Chapter 35: Dark Visions

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy

RPOV

"Hello anyone home?" I called out dropping my duffel bag just inside the front door. There was no answer.

"Comrade?" Still nothing. The lights were off and it was quiet. It was early, only around five and the sun was just setting. I wondered where he went. It was Saturday or was it? We'd had midterms all week and my brain was more burnt out than a chicken fried steak. I thought about it while realizing that it was still Friday in fact it was Friday morning in the moroi world. Damn stupid human schedule screwing with my system. If it was Friday morning then he was probably at the gym warming up before his moroi combat class. I texted Lissa to see what she was doing. She replied that she was heading to her office to sign some important documents, but then she was heading over to practice Spirit with Sonya, Adrian and Isla, some new spirit user.

They were all practicing in the same gym so I decided to get into my workout gear and head over there. I wanted to see Dimitri, but I was also curious as to how Adrian was holding up under the strain of constant spirit use. Lissa had been a little nuts, but was holding her own after making a few spirit rings to keep the darkness at a manageable level. I didn't really think it was a good idea for her to be tapping into that black magic. I was afraid she'd snap at any second all I could do was watch for the signs. Arguing with her was useless. When I'd pointed out that spirit is not an active power she'd actually yelled at me accusing me of wanting to keep her weak so she'd always need me.

What she'd said had hurt my feelings and even though she'd apologized profusely many times, it still stung. I wanted her to be independent and be able to protect herself when I couldn't or if something happened to me. I couldn't believe she'd think I liked her being so dependent on me. I don't think she realized how much I'd sacrificed for her over the years. If she thought I'd rather be studying political science at Lehigh than be home living comfortably with Dimitri then she was denser than I thought. I was trying hard not to let her ignorant comment get to me, but there was only so much I could take before I exploded.

She'd also been really remorseful over forgetting my birthday. I tried to get her to see that it wasn't a big deal, but she was adamant that she'd make it up to me. I was a little afraid of what she meant by that. Now that we were back at court and protected by the wards she could pretty much do whatever she wanted. Lissa without limits was asking for trouble.

I sprinted to the gym relishing the crisp March air. It was slightly warmer than usual in the lower forties and it felt good to breath in the air without my lungs growing icicles in the process. I slipped into the gym virtually unnoticed. I caught of glimpse of Dimitri and my mother training their group using free weights. I watched in amusement as some of the moroi huffed and puffed at even the slightest amount of effort. The frustration was radiating off of my mother and I knew after this session she was going to be breaking in a load of new practice dummies. Dimitri had slightly better control that my mother. He didn't look quite as flustered at their lack of agility, muscle control, frailty and non- existent lung capacity.

I laughed at the absurdity of their calisthetics. Even on my worst day I was never as uncoordinated as they were.

"Don't laugh Little Dhampir, it's mean to pick on those less coordinated than you."

"Hey Adrian, how are you?" I asked hugging him.

"Strangely mad with spirit, but it's nothing my friend Jack can't fix," he replied. I didn't really like the sound of that.

"So how is practice going?"

"Don't ask," he moaned slapping his forehead.

"That well huh?"

"Well it would be going better without the new girl." He pointed to a tall, leggy moroi with long red hair.

"That's Isla?" I asked. He nodded sighing heavily.

"Why aren't you over there practicing with her and Sonya?"

"Long story."

"I've got time," I pried. I gave him the look that said I wasn't going to stop questioning him until he spilled.

"She's annoying and flirty and she sexually harassed me the other night," he blurted out.

I laughed heartily. "She sexually harassed you? I find that a little hard to believe."

"Want to hear something even more unbelievable?"

"Of course," I responded intrigued.

"See the black eye she has?" I squinted making out that she in fact did have a black eye.

"You gave her a black eye?" I gasped my eyes widening in utter shock. Adrian might be crazy and a little drunk, but abusive to women he was not, even if they were harassing him or so he alleged.

He shook his head in negation. "Two nights ago she accosted me in my room. Sydney walked in and socked her right in the eye," he recounted in a gleeful tone.

