as much money as you'd like. Janine and her company want you to be happy. Get anything you want," Tanya smiled and gently pushed Lissa to the dressing room.

Lissa didn't argue anymore, but scurried off to try on the skirt. Tanya and I fell into an awkward silence.

"Well," I said a few moments. "I'm going to go look for some more stuff." Tanya gave me a small nod and turned away.

I browsed through the clothes and jewelry, grabbing stuff at random. About twenty minutes later, Lissa tapped me on the shoulder.

"Rose, Janine called. We have to leave now." Lissa said softly. "We're going to the boarding school today."

"Today?" I shrieked. "She could've warned us that we'd be leaving today!"

"I think she was going to when she told us not to talk to strangers, but you snapped at her before she could," Lissa said in a scolding tone.

"Oh," I said sheepishly. "Well… Um, let's get going. We wouldn't want to keep mother dearest waiting," I made a face as I spoke.

"Rose, quit being so childish! We should be grateful that we have a place to live now!" Lissa hissed at me.

I snorted. "Yea, we'll have our very own dorm room soon. Whoop-de-frickin-doo," I twirled my fingers in exaggerated happiness. Lissa sighed, obviously exasperated, but didn't respond.

The ride back to Janine's place—I refused to call that place home—was silent. Fidgeting in my seat, my thoughts soon turned to the boarding school we were going to.

The booklet had called it 'St. Basil's Boarding School'. It was beautiful-looking, like a castle straight out of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, it was in Montana. Montana was cold, and it looked like it was ALL forest. Where were you supposed to go shopping in a forest? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tanya reach for her phone and flip it open. Her eyes skimmed over the screen, and her face paled. I watched her, interested. What had that text said?

The car came to a gentle stop. Tanya smiled tightly.

"We're here, you two," she said in a false bright voice. I opened the car door and climbed out, blinking as the sunlight hit my eyes.

"Hey, Tanya, you never told us how you know Janine," Lissa said. "I mean, no offense, but it seems like you guys have nothing in common." I turned to look at Tanya. This was a question I'd been wondering all day.

"Janine and I met in college, and we hit it off right away. Back then, I was a wild party-girl and she was a bookworm. We balanced each other perfectly. I'm more mature now, obviously, and we work together now. Our friendship hasn't changed even if we have," Tanya answered.

Lissa nodded slowly. "So you work for this mysterious company too then?"

Tanya's beautiful aqua eyes grew large. "She—she told you about that?"

"Not very much. Mostly, she just told us she couldn't tell us anything. Kind of pointless to tell us that," I said dryly. "But her answer to our question about why she even adopted us was that this company she worked for wanted her to. She wouldn't say anything else."

"Are you three going to stand there and gossip all day or are you going to come inside?" A voice from the front door interrupted us. We all turned to see Janine striding toward us, her hazel eyes flashing dangerously at us.

Tanya was the first to recover from the surprise of being interrupted by her. "Sorry J," she said. "They were asking me a few questions about how we met."

Janine surveyed us coldly. "I see," she said. "Vasilisa, Rosemarie, you must go pack. We leave in two hours." Lissa blushed slightly and walked past Janine, heading for the house. I was quick to follow. A sharp glance over my shoulder told me that Janine and Tanya were still standing there, watching us enter the house.

"Lissa, something weird is going on. Something they're not telling us." I hissed as we walked up the giant marble staircase together.

"You're just being paranoid, Rose. Nothing is going on." Lissa replied.

"No, I'm serious. Haven't you noticed how Janine and Tanya are being all secretive?" I pressed.

"Of course I have. It's probably nothing though. They don't want us finding out what they do for a living. It's not a crime to want privacy," Lissa headed into her room without even waiting for my response.

I stared at her closed door, frustrated that she couldn't see it. There was something wrong. I just knew it. I heard the sound of the front door opening and that's when I made a snap decision. I rushed down the hallway and to the top of the staircase just in time to see them disappear down the hallway to the right.

I dashed down the stairs and followed them as silently as I could. Finally, they stopped and entered a room that I recognized as Janine's office. Earlier, the damn butler had oh-so-rudely kicked us out of this hallway, claiming Janine was busy. Now, though, there was no annoying butler to get in my way.

I crouched down and pressed myself up against the door, trying desperately to hear what they were saying.

"….can't possibly be serious!" That was Tanya's voice. She sounded angry and worried. "I swear to God Janine—"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Janine hissed. "Look, I didn't know either okay?" _Know what? _I wanted to scream, but instead, I pressed myself closer to the door.

"I swear to God, Janine, if anything happens, you will not live to see another day," Tanya growled. I blinked, taken aback. That didn't sound like the sweet Tanya who'd take us shopping and let us get ice cream today.

"Calm down, T. He said he'd try to fix it." Janine said soothingly.

"Calm down? You know how much they mean to us! They're our—"

"T, be quiet! You don't know who could be listening to us!" Janine hissed. "We have to be extra careful now. Everyone we know is an enemy until this is over."

Tanya started to speak again, but a noise from down the hallway had me racing away, my heart pounding in my chest. I'd seen the butler's foot as he appeared from around the corner and I could only pray he hadn't seen me.

Something about him creeped me out. He was not a sweet-looking man. He was bitter and the looks he'd cast toward me and Lissa were filled with hatred and something else undecipherable. It scared me a little, but at the same time, I wasn't about to let my fear show. I'd been abused by my father for years. I'd ended up calling the cops on him. My father was the only one who could make my devil-may-care attitude shatter, and I wasn't about to let some crazy old butler break through that shell.

"Rose, let's go! The limo is waiting for us!" Lissa hollered.

I shoved a few last-minute items into my suitcase, then flung the door open. "Sorry I'm not a speed-packer!" I retorted. "Some of us like not having messy suitcases."

Lissa rolled her eyes at me as she responded. "Oh, come on. You and I both know that's not true. You just throw everything into the suitcase and zip it up."

"Fine," I crossed my arms defiantly. "I wanted to make sure I had everything then. I did like three sweeps of the room."

Lissa gave me a weird look before deciding to drop the topic. "We have to hurry; our plane leaves in three hours, and the airport is two hours away."

We loaded everything into the limo and I stared out the window as we pulled away from the mansion. Tanya and Janine were both in the car, talking quietly to themselves. About half an hour into the car ride, Lissa fell asleep on my shoulder and from there, the car ride passed quickly.

Soon, we were at the airport and ready to board the plane. Before they left us at the gates, Tanya pulled us into a huge hug.

