A/N: I haven't gotten many responses from you all, but thanks to the ones that did follow or favorite. It means a lot. If you like my work... I hope you don't mind me requesting you to help me spread the word a little? Thankyou. Enjoy. :)

P.S There is PLENTY of angsty Adrian to come; don't you worry, Natasadeli ;)

Chapter Two - Adrian

All those words, came undone
And how I'm not the only one
Facing the ghosts that decide if

The fire inside...

still burns

Mexican Reunion

"We're going to be trying out abstract painting today. Allow your thoughts to run wild and let them reflect onto the paper. Remember, give every stroke of paint meaning—bring it to life by merely the train of your feelings and emotions. I want you all to think about your deepest and darkest fears when you work today. Show me what your fears would look like in the form of abstract art. By the way, this is going to incorporate for at least sixty percent of your grade."

Our art teacher, Mrs. Valentine, explained.

I took a deep breath and looked at my blank canvas. I hated when they made us do work on specific topics. I liked to have all my options open, I liked variety. I didn't think that I could
get very creative with extremely limited choices on my hands.

"You know what's my darkest fear? Mrs. Valentine in a mini-skirt. I mean, look at those thunder thighs. Ack!" Rowena Clark said, leaning towards me and grinning.

Rowena and I had met on the first day of our mixed media class and bonded almost instantly. I didn't think anyone else in the entire class was more fit to be my friend. She was my perfect match, except for the fact that she liked girls and I was still hung-up on my last disastrous love affair.

"It's disturbing that you've dwelled upon Mrs. Valentine in a mini-skirt." I deadpanned.

"Oh, pfft!" Rowena chuckled, hitting me lightly on my arm.

"Less talking more working, people. Come on." Mrs. Valentine roamed the length of our spacious classroom and clapped her hands repeatedly.

I went back to staring at the open canvas. I wanted to paint, I wanted to get my mind off the thing that was bugging me, but it was pretty close to impossible. The fact remained that I was still the lovesick fool that I'd always been and wasn't able to get Sydney Sage out of my head, even two months after she'd left me for margaritas and a bleached blond idiot.

It was puzzling; really. I'd been so damn determined that she was going to change her mind and come back to me that I'd gone through the trouble of setting up a message with coordinates to one of the best museums in Malibu for her. I still remembered it like it was yesterday. I had stood there, at the stupid indoor garden, waiting for her to come to me. It was a December afternoon; I'd been pumped on nothing but adrenaline. The garden was gorgeous, it had a built-in pool and everything. I remember waiting there for over three hours, so sure that she would come, until I got a phone call from Jailbait telling me that Sydney had boarded the train.

It broke my heart and it was like every lesson that Sydney had taught me was tossed right out the window. I began to smoke and drink more than I did back when Rose dumped me for the tall, dark and Russian warlord. God, it had been terrible. I remembered Jailbait and the rest of the gang calling up Sydney on her birthday to wish her; and I'd refused to talk.

I wasn't one for holding grudges; but it hurt. Everytime I thought I was over it, I just closed my eyes and saw her angelic face. Those majestic amber eyes littered with golden specs—mocking me, her flaxen hair flying in the wind, and her evil laughter echoing right into
the freaking depths of my soul.

Hell with her.

"Uh oh," Rowena's voice pulled me out of my vicious thoughts,
"You're doing that thing again."

I frowned, "What thing?"

"I don't know but it makes you look like a serial killer. Your left eye starts to twitch, your nose gets all wrinkled and you scowl for a good five minutes, staring off into space."

"Oh,"

"It's that mythical ex-girlfriend you've been going on and on about, isn't it?"

"No," Unfortunately, lying to Rowena was pointless. I'd only known her for a few weeks,
but it felt like she knew me… well, some of me.

"Oh, please—don't bullshit me. I know a moping, brooding soul when I see one. Cupid did you wrong and now you seek justice. You want to go avenge the kingdom of the down and the duped."

I knew that she was simply being sarcastic, but I almost wished there was a way I could punch something in the face so that I could feel better.

