I never wanted this, I hated it, and I despised it.
Being raised to think the best person you have ever met is a monster, yet when we were together it never passed through my mind. I hated them, the Alchemists, there I said it, I still didn't feel any better but there was relief that I was finally able to admit it to myself.
This isn't fair, why him?
I was human; it was wrong, sick even. He was a vampire, evil creatures that seemed human in so many ways, and even after everything that had happened I still want him. I want those green eyes, and those snarky comments, I hated myself for it.
I sat in my room pondering how the hell I was going to fix this problem, and where the hell were Eddie, Jill and Angeline? I told them to meet me here so I could talk to them about the spirit experiments. Come to think of it I hadn't heard from any of them.
Dimitri and Sonya hadn't called either, this was getting weirder, I didn't expect to check in with them as often as I would have Jill, but I still wanted to be filled in with what was going on. I picked up my phone and dialled Dimitri's number…no answer.
OK, weird. I knew Dimitri would have been with Sonya at this time of the evening, still trying to figure out why he wasn't answering I picked up my bag with my purse and walked out my dorm room. I quickly dialled Eddie's number as well, no answer. I was getting more impatient that no one was answering, but also I was worried for my friends.
I quickly ran out of my dorm, it was Friday so I did technically have a latter curfew but I wasn't intending to stay out late. I had Latte's keys in my bag along with my purse. I quickly walked out of the dorm and to the parking lot, and to my surprise Adrian Ivashkov was sitting on the bonnet on my car
"Sage, we have a problem" He said it in a serious tone, with complete and utter worry written all over his face, I found myself running quicker towards the car, thank god I didn't wear my heeled boots
"What is it Adrian?" I said coming to a halt as I stood in front of him, I wasn't pleased that he was sitting on my baby, but I was too worried to talk about that right now, he slid down only standing inches away from me, my heart started racing again
"They're gone" he said flatly, I made an awkward face
"Who?" I asked
"Everyone, Jill, Angeline, Sonya…even Eddie and Dimitri" OK now I was worried, not only was Eddie gone, Dimitri was gone, all good looks aside he was the best guardian I had ever seen, and more to the point even Adrian was worried. That was saying something
"Dimitri? As in Dimitri Belikov is gone?" I managed to choke out; he looked at me with a look of hurt
"Yes, even the god Dimitri Belikov who we all know is amazing in every single god damn way! Can we go now?" I didn't mean it like that, but we had to try and find them
"Get in" I would apologise once we were on the road, it was about a ten minute drive to where they were staying, we would go from there. I started Latte up and Adrian sat in the seat next to me and pulling out his cigarettes, I shot him a look and he put them back in his pocket sulkily..
I turned to look at him with a sad expression
"I didn't mean it like that at all Adrian" I said, looking back ahead of the road, he turned to look at me and leaned his head back onto the head rest
"Yes you did, everyone means it like that Sage, he is a god, no wonder Rose wanted him" I felt awful now, I had never known what it was like to love someone, but if it made me feel like that I didn't want to
"Adrian…I" he cut me off
"Save your breathe Sage, he is better than me, I know it" I tightened my grip on the steering wheel
"Don't you get it Adrian?" My tone went almost like a plea now, I sounded desperate and pathetic but I needed to get this through to him
"You are amazing Adrian" I said quietly, not turning to look at him, that was embarrassing, I put my guard down and said something no Alchemist should say
"Sage…" I had to go all business again, but the words poured from my mouth like a water fall. I had to shut myself up, he then straightened up and spoke
"I loved her, more than anything; I would have done anything for her. But it wasn't enough, it never is Sage, you never win in this world, I'm not saying I've had a hard life, but she messed me up, and for him. Now I'm spending everyday with him, and I get it, but it hurts…" Adrian had just let me in, basically to his soul, to every detail that hurt him about Rose, I felt butterflies in my stomach, and he turned to me
"Have you ever loved anyone Sage?" I froze up, I should lie, I had to lie
"Yes" I mentally punched myself in the stomach, it rolled of my tongue before I had time to stop it, he then looked at me, damn those eyes
"Yeah, who was the lucky guy?" I couldn't tell him who it was, it was against everything I stood for, but Adrian made me feel warm, like I could tell him anything
"He's amazing; he doesn't know it though…" I continued, what are you doing Sydney?
"He has this way of bringing down all the guards I have protecting myself, and he is so talented and special" I was smiling like an idiot now
"He thinks he is never good enough for anyone, he thinks he is failure, but he isn't. In fact he is the best person I've ever met in my life…" I stopped before I could let myself go on; I had said too much already, he smiled
"Yeah? Then why don't you go for it? "I turned to look at him this time
"We could never be together" I said, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, I quickly turned back to the road as we were approaching the drive-way, I felt the tears moving away
"He is out of my league anyway…" I murmured, pulling up and stepping out Latte towards the small house my companions were staying in, before Adrian exited the car I heard him say
"You could get anyone you wanted Sage" I smiled, I had hoped he hadn't seen me do it, we walked up to the front door side by side, he was wearing blue jeans and casual shoes with a flannelette shirt, he looked good, his hair was styled that sexy messy way. He looked good
"I'll knock" I said walking up to the door and giving a light but loud enough tap at the door
"Guys it's Sydney, Adrian is with me" I said loudly, it was quiet, I knocked harder this time, Adrian then scooted past me and pulled a bobby pin out of his pocket
"Adrian!" I said quietly, he looked up at me with a smirk
"Oh come on Sage, don't be a sook" he gave me a light nudge and I gave him a light kick
"Do you always carry bobby pins around with you?" He laughed whole heartedly, flashing that beautiful smile
"One thing you learn when you are not only as beautiful and as clever as me, bobby pins can help you in any situation" he said slyly, I rolled my eyes removing some hair from my face showing my tattoo, Adrian had un-locked the door and entered.
