BACK ON TRACK
Dread. That feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when something just isn't right. Rose had had that feeling since Costin had broken the god awful news to her. And well over a day later it hadn't eased one bit. The plane had touched down on the airstrip at the royal court without any major dramas, to the majority of the travellers anyway. Rose had to endure at least fifteen minutes in a much too close proximity to Dimitri, as he stood there staring at her. It had taken every fibre of the brunettes being to stay in the exact position she was in, it helped, of course, that she was frozen in place just by his choice of cologne. But her heart had tried everything to have her leap into his warm, safe arms.
A car had been waiting for Costin and Rose when they arrived at court, and it was fully equipped with a driver. Rose was sure even a blind fish would have known just how pissed off Costin was, but with the guardians showing up to escort the pair back, why should the Queen have kept any of their wishes? After a ten minute trip of Costin constantly muttering under his breath, Rose was more than relieved when they arrived at their accommodation, and even more so when she found out she would have a suite to herself.
Costin carried their bags to the elevator with Rose trailing behind, she couldn't help but take in the décor of the lobby. At the academy she had been in the novice dorms, which consisted of a room with a single bed and a desk, and her living conditions since then had been pretty shocking. But the lobby of the accommodation building they had been dropped off at was adorned with expensive looking paintings, plush carpet, sofa's that looked like they only belonged in a decorating magazine, and gorgeous flowering plants. And while Rose took in her surroundings, a feeling of not belonging set in hard.
They reached the top floor and Costin walked Rose to her door. The hallway looked like it had been taken out of the same magazine as the sofa's downstairs, but it was nothing compared to the room Rose was going to enter. She stepped into the lounge area of the mini apartment, it was fitted with white leather couches, the largest flat screen TV Rose had ever seen, and again was adorned with paintings and plants. Plush beige carpet covered the floor, and the walls were painted in a soft forest green. Upon seeing the room, Rose started to reconsider the accommodation she had always chosen to live in, she knew just how relaxed she might be coming home to something like the room before her instead of gritty streets and a run-down apartment.
Off the lounge area there was a small kitchen with all the fittings needed to make cooking easy, and the fridge and pantry were stocked with an array of food. The bedroom was just as big as the lounge area. The bed alone was big enough to sleep at least four people comfortably, a chair was angled in the corner of the room, created the perfect place to read – not that Rose was big on reading. The bed-side lamps provided the only light in the room, but it was in no way too dark or uncomfortable, it was perfect. Off the bedroom was an ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. Rose might have resented being back at court, but at least she was going to be comfortable.
"Where is your room?" Rose asked Costin as he turned towards the door.
"Two floors down," he replied, distaste still filled his voice, though Rose wasn't sure if it was still part of his anger towards the Queen or at the position of his room compared to hers.
Rose just nodded her acknowledgement as he turned to leave her to settle in. Rose wandered around the room aimlessly, she opened the fridge, pantry, the wardrobe in the bedroom and admired the bathroom. The Watcher felt much too restless to even consider sleeping, she had no interest in turning on the TV, and that didn't leave much else to do. It was late in the moroi night, the sun was shining and birds were singing, and Rose decided to take the chance of exploring a bit of the royal court.
Rose quickly changed into some fresh jeans and another hoodie, unfortunately she hadn't come equipped with wigs, or anything else that would be useful to disguise her in any way. She had considered getting a dye for her hair for a brief moment, but she couldn't bear to be that drastic about it and ruin her hair in the process.
Rose stepped out the main door of the building and was greeted by a fresh spring breeze. She sucked in a long breath, enjoying the sensation of the clean air inside her lungs. It's one thing she had missed about her home land, though living in the areas she had she shouldn't have been too surprised the air hadn't been very clean. She stood on the doorstep of the building for a while, enjoying the sunshine on her skin, and the air that wrapped comfortably around her.
The streets were relatively quiet, as she wandered around she had only passed a few guardians. She had kept her head down and kept walking, she didn't want any unwelcome attention from anyone. She walked past a few shops and cafes, all locked up for the night, and as they faded from view she became aware that she was surrounded by joined houses and unit buildings. The residential area she had found herself in was the lower end of the moroi accommodation, it was noticeable in how the area was kept. But that didn't worry Rose in the slightest as she passed by the houses, all of them with heavy curtains drawn for the night.
