Abe Mazur was a cold hearted Moroi who had more secrets locked within that large head of his than one could ever think would be possible.

He has been known as a calculative and powerful player among us Alchemists, and often is he referred to as the zmey—or 'snake'—purely because of his involvement in illegal affairs. Abe can get you anything—from illegal human goods to vampire blood—yet he always solicits a heavy price. In my case, I knew it was something that would never be dropped easily.

A while ago, after I discovered what the bastard Alchemist Keith Darnell had done to my older sister, I made a deal with Abe. I wanted revenge, and as result of that urge, Keith lost an eye in a staged Strigoi attack. It was merely justice, but it left me open to Abe to blackmail. And that was how I met Rose Hathaway, his only daughter.

But now, as I rushed to Latte with Eddie in lead, Angeline carrying Jill behind me, and Keanu taking up the rear, I wondered what motivated Abe to hire a human to help us. Did Abe know about the stolen information before anyone else? Or was he scheming something beyond that?

I never got a chance to ask Keanu these questions while we were surrounded with confusion and panic, and so while I fished through my pockets and dropped my one luggage bag next to the driver's door (I was always prepared to pack in an instant, thanks to the Alchemy trade), I found Keanu hovering near the back of the group and gave him steady eyes.

Keanu flinched when he realized I was looking right at him.

I managed to find my keys and unlock the car. I helped sit Jill with Angeline in the back, and just as Eddie came around to sit in passenger, I shook my head.

"Keanu should sit in the front," I said. Eddie paused with his hand on the handle and hesitated.

"It'll be better if—"

I shook my head and crossed my arms. Then I turned around briskly and gestured to Keanu to take the front seat. He grimaced but gave in silently. Eddie joined Angeline in the back in a concerning mood.

When we were a street or two away from Amberwood Prep, I began to find my old self-control again and began laying down orders for Keanu to follow. I started with the most important.

"Keanu," I began, glancing to him briefly. "Have you got your phone?"

Keanu looked surprised.

"Yes."

"Have you got Mrs. Terwilliger's contact number?"

Keanu looked to his iPhone and frowned.

"Jaclyn? Sure. Why?"

"Call her for me. Then put it on loud-speaker. I need everyone to be quiet for a moment."

I gripped the steering wheel hard as I swerved through the curvy roads of Palm Springs, already set out for Mrs. Terwilliger's house. I had been there once before with Adrian, and tried to draw a map in my head from memory, but still found concentrating on one thing for longer than a moment hard as I had so many other things on my mind at the same time.

I heard Mrs. Terwilliger's voice a second later.

"Hello?"

I breathed in relief at the familiar sound. Keanu held up his phone and I leaned over closer to him while still focusing on the road.

"Mrs. Terwilliger? It's Sydney. There's an urgent favor I need to ask of you. Are you at home at the moment?"

I was hoping Mrs. Terwilliger were one of those people who hated taking long distance trips on their vacation time. My plan would be hard to follow through if she was currently in New Vegas enjoying her Long-service leave.

Mrs. Terwilliger, however, was fortunately at home.

"What seems to be the matter, Sydney? And why are you calling from Mr. Brown's phone? Aren't you in class at the moment?"

I winced. Then I quickly glanced to the road and my eyes widened. A stop sign was quickly approaching and I didn't register it until the last moment. I drilled the brakes hard and we all lunged forward in the car. Thankfully, I made the car stop in time, the only consequent being Latte was a foot or two over the white line. Keanu took it to explain things to Mrs. Terwilliger as I attempted to calm everyone in the back seat.

"Something happened with the youngest girl, Jill," Keanu began. "It seems she's in danger, and she can't hide in the school. Jaclyn, I assisted them because it was urgent and ..." Keanu drifted off and peeked at me. I was intently listening while trying not to show it, but he seemed to notice. So he brushed that last part off and continued on much to my dismay. "We're heading your way now, I think."

On the other end I heard the rustling of bed sheets and a few cats meowing. So she was in bed. Mrs. Terwilliger began to panic.

"Right, right. Of course. I'll be waiting. Get here safe. And Sydney," she said seriously. I winced. "I'll be expecting a full story later."

Keanu hung up.

Eddie cleared his throat in the backseat as I turned into Mrs. Terwilliger's suburb. He leaned across Angeline so that he could poke his head between my seat and Keanu's. He shared a skeptical look that said it all.

I bit my lip and waited for Eddie to say something. He didn't. He was waiting for my explanation. I sighed.

"Mrs. Terwilliger may know how to help Jill," I confessed. Then, in a softer voice, I added: "She is an experienced witch, after all."

Eddie look astounded.

"A what? Witch? Your history teacher?"

