Wow, next day and the comments just keep bumping up. It's blowing my mind!

You know, I'll tell you guys the title of my book when it gets published. But, I must warn you, my identity MUST be kept a secret. *flicks up hugeass cloak to cover face, wiggles eyebrows, and jumps off of a building in a stormy night*

You guys are amazing. Did I tell you that? No? Well, you are.

ShoutOuts ~

Nyx's Pinky Girl: Huh, I did not know that. That's pretty wicked. I like it. And the three dots mean… That I'm not going to tell you. xD

LittleLottie: Lol, don't worry about the mistakes, I still getcha. Ech… Twi-tard. xP I'm glad you're excited! It makes me excited! Hells to the yes for normal books and stoof! I couldn't agree more!

BookNinja15: Yeah, fillery blows. I had no freaking idea what to do with the chapter without it screwing with the plot.

Klaus-is-Epic: All right, we'll agree to disagree… even though I'm right… And ech to crazy bitches! Wow, at the end of your comment I just realized it had nothing to do with the story like you said. I had to reread it just to make sure haha. We must be just that awesome of conversationalists then!

Crazy4MadHatter: Oh, thank you so much haha! I appreciate it!

~ THEMESONGS ~

Outside ~ The Dead Weather

Carry on My Wayward Son ~ Kansas (one of my personal fav' songs and the Supernatural theme song too!)

.M.I.W.

10. Digging Deep and Coming Up Empty

Darkness clouded over me. I couldn't feel anything, just numbing blackness that seemed to take over the entirety of the world. Made me feel small, weak, breakable.

A dark snarl came from behind me. A cold feeling brushed against my legs. I spun around to see what it was, except nothing was there.

Then, above me was a chortle. I could feel it swoop just over my head and tousle my hair. I looked up, nothing was there.

My heart was beating so loud, I could hear it take over my any other sound as blood rushed through my ears. A sickening dread washed over me, begging for this not to be what I thought it was.

Suddenly, large, cold, clawed hands grasped my arm, and I turned to see a pair of yellow eyes glaring menacingly back, no body except for the even darker blackness. My heart nearly stopped as pure fear washed through me, making me grow still.

"Come with us, Madi." A voice that didn't belong to the dark thing pulling me asked. It came from everywhere. It wasn't really like I had a choice, anyhow. I couldn't even make myself stop. "Come, take the fall. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

The chortles, snarls, howls, grew louder and louder, more excited as the thing holding my arm pulled me forward. I didn't even try to stop it, even though my mind was desperately telling me to. The cold of the shadow things swooping, twirling, curling around me didn't even stop me from walking.

"Come with us, Madi." The same demonic voice pleaded, a low snarl emanating from the voice. It didn't come from one source, echoing around me, driving me forward in the same painful slowness as the shadow thing holding my arm guided me. "You want this, we know you do. We know everything. Everything…"

"Fall, Madi," The voice pleaded. "Fall. You want this. It will be easy. Just fall. Relax… Fall…"

I bolted from my bed – quite literally – and fell hard on my shoulder, grappling my seraph blades from my backpack beside my bed. "Metatron! Sandalphon!" I called desperately, my heart beating wildly.

They lit up accordingly, and I swung them around carefully in the suddenly too dark room. Bile rose up in my throat. I could feel the sweat on my forehead, neck, and upper shoulders. I swept the swords through the darkness, their light only bringing a somewhat comfort.

Slowly, oh so slowly, I reached for the lamp beside my bed, and flicked it on. As soon as light flooded the room, I let out a squeak of terror, and tensed for a fight.

Only to face an empty room.

Finally my mind clicked into place. Everything was all right. It was just a dream. It didn't happen again. There is no possible way for it to happen again. I slumped to my knees, my swords dropping to the ground on either side of me. "Oh God." I croaked.

.M.I.W.

"I. Hate. You." I seethed, folding my arms across my chest, and thrusting my back into the chair as we sat down.

"Hey, you got me into this. Payback." Rose replied just as darkly as she slumped into the chair next to me.

I was instantly appalled. "I did not! It's not my fault that you see dead people!" I snapped, waving my fingers in a rather spiritual manner to indicate the beyond.

"Shut up!" She growled.

"Make me!" I retorted. "This is what happens when you corner a tiger. They fight back!"

"Oh, so you're referencing yourself as a 'tiger' now?" Rose rolled her eyes.

"No," I said just as sarcastically, "I'm referencing that fake fichus as a tiger. Don't try and be smart when you end up looking like an idiot."

