Note: Hello, this is my second Fan fiction and I wanted to do something very different to my first one. Here, Lissa and Rose are human as are all of their friends. It has most of the original characters in it, but there may be a few new faces throughout the story. I like writing long stories so this one won't be any different. Rose's graduation dress in this chapter is the dress that Hermione wears to Fleurs wedding in the 7th Harry Potter movie. I hope you like it! And please let me know what you think by reviewing! - Raechel =]

Chapter One: Graduating

I woke up with a start, barely able to breathe. I was dying, and yet it felt wonderful, blissfully perfect. I couldn't quite understand my nightmares, they never made any sense to me. All I would remember is burning red ringed eyes, unimaginably sharp teeth and a feeling of pure happiness as the life was being sucked out of me, literally sucked out of me. For as long as I could remember I had been having the same nightmare every night. A nightmare about vampires. It was ridiculous because I knew just as much as any other human, that vampires didn't exist. But every morning I woke up almost suffocating on my own fear, there was some part of me that believed they were real. There was no way I could have such vivid dreams about a mythical creature that didn't exist. I immediately dismissed those thoughts, not wanting to sound crazy, and hopped out of bed and into the shower.

Today was the big day, the day I graduated from highschool. I had been looking forward to this day ever since I started at Vladimir's Academy in the 10th grade. I was a transfer from L.A and hadn't wanted to start at a new school half way through my education. Leaving friends behind was hard enough, now I had to make new ones? It was sheer torture. But, I had made a deal with my parents, if they promised to pay for a trip to Europe for me and a friend at the end of school, as a sort of graduation present, then I would move to this god for saken place and go to school where ever the hell they wanted.

Okay, so it hadn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't really fit in at the Academy, mainly because all of the girls were model thin and deathly pale which, in comparison to me, Beautifully tanned skin, a physically fit body with curves that made the guys drool, I was a sort of novelty at this school. On the first day I met a girl named Lissa, her real name was Vasilisa but she hated it, thinking it sounded so upper class and snobby, so everyone just called her Lissa or Liss. She had been the head of the 'welcoming committee' and had made it her mission to make me feel like I belonged at the Academy. We had clicked instantly and had been best friends ever since. She had been like a sister to me and I would never let us fall out of contact after school finished. Lissa was also one of the most popular girls in the school, which meant that I immediately became popular just by being around her. I hadn't minded, because honestly, it was a hell of a lot better then being the loser new girl that no one liked.

Lissa was dating the token 'bad boy' of the grade, Christian Ozera. Just by looking at him, you knew he was trouble. He almost always wore a leather jacket to school, with which he usually accompanied with a pair of designer jeans and a tight fitting V-neck shirt. He was hot, I had to admit, but he definitely wasn't my type. What made the 'bad boy' image even stronger, was that he rode a motorbike to school every day. Yeah, he was a rebel without a cause alright. But he loved Lissa and would do anything for her. I liked him, we got along really well, mainly because we were very similar, the same disinterested attitude towards teachers and we could always think of snarky comments in next to no time. Together, him and Lissa looked like a couple that should be on the cover of a magazine. What with her long and lustrous platinum Blonde hair, her jade green eyes and slim figure, they were like Ken and Barbie they were so perfect.

Not long after I transferred to the Academy, I had become one of the most popular girls in school, along with Liss. I was also the known 'party girl' of the grade. Always willing to break the rules for a good time. Although rumours would always be going around about me and god knows how many guys I had hooked up with, there was only one guy that I was loyal to. Mason Ashford. We had started dating a few months after I came to Vlad's and had been joined at the hip ever since. He was an amazing guy, handsomely sexy features, perfectly built body and not to mention the fact that he was totally love sick with me. He was the captain of the football team and although I wasn't the head cheerleader, we were a match made in heaven. We were best friends aswell as boyfriend and girlfriend, it was a sweet deal. But because he was planning on going to college in the fall in New York and I was travelling to Europe with Liss, we had decided to split up after graduation. We were both upset but we knew it was the right thing to do. I wasn't ready for a long-distance relationship and neither was he. We promised to always stay friends, of course. No way was I going to never speak to him again.

There was a knock at the front door and I already knew it would be Liss, she had promised to come over so we could go shopping for the perfect graduation dress for each of us. Then we would both get ready at her house and go to graduation together. Lissa's was my second home and her family had been my substitute family most of the time. My parents were almost always working. My Dad, Abe Mazur was always in some other state or country on 'business'. I never knew what it was he did and every time I brought it up he would just say it was very important private business for the Government. As for my Mother, Janine Hathaway, well she was also always at work. I was practically raised by our Nanny, Olivia. I felt more home whenever I was at Lissa's then I did in my own house. I ran to the door and was greeted by a huge smile on Lissa's face.

"Rose! I can't believe today is the day! We're finally graduating, this is going to be amazing! I can't wait till our trip! Are you ready to go?" Liss was ecstatic, I could tell just by looking at her, she was practically bouncing up and down. This was going to be a great day.

"What do you think of this one, Liss? I'm not too sure." We had been shopping for about an hour and a half and neither of us had found the perfect dress yet. I never realised just how exhausting shopping could be. We had tried on countless dresses and still, none of them stood out for me. Lissa was also beginning to get frustrated, we hated the idea of not having anything to wear to graduation. We both came from wealthy families so money was never an issue with us, the only issue was finding the perfect dress to spend the money on.

