Chapter Four

A week passed and then another, like tearing pages out of a calendar. I sat at my desk practicing on my own time, staring at the candle and concentrating. I was a fast learner and quickly picked up my dad's techniques, though he admitted he could not do these things himself. It was all in the person and natural talent.

The candle flared. Then it moved to the left. I gathered up the flame's energy and concentrated it around myself and the room. It instantly got warmer. I smiled and for a while I just stared at the candle. It was very calming and relaxing. It also helped my concentration.

And like that, I was no longer there.

I was sitting on a bed and I was...crying? What? And worse, somebody was hugging me against them as I cried.

I panicked. What the heck? Where was I? What was I doing? I tried to get away from whoever was holding me - I'd worry about how I get there later - but it was useless. I still cried and I still...liked being held there. And suddenly I was speaking too.

"I can't believe she's gone," I sobbed. "How can she be gone?"

"It'll be alright, Lissa," the person holding me, a guy, said soothingly. It calmed me down, but not enough to stop the tears. "I'm sure...Rose'll be fine."

Lissa? Rose? Who were these people? The boy was talking to me, but...my name was Lissa! Me! Or, well, whose ever body I was in. Her name was Lissa. I realized quickly that this wasn't my body. Maybe this was a side-effect of my newly found abilities. It had to be. I would definitely tell Dad about this, when I finally managed to get back to my own body.

"It's been two weeks, Christian," Lissa said, sniffing. It was so weird being in a body that wasn't my own. And the guy that was holding me must've been Christian. I liked him holding me. It felt nice. Lissa loved him, and I was experiencing that love. It felt good. "She's probably been dead or...or..."

"Don't think like that, Lissa," Christian said harshly. "Strigoi couldn't have gotten to her. She was kidnapped on Academy grounds which meant it must've been a dhampir or something."

"Or a human," Lissa murmured. "It could've been a human who took her for a Strigoi. Just like when you got taken in Spokane. Humans did it. Maybe - "

"Stop, Lissa," he interrupted. "Rose could've fought a human off. I'm sure of it. How about we go check with Guardian Petrov and Belikov and see if they've found anything. They must've found something by now."

Lissa agreed and pulled away from him while I wondered who this Rose person was. Her name sounded like mine. Rose was a short name for Rosemarie. I might've found it peculiar if I knew anyone my age, but I didn't. Unfortunately. Sighing, Lissa took Christian's hand and they walked out the door. It was night and I only realized then that I was in a Moroi's body and Christian was a Moroi as well. Cool. I'd always wondered what it was like to be Moroi.

Their destination was a small building that I learned housed several offices. Lissa and Christian walked down the halls and stopped at the third door on the right. Lissa knocked before she walked in.

"Guardian Petrov?" Lissa said. "We came to see if you found anything."

Inside of the office stood two guardians: an older woman with graying blond hair and blue eyes and a younger male with long brown hair and brown eyes. He was pretty good-looking, too. Both guardians looked sad, but the male more so. I wondered what was wrong. Maybe they were worried about Rose.

"We haven't found anything," the female guardian replied. She must've been Guardian Petrov. "Well, we found a few footprints in the ground much larger than Rose's, but that's it. That's the only evidence we have that somebody must've kidnapped her."

"We have to find her!" Lissa cried. "She could be in danger!"

"We have no leads, Lissa," the other guardian said, shaking his head sadly. It looked like he was hurting. "We would have no idea where to look."

"Maybe Adrian can dream walk her," Lissa said desperately. "He can try, can't he? That's how we contacted her in Spokane."

Guardian Petrov frowned. After a few moments, she nodded. "Bring back Ivashkov. We'll have him try to contact her."

Lissa was full of relief, excitement, anxiety, and high hopes. Would she finally be able to find out where Rose is? Would she finally see her best friend again? She had to be alive, she had to be.

Lissa and Christian ran to a large building and made there way to the second door on the first floor in the hallway. Lissa banged her fist against it impatiently.

"I'm coming!" a male shouted from inside. "Stop knocking! I have a fucking hangover!"

The door soon opened, revealing an unkempt, irritated Moroi man who was older than she and Christian, though younger than the male guardian in the office they'd just been in. His brown hair was messy and his green eyes were dull and red. I could tell he'd been crying. He also had a bottle in his hand, though it hadn't been drank from yet.

"What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I have things to do."

Lissa ignored his angry mood. "Come back with us to Guardian Petrov's office. We need you to try to contact Rose in her dreams. Please, Adrian?"

Adrian was quick to fulfill Lissa's request. He followed them back to the office, though Adrian didn't seem too happy to see the male guardian there. He immediately sneered at his presence.

"You're helping too, huh? Should've figured so," the Moroi mumbled.

"Get into Rose's dreams," the guardian said sternly, ignoring his comment. "Maybe we can find out where she is and try to help her."

"I'll see what I can do."

Adrian sat down in a chair and closed his eyes, a look of intense concentration crossing his face. Everybody watched him anxiously, waiting to see if he'd be able to contact Rose. Minutes flew by. It felt like an eternity to Lissa. Adrian opened his eyes.

"I couldn't," he said bluntly.

I could almost hear Lissa's hopes falling on the ground. Everything went unfocused as tears blurred her vision. She was overcome by sadness and grief and the loss of her best friend whom she had known since kindergarten. Christian sensed her distress and hugged her close to him, like he'd done earlier.

"Try again," the brown-haired guardian demanded.

"I can't," Adrian spat back. "She must be awake or something. I want her back as much as you do, you know. Probably more. I did what I could, Belikov."

I heard Belikov spit out unfamiliar words in a foreign language. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew by the tone of his voice that he was angry. Very angry.

"Calm down, Dimitri," I heard Guardian Petrov say. Dimitri? Was it Belikov or Dimitri? Belikov was probably his surname. His name was more likely Dimitri. "Something has to come up soon."

Adrian snorted. "Yeah, right. This guy did a good job at covering up his tracks."

"Rose is strong," Guardian Petrov claimed. "She'll find a way to get back. She always does."

"But what if she doesn't?" Lissa finally spoke again, turning her head to look at the group. "What if she doesn't come back? What's going to happen? Who's going to be my guardian?"

"Dimitri will," replied Guardian Petrov. "As planned. We would have to...replace Rose as his guarding partner. But try not to worry, Princess," she said quickly. "We will find Rose."

I hoped they would. Lissa was really upset. I hadn't realized before this that somebody could care about a person this much, like this, at least. If I ever lost Dad, I'd be devastated, just like Lissa was. I cared about the guardians too, who I'd known all my life. They were my uncles since Dad didn't have any brothers. Or sisters, for that matter.

"I can try again in a little while," Adrian offered. He didn't sound as angry as he had before. He probably sensed Lissa's depression. "Maybe they're forcing her to stay awake or she's running on our shedule so she's awake when we are. I'll just have to try tonight."

Lissa nodded but she felt only slightly better. At least Adrian could keep trying. Eventually he'd have to come into contact with Rose because she couldn't stay awake forever.

She shuddered as the thought She can't stay alive forever either passed through her mind.

"I'm leaving," Belikov muttered, slamming the door on his way out. Confusion momentarily became dominant over distress. Apparently it did so for Christian too.

"What's his problem?" Christian mumbled, staring at the door. "You'd think he'd been in love with her or something."

Adrian snickered. "Maybe you're not so far from the truth, Ozera."

A sudden knock at my door broke my intense concentration. It was Uncle Kane.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Dinner's ready," was all he said before he left.

Another short one. Sorry :( And I can warn you that chapter five will be short one too, but I don't think chapter six will be. So...REVIEW!