"What? Sydney punched a moroi?" Sydney was the last person on earth I would expect to be violent, but then again I had been teaching her how to throw a punch. She needed to defend herself and all, but wow.

"That is unbelievable. I wish I could have been there to see it," I said a little proud that she was able to hit hard and with enough accuracy to mame her victim.

"That is very impressive," I said.

"What is?" Sydney asked as she joined us.

I looked at her with a smirk. "How's your hand Xena?" I teased.

"You told her?" she hissed smacking Adrian upside the head.

"Who knew little Sydney Sage would turn out to be a badass?" I stroked her ego.

She snorted. "I'm not a badass, I just hang around with you too much," she grumbled.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. So is the annoying newbe the only reason you're not out there practicing?"

"Not exactly," he said running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"I asked him to stop for a while. He's been having hallucinations and losing time, the other day he even blacked out while he was completely sober," Sydney explained.

"I knew that was going to happen. I'm worried that the same will happen to Lissa. Has it gotten any better since you stopped?" He shook his head sadly.

"Only a little, but it's only been two days. I am hoping it will fade over time."

"I need you to help me convince Lissa that Spirit should only be used for good and only when absolutely necessary," I told him.

"I'll try Little Dhampir, but you know Lissa. She's as stubborn as a mule."

"How were exams?" Sydney asked trying to steer the topic of conversation onto a more pleasant note.

"I do not ever want to see another scantron form or blue booklet in all my life. They are evil and should be burned," I said doing my best at an evil laugh.

"If I were you, I'd keep your day job," Dimitri joked wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"If you weren't so damn hot, I would beat your pretty face in for that comment Comrade," I menaced.

"You're sexy when you're an angry kitten, Milaya," he breathed. I could feel the tingle of his breath on my neck and it sent my heart racing.

We chatted for a few minutes with Adrian and Sydney before heading back to our place for Dimitri's lunch break.

"Why is it that my mother looks so frustrated out there and you seem calm and collected like usual?" I asked as I watched him spread peanut butter on four slices of bread.

"It must be hard dealing with people who are uncoordinated and sloppy and have no strength," I mused.

"It's not as trying for me as it is for your mother," he replied.

"Why is that?"

"Because I trained you remember?"

My jaw dropped. "I was so not as weak and helpless as they are," I huffed crossing my arms.

He laughed. "No you weren't, but you were very frustrating," he said setting down the knife so he could take me in his arms.

"Was I really that difficult?" I pouted.

"Sure you were, but I wouldn't have you any other way. You may have been difficult, and insolent and lacking technique, but you had the drive to succeed and that is what set you apart from the rest. It's what made you better than the rest," he said kissing me softly first on the forehead and then on the cheek before slowly capturing my lips between his. He gently sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and let it out again. I opened my mouth allowing him full access. Our tongues stroked each other fighting for dominance.

Lunch was forgotten as he swept me off the counter and lay me down on our bed.

"Tell me what is bothering you my love," he whispered as he lay behind me stroking my hair softly.

"I'm just worried about Lissa exposing herself to so much spirit. She's already a little unbalanced. Adrian has stopped his training because he's having extremely adverse side effects."

"Like what?" he asked propping himself up on one elbow so he could look into my eyes.

"Blackouts, hallucinations, dizzy spells, dark thoughts," I rattled off just a few of the things Sydney had told me. Adrian had sugar coated it a little, but she'd given it to me straight. He was two grapes short of a fruit basket and was in serious danger of remaining like that.

"Sydney told me that one minute he seems fine and completely coherent and the next it's like he can't remember his own name or how to put on his shoes. It really scares me. She's playing with fire and I know she's going to get burned."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" he asked sympathetically. I knew he was as worried as I was, but didn't want upset me more by acting like it.

"I have, but she won't listen. You know how she gets when she wants something. She even accused me of wanting to stop her from using her magic to keep her dependent on me," I admitted.

"You know she didn't mean that right?" he said. I could see the shock flitter across his face.

"I dunno, maybe, but it was still a hurtful thing to say. He wrapped his arms around me holding me close against his warm body.

"Everything will be alright, Roza. I promise," he said kissing the top of my head. I hoped he was right.

