What I'm about to explain to you will be rather rushed and shady.

You'd think that after all that happened that day, after all I lost and what could never be replaced—you'd think that I'd remember in exact detail of how it all went down. But I don't. I don't remember every second of that moment as clearly as I wish I did. Some parts are glitchy in my head—they fade in and out like a static radio.

But I'll try my best in retelling all that I can of that day. Not that it really matters anyway.

It was almost half-past 12 in the afternoon on a quiet Sunday when Mrs. Terwilliger's house was infiltrated by a legion of guardians sent from the Court, but obviously not by the Queen. They raided the house, silver stake at the ready, in search for the priceless half-sister of the Dragomir Queen, Vasilisa, and a wanted criminal.

When I stood motionless in front of the house, my eyes transfixed on the ordeal before me, I didn't know what to think.

I remember being dragged in by a male guardian posted at the front of the house. I say dragged because by then my legs had completely lost the will to walk. Angeline, Trey and I were brought into the lounge room, having pass the long line of guardians who swarmed around the only one in charge—a guardian named Staffan I later found out.

Staffan held in his hand a single manila folder with a neat blown-up photo of someone I thought looked rather familiar. As he saw my eyes tracing the outline of some nicely-shaped black hair, he moved his arm around his back ever so casually and kept his chin high. Already I could tell he was the type who was far too full of himself for what he really was; that is, a Dhampir nearing his mid 30's with a buzz cut of blond hair.

My arms were held against me by the guardian who led us in, and Angeline and Trey were pressed to stand near the kitchen with a bodyguard of two tall guardians to look down upon them. Before addressing me, Staffan glanced to the stools beside the kitchen bench. On them sat a very pissed-off Adrian and a ready-to-attack Eddie. I could tell neither of them liked being threatened by a squad of pretty-boys.

"Miss Sydney Sage," Staffan began, taking very measured steps before me as if to flaunt his authority in the current situation. While he took his time in smirking over his success of his mission, I did a quick scan of the room, expecting to see an Alchemist posed sharply among the Dhampirs but blending into the concrete of the wall—something we do best. Much to my disappointment, I saw no such thing. But I heard Staffan continue.

"If I were to ask you what your mission is, how would you reply?"

I stared at Staffan, noting the mole nearest to his left ear and even the drooping black shadows of his eyes, just so that when the day comes and the misunderstanding of this whole co-operation was cleared, I'd pin the blame on him.

Staffan stopped and grinned.

"Or is it that you can't differentiate from what's 'protecting Jillian Mastrano Dragomir' and what's 'leading her to her death by disobeying all orders'?"

It was that very accusation that made Eddie rise up out of his chair.

"Leave Sydney out of this!" he yelled, and a pair of large hands fell over his shoulders to shove him back onto the stool. Eddie snarled, but surrendered. Staffan amusingly looked back to me. Great. Now I had to reply.

I took in the biggest breath I could, summoning all the courage and wit I had, preparing myself to lay down a solid defense case. I knew I'd need it.

"If you'd listen to what I have to say, sir," I started, shaking my arms a little just to see if I could free myself from the hold. The hands restraining me tightened and I figured that I'd have to do with what I had. That meant no appealing gestures.

"I had in all of my actions the intent to keep Jillian safe from any harm. Logic reasoning told me to get her somewhere safe outside of Amberwood Prep due to the leak of information regarding her location. If she had stayed there, even after the attack on Adrian Ivashkov that you no doubt already know about, sir, then Strigoi would have gotten to her too. It was all in my fault to not have honest reports given back to Court or to the Alchemists, but I thought it was best to have our location secret in case of another leak. I repeat: this was all for the sake of my mission."

For the most part, all that was said was true. My eyes flickered to Adrian, who sat unmoving on the stool with his chin placed on his hands trying to look disinterested, but I knew in reality Adrian was completely aware of all that had just been said. His eyes met mine and his look of approval gave me enough confidence to turn to Staffan and flash him a bright, gleaming smile. It was as if Adrian was standing right beside me, whispering in my ear to look responsible like the alchemist I was.

I was expecting the security to lighten up a bit; the tension in the atmosphere to slowly wisp away. But if anything, it grew more stiff. Staffan who stood before me rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if he was silently mocking me for being so clueless.

He peeked up at me.

"Sydney, I always thought of you as a bright girl—" You don't even know me. "—but now I have to admit that that's no longer the case."

My face held an expression Staffan no doubt wanted. He brought back around his arm and held before me the brown manila folder. With a confirming nod, he gestured to it.

"This is why we came here today, Miss Sage. We already knew about your hiding with the Princess." Silently, my focus fell onto the folder.

