This story starts at the battle in the caves in Shadow Kissed.

RPOV

I staked the strigoi I was fighting and I turned to start fighting another. Dimitri was next to me, fighting another strigoi. All of the sudden I heard my mom call from the entrance of the cave to retreat. She didn't have to tell me twice. Dimitri staked the strigoi he was fighting and then looked to me.

"We need to get out of here. I think the sun is setting." I yelled to him. He nodded and we started to run to the front of the cave. All of the sudden someone grabbed my hair and pulled me back. The force knocked me over onto my back. I let out a small scream. I looked up to the face of the blonde strigoi that was talking about Lissa earlier. He yanked me up by my hair and had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. I knew if I wanted to survive, I was going to have to put up a hell of a fight. I kicked him in the stomach and send a punch to his face. He barely even flinched. He punched me hard in the stomach and I coughed blood onto his face. He grabbed me and threw me against the wall and then leaned down to my neck. Before I could process what was happening, I felt his teeth sink into my neck. I screamed in pain and also for someone to help, but I knew that it was too late. I saw Dimitri running towards me yelling my name.

Whenever Lissa drank from me when we ran away from the academy, she sent me endorphins to dull the pain and I went into a high, blissful state. This strigoi was not. I felt pure pain and I felt my life being sucked away from me. I let out another small scream and then I saw Dimitri going after the strigoi that was attached to me. The strigoi took his teeth out of my neck and threw me aside like I was nothing. I landed on my side and winced, but didn't have enough strength to move. My hair covered part of my face and one of my arms was under my head. I could barely see anything as the black abyss swarmed me like an angry mob of bees. I saw Dimitri stake the blonde strigoi and start running towards me but then I saw Alberta pulling him back. Everything looked like it was in slow motion; Dimitri struggling with Alberta's grip, pulling him back, Them both shouting, My mother at the mouth of the cave fall to her knees with tears coming down her face. I took my last breath and slowly closed my eyes and I knew I have failed everyone I love.

I started to hear a buzz in my ears and I slowly opened my eyes. I was at the pond near the academy. I slowly started to sit up, feeling no pain at all. I guess you don't feel pain when you're dead. I stood up and looked around. There was nothing and no one in sight. Well this sucks. I thought there would at least be someone to talk to here. Wherever here is. Suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me and I spun around to see a familiar face. I ran to him and gave him a giant hug.

"Mason! I missed you!" He pulled out of the hug and chuckled.

"Well, I am dead. I can't really just drop in and say hey." He said sarcastically. I smiled and the looked around again.

"So where are we? I mean, I know I'm dead and all, but what is this place?"

"It's the place in between peace. Were stuck here. I don't know how to leave, but this is pretty much it." I frowned.

"I'm so sorry Mase. I'm sorry I didn't save you from Isaiah. I so, so sorry." I turned away, suddenly afraid to meet his eyes. He put his finger under my chin and made me look at him.

"It wasn't your fault, Rose. It was my choice. A very good choice if you ask me, I helped save your life. That's all that matters." I smiled and whispered a thank you to him. I saw something flash in his eyes; Realization.

"Rose! You can still leave. How could I forget this?" he shook his head and pulled something out of his pocket. I was a locket. It was a small golden heart with a flower design engraved on it. He held it up to me and I took it.

"What is this?"

"It's a locket, duh." He laughed at himself and I gave him a glare. He cleared his throat like he was about to give an important speech.

"It's a locket I got before I died. I actually got it for you. I just never gave it to you before we were kidnapped. Anyways, this is what can get you back home. This will sound crazy, but when you put this on, part of you will be put into it. Like your soul, I guess. As long as you wear it, you will stay alive back on earth." I looked at the locket with wonder. Life in a necklace, never thought of that one. But, if I got this, what would happen to Mason.

"What about you?" I asked. "Can you come with me?" He sighed.

"Sadly, no. But you can go back because you are shadow kissed. The only thing is that if you or anyone else takes this off of your neck, you will come back here. And if you do, I don't think there is another way for you to get back another time. And do not under any circumstances let anyone touch it." My eyebrows crumpled. This was a very strange locket.

"Well," Mason said. "You need to get back soon so people know you are okay."

"What do I tell everyone? Can they know about the locket?"

"No, tell them something else. The locket needs to stay a secret. I can be used against you, so I think its better that no one knows." I nodded and looked up at Mason. He has a smile on his face, but a sad look in his eyes. I smiled at him and felt a tear fall down my cheek. He wiped it away and pulled me into another hug.

"I'll always be with you, Rose. Even if you don't know it, I'm always here for you." He held out his hand for the locket and I handed it to him. I turned and held up my hair so he could put it on me. He fastened it onto my neck, and I let my hair fall and I turned to him. I smiled.

"Thank you Mason, for everything." He smiled back and started to fade away.

"Bye Rose. Love you." He faded into the now forming darkness and I was ready to face the world a second time after facing death.

