We were sitting around in the same places as the night before when we finished the second book of this strange series about our lives. It was the second one in Rose's point of view; they had given us two sets. One in Rose's point of view and one in mine. We had to read the book in Rose's point of view first and then read the same book in my point of view right after. I was a bit shocked after listening to Rose's thoughts in Frostbite; she really was a better person than me. I wished we could skip this book in my point of view; all it's going to do is hurt Rose and make everyone see what an asshole I am. I sighed, not letting any of my emotions show on my face. "Alright, let's get this show on the road." Lissa proclaimed.

Rose laughed, turning to me she said. "Yeah, I really wanna know what was going through your head at this time, Comrade." I gave her a small smile, already bracing myself. "Who wants to read?" Rose asked.

"I will." I said, wearily. She handed me the book and studied my face with curious eyes, I hoped she didn't see what was making me upset. I started reading.

I stood under the massive brick building's shadows. Waiting for Rose to arrive. She was assigned to take a test that all novices do. It was known as the Qualifier. Every novice takes it their junior year. Rose was a senior and had yet to take it. She had escaped the Academy along with her Moroi best friend Lissa Dragomir. It took everything to get her back, thanks to me and my team of guardians. If it weren't for us Rose and Lissa would still be on the run. It had just begun to snow, light, crystalline flakes drifted gently down.

"Wow, Comrade." Rose teased. "I didn't realize you had such a poetic mind."

"He always has." My mother inserted proudly. I blushed as she beamed at me. "Though he insists on keeping it hidden." I didn't respond to either of them, knowing they would be so proud and teasing later. I glanced around and took in the sight of the six couches around me with my closest friends n them. Christian, Lissa, my mother, Viktoria, Rose's parents, Adrian, Sydney, my grandmother, Mia, and Eddie. They said more people would join us later but I couldn't imagine who else there could be. I sighed and continued reading.

Melting as they made contact with the wet Earth. I stood in front of a Honda Pilot. A car that Rose and I will be driving in for the next five hours. High up guardians visited at the Academy, and met individually to discuss students' commitment to being guardians. Rose was scheduled to meet with Arthur Schoenberg, a friend of mine, and someone I highly respect. Rose arrived, her profile coming into view as she rushed towards me, late like usual. A couple months ago I had fallen for her, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to stop those feelings from pouring out of me.

Every woman in the room smiled at me. I grimaced inside, waiting for the disapproval.

It was only a week now that I finally took hold of them. I kept repeating the phrase: It's the right thing. Rose needed a teacher that was strict, understanding, determined and much much more. And those simple four words had prevented my feelings from leaking through the cracks. "I know, I know. Sorry I'm late." I couldn't help but wonder why she was late. But instantly reminded myself that it didn't matter. I was Rose's teacher and mentor and that was it. There was nothing more to it.

I could see Rose frowning out of the corner of my eye, mulling over my past thoughts. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly to my chest, I had to make her see that I loved her more than anything. Also try to make her not read too much into anything I say.

"Who else is going?" She asked, the snowflakes landing on her dark hair, melting instantly.

I shrugged. "Just you and me."

"How far away is it?" I could see the old attraction in her eyes. The feeling of wanting something we couldn't have had taken over both of us. And the feelings had burst out when Victor Dashkov put a lust charm on us. It was cruel of him, and wouldn't have worked unless both victims had feelings for each other. And back then I did have feelings for her. They still remained locked up, but I knew they were still there, growing stronger and stronger. "Five hours."

"Oh." We got into the car, Rose sat in the passenger seat while I drove. The dim, snowy roads would have been difficult for humans to navigate but were no problem for our dhampir eyes. It was a while before any of us spoke. Silence falling heavy in the car. "Don't they usually come to the Academy? I mean, I'm all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?" Rose asked.

"Actually, you're just going to a him, not a them. Since this is a special case and he's doing us a favor, we're the ones making the trip."

"Who is he?"

