These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, there's just too much that time cannot erase. - Evanescence, My Immortal


Conversations With Dead People

Like I suspected, I got mostly junk for my birthday. There was a bunch of makeup baskets, some Carrie Underwood CD, like, 40 bags of M&Ms, and the worst, a cook book. I don't cook. When I finally got past the crap presents, I went to the gifts from my friends.

First, I opened Christian's. I was really surprised when I opened it and found a brand new orange iPod Touch. Of course, the surprise was short lived as I turned it on to find a bunch of songs that were already preloaded. Most of them were by singers that I hated.

Adrian's present was a bit more subtle. Or at least I thought it was. When I unwrapped it I thought it was just a simple gift card packet. I took the gift card out to find that it wasn't a gift card, but a credit card. A gold credit card that was linked to Adrian's personal account.

Eddie had dug up an old shirt that me and Mason had made when we were back in the sixth grade. It was a black jersey that had both of our names on that back, and the word badass on the front. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it had brought tears to my eyes. We'd always talked about life as Guardians, but Mason would never get to experience it.

Lissa had ordered me an amazing collection of underwear from Victoria's secret. It was all lacy and colorful, and Dimitri would have loved it. Loved. As in past-tense.

I wasn't sure what Dimitri and I were anymore - that's assuming that there was still a 'Dimitri and I' anyways - but I'm pretty sure we hadn't broken up. Although, he'd definitely been trying to make a point when I suggested it. He wanted me to be honest about everything's that's been happening lately. I wasn't sure that I could though. I mean, how hard could it be? I was pretty sure that Lissa and everybody was getting suspicious of my recently bipolar behavior.

I wasn't just that they'd think I was crazy. I was...

Well, I guess it was my pride. If I told them, it would be the same as asking for help. If I did that they would think I was weak, and that just wasn't an option. But they were my best friends. They couldn't, wouldn't, make fun of me in such a serious matter like this.

It was noon when I head headed out. I was going to find Lissa and tell them over movie night. We hadn't done that in so long, since the 7th grade I think. The only differences would be that Adrian was replacing Mason, and that Christian was a new addition. It was Sunday, so they should've been in the cafeteria eating lunch, but they weren't. I check all their dorms and the courtyard, but I still couldn't find them.

Where were they?

I was currently standing behind the secondary campus courtyard. It had almost been an hour since I'd started looking.

Adelina's POV

"Rose," I said, trying to get her attention. Her body turned and she stumbled back when she saw me.

"God! You almost gave me a freakin' heart attack!" She shouted after she recovered. I felt my lips turn into a lopsided smile, but I held it back.

"You can't tell them. Your friends? You can't tell them,"

"About what?" She asked after a moments hesitation.

"About me! About everything that's happening! Anna doesn't think it's time yet." Her face was suddenly very aware. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Anna? As in... Shadow-Kissed Anna?" I nodded.

"But that's you too. Soon, you'll be known as Shadow-Kissed Rose." I joked. She apparently didn't think it was that funny.

"You know her? Personally?" She asked wondrously.

"Yes...we're friends...of a sort."

Dimitri's POV

I stood behind the corner of the wall, listening to Rose. She was ranting to her herself about Shadow Kissed Anna. Why? Was it the Spirit? Or was she really seeing ghost like I suspected? That would clear up everything that's been going on, or at least a chunk of it. I knew I should let her know I was here, but I needed to know what she wasn't telling me.


Adelina's POV

North Carolina, January 1867

I woke an hour later and it was dawn. The sun crept its way up through my window and cast shadows on the cream colored walls. My mind thought back to the night, only hours ago. My hands had been covered in the chicken's blood. I'd felt drawn to it and I didn't want to let go. I wanted to devour it and not stop until the last drop was gone.

I threw back the covers disgusted with myself yet again. My nightgown was still stained in the bottom corner where the blood had splashed on me. I quickly called Caroline up to draw me a hot bath. I heard her reply quickly and then her soft feet shuffling in the bathroom across the hall. I grabbed a towel from the closet when she knocked on my door to let me know it was ready.

I hurried to strip myself of the nightgown and toss it on the ground as if removing the odd memory from me.

I tried not to pay attention to the coppery pain in the back of my mouth, but it was obvious that I had bitten my tongue. I leaned over into the sink and found a fair amount of blood in my mouth. I quickly spit it out and rinsed. I grabbed a drying cloth and pressed it inside my mouth to stop the bleeding.

After I was finished in the bathroom, the halls were light brightly with sunlight. I walked downstairs where my father and James were shaking hands formally.

"Hello, sir," James addressed my father as I walked downstairs.

