POV: Adrian

"This was a bad idea", Eva whispered scanning our surroundings us with a frightened look on her face.

"Don't be a chicken", Felix exclaimed hopping around carelessly in front of us, "It's just a few trees. Besides, this is the fastest way and you were complaining about your feet hurting didn't you?"

I focused on Eva, seeing the way her eyes were illuminated in the moonlight, filled with dread. I knew how every fiber of her fought against rebellion, especially when it meant we were putting ourselves in any kind of danger. She was so good, so pure, stuck with us two idiots who always pushed her to break the rules. Like tonight, sneaking out of the academy, going to a party instead of classes and now these woods. I felt sorry for the discomfort it brought her. I was sorry she had to put up with us.

I let my hand fall down to graze her hand before I slipped my fingers between hers and squeezed them lightly in an attempt to reassure her everything is going to be alright. She peered at me and smiled, her eyes brightening up enough to make me realize my intentions were a success more or less. I turned my head around to find Felix with my eyes before shouting: "Buddy, this is the last time you get to spend our taxi money on anything."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever", he chuckled ducking down to pick up a few leaves and throwing them our way.

He faced us, taking a glimpse at our entangled fingers his eyebrow shooting up as a flash of an all too familiar doze of jealousy crossed his face.

"Am I interrupting love birds?", he asked with a fake smile.

Eva blushed, swiftly removing her hand from my hold and fixing her eyes on the ground. I chuckled, pushing my hand into my pocket and giving Felix a challenging look: "Jealous much?"

"Of you? Ha, funny", he retorted.

It was a joke, I knew that, but sometimes he let his anger get the better of him, so his words came off bitter. Felix was one of my two best friends, I loved him like a brother, but he could really be a self-centered ass sometimes.

I ran forward grabbing a hold of him and wrapping my arms around his neck pulling him down like I was about to tackle him. I never did though. It was my way of showing him that I would never hurt him even if I could. He knew that well. So he laughed and I laughed along with him, before straightening up and exchanging a few playful punches and fake insults. I placed my palm on his shoulder and started him down to show him I wasn't joking anymore despite the grin on my face: "If you used your brain a bit, perhaps I'd be the one with a reason to be jealous and pissed off that I'm a third wheel."

His eyes flashed in understanding, but his face was set in a dumbfound look. He was playing stupid and I knew it all too well.

"You are a blind man my friend", I mumbled eyeing Eva as she rushed to join us.

"What are you guys talking about?", she asked looking back and forth between us.

"Nothing", we mumbled in unison before I intentionally prolonged my steps so I would get ahead of them.

Luckily they didn't try to catch up. I kept a safe distance, hearing them giggle in the background before they suddenly went quiet. I stopped and turned around only to see them in an embrace their lips glued together.

FINALLY.

I smiled to myself continuing forward until I saw something move left of me. I focused on the bushes and leaves, but they barely withered on the gentle breeze. Must be my imagination. A few more steps and I saw it again, only this time it was accompanied by slight rustling. I froze in my tracks twirling around in an attempt to catch a glimpse of whatever was making the noise. Maybe it was an animal or something. I opened my mouth to reluctantly call out to Eva and Felix, since I didn't want to interrupt them, but before I could say anything I heard a bloodcurdling scream echo behind me: "ADRIAN NOOO!"

Cold fingers touched my neck as a hand wrapped around the collar of my shirt tugging me up and flinging me into the nearby tree. I hit the trunk so hard air left my lungs completely before I tumbled to the ground with a desperate gasp. I tried to inhale as I looked up to a girl standing above me. She was maybe a few years older than me, tall and slim, dark haired and pale faced. Most importantly her eyes where the color of blood. She was a Strigoi, I realized all too late as she walked up to me and picked me back up effortlessly, pushing me against the hard wood behind me.

"Pretty. I like pretty boys", she hissed as she neared my face.

"Eva", I heard Felix's cry out in the distance, but I couldn't move or produce any sounds.

I was completely and utterly paralyzed in fear. I've heard about Strigoi so many times, I've seen videos, pictures, I studied about them, but seeing one in person, right in front of me, about to kill me, nothing could have prepared me for that.

Suddenly, she jerked back a little making me realize Eva jumped from behind her encircling her neck with her arms. She tried shaking her off, but I knew Eva, she was a stubborn little thing and she wasn't going to make this easy. The Strigoi girl let go of me and I tumbled down coughing as I fought to regain control over my lungs. Eva kicked and punched her with a force that I envied, but the girl seemed to be unfazed by it.