"Arthur Schoenberg."

She jerked her gaze from the road to me. "What?" She squeaked.I knew why she was so shocked. Arthur was a legend. He was one of the great Strigoi slayers in all of guardian history. And used to be the head of the Guardian's Council. He eventually retired and gone back to protecting one of the royal families, the Badicas. "Wasn't…wasn't there anyone else available?" She asked in a small voice.

I tried my best to hide the smile that was playing at my lips. "You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that's a great recommendation to have on your record." Silence fell in the car once again. By the way I saw her body tense out of the corner of my eye I knew she was nervous. I needed to calm her down, it was my job to do such a thing. "You'll be fine. " I repeated. "The good in your record outweighs the bad." I could see the corners of her lips tighten up in a smile. She turned her face towards me, sneaking a peak that she thought only she knew about. After a long moment she averted her gaze. "Thanks, Coach." She teased as she snuggled back into the seat.

"I'm here to help." I replied. I found myself relaxing more as we traveled down the snowy road. Something that didn't happen often, I was usually tense and ready for action. But like in the van, that Rose and I had taken when we escorted Lissa to the mall, I relaxed. Not much can happen in a car when it's in motion. Although my eyes were still darting back and forth as we passed tall looming trees.

"Geez, Comrade. Take a breather." Rose muttered, "I don't want you worrying yourself to death." She said that last part with so much love and concern that I kissed her on the cheek and brought her even closer.

"I think you need a drink to relax." Adrian drawled, slurring his words as he spoke. "Here have some of mine." Eddie, Mia,Christian, Rose, Abe and Viktoria laughed while Janine, my mother, my grandmother, and Lissa looked at him reproachfully. I just smiled.

"No thanks, buddy. I think I'm good." He just shrugged and took another swig. I turned to Rose and she smiled while everyone waited impatiently for me to continue.

"You know what would really help?" Rose asked.

"Hmm?"

"If you turned off this crap music and put on something that came out before the Berlin Wall went down."

I laughed. "Your worst class is history, yet somehow, you know everything about Eastern Europe."

"Hey, gotta have material for my jokes, Comrade."

Still smiling, I turned the radio dial. To a country station. Knowing what her reaction would be. I was the mentor and she was the student. Who's to say that I can't torture her?

"Hey this isn't what I had in mind." She exclaimed.

I was on the verge of laughing again. "Pick. It's one or the other."

She sighed. "Go back to the 1980s stuff." I flipped the dial as she crossed her arms over her chest. The song: Video Killed the Radio Star boomed through the Honda. Arthur and the Badicas lived in a small town along I-90, not far from the Billings. Some of the Moroi world believed that big cities were best since they allowed vampires to be lost in the crowds; that their nocturnal schedules didn't raise suspicion. Others opted for less populated towns, believing that if there were fewer people to notice you, then you were less likely to be noticed. Rose convinced me to stop for food at a twenty-four hour diner along the way. I had to admit I was hungry as well. The only other stop we made was to buy gas, It was around noon when we arrived. The house was built in a rambler style, all on level with gray stained wood sliding and big bay windows-tinted to block. It was new and expensive- the royals had no problem with money. It was located out in the middle of the forest. Away from the population and curious eyes. Rose jumped down from the Pilot. She and I walked up to the house, following a river rock sidewalk that cut through the front yard. Careful of my footing as I walked, I knew there would be patches of ice along the rocky sidewalk. Rose slipped on the ice, proving my theory. I instantly reached out to steady her. In that moment I had the weird feeling of déjà vu, flashing back to the first night we'd met, when I had saved her from the similar fall. I held on to her a moment longer.

Letting go I asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she casting accusing eyes at the icy sidewalk. "Haven't these people heard of salt?"

