Well, hello hello. I ish Meg. X3 And I'm here with a new story! I just recently finished reading Shadow Kiss, and needed to write a fanfic about Vampire Academy. XD So here it is.
The story starts up as Rose and the rest of the team are escaping the Strigoi caves. As you will soon see, I have twisted the story. Rose's POV, just like the books. Sorry in advance if anyone is ooc. D: Lemme know in your review if someone is acting funkeh. XD
Rated T for language, bloody fight scenes, and romance.
~Meg
I was running—running harder than I ever had in my life. All those months of conditioning with Dimitri had paid off, and now I was sprinting through the caves like my life depended on it—because it did. Around me were the looming walls of the cave, creating a deadly arc above my head. My mother and several other Guardians were running ahead of me, and behind me I knew Dimitri was there.
The high-pitched, feminine scream is what made me turn. I saw Celeste, grappling with a Strigoi. In an instant, the Strigoi had her in a headlock and, with devastating speed, bit down hard into her neck. Blood splattered everywhere, making my heart thump even faster. A strong, sturdy hand pushed against my back in an effort to keep me moving. The owner of said hand turned out to be Dimitri, I discovered, as I looked up at him.
Oh, God, he was so handsome. Even with a bruised jaw and a dried line of blood running down the side of his face, he looked like some kind of gorgeous, lethal angel. I remembered the night before, and a small feathery sensation settled into my stomach. Mentally shaking myself, I concentrated on the task at hand. I would have time later to daydream about that night, but there was the small matter of making it out of this place alive, first.
I gulped and gave a small nod as I continued to run, eyes focused on that small ray of light at the end. I set my very soul and essence on that light; my mind thinned out until all I could see and all I could think about was that small beam of hope. Once we were out of there, it would be home free. So many lives would be lost, and countless more saved, but I wasn't going to be the one to get stuck and hold everyone back.
So with the last reserves of my energy I bolted even faster, passing by my mother and ignoring another shriek from only a few yards behind me. The Strigoi were advancing, and from what I could hear, they weren't that far behind.
I gave one final push and gasped with relief as I burst out into the light. I never thought that I would love the sun as much as I did right then. Gasping, I took a greedy gulp of oxygen and slowed down. I turned to face the people who had made it out. There were several of us; Dimitri and my mother included. My heart ached with joy that the two of them had made it out. Sure, I wasn't very close with my mother, but I would never wish a death at the hands of a Strigoi on her. I had gotten over that violent phase, anyways.
And Dimitri. I took this moment of relief to stare at him, the way he stood so strong, emitting power and grace, how calm and serene he was in the wake of such a terrible battle, how the fading sun danced on—wait. Crap, the fading sun.
My eyes slid over to the entrance of the cave where the Strigoi had appeared, waiting hungrily in the safety of the darkness. Their eyes glinted, and some of them bared their fangs, their mouths curled up in a dangerous snarl. Without another moment's hesitation, my mother took reins of the situation.
"Run! We can still get ahead of them! Back to the Academy!" she shouted, her voice commanding and in control. She seemed surprisingly calm in all this, and a part of me was almost jealous of her ability to stay cool.
Obeying orders, I turned sharply back towards the forest. The few moments' rest had refueled me more than I had thought it would. I tore through the forest alongside the rest of the Guardians, ignoring the sore ache in my body. I'll have time for that later, I thought as I jumped over a fallen branch. I could sense Dimitri come up beside me. Taking a chance, I glanced at him through my veil of dark hair that had come loose from its ponytail. Dimitri glanced briefly down at me, and I swore I saw the hint of a smile grace his lips.
Bringing my concentration back to the mission, I brought my head back to look straight ahead of me.
It felt like only minutes had passed when we arrived at the front gates of the Academy. The sun was just about to dip beneath the horizon, casting orange and red rays down onto the earth. As I slowed to a jog and passed through the safety of the wards, I noticed that the rest of the Guardians, Moroi, and former captives had only beaten us by a minute or two.
I spotted Christian and Eddie in the group, and was able to let my heart settle down a little. Although I hadn't been aware of it consciously, I had been so worried about them. Eddie looked a little shaken, and Christian looked absolutely swamped in exhaustion, but the two guys appeared to be in pretty good condition overall.