"Want to guess what's inside?" Staffan taunted. I frowned.

"A photo."

"Well done, Holmes!" he sarcastically hollered, and I glared. With a smooth flick, Staffan opened the folder and a laminated photo was revealed. He took it out and waved in front of me. Then, as if this was all a big, fat joke to him (which it definitely was not to me) he showed the photo to the rest of the 6 guardians—I counted. Even Adrian, Eddie, Trey and Angeline caught a glimpse of the photo, and I can assure you that we all shared the same thought.

I withheld a gasp. "Why have you got a photo of Keanu?"

Staffan by now was bored of showing the others his photo. He turned it back to me and beamed.

"Because," he teased, "Your buddy Keanu Brown is head suspect against the attack on Jillian Mastrano Dragomir which killed her almost a year ago. As well as the on-going hunt held by Strigoi of her now."

If I could, I think I'd have died of shock then and there. Eddie was the one who decided to challenge Staffan.

"That makes no sense. Keanu was human."

Staffan sighed with that condescending nature once again.

"Once. And well, yes, again now. But he wasn't human for the majority of last year. Reports have it that Mr. Brown who was living in London at the time was a blood-thirsty vampire." Staffan's eyes narrowed at me. "I.E. Strigoi."

So it was true. Everything Keanu said ... that was all true. Or at least, the parts concerning himself anyway. I didn't know whether a woman named Mariska Voda actually ever existed or whether or he truly was shadow-kissed, but I could bet my all that they did. And the fact that Keanu was truly a Strigoi once, which even the guardians had reports to confirm ...

It made me second-guess Staffan's accusation.

But Keanu also told me that it was the Warriors who were against the attack on Jill. I trusted him, because it sounded fair—it sounded right. The Warriors were after the end of the Moroi race simply by trying to create disorder in the Moroi civilization. No part of that sounded like it couldn't be true. But even so, nothing ever said Keanu didn't lie. He possessed a cross which he said marked the loyalty of the Strigoi to the Warriors. It was this that he got from the Strigoi he fought back in Adrian's apartment. But had I ever actually seen the Strigoi with this cross on her with my own eyes?

In my cardigan pocket, I too held a cross of the same kind. This cross was found by Angeline and Trey, left by a mysterious stalker. A stalker who stopped stalking after the loss of the artifact. A stalker described to be a bit taller than me and around my age ...

I looked at Staffan with realization. Could it all have been a lie?

"Do you get it now?" Staffan arrogantly asked. I didn't want to show him that I was fooled into believing Keanu and his stories, but I had to nod my head. Adrian spoke up for the first time in all that afternoon.

"So," Adrian began. "If I've got this right, Keanu Brown is the once-Strigoi-now-human culprit behind the murder of Jailbait?"

Staffan didn't approve of the nickname Adrian had purposely used in order to spite him, but nodded regardless.

"Than why the Hell aren't you out looking for him?" Adrian growled. I saw the way his hands clenched into fists. He was full-on pissed off by now, and he had every right to. He never trusted Keanu from the beginning. It was my fault Keanu was left without any suspicion among us. I fell into a falsified friendship with Keanu thinking someone who understood everything I was facing, but was human at the same time, would be the best relief I could ever ask for. Yet because of that, I let events get to the point of Jill's safety being seriously at risk. I mean, for Christ's sake, they were under the same bloody roof for four days!

Staffan scoffed.

"How about you go capture the mastermind behind the whole scheme to eradicate the Dragomir bloodline, Mr. Ivashkov, if you're so damn sure you know your shit?"

Adrian felt like coming back at Staffan with any even more intense and profanity-filled retort, but thankfully Eddie held him back. I took the opportunity to shoot out my own question at Staffan.

"Are you sure it's Keanu? Just because he was once Strigoi—"

Staffan withdrew from his jacket's pocket a golden cross, identical to my own in my pocket.

"Look familiar?"

I winced. Staffan twirled the object in his fingers and I saw the sunlight glimmer off the sharp edges. How did he ...

"This was left at the scene of the crime. Just too handy, don't you think?"

"What crime?"

I felt my knees trembling.

"The attack for information at the court, of course," Staffan said. "We know Keanu was behind it."

Adrian laughed.

"And there's you're contradiction," he added snidely. "If I know my 'shit', Keanu met us a solid week before the attack."

Adrian was right. I had met Keanu a week before, at the school in the same block I had my private study sessions with Mrs. Terwilliger. Staffan paced to Adrian and jerked the cross into Adrian's face, much to his lack of reaction. He just simply glared.

"You obviously don't keep tabs on the happenings at court often, do you, Mr. Ivashkov? There was more than just one attack. The first attack of leaked information was on everything we had about the experiments Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov conducted on spirit while here. The second was on the princess."

