Ok so, I feel considerably better about this chapter. I hope everybody had a great day because I know I did. And sorry, I'm going to be much slower posting chapters tomorrow. It's my brother's birthday...whoo! Maybe, i doubt it'll be fun spending the day with a bunch of six and seven year olds when I'm a teenager. Whatever. And let me tell you, do not watch Criminal Minds while trying to write, its so easy to get distracted. Anyway, here's your chapter. I feel pretty good. Two in a day. And yes, for all you Christian lovers, you'll see him soon. And that unfortunately means Tasha too.

VA and all its characters still belong to Richelle Mead. So I guess that means my cat's name is copyrighted, huh?

Chapter 3: Day One

Wake up in the morning feelin' like P-Diddy

I groaned as my alarm—the lyrics to Tik Tok—blasted in my ear.

Grab my glasses, I'm out the door gonna hit this city.

"No, I'm not," I mumbled, forcing myself out of bed. It was times like this that I hated being a devoted runner with a love of breakfast foods.

Before I leave brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack.

I shook my head while pulling on basketball shorts and a sports bra, twisting my hair up into a ponytail. You gotta love Ke$ha's songs. They're not exactly brilliant, but they had an addictive beat that you couldn't help but move to. Regardless, who would think about brushing their teeth with Jack Daniels? Better question: who would put it in a song?

'Cause when I leave for the night I ain't comin' back.

Rolling my eyes, I pressed the snooze button on my phone, dropping it in my pocket as I grabbed my iPod touch out of my duffel bag, making my way out of the silent bunkhouse. I paused outside to breathe in the fresh air and to take in the beautiful sunrise that highlighted the mountains. The gorgeous sky colored the surrounding fields various shades of yellow, orange, pink, and red. It was still as breath taking at the first time I'd seen it. I jogged over to the main house, letting myself in through the unlocked front door, and walking briskly to the kitchen to grab some water and breakfast before I went for a run, which I swore I'd be getting back into now that I had returned to Montana.

The main house had three floors, the lowest of which was nearly always left open for the staff that lived on sight and the riders. It held the office, two bathrooms, a lounge, the cafeteria, and the kitchen. "Wonder if there are any donuts." I mused before scouring the cabinet for something to eat.

"Looking for something specific?" A surprisingly familiar, accented voice said from behind me.

I whirled around to see Dimitri leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "Donuts." I commented while Dimitri let a small smile play over his lips. Turning around, he reached into one of the cabinets and grabbed a box before tossing it to me. I caught it reflexively before looking down and grinning. Krispy Kreme donuts. Hopping up onto the counter, I opened the box and shoved a donut into my mouth while Dimitri watched with amusement.

"Why are you up so early?" Dimitri asked me while boiling water.

"I always get up this early." I responded.

"I didn't peg you as an early bird." He replied.

Scowling, I shook my head. "I didn't say I woke this early by choice." I said while he smiled and shook his head. "I like to run."

"You take morning runs?" Dimitri asked. "Want some hot chocolate?" He asked suddenly while I nodded.

"I used to."

"How long has it been since you last ran?" He asked while pouring two bags of cocoa into each cup. I shook my head but didn't say anything about it.

"About three months." I answered honestly.

"You're going to hurt when I get done with you?" Dimitri said, handing me a mug.

"What are you talking about?"

Dimitri smiled at me. "I'm going to help you train."

I crossed my arms over my chest defensively, narrowing my eyes at him. "And what makes you think I need to train?"

He shrugged. "You're clearly trying to get back in shape. I can help."

I looked at him doubtfully, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. "Right. What makes you think I want your help? Better yet, what makes you think you're even qualified to help me?" I asked him.

"I played a lot of sports growing up, so I know how train. And I used to teach martial arts about two or three years ago." Dimitri admitted.

"You do martial arts?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. I'm a black belt." He answered while I raised my eyebrows.

"No shit!" I blurted out in surprise while he looked at me with amusement. "So am I." I said to him, momentarily enjoying the surprise that played over his face.