I nodded. Eddie sunk back into his seat and traded looks with Angeline but couldn't hide his surprise.

"This is ... not what I was expecting," he said. I shrugged.

"Yeah, but I know she can help. She ..." I decided to pick my words carefully. "She helped me find Sonya before."

"So that's how you knew!" Angeline burst.

"Look," I exhaled as I pulled into Mrs. Terwilliger's driveway. Thankfully, I found her house with little difficulty. "I know this is weird. But I trust Mrs. Terwilliger. She's helped me plenty of times before. She can keep Jill safe while we try to figure out our next step."

A figure came out of the house's door. Surely enough, it was Mrs. Terwilliger, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers. She really was asleep when we called. Keanu gave me a smirk and hopped out of the car, and Angeline took Jill in her arms. Eddie walked around the car and assisted, and I jumped out after turning off the ignition and greeted Mrs. Terwilliger with a warm smile. When she saw me carrying my luggage, and saw an exhausted Jill, she almost freaked, and rushed us all inside.

She led Angeline and Jill into a spare bedroom decorated with dream catchers, crystals and candles and let Jill rest. She then exited and offered us all coffee.

I was the only one who accepted.

Mrs. Terwilliger walked to her kitchen as Eddie sunk onto the couch in front of a rusty T.V. Keanu sat on the kitchen bench's stool and I leaned against the far wall watching my teacher make two mugs of instant coffee.

With my energy practically drained, I couldn't complain about the second-rated coffee. I accepted it gladly and took a sip, hardly noticing when it scorched my tongue. Mrs. Terwilliger joined Eddie on the other couch and I knew what she wanted. She was expecting some sort of explanation. I took a long gulp of coffee for mental support and found myself spilling out the beans quicker and more confusing than I'd ever thought. When I thought I had Mrs. Terwilliger on the same page as the rest of us, it seemed she still had questions. Which I was more than glad to answer.

"Well," she started. "That sure seems ... interesting. I promise to do my best for Jill, though. And the rest of you too. You're free to stay here however long you need, just don't mind my cats. But how about your friend, Adrian? He was a lovely fella, if I may recall. Is he alright?"

I glanced to Eddie who nodded.

"I'll call him now. I planned to check out how he's doing anyway. I wonder if he maybe felt what Jill did."

I didn't bother explaining that the bond was only one way when Eddie left to slip into the second spare bedroom.

Keanu kicked back and sighed.

"What a chaotic day, and it's not even 4 yet."

Mrs. Terwilliger chuckled.

"I was resting until you all rocked up. Imagine how hectic it was for me."

I apologized for that, and Mrs. Terwilliger brushed it away with the hand she wasn't using to support her large mug.

"Never mind that, Melbourne," she said. "I don't mind helping your friend. Jillian seems like a lovely girl. It'd be a shame if she was hurt anymore."

That was true. Keanu at that moment pretended to gasp. Horrible acting was something that just seemed to fit his character so well, I thought.

"Wait," he interrupted. "She knows you aren't related to Jill?"

Mrs. Terwilliger laughed.

"I know who they are ... roughly. I know this is a very critical situation. Although Sydney didn't mention it, but other vampires are after Jill. It was right of you to get her away from the place they'd search first."

I smiled softly. So she already knew that much about us. How mysterious.

Keanu leaned on his leg with his arm as if to mimic someone deep in thought. Then he slapped his thigh.

"That's it!" he chimed at me. "You're her apprentice in magic!"

I froze in terror and dread. My stomach drop, and I couldn't feel my toes. Although that wasn't exactly true, how the hell did he figure out that much?

Mrs. Terwilliger simply shook her head casually.

"Oh, Sydney's not my apprentice," she said. "She's learning magic little by little, but she's adamant against getting directly involved. It's such a shame too. She has such talent."

I tried to run away, but my back was flat against the wall and I couldn't push any further. Keanu turned amused eyes onto me.

"Is that so ..." he said. Then, like if on cue, Eddie burst through the hallway and into the lounge room with intense animosity. But I could tell it wasn't directed towards us. I hoped with my whole heart that it didn't have anything at all to do with Adrian.

But life wasn't going to be that easy for me. Eddie gave me a confirming nod. We were out that door in less than a second.

I floored Latte, still slightly confused as to why Keanu insisted he come along. I didn't really know what he could do in the event of an attack—he was only human after all—but I didn't have time to argue. In my pocket, I kept safe a few pendants and such that I whipped up ages ago in case of such emergencies. They were simple spells like the ones I used when I was under attack by the Warriors. It was the only weapon I could trust, and I had confidence I would be able to use it at self-denfese.

We made it to Adrian's apartment just as the light was dying. Eddie took lead as we ran from my horribly parked car. Just before we entered the building's perimeter, Keanu pulled me back.