Staffan then briefly looked to me.

"The first leak included the reports on young Sydney's blood here."

I didn't get time to react. In a second, Stanton was exiting the first bedroom down the hall with a shaken Jill. Jill was guided by two guardians to the door and passed me and the others without even sharing a glance. Eddie was the first to call out on it.

"What the Hell is going on? Where are you taking Jill?"

Angeline followed.

"You better let go of her now or I swear to God I'll break your nose in an instant!"

By then, the guardians in retaliation to their threats restricted the constraint on the two Dhampirs even tighter. I didn't think Angeline and Eddie understood what they faced. In total, 9 guardians were posted in our perimeter, including Staffan and the two who guided Jill outside. There was no way we could take them on, even if we tried (which I was certain Angeline was eager to do). Stanton stood close enough to Staffan so that she could trade a few hushed words with him, by far enough so that he didn't invade her personal space. How Alchemist-typical.

By the end of their chat, Stanton's eyes turned to me. She was ever so serious as usualy, with her tight posture and her neat clothes. Or maybe it was just that over the months, I had grown loose with the traditional Alchemist ways. Whichever it was, it didn't matter in the shadow of what Stanton was about to say.

She looked somewhat sad while sentencing me to my doom.

"Sydney Sage, you have been accused of hiding and consulting with a known felon after disobeying Alchemist laws and orders. In addition, you have lost your Alchemist morals upon becoming involved with vampires and as of now is officially rebuked and abdicated of your status under the Palm Springs region and the Dragomir case. You will immediately be sent to an Alchemist head quarters to face jury to decide your future course."

Like I said, sentenced to my doom.

I was actually surprised to see this had gotten more of an outraged reaction from Angeline, Eddie and Adrian than myself. But don't get me wrong. I was pretty livid on my own, only, I couldn't really express it. I suppose that's what they called shock. I just stood motionless, hands restrained against my back, while the rest of the events occurred in a blur.

In less-fancy wording, I was told I was no longer part of the mission to protect Jill because of my lack of living up to Alchemists expectations, unknowingly befriending the head suspect behind Jill's murder, and my close affiliation with the vampires here. Which meant I'd most likely would be sent to the one place no Alchemist ever deserved to see the light of day of ...

The re-education centre.

And that was guaranteed, regardless of any grand case or speech I could deliver, as soon as Angeline threw her first punch. At Stanton. Somehow, Angeline had snuck around the guardian holding her and landed a surprise on my Alchemist boss. And everyone was caught off-guard because nobody expected a fight to break out.

But one did anyway.

Suddenly, the two watching over Eddie and Adrian lunged towards Angeline who was battling a few other guardians herself. That gave a chance for Trey and Eddie to come to Angeline's aid and fight off four against three, while Staffan assisted a very fazed Stanton away from the mess. The guardian who was holding me captive grunted and decided pulling back was the best move to make. So he dragged me outside of the house and led me onto the porch where I saw a big black SUV prison cell calling out to me. They planned to bring us all back to court for a questioning, I realized.

As I was being led down wooden stairs, a figure approached from the threshold, his breath heavy and his control lost.

I glanced behind my shoulder only to find Adrian, a sort of white glow surrounding him so that it looked like he was emitting foggy fumes, ready to do something I knew I wasn't going to like. The guardian restraining me chuckled.

"Ivashkov. I know you. I also know you won't fight me. Don't be stupid now, it's all just for precautions in case one of you are—"

Adrian descended the stairs, and in a flash, gripped with long fingers the guardian's shirt. Jerking him closer, Adrian peered intensely into the guardian's eyes as slowly the hold on my wrist was being released.

With a sinister aura, Adrian curled his lip and bared fangs at the guardian.

"Let me be the one to take precautions," Adrian hissed. He then threw the motionless dhampir a little ways forward with strength I didn't know Adrian had. From a far distance, with a steady gaze locked from the frozen guardian to Adrian, Adrian muttered: "Sleep."

And so the guardian did. My eyes widened.

"A-Adrian ..."

I had felt that feeling before. That magic. Adrian had used compulsion on the guardian in order to subdue him.

In one fell swoop, Adrian had reached out and pulled me closer to him. I stumbled across the ground to meet him, and when I did, I gasped when I saw white and golden flecks simmer in Adrian's enchanting green eyes. It was truly breath-taking.

"Sage," he said like fine cinnamon was on the tip of his tongue. He scanned every feature of me, from head to toe, and with a dreamy sigh, he continued: "I always knew you balanced me."

