I sighed. Another day with Agent Boring Borscht and Agent Scarlett. For the last two hours we've been staring at a utterly muscular, long haired, dark Russian dude. For the sake of having free time, why was I ever brought into this?
This was one of the few reasons I didn't skip collage. I wanted to get away from Dimitri (Borscht) and his stupid, Russian face that was filled with everything I hated. Though, I knew that I would come to this sooner or later. I just needed to deal with it – God, I sound like Sage! - But I'm not the "dealing" person.
"Adrian?" I looked up. It was Sonya (Scarlett) who spoke. Her aura showed a kind of concerned colour, but it was not enough to show in her face. "You've been staring at that dot on the wall for the past fifteen minutes."
Once again, I sighed and made up another stupid lie. "I'm not really sorry, but I am kind of tired." Dimitri gave away a snort-like sound. I didn't even bother to look at him. I knew what I'd find. Rose. The woman that I ever did try with. The dark, but though beautiful, girl that had blown my mind away. She had given me new light and gotten me into this crazy world that was more dangerous than the cigarettes I've been smoking nor the alcohol I've been drinking.
But in the end, she chose the – even though I hate to admit it – kick-ass guardian instead of me and my so called charm. And thanks to recent events, one of them being the young Moroi queen – Lissa Dragomirs – little sister, Jill, dying. This left me with no choice, except bringing her back to life with spirit magic. This resulted in an invisible bond, between the two of us. This meant that Jill could see into my head and feelings, but I couldn't see into hers.
Now I was stuck here in Palm Springs. The hot summer weather + Vampire = Not a very happy Adrian Ivashkov.
"We understand," Sonya said, understanding. Dimitri kept quite. Maybe he didn't want to hurt my feeling by telling the truth of what he thought of me. "We'll go now, in just a bit. Dimitri, I'll join you by the car any moment." He nodded, even though I knew he would never leave the building without Sonya.
When he left, it was her time to sigh. I kept quite, waiting for her to say something, but she didn't.
I could not wait till' Sydney would come back. She was one of the other things that kept me from quitting college. She was such a strict person... it's like she's asking to get bullied. Though I usually just joke around her. She gets it. She gets me. I smiled soft to myself.
"You miss her, you really do," Sonya said calmly. "Sydney."
I knew from earlier experiences that she was studying my aura, and that whatever I said – she
would know the truth. "Yeah."
"I have noticed how close you've become," she kept going. "Very close."
"What are you implying, exactly?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"You know," she said. "I can see it in your aura when you look at her, when you talk, when you think of her. I just want to make sure it's not going overboard."
"First, this is none of your business, second; Sydney would never agree with a relationship like that and third; I though you where all for unfitting couples."
"It might not be my business, but I do get to care for both of you. And you never know about Sydney, she might change her mind."
"I'm not so sure."
"I need to go, we'll see each other tomorrow," Sonya said with a little smile on her lips.
"Nope, I'll be in class. The day after that is cool though," I smiled in triumph as I realized that I would get one day of freedom before Sydney came back.
"Are you sure you want to be with us, studying, when she comes back?"
"Are you saying I've got a choice?"
She did not really answer my question, instead she said; "The studying of aura is important, Adrian. Do not underestimate it."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," I told her, rolling my eyes as she looked away.
"Take care, Adrian." She walked toward the door, took her jacket and went outside, left me alone in the apartment. Alone, finally alone.
My first thought was to take a smoke, then I remembered that I was out of cigarettes. I didn't really have the money to waste on a new pack. Then I realized that I haven't send Sydney my daily mail of boringness. So I opened the computer at the dinner table and started writing.
Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are more boring than his usual ones. That did happen today. While we were taking a break, Sonya used my laptop to look for dresses. This made me sigh in hopelessness. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far. Also, I am out of cigarettes. Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated.
Prisoner 24601
I ended the message with putting on capslock and writing: SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY as subject before I sent it.
Then I went to a daily news website and checked if anything had happened under the hours of boringness with Dimitri and Sonya. Nothing. Not any-fricken-thing. To my rescue, I saw that I had received a new mail from none other than Sydney Sage.
How do you know about 24601? I refuse to believe you read the book. You saw the musical, right?
It took me about ten seconds to answer with: SparkNotes. I knew she would laugh.
