Next chapter! This was kind of like last minute so it's a bit rushed. If you guys are confused, I'll explain everything in the a/n next chapter.

Oh! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they really inspire me and make me happy! :)

Disclaimer: I hate to say this, but I don't own most of these characters. If you're reading this, then you probably should know who I made up and who is actually an awesome character that Richelle Mead, not me, created. If you don't know who I invented, then you should probably stop reading now. I'm not that inventive.

Oh crap. Lissa said weakly.

Well, this is not good. I said. Understatement of the century. This was probably one of the worst possible scenarios I could actually imagine while we were graduating. Christian looked desperately confused. Haha, wish I had a camera. His face was hysterical. It would've made good blackmail material. Dimitri looked ready to whip out his stake and hurl it at Felix. Or Lazar. I really couldn't tell. Probably both.

Felix rose from his seat, his face a perfect mask of rage. The girl who apparently hated Lissa's guts was sitting next to him and man, was she pissed off. They must be dating and have had a pre-arranged guardian assignment, like Lissa and I.

Lissa and Christian stood up. "What now?" Christian asked as we made our way towards the locker room.

Lissa shrugged. "We wait until we can either get rid of him or get him to join us."

Dimitri reached us and we waited outside the boy's locker room in silence.

After what seemed like forever , and after about three more dhampirs had gone in to receive their promise marks, Felix came out with the back of his neck all bandaged up. Dimitri immediately stiffened.

"Felix," He said tightly. Lissa touched his arm comfortingly.

Felix barely looked at him. "Well, Christian Ozera, what are we doing now? Just staying here until you come up with a pathetic excuse to leave?"

Christian narrowed his eyes. Christian mode on! "That's Lord Ozera to you!" He snapped. "And we're going to my room. Now." He stalked off and we all sullenly followed.

Rose, you can probably deal with this jerk better than I can. Lissa said suddenly.

Sweet! I cheered. I'm gonna verbally massacre him. He deserves it.

I agree.

I walked up to Dimitri and put my hand in his. He looked at me, surprised and I winked to let him know it was me. Felix sighed impatiently.

I felt myself growing angry. I think it might have been some of Lissa's darkness seeping into both of us. I leaned over to glare at him. "Hey, you shut up. You're just unwanted help whose opinion is unappreciated and matters to absolutely no one. Stop being a bitter ass." I snapped.

Felix snorted. "That's funny. Too bad I don't give a damn. Christian may 'own' me, but I can and I will say whatever the hell I want." Hmm, he was rebellious just like me. Too bad he was such an ass. We n=might actually be good friends otherwise.

Dimitri lengthened his stride, taking me with him before I could respond. I growled. "I can see why you hate him."

Dimitri laughed lightly. "I don't hate him. I just… I don't understand him. He used to be the sweetest kid."

I grew thoughtful. Dimitri had a point. Just because he was just as bad, if not worse than, Jesse Zeklos, it didn't mean he had always been like that. "Well, I'm gonna see what his father told him. If Christian lets me talk, that is."

Christian unlocked his door. "Sit on the floor," He commanded all of us. We all, even me after Dimitri tugged me down, sat down obediently.

Felix sighed. "I was supposed to be assigned to my girlfriend, Anastasiya Ivasheva. But I get assigned to an Ozera instead." He sneered. "With my big brother, even worse." Venom dripped off his every word.

"Loof, Felix, we don't like this any more than you do." I said, trying to maintain my temper. He made me very angry. "But you're stuck with us until further notice. So, please, inform us. Why do you hate your mother, sisters, and brother so much?"

Felix looked furious. "You mean your precious Dimitri didn't tell you?"

"I don't know why!" Dimitri exclaimed. "Yes, I beat up our father, but you never saw what he did to our mother!"

Pain flashed through Felix's eyes and he stared off into the distance as if he was reliving a painful memory. Then, his guardian mask slammed into place, with a hint of anger in his face. "I don't have to put up with this." He stood up. "Find me when you're ready to leave."

Christian froze. I was confused. Christian looked…. Panicked? No, that wasn't it. Concerned, maybe? "Felix Belikov!" He barked. "Come back here!" Felix turned around slowly.

"What?" He asked shortly. Christian had legitimate concern written all over his face.

"What's on your neck?" Christian asked softly. Felix froze as well and something in his expression shifted. For an instant, his walls were down and I saw only fear and pain. Then, his walls were back in place and he was scrambling to recover.

"Well, it might be the tattoo I just got," He retorted sarcastically, but his voice was weak.

Christian shook his head. "No. Let me see."

Felix hesitated, but even he knew better than to disobey a direct order. He cringed as Christian examined his neck.

Christian gasped. "Felix! Are those-are those bruises?" Beside me, Dimitri tensed. I knew what he was thinking. Oh my God! My brother's a blood whore! A male guardian blood whore! I was kind of thinking the same thing. So was Lissa.

With shaking hands, Felix touched his neck. "Yes. It's not what you think. I'm not a male blood whore." He added quickly. My mind was racing. Dimitri kind of relaxed, but now he was worried for his young brother.

"Then what are they?"

