Ok, first off no copyright infringement intended, everything but the plot belongs to Richelle Mead. I'm new here so please go easy on the critics though reviews are definitely a plus in my book. Three golds stars to whoever reviews! (I don't know what a gold star entails but even so a review would be nice.)

I woke up at five in the morning to the incessant ringing of my cell phone. While usually I loved the blaring of The Ballad of Mona Lisa notwithstanding the time, this was an exception. It was sunday, the only day I got off scott free and I had intended on sleeping in so that the next day my extra practice with Dimitri would be a little less grueling. While I had proven myself after the battle months prior he still insisted on me keeping up with my running. Whoever was calling me was in for some major pain all considering. "Hello, this is Rose Hathaway speaking, leave a message after the beep and give me a reason for calling me this early in the morning or I will find you and kill you. Beeeeeepppp…"

"Umm Rose?" A familiar voice spoke, however I just couldn't put my finger on it. I suppose it was because I was so groggy but even so I couldn't help but bitch.

"WHAT THE HELL! IT'S FIVE IN THE FREAKING MORNING, TELL ME WHATEVER YOU NEED TO SAY AND GET THE FUCK OFF!" I screamed, probably loud enough that dorm security would be notified. In fact I could almost hear the shuffling of feet down the hall.

"Well it seem's that time hasn't made you hate me any less. It's Alec and I wanted to know if you were free for a gig…" Alec. Alec? ALEC! Oh my god I forgot about Alec.

Alec could be defined in three words: sex, money, drugs. I had always hated him. He was around 5 foot 8 and wore dark skinny jeans and cheap cologne. His hair was usually styled in a sandy brown mow-hawk that wasn't so extreme that he was the target of skater stereotypes but was drastic enough that when he would wear his custom made sneakers he would hit the six foot barrier. Alec was cheap. Really cheap. And Alec would rip you off if you let your guard down. I never let my guard down. Even so we held a mutual respect for each other and understood that pissing each other would lead nowhere. We were both too stubborn to give up. He had tested my patients and I his but no matter the case I accepted it. Because he was Alec and Alec was an ass.

I had met Alec through a stream of coincidences immediately after we had left the academy. Lissa and I were broke and had no where to go. While Lissa became notoriously rich at the death of her parents breaking out of the academy had left us without access to her funds. On our own, we took odd jobs, making ends meat throughout our time on the run, but the best job that we had by far was with Alec and The Needs of the Few. It was the only reason I didn't hang up on the spot.

The Needs of the Few were a band Alec managed out of Chicago. They played punk-alternative and were in need of a guitarist after their guitarist was kicked out for cheating on the band's drummer. It was a conflict of interest and the band ultimately dumped her. When we heard the band members arguing at a bar I had prompted Lissa to come to we approached. While my childhood had been without parental involvement and for the most part I was left to my own devised, my mom (if you could really call her that) had at least gone to some lengths to give me something to do in my free time. While her reasoning for getting me the guitar was probably to keep me out of trouble I still learned to play it. And I loved it. When I was alone and bored out of my mind, to lazy to annoy the hell out of my roommate (a stout dhamphir girl named Miranda who had a fetish for pink unicorns), I would often grab my guitar and drag it out to my "secret base" where I would play for hours on end while Mason sat their squinting at me, asking me if I had cooties and if they were contagious. My secret base was really just an old tree house in the woods that had been for the most part abandoned. In fact upon return to the academy I discovered my old stuff was still there, making it a perfect hide out when Kirova got a stick up her ass and decided to take out her misfortune upon innocent little me. But anyways as we approached they looked up. Alec's eyes immediately gained a kind of snark glint to them making me think he thought I was a hooker. As soon as we started talking his fantasies cleared right up. The rest was history as we convinced Alec that I could replace their guitarist temporarily and that Lissa could sing back-up. Soon enough the band was touring the clubs around town and we were doing pretty well; soon after a gig at a hot club known as the BlaxBird we were chased by phi-hounds and had to leave town. Since I had kept in touch with the bassist to a certain extent, and I suppose we were all still friends. Except for Alec. Alec was a womanizing bastard.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME YOU WOMANIZING BASTARD!"I roared, abate slightly quieter then my first outburst.

"Why do you think? I need a guitarist, you play guitar, short and sweet. The gig's tomorrow at nine pm and you'd get a cut. Lissa can come too, though your cut would be bigger if she stay's wherever the heck you guys are."

I bit my lip. I was broke after a bet gone array with Adrian as to how long Christian could go without blowing something up. Turns out the little dick can control his impulses for two days as opposed to the three hours I had guessed at. I sighed. "I'll call you back, I have to go speak with my Russian Jailer." I could tell he was about to speak so I hung up. I got up and changed into some clothes. I knew it was only daybreak (nightbreak?I don't know but most people were asleep) but Dimitri was an early bird from what I'd collected. Time to go plead with Comrade for some parole.

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