She took a lock of her recently dyed lavender hair in her finger and twirled it around,
"Do you want me to help you? I have a friend who has a friend who has a cousin who could totally hook you up with, like, this really slutty group of sorority girls. It'll be like an All You Can Bang Buffet. What do you say?"

I arched an eyebrow at her, a little amused. "Is that Plan B if things go kaput with Tessa?"
"Hey," Rowena raised her arms in mock surrender, "I was only trying to help, man."

We didn't talk much after that and I carried on trying and failing to be creative. I even got a dangerous death stare from Mrs. Valentine, who usually loved my work. After class, I was walking with Rowena towards the parking lot, my hands in my pockets.

"So at what stage of your emotional turmoil are we on? Is she the one that got away or the frigid bitch that did you wrong at the moment?" She questioned, I suppressed another chuckle. "Probably both."

"Okay, both it is. Ugh, Sydney is such an inconsiderate bitch, god, I hate her so much for doubling my man pain and hurting my fragile heart. Oh, but I miss her so much… She was the one, you know? The love of my life. I'll never meet someone like her! I must go drown my sorrows in tobacco and hooch till I can feel again!"

I rolled my eyes at Rowena's mocking words and put a hand to my heart, "Ouch,"
I grinned at her, "You're being extra sarcastic today."

"Well, since you've got your monthlies I thought I'd do it for the both of us."

I drove home in silence which was pretty abnormal for me. I usually blasted the radio,
let down all my windows and relished in the road ahead. My moodiness probably had something to do with my spirit use. Recently, I'd limited using it, since I wasn't visiting anyone in their dreams or healing stuff I was pretty much five by five. All I used spirit for now was to read auras and that had become a guilty pleasure, one which I was not proud of.

It sucked to be a spirit user, no wonder they all either died or went insane.

If you used too much of it, things got bad and if you didn't use enough, same consequences.
I'd been having some serious withdrawal symptoms because I'd been keeping my spirit usage very suppressed and it was coming to a point where I missed it. Usually, the alcohol I drank
just numbed it down, but these days, it wasn't as easy to get drunk or shut out the spirit.

The darkness and the pain was always there, looming in the background; sleeping, waiting.
I could feel it simmering inside of me at random times of the day, usually in the brighter hours I'd just down enough alcohol and smoke enough cigarettes to keep me distracted with my mind away from it all, but it got harder every time I was alone at night and turned off the lights.

I'd done some reading on spirit users before, also learnt a couple things from my friend, Lissa. There were all kinds of fairy fables about it, of course. Some people said spirit users were abominations, some said we were mentally insane, others thought we were gifted; miracles with legs. It was different with everybody. A lot of people even refused to believe we existed; thought we were myths. I'd seen the effects of Spirit use first-hand, Lissa used to cut herself because of it. And I'd brought Jill back to life using it.

Why did I have to be cursed with spirit anyway? I often thought how cool it would be to wield power over water like Jailbait, or even kick some ass with the fiery talents that Christian had.
But no, I had to be stuck with the crappiest of Moroi talents. Just my luck.

My mind was a weak little thing, I was in the throes of spirit more often than I'd liked to admit. On a good day, I just hid it and nobody would be able to tell. On the bad days…
The bad days were a pain in the ass, there was no telling what would happen to me.

I sighed and piled all the spirit driven thoughts to the depths of my mind, parked my car, a proud yellow mustang that did nothing but remind me of her; and began to walk towards my apartment. That's when my phone buzzed; it was Jailbait.

I picked up almost instantly, "Ah, a little sunshine to brighten my day. What's up, Jailbait?"
Her voice was extremely squeaky, like she was high on caffeine. I'd come to know it as her happy voice, "Adrian, you've got to come to Amberwood. Like, now."

I frowned, making a mental list of the things I'd had planned for the day. The list was neither long nor productive, so I shrugged, "Sure. What's going on?"

"I—I don't want to ruin the surprise so I can't tell. Just get here! Quickly!"