"Be careful, you two," she murmured, then released us. Janine said nothing, only smiled slightly before turning to walk away with Tanya. I gave a small wave and then they were gone and we were all alone, boarding another plane.

I fell asleep once we were on the plane, only to be woken up a few hours later by the pilot's voice reminding us to fasten our seatbelts and prepare for landing.

I stumbled off the plane after Lissa, wearily wondering what we were supposed to do now. Lissa grabbed my hand and pointed to someone.

"Look! That guy has our names on a sign!" she said excitedly. "Let's go!" I let her drag me off, still groggy from my nap.

The guy—his name was Carlos—was to be our chauffeur to St. Basil's Boarding School. The drive, he assured us, was only an hour and a half. Normally three hours, but with the way he drove, it was an hour and a half. Lissa and I laughed uneasily when he said that, not sure if he was joking or not.

He dropped us off at the gates and sped off, leaving us standing outside the looming gates of St. Basil's alone. Soon enough, a teacher opened them for us. We went to the main office and received our schedules and dorm room keys. Since we were joining in the middle of a semester and they wanted to cause as little a disturbance as possible for the other students, Lissa and I would be sharing a room.

We had the weekend to settle in before classes resumed on Monday. While we were headed to our room, Lissa dashed off, saying something about the bathroom. That left me standing there like an idiot in the middle of the courtyard alone. I looked down so no one would see my face and paced forward a few steps only to run into someone—a very tall someone.

Flustered, I looked up at them ,ready to say something about how they should watch their step, but found myself lost in the deepest brown eyes I'd ever seen.

**Yaay! SURPRISE! I introduced Dimitri this chapter—well, kind of… We'll meet the other boys next chapter :) So review if you wanna see some hot VA guys soon…**


	7. Chapter 7

**More Dimitri for your enjoyment :D I personally love this chapter, especially the first part of it.**

"Are you okay?" The boy asked. His voice was laced with a slight Russian accent and it made me want to melt. Damn, Russians sure knew how to make sexy boys. His brow furrowed. "Hello? Are you okay?" he repeated, frowning slightly. I suddenly had the urge to reach over and smooth the frown off his face and—

Holy Jesus.

I had just been _staring at him. _For a very time. With my mouth slightly opened. While he had been talking to me. And I'd been thinking about touching his face and kissing him and—

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Flushing, I looked down and tried to gather my jumbled thought. "Uh, I just—um, yea, I'm fine. What's it to you?" I glared at him, trying to hide my embarrassment.

His mouth twitched up. By the glance he threw my way, I knew he could tell that I was embarrassed. I glared back at him, trying not to notice how so freakin sexy he looked when he was doing that half-smile thing.

"That's good…" he looked at me questioningly.

I pulled my eyes away from his body. "My name is Rose," I snapped. "Not that it's any of your business." No matter how hot he was, I wasn't going to be polite. He'd embarrassed me and no way was I going to let him get to me. "But since you asked, what's your name?"

"Dimitri," he replied quietly. "Dimitri Belikov."

I opened my mouth to ask him another question, but Lissa's voice rang out from behind me.

"Rose! There you are!" she called out, jogging towards me.

"Bye Rose," With another one of those half-smiles, he disappeared just as Lissa caught up to me.

"Who was _that_?" she asked with a slightly awed expression.

I stared after his rapidly disappearing form. "He's nobody," I said shortly, turning away.

"Are you kidding me?" Lissa exclaimed. "He's hot!"

I grunted noncommittally, unwilling to share the encounter with her. Frowning, Lissa gave me a weird glance. I didn't blame her. Usually, I would have been raving about the hot guy I had almost knocked over, and then I would have dragged Lissa into some insane, half-formed plan to seduce him into asking me out. Generally it worked, but only because guys found me attractive, not because my plans worked, or even made sense.

"Well, did he ask you out?" she asked expectantly.

"No," I said. "Did you realize you just left our luggage out in the rain?" I continued, wanting her to drop the topic.

She got the hint and didn't mention Dimitri again. "Well, I couldn't find you. I got worried so I went looking for you," she defended herself.

I spent the rest of the day sulking, unable to get Dimitri out of my head. Running into him had felt like smacking into a rock. Clearly, he worked out a lot and I wondered if he'd be in my self-defense class. I hoped he would. Lissa gave up trying to discover what was wrong around lunchtime and just let me be alone. Already, she'd befriended another girl on campus, Mia. Mia was blonde and short, and reminded me of a doll; curling her hair into perfect ringlets didn't help that image.

Classes started up again on Monday, which was way too early if you ask me. I slept through most of first period and then ended up running into Lissa on my way to my second class. Farther down the hallway, I saw Dimitri, weaving through the crowd much more gracefully than I would have if I was his size. Quickly, I turned away from him so he wouldn't see me.

Lissa nudged me and pointed at him. "There he is. Your mystery man," she giggled, eyes sparkling .

I flushed. "Shut up. He's not my mystery man," I muttered, pushing my way into the classroom. I sat down in my seat and sighed, putting my head down on my desk. Someone sauntered up and stood right in front of my desk. "Lissa, I told you I didn't want to talk about him," I complained.

"I don't know who Lissa is, but if she's as hot as you, I'd love to meet her." The guy's laughing voice made me lift my head. He had sparkling green eyes and brown hair. I must say, he was very hot, but for some reason, I just wasn't interested. Maybe it was the fact that I had Dimitri on the brain…

I gave the boy a charming smile. "I'm busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time?"

He smirked. "My name is Adrian. What's yours, sexy?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry, but that is really none of your business, is it?"

"Hey now. Don't be hating on the guy that loves you," He winked.

"Fine. My name is Rose. Now leave." I pointed to an empty desk on the other side of the room. "There's one right over there. Bye now!" I waved. He opened his mouth to reply, but the bell rang. I slumped back in my seat, feeling kind of relieved as I watched him saunter towards the free desk I'd pointed to.

The class I was currently in—History—was pretty boring, so I spaced off for the rest of the period. The bell rang and I got out of class, trying to avoid Adrian. I met up with Lissa, and we walked to Russian together. All the way there, she was gushing about some hot guy she'd met in English, and how he'd helped her understand the curriculum.

"What was this guy's name, Lissa?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, right. His name was Christian Ozera; he's kind of an outcast. When he was little, his parents sort of abandoned him on his aunt's doorstep. He likes messing with fire and yea," Lissa shrugged. "He was really funny. Kind of like you."

