Hello again! Welcome to my new short story "Drastic Measures". This one's kind of different from the others and it was just something I wanted to try out. I can't promise it'll be any good, but I really hope you'll like it! :D

This story is a bit inspired by one of my favorite movies "Hostage" with Bruce Willis. I used to watch that movie a lot when I was young. I saw it again a couple of months ago and I found some of the characters really intruiging, like Mars. Anyway, that's how I found inspiration to write this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. It belongs to the wonderful Richelle Mead.

CHAPTER 1

DPOV

There was a loud knock on the door before it slammed open and transported me back to the here and now. My best friend, Ivan, appeared in the doorway with a goofy grin on his face.

"Close that damn book and come with me," he said. "We're going to have some fun today."

"Hello to you, too," I said before reluctantly shutting my western novel. I'd have to finish the chapter later tonight.

"Your mom let me in," Ivan said. He was already halfway out of my room again. "Come on. Let's go."

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, grabbing my duster before following him down the stairs.

"Out," he replied.

"No way," I said dryly.

He turned around on the stairs and rolled his eyes at me. "You've been cooped up inside with your books for too long already, Dimka. It's time for you to get some fresh air."

I didn't reply. He might be right, but that didn't mean I had to admit it. Mama stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting.

"I'm going out for a bit," I told her.

She smiled. "I figured. Will you be home for dinner?"

I glanced over at Ivan, uncertain about his plans. "Am I going to be home for dinner, Ivan?"

"I'm afraid not," Ivan said. "Hope that's okay, Olena?" He flashed her a charming smile. "I'll deliver him back before curfew. Promise."

I cut Ivan a look, but he just shrugged at me.

"Alright," Mama acquiesced. "But don't stay out too late. It's a school night."

I nodded. "Of course, Mama."

"Have fun," she called after us. "And be careful. There might be coming a storm later tonight. If the weather changes, I want you home right away."

I'd seen the weather report this morning and they had said that it might storm tonight, but so far the weather looked okay. Maybe they were wrong. Even so, I promised Mama I'd come home if the weather changed.

We walked a few blocks in silence and I wondered where we were going, but I knew better than to ask. Ivan was up to something and he wasn't going to tell me anytime soon. But then an old blue pickup truck drove onto the street and I was instantly filled with dread.

"We're hanging out with them again?" I said, stopping short.

He stopped as well and looked at me, that easy grin on his face again. "Yes. It'll be fun."

No, it won't.

I sighed heavily when the truck stopped next to us. Jesse rolled down the window and called, "Hop in!"

I gave Ivan an annoyed look before getting in the backseat with great reluctance as Ivan rounded the car to sit in the front. Tasha gave me a coy smile, which I returned with a frown before staring straight ahead. I didn't like Jesse, but I liked her even less. She was trouble. So was Jesse, but honestly, what could I say? He was Ivan's cousin – and he was older. Ivan looked up to him and, lately, he always wanted to hang out with Jesse.

But every time we did, something happened. If Jesse or Tasha didn't get into a fight with someone, they drank or smoked pot. It didn't matter what it was; for some reason they were always trying to get Ivan into trouble. And I got dragged into it every time. I guess that if they weren't going to look out for him, I should do it. Because he was my best friend and I didn't want him to get hurt. I needed to protect him. That's what I'd always done, since the start of our friendship, and that's what I would always do.

"Looking good, cowboy," Tasha said, flashing me a grin.

I didn't respond. Even though she was three years older than me, she kept flirting with me. It was annoying and it was another reason why I hated hanging out with her.

"Where are we going?" I asked stiffly.

"Just relax," Tasha said, sliding over to me. When she put her hand on my thigh, I looked up at her and slapped her hand away. She pouted. "Ouch. That hurts."

Jesse chuckled. "Tough love, Tash."

"It seems like you're in a mood," Tasha said. A slow smile crept onto her face. "I like it."

I scowled at her. "Stop it."

Tasha narrowed her icy blue eyes at me. I supposed she was trying to intimidate me, but it was hard to do so when she looked like a panda. All that heavy black makeup around her eyes didn't make her look appealing, and her personality wasn't helping matters. As if her makeup wasn't bad enough, she always dressed in black. No wonder she couldn't find a boyfriend her own age.

Ivan turned around in his seat. "Chill out, Dimka." He gave me a knowing look. "Today's supposed to be fun, remember?"

I clenched my jaw. "Right."

"I need you to stop at the store," Tasha said after a few moments. "I want something to drink."

Jesse chuckled. "Already? It's only four in the afternoon."

She shrugged. "Am I supposed to care about that?"

"Alright," Jesse said, smiling, "we'll stop at the store first."

The next five minutes passed in silence. Jesse drove to the supermarket and parked his car diagonally, taking up two spots. Prick, I thought.