"Jailbait—"

But she'd already cut the phone. So I did what any other logical person would do in my position, I got back into my car and drove to school because the fifteen-year-old told me to.

xxxxx

I trudged towards Jill's room and knocked twice on her door, loudly. I was a little irritated and testy, probably because I hated wandering around Amberwood's extra-confusing campus. Vampire-friendly it was not, with all those open air lawns with the sun shining down to make me feel like an Adrian-sized kebab.

Sure, Moroi didn't get burnt into crisps like the Strigoi when it came to the sun, but it tried its very best to make us feel sick and uncomfortable if we stood directly in it for too long.
Angeline, Jailbait's mouthy roommate and guardian, opened the door. "Oh, great. You're here. Jill was talking my ear off about how excited she was. It was starting to give me a headache." She announced grumpily, leaving the door wide open and stepping aside so that I could come in.

Angeline was nice, I always liked people who complimented me at first sight; but recently she'd cheated on Castile and that wasn't boding well with anybody. Were all girls like this?
For someone who'd been with so many one would think I would know. I walked in and looked around, "Where is she?" I asked.

Angeline crossed her arms over her chest, "Where is who?"

"Jailbait."

Angeline walked over to the table and grabbed a Biology textbook, "Oh, she should be here soon. She told me not to let you out of my sight while I wait." I frowned and sat down on the couch in their dorm room, still a little dazed and confused. Angeline wasn't doing a very good job at keeping her eye on me, as she was flipping through the pages of her textbook rather strenuously.

"Ugh, I hate biology. I mean, who cares how a cell divides? It just does."

I didn't bother responding to her, Jailbait's shady behavior was starting to test my patience and I felt the immediate need to smoke and let off some steam. I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, before I could ask Angeline about what Jill was up to again, someone walked in.

I stood up and froze in place. A dozen feelings and emotions began to run wild, and I had this sudden ache in my chest that was levitating around inside me. My mouth dried up and I had to bawl my fists and dig my nails deep into the palms of my hands to keep them from shaking. What the hell was she doing here?

Sydney stood at the doorway, her blonde hair perfectly brushed, wearing her obligatory formal skirt and shirt. She looked a little tired, there were dark rims just beneath her bleary eyes and my vampire senses told me that she had been drinking tons of coffee because she smelt like she'd bathed in it—something which didn't come to me as a surprise.

God, I hated surprises.

The look on her face seemed to be wistful and etched with longing, but I couldn't tell for sure.
What I did notice, that unlike the Sydney who'd laughed at me in my head, this one simply looked apologetic and rather vulnerable. All the pent up anger that I'd kept bottled up within me seemed to melt away in a heartbeat.

Of course I'd thought about what would happen if I saw her again, that was a no brainer.
I'd planned this long, dramatic, angry speech so that I could make her feel as bad as I did when she'd broken my heart for the billionth time. I knew that there were numerous things that I could say to her, I could start with one of the many taunts I'd thought up while she was away, or with a witty insinuation, but instead, I went with something like, "Hey,"

It was so lame that Captain Underpants could have flown in and smacked me in the face.

Sydney took a deep breath and walked in, trying to put on a brave face and smiled. Angeline was the first one to break the silence and spare us both the awkwardness. "So you're the reason Jill's been all over the place this morning. That explains it. I'm glad to have you back, now maybe Adrian and the rest of these people will stop moping over you like little babies."

Sydney's eyes swiveled to Angeline, "Thank you, I suppose?"
Angeline grinned wide, "You're welcome. Uh—Do you guys need a minute to yourselves?"
Sydney began to say, "That's not necessary-" but I cut her off.
"That would be nice, yes."

Angeline, thankfully, got the message. She grabbed her Biology textbook and walked right out the door, shutting it behind us so that we were now stuck together in a confined space, alone, with all our problems bubbling up to the surface.

It was suffocating.

Sydney kept averting her eyes, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she was trying her best not to look into my eyes. So, naturally, I did exactly that. I stared right into those amber eyes I'd missed so much, "Why are you back?" was all I said, my tone was extremely apathetic.

"I've been having some ominous dreams, I talked to Mrs. Terwilliger and she sounded extremely frantic on the phone; she requested that I come back." I arched an eyebrow at her, I didn't need to communicate with words how I felt about that. Her response sounded flat and stupid, and I couldn't believe that she'd run off to Mexico promising she would never come back to me, but came running when Jackie had a problem.