I stopped. "Wait—Christian? That creepy goth guy who wears all black? I bumped into him a few times; I told him to move his lazy ass and he told me to shut the fuck up. That Christian?" I asked incredulously. How could she fall for him? They were total opposites. She was nice and sweet and he was an ass.

"Rosemarie Hathaway. Never thought I'd see you again," I turned when someone said my full name, automatically taking a disliking to whoever it was for using my full name.

"My name is Rose. Not Rosemarie. Get it right or get out of my sight," I snapped. It was another guy, standing in front of me with a small smirk on his face. He had bright blue eyes and red hair that added a boyish charm to his face.

"Damn. Some things never change," he said, shaking his head, smiling broadly now. I exchanged a confused look with Lissa. Who the hell was this guy and what did he want?

"What do you mean? Who are you?"

"You don't remember me? That's not exactly surprising. You moved when we were—what? Eight? I don't remember the specifics." The guy said. I frowned and tried to remember his face. Suddenly, I had a very distinct memory of a little boy with shocking red hair tackling me and screaming, "You're It, Rose!" A slow smile broke out on my face. How could I have forgotten him?

"Mason?" I asked gleefully. Yes, Mason Ashford. He had been a childhood friend of both me and Lissa before I called the cops on my father. He hadn't known about any of that, and I'd actually stayed with a local foster family so I was able to still play with him.

He laughed. "You do remember!" He said, turning to Lissa. "Do you?"

Lissa grinned at him. "How could I forget the guy who came up with the nickname Vas? Mason, of course I remember you!"

"Do people still call you Vas?"

"No, everyone calls me Lissa or Liss now. Your nickname just couldn't compete." She teased lightly.

"Wow, okay. I have to get to class. I've been searching for you guys all day, ever since I heard there was a new girl named Rosemarie and another names Vasilisa. Vas's name isn't common so I guessed it would be you two." He winked. "Catch ya' after school! By the vending machines in the main building." He called, already turning to jog down the hall.

**Wow, okay, I'm a bad person. It's been over a week! I'm sorry, things have been really hectic lately. This next chapter will probably take two weeks or so because I've got some major writer's block with BOTH of my stories… But I have an idea or two for another fanfiction after I complete Lost… **

**Review and tell me what you thought of the guys? Oh, and if in two weeks I don't have a new chapter up, would someone please PM me or review and tell me to get my lazy ass on the computer and type it?**

_Holy cow... My review to you was SERIOUSLY messed up... I bet I totally freaked you out, right? I'm sorry :(_


	8. Chapter 8

**I have Keisha's song stuck in my head… **

**So, yea, I kind of forgot this story existed… I've been busy with taking all freaking honors classes, and I came up with a new story idea that's got me all excited and stuff, so sorry about the wait. I'll post the new story after my other story, Lost, is over. DO NOT WORRY. I swear, this story will become top-priority after Lost is over! **

**My new story will be about how there's a whole backstory to Janine and Abe's relationship. Like a love triangle between Janine, Abe, and Tatiana. But it's going to be much better. This is a really BAD summary… **

**Thank you guys for your reviews! Especially thefamiliarstranger and molly, whose reviews made me laugh and were ultimately the reason I typed up this chapter. :)**

**MOLLY: Lmao, you always manage to make me smile or burst out laughing even when I'm feeling sick :) When I got your review, I was about ¾ of the way done, but I was kinda stuck. But I'm done now! And Tanya isn't the one who needs to be stabbed with a pencil… It's that damn butler. He pisses me off… **

**RPOV**

I bounced anxiously in my seat, staring at the clock. Next to me, Lissa leaned over.

"Rose, what's going on? Why are you so hyper?" she asked quietly.

"This is the last class," I hissed. "We get to see Mason after this!"

Lissa giggled. "Do you love Mason?"

"Hell no! He's just my friend!" I said, shocked. "I knew him as a little kid. He was like our brother. Him and Andre." Andre was Mason's twin, but he had blonde hair instead of red.

"Well, I'm not going with you. Mia wanted to do our Russian homework together since she doesn't get it." Lissa ignored my mentioning of Andre. When we were little, she'd had a slight crush on him, and had even kissed him in the pool. I had never let her live it down.

I frowned slightly. "Fine. Can you at least do my Russian homework too then?" Lissa gave me a disapproving look. "Please? I don't get it," I pouted and folded my arms. She sighed and held out her hand. I smiled and gave her my book.

"Rose, are you going to tell him about… Are you going to tell him the truth?"

I sighed. "I don't know, Liss. I don't want to lie to him, but I don't want his sympathy either. What do you think I should do?"

Lissa considered this for a few seconds. "I think you should do whatever you need to do Rose. I think that keeping this secret from everyone hurts you and that you would feel much better if you told someone, but maybe that someone isn't Mason. I don't know. It's up to you."

Then, the bell rang. I bolted out the door and raced to our dorm room, eager to drop off my books.

Mason was already slouched down by the vending machines. He looked up and grinned as I approached. "Hathaway, you're late!" He called with a laugh.

"I'm always late, Mase. Might as well get used to it." I sat down next to him with a sigh. "So where's Andre? Off with some girl? Or did he finally ditch you for some cool kids?" Mason was silent. I peeked at his face and was surprised to see sadness. "Wait—Andre is at the Academy right now, isn't he?"

"Andre's dead. A few years after you left, he just got really sick. It was really sudden. One day he was healthy, the next he was laying in the hospital in a coma. No one could figure it out." Mason turned away from me for a few seconds.

"Oh." I felt really stupid now. And upset. Andre and Mason were always so happy and healthy. Tears sprang to my eyes. I brushed them off. "Uh, that's… I'm sorry," I grimaced. I'd always hated those two words. They were meaningless.

"Yea, everyone always is." Mason gave a kind of half-laugh. "But enough about my sad childhood. What's been up with you? You both just disappeared abruptly one night. That same night there were police cars up and down our street." He frowned. "What happened? No one would ever tell me or Andre. They all just kind of mumbled something and looked away."

I sighed. Lissa was right; I did need to tell someone. I couldn't keep holding everything in, especially not when he was one of my oldest friends. "Well, I don't think you really want to hear what happened to us." I said hesitantly. I didn't want to force my life on him. Some people couldn't handle it, I knew.

"Rose, tell me. What happened that night?"

I swallowed nervously and licked my lips. This was it. The moment I would finally, finally tell someone other than Lissa the whole story. Not even the cops knew that my father had abused us for our whole lives. They thought he'd just gone berserk one night and threatened to kill us.