Letting a somewhat relieved sigh escape my lips, I came to a complete stop and rolled my shoulders. I glanced around as the medical staff came pouring out of the nearby buildings, all sorts of medical supplies in hand. I also caught sight of Lissa and Adrian in the group. The school had decided that in the wake of this battle, it wasn't worth it to keep spirit a secret when so many lives could be saved. Through the bond, I could sense a burning relief and overpowering happiness when Lissa saw Christian. A small part of me was a little upset she hadn't seen me, but I didn't blame her. After all, there had been a huge chance neither Christian nor myself would make it back alive. Lissa must've been worried sick; I had been too preoccupied with the battle to notice anything through the bond.
Everywhere around me were anxious Guardians and Moroi, some having escaped with only minor wounds, while others weren't as fortunate. You would think that the air would be filled with din; yelling, screaming, sobbing... But it was unnaturally calm except for the occasional relieved friend or ally crying or the small groans of pain as someone's wound was mended.
I jogged over to where Christian and Lissa stood hugging in silence. Tears fell from behind Lissa's eyelids, her usually pale cheeks rosy with emotion. When she opened her eyes and saw me, a huge smile of joy stretched across her face, unintentionally revealing her fangs. I felt another pang of relief through the bond as she let go of Christian and ran to me.
"Oh, my God, Rose! You're alive!" she squeaked, her voice cracking slightly. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace, which I returned with a little less force. I was exhausted and tired as it was, but I was so glad to see my best friend again. Lissa looked up at me, her jade green eyes wide with awe and liberation from the constant worrying that had no doubt been abusing her since we had left.
'I'm go glad you didn't..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish her own sentence. I managed a small smile and hugged her a little tighter.
"You really think I'd let some stupid Strigoi get the best of me?" I asked rhetorically, my smile widening. Lissa gave a little smile of her own and released me. She turned to Christian and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his lips. He murmured something I couldn't hear, making her smile even more.
"Hey, Lissa," I started. She looked over at me, somewhat surprised I had interrupted she and Christian's 'moment'. I gave her a smirk and raised my eyebrows.
"Aren't you supposed to be playing Superman and healing everyone?" I asked, yet another rhetorical question. Lissa blinked and then pulled away from Christian abruptly.
"Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. I could sense a twinge of guilt through the bond. She looked at Christian and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. The bruises and scrapes that had soiled his face disappeared almost immediately as Lissa closed her eyes. A sense of overwhelming bliss and life coursed through me; I was feeling what she was feeling as she healed Christian's minor wounds.
Lissa removed her hand. Christian flashed her a toothy smile, his eyes softening in a way only Lissa could make them. Lissa returned the smile and then turned to Eddie, who had remained silent throughout. After healing his broken wrist, she took the few steps over to me. Eddie and Christian were quickly ushered away by a nurse, asking for their names and some other pieces of useless information.
"I'll see you later," Christian said to Lissa as he walked off, winking at her; this was received by Lissa's flushing cheeks and tiny smile. Eddie simply waved at her and I as he followed Christian and the nurse, managing a grin. I waved back with an amused smirk.
As Lissa turned and approached me, I glanced down at my left arm. I had twisted it during a brawl with a brunette Strigoi, whom I had promptly staked afterwards.
Lissa placed her hands on my arm, having noticing my averted gaze towards the injury. I looked back at her and smiled contentedly as I felt the wonderful ecstasy run through my veins once more. The dull ache coming from my arm faded away, leaving a refreshed and energized sensation where the injury had been.
"Thanks, Liss," I told her as she took her hands back. She then took a scrunchie off her wrist and handed it to me.
"The wind-blown look looks good on you, but I have a feeling you might want this," she said softly, giving a little smile again. I raised my eyebrows slightly while returning the smile. I took the scrunchie gratefully and started to put my thick, dark hair up in another ponytail.
"I know, don't I look simply marvelous?" I drawled comically as I finished with my hair. Lissa grinned and had started to walk off to attend to the wounded when a voice sounded from behind me.
