Hey. My first fanfic so please take that to heart. This was one of the ideas I had for Rose while in denial that Dimitri was Strigoi. They other ideas weren't so nice. Whatever. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I am not Richelle Mead. I, sadly, don't own any of the wonderful character.
I had set out to kill the man I love more than a month ago. Once I had finally reached Missoula via hitch-hiking, I had gotten enough money from Adrian's bank account to go to Siberia to track him down. After a couple weeks of searching I gave up on Russia. Even after being so sure I was right about Russia, I'd decided that whatever small part of Dimitri that was still fighting the Strigoi wouldn't want his family to see him turned, or, as the Strigoi called it, awakened.
From there I traveled to Portland, the first place he met me, as I had blamed myself for his predicament. But I gave up on Oregon, too. There was only one place left for me to look with any idea where he could be, Spokane. Spokane; the stuff of my nightmares. I hated that city with a deep, murderous passion. I mean, I'd gotten over Mason, but the memory of me killing things, dreadful. They were trying to kill me, but, I could have ran, Mason would be alive, and I would be a normal girl, or as normal as you can get a shadow-kissed, half vampire, smartass, 18-year-old girl.
It killed me to think about the Spokane incident, but I needed to come to terms with it as I was on a plane there already. I felt the shapes fighting for me to see them, the ghosts appearing, but I ignored it. It was harder on a plane, it always was, but I had gained some control over my link to the spirit world and I could somewhat block them out. Enough, at least, to fall asleep.
Once I fell asleep, I started to dream that I was in my old dorm room at St. Vlad's. But as I started to get settled into my bed I looked at my attire. I was wearing my chotki on my left wrist, seeing the Dragomir symbol made my heart hurt a little. As an anklet I was wearing a simple silver chain with my nazar, my personal ward against evil, as a pendant. I wore the tight, black dress that I wore the night of Victor Dashkov's lust charm. That night made my heart hurt even more than the Dragomir symbol had, which was completely taboo, because I should care, and be more protective of Lissa. But now, well, I just couldn't. Dimitri, gorgeous, wonderful, Dimitri, was just too big a part of my life.
But I hated these dreams. Adrian forced them upon me when he wanted to talk to me. But after the Strigoi attack on the school they had ceased for a while. Because Adrian drank so much after the attack and was perpetually blocked from spirit, or just because he didn't want to see me, I didn't know. I had a hunch he wasn't here just to have a casual talk. It was probably some scheme to get me home or a message from Lissa. I didn't care. I didn't want to talk to anyone.
"Adrian?" I called out tentatively; ready to tell him to let me back into the black oblivion of sleep.
But I shock when not Adrian, but Lissa, walked into the room. "Lissa? Is it really you?" I was far to shocked to say much more. I had been locking out Lissa's feeling for long enough that I didn't realize she had learned to perform Adrian's obnoxious trick. Of course it might not be so bad if his sexual harassment wasn't part of it.
"Yep. It really is me. Didn't you feel it when I finally got walking in dreams down? I was ecstatic. You should have felt it right away." She seemed trouble by my shock and not so obvious anger at being forced to talk to people. I hadn't really talked to someone with meaning since Dimitri was taken. And I didn't want to talk now.
"Well, maybe I didn't want to feel you." I gave her my best look of contempt I could manage. "What do you want? I really have to get up soon." I really did have to get up soon. The plane was sure to land soon. And I felt bad being mean to her so I had to get out soon.
"What's your problem?" Anger flitted across her beautiful features. "Been away from people for so long that you forgot the simplest manners?" She tried to project total disdain but I knew her well enough I could see the longing in her eyes.
"No, but I really don't want to talk about anything."
"Where are you?" She asked, trying to catch my eyes. Trying to use compulsion I realized.
I had to pretend to try to resist but yield before she turned her full power on me. "You don't need to know." I sounded anger, but with an edge of uncertainties.
"Please?" Her wonderful eyes board into my dark ones.
Telling her where I was starting to seem like a completely wonderful idea, but I had to resist, "I'm on my way to Siberia to find Dimitri." His name sent a horrible longing through me.
"Adrian said you already went there." She had seen right through my lie.
"And how does the wonderful Adrian know I'm not lying to him?" It was so low of me to lie like this but I had to keep them away. The new, horrible Dimitri had to stay away from my friends.
I could see her uncertainty falter under my impressive lying abilities that only Dimitri could see through well enough to call me on them. "But... don't you care about us… why won't you come home? We all really miss you, even Christian." I smiled at that thought. Christian missing me. The only one he would miss is Lissa.
"As if. He doesn't care. He only says that because he sees you in pain so it hurts him. It has nothing to do with me." But somehow these words didn't ring true. I didn't know why.
"He does! He wants his impulsive, cocky trial guardian back! He's actually been killed a few times now because the other novices are incompetent." She was starting to plead; I had to get out of there. Or I would really cave in and tell her where I was headed.
"Whatever." I turned towards the door and yanked it open and Lissa yelled for me not to. Apparently Lissa hadn't created much more for me to dream in than my dorm because outside the room was a black abyss. It almost seemed like it was calling my name and was promising numbness from the pain I was in. I leaned forward welcoming it. But small hands grabbed my arms and yanked me back into the room.
Lissa and I fell onto the floor together. "Don't go out there. If you had asked me I would have ended it. You probably have to track down Dimitri." She injected those words with all the venom she could muster and it sounded totally wrong coming out of her delicate lips.
But before I could respond I found myself waking up. The flight was short and we were landing. My head ache was lessening and I could function better. Finally, after a bunch of announcements from the flight crew, I stumbled off the plane. Ugh, Spokane was a lame as I remember it to be. Walking out of the airport I left in search of the bus station I'd come in while looking for Mason.
After questioning a few people I finally got a list of a few of the bus stations in Spokane. I hitch-hiked and finally, after trail and error, found the one I was looking for. I didn't know the way to the mall but a friendly lady at a help desk was more than happy to point me in the right direction. I thanked her and went on my way. Finally, in what seemed to be a lot longer of a time than with Christian, I reached the mall. It looked exactly the same as it had when I was last here, just, I don't know; darker? It was a little bizarre.
I entered the building and, after some searching, found the tunnels that I was looking for. I snuck down into them. They were the same dark, concrete tunnels I remembered from my last trip. When I found the letters on the wall: D, B, C, O, T, D, V, L, D, Z, S, I; I just about started crying. This list brought back a horrible stream of memories that I had held back since I had bought the plane ticket in Portland.
But then I noticed a slash by the first letter, D, Dragomir, the smallest royal family, Lissa's family. From what I gathered last time a slash meant an attack coming up. I had figured this because the only ones with crosses by them were the families that had been attacked. Maybe Lissa's attack was the attack on the school. I had no idea. But I didn't want my best friend, no matter how pissed she was at me, dead. I was in the middle of my little internal pity party when I became nauseous. Exactly the way I felt when Strigoi were around.
Yay!!! Cliffie. I know. Got to hate them, but still love them. I almost have the second chapter done. It just needs more, lots more, details. I'll work on it tonight.
Lots of thanks to Sam, for I give a huge cyber hug. Without you I wouldn't have every put this out here.
Hope you enjoy. Now I need some pie. Ugh.
Oh. And reviews would help me on my way to faster chapters!!