"Our father… Do you remember him?" Mason nodded slightly. I continued. "Our father was not a nice man. He was a horrible person. My earliest memory of being alive was him pushing me down the stairs and Lissa screaming. This… continued for years. Playing with you, away from our house, was our only escape, Mase. You really don't know how much those times, those hours meant to us. That night we left, he was drunk, again. I made Lissa stay in our room so I could go out and do damage control. He was always harder on her. Mentally, at least. I was his punching bag. I crept downstairs and watched him bang around for a few minutes. Then Lissa came downstairs, and dropped her toy on accident. He grabbed her and pulled out a knife. He started screaming that he was going to kill us. She managed to get free and ran towards me. He threw the knife, and it missed her by inches." I closed my eyes. The images were all still so vivid in my mind. "That's when I knew it had to stop. I called the police, and they took him away. They sent us to a foster home. We were never able to stay in one for more than 8 months. Lissa was, still is, screwed up over all the things he said and did to us." I opened my eyes and glanced at him.

Mason was staring at me, mouth opened slightly. "Oh my God, Rose…" He shook his head. "All those years the two of you had bruises and cuts all over you, they were from your dad, not falling out of a tree… How could I not have known?"

"It's not your fault. You were only like 5. There's no way you could've known." I defended him.

"But, I even caught Lissa crying in our treehouse once, and then you were comforting her… I feel so stupid!" He hit the wall with his fist.

"Mase, it's okay," I said, alarmed. "He's gone now. He can't hurt us."

"But the damage is already done. He's hurt you before." He argued.

"It's sweet that you care, but we're fine. We're healing and everything is okay," I tried to reassure him, tried not to think about the horrifying nightmares that plagued me.

Mason settled back against the wall and didn't say anything. I broke the silence, unable to take it. "So… Lissa's got a crush on this guy named Christian. What's he like?"

Mason's eyes widened. "Christian Ozera? The guy is a wackjob! He wears all black and keeps to himself mostly. He's the child of two gang members. When he was little, his parents were killed in a raid. Now, everyone thinks that once he's 18, he'll run off and join the same gang his parents did. He's bad news, Rose."

I contemplated this. "I'll keep her away from him. What about Adrian?" I nodded across the courtyard, where Adrian was flirting with two girls.

"Adrian Ivashkov? Let me guess. He's tried to woo you with his gross charm already." I sighed and nodded. Mason laughed. "Adrian is your typical womanizer. He flirts with everything that has boobs and hair. It drives the rest of us guys batshit crazy. He was dating Avery Lazar up until a few weeks ago. She didn't take it well. She screams at every girl she catches talking to Adrian. Almost makes me feel bad for the guy." Mason shook his head.

I snorted. "This Avery chick sounds like a piece of work. Who is she?"

"She was sick today, I think. Either that or she was smoking crack in the bathroom during fifth period, the only class I have with her."

I looked around the courtyard. Someone caught my eye. Dimitri was sitting at a table, pretending to do homework, but I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye. I shivered and scooted closer to Mason. The guy was so hot, but I felt like he was stalking me. Honestly, I didn't know what to think of him.

"Who? Dimitri? I don't know much about him. He just transferred a few weeks ago. There was a whole mix-up about that. Some people said he was involved in a scandal in Russia, but others say he just moved here and that there is no secret history. He's a god though. Kind of antisocial, but holy crap he can fight. He even helps out sometimes patrolling the dorms." Mason smirked. "Does he freak you out?"

"No! Of course not!" I acted shocked and pushed him away from me. He fell back, laughing. "So he's in the self-defense class?"

"Yea. Why? Are you taking it?"

"Hell to the yes." I replied. "I don't like having to have others protect me. Or hurt me," I grimaced, thinking of my father.

"Then I'll see you there. Hope you don't get your ass handed to you," Mason stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Wait… Where are you going?" I called after him.

"I still have homework!" He called over his shoulder.

"Lissa's doing mine." I smirked. "See ya tomorrow in class!"

**So weird place to end it, but you know me…**

**How was it? Terrible? Next chapter, we'll have a little RxD I think…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Whoop! Next chapter! And this one's pretty early because I'm suffering from a bad case of writer's block on both my new story (still not posted) and Lost (I'm on ch. 22 :/ ) **

**Are you guys ready for some RxD? Yea? That's what I thought… ;) Let's roll!**

**RPOV**

Wearily, I stumbled into my room. Not bothering to change or turn the lights on, I collapsed onto my bed and groaned into my pillow. My body ached everywhere. Once it became clear to the teacher I was hopelessly behind, she'd assigned me a mentor. And my mentor just so happened to be Mason. And, just for good measure, Dimitri would be at our sessions too. So both of them got to see me struggle to do the most basic moves. Joy.

The only good thing that had come out of today was the sense of pride and accomplishment I got as I exited the gym where our self-defense/Martial Arts class was held. Even if I could do next to nothing, I still felt good knowing that I was finally taking steps to protect myself from any dangers that presented themselves to me. Physical challenges anyway. The nightmares were not going to go away so easily, I knew.

After a few minutes of lying in the dark alone, my door opened and Lissa stepped in, flicking on the lights. "God, Rose, are you like a hermit or something? What's up with the darkness?"

I moaned. "Go away… I'm tired and the lights hurt my eyes!" I buried my face into my pillow. Laughing, Lissa walked into the bathroom.

"Don't worry, I'll turn off the lights when I come out, and then you can sleep,"

"You better, or I'll kick your ass," I threatened, settling back into my bed. A few minutes later, Lissa came out of the bathroom and turned off the lights.

"I'm going out for a little bit. Sleep well, Rose," she whispered. I was too far gone to reply. I drifted off into sleep just as Lissa slipped out the door.

Images flew by me, whirring so fast I barely had time to acknowledge them before the next one replaced it. The ones that really stuck were my father's angry face, red and sweaty. It was always how he looked when he came home from the bar and saw us. Then there was a knife, dripping with blood. Somehow, I knew this was Lissa's blood.

The images stopped and came to rest on the knife. There was a horrifying screech and the whiteness behind the knife faded away to reveal a scene I never wanted to remember or see again. There was my father, standing directly in front of me, holding a struggling Lissa. She let out another ear-piercing scream.

"Rose!" She sobbed. I started forward.

"Not so fast, baby girl," my dad hissed with a disgusting smile. "Take another step and the little bitch here gets it. You wouldn't want someone else's blood on your hands, even if it was the blood of a worthless little slut like her, would you?" He pressed the knife to her throat harder. She whimpered.

