New Year's Eve

Chapter 2

The club was loud and the strobe lights flashed different colors. In the center of the room was a large dance floor filled with people dancing. Skirting the dance floor were lounges, and on the far right wall was a huge bar area.

Rose and Dimitri immediately went to claim a spot on the dance floor, and Lissa and Christian headed over to the bar. Jill blushed and stood around awkwardly before building up the courage to ask Eddie if he wanted to dance. I winked at him as he headed of to the dance floor, leaving Adrian and I.

"Help me to one of those chairs and I'll be right until someone else arrives to ferry me around all night," I muttered to him, teetering around in the heels.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sage. Rose got you all trussed up like it's a cattle show. You can't waist all her time and energy moping in the corner. We're going to get you a drink," Adrian laughed, and I glared at him as I reluctantly wobbled after him.

"Adrian, you know that I don't drink," I hissed, trying, unsuccessfully, to pull him towards the seats.

"You do tonight," He muttered, ignoring my protests.

"No!" I disagreed.

"You'll thank me later," He argued.

"You actually think I'll thank you when I have a hangover tomorrow?" I asked in disbelief.

"I said a drink, Sage, not ten," Adrian smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, one drink," I conceded. Adrian ordered some kind of shot, I wasn't quite sure what, and I downed it in one go, thinking it would be better to get it over with. I was wrong.

The liquid burned the back of my throat and I choked, coughing violently and leaning onto the bar for support.

"Lightweight," Adrian chuckled and I glared at him.

"What sort of drink was that?" I spluttered and he shrugged.

"Now come on, you should dance," Adrian offered me his hand, and I glanced around nervously.

"Miss Sage, wonderful to see that you are looking after Jill so well as to even come to a club full of them to ensure things go smoothly," Amanda Barnsley, a high ranking Alchemist whom I had heard of, but never actually.

"Mz. Barnsley," I gasped in surprise, hurrying to stand and straighten my dress, wishing it wasn't this short.

"I just came to check up on you. It can't be easy spending so much time with them, yet you do it tirelessly. Impressive, Miss Sage, keep up the good work and hopefully you won't end up like some of the less remarkable Alchemists. We'll be watching," Amanda said, smiling and walking past me. I felt sick. Putting my head in my hands, I sighed and tried to relax, until I remembered that Adrian was still standing next to me.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Adrian. She was really rude to you," I apologized, and Adrian waved my apology away.

"Now, how about that dance?" He repeated, but I had been given my warning for the night. I didn't need another one.

"I can't, Adrian. If they see…" I broke off, knowing I didn't need to explain who they were. Adrian sighed again.

"Sage, you can't let them walk all over you like that," He said, growing angry. I could feel my own anger rise up as well, a direct result of the stress Amanda had just induced.

"I don't have a choice. I'm not like you, where the worst you face is becoming an outcast! My life is in danger, Adrian. If they find out that I'm even friends with any of you, they'll send me to re-education, and then-" I shuddered at the thought, "I have to go," I murmured, stumbling off in the opposite direction to Amanda and hoping I would be out of Adrian's line of sight before I tripped over these damn heels.

Now that I wasn't looking into his too-green-for-his-own-good eyes, I felt bad for yelling. After all, it wasn't his fault that if I danced with him I might get thrown in a re-education center. Besides, I could always say that he was a royal Moroi and that he demanded I dance with him. After all, it was in my job description not to antagonize the royals. Unless they were unreasonable, give them what they wanted and leave. I'm sure they wouldn't re-educate me for avoiding an explosive argument with a royal.

Just as I was turning to go and find Adrian, I was stopped by a Moroi who looked about my age. He had super model skin, baby blue eyes and bronze hair, and I supposed to some people who would have been hot. To me he looked a little too much like a girl.

"Hello, my name's Jesse. Can I get you a drink?" He grinned, and displayed a set of perfect white teeth. And fangs.

"Jesse Zeklos?" I guessed. I knew all of the royal Moroi, and judging from his age, I had guessed correctly.

My suspicions were confirmed when he nodded.

"So how about that drink?" He asked over the loud music.

"I don't drink," I replied, resolving not to drink anything else tonight. Adrian was right, I couldn't handle my liquor, and I didn't want to get drunk tonight. Who knows what might happen.

"How about a dance, then?" He pushed, and I hesitated, looking around to see if there was anyone that would protest if I declined. And of course, Amanda Barnsley chose that moment to spot me again in the crowd and head over.

"Miss Sage, may I speak with you a moment? She'll be right with you, Mr. Zeklos," Amanda stated, pulling me to the side slightly and speaking in a low tone, "I believe Mr. Zeklos asked for a dance. I know it will be incredibly difficult and I am disgusted I have to ask, but we need to keep in the Moroi in good favor with humans. At any moment they could decide not to ally themselves with the humans. This mustn't happen, so please, dance with them if they ask. Only the royals, though. We don't need the rest of those swine's good opinion," I nodded, despite the fact that there was something in Jesse's smile that I didn't trust.

If Amanda Barnsley asked me to jump off of a cliff, I would probably do it, because even that would be better than re-education, so, squaring my shoulders, I walked calmly back to Jesse and accepted his request.