Chapter 1

Adrian POV

I dropped off the gang, thinking only of Sage and whether or not she knew of the whole divorce of her parents. I honestly didn't know if this would make her feel devastated or tremendously joyous. With her parents, I knew she liked her mom a lot more than her father. Whether or not she wanted them to remain being married, was a whole different story.

But I knew Sage. She wouldn't be worried about herself. She would be worried about everyone else. Her parents, and how they were going to cope. Especially her mom. Then there was her dad, which she probably just hoped he wouldn't hurt anyone in the process. Which brought it all back to her sister, where she would most definitely be worried about.

I got back to my place, checking the time. It was a bit past ten, and I knew that Sydney wouldn't be back for a while still, let alone be asleep at this time. I was going to have to wait it out for a while. Glimpsing over at my oh so friendly looking liquor cabinet, I realized it was about time I had my one designated drink today. With my deal with Sage, I knew that this drink was coming. One drink, usually saved for the end of the day was always something I looked forward to.

Mixing some vodka, along with a bit of juice, I made myself comfy on my stylish, yet affordable, plaid couch. It had to have been the comfiest couch I had ever owned, and it was a bargain when I bought it. Taking a sip of my drink, I felt the alcohol rush down my throat, making my stomach feel all warm and tingly. I sighed a happy sigh. It was a bit sad that a bit of vodka and some orange juice could do this to me, but it wasn't just the tipsy after effects that caused me such joy. It was the fact that alcohol numbed the effects of spirit, therefore making me feel like a normal person, instead of some crazy guy on the verge of losing himself.

Finishing my one designated drink, I glanced back at the liquor cabinet. Shaking, I looked away. I knew I couldn't go back on my word to Sage, she would be disappointed. Especially since she had to give up her ten cups of coffee, and narrow it down to having one a day. I knew this was hard for her too. Plus, there was the fact that I was almost a hundred percent sure she was keeping tab of how much alcohol was in each of my bottles. Not that I blamed her or felt mad about it. It just showed how much she cared.

So instead of divulging in another drink, I took a look through the records that I bought earlier today. This was a great find, even if Sydney thought it was a waste of money and I could have bought an iPod or mp3 and had thousands of songs, I loved the sound that came out of a record. Something real and true about it, I guess.

I smiled, seeing Journey. I put it on, and was rewarded with the steady tune of Faithfully. I knew that Sage would probably love this song, if she gave it a try. I honestly think the only songs she knew were like Beethoven or something old and classical like that. I needed to get her acquainted with more modern music. I put that on my to do list. One that was building up due to the fact that I felt the need to do a lot of things with Sydney. Music, eating an entire slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory, travelling to the beach on day…seeing her in a bikini, and, umm, so on. The list really did go on and on. I smiled to myself, thinking of the endless possibilities.

Of course, the whole sneaking around thing wasn't helping me accomplish much of the to do list. I usually saw her once a day, for an hour tops. She would be able to sneak over during her free study period, getting permission from Jackie, her mentor witch. Which reminded me, I glanced over at the clock, it was nearly midnight now, and I knew she had to be back from her little witch meeting. I sat comfortably on the couch, and brought the warming feeling of spirit to me. Using spirit, as bad as the side effects were, was so worth it. The feeling of complete and utter warmth and serenity it brought was something beyond what I would ever feel in the real world. Well, apart from being with Sage. But spirit was something else.

I knew she was sleeping. I felt her energy, and in a second, I was in her dreams. In our dream. I made the scene this time, morphing the dream into one of the coliseum in Rome. I knew she liked architecture, especially Greek. I'd been here once, when I was eleven. My father had a meeting in Rome, and my mother and I toured. I enjoyed the place, but I knew Sydney would enjoy it even more.

I found her, starring up at the coliseum in awe. She'd never seen it in person before, I knew that, and even though this was technically a spirit dream, and therefore not real, I knew it felt real.

"Adrian," she finally spoke, still looking over the building. "This is amazing."

I smiled, looking over her. She had on a pair of jeans and a white blouse. Her hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. And her face was more beautiful every time I saw it. As if she could tell I was starring, she finally glanced at me.