The rest of that night, I spent drinking. I drank until I fell asleep. I woke up the next day with a wonderful – horrible – hangover. "Fuck", was the one word that came to mind. "School."
I took my bag and ran out the door, almost forgetting my keys. My hair was a mess, but I did not have time to fix it any time soon. I just hoped that I hadn't missed the bus.
Which I had. "Fuck!" I yelled at myself, slamming the bus schedule with my fists. With an angry sigh, I picked up my cell from my pocket. I dialled the taxi-company's number and ordered a cab. This was certainly a waste of useful money – once again, I sounded like Sage.
The cab was supposed to come in about fifteen minutes, though it took only five, I had to give them credit for that. Not tip, though.
It did not take that much time to get to Carlton, but it felt like forever. Under the time I spent in the cab, the driver talked with a typical Californian type of speaking. He spent the time talking of his family, his wife Susie, his twin daughters Sydney and Rose. I stared at him. This had to be just a weird coincidence. For all I knew (nor cared), Rose is a pretty usual name. I did not know about Sydney, though. But it couldn't mean anything, could it?
I decided the answer to my question was no, it wasn't anything to be worried about. But I still had a creepy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I got out of the cab and ran toward the school gates.
Carlton was nothing like St Vladimirs' academy for vampire. This was a human school with human classes and... well, humans. The problem with this was that they, especially females, did not realise that I was a vampire and that a relationship between us would never happen'. It was taboo to speak of human-vampire love. It did not happen', it just didn't.
There was this one particular girl that I always caught looking at me in class. It started about a month ago when we had a project together. It was called "Two world collide". This pretty much was that two people painted their own thing and then put them together to something different. Me and Irma, as her name was, were partners.
She painted one emerald green eye and one icy blue. I understood immediately what it was about. She had blue eyes, I had green. Fuck, now I had to deal with this too.
I painted a girl from behind (wow, that sounded creepy). She had a blond, frizzy hair and was simply beautiful. I was the only one who knew who it was a portrait of. Sydney.
Irma was over enthusiastic over the fact that we were partners. "Oh my god, I was like super exited when I found out that we were going to be partners! I mean, I've seen your work and it's super awesome. Like amazing! And, like, I know this isn't that good, but like – I think we can work something out of it. I got some ideas about doing..." Her words faded into "blah, blah, blah-blah".
"So, I'm Irma!" she ended her monologue and gave me her hand. "You're... Aiden, right?"
"Nope, I'm Adrian – never heard of that Aiden dude you're talking about", I said, jokingly.
Irma started laughing like crazy. Oh god, why?
"So, I, like, thought that maybe if we remade your painting a bit – I mean make it so she's holding out her hands... then maybe we could put my eyes in her hands?"
"Sure, that's a great idea", I said, uninterested.
"You think! Then let's start!" Irma said overly happy. I sighed and we started.
We got B+ on that assignment.
Today, Irma was thankfully not in school. But her friends were, and they stared at me – like always – and laughed in a typical high-pitched giggled. It was getting quite annoying.
If it had been vampires, or dhampirs, I would have smiled flirty back – but I couldn't risk it. I don't want them to think there's something to win.
Ms Wellingsbury – weird name, I know, gave us a new home assignment. To paint something we love. A pain in my chest ached as I realised what I wanted to do, but shouldn't. Yet, this may be the way to get rid of Irma and her friends. LOL, it sounds like I'm going to kill them.
When I got off the bus, I saw a familiar car outside my building. Great, Dimitri and Sonya decided to make a visit again. This will be so much fun!
I went inside, and as I opened my apartment door – I met the figure of Dimitri Belikov.
"Where are you going?" I snorted. Dimitri went silently past me. "Oh, so I don't get told anything nowadays."
"I'm going to pick up Sydney from the airport", Dimitri bitterly.
"She wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow", I noted. He showed me his back as he walked toward the building door.
"She got in early", he said as he went outside.
"Obviously", I said to myself and went through the door. Once inside, Sonya welcomed me with a look of confounding.
"When will you guys lay this?" she asked. I went straight to my liquor cabinet. All I had left was a bottle of vodka. I didn't take it, partly because I didn't want to waste it and partly because I didn't want to be drunk when Sydney came home.
"With what?" I answered, acting stupid.
"Your behaviour", she said. "You need to get over the fact that Rose chose him, not you, Adrian. You have no right thinking ill of him."