"Let her go!" I yelled. "Please, daddy, please let her go! Daddy, don't do this, don't hurt her! Please!" Daddy growled at me and pressed the knife against her neck. A thin line of blood appeared. Lissa screamed at the same time I did. "No! Stop!"

Daddy paused. "What do you want baby girl?" he hissed. Want me to hurt you too?"

"Daddy! Stop! Please! Don't hurt her! It's wrong and cruel!" I was sobbing, trying to appeal to the better side of him. It was a side I knew existed, and we would see it occasionally when he took us out for ice cream or bought us clothes.

It didn't work.

I saw his face harden and then everything blurred. He scowled at me and ripped the knife across Lissa's neck. With a gurgled, choking sort of cry, she fell to the ground. Black spots danced in front of me as I screamed again, harder than ever. I fell to my knees, breathing hard.

Daddy strode over and yanked me up by my hair. "Why are you crying for her?" he hissed. "She was just a little bitch who no one loved!"

I clenched my eyes shut, willing everything to disappear. Disgusted with me, my father released me, and I scurried away, whimpering. "D-daddy, why are you doing this?"

He spun around. "Why? Do you not enjoy it? Do you not love me? This is my only joy in life and you want to take it away from me?" he shouted. I shrank back, fearful. He was totally irrational. "Well, that just won't do, little doll, now will it?"

I clenched my eyes shut. Something was echoing in my ear… A scream? And that's when I knew. This wasn't real, this was a dream, and I was screaming. "No no no! This isn't real, it's not real, this is a dream!"

"Shut up, bitch!" My father roared. The screaming was louder in my ears now, and I wondered why Lissa wasn't waking me up. Tears ran down my face. In his hand, daddy turned the knife around idly, as if contemplating something. "You know what? You're too much trouble." And he threw the knife at me.

Everything became a blur as the knife whipped through the air. I watched it and heard my screams join in with the real me. Right as the knife pierced me, everything went dark and all I could hear was a screaming that continued on and on forever.

"Rose! You're okay! Wake up!" Someone shouted. I snapped my eyes open, breathing hard.

"Rose?" I spotted a dark shadow by the door. I screamed again and sat up, scrambling to the back of my bed.

"Go away!" I sobbed. "I don't know you! Stay away from me!" The figure moved closer to me.

"Rose, it's Dimitri. Calm down." The figure sat on my bed, and I could see his brown eyes glittering in the dark and his long brown hair.

Tears ran down my cheeks. "D-Dimitri? Why are you here? Where is Lissa?"

"I was patrolling this section of the dorms, and Lissa came to get me when you wouldn't wake up. She said you were having another nightmare?" He sounded questioning.

I moved closer to him, shaking and afraid that something would leap out at me. "Yea," I whispered. "I was."

He put his arms around me. I leaned into him, closing my eyes. "About what?" His voice was soft. I shuddered and shook my head.

"I don't wanna talk about it… Just… Please stay here," I said, snuggling even more into him.

His arms tightened around me. "I will stay, Roza."

"Roza?" I looked up at him, confused.

"It's your name in Russian,"

"Oh." I got a warm feeling in my chest. It almost erased the terror I felt about my nightmare. "Will you stay all night?"

He was quiet for a few seconds. "If that's what you want me to do, Roza, I will."

"Thank you," I tilted my head back to look at him. He met my eyes steadily. Warmth shot through me, and tingles went down my spine. From the way his eyes widened, I guessed he'd felt the same thing. Blushing, I looked away.

"Lay down," he told me, releasing me. I felt a moment of panic as he let go, but eased my head down onto the pillow tentatively. I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. I didn't know if I'd be able to sleep again tonight. The bed sank as he shifted and lay down next to me.

I rolled over so we were facing each other. I couldn't see his face in the darkness, but somehow I knew it would be lined with worry. "Are you sure you're okay?" he whispered.

It was like he could read my mind. "I'll be okay. You'll protect me right?"

He cradled me. "Always," he said so softly, I wondered if I'd imagined it. We lay together in silence, not needing words. I was comforted by his presence and he was content to remain alert and watch over me. Eventually, my fear dissipated and my eyelids drooped shut.

**Done! Yea, kinda weird place to stop I know. **

**Okay, so I know I said I would get this chapter out a few days ago, but I was really busy and then I got like uber-sick and couldn't do anything. But it's here now right? **

**Soo did you guys like the RxD scene? Or was it lame? I know, they didn't kiss, but I think it'd be kinda weird if they did because they've only had like one conversation…**

**Remember to press that beautiful little button down there and tell me how I did!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heeere's Chapter 10! **

**Shout-out to amberrosalie! Her review was freaking awesome :D One of the best I've gotten for this story! Plus she's just an awesome weird person ;)**

**And um, yea, I was supposed to have this chapter up like a week ago but my bitch of a friend decided she was going to tell everyone I'm pregnant. I am not pregnant! I am 15. I don't even have a boyfriend!**

**MOLLY: Lmao, yes, your super-awesome powers are veerry persuasive :D But I've been working on this chapter for a few days now. Damned writer's block!**

**Oh, for anyone who's confused about Dimitri's age… He's the same age as Lissa and Rose. There's no age difference between them… But there's something else keeping them apart :D**

RPOV

I woke with a sudden start, as if someone had electrocuted me. Warily, I sat up and realized that Dimitri was gone. I frowned, wondering how long I'd been sleeping alone.

"You're awake," Lissa's voice made me jump. I looked across our room and saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed. She uncrossed her legs and stood up, stretching her arms up.

"Where's—"

"Dimitri? He left about two hours ago. He didn't want to miss all of the school day." She said, not looking at me. "It's 11:30am. I stayed with you just in case something happened." Something was wrong. She wouldn't look at me.

"Lissa? What's wrong?" I asked, standing up as well.

She shook her head and looked down. "We should get ready for the last few periods of school," she said softly.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" I reached out to touch her shoulder, but she jerked away from me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was just a whisper.

"Tell you what?" I asked, frowning.

"About the nightmares!" Suddenly she was furious, yelling and glaring at me. "You never told me they were this horrible! I could've helped you, done something—"

"Like what?" I shot back. "You're no better than me, Liss! Hell, if it weren't for me, you'd have probably committed suicide years ago! I couldn't tell you! You wouldn't have been able to deal with it!"

She suppressed a shriek. "I'm your fucking sister, Rose! We're supposed to tell each other everything, so why didn't you? And do not tell me it's because I'm too fucking fragile to handle the truth!"