Suddenly, Jesse whistled. "Look at that."

I followed his gaze and noticed two girls leaving the store.

"They're hot." Then he rolled down his window and whistled again, loud enough for them to hear. The dark-haired girl spun around and looked our way. Jesse sat up straight in his seat and waved. "Did anyone ever tell you how nice your ass looks? Spin around for me again, love."

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Leave them alone."

To my surprise, she walked over to us. The girl with the blond hair followed her quickly. Jesse looked very pleased with himself – that is, until she stopped at the car door.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" the girl exclaimed.

"Hey, don't get your panties in a twist. It was just a compliment," Jesse teased.

"Fuck you!" the girl said scowling. "Pervert."

I looked at the girl, stunned. I hadn't known what to expect when she came over, but I surely hadn't expected this. Even though she was raging mad, I had to admit she was really beautiful with her long, dark wavy hair and her big brown eyes and plump lips. I didn't know her and had never seen her around town. I knew I would've remembered her face if I had, though.

"And what the hell are you staring at?" she exclaimed, glaring at me now.

I was taken aback for a moment and averted my gaze, my cheeks reddening in embarrassment. I heard Ivan snigger, but didn't look at him.

"Rose," the other girl said, her voice quiet. "We should go. Andre's waiting."

I dared another peek at the girl named Rose. She was no longer looking at me; her attention was on her friend now. "Just trying to teach these pricks a lesson," she said. "They can't get away with this."

"You're really feisty," Jesse said, grinning now. "I like that."

"You're pathetic." Then Rose flipped him off and stalked away, her friend running after her.

I stared after her, still shocked, and watched her getting into a silver range rover.

"Oh my God," Ivan said laughing. "What the hell was that?"

"If anyone needs to be taught a lesson it's that girl," Jesse muttered, his mood darkening. "Ungrateful bitch."

"I don't think Dimitri feels the same way," Tasha commented, looking a little annoyed. "Maybe you should stop staring. Unless you want to be yelled at some more."

I blinked and looked away at last, my cheeks still burning. "You shouldn't have done that," I said sharply. "If you hadn't disrespected her this wouldn't have-"

Jesse turned in his seat to look at me. "What's this?" he interrupted. "You have a crush on this chick now or what?"

He said it in a joking manner, but Tasha looked even more annoyed – if that was possible – and she took out the lighter from her pocket and started playing with it, like she always did when she was angry.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said, clearing my throat. I glanced out the window again and saw the range rover pull away.

Tasha noticed too. "I know the blond-haired girl," she said suddenly. "Lissa Dragomir."

"And why should we care who she is?" Jesse said, sounding bored.

Tasha grinned. "Because she's filthy rich."

"How do you know that?" Ivan asked.

"She's dating my cousin," she answered. "Christian talks a lot about her. He says she lives in a mansion. He also told me where she lives."

"Now that's interesting," Jesse mused.

"I say, let's pay them back for disrespecting you," Tasha said, staring at the small flame she'd created. If she wasn't careful with that stupid lighter of hers, she was going to get burned. Not that I cared.

"What do you mean?" I asked, dreading what came next.

"I mean we should forget the liquor and pay them a visit instead."

"Why?" Ivan asked, oblivious.

"We're going to give them a little scare," Tasha answered casually, "and maybe steal some money in the process. I'm short on cash."

"No way," I said, clenching my fists. "We're not doing that."

"We can't," Ivan said nervously. "I mean…what about her parents?"

"I don't think they're home," Tasha said, leaning back in her seat. "Christian says they're always going on trips. For work or something." She paused. "That guy behind the wheel of that range rover? That's the brother. We don't need to worry about him."

"No," I repeated. "What the hell are you guys thinking? You can't do this. They'll call the cops."

"Jeez, Dimitri," Jesse exclaimed. "Can't you be chill for once? It's just a game. We'll give them a scare and if there happens to lie some money on the counter we'll grab that too." He smiled. "Maybe I'll steal that range rover. And if the parents are home, then we'll just leave. Whatever." He looked over at Tasha. "Does the girl know who you are?"

"No," Tasha answered.

"How can you be sure?" I said. "I mean, if Christian talks about her to you, then maybe he talks about you too."

"Trust me, he doesn't talk about me," she muttered. "He's too ashamed of me."

I wonder why.

"You don't want to do this, right?" I said, looking at Ivan.

He glanced from Jesse to me, uncertain.

"Ivan," I said. "This is crazy. We're going to get arrested."

"They don't even need to see us, if that makes you feel any better," Tasha said, rolling her eyes. "We're just going to mess with their heads, take some cash and head out. They won't know it was us."

"You're crazy," I hissed. I looked back at Ivan. "We're leaving, Ivan. Right now."