"My behaviour? Haven't you seen how he looks down on me? Are you totally blind? He looks at me like some criminal! And now it's all my fault, right!" I exclaimed waving my hands up and down. "Rose cheated on me, Sonya! I don't know if she told you that, nor if he has – but she did. And do you know how I found out? By seeing them kiss, right in front of me. So don't tell me I have no right, cause I do."
Sonya looked chocked. She opened her mouth to say something, but didn't.
Knowing that we would be stuck with each other until Dimitri came back, I looked around for something to do. I saw a pack of cigarettes on the dinner table. Apparently, they had decided to buy me one. I picked it up, mumbling "Thanks", and walked outside.
When you are a chain smoker, you tend to carry around a lighter at all times. So I did now. I lighted the cigarette and breathed in the gas of unhealthyness.
It took awhile until Dimitri came back, but I stayed outside until he did. I had nothing better to do.
He greeted me with a nod, I did nothing but follow him back inside.
"How was she?" Sonya asked and smiled.
"She's fine, like normal", Dimitri said, guardian-like. "Continue working?"
"Yup, work is so damn fun so let's start early", I said sarcastic. We sat down at the kitchen table and started.
Sam thing as yesterday, staring at Dimitri. Nothing happened. As always. Until the doorbell rang. "Sydney" said Sonya – looking through the door to her aura.
I stood up, running to the door and opening it. I was met by a couple of amber brown eyes and the pit of my stomach started hurting again. She was followed by mini-Dimitri (as I liked to call him, his real name was Eddie Castile). "The cavalry! Thank God!"
Eddie and Sydney stepped inside."Nice blouse, Sage", I said, smiling. "It really brings out the khaki in your pants." I could see her smile.
We went to the kitchen where Dimitri and Sonya sat looking over their notes. Sonya looked up upon Sydney and smiled thankfully. "I'm glad you're back, Sydney. I've needed a little female support here", she said, smiling and showing her fangs. I saw Sages reaction to it, as always she looked like she didn't know what to think. Her face was half a smiling, half disgusted.
Dimitri smiled at Sydney. Oh, now he will take her from me too. Thank you so fucking much. "I'm guessing you didn't take a nap", he said.
"Too much to do", Sydney answered. Of course, Sage was always busy. Either with protecting Jill or some other alchemist duty. At least she didn't run off with some russian.
"We've been wondering where you were", said Sonya randomly. I had been lost in thought, this brought me back. Apparently she had spoken to Eddie.
"Busy at Amberwood", he said, kind off avoiding the question. My eyebrows rose, Eddie Castile had something to hide? "You know, keeping an eye on Jill and Angeline. Besides, I was waiting until Sydney came since she wanted to see what we were doing."
"How is Angeline? Is she improving?" Of course our little – big – russian had to wonder about work.
Eddie and Sage glanced at each other. "Improving how exactly? In combat, in following the dress code, or in keeping her hands to herself?" I smiled, typical Angeline. I'm guessing that she was in trouble again.
"Or in turning off caps-lock?" added Eddie.
"You noticed that too?" asked Sydney.
"Hard not to."
Dimitri frowned, looking surprised. That was something new. "I didn't realize I needed to be more specific. I meant in combat."
With a shrug, Eddie answered his question. "There's a little improvement, but it's hard to get through to her. I mean, she's absolutely dead set on protecting Jill, but she's also convinced she already knows how. She's got years of that sloppy training drilled into her. It's hard to break that. Plus, she's... easily distracted."
I saw Sydney swallow a laugh. I had to smile.
Dimitri frowned even deeper. "She has no time for distractions. Maybe I should talk to her."
"No", Eddie said immediately. "You've got plenty to do here. She's my responsibility to train her. Don't worry."
Wow, he told Dimitri Belikov not to worry. This ought to be interesting to see him try.
I pulled up a chair and turned it backwards. I rested mu chin against it's back. "What about you, Sage? I know we don't have to worry about you violating the dress code. Did you have fun at your Alchemist spa this weekend?"
Sydney put down her bag and went over to the refrigerator. "If by spa, you mean underground bunker. And it was just business." She grimaced at the looked inside it. "You promised to get me a diet pop."
"I did promise that", I said, not feeling guilty. Sydney cared far too much about her weight. She did not realize how beautiful she was. At least to everyone else, except her.