I suddenly stopped walking. Salt..I remembered the time when Arthur told me that he hated it when people didn't ice the roadways or sidewalks. He had once done it himself when one of his charges didn't. This shouldn't have been any different. Something was wrong. I looked around the broad white plains that were surrounding us, before turning my attention back on the house. Rose stayed silent besides me, knowing that now wasn't the time to ask questions. I studied the building, looking down at the icy sidewalk. Arthur said he was going to be here, I had talked on the phone with him the other night. There should be no reason for him not to be here. Let alone salt the sidewalk. I glanced at the driveway, covered in a sheet of snow broken only by our footprints. I approached the front door, I could hear Rose's footsteps in tow. I stopped again, this time to study the door. It had been broken into, the lock on it shattered, as if someone slammed their body up against the door. Closer observation showed scuffs along the door's edge. I lightly ran my fingers along where the door met its frame. When I touched the door's handle it jiggled, it had most definitely been broken into. "Rose, go wait in the car."

"But, wh-"

"Go." I filled that word with power, making her back up as she retreated down the lawn and to the Honda. She was safe, that's all that mattered to me.

"That's so sweet, Dimitri." Rose murmured. "I love you, but all that mattered to me was that you were safe." I gave her a light, but love filled kiss.

"As I love you, but don't worry about me." She shot me a look. I sighed and turned back to the book.

As soon as I heard the door shut to the pilot I pushed the door open, moving inside. There wasn't as much damage as I had expected. But that didn't stop me from observing every room. There were claw marks here and there against the wall, as if someone had slashed at something I touched them, they were set deep in the chestnut wood. As I made my way to the back of the house I noticed a broken window, the snow drifting in from it. And bodies. I realized now that it had been Strigoi, how they got past the wards was beyond me. Concerned I made my way out of the house. Ready to protect Rose. I didn't know if the intruders were still here, but instincts ran too strong. I looked at the Pilot, not surprised when I saw that it's door was wide open. It was sunny out, she couldn't be in trouble. Why didn't she ever listen to me? Following Rose's footsteps and to the back of the house. Where the bodies were. I found her standing still as a statue, inside the house, taking in the horrible scene. I could tell by her posture that she was about to let a scream escape her. Quickly I put a gloved hand over her mouth. Closing the scream. She started to struggle. And after a moment realized that it was me. "Why don't you ever listen? You'd be dead if they were still here." She didn't make any attempts to answer me. Even with my hand over her mouth. After a long moment I removed my hand, but stayed close to her. Ready to protect her if anything decided to jump out at us. There was a dead women, Lady Badica, and a man, Lord Badica, and their child, a small body that was slumped beside the couch. Across the room as another. And another. Bodies and blood everywhere.

A few minutes passed before she turned around to face me. "It's daytime." She whispered. "Bad things don't happen in the day." There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Bad things can happen anytime. And this didn't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple nights ago." Rose peeked at the bodies. She glanced at a man's body near the room's entrance to the hallway. Sudden realization kicked in. "Arthur Schoenberg." I said.

She continued to stare at him. "He's dead. How can he be dead? How could a Strigoi kill Arthur Schoenberg?" I didn't answer. I had noticed something shining in her hand before I even entered. Although it didn't occur to me, until now, that it was a stake. My hand traveled down, closing around the hand that held the stake. She flinched.

"Where did you get this?" She loosened her grip, letting me take it from her.

"Outside. In the ground."

I held up the stake, studying the surface as it shone in the sunlight. A stake in the ground could only mean one thing. "It broke the ward." Wards were magic rings cast by Moroi.

"Ugh!" Viktoria exclaimed. "Your almost as bad as Rose with all the explaining things that we already now." I ignored her.

Like the stakes, they were made using magic from all four of the elements. They required strong Moroi magic-users, often a couple for each element. The wards could block Strigoi because magic was charged with life, and the Strigoi had none. But wards faded quickly and took a lot of maintenance. Most Moroi didn't use them, but certain places kept them up. St. Vladimir's Academy was ringed with several. There had been a ward here, but it had been shattered when someone drove the stake through it. Their magic conflicted with each other, making the stake win.