"Come on, Ivan," Jesse said. "You're seventeen. It's about time you stop being a boy and become a man."

Ivan glanced around the car nervously and then looked at his older cousin. "Promise me that they won't see us."

"Ugh," Jesse groaned. "You two are pussies. But sure, I promise they won't see us. We'll be quiet and move around some stuff in the house so they know someone was there, but we'll be out before they realize it was us. That'll freak them out for sure, ha!"

"Hey, I want my cash," Tasha protested.

"Yeah, yeah," Jesse said, waving her away. "If it's lying around, we'll take it. Rich people are never careful with their money. And if we can't find anything, we'll just take some jewelry instead. How about that, Tash?"

"Sounds good to me," she said, a satisfied smile plastered across her face.

"Forget it," I said angrily. "I'm not doing this."

"That's fine," Jesse said, starting the car. "We need someone to stay in the car and keep watch."

I looked at Ivan, silently pleading with him not to do this, but Ivan turned back around in his seat and mumbled, "Okay, let's do it."

I contemplated on getting out of the car right this second, but I couldn't abandon Ivan with these two morons. They'd only get him arrested and I could not let that happen.

The drive to the mansion was filled with anticipation. The only thing I felt, though, was tension and if I was completely honest with myself even a little bit scared. I was sure that this wasn't the first time Jesse and Tasha had done something like this. How they'd managed to stay away from the cops was beyond my comprehension. Maybe I should just report them when they go inside, a voice whispered inside my head. But then a louder voice took over, What about Ivan? You can't sell him out. They'll arrest him.

The house was on the outskirts of town. There weren't a lot of houses here; just lots of trees and greenery. We drove past the mansion and when I saw it up close, I had to admit it looked large enough to be called a mansion. But if these people could afford a house like this, they could afford surveillance cameras as well. As a matter of fact, I noticed one at the gate, but when I pointed it out Jesse said he'd solve the problem.

Tasha told him to park the truck down the road. When they were about to get out, I stopped Ivan by putting my hand on his shoulder.

"It's not too late to back out," I told him.

Ivan glanced at Jesse and Tasha, who were already outside. "It's going to be okay, Dimka," he said. "We'll be in and out before you know it."

"There are probably dozens of cameras," I told him firmly. "You're gonna get caught."

"Jesse has a solution for that. It'll be fine."

I doubted Jesse's solution was anything good. "What if their parents are home?"

Ivan sighed. "They aren't. There's only one car in the driveway. The range rover."

"Don't be stupid. They could have parked their car in the garage. Don't you see how flawed their plan is? If you can even call it a plan."

"Stop trying to change my mind," Ivan said, irritated. "I'm going to do this."

"Why?" I asked, clenching my jaw. "Do you think Jesse's going to appreciate you more if you do? He's just using you."

Ivan reached for the door. "I'm going now. You should stay in the car."

"If you go with them, I won't be coming along anymore." Ivan stopped moving and looked back at me, surprised. "If you want to hang out with criminals, then fine. I can't stop you. But I'm not doing this again," I told him, determined.

I didn't know if I should've expected him to stay – I mean, I hoped he'd stay – but he just shrugged and got out, slamming the door shut. I cursed loudly as I watched him leave with his new friends until they disappeared around the corner.

"Fuck," I exclaimed, slamming my fist against the seat in front of me. I realized I had two options: either I ratted out my best friend to the cops or I waited until they came back. I reached for my phone and stared at it for a few moments, thinking. I can't do it. I can't rat him out. I cursed again, wishing I'd just stayed at home and finished my novel.

I decided to wait ten minutes, but those ten minutes turned into fifteen minutes and when twenty minutes had passed, they still weren't back. Anxious, I got out of the car and walked to the mansion. When I reached the gate, I saw that the surveillance camera was smashed. I hoped Jesse had at least pulled up his hood and hid his face when he'd done that. I looked around at the ground and found a stone in the grass. I guessed that's what Jesse had used.

The gate was still closed, but it wasn't all that hard to climb over it. I figured it served more as decoration than to keep thieves out of the house because a person could easily pull themselves over the gate or just jump over the shrubbery. I guess that's why they had installed a camera – to keep people from doing just that.

I paced in front of the gate, trying to figure out what to do. I could go back to the car and wait it out, but I had a feeling that there was something wrong. If that was the case, I needed to get Ivan out of here and go to the police.

So with a heavy sigh, I hoisted myself over the gate and dropped down on the other side. I didn't want any cameras catching my face so I stayed clear of the front door and quietly made my way to the back. Suddenly, I heard an alarm set off followed by a loud ear-piercing scream and I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that something had gone terribly wrong.

So...that was it for the first chapter. Please let me know if you liked it and if you want me to continue with this! Have a great day/evening! :)