It was completely by chance that Rose stumbled across the pub. It was the only place she had seen with door still open at the late hour. She stopped, considering for the briefest of moments whether one drink could possibly hurt any. She hoped they had something strong enough to numb the feelings that continued to swirl inside of her. Even if the numbness was only temporary.
During her time in a number of European countries Rose had developed a taste and resistance of sorts to the hard liquor they served. While she didn't have a drinking problem, Rose had used a drink or two to forget her problems for an hour or so. So without a second though Rose entered to dimly lit pub and moved between the tables to the bar.
"Double of the strongest you have," Rose said as she sat on a stool.
The bar tender slid a shot glass filled with a clear liquid towards Rose without a word and continued wiping down the bar. She stared into the glass in her hand, willing it to provide the release she wanted. Having Dimitri so close had stirred up emotions she had tried to bury, and for a long time she had succeeded. She closed her eyes and took the double shot in one go.
Two doubles later Rose was no longer alone in the bar. She heard the door open and heard at least two people stumble inside. Laughter filled the small space as one of the highly intoxicated pair stumbled a little too far and fell to the hard wood floor. Rose pulled her hood over her head and fanned her hair out to cover the rest of her face, she hoped they would just pass by her so she could leave.
"Get kicked out as usual Ivashkov?" the bar tender called.
Rose couldn't believe just how rotten her luck had become. First Dimitri, and now Adrian, all in the one day.
"They closed on me," Adrian replied with a slur.
"The usual I'm guessing," the bar man said as he started to pour two shots.
"Always looking after me Nick," Adrian slurred as he stumbled onto a stool just one down from Rose.
Rose sat as still as she could manage as another double was laid in front of her. Her mind was running wild with exit strategies, but there was only one door leading outside as far as Rose knew. And that door now had Adrian as barrier. Rose cringed internally at the thought of gaining his attention in any way, she wasn't entirely convinced that his past womanising ways had been reformed, especially given that he was obviously drunk.
She downed the double and pushed the shot glass away as she ignored the drunken pairs conversation the best she could. She thought back to the first time she had met the womanising royal that had instantly taken a liking to the then dhampir. The trip to the ski lodge held a mix of good and bad memories for Rose, with the worst being the loss of her friend Mason. She tried in vain over the years to not think about red haired, blue eyed boy who she had led on for a brief time as she had tried to discount her feelings for Dimitri. When she thought about him her heart filled with guilt and regret.
Her eyes burned with the threat of tears as Rose saw the last moments of Mason's life, and she knew she had to escape before anyone could witness a single tear. She pulled some cash out of her pocket and left it on the bar as she turned away. But just as she was passing Adrian he turned to her, sucking in a deep breath as he caught a glimpse of soft face. Rose quickened her pace, breaking into a run as soon as her feet hit the path outside.
She ran the entire way back to her room. She didn't know whether Adrian had recognised her in some way, or if he was just reacting as he would to any woman, but there was no way she was going back to find out.
Once back in the safe confines of her room Rose kick off her shoes and crawled to the middle of the oversized bed. Curled into the foetal position Rose could no longer hold back the tears that had been held at bay. Mason's face filled her mind, his smile brightening his face as he looked into the distance. She wished she could have told him that she was sorry, she had never wanted to break his heart, she hadn't meant to get him killed. But she knew he would never hear those words.
Eventually Rose drifted off to sleep, her eyes still damp from the tears she had shed. A vision filled her mind, a place and time she remembered all too well.
~:~:~:~:~
Rose's eyes opened slowly as the drugs she'd been injected with started to wear off. Although her vision was still slightly blurred, she knew she wasn't where she had fallen asleep the night before, she knew her dorm room like the back of her hand. The room was much larger, the bed a lot more comfortable and the pillows felt like heaven under her aching head.
She closed her eyes again, longing to find the dream that had just been stripped away from her. She had been laying comfortably and safe in Dimitri's arms, and the sooner she got back there the better. But instead of finding that place she heard the door open and heavy footsteps echoed through the room.