"I don't think green is the right colour for you Rose. Oh, look at that one over there on the rack! That would look perfect on you!" Lissa had spotted a rose red dress, cut a little above the knees. The top of the dress was tight-fitting and just above the waste, it loosened out into a more flowy material. It was beautifully detailed, with a floral-esque pattern around the waist. I immediately fell in love with it. There was only one left on the rack and luckily it was my size! I tried it on, studied myself in the mirror and decided to buy it.

All that was left was finding a dress for Liss. A difficult task but after another Forty minutes or so, we found a beautiful, floor length, pale blue dress. It was perfect for Lissa, she looked every bit a Princess in that dress. After we had bought ourselves each a bag and a pair of shoes to match we headed back to Lissa's house to start getting ready. Her mother had an endless supply of make-up and hair products which is why we decided on her house.

We had just finished doing our hair and make-up when Mason and Christian showed up to drive us to graduation. I had decided to leave my hair out in loose waves, while Liss decided to pin her hair up into a loose, messy bun, with diamond clips through her hair, she looked beautiful and I couldn't help but feel a little ordinary standing next to her. When we walked down stairs, both Mason and Christian's jaws dropped as they let out a gasp. I loved thinking that I had that effect on Mason. Mason held out his hand in an old-fashioned gentlemanly gesture and so we went, off to graduate from highschool forever.

Our graduation was being held at the Academy. It was a large, old-fashioned school with a massive hall that will hold the entire student body, plus guests. It was decorated beautifully with deep red ribbons lining the sides of the hall, with gorgeous glittering chandeliers hanging from the roof. As I walked in, I was in awe of how beautiful my school hall could look. Before taking our seats we had to go to the side of the stage to pick up our graduation gowns and caps. I hated the idea of covering up my outfit, but I knew I wouldn't have to wear the gown or cap for long. After taking our seats the ceremony began.

I had zoned out for most of the speeches, I wasn't really interested in them. All I was interested was hearing my name, walking up on that stage, graduating and getting out of there. The after party was what I was looking forward to more than anything.

As I stood in line waiting to be called up on the stage, my eyes glanced over at where Mason was sitting, he caught my eye and smiled a small, crooked smile. I smiled warmly back to him and a memory flashed through my mind. It was the day Mason had first asked me out.

Mason had always been so confident and strong but he had been so nervous when asking me out. I found it endearing. It showed me that he wasn't some overconfident jock, but a warm, genuine guy that I could be happy with.

"Hey, Rose.. I, uh, was kind of.. well I was wondering if maybe you.. if you wanted to go out on a, uh, on a date.. with me?" He had barely been able to stutter the sentence out, but I had already been interested in him and would have said yes no matter how nervous he was.

I was suddenly pulled back to the present when I heard the name of the girl ahead of me in line.

"Michelle Hammond... Rose Hathaway." This was it, I thought. Finally after so much anticipation and excitement, I was finally graduating. I walked off stage, took my seat and laughed internally. 'Was that it?' I thought to myself. I thought there would be some overwhelming feeling of satisfaction to having made it through highschool. I guess not.

The after party was definitely the best part of the night. Mason's best friend, Eddie Castile, was the one holding the party. He had a massive house which was perfect for things like this. Eddie had always treated me like a sister, which I liked. He was just as tall as Mason, built like a tank and was amazingly easy on the eyes. He was dating my other friend, Mia, but that didn't stop every girl in the school to swoon over him. Mia and I hadn't got along very well when I first came to the school, mainly because she thought I was out to steal Eddie from her, but after Mason and I had gotten together, she lightened up and we became close friends.

"Hey Rose, are you enjoying the party?" Eddie was such a hospitable host, always making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. He was just an all around good guy, like Mason. I think that was why they were the best of friends.

"Hey Eddie. Yeah I am, thanks for asking. Also, thanks for offering to throw the party, you're such a gem!" I gave him a massive bear hug and then went looking for my boyfriend. Even though Mason and I had decided to break up after graduation, we were still technically together until I left for Europe the next day. I wasn't going to waste a minute with him.

I had been looking for almost fifteen minutes and still no sign of him. I had asked a few people if they had seen him and finally someone said that they saw him headed upstairs to one of the bedrooms. I figured he just wanted to go somewhere quiet until I got there. Even though he was the captain of the football team, he wasn't one for parties. I loved that about him.

I opened the door to Eddie's bedroom and what I saw was something I definitely hadn't expected. There, on the bed, right in front of me, was Mason and Lissa, making out, with her on top of him. My heart sank. For a second I thought I was imagining it. They hadn't heard me walk in and I didn't even know if I would be able to speak, so I just left. I walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs and out the front door. I walked all the way down the street to a park that was a few house down from Eddie's. I sat down on a swing and started crying. I couldn't stop myself. I had just seen my best friend making out with my boyfriend. 'How could this be happening to me?' I thought to myself. I was sobbing. Loud, vicious sobs that I couldn't control. My chest began to ache and it took all of my energy to stand up and walk home. It took me about forty minutes to get home, it was surprising that I hadn't gotten lost considering the daze I was in. My mother was still up and when she heard me come in she walked to the front door to greet me.

"You're a little early. I figured you would be partying it up with Lissa and Mason all night.. Did you want something to.. Rose, are you okay?" My mother may not have always been there for me, but she could always tell when something was wrong. I had no idea what I must have looked like but considering I had been crying ever since I left the party, I could have guessed that I looked pretty horrific.

"Oh god, Mum.." was all I could manage. I wrapped my arms around my mother and buried my face into her shoulder.. The sobs had started up again. Although my mother had no idea what was wrong with me, she knew not to press for answers until I was ready. She whispered reassurances that everything would be okay into my ear and although I knew she was only trying to calm me down, a part of me really believed her.