RPOV

It's been about a week since Dimitri and I spent our time in the cabin, and I've been feeling...off. Weird thoughts go through my head, I think I'm hearing things but they're not there. I see things that aren't there. I haven't slept, I haven't eaten. I don't know if it's because Lissa's using her magic or if I'm just feeling overwhelmed that my brain is playing tricks on me, but whatever's going on is freaking me out.

I haven't told Dimitri. Actually, I haven't seen Dimitri since the cabin moment. I've been avoiding him. I don't want him to see how disgusting I've become. If he sees how horrid I look, he'll think I'm disgusting and he won't want to be with me anymore and he'll leave me...

He won't leave me, right?


DPOV

Weird things have been happening to Roza. Ever since our moment in the cabin, she's been acting strangely. Stan told me that she's stopped talking back, which is weird. Roza's told me on multiple occasions that she dislikes Stan with a deep passion. She's always looking for an argument with him. But I would only see her on occasions, and she'd have this weird glazed look in her eyes. She'd stumble around, looking lost and confused. She would mumble to herself and would be absently scratching her arms until they bled.

She's gotten thinner. Roza's always been thin, but her bones are noticeably protruding. Her eyes are bloodshot and dark circles formed under her eyes. She's always flinching, like someone or something startled her or frightened her. The only thing that seems coherent in her mind is to stay away from me. Anytime she noticed me through the fog she was in, she'd hurriedly go in the opposite direction.

It's been going on since the cabin moment.

I could ask the Princess if she's been using her magic lately, but I highly doubt she would after finding out what her magic does to Roza. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

"Princess?" I knock gently on her door. She opened it slightly, looking at me curiously.

"What is it?" Her voice had a bit of a sharpness to it, but I ignored it.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but, have you been using your magic lately? Rose has been acting strange."

Lissa narrowed her eyes slightly. "Not really. I only use it once in a while. What do you mean Rose is acting strange?"

I looked at her in shock. "You're her best friend, I assumed you'd know what was going on with her."

Lissa opened the door wider. "I haven't seen Rose in a week. The bond's only one-sided so I can't say what's been going on." A look of worry swept across her face. "I've been spending a lot of time with Christian. I assumed Rose was spending time with you. You know, practicing and stuff."

I shook my head. "She hasn't shown up for any of our practice sessions."

Lissa shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. I could try and get Rose to talk to me, but she's really stubborn. It's very likely Rose will shake it off as dhampir related stuff." She looked down. "I'm just as worried as you are."

I put a hand on the Princess's shoulder. "I know you are." I said it the sincerity, and I saw Lissa look up at me thankfully. As I left, I couldn't help but wonder that if the Princess wasn't using a lot of her magic, what was causing Roza to lose herself?

"Yo!" I turned and saw Lord Ivashkov strolling towards me. I scowled at him. Seeing Lord Ivashkov attempt to flirt with my Roza always filled me with jealousy and irritation. "Overheard you talking about our little Rosie. Something bad's happened to her, huh?"

"I don't see why you care," I snapped.

Lord Ivashkov scowled at me. "She's my friend, I'd do anything to keep her safe. Even from you, if I have to." If looks could kill, I could imagine Lord Ivashkove being long gone by now. "Trust me, I know the two of you have been hitting it off ever since I came here. Your aura explodes with color when you two are together." Lord Ivashkov gave a loud sigh. "I wish I could make her feel that way about me..."

"You're not helping," I barked.

Lord Ivashkov gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry 'bout that. But I have seen our little Rosie walking around the school lately. She's a bit off her rocker." His emerald eyes sparkled with worry. "Her aura's darker than usual. It's almost completely covered in darkness." He looked at me. "Did my cuz say she was using her magic?"

"Not as frequently," I said impatiently.

"Hmm..." Lord Ivashkov thought for a moment. "Maybe Rosie's little..." He thought for the right word. "...emptiness is a sign of something completely unrelated to my cuz's magic. I could talk to Rosie but she looks so out of it I doubt she'd listen."

"She won't even come near me," I said sadly. "She always runs off at the sight of me."

Lord Ivashkov shook his head. "Something's not right. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too."


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