Something in me stabbed. It was like a million knives were clawing at my insides, a traumatizing feeling that I didn't ever want to experience. But I was. Because this was happening.

This.

I pulled away from Adrian desperately.

"No," I whispered. Why now of all times? "You can't be saying goodbye. Not now. Not after everything—"

Adrian attempted to pull me closer again.

"Sydney—"

I shook my head and resisted.

"I can sort this out. I know Ican. Keanu—he—we'll stop him. I can deal with not being on the case anymore. That's fine. I just—I don't—I don't—"

I don't want to go to re-education.

"Sydney, you don't understand. They think that you and Keanu—I tried to say but—ugh! I don't know anymore ... I just don't know!"

Adrian's eyes flared again, only this time, with black shards. I saw it then. It was the darkness. I urgently cupped his face and I got him to look at me. I needed him to fight the darkness. He couldn't lose to the one thing holding him back from living, not after I lost my own battle. I needed to reassure him for myself.

"Adrian, listen to me. I'm going to be alright," I breathed in steadily. "I can talk my way out of this, like I did when I helped out the 'murderer' of the previous queen. The Alchemists will understand." No they wouldn't. "Keanu will be caught." He already got away once.

I took another breath. "I've got this. Just make sure you look after Jill. They're coming after Jill. They all are."

Adrian frowned.

"Who are?"

"The Warriors. Others. Just promise you'll look after her. Promise me that and promise me this: that this isn't a goodbye."

Adrian then pulled away and glanced to his hand. From his jean's pocket, I saw him bring out a little blue box covered in felt. He glanced back to me.

"I'm sorry, Sydney. I dragged you into this. You could be imprisoned because of treason, when really it was my own fault ..."

I didn't want Adrian blaming himself. I took his hands into my own. I didn't like this Adrian at all. I wanted him to be happy ... always happy. Taking the little blue box, I looked inside. It was a ring, gorgeous with a large jewel. Adrian smiled gently when he heard me gasp.

"I bought it on the night of the Villagefest. It's meant for you."

I didn't want to have to leave. I didn't want whatever re-education was. I wanted to stay here peacefully with Adrian, with the gang, with everyone I met in Amberwood and the lot. I liked it. It was the closest I got to a normal life, as ironic as that may be. I loved it here.

And I loved Adrian.

My hand snaked around his neck quicker than a fox. Our lips met, Romeo and Juliet style, as we shared what would be our last kiss for God knows how long. I didn't even know if I'd ever see Adrian again. But I knew I wanted to. I didn't know how I'd live without Adrian being there for me after everything we'd been through.

I pulled Adrian closer. This kiss was different to all the others. Not only could I taste the bitter salt of my tears running down my cheeks, but I could taste the grief Adrian felt inside. No electricity flared. No fireworks set off. It was just a meeting of lips and a meeting of love.

Adrian ended it sooner than I expected, but he didn't pull away. Our noses barely brushed each other as were inches apart. A little more commotion I could hear was being created behind us, but my everything was purely on Adrian. From his mahogany brown hair styled just a little messy to his choice of a black silk tie over a white button up shirt and black slacks. I wanted to capture everything about him in this moment.

But it wouldn't really matter. None of this did. Because in the next second, Adrian's eyes lit up white and gold flecks again. While gazing into my brown eyes with the most pained expression I'd ever seen him wear, Adrian said ...

"You will forget everything you know from the past year, and you will never remember it again."

And in a blink of an eye, I did.

I was starring back at a man I didn't know.

Author's Notes

And so, I give you, the final chapter.

The sequel will come shortly soon. The sequel will also be posted in this document. Also, I will be starting a new fanfic on Vampire Academy full of interesting OCs some time soon. More info on that and AGLUAS on my tumblr: innoviatopia . tumblr . com

A summary if you didn't really understand my final chapter, because it does, as Sydney says, get 'rushed and shady':

Jill and the rest are to be sent to court for questioning in relevance to their relationship with Keanu Brown. This was led by Guardian Staffan and Alchemist Stanton who had in full intent to capture Keanu upon their infiltration of Mrs. Terwilliger's house. Sydney is no longer a part of Jill's case after she is caught associating with the lead suspect of Jill's murder. She's been rebuked and sent away, due to undergo a meeting with a jury to determine her future. But the worst thing yet is that Sydney has been compelled to forget all about Adrian, Keanu and the rest as an act of protection by Adrian, because as long as Sydney doesn't know anything about Keanu, she can't be held guilty of any affliations with him.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for following me until the end on my first official fanfic ever. The responses I get from you make my day, and I can't wait until you all get hyped up for what's yet to come, because I assure you that this is only the beginning.

Keep calm and stake Strigoi,

Innovia x