"Are you going to let me help you?" Dimitri asked while I sighed. Honestly, I had no idea how to go about getting back into shape. It had been three months since I'd really done anything that remotely resembled working out. For some reason, I trusted Dimitri and had little doubt that he would try to help me to the best of his ability. He recognized my defeat and let a grin slip onto his face. "Ready to run?"

I hopped off of the counter and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, tossing him one, which he caught one-handed. "Show off," I muttered before nodding and following him outside. "How far are we running?"

"Two miles." Dimitri answered looking entertained.

Two miles? Oh shit.

~O~O~O~

I hated Dimitri Belikov.

Okay, so maybe I didn't hate him, per se, but I certainly wasn't very happy with him. After two miles, we'd gotten back to the barn, and I'd dropped too the ground, sore, exhausted, and gasping for breath while Dimitri had watched me expressionlessly. Once my heart rate had slowed, and I was capable of breathing, he'd nodded his head and said: "Good, same time tomorrow morning," before walking off. Hardass. I'd worked with him one day, and I already knew that out of every coach I'd ever had for every sport I'd ever played, not one of them had ever pushed me the way that Dimitri did. He was right. I did hurt. All over.

"Hathaway," I heard a voice nearby hiss at me, and I paused from mucking the stall and turned to see Bitch Doll standing there glaring at me. "Where the hell is my tack?" She snapped at me.

I shrugged. "Wherever you put it." I replied before turning away return to mucking.

"Bitch," she muttered loudly. I grit my teeth and kept working, knowing that if I got into a fight with a rider I'd be in serious trouble. "Don't touch my stuff you little bitch, understand?" I heard Bitch Doll hiss venomously at someone from down the hall. I didn't really pay attention until I heard the next person speak.

"I'm sorry. I just thought—" Lissa's voice spoke meekly.

My head shot up, and I dropped the pitchfork moving down the hallway quickly. Bitch Doll pointed her finger at Lissa, causing Lissa to flinch and said, "Don't screw with me princess." She sneered on the word, "You think you're so great, don't you." She opened her mouth to say something else, but I quickly moved between them, glaring at Bitch Doll fiercely.

"This conversation is over." I told her firmly. "Go piss off someone else."

"Who was talking to you, whore?" The girl asked while I rolled my eyes. Whore? So original. I'd been called way worse.

"I'll break you in half. Just go ask Dawn Yarrow what happened when she pissed me off." Admittedly, the incident with Dawn had not been one of my finer moments. However, it served its purpose right now as I saw fear flit through the girl's eyes. I honestly hadn't meant to break her arm when I'd shoved her into the tree, but she deserved it. I'm just saying.

"You screw with me, I'll screw with you right back." Bitch Doll hissed at me while I rolled my eyes.

"I'm terrified." I said tonelessly. The girl flipped her ringlets over her shoulder and stalked away while I turned to Lissa who looked shaken but not horribly upset. "What did you do to her?" I blurted out while Lissa just shrugged, turning back to her mare.

"I figured it was just the ongoing friendship between Aaron and I." Lissa said.

"Can you really be friends with someone whose tongue had been down your throat?" I asked Lissa who shook her head at me.

"Thanks Rose." Lissa said quietly.

"What are best friends for?"

"Moral support?" Lissa quipped, tightening the girth as a smile came to her lips.

"That too." I commented.

"Are you gonna watch my lesson?" Lissa asked, her eyes pleading me to stay and watch. I sighed but nodded my head. "Thank you!" Lissa squealed, hugging me. "Are you going to ride while you're here?" Lissa whispered, looking around so that no one heard her. This time, I didn't answer, staying silently and looking over at the mare who watched me intently. "Rose. You were amazing. It's been three months. Just hop on, Rose. Try again. You don't have to do anything extreme, but just getting back on and walking a lap or two would be good for you."