"Feisty", she chuckled pushing Eva hard enough to lend her right on her ass, "Young guardian, thinks she can handle me. ME? Oh you are going to die painfully little girl. Your friends will too."

"EVA", Felix screamed again.

I squinted in the direction of his voice finding his frightened eyes. He was backing away from someone. Another Strigoi. We were so screwed.

"I'll even let you chose", the girl continued licking her lips lustfully, "Who do you want me to kill first? Your boyfriend or your-?"

She trailed off looking at me again as I scrambled to my feet grabbing the first thing I could get my hand on. It turned out to be a branch.

"Well, whatever he is to you, he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed", she laughed, "A branch is not going to help you pretty boy."

"Maybe, maybe not", I stammered out swinging at her as hard as I could.

As the wood struck her it fell to pieces. It didn't hurt her. It just annoyed the hell out of her.

"Ouch that really-, didn't hurt", she jested smirking at me.

"No, but this will", Eva said before she collided a rock with her head.

The girl growled stumbling a bit, but Eva gave her no time to regain her foothold. She slammed into her again and again until she fell down crying out in pain. Felix screamed so loud it nearly stopped my heart. The Strigoi has sunk his fangs into his neck gripping him tightly so he couldn't even attempt to fight back. Eva started running towards him before she froze in her tracks and turned around to stop me from following.

"Adrian run", she cried out pushing me harshly to make me move.

"No, I can't leave you two, I-."

"Go. We'll catch up. I'll pull us out, I promise", she begged pushing me again before turning around to face the other Strigoi.

My legs were numb. I didn't think I could even remember how to move them. But as Eva peeked over her shoulder one last time, I saw her blue eyes shiny in the dark, her lips mouthing "go" and I felt myself move, my body doing all the work as my mind stayed behind with my best friends.

I stumbled through the woods, falling and getting up in a haze, ignoring the branches and bushes that scarped my skin. I need to get help. I need to help them. I couldn't breathe, I could hardly see anything, but I kept going.

Finally, the academy appeared in front of me.

Finally, the house appeared in front of me.

"HELP!", I cried out my voice coming out cracked from my soar throat.

I kept running, I never stopped. I could never stop.

The front door opened. The gates opened. Sonya ran out. The guardian's ran out.

"Help", I wailed not being able to keep myself composed anymore.

"It's alright boy", one guardian stressed reaching me, "You are safe now."

"No, you don't understand", I mumbled grabbing his arms and shaking him, "Evangeline. Felix."

"Evangeline. Dimitri. They need help", I begged as Sonya tried to get me steady on my feet.

"Mama", she screamed as the rest of the household joined us, "Call Mark now! Get stakes!"

I waited. All I could do is wait. I didn't want to. All I wanted to do was go after them, get my friends back. Help them.

I was helpless.

The trees moved, branches and leaves shaking. Somebody appeared on the brink of the forest. My heart stopped.

Guardian's blocked my view, their flashlights blinding me. As they moved so did I, my feet carried me forward, one last act of a desperate man. I squinted through the lights finding the crystal blue eyes filled with tears. They were safe. They got out. I peered past her trying to find Felix, but he wasn't there. There was no one there. No one but her.

"Where is he?", I stammered out as I reached her.

She grabbed my hands as hers shook, tears rolling down her cheeks, lips quivering, whispering: "I'm sorry."

"WHERE IS HE?", I wailed trying to move her, push her away, find him.

"I'm sorry", she kept repeating like a mantra.

"We need to get them out of here", somebody yelled.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying that? What do you mean? Evangeline where is Felix?", I ranted tears filling my eyes.

"It's over Adrian. He is gone", she wept holding on to me.

"No. No, you promised. You promised you'll both get out. You pro-", I mumbled losing my energy and falling to my knees, "You promised."

Everyone moved to clear the path and I saw her, blood dripping down her cheek from her forehead mixing with sweat. She looked exhausted from fighting, but also from carrying someone. Dimitri. He was slugged over her barely moving his feet as she led him towards us.

I ran, I ran faster than I've ever had. They are alive. They are both alive. They are safe. They tumbled down, Dimitri folding over as she no longer held him up. My boots slid across the snow and mud bringing me to my knees in front of Dimitri. I pushed my hands on his cheeks lifting his head up to meet his eyes. He barely held them open.

"I got you", I whispered to him even though he probably couldn't hear me.