I thought this would be a good place to end the chapter, but then I thought what the heck, why not give them more.

I felt like I was falling. The only thing I cared about is if I would hit the bottom. Right as I thought that, a shock went through my body and I then found my self gasping for breath back at the caves. It felt like I was holding my breath, but I guess I technically was. I sat up and looked around the caves. They were completely deserted. I slowly stood up and felt all my injuries scream at me. Ugh. I put my hand to my neck where I was bitten and flinched in pain and pulled back. My clothes were dirty, torn and bloody. Especially bloody at my neck.

The only things in the caves were bodies littering the ground. Both strigoi and guardian. I went to a guardian's body and took the stake from his hand. I felt bad for him, but I had to survive. I went to the mouth of the cave and peered out. The sun was up. I walked out and squinted into the light. I saw people in the distance walking towards me. They were guardians from the academy. They were bringing stretchers. Of course, there were coming for the bodies. For me. Shoot, I don't know what to say to them. I couldn't tell them about the locket. As I thought this my hand shot up to the locket. I examined it. It was beautiful. Thanks Mason, I though to myself.

The guardians were still a distance away, so I slipped back into the caves shadows. They can come to me. I stood there for what seemed like only a few seconds when people began coming in the caves. I stood there silently and then one of the guardians turned and saw me. He grabbed his stake and was about to attack. I guess that would be the only logical answer if I was still here; a strigoi. I held up the stake I was holding and his face scrunched in confusion. I then saw Alberta behind him look at me in shock.

"R-Rose?" She was shocked. As she said this, the other guardians turned to me and looked just as surprised. I gave her a small smile.

"In the flesh." I guess that was a little rough, considering I was dead a few hours ago. "I mean, yeah, I'm back." He mouth parted slightly and I saw my mother walk in behind her. She gasped. She looked at the stake I was holding, to my neck where I was bitten, and then back at me. I sadly had my hair up, so I couldn't cover my neck, and I didn't feel like taking the ponytail out.

"You couldn't get rid of me that easily." I chuckled and she came to me and pulled me into a hug. I tensed at first but then relaxed and wrapped my arms around her. When she let go, I saw a tear on her cheek and I wiped it away.

"How-"She started, but didn't know what to say.

"It's a shadow kissed thing. I don't really know how it works, but for now, I'm back." She smiled. "So are you guys here collected the bodies?" She seemed confused for a split second and then snapped back into her guardian mode.

"Yes, while the sun is still up. Were also checking for more strigoi." I nodded. I limped around her to the middle of the caves.

"Rose, you need to get back to the academy to treat your injuries." I looked at her.

"I just died and then came back to life." She flinched when I said died. "If I was able to come back, I think my small injuries are fine." She shook her head, but knew she would never win.

I mostly just watched as the guardians put all the bodies on stretchers and wheeled them out of the caves. I looked over at where I was laying earlier and there was a huge pool of blood. Disgusting, but also creepy to know that it's my blood. When they were ready to go, I followed them out of the caves and we started to walk back to the academy. There were no other strigoi in the caves, so we should be safe when the sun went down tonight. I still had the stake gripped tightly in my hand. I can feel it cutting into my skin, but I don't care. My other hand is holding the locket around my neck. Alberta looked over and saw the locket.

"What's that?" She asked. I panicked and slipped it down my shirt so that it couldn't be seen.

"Nothing." I replied and looked strait forward, hoping she would drop it. She was still looking at me.

"Rose, you went through a lot. Are you okay?" I looked over to her and nodded. "I'm glad your back Rose." And with that she walked over to another guardian.

We were almost back to the academy and I felt nervous. I had no idea how people would react. I walked near the back, and the others got that as an 'I really don't want to talk right now' message. Thankfully, they all stayed away. When we got to the front gates, the guardians stationed there stared at me with shock. I looked at the ground and kept walking. I guess everyone already knew about my death. Well, now they will also know about my resurrection. As I walked through the gates, I felt a pain shoot through my body and I fell to my knees. My hand shot to the locket. I knew that why I was getting pain. After a few seconds, the pain faded. A couple guardians from our group, including my mother, looked at me with concern, about ready to come and help me. I shook my head and quickly stood up. I didn't need my mom to come help me like I was a little girl. I have died twice now, I don't need her. I know that sounds harsh, but it's only the truth.

I was a while away from the rest of the group. I kept walking and got stares from everyone. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks and looked at me, stunned. They didn't even say anything. I kept walking, facing strait forward. I was not going to be able to get used to the stares. I decided I needed to see Lissa, so I ran up to my mother, groaning the whole time in pain.

"I need to go see Lissa," I started. She nodded and I turned and started heading to the moroi dorms. I was still getting stares, and I could tell most were staring at my neck, but when I got inside, it was deserted. I guess I did look like a mess though. Who knows what the bite looks like now. Probably disgusting. I was almost to the stairs when someone said my name from behind.

"Roza?"

Please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. I'll try to UD fast.