Looking down, I glared at my intertwined fingers and sighed. "It's not that easy, Lissa." I told her. She waited for me to elaborate, but didn't push me when I didn't. "I'll ride again when I'm ready."

"Will you ever be ready?" Lissa asked.

"I don't know." I answered honestly while she gave me a sad, knowing smile. Her instructor called the riders from the other end of the hall, and Lissa gave me one last look as she pulled on her helmet.

"It'll be okay. You're strong." Lissa said to me.

"Have a good ride, sis." I smirked at her while she laughed and nodded.

The Red Creek riding team, practiced in the biggest arena, far from the hustle and bustle of the barn. I walked out to the arena quickly, plopping onto the bleachers set up for parents whenever they decided to come watch their children, a rare occurrence in and of itself. The Red Creek team consisted of the best riders in Red Creek ranch and nearly everyone wanted to be on the team. However, the only thing harder than actually being on the team was staying in. At the moment, it consisted of Camille, three of her friends, Aaron, Bitch Doll, Jesse, Lissa, and surprisingly, Natalie Dashkov whose father sat a little ways away from me looking worse for the wear. Victor Dashkov, Natalie's father, had been diagnosed with cancer around two years ago. The years of chemotherapy and radiation seemed to have finally taken its toll on Victor who looked much older than he truly was. Damn shame too, he'd been a great rider turned businessman who'd, reportedly, been Tatiana's successor to her various stables when she died. With his inevitable demise at the hands of the incurable disease, he'd lost that privilege.

My eyes focused on Lissa, Natalie, and Bitch Doll who all stood side-by-side in the line up that their instructor, Ms. Carmack, had told them to make while she spoke to them quietly. Lissa looked regal, as always, on the back of her chestnut, thoroughbred mare, Rhea, named after her mother. On her right side, Natalie looked gawky and nervous on her gorgeous Rocky Mountain horse gelding, Storm. On the left, Bitch Doll looked like a little girl trying to fit in with the big kids. Her position and seat looked unnatural and forced, and the way she tried to look regal on horseback just made her look awkward. The horse she rode, a gorgeous Belgian warm blood named Sterling, belonged to Red Creek.

Mason and Eddie sat down on either side of me, and I regarded them for a moment before looking back at the lesson. Watching as they moved out of their lineup to start warming up. "Who's that girl on Sterling?" I asked them both watching as she dropped her stirrups, walking without them. Honestly, Bitch Doll didn't honestly look like too bad of a rider. The only thing that really separated her from her fellow riders was her place in society. I could tell just by talking to her that she hadn't grown up around wealth and privilege like everyone else. Everyone else owned their own horse and tack, went to expensive private schools, and had politicians and businessmen as parents. After spending a lifetime trying to survive in a world operated by the rich and entitled, you learned to pick up the small difference that helped identify who was a socialite and who was a fraud. And Bitch Doll? Total fraud.

"You don't remember her?" Mason asked.

"Should I?" I replied who Eddie just rolled his eyes.

"She's only a year younger than us." Eddie informed me while I looked at him doubtfully.

"I know it's hard to believe." Mason commented, squinting in her direction for a moment before continuing. "Mia Rinaldi. Not royally inbred." He said, regarding the fact that her family didn't consist of high-ranking members of society. I nodded my head while Eddie just rolled his eyes. "What? I'm just making a point." He told Eddie before turning back to me. "She rolls with Camille and her crew and has since a little while after you left. She dates Aaron, as I'm sure you can see."

I watched her for a moment before looking back at Mason. "She seems desperate to fit in."

Eddie shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but she's a middle class girl trying to hang out with filthy rich socialites while trying to hold on to a place on the riding team. What do you expect?"

I didn't answer turning back to look at the group riding in front of me. "What's her problem with Lissa?" I asked.

Mason shrugged. "I didn't know she had a problem with Lissa."

"Did you ever think that she just has a problem with you?" Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow—why could everyone do that but me?—"After all, it wouldn't be the first time."

