Chapter one

The Trial

Alchemist headquarter was in a chaos today. And why wouldn't it be? The most heinous crime's interrogation was being held today. A bloodsucking creature was being hoarded from all the way from New York City to here in Los Angeles, California. Alchemists, who I happen to be a part of, are a righteous group who keeps the secret world of vampires' further secret from the mortals. We work together with better groups of vampires, i.e., Moroi and Dhampirs, to protect humans from falling prey to immortality served by evil group of vampires, i.e., Strigoi. But today we were going against the whole race of vampires by taking the decision we were taking. Then again, we hadn't had any choice. Crime had been committed – by one of their own, a Moroi – a royal Moroi. The worst crime ever...

An alchemist had been killed. And a Moroi had aided a Strigoi to kill her!

I had received the trial papers just a few days ago. I was on a vacation, which happened rarely, and was immediately called back to report to the headquarters. First I thought that it was just me who was being called for another mission but when I reached here, I was surprised to see the whole branch of Alchemists from different parts of the world, plonked in one building. Everyone had a certain role in the trial. Mine was a very crucial part. I was going to be interrogating the royal Moroi. The killer. The murderer who killed one of our own. And I was being tasked to question him. Just the thought of it had me sprinting for escape.

But as soon as I heard my dad's not-so encouraging words, "Sydney, you better do this right. I don't want you to disgrace me out there with one single error. This is big. Really big. The head Alchemists have chosen you for some reason and you have to be very vigilant in whatever you do or speak out there." – I had braced myself for the worst. I was going to do it. I was going to make my father proud and show him that I could mind my mouth and behaviour. Because what else did 'be vigilant in whatever you do or speak' really meant? My own dad didn't have faith in me and I just wanted to prove how wrong he was.

"Sydney," Ian's voice had me come out of my afflicting thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked. I was sitting in the big hall where a little presentation had been exhibited by the most influential Alchemists on our not so little trial. I know killing an Alchemist was huge but I didn't understand the obsession of the Alchemists on this one mission. They had been pestering us ever since we got the trial papers into attending these presentations which were all about how big of a crime it was and how rarely it happened, i.e. , never. Daily we had to sit through five to six of these presentations seeking just one goal "Death trial to the murderer". But that wasn't easy because the murderer was a royal Moroi and we couldn't take any decisions without Moroi Queen's assent – which was not happening in million years.

The murderer is said to have a special place in Moroi Queen, Vasilisa's heart. He wasn't her lover or something but he was somewhat like a brother to her, as much as I'd heard, which I thought was disgusting. So much for a good brother! And also, we didn't have any hard-core proof against the Royal Moroi – only that the authorities had found him on the crime scene, clutching the slit throat of the dead Alchemist. Hence, the interrogation was being held. We were counting on the idea that he'd slip-up or something during the interrogation, and we'd have something against him to have a good case to present towards the Moroi Court, so that they won't be able to deny the death trial request.

"Sydney?" Ian had again started yapping.

"Yes?" I snapped, infuriated by him calling my name time and again. "What do you want to say?"

"Sydney, are you okay? You're not really answering my questions and now you just shouted at me." Ian was looking at me with concern and in that moment I just wanted to peel myself away from his gaze.

"I am okay. Just going through the questions I have to ask in my mind," I lied.

"Okay," Ian said. Nonetheless, he didn't seem okay with my answer. But I didn't care. I had other things to worry about, like a pending interrogation with a murderer vampire, which was just three hours away now.

I was just going through the questions (for real this time) in the interrogation room when the killer was brought inside the room and seated in a chair opposite to me around a small round table. His face was covered with a black cloth and I was thankful that I atleast wouldn't have to see his face during the whole ruckus. But then the tall man, who had accompanied him, lifted the cloth away from his face, and seconds later I was staring into the greenest eyes ever. His hair was muddled, probably the after effect of the black cloth, but it still looked stylish. What the hell! What the hell was I thinking? Praising some killer's appearance?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was very nervous and the killer's gaze didn't make it any easy for me to start my interrogation. But with a big sigh I finally started what I had been summoned for. Adrian Ivashkov, that was the killer's name, and that was what I had first began speaking with. But instead of the clear version of his name, a mumbled version came out of my mouth, Air-in If-cash-on. The Moroi chuckled at my mistake. I wanted to glare at him but instead I cleared my throat and said in a grave tone, "Mr. Adrian Ivashkov, you know why you're here right?" what kind of a stupid question was that? Ofcourse he'd know why he was here sitting across a round table with handcuffs in his hands. But it was in the interrogation procedure handed to me, and I had to ask the question.