"I thought you'd like this." I told her.

Her smile grew. "Like it? I love it, Adrian."

Like that, I couldn't stand not being beside her. I closed the distance, taking a couple of steps, and pulled her into a tight embrace. I kissed her hair, and looked down at her. "How was the meeting?"

"It was incredible! I met everyone, and they seemed nice enough. We did a ritual, and used the elements. Well, not spirit, but the others. And Adrian, it felt amazing. Like everything was clear, and just perfect. I never felt that way before. Oh, and I also got a cloak that they made for me. All of them sewed a piece of fabric on to it. They all had one. And I chose a witch name. Iolanthe."

"Iolanthe?" I questioned, eyebrows raised.

She smirked. "It's Greek actually, for violet flower. It made me think of how you mentioned the purple in my aura, and with the lily. It just felt right to me."

"On second thought, you're right. It suits you perfectly. My little Lanthe." I joked.

She didn't think it was that funny. "I really prefer Sage as a nickname."

"I don't know, Lanthe has a ring to it." I tapped her nose with my finger.

"Adrian." She gave me a stern look. "No."

I laughed. "Ms. Bossy pants."

She finally gave in a smiled. "That name is only to be used for witch business. Not my personal life."

I sighed. "Fine. I shall only call you that when you are using magic. Like around Hopper, for instance." Hopper, our lovely pet dragon. "How is he by the way?"

"Still in my purse, actually." She frowned. "I should have taken him out and fed him before I got back. With Zoe here it's hard to find the time."

"Just bring him over tomorrow, we can have some quality bonding time."

"Bonding time? Are you sure this involves Hopper?" She eyed me.

"Not if you don't want it to." I leaned in closer to her, my hand moving down her back, creeping lower and lower. "His mom and dad do need to make sure to spend time together too."

She shivered as my hand stopped just low enough. "Adrian." She whispered.

My lips found her cheek, and they slowly moved down to her neck. She smelt amazing. She felt amazing. Man, she did things to me.

"Adrian," She whispered out again. "We need to, um, stop."

"Stop?" I asked, my lips still brushing over her skin. They got to her shoulder, earning me a small moan. "I'm rather enjoying myself."

"Ugh." She sighed. "Me too. Trust me, I am, but you know how using too much spirit will harm you. We can do this in real life. Tomorrow."

"I honestly don't know if I can wait that long." I told her, sighing and, to my own disappointment, pulling away. "But you're right, as per usual."

She placed those soft lips of hers onto my cheek, pulling back and eyeing me. "Trust me, this will continue. Just not here. Not now. You need to stop using spirit so much. You've checked in on me, that's what this dream was for. Not-"

"-making out?" I finished for her. Earning myself one of her adorable grins.

"Exactly." She nodded. I saw her eyeing the coliseum once again.

"One day, I will take us there. I'll add it to my to do list."

She raised an eyebrow. "To do list?"

I smirked. "My little secret."

She shook her head. "So what is that? Escape plan number fifty seven, travel to Rome and live in the coliseum?"

I laughed. "Yes. And sneak through, making sure to never get caught. Living the dangerous life of a coliseum hobo. Sounds like a good plan."

She snorted. "You really need some sleep."

I winked. "Fine. I can't wait for tomorrow."

"Me either." Suddenly, she stopped smiling. "Wait, I forgot to tell you something."

"What happened?" I asked, becoming serious.

"My parents…they're getting a divorce."

I nodded. "I know." She looked confused so I told her about how Zoe told us back at Clarence's. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm worried about Zoe though."

Of course she was, she wouldn't be my Sydney unless otherwise. This girl would put her friends and family above herself each time. I knew that. It also bothered me, she needed to look out for herself too.

She continued. "She's under eighteen, meaning the custody is still up for grabs. My dad wants her, and he will fight hard. He'll have the alchemists back up, as well as Zoe's, I hate to say. I don't want my dad to be in charge of her. My mom, she wants Zoe, and she wants to put her in a normal high school, away from the Alchemist life. I want that too. She's already too much like my dad, she worships him. And when this goes to court, because it will, she's going to choose him, I know it. I can't have that, I can't have him solely responsible for her. He'll turn her into a monster."

