Disclaimer: I don't own anything, Richelle Mead does!

I was walking on the quad, the cold Montana air was biting into my skin; I was heading to my morning practice with Alberta. I didn't think I still needed to do these trainings but she insisted since he wasn't around to do them anymore the least she could do was help me. Thinking of Dimitri made me shudder, and not in a good way. I knew that Dimitri was after me, he wanted to kill me. The worst thing though was knowing that I had failed him. I had the perfect chance to kill him and I couldn't even get the stake through his heart. God knows I tried, but I screwed up. The most important staking of my life and I screwed it all up… but then again I was kind of glad that Dimitri wasn't dead. I had the chance to save my prince. I kept thinking about the last time I saw Oksana and Mark, the way they told me that someone might be able to give a strigoi their soul back. I thought of the way that Dimitri had acted when he touched my ring. It gave me hope.

"Rose!" someone shouted, then two hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard.

"Ouch." I screamed. I was pulled back to the present to see Lissa standing right in front of me, a worried expression on her angelic face "What did you do that for?" I snapped.

"Because I kept calling your name and you wouldn't answer." She said. "I'm sorry." Through the bond I could feel her sympathy towards me. I could feel a little bit of impatience and anticipation too. I thought of the night that I told her Dimitri was still alive, coming after me, and that there might be a chance to save him. As soon as I told her she hopped up and started throwing clothes into a suitcase, she was disappointed when I told her we had to stay at the academy until graduation, which was oh so close. Only two weeks away.

"What's up, Lis?" I asked. I could also feel that she had something to say to me. "Go ahead, tell me."

"Well," She said, chewing on her bottom lip "there is someone here to see you. I was told to come get you and bring you to her."

"No." I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. The only people I talked to since coming back was Lissa, Adrian, Christian and my teachers. I spent most of my time with Lissa, watching her practice her magic and just hanging out in her room.

"I don't think you have that much of a choice Rose." She said "It's the Queen." She made a disgusted face, she was not Tatiana's biggest fan.

"Then tell her hell no." I said annoyed "I hate that Queen Bitch." I laughed at the expression on Lissa's face.

"Rose!" She hissed "Please go and don't make a big deal about it, it's important."

"Fine," I sighed "but if she says anything bitchy I'm going to put her in her place."

"Rose" Lissa hissed again "you can't go around saying stuff about the queen like that."

"I know, I know." I said. We were walking back in the opposite direction that I was heading. I hugged my coat tighter.

"Are you okay?" Lissa asked in a small voice.

"Of course" I said, trying to aim for cheery and failing miserably.

"I wish I could get inside your head" She mused, that was one of Oksana's tricks she was trying to master. I shuddered, I didn't like the idea of anyone being in my head but it was only fair since I could go into Lissa's.

"You will one day" We stopped outside of Kirova's office. In the end they gave her the headmistress job back and I was glad, Lazar was horrible. I knocked on the door, Kirova opened the door saying "Come in Ms. Hathaway and you too Ms. Dragomir." I gave Lissa I shocked look but followed Kirova into the office. Lissa and I sat down in the two chairs in front of the desk. Tatiana was sitting behind the desk with her guardians behind her. Kirova stood behind our chairs, looking out of place in her own office.

"Ms. Hathaway, it's nice to have you back." Tatiana began "May I ask where you were exactly?"

"I was, um, I" I began.

"I see" she said "I've heard the rumors; I'm guessing they are true then? You were out tracking down Guardian Belikov, trying to kill him." She had a smug look on her face. I wish I could smack the look right off of it.

"Yes" I whispered "Yes I was."

"Were the two of you lovers?" She asked.

"No." I lied "He was my mentor, he needed to find peace."

"I see." She said again, I could tell by the look on her face she didn't believe me. "I called the two of you in here to discuss who Ms. Hathaway will be guarding once she graduates." Through the bond I felt both Lissa's surprise and hope. I tensed up, hoping against hope that I still had a chance to guard Lissa.

"Will she be my guardian?" Lissa asked hopefully "Please." She added for good measure, I could tell that she was using a little bit of compulsion on her.

"Yes." Tatiana said in a strained voice "She will be. She is one of the best novices here and because of your bond she is the ideal candidate. There is no reason for her not to be, even if she did drop out of school to chase a man all the way across the world." She added glaring at me.

Lissa was so happy "Thank you so much your majesty, you won't regret this. Thank you, thank you, thank you" she squeaked. "Rose isn't this great?"

"Yes it is Lissa" I said grinning. Finally after so much bad, something good came out of it.

"The two of you may go now," Tatiana said "I have much work to do."

Lissa grabbed my hand and led me back outside. It was even colder outside now since the sun was almost completely gone. "Can you believe this," She exclaimed "It's almost too good to be true." I could feel how happy this made her; this also made our plans for leaving right after graduation easier.

I was about to tell her how happy I was when I suddenly felt nauseous. They were here, they couldn't be here again, I panicked. "Lissa," I whispered "there are strigoi here, I can feel them. I'm going to find someone to help, you need to go to the moroi dorm, find some guardians and tell them whats happening." I could feel how shocked Lissa was, then fear shot through the bond. "Go, now!" I pushed her forward and she started running.

Lissa stopped suddenly and looked back at me "Please be careful Rose" She shouted and started running again. I pulled my silver stake out of my jacket, the one I 'killed' Dimitri with; I still carried it everywhere I went. Then I started running toward the novice dorm, looking for someone who could help me.

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-Tay