"Strigoi can't touch stakes. And no Moroi or dhampir would do it."

She was right, but moroi, dhampirs, and strigoi weren't the only species on this planet. "A human might." I stated looking down at her.

She met my eyes. "Human's don't help Strigoi-" She stopped. I saw realization flash in her brown eyes. Realizing that strigoi weren't limited to the sunlight and magic if they had a human to help them. I was still ready for anything to attack. But watching her wage this mental battle made me have sympathy.

Rose shot me a glare at that last word.

She was too young to be witnessing death. This incident would affect her life forever, no novice her age should be seeing the things she had. And because of this, was the reason why she was going to make a kick ass guardian. She was already dealing with death at a very young age. Who knew what she will be dealing with in a year or so?

"This changes everything, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it does."

Chapter 2

"Alright who wants to read the next chapter?" I looked around the room.

"I will." My grandmother announced, Rose grinned at her. I looked wary, I really didn't want her to dive into my mind. She began.

I pulled out my cell phone, dialing the head of the Guardian Council. Reporting what had happened at the Badica house. They said they'd be here in a couple of hours. Rose left me in the house, saying that she was going to wait out in the car. I examined the house further, trying to see if there was any evidence on who the strigoi might be. For instance hair, fingernails, skin cells. But to my dismay, nothing was left. Sighing I decided to join Rose. We didn't, but that was okay. I was lost in thought anyways. I was lost in thought anyways. Thinking about how this incident was going to change the moroi world. Never before had humans worked with strigoi. Never before had they even known they'd existed. As Rose said: this changes everything. Finally the first group of guardians showed up, I opened the car door and glanced over at Rose. "You should see how this is done." I figured since all this happened Rose should receive somewhat of her test. She needed to graduate, and I was determined to make that happen. She hesitated for a moment and then got out of the car to follow me. I knew the guardians that had arrived. Some I went to school with, the others I met when guarding moroi. They were surprised to find a novice on the scene, but none of them protested Rose's presence. She walked behind us as the guardians examined the house. They didn't touch anything but they knelt by the bodies and studied the bloodstains and broken windows. I had discovered earlier that the strigoi had entered the house through more than just the front door and back patio. The guardians discussed what was best to do about the situation. They asked me how this had all happened, how they had managed to get through the wards. I reported telling them that it was most likely humans. I was positive. Tamara, the only girl in the group of guardians, knelt down next to Arthur. She was my age, we had guarded the same moroi for years. She had black hair that barely touched her shoulders. Sadness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied the dead guardian's face. "Oh, Arthur." She sighed. "Never thought I'd see this day. He was my mentor." With another sigh Tamara rose.

"I could never have kept that calm if it were you." Rose murmured. "I didn't, I wish I could have the kind of control that you have. I know you all would've been calmer." I looked at her, shocked. And I wasn't the only one. She glanced up at our expressions and did a double take. "What?"

"You really think that I would have been able to keep calm? I would have freaked out; I would've cried and killed things." This time it was her looking at me like I'd grown a second head. She shook her head slowly, not believing my words. I grabbed her tightly and pulled her onto my lap. "Don't ever think that I could live a second without you without losing my mind." I kissed her passionately and then montioned for my grandmother to continue.

I had known her well enough to remember her mentioning Arthur. Back then I was shocked that she had possessed such skills. Later on learning that Arthur was the answer behind that. I could see Rose tense. She was at a distance from me but that didn't stop me from noticing the way her muscles flexed. I prepared for Rose's outburst. "How could they do that?" She blurted out. Six sets of eyes turned to her. I was curious as to what she was going to say next. "How could they kill him?"

Tamara gave a small shrug. "The same way they kill everyone else. He's mortal, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, but he's..you know, Arthur Schoenberg."

