Before
"NO. Get it out of your head already. It's not happening." I repeated for like the fourth time this afternoon. I dared a glance at my best friend Lissa's face and immediately regretted it. The light was hitting her hair and casting off an angelic glow that gave her normally blonde hair an even more ethereal appearance. Her luminescent green eyes were boring into mine as they pleaded for me to cave in. I eyed her suspiciously. Surely, I thought, she would not dare use compulsion on me.
"Come on Rose, please? When was the last time we went out just the two of us? You know you want to deep down. I am just voicing aloud your inner desires. Embrace the temptation." She persisted as her lower lip jutted out slightly giving new meaning to "the puppy dog look". I groaned and headed into the kitchen of our shanty two bedroom apartment. I opened the fridge, not because I had the urge to eat, which is unusual, but because I wanted something to glare at that wouldn't pout. I studied the nearly empty carton of milk, box of Yoplait yogurt that Lissa is obsessed with, and a pound of ground beef with disdain. I could see another grocery run in my future.
"Did you eat the last of the Ramen?" I asked ignoring her whining. She walked over to the cabinet, reached in, and plucked out my favorite flavor. My world brightened.
"If you want, we can grab a bite on the way to the karaoke bar." She mentioned in a not-so-subtle way. I set down the deliciousness with a regretful sigh and turned to face her.
"As much as I want to go out there and have a wild time like at St. Vlad's, it just won't work here. We have to keep a low profile and it is my job to protect you Liss. I cannot guarantee your safety in overly populated areas. You know this is what's right." I told her frustrated with having to tell her no. Her face fell with disappointment and resignation. The truth was, I was itching to go out and just be carefree for a while, but my own selfish wants don't compare with Lissa's protection.
"I know Rose. It's just been so long since we had a girl's night or just really hung out in a normal way you know? Always being on the run like this isn't easy for me. Especially with the academy being there, threatening to find us at any time, and you know I am not always energetic enough." She spoke softly. My will flattened as my panic rose.
"When was the last time we had a feeding?" I demanded. She grimaced as if realizing how hungry she was. "C'mon Liss. Let's just get it over with." Her mouth opened involuntarily as I swept my dark hair back over one shoulder, exposing my throat. I sat down on the bar and waited with subconscious anticipation. Being a vampire with no blood was not the best idea so I tried to keep on a schedule for feedings, but I am not the most schedule-oriented person. She hesitated only a second before her mouth found its way to my neck. I gasped in pain as her fangs cut my skin, but then a rush of endorphins flooded me and everything was right in the world. Time seemed to stand still in such a blissful state. After a short time, she parted and I felt a pang of sadness overcome me as the sensation of the high faded somewhat. She gave me a once over to check how I was coping. I tried to smile reassuringly at her, but when she started giggling I figured I was still expressing the after-effects.
"You okay Rose?" She questioned worriedly. I blinked a couple times and I'm fairly certain I gave her thumbs up, but apparently the message comes across different when you use your middle finger. "Oh my. You stay put and I am going to get you a glass of milk." The several Lissa's muttered as dizziness gave my vision a kaleidoscope view. I began to hum a mix between "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons and "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore. Soon Lissa returned with some milk which I chugged down greedily, and then she led me to the living room so I could lie down on the couch. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.
"Lissa?" I asked. I heard movement and what sounded like something, maybe a book, flopping onto the table.
"Yes Rose?" She replied. I knew I was going to regret this.
"Do you really want to go out tonight?" I wondered. There was an intake of breath with a hesitant confirmation. "Okay. Then go get ready. Fifteen minutes then we're out of here." She squealed in excitement then I felt arms around me in one of those bone-crushing best friend hugs that only happen when you give them what they want. Then she inspected me to make sure I was back to normal and serious then proceeded to her room for preparation. I smiled but felt my forehead crease with worry. How can I keep her safe?
I gobbled down some noodles then went to my room to get dressed. I picked out a red slinky number in admiration, but wistfully returned it to the closet. I settled on some black skinny jeans, a grey tank top, and a leather jacket to go with the new boots Lissa bought me. I thought the dark colors would go well with my tan complexion. I went over to the mirror to see what I had to work with. My russet eyes had faint bags under them for the night watches I have been doing to keep her from harm's way. Not that she knew about that. I applied some foundation to cover the worst of it as well as some mascara and I was good to go. I headed to the living room to find Lissa there giddy with happiness. I shook my head and tried not to laugh unsuccessfully. We hooked arms and headed out for an unexpected night.
LPOV
I couldn't believe it. She had actually said yes! I was starting to feel like Rapunzel locked in a tower which isn't really being fair considering Rose was just looking out for me, but I was going stir crazy in that apartment and we forgot to pay the Netflix bill, so I was horribly lost without my Dr. Who episodes to keep me sane. I glanced around the ladies room and frowned. They were out of paper towels. How inconsiderate! I thought unhappily as I wiped water on my skirt. The door opened and a stormy looking Rose walked in and marched over to where I was at the sinks. I could see the tension in her shoulders and knew she was going to let me have it.
"Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir, where have you been? Why didn't you at least grab my attention before you decided to leave the room?" She paused taking a breath. "And another thing, I thought that you were into that guy. Wasn't his name Alfredo?" She asked momentarily distracted. I gave her a small smile.
"No Rose his name was Alejandro and I danced with him like one time." I reminded her. For a guardian, she had a bad tendency to space out about random things. She ran her hand through her hair and appeared flustered. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Rose. Next time I have to pee I will come find you and tell you." I promised. She smirked at me for that.
"You don't have to hunt me down or anything, just knock over a speaker or something if you see I'm not paying attention." She replied visibly more relaxed. I nodded and assured her once more that I would be careful and not leave the crowd again, before we returned to the karaoke bar. We walked back in and the strobe lights were flickering, casting shadows of dancing figures on the walls. The DJ was mixing some beats on the turn table to some Rihanna song while a group of drunken girls were popping and dropping in ways that made me blush and avert my gaze. I heard Rose chuckle and looked up to see her eyeing the spectacle with distaste. The wobble came on and I turned to Rose excitedly. It was one of the few dances I knew. She looked at me dubiously. The bond was only one-way but if it wasn't I would swear she was thinking don't even think about it Liss. I grinned mischievously and made my way to the line being formed by a group of people. As I danced to the song I couldn't help laughing and having a great time. At one point I noticed Rose in a corner of the room with an untouched glass of tequila in her hand as she bobbed her head to the beat to give the illusion of dancing. She was surveying the area suspiciously, but her eyes would flicker back to me every few seconds. I sent calming thoughts through the bond and her lips flattened into a hard line as she rolled her eyes. I snickered and made my way over to her.
"What's wrong? You seem stressed." I told her concerned. She smiled and shook her head.
"It's nothing Liss really. I am just tired. Last night I stayed up kind of late plus with earlier…" She responded not needing to continue. The feeding has drained her strength I thought compassionately.
"Well if you aren't feeling well we can go back now," I offered. "The night is dwindling down anyway." It was actually just getting started but if Rose needed rest, then that's what she would get, no matter how much I wanted to stay.
"Okay Lissa if you're sure." She replied hesitantly. I nodded my encouragement and led her to the exit.
RPOV
I can't believe how stupid I was to let her out of my sight. Anything could have happened and I would never forgive myself if she was hurt! I seethed. I cast another glance at her to ease my tension slightly. I couldn't allow myself to be so irresponsible again. What would have happened if there were Strigoi? I had never seen one before, but I could probably take one out pretty quickly. Our apartment isn't too far away so we had agreed that walking would be fine. It's not as if there is someone in Chicago whose ass I couldn't kick if they tried to touch us. No, we have more concerning enemies to be wary of. I shuddered away from thoughts of the threat we had left behind at our old school St. Vladimir's Academy. Ever since I had broken the two of us out in the attempt to evade the mysterious threat, we have been on the run from the school. It's not really me they are hoping to capture, although Headmistress Kirova would surely love to drag me back to dole out her own special punishment. They are after Lissa, or should I say Princess Lissa, the last in her line of royalty. The Moroi have a ton of royals, but I will get to them later. Now that we are away I have to be extra careful or we could draw the attention of our chasers. We were walking along the sidewalk when suddenly I became aware of a man not too far behind us, who had not been there before. My entire body tensed and I led Lissa down the next road. It was a longer route, but I figured evasion was our best bet. He might not even be following us. I thought. But I'm not taking any chances. I took a sharp left turn down a residential neighborhood and I could feel Lissa's questioning gaze lingering on my face. I ignored her for the moment and dared a peek behind me to see the figure rapidly approaching. I picked up the pace and gripped Lissa's arm so she would keep up. Rose? What's going on? Lissa's voice spoke into my head panicked. I pointedly glanced behind us then shook my head at her so she would know it wasn't safe to look. She nodded to show she understood and I could feel her anxiety growing. There was a park to our right, but I knew it wasn't wise to stray from the street, so we continued down our path. I nearly skidded to a halt when I saw another person up ahead leaning against a light pole. The height and bulk indicated male but that wasn't what had me stopping. Behind the man, were another two or three people obscured behind various cars and trash bins. The loss of blood from Lissa's bite hadn't left me in peak physical condition not to forget the stalker man from before was gaining on me and Lissa, so I had no choice but to enter the park at a light jog.
"Rose what is happening?" Lissa whispered frantically as we maneuvered our way past swing sets.
"People our following us. We need to go as fast and far away as we can." I replied scanning the area.
"Does this mean we will have to leave Chicago and the apartment?" Lissa asked biting her lip nervously.
"We may have no choice." I responded grimly. We came to a jungle gym where we took a break to regroup and decide the next course of action. Lissa was breathing heavily, her cheeks a light pink from the exertion. I too was breathing harder than normal thanks to my blood loss. I put one hand against the bars to steady myself and was mentally pondering logistics of carrying the Lissa the rest of the way if need be when I heard the growling. I snapped around and saw beady yellow eyes watching our every move. There were at least a dozen. Psi-hounds.