"Costin, how is she?" a male voice asked.
"Still asleep, how much did you give her? It's been almost two days now," another voice replied, his accent thick and deep.
"She should wake soon," the first voice stated. "Our job is done and we will be leaving, I am sure you're more than capable of taking it from here."
"I will be fine." he sighed.
Only one set of feet left the room, closing the door behind them. Rose tried in vain the keep her breathing steady as she realised she was no longer at the academy, her drowsiness had obviously come from being slipped some kind of drug. She tried to will her body to relax, knowing whoever was still in the room would notice any change, especially if her entire body became rigid, but it just wouldn't play the game for her.
"I know you are awake Rosemarie," the accented voice said close to her ear. "You have no reason to fear me, I am not here to harm you in any way."
"What do you want from me then?" Rose accused without turning to face the man.
"You will know that in time dhampir," he replied. "But for now would you like something to eat or drink?"
Rose became aware of the dryness of her mouth, it was like she hadn't had a drink in months. And her stomach felt entirely empty. But she had already been drugged once, there was no way in hell she was going to risk that happening again. She needed to find a way out of wherever she was being held, that was the only way she could get back to the ones she loved.
Rose rolled onto her back and sat up slowly, unknotting muscles as she went. The view from the window told her she was at least three stories off the ground, which didn't sit well from her. She had scaled the dormitories many times at the academy, but this building was unknown to her. She had no knowledge of the best places to put her feet and hands, and from what she could see there was no trees which could aid her.
Then the conversation hit her, she had been out for almost two days. Two days was more than enough time to travel anywhere in the world, even with an unconscious dhampir. She took another look out the window, the fields, trees and barn looked like any she had seen in her travels around America, but something told her she was far, far from home.
"Why am I here?" Rose questioned as she looked at the moroi man sitting beside the bed.
"I will answer your questions in time Rosemarie, but for now you need to know you can trust me, I am not going to hurt you," he replied.
"I have to use a bathroom," Rose said, not believing a word he said.
The man led her to a door across the room and opened it for her. She entered the opulent room and closed the door behind her before flicking the lock across. She turned the tap on and went straight for the window. She used the little strength she possessed and heaved the window open to find the flattest wall surface she had ever seen. With a sigh she sat on the edge of the bath and considered a new plan. One way or another she was getting out and away from her captors.
She returned to the bedroom and positioned herself on the bed as far away from the moroi man as she could – without falling off. It was against everything she had been taught to harm a moroi, and even though the moroi in question was holding her captive, he wasn't doing anything overtly threatening to her, so she couldn't justify attacking him.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"My name is Costin, I am Romanian, and I am here to teach you of your journey." he replied.
"And by 'teach you of your journey', you really mean you work within the international kidnapping ring and will be expecting some huge ransom to be paid," Rose said, her voice laced with anger and sarcasm. "Hate to break it to you buddy, but my mum is a poor, overworked guardian, who probably won't notice that I'm missing, so no ransom for you."
"I am not looking for any money Rosemarie," Costin said softly. "I know this is hard for you, and it may be hard for quite some time yet, but I only want what is best for you."
Rose woke suddenly, severing the dream. Though it wasn't the dream that had woken her, her phone was vibrating violently in her pocket. She didn't bother looking at the screen before answering the call, there was only one person who had the number anyway. After a brief conversation with Costin, Rose pulled herself off the bed and took a shower. The water felt like its own kind of magic as it slid down her body, unknotting her stressed muscles. She dressed in her normal Watcher attire, black tights and a tight black tank top. Costin had told her she needed to look professional, and she didn't get any more professional than when she was hunting strigoi.
It was time Rose pulled herself together. She was tired of being weak, and running only made her feel worse. It was not how Rosemarie Hathaway had ever been, and she knew she couldn't continue on that track. Yes she needed to stay away from anyone who might know her, but that didn't mean she had to lock herself away in her room. She and Costin had to meet with the Queen, she would finally hear why she had been dragged back, and after that she planned on being away from court during the moroi days, doing what she did best. Destroying any strigoi within a hundred mile radius of court.