Time for her test. "You tell us, Rose. You've seen the house. Tell us how they did it." I said.
She took a moment to think about my question. Finally she spoke, and I knew she was going to be correct, by the flash of realization in her eyes. "There were four points of entry, which means at least four strigoi. There were seven moroi and three guardians. Too many kills. Four strigoi couldn't have taken down that many. Six probably could if they went for the guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back."

"And how did they catch the guardians by surprise?" I prompted.

I knew the answer already but I wanted Rose to think of it for herself. I knew she was bright, I just had to bring it out of her.

"You didn't think she was bright by herself?" Mia questioned, Rose looked at me curiously but not accusingly. But Abe, Janine, Yeva, and my mother were glaring at me.

"No no," I assured them. "That's not what I meant. I meant that I had to ask the right questions so that she would reveal her intelligence to others." No one said anything and Yeva just began reading without another glance in my direction.

She hesitated. But only for a moment. "Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards there'd probably be a guardian walking the yard at night. But they wouldn't have done that here." She waited for my next question. But I didn't ask it. There was no need to ask how the wards had been broken. We all knew. We'd all seen the stake. I simply nodded and the group continued their survey. When we reached the bathroom I refused to revert my gaze. I had seen this room with Rose earlier and knew every detail. There was a dead man in here, his dry blood standing out in a stark contrast against the white tile. The smell of death filled the small room. As Rose turned away she caught a glimpse at the mirror. I followed her gaze. There was something dark red-more like brown- on the mirror. I had noticed it before. It was a note on the mirror done in blood. Written in scrawny letters.

Poor poor Badicas. So few left. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow.

Viktoria snorted in disgust.

I could hear Tamara snort in disgust from behind. The Badicas were one of the smaller royal clans. But there were more Badicas out there probably about two hundred. Although there were a lot more royals with bigger families. Like the Ivashkovs. That family was huge and widespread. But some royal families didn't have as much as the Badicas or the Ivashkovs. Like the Dragomirs. Lissa was the only one left.

"Not anymore." Lissa sang, smiling. I grinned, happy that she seemed to be accepting her sister, Jill.

If the strigoi were meaning to kill off all the royals then surely they'd go after Lissa next. Which meant more protection from me and Rose. I took the guardians around the rest of the house. Rose was quiet. So quiet that I had forgotten that she was there.

At that Rose's face went blank, only momentarily. Like she was suppressing something she didn't want others to see. I sighed and she looks up at me questioningly but I just shook my head. I don't know how I'll live with causing my Roza any pain.

When we finally got into the car to ride back to St. Vladimir's, Rose slammed the door hard. I glanced at her in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Are you serious? How could ask that? You were there. You saw that." She exclaimed, incredulous.

"I did," I agreed. "But I'm not taking it out on the car."

She fastened her seat belt and glowered in my direction. "I hate them. I hate them all! I wish I'd been there. I would've ripped their throats out!"

She was yelling by now. And I stared at her calmly, astonished at her outburst. "You really think that's true?" I asked her. "You think you could've done better than Art Schoenberg after seeing what the strigoi did in there? After seeing what Natalie did to you?"

She faltered. Natalie, Victor's daughter, had turned strigoi in order to free her father. And in the process of doing so Rose had gotten in the way and nearly gotten herself killed. Luckily for her I had found the blood and tracked Natalie down. Just in time to square off with her and kill her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a long moment she opened her eyes."I'm sorry." She said more calmly. I was surprised and concerned from her sudden outburst. That wasn't like Rose. Sure she was reckless and got out of hand at times but she was never like this.

"It's okay." I said concerned for her as I reached over and placed my hand on hers for a few moments. Then I removed it and started the car. "It's been a long day. For all of us." When we got back to the Academy around midnight, everyone knew about the massacre. The vampiric school day had just ended. I noticed Rose's sluggish posture and ordered her to immediately go back to her dorm room and get some sleep. I started to feel the same way. Although I didn't show it. I left her to consult with the other guardians about the attack after she promised to do as I said. I arrived at the main office and Kirova practically dragged me inside. All the school guardians were huddled in her office talking about the attack. As soon as I stepped in the room they started bombarding me with questions. I told them everything, how we discovered that humans had helped the strigoi and what the crime scene looked like. At the end of everything Kirova spoke up. "We need to send the students to a safer place if the strigoi are really after the royals."

