I walked onto the grounds, my hand grasped tightly in Tasha's. I wasn't really sure what to expect; everything seemed completely the same, yet something told me it wasn't.

"Are you nervous to be back?" Tasha half whispered.

"Of course not" I replied "But it does feel strange."

I wasn't completely lying. I knew, deep down, I had no reason to be scared. The building was the same, and although many students had graduated and moved on, I knew the staffing was almost the same. It should feel like home, but I suppose I had moved on from this home.

After leaving 3 years ago to guard Tasha, I had barely done any fighting. As I was Tasha's only permanent Guardian, my time away from her was limited, so although I did some training, I was not the guardian I used to be. Perhaps that was why I felt so nervous going back into the building.

After meeting Alberta at the front desk, I left Tasha to talk to her alone whilst I walked through the buildings many hallways. Walking slowly, I started to feel nauseous. The corridors looked almost exactly the same, but the students walking in them were foreign to me. And judging by the following eyes and worried glances around, I was putting them on high alert too.

"Come on Belikov, what's wrong with you?" I muttered to myself, trying to ignore the stares as I walked briskly forward.

I walked into the dusty gym. Empty, strange for this time of night. Looking around, everything was almost exactly the same. Some of the sparring equipment had been replaced, and the stake dummies looked more advanced. I glanced towards one of the sparring mannequins, and laughed lightly. The mark Rose had made one of the permanent mannequins was still there, a dint in the shiny hardness of the plastic man's chest.

Rose.

I had tried not to think of her, the past 3 years. It made my head hurt, wondering about all the things she and Lissa could be doing now. From what I had heard from Tasha, the Dragomirs had been summoned to court, so she was unlikely to be anywhere near here. She had completed her training with another guardian, and apparently passed all of her guardian exams as the best in her class. I wasn't surprised.

I walked back the way I came, towards where Alberta and Tasha were still talking. When Alberta heard me coming, she turned and smiled brightly. I had missed her, truly, but I guessed that the following conversation would be pretty awkward...

"So Belicov, have you heard from Guardian Hathaway recently?" She said brightly. Yup, pretty awkward. It was clearly meant simply as a conversation starter, but the words hurt me slightly. I hadn't.

"Not since I left the Academy." I said shortly, hoping to end the conversation there. Rose's whereabouts would only serve to bring forward more painful memories.

"Well, she returns here tomorrow, to teach the new arrivals some simple skills. Lissa is coming also, Lady Dragomir plans to talk to the Moroi who are yet to specify which type of magic they use on the manifestation of Spirit. Since it's acknowledgement as an element, the Academy have been looking for ways in which to educate young Moroi on it's power. You can probably see Rose then, if you plan on staying that long."

"Why yes, we were planning on staying at least 3 nights before continuing up to Court, so we'll undoubtably see her tomorrow. I was actually hoping to catch up with those two, I presume Christian is with them?" Tasha admitted sheepishly. I frowned. She hadn't mentioned this before, but now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense. Of course she wished to see them, she had no idea of my relationship with Rose.

"Yes, we'll be here" I muttered quietly, and stepped in the direction of the rooms reserved for Moroi visitors and their guardians. Tasha followed my lead, and as we waved goodbye to Alberta, I couldn't help but wonder, why did it have to be the day we visited that Rose appeared again?

"You alright? Aren't you excited to see Rose and Lissa? I know you were fond of them." Tasha's question broke my inner monologue.

"Yes, I'm find. Just tired is all. Driving all the way from yours was a long journey, I think I just need to sleep."

"Of course, lets go."

I couldn't tell her of my apprehensions about seeing Rose, but then again, she probably could sense something else was wrong. I avoided her eyes as we went into our joint rooms. I veered off to the bathroom, shut and locked the door, and stared at myself in the mirror as I let out a deep breath.

"Shit."