Circle K

Rose POV

"Kiz,"Abe said, "Are you insane?"

I smiled. "Just maybe." I winked.

"And how exactly do you expect to get back inside court?" he asked me.

"You doubt my skills?" I questioned as I lifted myself into the passenger seat of the van.

"Well, you're as crazy as I am, so I guess not." Abe sighed and got in the back seat. I turned toward Dimitri who was driving.

"Are you sure about this Roza?" he asked me.

"Is everyone going to ask me that tonight? Yes. I am positive that I want to fight for my freedom," I replied, exasperated. "Now, let's go!"

He started the engine and we pulled out of the driveway.

"Rose, have you thought of the fact that you look like a Strigoi?" Lissa asked from the far back.

"I have, Lissa. And I was going to ask you about that." I turned around to see her. "Can you heal me? Or redo my ring?" I held my right hand up, where the ring rested on my finger.

"I guess… but I'm not sure if I can do both you and Dimitri."

"That's what I'm here for!" Adrian, who was squished between my parents, yelled out.

"Adrian, you're drunk. You can't," I told him.

Sarah sighed from next to Lissa, all the way in the back. "Give me the bottle, Adrian." She held her hand over the seat. He grumbled and handed the pint bottle over. "He'll be sober in a few hours," she said, smiling apologetically.

I smiled back at her. "Thank you, Sarah."

She nodded in acknowledgement.

It was silent for a few moments before Christian spoke. "Rose, you're like a sister to me. If anything happens to us in the next few hours, I just want to get that out," he said from the other side of Lissa. I could hear the sincerity in his voice.

I smiled at him.

"Oh, Sparky, you're like the brother I never wanted, but came to love," I said, wiping a fake tear.

"Here I am, trying to say something nice just in case something happens, and you have to be all sarcastic. And you people say I'm the child," he muttered, trying to keep the smile off his face.

"Christian, nothing is going to happen to us. Stop worrying," I said gently, turning my eyes back to the road. I watched as the night got thicker and thicker.

What was I going to do when I go into court? I guess I could fight all the guardians off that were trying to arrest me. But could I do it without hurting any of them? I shrugged internally. Guess we wouldn't know until we got there.

I reached out and turned the radio on.

Video killed the radio star…

"It will follow me forever," I groaned, burying my head in my hands. Everyone laughed and joined in singing.

**VA**

"What do those actually do for you?" I asked Adrian, who was leaning on the side of the gas pump basking in the rays of the dull morning sun, a cigarette in his hand.

"They don't even numb spirit anymore, so I guess it's just a habit," he replied, putting it in his mouth.

Before I could say anything, Sarah came out of the little market. "Yeah, an annoying and smelly habit," she muttered as she walked past us, sipping her soda. She climbed in the van and closed the door.

"Were we really talking that loud? She couldn't have heard us from inside the market…" I mused, suddenly doubting my mad skills.

"No, she's just amazing like that," Adrian said, sighing dreamily and staring at the door. "She does it all the time."

We jumped as the door opened, and Sarah poked her head out. "I can read minds." And just as fast as it opened, it closed again.

"Weird…" I finished pumping the gas. Adrian got in the car and Dimitri came up and handed me a hot dog. "Oh, thank heaven for 7-11," I murmured as I bit in to the delicious meat, doused in ketchup and mustard.

"Oh the irony." Lissa walked out with a hot dog of her own, Christian right behind.

"What?" I asked, mouth full.

"Nothing," she said in reply and got in the car.

The car door opened again. "It's not 7-11. It's Circle K," Sarah said in a superior tone of voice. "Get your gas stations right." And just like that, she was gone again.

"How does she do that?" Dimitri asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Apparently, she does it all the time," I said to him. We both shrugged and got in the car.

I was driving this time, and I was happy about it. I rolled down my window and yelled for my parents. "Hurry up, you two! You're proving that old people move slower!"

"Rose, I have shorter legs than you do and I can still run faster," my mother said as she got in the car.

Abe looked defeated. "Am I really that old?" he questioned, hanging his head sadly.

"Of course not, Mr. Mazur," Lissa said softly.

"See, the 'Mr.' really does make me feel older," he muttered and sulked.

"Sorry." I said and pulled out of the station. "Hey, Mom, do you really think you can run faster than me?" I asked suddenly.

"Honey, I know I can," she replied. "I've seen your times. Belikov keeps good records of you."

"Staaalker," Christian sang from the back.

"Teeacher," I sang back. "Idiot."

"Illegal looover," he trilled.

I sighed. "Got me there."

"I still can't get over that," my mother said.

"You'd better. Cause there's no going back now, we're married," I said back.

"Yes, and speaking of that," Lissa started, "when are we planning your actual wedding?"

"Let me get out of murder charges first. I don't need to have two things that might kill me going on at once," I joked.

Lissa humphed. "It won't kill you, all you have to do is look at pictures. I'll do the rest," she mumbled.

"Whatever," I said and laughed.

"Who's going to be your best man, Belikov?" Christian asked.

"I was thinking you, Christian. Then Adrian would be one of the groom's men," Dimitri replied, smiling at him.

"Best man…" Christian contemplated. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good, because that means you'll be walking Lissa down the aisle," I told him.

"I'M GOING TO BE THE MAID OF HONOR!" Lissa screamed, her voice piercing through a couple octaves.

I snorted. "Who else do you think it would be? Kirova?" I laughed at her outburst. "Silly girl."

We continued talking about the wedding until we arrived a few miles outside of court.

Showtime.

The revolution is the next chapter! Whoo! Or maybe the one after. Depends. Review!