"Fine. I didn't tell you because I was embarrassed. I'm the strong one, the one who's supposed to protect you, and how am I supposed to do that when a nightmare destroys me like this? You couldn't know, Lissa, you had to believe that I was fearless or you would fall apart too!" I whirled away from her, too angry to speak.

"Having nightmares isn't a sign of weakness, Rose," she said softly. "It's perfectly normal considering our situation. I wouldn't have fallen apart, Rose. I would have tried to help. Did you know how scared I was last night? I thought you were dying!" Now, her tone was accusing. What the hell was her problem?

"You can't get scared, Lissa, not for me! That's not how it goes! You aren't supposed to be worried about me!"

"Well, guess what Rose? I worry about you anyways. I can't help it. I always wonder if you're truly okay, and it hurts that you'd keep these nightmares from me! Why are you embarrassed that you have nightmares about our father beating you up?" Lissa looked at me angrily.

"The nightmares aren't about me, Lissa." I hissed furiously. How could she think I'd ever be scared for myself? Did I come across as that selfish?

"Then what are they about?" Lissa asked throwing up her hands. "I mean, I don't know shit, Rose! You gotta tell me—"

"You remember that night?" I interrupted, not bothering to clarify which night. She would know which night I was talking about. She quieted and nodded, her face suddenly looking drawn and scared. "I have nightmares about not being able to get to the phone in time. He-It's the same every dream. He kills you and goes after me." I swallowed hard. "That's what scares me, Liss. I couldn't protect you, even when I promised you I would. Our father doesn't scare me anymore. He's locked up, and he will be until he dies. Then he will rot in hell for all eternity. But he killed you. And I can't deal with that."

Lissa's eyes were wide and teary as she reached for me. "Oh, Rose. You have never let me down." She mumbled into my shirt. "He won't ever hurt either of us again, I promise you." I hugged her back.

"It doesn't stop the nightmares. I could have been too late that night."

"But you weren't and that's all that matters," she said, pulling back. "Now, go get dressed so we don't miss Russian."

"I don't understand Russian," I complained. "It's so weird!"

"Hey, you opted to take it!" Lissa laughed. "Maybe Dimitri can 'tutor' you!" She put air quotes around tutor, winking at me.

I smiled faintly. "Maybe," I murmured, imagining what our tutor sessions would be like. Our first lesson could be all about how people in Russia kiss. Yummy

Lissa giggled. "Come on you lovesick teen. It's time to go." She pulled me out the door. I frowned and shook her off.

"But I look terrible," I complained. "Can't we take the rest of the day off?"

"No. We can't afford to get kicked out of the school—" Lissa's cell phone started ringing, and then mine did a few seconds later. We stared at each other, shocked. Then, Lissa shook her head at me and smiled shakily. "Answer at the same time?"

Slowly, I nodded and counted down. "1,2,3," We both reached for our phones.

"Hello?" Our voices mixed together and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Rose?" Janine's slightly frantic voice came through the phone.

"Janine?" I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice.

"Are you and Lissa alright?" She demanded worriedly.

"Um, yea… Why wouldn't we be?" I stole a quick look at Lissa, who also looked confused. She mouthed "Tanya" and pointed her phone. I nodded and mouthed back, "Janine"

"I just… I thought… I had a bad feeling, and you guys didn't call!" Janine said, relief clear in her voice. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Are you and Tanya okay, Janine?"

"Yes, we just had reason to be concerned. You didn't call us yesterday."

"I didn't know we were supposed to check in with you," I muttered resentfully. However, even as I said the words, a warm feeling rose up in my chest. Janine and Tanya had been _worried._ About us. They cared. It was an odd feeling.

"Well… you don't have to, I just got a letter and—" she cut herself off. "Never mind… Listen, Rose. If anything weird happens, or you feel threatened at all, you need to call me right away. Okay?"

I frowned into the phone. "…Okay?" I said it like a question.

"Alright. Goodbye Rosemarie."

"My name is Rose." I said, but the only answer I got back was the dial tone. She'd hung up on me. I groaned and looked at Lissa. "What did Tanya want?"

"Same thing Janine wanted I bet. To make sure we were both okay and unharmed." Lissa frowned slightly. "Wonder what happened?"

I shrugged. "Janine said something about a note… And then she made me promise to call her if anything weird was going on…"

"Weird. I wonder—" Lissa stopped as a girl walked up to us with a fake smile plastered on her face. Her eyes were a smoky grey and she had long light brown hair. I eyed her apprehensively. She looked like she was made in China.

"Hi," the girl said brightly as she reached us. "You two must be Rosemarie and Vasilisa!"

"Um, I'm Rose, and she's Lissa." I said, pointing to myself and Lissa respectively.

The girl's smile faltered for half a second and I thought I saw resentment in her eyes. Then her happy mask was back on. "Well, I'm Avery," she said with a huge smile. Her name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. I assumed she was just in one of my classes and I didn't remember her. "I was on my way to the bathroom and I couldn't help but notice you two were just standing here. Are you guys lost?" Innocence laced her words.

I stole a quick peek at Lissa. She just looked back at me with a slightly frantic expression in her eyes. We couldn't afford to get caught, she was right. "Uhh, yea. Well, I was. Lissa was just trying to help me."

"Oh, well, I can take you to class so darling Lissa here doesn't have to miss any more of the class." Avery batted her eyes and gave Lissa a huge sweet smile. Ugh, this girl was so fake she made Barbie look real.

Lissa gave her a quick smile, obviously amused by her attempts to suck up and turned to me. "I'll see you after school in our room, right? Unless you're going to meet up with one of the three guys?" By that, she meant Dimitri, Adrian, and Mason.

"Nope, I'm not meeting up with them as far as I know. See ya, Liss" I hugged her and watched her walk towards her next class. I turned to Avery and tried to start up a conversation. "So, um, are you—"

"Bitch," she spat hatefully. I blinked, feeling an angry flush rise to my cheeks.

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously.

"You heard me, little whore," Avery hissed. I clenched my fist and restrained myself from hitting her.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"Stay the hell away from my boyfriend!" Avery exclaimed. "You're a slut, we get it, but do not fucking _throw _yourself at guys who are taken!"

"Who did I throw myself at?" I asked. "Are you talking about Dimitri? Because we didn't do anything last night."

Avery threw up her hands. "Great!" she screeched. "So you're whoring around him too? Jesus, you really are a slut." There was utter contempt in her voice as she regarded me.

"Who is your fucking boyfriend?" I all but screamed at her.