Today James and I were going to have our first private date arranged by my parents. It wasn't something I was looking forward to nor something I could ignore. Caroline pulled out an olive green dress that flowed out from the waist. The sleeves clung to the arms completely off my shoulders and the sleeves were cut short. My hair was slightly curled and tumbled over my shoulders in grace.

"Good morning father. Hello James," I said with a perfectly preformed fake smile. His smiled gleamed when he saw me. His eyes were a dark copper unlike the gold they usually were. It made him look older then he actually was.

"Good morning Adelina," He greeted.

"Miss Adelina," Caroline's voice rang behind me. I turned. "Mr. Will left a message for you."

"Oh, well. Just...I'll read it when I get back," I told her when I saw my father's expression. I knew he disliked Will. He was a reckless fool and I would be the first to admit it, but we'd known each other since we were children, and we were best friends. My father was just concerned I was going to put him first instead of James. He loved James.

"Where are we going?" I asked as James helped me into the carriage.

"It's a surprise," He answered. I sighed and tried to keep the conversation light, not wanting to be rude. I honestly just wanted to jump out of the carriage and die being trampled by the horse...but course, I didn't tell him that.

The carriage stopped about a half hour later. James helped me out of the carriage and tied up the horses. I couldn't help but notice the basket in his hand.

A picnic. How predictable.

We were in a field. It was a huge vast of endless green grass. Multicolored flowers stuck out randomly through the green and the road cut off where the grass began. I could just make out a stream - or was it a lake? - in the distance. I could hear the water flowing so there must be a small waterfall somewhere along it. The sun gleamed brightly, reflecting off James' hair, making it look blue instead of black. (Think...Attack of the Clones) (ps. Star Wars nerd reference)

He smiled and took my hand, leading me into the wave-like grass.

"Beautiful, Isn't it?" He asked once we had found a dry spot and started setting up the blanket.

"Mhm," I smiled, not meeting his eye.

"I didn't mean the scenery, you know," The thing about James, it that no matter how subtle he is, or no matter how polite and well-mannered he was, and no matter how much you wanted to bite his head off because of it, he could always make you blush. "Come on, let's eat," He said.

It was the basic. Little sandwiches and fruit, pudding for dessert.

I set my bowl down and glanced at him. He was already finished eating and was laying in the glass, letting the sun soak into his skin. I'd never really realized how pale he was before.

Without opening his eyes, he spoke. "Adelina, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Do you really want to marry me?" He asked without hesitation. My breath caught. "And please don't lie. Your parents aren't here."

I stayed silent for a moment. I had a feeling he already knew the answer. "It's an arranged marriage, James. Even if I did, I wouldn't have a choice."

"We all have choice, Adelina. What if I could give you another option, rather than marrying?"

"Another option? What are you talking about?" I asked curiously. I took the moment to lean back into the grass next to him, laying on my side.

"What if you didn't have to marry me, but still we could still be together...forever." His eyes opened and his face came dangerously close to mine.

"As...friends? Or something else?"

"Adelina...become my queen of the night. Bond with me." I sat up quickly.

"Bond? James, what on earth are you talking about? Are you feeling alright?" I asked.

"Of course. Eternity is lonely. But you are beautiful, and would make the perfect companion." All the sudden, his eyes flashed. They weren't gold anymore, but a dark crimson. Like blood. I gasped and stumbled back.

"You eyes," I warned, telling him to keep his distance.

"Yes, but you know what I am, what we could be. And I promise it wouldn't hurt."

"What you are? James..." I stood and stepped back.

"Wait," Realization seemed to dawn on his face. "You don't know what you are. They never told you. Your parents never told you the truth,"

"The truth?"

"About your adoption," My eyes widened once again.

"Adoption?"

"Yes, your parents adopted you from a Moroi family. The Dragomir family I believe." I wanted to scream, but instead I took another cautious step back as he stood up.

"Moroi?"

"Vampires,"

And that was all I could take.

"Vampires? James, your delusional. Stay back," He only came closer.

"You see, Adelina. I'm a Strigoi. I want to make you like me, so we can be together for all of eternity - or at least until the ends of the earth." He came a step closer.

"James, stay back! I'm going home, and I'm going to tell my father," I shouted. He only laughed.

"Like your father could stop me from turning you,"

I tripped over the excess fabric at the bottom of the dress and scrambled further back. I saw him lean down and grab something from the basket. It was a knife. I stood quickly and ran for the carriage, hoping to be able to get one of the horses loose fast. I reached the horses and saw that James was still back in the field, obviously not too worried about me getting away. He dragged the knife across his wrist, what for I didn't know.