I gathered up all of the energy I had within me and let it slip out. He gasped as the spirit flowed from me to him, his wounds slowly closing as his eyes pried open.

"Adrian", he mumbled out placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I got you", I repeated numbly ignoring the commotion around me.

He leaned his head on me, replacing his own hand on my shoulder. I reached out feeling Eva's hand slip into mine, since she knew I was seeking her out. I released the spirit again feeling the warmth leave me and transfer to her.

"I promised", she whispered fixing her eyes on mine.

"You kept your promise", I responded before I felt myself falling back, exhaustion takings its toll.

POV: Dimitri

All three of us slept for solid twelve hours before my still worried family decided to wake us up. Adrian healed all of my wounds, but I still felt like I went through a wall of cement head first. Despite not having almost any injuries to begin with he felt even worse and it showed. Evangeline seemed to be doing better than us, but she was strangely quiet and distant, like she was trapped inside of her head.

We did talk much. Honestly, there was nothing to say. We survived, we were okay, safe, well as safe as we could be. We were also tired of everything. It was becoming a thing I guess.

The following morning I sat with Evangeline in the kitchen for two hours without ushering a single word. We were both lost in our own heads, sipping our coffees and avoiding each other's gazes. The funny thing was that it actually didn't feel uncomfortable for a change, sitting in silence with someone, but we couldn't stay like that forever I guess. She was the first one to break the silence: "Do you think Adrian will be okay?"

I kept staring at my mug, but I mumbled silently: "I think so. He just needs to rest."

It was as if he heard us since, minutes after, he stumbled into the kitchen not evening registering our presence. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and opened the fridge with a yawn grabbing some leftovers and stuffing them absently into his mouth.

"Could you two please stop drilling holes into the back of my head with your eyes for like five seconds?", he voiced not even bothering to turn around.

I peeked at Evangeline who blushed and glued her eyes back to the table.

"How are you feeling?", I asked ignoring his bad mood.

"Great", he huffed leaning on the counter and crossing his arms on his chest.

"Adrian-"

"Dimitri, I'm serious. I'm good, for real. Tired, sure. In a need of a drink even surer. But I'm okay", he underlined giving me a happyish smile.

"Alright. But if-"

"If anything changes I'll let you know", he cut in pushing himself up and patting me on my shoulder on his way out.

A bit more silence and rest brought us all back on track, more or less. Adrian apparently more since he suddenly gained a new kind of energy and motivation. It showed when he walked into my room the following day a look of determination on his face. I eyed him as he approached me and extended his hand. He held a stake in it. The one I gave him as a parting gift way back when. He laid it out in front of me before he stated firmly: "I want you to teach me how you use it."

POV: Adrian

"I want you to teach me how to use it", I said placing the stake beneath his bowed legs on the bed.

He looked up at me raising his eyebrow and then back down towards the shiny surface of the silver.

"What brought this on?", he questioned standing up.

"I don't want to be helpless. I don't want to ever be in a situation to see you struggling, fighting for both of our lives without being able to do anything."

"Silver is harmful even for Moroi, if you cut yourself-"

"So teach me not to", I cut in determined.

He exhaled and took a few steps coming to a stand in front of me pinning me down with his gaze.

"It's a lot of work", he stated probably doubting my capability to actually stick with something that takes an effort.

But he had no idea how much I changed. He had no clue how much he rubbed off on me. And how much the latest events hit me.

"I can handle it", I responded standing my ground.

"Alright", he said nodding and gesturing me to go outside.

I straightened up trying to seem as confident as I could while I walked next to him.

"It'll take time until you'll be able to even think about wielding the stake. You need strength, endurance, stamina, you need to be able to fight without the stake first."

I nodded listening carefully.

"And you'll need to quit smoking. You are going to need your lungs."

I nodded again, swallowing hard, knowing that's probably going to be the hardest part for me, but pushing myself to stay strong. I wanted to do this. I needed to do it. Standing on the sidelines was not something I could do anymore. I never wanted to feel that kind of fear. I was never going to be helpless again.


So I hope the whole mess of half italic half non italic letters wasn't hard to follow. The point was that I intertwined the flashback (Adrian's memory of the night when Felix died) with the current events. I thought it would make a good parallel. The italic parts as always where the flashback and the rest of the events that happened after Adrian left Evangeline and Felix will be explained in the following chapter, when I'll finally finish that part of the story.

This update took longer than I wanted since I was away from home for a few days, so sorry guys. I'll try to make the next one come a lot faster! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this one. Until next time,

T!