"Again," Lissa called. It had been three days that we'd been home now and she'd been using an exuberant amount of Spirit without cease.

"Liss, don't you think you've had enough," I whispered pulling her away from the others.

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask," she growled retching herself out of my grasp. Her eyes were wild with spirit madness and the rings had long since stopped working.

Adrian stood next to me shaking his head. "She's in too deep. Her aura is nearly as dark as yours used to be. You need to stop her," he said.

She was concentrating hard on her test subject who happened to be one of the feeders here at court. It was extra money and extra bites for them and they were eager to please the Queen.

I stepped in front of her breaking her concentration.

"Lissa you've had enough, we're going," I grabbed onto her again.

"Leave me alone!" she screeched.

"Who are you to make decisions for me? You're just a guardian. Know your place dhampir!" she shouted shoving me backwards.

"Lissa, you need to stop. Do you hear yourself? This isn't you!" I tried again.

"Maybe you're just jealous that if I learn to defend myself I won't need you anymore," she spewed venomously.

"You don't mean that," I told her.

"Don't I?" she asked pure evil showing in her eyes.

Suddenly I was no longer with Lissa. I was alone in the dark gym and Dimitri was standing not ten feet away from me. I called out for him to help me. He just stood there laughing sadistically his eyes rimmed in red.

"No, no this can't be happening. We saved you," I cried.

"Yes, but maybe I didn't like it. I was weak as a dhampir, powerless, but this way, the way I've chosen, we can be strong. We can dominate. We can do whatever we please."

This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. There was no way Dimitri would willingly turn Strigoi.

"No you hated what you were, you wouldn't have chosen this. This isn't you," I tried reasoning with him.

"No, what I hate is that you decided to bring me back. I had everything wealth, power, the strength of one hundred humans. Roza the only thing I didn't have was you," he growled advancing towards me.

"No, this isn't real. I'm going to wake up soon," I chanted over and over, but it didn't end. Instead he rushed forward grabbing me roughly.

"Don't worry Roza, this time I'm not asking your permission." Before I knew what was happening he was sinking his fangs into my neck and I was screaming.

"Roza, it's not real! I'm here, please come back to me," Dimitri's voice was soft and soothing, not like when he was strigoi. I felt like everything was hazy. I blinked my eyes furiously trying to get a grip on reality. When I opened them Dimitri had me in his arms. I tried fighting him. I was not letting him turn me. No way!

"No, get away from me!" I screamed trying desperately to escape his hold.

"Roza, calm down, everything is okay. It was only a vision," he said keeping a strong grip on me forcing me to look at him. I trembled in fear as I looked into his eyes. I let out a ragged breath as I realized they were the same chocolate brown eyes I'd woken up to this morning. My shoulders began shaking as sobs ripped through my chest.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered lifting me up into his arms. I was vaguely aware of Adrian and Sydney's voices as well as my mother and Eddie.

"What the hell is going on here?" Christian demanded.

"Lissa let her magic get out of control and when Rose tried to stop her she hit her with a vision," Adrian shouted. He was more than a little upset.

"It was an accident right Liss?" he asked. She was standing off to the side staring down at the floor.

"Right?" he pressed.

"She shouldn't have gotten in my way," she bit out.

"You did that on purpose?" he cried. "What is wrong with you?" he asked shaking her shoulders.

"I don't know!" she screeched before rushing out of the room.

"Rose are you alright?" my mother asked. It must have freaked her out that I was still sobbing like a baby. After everything that had just happened, I couldn't form a coherent response. I looked around the room and my friends. They were scared and so was I.

"I'm going to take her home," Dimitri said. He carried me back to our room and set me down on our bed. He held me as I sobbed uncontrollably. It wasn't just what I'd seen that had frightened me, but the feeling that came along with it. It felt evil, much more so than anything I'd ever felt before. I knew I should have realized it was a vision, but it was so hard to distinguish a spirit dream from reality. I shouldn't be letting it affect me like this either.

"What did you see Roza?" he asked rubbing my shoulders supportively.