"And I missed everyone here. I—I missed you, Adrian. I know that this sounds foolish right now but if I'm being honest, Mexico was a disaster. It was stupid, it was a whim… I acted on impulse, which is something I never thought I'd say, by the way." I simply crossed my arms over my chest, feeling unconvinced.

Sydney finally met my gaze and raised a hand in expression, "I could give you a whole, enumerate speech about how sorry I am and how wrong I was for going to Mexico with Marcus and his Merry Men but I already know that will not mean a thing to you. I wish I'd thought this through, I mean, its all I thought about on the plane—I even made some stupid charts, they were color-coded and everything. I even googled 'How to get a loved one to forgive you' online! Adrian…"

I had to put a finger on her lips to get her to stop talking, I was afraid if she went on further without taking a breath she would start hyper-ventilating. If the circumstances had been any different I would have probably gone for a kiss to shut her up; but for now, I didn't take that risk. Her eyes fell down to look at my finger on her lip, I could feel the warmth of her skin under my own and immediately peeled it off before I lost all train of thought.

"Breathe, Sage, I'm not going to kill you." I muttered. She smiled just a little, "Is it strange that I want to tell you about all the heavily ridiculous experiences I've had these past two months instead of debating on about my decision?"

I felt a smile tugging at my own lips. "I think it's a smart way to get yourself off the hook, but you look jet-lagged and tired and I don't wanna pressure you anymore. Also, I'd like to hear about that Surfer boy's dreams crashing and burning. So, let it out."

Oddly enough, she sat down after that and we talked straight for two hours. It almost felt like no time had passed at all, I was still mad at her, somewhere down there but just seeing her back with me, talking her heart out. With her eyes filled with light and her smile so very telling, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved and inspired.

"Oh, and this one time, Marcus managed to convince this group of teenage boarding school girls that he was a Russian spy working for the government, it was so funny because—"
Her eyes suddenly went wide and she quit what she was saying abruptly,
"Did you know that Wolfe bakes cookies in his free time? He's the strangest man… but his cookies taste really, really good. Oh, he had these hilarious ninja magnets on his refrigerator—I thought you'd like those. At least, that's all I could think about during my visit there."

Sydney told me all kinds of stories, when she started talking about Wolfe, I was actually amused. "How long have you been holding that one down?"

It was weird how it all felt so very normal, we were supposed to be mad at each other, things were supposed to be awkward and intense. Instead, we were trading stories like some long lost friends.

Finally, there was a knock on the door and Angeline was back, with the news that there was a call for Sydney, which was her cue to leave. I was a little floored when I took a look at the time, it was almost their curfew—which meant that I'd overstayed my welcome.

"It's nice to have you back Sydney. Jill and Eddie say they want to meet you." Angeline offered, strolling back in with three large books tucked under one arm.

Sydney turned to look at me, and offered a rueful smile, "Adrian… Just because you allowed me to open up to you, it doesn't mean I'm off the hook, does it?" Her expression grew hopeful.

Before I could reply, Angeline chimed in, her voice slightly annoyed; like she'd had a bad day. "Go away now." She was looking directly at Sydney, but I knew that she was addressing the both of us. Angeline was very literal that way.

Sydney nodded, but she was clearly hoping for an answer. I wasn't sure how to respond to that, but I settled for something that would provide me some satisfaction for all the torturous days gone by without her. I gave her a smug, slightly sarcastic smile.

"Not by the slightest, my love."

xxxxx

The next three days were strictly Sydney-free.

Which after our last bittersweet yet abundantly confusing encounter, I was fine with.
I stuck by my per diem routine. I'd go to college for class, hangout with Rowena (and her girlfriend sometimes) after, then come back home. At home I usually painted, or tried to finish up the latest instructive project I'd been given by Mrs. Valentine. Later, I would spend my time drinking and listening to Pink Floyd's albums, oh, and feeding our love child the grumpy callistina dragon.