"Stay behind me and Castile," he said sternly. I was about to refuse when he shot me a hard look. Then I silently agreed.

Eddie broke in through Adrian's door with a kick. He took a second to glance around the apartment before he leapt in with Keanu behind him, who scanned the room with just as must caution and skill. I took a moment before we all noticed Adrian covered in cuts and bruises unconsciously tied to a wooden chair inthe middle of the room.

The air in my lungs escaped from me then and I found it hard registering the scene before me. Adrian ... he was ... why couldn't I ... he's hurt ...

Keanu grabbed my hand tightly, his hot fingers wrapping around my wrist, before Eddie shouted: "We're not alone!"

We fell right into their trap, I then realized.

The door behind me shut with a hasty slam before Keanu shoved me to the right. I hit the wall hard, and my eyes faltered with the impact, but I could still hear the snarls of animals ...

No, not animals—Strigoi.

It was like déjà vu, the whole scene with Lee happening again. We were ambushed by Strigoi and stood surrounded.

But this time, Eddie was prepared. He took on a young man with the most palest skin and sinister aura. His eyes were entirely red—everything about them resembled the cold color of blood. They were ringed with dark red shades and his irises reflected the malevolent intent all Strigoi held ... he looked like death reincarnated, and Eddie was wrestling against it.

Closer to me however was Keanu, my prep-teacher (who hadn't actually ever taught me once yet) dressed in Levi jeans and a Zegna dress shirt. He looked more ready to walk in a fashion parade than fight a Strigoi.

The monster that was hissing at him was a woman who was older than her partner, but far younger than Mrs. Terwilliger. She, too, held the typical qualities of a Strigoi, and I noticed while I numbly stood against the wall that dry blood was stuck in her broken talons. The amount of blood on her nails was nearly enough for a feeding no doubt, and I couldn't help but glance to Adrian. If she had ...

Keanu made the first move. He lunged towards her and struck out with his fist. It was a move I'd never seen Dimitri, who was more the skillful dodge-then-counter-attack person, perform. When the Strigoi woman dodged it easily enough, Keanu recovered by neatly bringing up his knee in a solid thrust. The blow made contact with her stomach and took her by surprise, giving Keanu the chance to take a step back and grab a used paintbrush that sat on the coffee table (no doubt courtesy of Adrian's nasty habits of leaving his painting tools everywhere) and he broke it in two against his knee.

Then, just as the Strigoi woman was about to make her own move on Keanu, he ran at her and neatly dodged her kick. He went low, then came up as she missed her target and was left hanging in mid-air. With a twist of his wrist, he positioned the broken paintbrush so that it could make a clear stab through her chest upwards, the best way to pierce the flesh so that the weapon could wedge its way behind the ribs and access the pleural cavity for the heart.

It went through with a lot more difficulty than I would have imagined, and as the Strigoi's eyes widened with disbelief, Keanu with one more shove with his body weight behind it pushed the broken paintbrush further into her chest, until she screamed and slowly lost all movement in her wailing arms.

The strigoi went limp, and Keanu let go and pulled away. Her body crashed to the ground and blood began to soak the carpets. He brushed sweat from his forehead with his shirt's sleeve, and on some type of instinct, he turned around with impossible speed and found Eddie.

Eddie, who had broken off a leg from a chair, pierced the Strigoi he was fighting with ease and let the Strigoi drop to the ground. Keanu came up behind Eddie and patted him on the back. Eddie flinched but Keanu grinned.

"Good job," he said, and in response, Eddie frowned.

"For killing?"

Eddie looked away from the Strigoi and found me by the wall. Keanu followed suit, and his eyes widened for a moment, as if he didn't realize I was there all along. But that was right. I was there. I had watched the whole fight between him and the Strigoi up and front. I saw everything—everything—and I saw the way Keanu fought like he was a guardian himself. He was far better than Eddie, except for his lacking in the strength department, and he showed no hesitation in killing. My eyes lingered on Keanu for a moment, whose expression was a mixture of guilt and shock, and my doubt and questions only grew deeper concerning him.

He claimed to be hired by the infamous Abe Mazur, knew of Alchemists and vampires, knew about my magic development and now it seems he even knows how to fight like an experienced guardian! ...

Just who truly was Keanu Brown?

Author's Notes

First fight scene! Woo! But at the same time, apologies for the cliché. Strigoi in Adrian's apartment? I know, I know; it's been done already, but it just sort of fit the course of things. Anyway, look extremely forward to tomorrow's chapter. I sure am. Keanu is such a mystery!

Please comment/review this chapter, and tell me: should there be more action? I like writing action, I've discovered. So maybe there will be. Thank you for reading this far! You have no idea how much I love you for doing that!