"I don't want to talk about it," I responded pulling out of his arms. "I need a shower," I told him locking the door to the bathroom behind me leaving him hanging in the other room. I couldn't upset him by telling him my worst fear was him becoming strigoi again. I knew he would never do that. It was an irrational fear.

I let the hot water run over my tense muscles. The only thing that bothered me more than the vision was the person who caused it. I knew without a doubt that it wasn't an accident. She had a malicious look on her face just before hand. I knew it wasn't her and she didn't mean the things she'd said and that it was the darkness seeping into her brain, but that didn't excuse her behavior. I'd asked her so many times over the past several weeks to stop using her magic for her sake and everyone else's, but she wouldn't listen. She was out of control and I needed to get through to her somehow. I shut off the water more determined now than ever to convince her to stop.

When I emerged from our bedroom fully clothed Dimitri was waiting for me at the dining room table with two cups of his special hot chocolate. It was his way of saying I could tell him what was wrong, no judgment, but I knew I could never tell him the truth.

"Please don't make me," I pleaded. The tone in my voice must really have gotten to him because ordinarily there was no way he would let it go. He nodded in understanding, a look of sadness flashing through his eyes. He knew even without me saying it that my vision somehow involved him.

We were sitting silently at the table sipping our hot chocolate when there was a loud banging on the door. Dimitri got up and answered it.

"Rose, you have to help me!" Christian cried busting into the room. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were ragged and there were deep, bloody scratches all along his cheeks and on his neck and chest.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked jumping to my feet.

"No, it's Lissa. She attacked me when I tried talking to her. It took everything I had to get her off of me. She was like a wild animal or the exorcist or something."

"She did that to you?" I asked assessing his wounds. She must have been having a fit of rage. He should have been able to fight her off.

"Yes and then she had some sort of seizure. She started convulsing and babbling incoherently. Rose she didn't even know who I was," he cried in defeat.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"She's in our room. I was going to take her to the infirmary, but I thought it best that I call a private doctor instead. We don't need this becoming public knowledge. The doctor has to keep things confidential. Eddie and Adrian are with her right now. Will you come?" he asked.

Dimitri and I exchanged worried glances before following Christian down the hall to their room.

"I don't know what to do," Christian said. Lissa was still shaking violently while Eddie held her feet and Adrian kept her head steady so she wouldn't hit in on anything. I took his place and tried talking to her.

"Liss can you hear me?" I asked. She didn't answer. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and her limbs were extremely stiff.

"Liss you need to calm down and take deep breaths," I instructed. In truth I had no idea what to do.

It was nearly five minutes before my mother came in escorting Dr. Mozorov from the clinic.

"How long has she been like this?" she asked shining a light in Lissa's eyes.

"About fifteen minutes," Christian croaked. He looked about seconds away from losing it.

"I'm going to give her an injection to calm her down and stop the seizure," she said pulling out a needle and filling it halfway with a clear liquid.

About thirty seconds after the injection Lissa stopped shaking and her head lolled to one side, her eyes closing.

"She's going to be a little out of it for a while. I gave her a mild tranquilizer so she can sleep off the effects of spirit as well as get some rest. I don't want her practicing any more magic. I'm giving her a large dose of her anti-depressant to suppress it," she explained pulling out a second needle.

"She hasn't been taking those pills I take it?" she asked looking at me.

"You knew they were for her?"

She raised her eyebrow at me. "Of course, you don't seem anxious or depressed in fact you seemed very happy, so when you asked for them, I figured they were for her," she said.

"No she hasn't been taking them," I told her.

"Well she needs to start and right away. I'll send a script to the pharmacy in your name if you'd like. You can pick it up in about an hour. She needs to take it every day."

I nodded.

"Put a cold compress on her forehead and dim the lights. She should be out cold for the next twelve hours or so. Call me if things worsen or if she doesn't regain consciousness within twenty-four hours. I'll come back tomorrow around this time to see how she is."

"I think it's time to stage an intervention," Adrian said after the doctor was gone.

We all nodded in agreement.

Sorry this was short, but this seemed like a good place to cut it. So what do you think about Lissa's little explosion and the things she said to Rose? How will she react to their intervention? Please Review!