"Yes but where?" A guardian spoke up.

"We could send them to the Court, that's the safest place." She replied back.

I shook my head, "We cant, not all of the Academy's students will fit."

"Then we'll only send the royals."

I looked at her shocked. Why was it that moroi were more worried about the royals? Why not worry about all of their race. I shook my head again. "No, we have to protect everyone."

She sighed, tapping her long fingers on the hard wood of her desk. "Then what do you suggest we do Belikov?"

I shrugged. "Can't we rent a place out?" I had remembered hearing that moroi would rent a place out that belonged to them, in order to keep themselves safe. "There has to be a place that is equipped with wards and guardians?"

"What about the ski lodge in Idaho?" Alberta spoke up. "That's where most of the moroi families go during the Christmas break."

I nodded in agreement. "We have the money to rent out rooms to each of the students." Kirova started to protest but I cut her off. "If you don't like that idea then assign two or three students a room."

Kirova looked at me through her glasses. Scorning at the thought of spending money. "I'll think about it."

Alberta wouldn't take that. "Please, the students would love it, and if the royals are really worried about everything they can go to Court, but the non-royal families have to go to the ski lodge."

Kirova looked between Alberta and I. The other guardians had fallen silent. Obviously liking the idea. After dreading two minutes Kirova finally spoke. "Alright, we'll go at the beginning of break."

"So that's where they got the idea." Christian mumbled, looking at me appreciatively. I grinned at him and nodded.

"Who wants to read next?" Yeva spoke up.

"I will." Janine said softly. "And we can eat lunch after this chapter is over."

Chapter 3

She cleared her throat and started to read.

As I walked out into the fresh night air I could tell there was a change in subject between the students. By the way they were buzzing with excitement I had a pretty good idea on what it was. The word had gotten out that there was a mandatory ski trip. I wasn't surprised that all the students knew about it, gossip spread around the Academy like wildfire. As I walked around the gym to wait for Rose to arrive, I discovered that I didn't have to. She was talking to a red headed boy just in front of the gym doors. He noticed me first and stared past Rose, causing her to turn around and meet my eyes. Mason swept an gallant bow. Saying something to Rose before he opened the door and disappeared into the frigid darkness. Rose turned around to join me.

"Tsk tsk, Rose." Adrian said. "Too many men around you." She blushed.

"Listen, Ivashkov. You already heard what happened between me and Mason. Everything that happened. Now we get to learn about Dimitri and Tasha." She said firmly, everyone turned to look at me and I blushed. Rose looked up me with a smirk that slid right off her face as she took in my expression. "C'mon Comrade." She whispered. "It can't be as bad as what I put you through with that one Mason scene." Oh if she only knew how bad it was going to be, it would be a thousand times worse. I gave her a sad smile and turned to Janine. She took it as a cue to continue reading.

I had a special exercise planned for her today. Although it wasn't at all what she expected. I could see the excitement in her eyes as she took in the scene before us. Practice dummies arranged on the far wall, dummies that looked lifelike. Men and women who wore ordinary clothes, with rubbery skin and different hair and eye colors. Their expressions ranged from happy to scared to angry. Rose has practiced with the dummies before, using them to work on her kicks and punches. But today she will be doing something entirely different. I saw her glance down at the stake in my hand. Her eyes eager to hold the weapon. "Sweet." She breathed. As if in shock. The stakes weren't wooden like most faerie tales make them up to be. Real stakes were made of silver, and had a hand grip in the bottom, almost like a dagger's. The rest of the stake lost its resemblance from there. Rather than having a flat blade, the stake had a thick, rounded body that narrowed to a point. It was about the size of my forearm, and was heavier than it seemed. I leaned against the wall. With one hand I tossed the stake in the air, making it spin around in a cartwheel a couple of times before it came back down. Without effort I caught it, hilt first. Excitement burst through her. "Please tell me I get to learn how to do that today."