Adrian looked amused by my question, but he replied me anyways. "Yes I know." He said it lazily, like he wasn't interested in the interrogation and was just doing it for formality, which was kind of true too. Everybody knew what was going to be the final decision, interrogation or no interrogation.

"So you must also know why you did the crime."

It wasn't a question but Adrian still had an answer, "Yes."

I gasped. So he was really admitting he did the crime. No denials or anything. This interrogation was already looking a piece of cake to me (Not that I wanted any bite of it). But I was internally happy that it wouldn't take much longer and I'd have my mission accomplished in not much time. "So," I said excitedly (I was so happy that I couldn't hide it) "Would you like to enlighten us why you did it?" There was nobody except me and Adrian, and the tall man, in the room, but I still said 'us', representing the whole Alchemist body.

"I did it to save her," Adrian replied immediately.

I was aghast. What kind of a saving is done by killing the person? "What do you mean by saying saving her?" The question wasn't in my interrogation report but there was a clause that said I could make up my own questions if I thought that it would get me anywhere close to the admittance of the murder.

Adrian smiled. I was really disgusted by him for feeling amused of killing an innocent girl. "Saving her." Adrian said it like he was weighing the meaning of his words. Minutes later, he surprised me by changing the topic and asking me, "Do you know her name?"

"Are you talking about the girl you killed?" I asked.

"No, I am talking about the girl I was trying to save but failed."

I was getting really exasperated by the cryptic answers Adrian was giving. I sighed heavily and said, "Yes I know her name." It was a lie. I had actually forgotten her name in the whole tension of getting my interrogation right.

"What was her name?" Adrian asked between clenched teeth.

I seriously didn't know where this interrogation was going. But I knew one thing for sure, that I was going to fail big time. "Are you saying that you didn't know the name of the girl you kill- I mean saved?" This was a tactic to get him off my back from knowing how I didn't even remember the victim Alchemist's name.

"Ofcourse I know her name. I am just asking it to confirm, if you know her name," Adrian replied.

"Okay, so I hope your questioning is done here because I, know her name."

"So what was it?" Adrian looked like he was challenging me by asking that question.

I started shuffling through my papers for the victim's name. I wasn't going to prove his doubts right by not telling the name. Before I could say anything, Adrian said, "Her name was Lauren, Lauren Kimley."

I looked across the papers towards Adrian. He had a pained look on his face. The look on his face was so distressing that I had to restrain myself from reaching across and squeezing a killer's shackled hands.

"I knew you wouldn't know her name," Adrian said meticulously.

"What do you want to prove by telling me that you know her name and I don't?" I blurted out.

Adrian sighed. It was one angsty sigh! "I didn't want to prove anything. I just wanted to show how you people, who think they are so righteous and logical, don't even know the name of one of their people. You people have no right to judge some person when you don't even know about the person who was killed. Do you even know where she was from? What were her dreams and ambitions? Did you know about her feelings about your so-called Alchemist group? No, you don't! You don't know anything about her. You people just want to punish someone because you think he is an evil creature of the night and that he killed one of yours people, while not even knowing a single thing about her."

I was speechless after his big outburst. I didn't even care to acknowledge how he'd admitted in his big speech that he had notably killed Lauren. Instead I asked, "Did you know anything about her? About her dreams? Ambitions? Feelings?"

Adrian's head shot up to meet my eyes, and for the first time I saw how wet his eyes were. He was crying. "I do," his voice was barely a whisper. "I loved her."

This was the most shocking thing I heard today. A vampire in love with a human? An alchemist in particular? The vampire had also killed the human? What kind of sick love was that? "And you still killed her, why?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"I told you, I didn't kill her. I was trying to save her." Adrian's voice had risen a notch. He seemed angry and annoyed. But I kept pushing forward. "I must say you did a pretty good work in saving her," I said coldly.

