I grabbed Sydney's hand and yanked her forward. Sparing no time to check if we were ready, Marcus started down the halls and broke into a sprint. Christmas carols blasted through hidden speakers, the constant ring of bells somewhat harmonising with the drowning alert! alert! of the sirens, and all the meanwhile, I saw in my peripheral Keanu tugging on a brown backpack's zipper, trying to urgently get it closed.

How was is that we always end up in these type of situations?

"Adrian!" Marcus called, peeking briefly over his shoulder. His blue eyes flickered with excitement. "I see the exit. There's a code lock on the door, but give me a minute, and I can break through it."

Keanu from behind us scoffed. "We don't really have a minute, warlock. We need to get out now unless you want the Alchemists to catch up to us."

We all came to a stop. We were facing a large grey door, probably made out of heavy iron. As Marcus had said, a lock with numbered buttons was in place instead of a door handle. Marcus hastily spun around and shot a glare at Keanu, one hand pressed against the bulky door.

"Well, have you any better idea then?" he spat frustratingly. "I don't have a code for this thing. Nor a key card. Our best option was to come out the way we come in, but we couldn't do that either because you had to lose Eloise."

"Eloise!?" Keanu gasped. "I didn't lose her! She ran off. Stupidly said she forgot something vital, closed the door on us, and much like now, there was no way to open that door. Just admit it. You didn't think this through."

I sighed and reluctantly let go of Sydney's hand. I was surprised at how quiet she had been throughout all of this, but then again, the girl probably hardly knew what was going on. She didn't seem to truly recognise me until after a few moments of blatantly staring at my back. If we weren't under the pressure of being locked in at a crazy Alchemist brainwashing centre, I'm sure the dwelling thought would have raked at my insides.

I stepped up to Marcus.

"Can you get this door open in a minute?"

Marcus looked at me, his brows pulled down. "I can, but-"

"Do it," I ordered. I turned to Sydney. Looking at her now, it was surprising. I never thought she could ever get any skinnier, but evidently, I was wrong. Her cheekbones were more prominent, her usually so buoyant hair dull, even her eyes looked lost. It didn't make me want to not touch her any more than I did, though. I wanted to hug her the way Keanu had. More, even. But I couldn't. Not after what Marcus had told me in the car last night when both Eloise and Keanu had fallen asleep from our drive from Salt Lake City to Logan.

"Adrian," Marcus had began, his eyes intently on the dark road ahead. I knew our conversation from the few days before had been bugging him. About my interest in bringing back Sydney's memories. He had been waiting for a while to get to talk to me in private, and I supposed while the others were fast asleep, then was better than ever. "About what we talked earlier …"

"Don't worry about," I had said lifelessly. Marcus frowned.

"I just can't ignore it. I didn't get to tell you everything." Marcus, I had seen, was gripping the wheel pretty tightly by then. "Look, about trying to regain this girl's memories … if you pressure her to remember anything by herself beforehand, to try to get her to slip beyond the glamour placed inside her head … you do know the affects of trying to compel her to remember will be the same, right? She'll be took shocked to take it in. She'll go insane."

I scoffed. "I gathered, thanks."

Marcus shook his head. "No, I mean, I know that much was said already, but … if she remembers on her own, it's just the same as you trying to make her remember. If she sees something familiar which she should have forgotten, and the memory was strong enough, it could break through, and that would only harm her. One segment escaping or being scooped out would muck up the rest of her memories. Like an extra jigsaw piece being found once the puzzle is completed. It won't fit with the rest. It'll send her mad."

"So I won't let her remember. I'll find a witch or warlock who can help her before she's exposed to anything harmful to her, I mean, that is if you haven't changed your mind since before ..?"