Felix flinched. "I-our father tried to strangle me yesterday," He admitted. I sucked in a breath.

Dimitri growled. "How long has he been abusing you?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. Usually only when he's drunk."

"How long?" Dimitri yelled. Man, he was majorly pissed off. I was in shock.

"A few months after we left you guys. He got really drunk and like, super-strong. That was the start." Felix sat back down.

Christian looked ready to kill. "Dimitri, your father's an ass." He said in a low voice. "I want to kill him."

"No!" Felix yelled with a panicked expression on his face. "He loves me! He taught me the truth about my family!"

I blinked in confusion. Is he on drugs?

Dimitri also looked taken aback. "What truth?"

I'm so confused! Lissa groaned. What the hell is going on?

Felix narrowed his eyes, all at once seeming like the asshat he had been about half an hour ago. "Mom was the abuser. When he finally stood up for himself, you snapped and threatened to kill him after you beat him up. And none of you liked me. You were going to kill me, had Dad not kidnap- I mean, let me come with him."

I latched onto the last part of his explanation. His dad kidnapped him!

Yea, I know. I heard. Ask questions! Lissa urged.

"He kidnapped you? You didn't even want to leave?" I cried. This was really twisted.

"I'm sorry! It slipped out! Don't hurt me!" Felix begged. Seeing the terror in his eyes, I finally got it.

"That's it!" I shouted. Felix flinched. "Your dad kidnapped you and tortured you. He gave you a story and forced you to hate your family. Every time you screwed the story up, he'd beat you. After a while, you began to believe it yourself."

Dimitri muttered something in Russian. Felix was trying hard not to cry. "Please don't tell," He whispered.

"Don't worry, you're among friends." I said to soothe him. "Tell us the truth about yourself. We won't touch you, I swear."

Dimitri was tense next to me. Felix took a shaky breathe and started. "Mom was horrible- no, my mom is abused by my father. My brother Dimitri tries to prevent me from knowing. But I still hear the screams and pleads. I'm afraid of my daddy. But I pretend to adore him because I don't want him to hurt me. One day, he blindfolds me and tells me not to make a peep. We creep out and he stuffs me in a bag. Where is everyone? I don't understand! Why me?" Felix breaks down crying, caught up in his memories.

Dimitri was breathing hard. "I didn't save you," He whispered. "I was your big brother and you were counting on me to protect you." Pain twisted his features.

Felix looked up. "You couldn't have known. You did what you could. You were a great big brother."

I looked at Dimitri. He was struggling to keep his emotions in check. "I shouldn't have been so quick to judge you. I should have tried to find out what happened to you."

"No, that definitely is not your fault. I was an asshole." Felix lost control again and suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around Felix and slowly, hesitantly, I felt his arms snake around me.

My God. I can't even imagine what that must have been like. Lissa whispered in horror. How could a man do that to his own son?

I know. It's beyond cruel. It's craziness-pure craziness. I said, holding Felix tighter. And his nightmare isn't over yet. Not until he's away from his father. And he can't come with us. He's been through enough, I think.

I finally released my hold on Felix and walked to Dimitri. "Will you take him back to his room? We're going to Adrian's room and we have things we need o discuss. Felix should rest, though."

Felix looked at Dimitri steadily. Dimitri met his gaze with unmeasureable amounts of pain in his eyes. "Let's go Felix."

Felix followed him out the door with his eyes cast to the floor. After about ten minutes, Christian sighed. I shot up. "Adrian needs to hear this. And we need to discuss…. arrangements."

I led the way and kicked Adrian's door as hard as I could. "Adrian!" I hollered. "We have a lot to tell you! Open the door!"

Adrian peeked out. "Geez, Rose. If you want into my room, you don't have to scream it to all of Russia."

I rolled my eyes at his idiocy. "Shut up, or I'll get Australia to hear you scream. Let us in. This is a major crisis."

"Fine. Get in." He said, stepping aside. I took one quick look around. There was stuff everywhere.

"Adrian, you're a pig." I said. "We're leaving soon. You really should consider hunting for the floor."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Okay, Rose. Now what is so important that you need to break down my door? And how is Belikov Jr.? I don't see him,"

"Well, he's my guardian apparently." Christian interjected.

"How did that happen? Wasn't Belikov Sr. s'posed to be your guardian?" Adrian's eyes were wide.

"Oh, he is too,"

"Wonderful. I'm sure it's just gonna be pleasant. A nonstop party." Adrian said sarcastically. "Don't they hate each other?"

"They did. But I'm sure they're talking it out right now, "I said. I vaguely wondered how that was actually going. Were they actually talking? Or was Dimitri on his way to Adrian's dorm right now because they hadn't talked?

"Yea, because apparently their father abused Felix. He fed him some crap lie about the Belikovs and Every time Felix said something wrong, his dad would beat him and eventually Felix started believing that what his dad was doing to him was for the better and that his mother and siblings were jerks." Christian added. I flinched.

Man, did I feel bad for that kid.

This was a very long chapter…. Oh, well. I think you're all probably fine with that.

REMINDER: Tomorrow will be my last chapter for a week because I am going on vacation!

Review, let me know what you think of Felix…. Pleeeaaase?