Seeing Sage like this, stressing over her family, made my heart ache. "What can I do?" I asked.

She looked up at me. "You can't do anything. This is my responsibility, I need to make Zoe realize that being with mom is better. I just need to do it in a way that will make her not hate me or report me to dad or the other Alchemists."

"You think she would do that to you?" I asked, suddenly more worried for her. "Your own sister?"

She slumped her shoulders. "I honestly hope she wouldn't, but deep down…I think she would. If she thought it was the Alchemist way." She bit her lip, a sign that I knew she was stressed out. "But I can't let him win. If he gets full control over her…"

"Hey," I said, tilting her head so that she made eye contact with me. "That won't happen. If there is anything that I am certain of, it's you and your ability to go through anything and come back stronger. You can do this, and I am here for you. I'll be here for you, no matter what. And I assure you, nothing will happen to you. I'll protect you, I promise."

With that, she kissed me. I was caught off guard for a second, but it didn't take me long to recover. Her lips moved over mine in a way that made my heart flutter, and my body tingle. Only she had this effect on me, just by a kiss. When her mouth opened, and my tongue made contact with hers, I was lost. I was lost in her. Her ability to do this to me, made me sure that we were right for each other, that there was no one out there that was more right for me.

As the kiss grew, I knew I had to end it or else it would go way further. And there was no way that I would let this happen in a spirit dream. "Sage," I groaned, my voice sounding thicker than I ever imagined it could.

"Yes?" She asked no louder than a whisper.

"If we don't stop now, I'm not sure that we will be able to."

With that, she reluctantly pulled away, searching my eyes. "How do you have such control?"

I smirked. "Trust me, I wish I didn't sometimes."

She smiled. "Get to bed."

"I wish I could get to yours." I told her, which earned me a blush.

"Adrian." She warned.

I chuckled, pulling fully away. "Have sweet dreams, Sage. And my sweet dreams I mean dream of me."

"Aren't I technically dreaming of you already?" She asked.

"Smartass." I replied, winking and ending the dream.

I came back to the real world, opening my eyes to my yellow living room. The clock read two am. Wow, that was longer than I intended. But worth it, I decided. Getting up off the couch, I glanced at my empty canvases. Still not sure of how to paint a self-representation of me, I gave up thinking and turned off the record player, which was not just a bunch of static. Stretching, I walked to my room, collapsing on my bed. Sleep usually didn't come easy to me, and now that the drink I had earlier was out of my system, I laid in bed not being able to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for over half an hour, I got up and went to the liquor cabinet. Opening it, I took hold of the bottle of tequila. My hand shook.

"No." I said aloud. I put the bottle back, and closed the cabinet. I started to walk back and forth from one side of my apartment to the other, and on about the eighteenth lap, I finally went back to my bedroom. Lying on my bed, I started to think about Sydney and how I first met her. Which got me thinking about Rose and therefore Lissa. Which in turn brought me back to my Aunt, the former Queen. Everyone seemed to hate her, except for me. Her death always sprung up on me almost every day, thinking of how she was murdered so cold bloodedly just got me angry.

No one understood me back when she was alive, she was the only one. She knew me, she believed in me. I saw her good side, and she saw mine. I missed her. I missed my mom. Every day, not talking to her aggravated me. My stupid father still wouldn't give me permission to see her. Family is what mattered. Sydney, the violet flower, I laughed out loud, was like my family. Her aura, the colors, it shone. Like the sun. She was the only sun that I could handle. Not the real one. That would hurt.

I snapped out of it. It being spirit. Sitting up, I took a deep breath. Ramblings, moving from one thought to another, this was what I dealt with. It felt like it was me, but wasn't. Like my mind wasn't my own. These thoughts and spirits controls were becoming more frequent for me. It was happening on a daily basis. I knew this, yet spirit was like an addiction. I couldn't just stop using it. It was a part of me, side effects included.

I laid back down. Closing my eyes, I pictured Sydney's face. Her eyes, that always looked so serious, so sure. Those lips, the ones that tasted like heaven. Her hair, that shined and lit up my world. Everything about her. And with that, I let go of my worries, my thoughts, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.