Prologue
Remember when you were 5, thinking about what you wanted to be when you grew up? I bet you'll say an astronaut, or a princess, or a marine biologist (before you knew it was probably boring and not just playing with dolphins all day) perhaps? I was always set out to be Guardian. Even when the biggest dramas in my life were being given the wrong flavour of pudding at lunch and that another girl had taken my hair ribbon, I knew that one day I would proudly put my life on the line and face demons to protect the Moroi. Think about where you are now. Are you in space, on a throne or in a boat? I thought not. And although for a short while I achieved what little 5 year old me set out to do, that is no longer the case. The great thing about dreams is that they are so perfect but so, so achievable in the right circumstances. But the downside, dreams are too perfect and life will come and bite you on the ass sooner or later. That's what happened to me. I studied (not very hard), I trained (like my life depended on it) but eventually, life bit my ass and said you're not cut out for this kid.
I know you're probably wondering where this came from. What happened to make the infamous Rose Hathaway turn her back on what she had been conditioned for her whole life? I can almost hear you, almost see the wheels turning in your head to piece this together. What happened? What did you do? I didn't fuck up, or let my charge die or bring shame to the Dhampir population, which lets face it probably lost some certain gamblers their fortune. I took a chance to make the world a better place. And although nobody can fix everything, maybe when I am dead and buried, my little corner of the world will be that much brighter because I cared and did something about it. Who knows, but I suppose if you knew what happened, maybe you would agree.