Amusement filled me. "You'll be lucky if I let you hold it today." I said as I flipped the stake into the air again. I could see her eyes following it longingly. After a few protests she finally tossed her backpack on the floor, throwing off her coat in the process and crossed her arms expectantly.

"You want me to tell you how they work and why I should always be cautious around them." She announced. I stopped flipping the stake. How'd she know that?

Rose laughed at my surprise. Lissa and Viktoria joined in. I just rolled my eyes at them and smiled. Rose would always be able to see through me.

She laughed. "Come on. You don't think I know how you work by now? We've been doing this for this for almost three months. You always make me talk safety and responsibility before I can do anything fun."

"I see. Well, I guess you've got it all figured out. By all means, go on with the lesson. I'll just wait over here until you need me again." Tucking the stake away into my leather sheath that was hanging at my belt I walked away, making myself comfortable against the wall, stuffing my hands into my pockets. She stared at me, confused, yes Rose I am serious. At last she figured out that I wasn't joking, With a shrug she launched into what she knew. She gave me the basic background on silver stakes and what they do. I asked her a couple clarifying questions to find out how deep her knowledge went. I purposely kept her talking until 10 minutes before our session ended. I then led her over to one of the dummies. Who was a man with blonde hair and a goatee. I reached down to my sheath, taking out my stake without handing it to Rose. "Where are you going to put this?" I asked.

"In the heart." She replied irritably. "I already told you that like a hundred times. Can I have it now?"

I smiled down at her. "Where's the heart?" Making a gesture for her to show me.

She gave me a cold glare. I shrugged. With overdramatic emphasis, she pointed to the left side of the dummy's chest. I shook my head, she was way off. "That's not where the heart is." I told her.

"Sure it is. People put their hands over their hearts when they say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem."

Christian and Eddie broke into a fit of laughter. Rose glared at them. "I'm sorry," Eddie choked out between laughs. "I just can't help it, it's so ridiculous!" They continued laughing until Rose walked over and punched them both in the stomachs. They sobered up quickly then and Janine started reading again.

I stared at her. Shocked that's where she got the idea from. She turned back to the dummy, staring at it for a while. Finally she tapped the center of the dummy's chest. "Is it here?"

I arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't know. Is it?" She was closer but her uncertainty wasn't enough to give her the stake.

"That's what I'm asking you!"

"You shouldn't have to ask me. Don't you all have to take physiology?"

"Yeah. Junior year. I was on "vacation" remember?" She pointed at the stake that I was still holding. "Can I please touch it now?"

I flipped the stake again, it caught the light, flashing brightly before it disappeared into the sheath. "I want you to tell me where the heart is next time we meet. Exactly where. And I want to know what's in the way of it too." She gave me an even icier glare than earlier, before storming off to her next class. I hadn't meant to be so cruel but that's what had to be done. I had to be a tough love mentor.

I heard Rose mumble something about being a no love mentor and realized that was starting to catch on to how I thought of her in this book. I didn't want her to ever think I didn't love her, my heart squeezed at the thought.

I had to try to forget her. Even if it was nearly impossible. I had to try. As I walked across campus the same words flashed in my mind. It's the right thing.

"End of the chapter." Yeva finished, I smiled brightly. Happy to get a reprieve of the torture that was ahead.

Rose jumped up. "Yes! Food!" Everyone laughed and stood up to join her in the kitchen. We ate lunch, chatting with each other happily. A loud knock on the door startled us out of our conversation. The door opened and three guardians poured in, bringing someone with them. I gasped as I saw who it was, Tasha Ozera.

She looked around. "Guess I was missing the party."