Marcus sighed. "I'm sorry, Adrian, I wish I could help, but I'm no where near as strong enough to erase your glamour. This isn't really my type of magic. But I promise, I'll call around once things have settled. Maybe a few of my contacts know of a witch or warlock strong enough."
That was what Marcus had said last night. That if we didn't find someone to remove my compulsion on Sydney, she could possibly go insane. Which was why, now, when I finally had met up with her, I had to keep my distance, had to watch what I said, had to let her on that we didn't know each other they way we had for the past year. That we had never truly met before.

Sydney, self-consciously wrapping the large flowing gown around her tighter, looked at me cautiously under long lashes. She pursed her lips.

"You know …" she began hesitantly, fiddling with something rectangular in her hand. Seeing the way she nervously tried to act calm brought a smile to my lips.

"Hm?" I replied. Sydney jutted out her hand.

"I've got a key card you could use. I'm sure it would work on the door."

Marcus turned around hurriedly, shifting his attention from the door to the girl, and grinned. He snatched the card before I could reply. Turning back around, he laughed softly.

"My, my, how did you get this? This is from a rank 1 Alchemist. They don't exactly lend this to anyone."

Sydney slightly paled. "I … I found it. It's kind of a long story."

Keanu tapped his foot impatiently. "And what a shame we don't have a lot of time to hear it. Lets just quickly get out of here. It makes me nervous standing still in one spot longer than a second."

I rolled my eyes. Behind me, the large door beeped. Or, more correctly, it's lock did. Marcus stood back, grinning successfully, and pushed open the door. Blinding sunlight flooded my eyes as we all ran out, and instinctively I raised a hand to shield myself. Marcus pulled me to a shaded place under a large tree. Looking around, I saw we were in some green courtyard, boxed in by a large towering white building.

"Where are we now?" Sydney asked. Looking over at her, my eyes running her up and down for the millionth time that day, I shrugged.

"There should be a ladder nearby," Marcus answered. "We climb it and sneak on a ledge that'll lead us to the staff car park."

Keanu gaped. "Staff car park? Seriously?"

"Once there, we can jump into the car and get out of here."

I took a step back. Oh crap. The car. I quickly glanced to Sydney. She seemed distracted.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She pointed to the door we had exited from.

"The lock's light … it's flashing green."

Marcus cursed. He started pushing us towards a corner of the courtyard where a ladder hung and Keanu was the first to climb up it. Placing my hand on Sydney's back, the feeling of her frail body so familiar but recent to me, I urged her up the ladder after Keanu. Next was me. By the time I was up there, the iron door had burst open and a group of four dully dressed Alchemists had rushed out. Marcus was still on the ground.

"Marcus!" I yelled, looking over the ledge. "Marcus, start climbing already!"

Marcus seemed to ignore me. I felt a hand come down on my jacket. It was Sydney. I gazed at her for a moment, thinking furiously. She was my top priority. I had to get her away. But looking back over the ledge, I saw the Alchemists gather around Marcus. It looked like they wielded taxers. Marcus had his back to the wall, his arms outstretched.

Could the Vegas magician even fight?

"We have to go, Adrian," Sydney said desperately. I hesitated.

Before I knew it, a flash of black ran pass me and leaped over the edge. Keanu landed with a solid thump against the ground below us. He rose to stand tall next to Marcus and grinned. Then, without looking, he called out to me.

"Adrian!" Keanu said. "You better get going. Take Sydney to the car. I'll be done here in about three minutes."

Marcus beside laughed satirically. "Oh, please. I don't even need your help to take down these guys."

"Adrian," Sydney said again, tugging on my jacket. This time I began to walk with her. "They'll be fine. I mean-at least, I think so. We should just get out of here before the Alchemists come."

Frowning, I removed her grasp from my jacket and took her hand into mine instead. Then I pulled her along the ledge and shielded my eyes with my other free arm against the sun. When I found another ladder, and in the distance the staff car park, I help Sydney down first before joining her on the ground.

"Has it been long?" Sydney asked as I led her through a row of trees. The closer we got to what I saw was my car, the further the grotesque white building of the Alchemist re-ed centre was.

"It's been about five minutes," I replied. "You aren't scared, are you?"