"Adrian Ivashkov. You know him? Of course you do; you all but _raped _him yesterday!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. So that was why her name was so familiar to me. Mason had warned me about her yesterday; she was Adrian's psychotic ex. There was nothing to worry about from her. If she got too out of line, I could just deck her and she'd go bawling to the nurse. "Adrian Ivashkov is single." I smirked.

She flushed a deep red. "He is not single!" Then she took a step closer to me. "And if you even so much as _look _at him, I will make you regret it so fast your head will spin. Watch yourself, slut," she hissed. Before I could show her what my fist felt like, she slipped away from me. "Good luck finding you class!" Avery sneered, turning to leave.

"I'll tell Adrian you said hi!" I called out just to piss her off. Then I ran before she could try and hurt me. Giggling, I walked into my classroom about ten minutes late.

"Miss Hathaway, I hope you have a good excuse for coming so late?" My history teacher blinked at me. I just smirked.

"Yea, some girl had a stick shoved too far up her ass. I tried to help her out but she just got madder at me." I replied lazily, taking my seat.

She stared at me, slowly turning an ugly shade of red. "Detention tonight, Rose. You need to respect the rules," she trilled, glaring at me balefully.

"Whatever." I sighed, slouching down. Teachers really pissed me off here, and right now I was too lazy to argue with her.

Once the teacher had finally turned back to the board and resumed talking, I poked Adrian in the back. He turned to look at me, a smirk on his face.

"Just couldn't get enough?" Adrian asked devilishly.

"Your ex is fucking insane!" I whispered. "Did you know that?"

"Which one, Rose-petal?" Adrian asked playfully. I rolled my eyes at him.

"That Avery chick. She all but scratched my eyeballs out today!"

Adrian's smirk vanished. "She did?" He looked worried.

"Yea, she thought I was fucking you. She also told me you two were still together." I eyed him apprehensively.

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked quietly. I was taken aback by the seriousness in his voice.

"Yea, why wouldn't I be?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Does she have like super-powers or something?"

"Well, no, but she's daddy's little girl… She has a ton of influence. When she wants something, she usually gets it. Watch your back around her, Rose." Adrian warned. "She can be a nasty bitch when she wants to."

"When she wants to?" I snorted. "I think that's the only thing she knows how to be."

Adrian smirked. "Now you know why I dumped her."

"So you're not still together." I raised my eyebrows. "You really should get that straight with her. Like, before she destroys half the girls on campus."

"Nah, we're not still together, Rose petal. You don't have to worry about any competition," Adrian winked.

"Oh, trust me, I'm definitely not worried about any competition."

"Miss Hathaway, is there something more interesting to you than my class?" My teacher (whose name I forgot) asked dryly, staring me down.

I bit my lip to keep from saying that there was nothing less interesting than history and shook my head innocently. "Not at all. I was just asking Adrian for the notes I missed." I smiled widely at her. The teacher examined me for a few more seconds before resuming her lecture on the Great Wall of China.

I zoned out for the rest of school, just trying to get through it without attracting any more unwanted attention to myself.

At the end of the day, I finally saw Dimitri in the hallway. Unable to stop myself from smiling like a fool at the sight of him, I called out, "Dimitri! Hey!" His head swiveled around, and his eyes met mine for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to know he'd registered my presence. Then, he put his head down and hurried off in the opposite direction.

I stood stock-still for a few seconds, just shocked. What had happened to the kind, caring Dimitri from last night? Was—He couldn't possibly be _avoiding _me, could he?

"Hey, Hathaway, get a move on!" Someone hollered from behind me. I turned and saw Mason grinning at me. Suddenly, I was not in the mood to talk to anyone if their name wasn't Dimitri. I gave him a small wave.

"Sorry, Mase, got lots to do." With that said, I turned away quickly so I wouldn't have to see the disappointment on his face.

I reached my dorm room ready to collapse. I don't know why, but I felt drained and tired. Lissa was waiting for me outside. She smiled broadly.

"There's a package for you on the bed," she winked and nudged me. "It looks really romantic."

My heart leapt for a few seconds. Maybe that was why Dimitri had been avoiding me; he was embarrassed. Fumbling with my key, I asked, "Who is it from?"

"I didn't look, but I can guess." Lissa laughed happily. "Oh, Rose. You haven't gone out with a guy in so long! Maybe Dimitri will be good for you."

I smiled triumphantly, opening the door. "Got it!" I said breathlessly. I spotted the package, sitting on my pillow, and I nearly fainted.

With my heart in my throat, I approached the box eagerly, praying that the tag said "Love, Dimitri,"

**I know, weird place to stop. But hey, I needed this chapter to be posted and if I'd done what I wanted, it would have been another few days before I could get it up. **

**For those of you who read Lost, the next chapter isn't even halfway done. I'm been writing in a notebook at school when I can, but I just haven't had time to actually DO anything with it… Hopefully my homework load will lighten up and then I can start writing again! **

**Review? Or do you all hate me for taking so damn long to update?**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm UPDATING? Holy crap, it's a miracle! The sky must be falling! **

**Yes, I know, I seriously suck and there is no excuse good enough… But if you read my other story, you've heard a small amount of what I'm trying to juggle and deal with. **

**To all my anonymous reviewers, THANK YOU! It's hard for me to respond to all of you, but I really do love them just as much as I love the reviews I get from those with accounts. **

**.733455 deserves a seriously awesome round of applause as well. She reviewed my story 6 times in one day! And she brought up something I didn't even think about when I wrote this: **

"this was a great chapter! i like how its like Dimitri is saving

her from her bad life and father instead of the spirit's

effects. i love this story!

xoxox

lexi"

**Heh, I didn't even think about how Dimitri's protecting Rose from her past and her father instead of spirit, but to a point it's true :) **

**RPOV**

There was no tag on the box; it was just a long box like one might put flowers in. I frowned slightly, not sure what to do. If it was from Dimitri surely he would have put a note on it, right?

My hand hovered over the box, uncertain. "Oh, to hell with it," I muttered to myself. After everything I'd been through, how could an unmarked box freak me out?

Quickly, before I could change my mind, I snatched up the box and shook it. A dry rustling sound came from inside, like the sound of dry leaves sweeping together on a windy autumn day. Just a harmless box of flowers. That was what I'd thought, but after receiving a call from your strange new foster mother begging you to be careful you could never be too sure.

Now that I knew what it was, I relaxed, laughing slightly at my own paranoia. _This is a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, Montana. _I reminded myself. _Nothing weird is going on; there's nothing to be worried about._

Eagerly, I opened the box thinking the tag was inside. It took me a few moments to comprehend the contents of the box. I'd been expecting a flower or two, bright and vibrant, alive. But not this. This—this was disturbing.

