Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns the Bloodlines series.
I've always taken pride in the fact that I am an Alchemist. I'm content with my occupation and the duties that come with it. But, there's one exception, being on duty all the time. I can be called on at all hours of the day which is why I'm up at three in the morning.
I received the call that there has been a Strigoi attack on Main Street, and I am needed immediately. Thankfully, Main Street is only ten minutes from my house, so "immediately" meant I still had time for coffee. Thank goodness. In a blur, I end up in my car starting the heat and sipping coffee from my thermos.
The attack had happened right next to the local bar. The Strigoi had chosen the easier targets: the dregs, drunkards, and drug addicts of our city. They said there were three staked, which wouldn't have seemed like much if I hadn't been running on three hours of sleep and a cup of caffeine.
As I drive up to the bar, I can see blood and the bodies lying in the street. When I park, I take one more sip of my warm drink and scan over the bodies. One has shorter blonde hair similar to my sister, Zoe. The thought of this abomination and my little sister having something in common ran chills down my spine, and I tried to move the thought aside quickly.
I grab my bag and get out, stepping in the fine dusting of snow left on the street. As I shut my door softly, I see something out of the corner of my eye and spin around. "Hello?" No response is given. "Wow, Sydney. You're seeing things. You really need some sleep." I say to myself while giggling softly. I walk over to them and cringe when I see the eyes of one of the Strigoi looking straight at me. "Creepy," I mutter to myself.
I open my bag to get some bottles out, and I see something in my peripheral vision. I look up and scan the area, but I don't notice anything peculiar, until I look down.
The body of the Strigoi who was staring at me is now gone.
I start to panic on the inside, but I know I must stay calm. Composure is everything. I take a deep breath and look around hesitantly, trying to spot him. He's nowhere to be seen. I pull out my cell phone to notify the Alchemists when something impales me from behind. I gasp and drop my phone, my hands moving to grab the object. I look down and see a crowbar… my crowbar sticking through my chest. My breathing speeds up drastically and I let out a panicked sob as I fall to the ground.
Then, the pain kicks in. I cry out as I feel an intense pain blooming in my chest. As the pain becomes overwhelming, I grit my teeth, having never experienced this much hurt before.
I lay on the cold, snowy pavement, breathing so quickly that I'm probably hyperventilating.
"Breathe," I say shakily to myself. "B-breathe."
My hands fall to the ground, and I feel a hot liquid. I raise my hand to my face, but I can't see it. My vision is too blurred. I blink a few times and bring my hand closer to my face, and I let out a quiet cry when I realize that it's blood, my blood. I let out a panicked sob. After five minutes that seem like hours, I realize I need to do something and I reach for my phone. I dial someone's number, hoping it's the right one. With shaky hands, I manage to hold my phone to my ear and listen, hoping with all the life left in me that someone answers.
"Sage," Adrian whines. "Three a.m.? Really?"
"A-A…" I stutter, unable to talk.
"Sage?" He waits for me to answer, apparently not hearing my attempt to speak.
With feeble efforts, I try again. "A-Ad…"
"Sydney," he says in a panicked voice. "Sydney… what's going on?" I try to answer, but all that comes out is a moan. "Where are you?"
"M-Main…" I mumble, hoping he can piece it together.
I feel myself slip out of consciousness a while later as someone comes running toward me.
As my eyelids flutter open, I see two figures fighting. I try to speak, but I fail. I can still feel the metal object inside of me, but I know better than to pull it out. I blink a few times, and I see that Adrian is one of the figures.
The other is the Strigoi.
My eyes go wide with fear, hoping he doesn't get hurt. Right before I fall out of consciousness again, I hear a scream that's not Adrian's.
When my eyes open again, I see Adrian running over to me. "Sage," he gasps out. He kneels beside me and caresses my cheek. I smile weakly, mouthing his name.
"Don't try to talk. It's okay." He strokes my cheek. "Can you look at me, Sage," he asks in a gentle voice. I nod slightly, but I don't focus my gaze on him. "Sydney, look at me. C'mon." he commands gently. I blink and open my eyes wide, trying to find him. As his smile comes into my view, I stare at him, so I don't lose focus.
"There you go." He smiles. "I need you to focus on me, okay? Focus on my eyes, on my voice."
No problem I think to myself, smiling slightly. He lays one hand on my lower chest where the crow bar is sticking out of me, and he grabs the bar with his other hand. My face fills with shock when I see that he's decided to pull it out.
No, I mouth.
"Trust me," he says in a successful attempt to placate me. He smiles slightly as I feel familiar rush of heat flowing through my body. It takes me a second to process what was happening, but when I realize he was using Spirit on me, tears started spilling out of my eyes.
He wipes my tears gently and shakes his head. "Sage… I'm going to help you, okay? It's alright… you're okay..."
I slowly nod my head and mouth, "I trust you."
He nods with a pained look on his face. Keeping eye contact with me, he speaks in a gentle voice. "You're not in pain, Sydney."
Suddenly, the pain of my wound disappears, and I keep staring into his eyes, using my commendable determination to focus on him.
"Stay calm, okay," he continues in his gentle voice as he looks down at the crow bar. He tightens his grip on the bar and presses down on my chest lightly, and I feel slight pressure. I let out a scared whimper. He makes eye contact with me again. "Shh… you're okay. Calm down."
I feel a wave of tranquilly course through me as I let my body relax.
"You're doing great," he soothes as he looks back at the bar. He starts pulling upward on the bar, dislodging it from my chest. I feel a slight tingling in me, and I realize he's healing my wound as he pulls the bar out. I sigh quietly when it dawns on me that I'll be perfectly okay.
A/N: Please Review!