"Ha ha, Edison, you're so funny." I said sarcastically. I shook my head, narrowing my eyes in her direction, watching as she and Sterling popped over a crossrail. Shaking my head, I looked at them. "No, she definitely has a problem with Lissa." I said to them. Letting the situation drop, I turned to my two friends with a smile. "So how has your day been so far?" I asked them lightly, leaning back and watching them

Mason and Eddie shrugged. "Normal, how was yours?"

"Tiring," I admitted. "Dimitri had me run two miles."

"Dimitri?" Mason asked. "Why was Belikov telling you to run two miles?"

Looking over at them, I sighed. "He's helping me get back into shape."

"Belikov's training with you?" Mason asked incredulously while even Eddie looked surprised.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

"The guy's a god, Rose." Mason said.

Eddie and I glanced at each other, rolling our eyes at Mason's words. "He's really anti-social, but he's a black belt, and he kicks ass. Not to mention, Mason and I watched him horseback ride the other day and he's amazing." Eddie said, telling me accurate information as opposed to Mason's words. "Actually you'll see him ride this afternoon."

I looked at them in surprise. "What do you mean?" I asked them.

Now Mason and Eddie looked surprised. "The staff ride this afternoon."

Of course.

~O~O~O~

"You're not going to ride?" Dimitri asked from beside me wear I sat on a stall door, watching my fellow staff members tack up various horses and trying to stop the flashbacks from pouring into me.

Looking at him sideways, I shrugged. "No, why?" I asked him, trying to avoid the subject but finding no clear way to change the subject without him noticing.

Dimitri tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Because I've heard the stories about you, and even after three months, your name doesn't just disappear because you went off the map." He said to me, crossing his arms over his chest and watching me expressionlessly. "Have you even ridden since the accident?" Dimitri asked me quietly.

As hard as I fought to keep the memories at bay, they hit me full force. I worked to keep my face blank as the memories pelted me once again, leaving me feeling as vulnerable as I always did after one of the flashbacks. Shaking it off, I looked back at Dimitri who looked at me with concern. A little on edge about the flashback, I hopped off of the door just for something to do. Shrugging, I crossed my arms over my chest and wandered over to where Dimitri's huge Spanish mustang stood fully tacked save for his bridle in crossties. "Does it matter?" I replied.

"Rose," Dimitri said, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dimitri." I responded, my voice as close to neutral as I could get, though I knew it still came out sharp.

"Rose…" He paused, unsure how to continue before putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're not fine." Dimitri informed me softly. I bit my lower lip, not quite sure how to respond to this.

I moved away from his hand, not looking in his direction. "You don't know me." I whispered before walking away without looking back. I sat down on the bleachers, watching as Mason, Eddie, and all the rest of my old friends walked into the arena and mounted up. Feeling the need to just talk to someone, I picked up the phone and called Lissa.

"Hello?"

"Hey Liss."

"Hey, Rose," she said sounding distracted. "What do you need?"

"I just wanted to—" I began when she cut me off.

"Look, Rose, I'm really sorry, but I have to go work on this English project. Can we talk tomorrow?" Lissa asked me sounding desperate.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, forcing my voice to stay light. "Sure, of course," I said to Lissa, my eyes on the people and horses in front of me.

"Thanks Rose. I'll see you tomorrow." Lissa said quickly. "Bye." She said as the dial tone sounded in my ear.

"Bye," I said. Getting up quickly, I sprinted away from the arena and walked into my bunk, slamming the door behind me. My phone rang suddenly, and I yanked it out of my pocket, my eyes locking on the screen.

Jesse: Doing something 2nite

I needed a distraction, and Jesse Zeklos seemed like perfect person to do just that. Smiling, I sent him a quick text message back.

Rose: I am now

Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews, love the support, it's very motivating. I'm going to grab dessert and then start on Chapter Four that'll be very Rose and Dimitri oriented regardless of Jesse's necessary cameo. Thanks again. Later. Also you can find pictures of everyone's horses on my profile including Rose's future equine buddy.