The knots were impossible to get undone. James was walking closer and blood was streaming from his wrist and into the grass, staining it. I finally got the first part unknotted when I heard a voice.

"James," It was Thomas, James' older brother. He was much older, actually, around 30 years old. He had been in the war and was back for celebrations, even though it ended more than 5 years ago. He had dark brown hair that swung in his face and soft eyes that didn't nearly match James'. Were they actually related? They looked nothing alike.

"Thomas," He said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop this."

"Stop what, exactly?"

"You know what. I'll stake you here and now if I have to." He warned. Staked? Another vampire reference. And just when I began to calm down a bit, he really does pull out a stake. It looked like it was made of sliver with a gold handle.

His eyes drifted over it and he stopped walking. "Adelina, I'll be seeing you soon." And just like that, he was gone.

I turned to Thomas surprised.

"He just...left?" I asked.

"Yes. He doesn't do so well around things that could kill him. He's been living such a long time he doesn't want to risk it." He looked over my apparence and helped me with the ropes.

"How long is that exactly?"

"About 500 years, give or take a few."

"If what he said is true-" I began.

"It's true. Your a vampire, a Moroi. Our kind are born, we grow old, and we die. We also only feed on willing humans, and we don't kill them, otherwise we turn into Strigoi. They're the evil ones."

"So...if we're vampires, then how are we walking in the sun?" I asked.

"Moroi can't be killed in the sun. It can make you weaker, more tired, but it won't hurt you. Strigoi can't go in the sun."

"But...James was just out here," I pointed out.

"James...is a special case. He was born in the late 1600s. He was 14 when he became a Strigoi, during the Salem Witch Trials. Sarah Good was the only real witch in the Salem Witch Trials that was executed. All the others were innocent. She was also a Strigoi, as James was a Moroi.. She forced him to drink her blood before her trials, and so he became a Strigoi. Because she was a witch, her blood contained magic. That magic manifested into his blood, turning him into a Strigoi with the power to walk in the daylight. His aging slowed and when he reach the age of 18, he stopped completely. The reason he was able to deceive so many people of his age was because he used a Conceal. It, well, it concealed his age to make people think he was a child that was aging."

"Wow...I'm not sure I believe you." I said after he was finished. Vampires? They couldn't be real...


Rose's POV

Present Day

"Oh my god. What happened?"

"A lot. I'll explain but I really must be getting back, so later." I watched her fade again until It was just me. I sighed. How did Adelina's story relate to my life? I was finding out more and more, and soon enough, I'll know why she wanted to talk to me, and not someone else. Maybe because I'm the only one that can see her.

I heard a stick crack. Dimitri appeared behind me.

"What was that?" He asked with a hard voice.

"What was what?" I asked pretending that nothing had just happened.

"No, we are not going through this again. Don't just pretend that you weren't sitting there for almost an hour talking to yourself...or someone." I searched my mind for an answer to this dreaded problem.

"Um..."

"Rose, tell me. I'm getting sick of this."

"Dimitri...I can't. I'm sorry, but she said that I couldn't," I can't believe I was blaming Adelina.

"She...so you are seeing the Ghosts again, but now in the wards." I nodded, not saying anything. "Are you going to tell me what's happening that's so important you can't trust me with."

I stay silent. "I can't. I'm sorry." Then I turned to walked back to my dorm.

"Yes you can Rose! Because if you don't...then this is the last time I'll ask. This is the last you will see me outside of training. I meant what I said at your party Rose. I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me. I also meant what I said about not wanting to be with someone who can't be honest with me."

I hesitated before speaking, knowing that this was my last chance. I couldn't betray her. I couldn't betray Anna. "I guess this is it then?" I choked on my words, holding back tears. So this is what it felt like to have to choose what's right over what you want. But the thing is, I didn't know who was right. If it was Adelina or Dimitri. Hell, I didn't even know if this was Dimitri. I couldn't take chances though. If Adelina's turns out to be my enemy, she could do much worse things to me then Dimitri could. She could hurt me, so I would be wise to play be her rules, even if she was on my side.

He breathed in deeply. "I believe it is. I'll see you at training. Don't be late." His voice was hard and cold and betrayed any emotion. He turned...and left.

I broke down on the side of the building, sobbing. What were the ghosts turning me into? A heart breaking liar.


Review!

Sorry! This chapter was kind of rushed. I haven't updated in a few days and I wanted to get this finished! I'll be finishing up Adelina's story in the next couple of chapters! How do you feel about Adelina being related to Lissa? I honestly wasn't planning that.

Remember that point in the series when you really wanted Rose to be able to see Anna's ghost? Yes, that'll happen soon.

-Elisabeth