"R-rose, is that…" Lissa asked trembling. I couldn't respond. One of the hounds cocked its head at me, almost as if it were wondering Well, now what are you going to do? Another one was slowly approaching Lissa a low growl building up. Lissa's fear spiked and I felt my whole being respond. Next thing I knew, I was staring at myself in horror as a psi-hound was getting closer to me, or should I say Lissa. I was in her head again. She kept glancing at my now frozen form, not responding as she yelled at me for help. I groaned in frustration as I pulled and willed myself to break free from Lissa's head. Nothing was happening and I could feel her prepare to fend off the now crouching psi-hound. I was yanked back to own head. I was momentarily disoriented, but quickly jumped into the fray as the psi-hound pounced at Lissa. She shrieked in terror as its claws found my arm. I cursed under my breath but blocked the next swipe with a swift kick to its muzzle. The others apparently had enough of being on the sidelines and decided to assist their friend.
"Lissa run!" I screamed as two came at me at once. I dodged one that had came at me jaws open, but the other one was more tricky. It went between my legs and knocked me over. I responded in excellent time and was back on me feet, but not before another one came from behind me and tackled me. The bastard. I rolled over and swung with all of my might at the mutt. It yelped and skittered back momentarily incapacitated. I heard Lissa gasp and turned in time to see two headed her way. My eyes tinged red. I bolted over to the swings where three followed suit. I grabbed the chains as one jumped me. I quickly had the chains around its neck and it fell limp to the ground. The next one wasn't as easy to subdue, but it too fell to the ground. The third one was the one I had punched and seemed to anticipate my moves. Lissa screamed and my eyes flew to her, giving the psi-hound the opportunity to knock me breathless on the ground. I put my hands around its throat and twisted sharply to the right. Its weight relaxed onto me and I rolled the body off in disgust and raced over to Lissa. One was on top of her and I reached over and plucked it off. While I was engaged with the one, the other had come for me and clamped its jaws around my ankle. I yelled out in pain and managed to kick it with the other foot. It backed up then heard a noise from behind him and took off. All the other psi-hounds followed. The one that had attacked Lissa must not have heard it because it kept advancing. I could feel throbbing in my ankle but I pushed all thought of pain out as the beast launched itself at me. We rolled in the dirt and a rock ripped my jacket. I couldn't help but feel a moment of regret over the loss of such a badass jacket. The psi-hound was inches from my face and I was barely holding it back. I could feel its breath and see the inside of its mouth as it hovered above me struggling to get to my throat. I wondered if this would be the end. No, I thought angrily. I can't let it touch Lissa.
Lissa suddenly started whistling.
"Come here Kujo! Come on you ugly mutt! What are you waiting for? It's me you want not her!" Lissa yelled at the psi-hound. It jerked its head in her direction giving me a golden opportunity to put my hands around its neck and twist with a final crack. I lay back as Lissa rushed forward and shoved it off of me. "Rose we have to move! Come on!" She told me as she tried to shift me erect. I gasped as my ankle hit the ground with my weight. She put her arm around me and we hobbled out of the park. A tan suburban was going by and came to a halt went it saw us. Here it comes. I thought. They are finally going to get us. I'm sorry Liss.
"Oh my God! Steven, look at these girls! Please come inside and we will take you to the emergency room." A middle aged woman insisted as she saw our injuries. We glanced at each other and nodded. We let them take us to St. Christopher's Medical Center and only when we were behind locked doors, all bandaged up, did I finally believe we were safe.
"Rose, you saved my life." Lissa told me in the next hospital bed over.
"If you recall, you saved mine too." I pointed out. She rolled her eyes.
"You mean when I shrieked at the animal until it looked at me then yes I suppose that counts as breaking its neck." She said sarcastically. I regarded her seriously.
"You caused a distraction which allowed me to break free. If not for that, I don't know if I could have gotten away. You saved my life, Liss." I informed her. She blushed.
"Well how about we call it even?" She suggested. I nodded then calmly waited until she was snoozing before I succumbed to sleep myself, a small smile on my face.
The next morning I woke up and stretched my arms with a yawn. I looked over to see Lissa grinning at me. I returned it then hopped out of bed.
"Okay, time to go." I said leaning down to put on my shoes.
"Where are we going?" She questioned. I pondered that for a minute.
"How about the Bahamas? Sounds like it would be a lot of fun. I doubt the academy would look for us there." I recommended. She snorted and rolled her eyes.
"How about we go somewhere where we can go to school?" She asked. Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.
"They have schools in the Bahamas. I think." I pointed out.
"You just don't want to go to school."She countered. I didn't disagree.
"True, but why would we want to go somewhere we had broken out of?"
"It won't be like the academy Rose. We could go live on a college campus and enroll with other students. You could be around more people and I could go to classes like I want." Lissa said giving perfect reasoning to her plan. I sighed knowing I had been defeated.
"Okay Liss." I responded, suddenly knowing exactly where we could go. "How about Portland?"