The little guy really had an appetite on him, and chocolate cookies made him testy and overly hyper. I'd feed him anyway, though, to get the screeching to stop. Hopper was cute, for a dragon—I'd always pictured dragons to be large and majestic, Game of Thrones style. This tiny dude wasn't what I'd expected, but he still made a badass pet. Unfortunetely, I couldn't tell anyone about him because Sydney made him out of magic. Literally. And she was the only one who could convert him back into an inert piece of smoky quartz.

That evening, as he licked frosting off the donut I'd just fed him, I thought it was time Sydney took him. I'd had him long enough, two months in her unrequited absence, to be precise. I watched him gobble up what was left of the donut from the glass aquarium he called home.
"Hopper, you're one greedy little dragon. You know that?" I spoke to him, he made a sound that was close to a cat's mewling before falling asleep.

I sighed as I backed away from the vivarium and jumped onto bed. Suddenly, my phone rang and I smiled slightly at the name that flashed.

"Well, if it isn't Her Majesty. Planning to take a day to kick back and blend in with us mere peasants? You know you can't have the best of both worlds, Liss."

Lissa Dragomir, one of my friends from back at my days at Court was on the other line. We didn't talk much anymore, not since she went ahead and became queen of the Moroi Royal Court and everything. She was also a fellow Spirit user, we'd taught each other quite a few tricks. Lissa laughed softly on the other end of the line, but her voice sounded tense as she spoke, "Adrian, I've missed you."

The compassion in her voice sometimes made me feel all warm inside, not that I'd ever tell her that. I grinned, "Gosh, Liss. How's the kingdom treating you?"

"Surprisingly well… For now. How's Jill and everyone else doing?"

"Everyone's peachy."

"Good… I'm glad."

"How's Christian? You two crazy kids getting along fine?"

"He's wonderful."

There was a strain to her voice, and I knew her well enough to catch it instantly. The small talk had just been for the heck of it, and I knew it.

"Not that I don't love you, Liss, because I do. But you haven't phoned me ever since you got crowned queen—which is okay, I know it's busy, maddening stuff but I know you didn't call just to ask about the weather in Palm Springs. What's really going on?" Lissa sighed on the other end of the line, which proved me right.

"Alright, Adrian. I'll… I'll cut to the chase. Spirit has been rearing its ugly head. It's been taking a huge toll on me." I frowned, "I'm almost positive that I'm supposed to respond to this in a different way, but spirit being a pain in the ass isn't exactly news."

"Oh, I mean its getting worse than usual. Yeah, spirit has a lot of side-effects, but these days… It's something else. I've been feeling these sudden pangs… I don't know why, but it's like I can feel some disruption in the nature of things. Every Moroi in the school has been having a hard time working their magics lately."

I simply nodded, "I see."

"Christian set an entire building on fire by mistake, one of the school's best water wielders lost their control and overflowed a fountain—causing it to collapse. Elemental magic is all over the place lately and Spirit has the worst effects. I was wondering if the same thing was happening with you, if you were sensing what I am. And… uh, Sonya Karp told Rose that Sydney's a witch now? Do you think you could ask her if she has any idea what's going on?"

I froze. Spirit had been acting up lately, but I'd just figured it was because of my withdrawal symptoms but maybe—maybe it was something else entirely.

"Okay, now that's plain weird," I confirmed, "Spirit has been a bitch lately, more so than usual. So I'd probably have to go with a 'yes'. You okay?"

Lissa's voice was clearly unhinged, "I am, but I'm starting to have a very bad feeling about this. All of today's classes were cancelled due to elemental magic going crazy. And Adrian? There was a death on campus. Whatever is causing all this, it's strong and it could be fatal in the long run."

I took a deep breath, "You hang in there, cousin. I'll talk to Sydney—I think she knows a coven of witches who could help, too."

"That'll be great; Adrian. Listen to me, please take care of yourself and Jill, too—but especially of yourself. This thing, whatever it is, it's targeting Spirit users. Sonya feels it too."

This didn't surprise me in the least. My response was dry, "No wonder Spirit users are so few and far between, we've got the highest mortality rate. They always get to us first."

"Yeah," Lissa's voice was quiet. "Yeah, they do."