Adrian banged his fist on the table, making the things kept on it to bounce. I too winced at his anger. "I would've saved her if you people hadn't reached there at the wrong time."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was healing her when the Alchemists took her from me."

"You were healing her? Does that mean you're a–"

"Yes," Adrian snapped. "I am a spirit user."

"Whoa!" I said. That had Adrian glare at me angrily.

"Whoa? That's what you have to say? I lost the love of my life when I could've saved her because of you people and all you have to say is whoa?"

I know I shouldn't have reacted that way. But spirit users were rare. I had heard of them but never met them. Therefore, I couldn't hide my astonishment. But as soon as I realized how emotionless and insensitive I sounded, I said, "I'm sorry." Adrian just shook his head. "How should I believe you that you were saving Lauren?" I suddenly asked. "You may be lying to get yourself acquitted."

"I don't care what you people think. Hell, I don't even care if you close me in a prison or send me for a death trial. A life without love is not worth living, and I'd rather die than live without Lauren."

"Did Lauren too loved you?" I was curious. Did an Alchemist really fell in love with a vampire? That would've earned her a place in the re-education centre if she were alive, and for a moment I thought how free she was now after her death. No alchemist missions. No re-education centre for loving a vampire (If she really did fell in love with Adrian).

"She never admitted it. But it was clear from her aura that she was too head-over-heels in love with me like I was." Adrian had a distant look on his face, like he was remembering something from his past memories.

I was about to ask him something about auras, when Stanton, my Alchemist superior, came inside and declared, "This interrogation is over. Sydney, you can go now." Then she gave a pointed look at the tall man and he came over to Adrian, put back the black cloth and took him.

I hadn't thought that the interrogation would end at such a note. I still had more questions to ask to Adrian and I was dying to know more about him and Lauren, which was absolutely crazy because first, it meant that I believed in his non plausible story and second, I was sympathising with a vampire, an evil creature of the night (As Adrian had put it).

"Ma'am," I said to Stanton, as soon as the tall man and Adrian were out of the room. "Did you listen to everything he said?"

"Yes I was listening Sydney. You did a good work. He almost admitted that he killed Ms. Lauren Kimley. You can go now and take some rest until further notice." Stanton replied nonchalantly.

I had wanted to ask her about Lauren and Adrian and their epic love, that if she knew that Adrian had been healing her at the crime scene but her words made me clear – she didn't believe Adrian. And you shouldn't too, I told myself. He was just manipulating you with his stupid story. There's nothing true in it. And he can compel you remember. Maybe he compelled me in believing his story because I seriously couldn't bring myself to consider that he was lying. Yes he compelled me. He definitely compelled me. And I am not going to sympathise with a vampire, I decided.

That night I hardly got any sleep. I kept fidgeting in my bed, replaying Adrian's words again and again. I just wanted to show how you people, who think they are so righteous and logical, don't even know the name of one of their people. Yes, I forgot Lauren's name and yes Alchemists are a righteous group. What's wrong with that? And how could we remember every single name of the person in our department?

You people have no right to judge some person when you don't even know about the person who was killed. Judgemental? Tell me one single person in this world that isn't judgemental?

Do you even know where she was from? What were her dreams and ambitions? Did you know about her feelings about your so-called Alchemist group? No, you don't! You don't know anything about her. Yes, I don't know anything about Lauren. And so does my father. When a father doesn't know anything about the dreams and ambitions of his own daughter, then how can you believe that a complete stranger will know something like that about another stranger, just because they work in same department?

You people just want to punish someone because you think he is an evil creature of the night and that he killed one of yours people, while not even knowing a single thing about her. Do we? No, we just want to punish someone because they killed someone. That's what police does, right? They don't know anything about the murdered or victim they're dealing with. They just want to provide justice. And that's what we were doing.

No matter how many times I recalled Adrian's words, one thing was clear – there was no lie in them. He had truth in every syllable he spoke. Or maybe he had compelled me so intensely that I didn't found any lie in his words.

Argh! All I wanted was sleep and I was surely not going to get any until I found the truth.

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction.. what do you think people? how's it? please review and let me know.. :D