"D'ya mind taking care of this for me?" asked an oddly bubbly, feminine voice. I turned to see a beautiful young woman, probably in her early twenties, with piercing emerald green eyes. Unlike Lissa's, these eyes were darker and twinkling with a hyped, nearly childish, gleam. Dark, raven-colored hair framed her face, almost feather-like as it cascaded down her shoulders in small waves. The strange thing was that she barely reached over five feet. The only way I had been able to guess her age was by her high cheekbones and heart-shaped face, proving that she had indeed reached a mature age. She was holding out a bloodied arm, an ugly gash running across the inside of her forearm.
Lissa turned as well and gave the woman one of her ever-famous charismatic smiles.
"Of course," she said politely as she strode over to the woman. The raven-haired woman smiled, showing off her translucent white fangs.
"Thank you," she said brightly as Lissa reached her. "My name is Skylar, by the way," she added with another smile. I eyed Skylar somewhat warily, her obvious glee that stood out against the morbid scene creeping me out a little. Who could be so... So peppy at a time like this? Skylar's attire wasn't exactly, well, normal either. With silver flats, dark jean shorts, and indigo designer t-shirt, she didn't exactly look like she had just come out of a battle. That is, except for the obvious arm gash and missing silver hoop earring.
"My name is Lissa," Lissa greeted lightly as she placed her hand gingerly on Skylar's ugly gash. I could feel the beautiful pulsation begin to make its way to me when Skylar screamed. A disgustingly wet, snake-y feeling slithered through my core, followed by a solid wall of rage. I opened my eyes that I didn't know had been closed and stared at her. The young woman's face was wrenched in agony, and her arm was oozing even more blood. The scarlet liquid gushed from her arm, rolling down her fair, fair skin and falling to the ground.
"Wha-?" Skylar squeaked to an equally astonished Lissa. I could sense confusion, horrification, and an immense sense of guilt rush through the bond. Lissa blinked and stared at the wound.
"I-I don't know what happened!" she nearly yelled, her jade green eyes wide with shock. She looked up at Skylar. "Oh, my gosh, I am so sorry." And she was. I could sense it through our bond.
I, too, stared in sickly wonder as Skylar's wound worsened. Lissa quickly removed her hands, and as she did, the flow of blood slowed and Skylar's face relaxed from the relief of pain. She panted slightly and gulped.
"Did you, like, mess up or something?" Skylar asked hesitantly as she gingerly brushed her fingers across her wound. Lissa shook her head.
"I-I don't think it works like that," she said slowly, although I could sense her uncertainty. I looked sharply at Skylar.
"What the hell did you do?" I asked hotly, holding off an angry snarl. Skylar looked at me in shock, her eyes seeming to glaze over with naïve light. For some reason, I felt as if she were to blame for the freakish incident. Why had Lissa's healing failed? Even worse, why had it backfired and made Skylar's wound bleed even more? It didn't make any sense; spirit was meant to heal, not to harm.
"Rose, it's not her fault!" Lissa said sharply, although I could tell she was only talking like that because she was confused. "I-I must've done something wrong, or something. I'm sorry," she added to Skylar, putting her fists against her chest in apology. Skylar was about to say something when a nurse came up to them.
"Mrs., please come with me. That wound can't wait," she said in short, clipped syllables when she noticed the new severity of Skylar's wound. Without waiting for a response, she turned around and headed towards where many other nurses were gathered around the medical station. Skylar blinked before nodding.
"Ah, yes. Thank you, ma'am," she said quickly, still eyeing Lissa skeptically. She gave the two of us a curt nod before turning, her raven feather hair swishing as she moved. I was about to yell after her when Lissa placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Just leave it, Rose," she said quietly, although her voice quavered. I bit my tongue and looked at her, studying her crestfallen features.
"What happened, Lissa? What did you do differently?" I asked, confusion pricking at me. This had never happened before, and from what I knew, it wasn't supposed to happen at all. Unless something was going on with Lissa's powers...?
"I don't know. Everything was perfectly normal, just like when I healed you and everyone else before that," she said slowly. "Then when I tried to fix her arm, I just... I don't know. It was like something kind of like, mentally shoved me. And it was just so, so dark. And angry. It was as if whatever it was didn't want me helping her."
I stared at Lissa, the gears in my head struggling to turn. Since when could something repel spirit's healing nature?