My outfit to meet Eddie was enough to get Christian to the top of the high school food chain. A black vest to accent to bounty I was blessed with and black skinny jeans that practically defined my hips. My perfect house wife, Christian, made me sit still so he could apply my smoky eye (which I couldn't understand how he could do, because I couldn't). My dark hair was curled in perfect, loose ringlets. I put all my energy into this lunch because if I wasn't better than every other girl in this school they would attack and they would bring me down. Chris tagged along, walking me to the line, before branching away to head to the feeders. I found Eddie stuffing his face with a bacon burger. My tray was covered in in donuts and an unhealthy amount of French fries.

"So…" I stuffed my mouth with half a donut before continuing, "Who's in charge here?" He called them off his fingers.

"Mia, Jesse, this new kid Jenifer, and Ralph. Basically the usual." He went in for another heaping bite of burger.

"Lame, I could take Mia."

"The new girl is a dhampir actually," My tried (and failed) to raise one eyebrow. "Really? Is she good?"

"Yeah, she's been training under Belikov. They says she's a real natural and going to be guarding Lissa when she graduates." I crushed the can of Cola I'd been holding, the sticky brown liquid spilling on my vest. He successfully raised an eyebrow. "Maybe if you go to Kirova in that she'll change her mind." Before Spokane Eddie made flirty jokes like that, always insisting my body could turn Kirova, but this time it hit a nerve. I slapped the fire from him and took off. How dare he? How dare they? I headed straight for the gym and beat the shit out of the punching bag. We'd see if she was the best when I was done with her. I hit and kicked and jabbed at the body sized dummy until I couldn't move another muscle. Beside me I heard snickering.

"Is that all you got? No wonder they reassigned you. I was really expecting more from Badass Hathaway." I turned to see a blonde staring at me.

"This is my replacement?" I scoffed, "hon. I've been out of practice for a year. Give me a month and I'll be whipping you and Dimitri's ass."

She stiffened at the mention of Dimitri, "keep you skank hands away from him."

"Or else what?" The sun was setting and I had to pack like now, but this stank bitch wasn't going to tell me what I was going to do. My love for Dimitri hadn't faded and my avoidance of him stemmed greatly from my embarrassment of being rather useless and untrained. I didn't care about her little crush.

"You'll regret it,"

I scoffed, "how cliché." And went to pack because seriously I was going to be late. Christian was wandering in the dark.

"Where have you been,"

"Squaring off with some dumb blonde," I huffed stalking toward the room.

"I packed your bag. We're going to be late. Hurry up," I grabbed my bag and sprinted after him to the car taking us to the airport.

Court hadn't changed. It was still boring. It was still stuffy. I still wanted to get the hell out of there. Based on the bond she was in her room. I sent Christian to his room to get settled in. It had been a year since I'd properly seen my best friend. I knocked on her door, nervously braiding and unbraiding my hair. I heard her shuffling behind the door.

"Who is it?" I stepped so she couldn't see me out of the peephole.

"Room service," I said out of the side of my mouth. She swung the door open.

"I don't see any chocolate cake- oh my God Rose!" she brought me into a crushing hug. "I've missed you much! Are you okay!"

"I'm fine," I laughed, "how are you?" we reminisced for hours. Finally she came clean.

"I broke up with Christian,"

"I know! Why? He's all mopey without you." I groaned. She blushed furiously as I laid on her back. She gently played with the tendrils of hair.

"Because I…" she leaned down like she was going to tell me a secret, but instead she pressed her pink lips against mine. I rolled from beneath her.

"Lissa what the hell?" I yelled. She rubbed her arm bashfully.

"I like you." She whispered. She looked ready to cry. "When you left I felt like my heart was breaking-,"

"That's because you're my best friend," I reasoned.

"And I couldn't get you out of my mind! Rose…all I could think about was how you smelled, and how your hair bounced and shined in the sun. I couldn't help imagining the curve of your breast…" she trailed off. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, "I didn't try to fall in love with you." Overwhelmed I backed to the door, swung it open, and got the hell on. Having your best friend since grade school come out to you was something I could handle, but having her come on to me….I scrambled to my door and swung it open. Against my better judgment I slipped into her head once I was settled in. It was too confusing to be in my own mind right now. She was up crying, clutching the bear I'd left behind. My reaction had been harsh. If my best friend had run away from me with the same horrified expression I may have cried too. I picked up the phone. She wanted me to call her.

It rung twice before she answered it, "Lissa I'm sorry." I told her, "I was so shocked I just didn't know what to do. I support your life style, but…I don't feel the same way. Friends?" Her happiness flooded through the bond.

"Yes, of course!" we made plans to meet tomorrow and hung up. But no matter how much I wanted to sleep…I couldn't. Something was nagging at me in the back of my mind. It dragged me out of bed at three in the afternoon (something I wasn't exactly complaining about. I loved the sun) and down the hall to where Christian was sleeping. I knocked. He didn't answer. He wasn't a very hard sleeper so I knocked again, banging frantically on the door. No answer. I kicked the handle off and let myself in.

"Chris…where are you so I can go back to sleep!" I barked. No answer and queasiness overtook me. I raced to the bathroom to see Christian holding his victim beneath him. I pulled him back and aimed my stake at his heart. Christian was a strigoi.

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