"Did you just –"

"Call you an idiot?" I inquired with a layer of 'too-innocent' in my tone.

The receptionist walked into the room at that point, making both of us go quiet. When she sat down at her desk, turning to her back to us to face her computer, I glared at Rose.

"Fuck yeah." I whispered in conclusion.

Her gaze was pure fury.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened, and a kind looking Moroi watched us with an amused expression on her face. "Hello," she greeted, "Who's first?"

Rose immediately pointed to me.

That bitch threw me under the bus!

I whipped around to face her. "Are you serious?" I spluttered. "You're the one who needs the psychological help!" I quickly looked at the slightly confused counselor. "She's first. I'm the sane one here for moral support."

"Well, you know…" She paused.

"Madi." I answered her unanswered question.

She smiled kindly again. "Madi, to be the best moral support, you could come in first, show Rose that there's nothing to worry about."

I slumped in my chair. There's just no winning!

"Oh my God. Fine." I said quietly in annoyed resolution. I stood up from my chair, raising my hands, palms facing forward, in defeat. I glowered at Rose. "I'll go show you there's nothing to be scared of. I'm sure we could take her, Rose."

The therapist's eyes widened.

I paused when I saw her expression. "Kidding." I sighed.

"Welcome Madi, my name is Deirdre." She said as I walked warily into her room.

I looked at her for a minute. Instead of making fun of her name, I gave the cool 'sup' nod that always works, and walked in.

She closed the door. "You should know that before we start," she informed me as she walked to her desk, "is that whatever you say in these four walls can't be used against you. Here, you're safe."

I snorted and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. "Trust me, if you've been where I have, you kind of figure out nowhere is safe."

"What makes you feel like nowhere is safe?" She inquired, pulling out a legal pad.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why did you pull out a legal pad?"

"Does the legal pad threaten you?"

"Are you not going to remember what I say?"

"Do you have abandonment issues?"

"Do you have short-term memory loss?"

"Madi." The therapist said shortly.

"Deirdre." I replied automatically, hiding the smile. This was actually turning out to be fun.

She sighed, slowly. "You need to be honest. Hiding behind sarcastic remarks can't save you all the time."

"Are you saying that my sarcasm is a defense mechanism?"

"Is it?"

"Only against the verbally and-or intellectually challenged."

"Do you find yourself feeling superior towards everyone around you?"

"Well, I do carry around two swords on occasion." I admitted.

"And how does that make you feel?"

"I thought we just agreed this makes me find myself feeling superior. I was consenting to that, back there." I sighed loudly in fake exasperation. "Keep up, Deirdre."

"Is the reason why you keep yourself so closed off from everyone? Because you're afraid they won't keep up with you, and there forth leave you?"

"How the hell did you get that out of what we were just talking about?" I demanded. "Your notes? I didn't see you take any."

"You're quite observant."

"Kind of have to make a habit of it, or else I get – well, you know – killed."

"Is it always do or die with you?"

"Only when I'm in a do or die situation. I'm not Clint Eastwood or Chuck Norris where it happens all the time."

"Why do you associate yourself with those two particular characters?"

"Because they're badasses?"

"Do you want to be like them because you want to be a… badass?"

"Psh, I already am on my own. The swords, remember."

"You seem to have a very strong hold when it comes to a conceited front. Is it because you're nervous? Most people tend to appeal to a disposition to ward others off."

I pretended to think about it. "No… No, I'd have to say that narcissism and quick wittedness are personality traits of mine. If they weren't, I'd probably ward myself off."

"Fascinating."

"Oh, I concur. So far we've come up with the fact that I'm conceited. You're not very good at this, you know. The fortuneteller got through to me more than you have."

"Is it because you think you appeal to the supernatural world?"

"Well, I am currently surrounded by vampires. Shouldn't you be more inclined to the paranormal seeing as you drink blood for breakfast?"

She stopped short at that.

I shrugged, leaning back into the chair. "Just a thought." I said as I laced my fingers together.

"So, tell me," She said as she pulled out a pen, "What did this fortuneteller tell you?"

"Why do you need to know? Haven't you heard of fortuneteller-to-client confidentiality? Personally, I think you need more help. You seem maladjusted to the life of a vampire. Instead of drinking blood, hunting, doing vampire-like things, you're in here, trying to live in a rational world as a therapist."

She didn't say anything.

"Is it because you're a vampire, and you don't want to do these vampire things, that made you want to be a therapist? So you could try and help other people? Because there's no way to really help yourself?" I inquired.