It was a single dead rose. I flung the box onto the ground, feeling tears rise to my eyes. Who the hell had sent this and why?

A small slip of white paper caught my eye. It was just sitting on my bed, but I was a little afraid to read what it said; I really didn't have a good feeling about this whole situation.

Steeling myself, I picked it up and flipped it over.

"_Roses are red _

_Violets are blue_

_Stick your nose where it doesn't belong_

_And I'll kill you_

_-A" _

I closed my eyes tightly, clenching the paper in my hand. So clearly, the flower wasn't from Dimitri. It was from "A" and "A" was threatening me. I didn't even know what I was doing to upset the person, but clearly they didn't like it.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the small, crumpled paper in my hand. What was going on? Should I call Janine?

The door swung open and a smiling Lissa stepped inside, shutting the door quickly behind her. "Hi Rose!" she said brightly. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Um, it was okay" I slipped the piece of paper into my pocket and stood up quickly. "That chick from this morning apparently is not someone whose attention I want." I rolled my eyes.

Lissa frowned. "Why not? She was so helpful. Oh, what was her name?"

"Avery," I said. "She went all psycho-killer on me after you left. Apparently I'm not allowed to talk to her ex, Adrian. Avery's convinced they're still together." I sighed.

"Oh, _that's _the obsessed chick I keep hearing about?" Lissa looked astonished. "Wow yea, from what I've heard, she will skewer you for so much as _looking _at Adrian."

"Avery is totally harmless. She's just deranged, and likes to threaten people. I could totally take her." I crossed my arms defiantly. "Besides, it's not like Adrian and I are dating. We just talked like once-if you could call it talking. He was hitting on me the whole time."

Lissa laughed. "Well that'd be why. Avery doesn't like her man flirting with other women."

"If she had actually bothered to listen to the conversation, she would have known that I was telling him I wasn't interested in him."

"She's crazy—what's that?" Lissa saw the box on the floor by my feet and was now eying it with obvious curiosity.

I smiled nervously. "Um, what's what?" I really didn't want her knowing—it would just upset her and possibly bring back unwanted memories of our father.

"That." She was pointing now, taking a few steps closer. "Rose, what's going on?"

I stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the box. "Nothing. It's just something I got today. Hey, can you help me with my English homework?"

Lissa smiled impishly. "Something from Dimitri?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "What is it?"

"I, um, really need help with History." I said nervously. She was moving closer now, grinning widely.

"You just said it was English. Clearly it isn't that important if you can't even remember what subject you need help in. Now show me!" Lissa bounced on her feet eagerly.

I sighed, disappointed. She would not drop it until I told her now. Stepping aside, I gestured for her to pick the box up. Her smile faltered for a few seconds; I think she picked up that something was not right; but then her grin flickered back, as wide and mischievous as it had been before.

I sat on the bed and turned away from her. Drawing my feet up to my chest, I waited for her to explode. There was a rustling sound as she picked the box up and moved the paper away from the dead rose. Then, there was silence. My eyebrows rose as the silence continued. She wasn't responding. Was she okay? I wheeled around to face her just as she opened her mouth. Her large green eyes met mine, shocked and horrified.

"Who sent this, Rose?" she asked shakily. I could tell she was trying to keep it together and show me she was strong.

I shrugged and let my eyes wander down to the bed. "There was no note?" she persisted. I felt the bulge in my pocket and swallowed hard. This was where I drew the line on what I was telling her.

"Nope, no note. It was just some stupid kids' idea of a prank." I shrugged again, trying to look like the flower didn't bother me.

"Nothing at all?" Lissa looked skeptical.

"Look, there's nothing there. It's just a stupid dead flower, is all. You're just paranoid." I looked at her defiantly.

"But—don't you think it's strange? The choice of flowers? It's a rose, Rose!"

"It's just a prank, I told you!" I sighed in exasperation. The flower choice had struck me. This "A" person had sent me a note threatening to kill me and a dead rose. No, I didn't think it was coincidence.

"Are you going to tell someone?" Lissa crossed her arms over her chest and peered at me fearfully.

"No. And neither are you." I stared at her intently. "It's nothing. I'll handle it."

"What if it isn't nothing, Rose? What if someone is out to get you?" she cried. "You have to tell someone. They could hurt you Rose, and if you got hurt and I could have stopped it, or you could have, I'll never forgive myself! I-"

"Lissa!" I stood up quickly and touched her shoulder. "It's okay. We're safe here. Nobody will come anywhere you or me again. I promise. Nothing will happen." I looked into her eyes. "I'll protect us both, okay? He won't come anywhere near you again. He's locked up for life, remember?" I knew she wasn't worried that some random person was stalking me, she was worried our father had come looking for us just like he'd done all those years ago.

_~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~_

"_I'll hunt you down if it's the last thing I do, bitch!" He screamed at me as the police handcuffed him. "You can't hide from me! I own you! And your fucking sister!"_

_I stood tall and kept a cool face even though his words scared me to death. "No you won't, daddy."_

"_There is nowhere on this earth you can hide from me, you hear? Nowhere! I'll find you, and I'll make you pay. Don't underestimate me." That was the last thing he said before the police forced him into the car, slamming the door shut. _

_Lissa, standing next to me, let out a little whimper. I looked over at her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "He doesn't mean it, Lissa. He can't get to us now. I won't let him." I said fiercely. Lissa's crying increased. She cried silently. If she hadn't whimpered, I would never have figured out that's what she was doing._

_I drew her to me, hugging her tightly. "We're safe. It's over now. He can't hurt us anymore." _

_~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~_

Thirteen years later, as Lissa once again stood in front of me scared by the threat of our dad, I did the same thing. I put my arms around her and hugged her, feeling her shake against me.

"He's locked up. He won't hurt us. I'll be fine."

**I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR TAKING LIKE A MONTH AND A HALF TO UPDATE!**

**I know this can't really make up for it, but there are some story ideas that have been running through my mind lately, and if you review, I'll give you an excerpt of one of them. I'm not posting what they're about, just the title. I'll give you a brief summary with the excerpt though**

**4-I'm Fine **

**3-Rose's Song**

**2-How It All Began (If you review but don't tell me what you want, this is the excerpt I'll give you as it is the one I will be posting first)**

**1-Bound To You, Maybe**

**Remember, I love you all!**

**The drama begins NOW! Lots of excitement coming up. The story will move quickly from here ;) **


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Vampire Academy, Drama, Romance