The place was a mess, things were broken and thrown everywhere, he moved closer to me as if protecting me from anything that would come out and attack us. We moved ever so slowly towards the main room where all the research was. Everything was gone
"Oh my god" I whispered as I stared around the room, there was obviously a struggle here and now all the research was gone, I then parted ways with Adrian and ran to all the bedrooms, checking every single one of them. Nothing.
I ran back out to Adrian who was holding something in his hand, it seemed like a small necklace of some sort, and my head instantly started hurting, and when I say hurting it felt as if someone was hitting me with a hammer.
I grasped my head, my tattoo, it was burning. I let out a yelp and Adrian spun around to look at me, I was now on the ground clasping my head and trying to scratch of my cheek. It felt as if someone had poured acid on my cheek, or set it on fire, I had never felt such pain in my life. Then there was my head, I felt like I was having a brain hem ridge, or a stroke, the pain was un-bearable.
"Sydney!" Adrian called, wow he had called me by my first name, he was worried, he bolted over to me dropping the necklace, putting an arm around me and using the other to asses my face
"What's wrong?" he asked me, those green eyes fixed on me, I couldn't really figure out a word to say, burning, pain? I wasn't sure, so I let out a strangled cry instead, I think Adrian got the message because he immediately scooped me up in his arms and ran out the house back to Latte.
He placed me down on the hood of my car, I hated knowing that he put me there but the pain had already started to die down. He quickly moved the hair away from my face and put his hands on my cheeks making me look at him
"What happened Sydney?" He asked worry written all over his face,
"I-I don't know" I said shakily, in fact I was shaking, Adrian ran to the back of the car and pulled out a dark navy blue coat and put it over my shoulders, it was his, it smelled like him, I mentally slapped myself again. I shouldn't know that, I'm an Alchemist, I can't feel like that towards him and he loved Rose, I couldn't go there
"We have to go back in there" I said, it was where we were going to find answers, Adrian shot me a look
"When you went in there one of your veins in your head was about to explode, we are not going back in there" he said sternly, I quickly fought back
"Then don't come in, I'll be fine" I said sliding off the hood he caught me pushing me back on and came closer towards me
"I just lost Jill and the others; I'm not going to lose you to" he said, we looked into each other eyes for a minute then he smiled and turned away
"Those damn eyes…" he muttered to himself, funny I felt the same way when I looked into his
"Where are they?" I finally spoke; he turned around and put his hand on his neck and the other on his mouth
"Something bad has happened if Eddie and Belikov are gone, and I'm betting it had something to do with Spirit research"
"Why wouldn't they go after you then? You are a spirit user, you are the best target" I said, he nodded in agreement, then turned again to the house
"It had to be someone they knew, I mean they wouldn't just open the door to anyone, Belikov is smarter than that" I laughed
"Your smarter then you look" he winked at me
"There is more to me than just a pretty face" I giggles going straight back to business mode
"I don't understand, how could anyone find them out here? This place is safe, and strigoi would not last five minutes out here" I said pondering my thoughts,
"And better yet why would they go through the trouble in taking all them and not you" Then I got it, Sonya was taken to
"Sonya is a spirit user" I clicked my fingers, Adrian nodded in agreement
"But who would know this is the question" he said walking back to me, my face was still burning from when my tattoo had started to light an inferno on my face
"Are you sure you're OK?" He asked, I looked up at him
"I'm fine Adrian, we have to fine Jill and the others" He nodded then turned back to me
"You have to look out for yourself sometimes to Sage" He said lightly, but with a serious streak in his voice
"I'm replaceable, Jill isn't" I said flatly, and I was right, they could replace me at any second they wanted to. Jill was a different story, he moved closer to me with a sad but frustrated look
"You are not replaceable to me, you are alright for a human Sage, you understand things and you get it, you get it's not a game and you keep me level. Now get off the hood of your car because you're only going to get mad at me and yourself for it later and let's go back and pack a bag" He said getting in the passenger's seat,
"Where are we going and why am I packing a bag" I asked confused, I walked around to the driver's seat and started to take off the coat,
"Leave it on, it looks better on you then it does on me" I highly doubted that, I sat down and looked at him sternly
"Adrian where are we going and what's going on?" He then put an un-happy look on his face
"We are going to go see the one person who is going to help us find Jill and everyone else" I stared blankly at him, he then turned to the window and his face saddened in the reflection
"We have to go see Rose"