Her gaze was stony.

"Hmm…" I smiled darkly. "Fascinating."

"I think you should leave now." She said tightly.

"Have I warded you off already?" I asked sarcastically. "And here I thought we were going to make a breakthrough –"

"Leave!" She snapped, and I quickly dropped it, knowing when I'd overstepped a boundary.

"Peace out." I said as I headed to the door. I swung it open to face a surprised Rose.

"Done already?" She asked in surprise.

"Yup." I shrugged. "Not as scary or boring as I thought it'd be."

She nodded, and walked in, closing the door behind her.

.M.I.W.

So, yes, I did feel a little bad about calling out that therapist like that, but at the same time, not really. She was trying to understand things that would never be understood. Things that couldn't really be solved just by talking it out. I just wanted to cut her short, make her stop talking, make her throw me out.

A light snow was falling along the grounds of the Academy, Rose walking quietly beside me. Only the lamps that cast a warm orange glow lit our path in the darkness.

"So…" She said.

"You went to the church to learn that Anne, Vladimir's Dhamphir, killed herself." I informed her. "Yesterday."

"Anna." Rose corrected me, and I nodded in agreement. "And… yes."

"Also, you saw Mason's ghost. He isn't out for revenge. You should know that. Hell, I didn't even know the kid and I knew it."

"I know, I know." She admitted. "But I just… at the same time I didn't, you know?"

I nodded. "And the wards are breaking." I said. "You noticed you didn't see any ghosts at the Court because the wards there were so strong, right?"

"I knew it." She grinned. "I knew you were holding out on us. Why, though? We could really use your help. You could solve everything!"

"You think that." I said. "And you'd be partially right, but I'd also screw you over royally. I just don't think I could do that."

"Why? Don't tell me you've gone soft or whatever."

"Because, contrary to popular belief, I'm not entirely a coldhearted bitch." I informed her. "And we're just going to leave it at that."

I was greeted with silence. A very welcomed silence. Only the sounds of our footsteps crunching through the snow that coated the ground, nothing else.

"Should we tell someone?" Rose asked. "About the wards, I mean."

"They won't believe us." I told her quietly. "No matter what we do, they won't."

"But we can at least try!" She exclaimed.

"Fine!" I sighed, following Rose as she turned to the doors that led into the Academy. "We'll try, and then we'll fail. Just watch."

.M.I.W.

And that's pretty much how we ended up in front of Dimitri's room, staring at his rather large and imposing door.

I rocked back on my heels, sticking my hands in my jacket pockets. "You gonna knock, or not?"

She reached out with a fist, almost reaching the door, and then paused.

"I don't have all night." I said.

"But he'll just say no, like you said." She murmured.

I shrugged. "Worth a shot anyway. I've been known to screw over things like this before. It could happen again."

Hesitantly, she knocked three times on the door. Three gentle taps. I looked at her.

"What?" She asked, like she didn't know, looking down at her shoes.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, for the love of –" I rapped three times on the door. Hard enough so it was actually audible to the ears of human beings.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a very tall Dimitri. This time I had to take a step back just to see him fully, leaving Rose in front of him.

"Rose." He said in surprise, his eyes only on her.

They seemed to share a moment or whatever in that gaze, and I felt like the retarded third wheel. Why did that always happen to me?

Rose cleared her throat nervously. "We, uh, we wanted to ask about the… the…"

"The wards." I said from behind her. His gaze locked on me. "We think the wards are broken. Correction. I know the wards are broken, she thinks they are."

"That's impossible." He informed us. "The new wards were put down a few days ago. I think you're mistaken."

"Eh… not really." I admitted.

"I keep seeing Mason's ghost here." Rose decided to take control of the situation. "When I was at Court, there weren't any. And then when we stopped on the way home," she paused slightly, "they were everywhere. The wards are supposed to keep dead things out."

"Excellent logic, if you ask me." I added, then for dramatic repetitive effect: "I'd vouch for her."

Dimitri shook his head. "That's impossible. I'm sorry, but I don't think a Rogue would know much about Dhamphir wards."

"Okay, that was a slap in the face." I informed him. "Seeing as I know a hell of a lot more than you give me credit for –"

"Just forget it, Madi." Rose said. "He'll figure it out when it happens, and then he'll be sorry."

Yeah… he just wouldn't know how sorry he would actually be.

.M.I.W.

Okay, I lied. It's not that long. D:

But, I'm making up for it! Honestly! Jut correlating chapters to plot! It's difficult when you hardly remember the damn book!