Sydney scoffed and jerked her hand from mine. "Of them? No."

My feet slowed. "Then how about me?"

Sydney was quiet for too long. "Did Rose send you? Or maybe Dimitri?"

She avoided the question. I sighed, knowing that this was indeed karma kicking me in the arse. "I don't think Mr. Russian Goodie-Two-Shoes would have sent me to preform a criminal and dangerous task. And surprisingly, neither did Rose."

"Then why are you here? And with Keanu Brown as well?"

The blood in my veins went icy. "How do you know Keanu?" I spun around. Sydney looked shocked, but soon fixed her expression and summoned a look of smugness. She crossed her arms and jutted out her hip.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked.

"Oh, now is not the time for games, Sage."

"No," she cried. "Now is not the time for games indeed! I'm breaking out of prison, and while doing so, I run into you and two others, who are weirdly eager to help me escape as well. I think the least I deserve are some answers!"

A figure from the tree's shadows surprised us.

"Answers, my dear, will come …" Marcus grinned. Behind him, batting away sweat on his forehead, was Keanu. He seemed to not have really noticed anything much around him. He was too intent on complaining about how Winter is meant to be about snow and ice, not the sun in the sky.

Sydney took a short step back from Marcus.

"Who are you?" She then obviously glanced to his tattoo. "Are you an Alchemist?"

"Ex," I answered, smiling sweetly. "Used to, but isn't. Like a divorced mum. He's still good to use."

"You mean, use so that you and your girlfriend can make a getaway?" Keanu said, coming around to clap Marcus on the shoulder. Marcus' eyes narrowed as he brushed off Keanu's unwelcome hand. I couldn't help but to tense.

"Oh, quite the joker, Keanu," I said uncertainly, grabbing his and Marcus' arms to thrust them towards my car. Then, swiftly, I turned back to Sydney. "He's only kidding," I said. Sydney's face was filled with contempt.

"What do you want with me, Adrian? Is there a reason why you helped me escaped? Am I in the wrong with you, or the Moroi, or maybe your aunt?"

I flinched. "Oh, well, I can't say much about that last one." I looked to my feet involuntarily. "Tatiana's dead, remember?"

"Oh." I dared to glance up at her. And regretted it. "I forgot," she said. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have said anything but … lately, I've just been forgetting a lot of things."

"Someone hand this lady an 'understatement of the year' award, please," I mumbled. Sydney frowned.

"What?"

"Never mind," I exhaled. Running a hand through my hair, I tried to keep my eyes away from Sydney. "Look, I don't think right now, out front the Alchemists' brainwashing centre, is the best time to be talking about this. Get in my car with the others, and we can take you somewhere safe. Somewhere where we'll tell you everything."
Sydney eyeballed me. "Everything?" she repeated. I nodded.

"Everything."

We sat at a table of a fast-food joint, the horrid smell of grease and french fries mixing with the air. Keanu and Eloise beside us were munching on some overloaded with sauce burgers, while Sydney picked at her ordered greek salad and Marcus slurped on his coke. It was quiet among us, for the most part, and even now I was surprised of Sydney. She wasn't shooting away the questions she was so eager to ask before. I could have easily ridden it off for something like exhaustion, lack of food or sleep, as evident by the bags under her eyes, or even shock. But something made me think otherwise.

When Eloise introduced herself as a guardian from the Royal Moroi Court earlier, I knew I saw Sydney's eyes panic for a second. When we approached my Mustang which Eloise was lazily nodding off in, I was expecting Sydney's excitement to peak. I mean, she wouldn't have remembered the 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible, right? It would have been like meeting the car all over again. I was prepared for some squealing, chiding for the lack of maintenance, and maybe even a whole quiz on all of the engine's details … but all I got was a flicker of her eyes from the rear bumper to the hood before she climbed in after Marcus. She hadn't even asked where we had got it from.
Eloise wolfed the last of her burger and rose from her chair licking her lips. Who would have thought she, of all people, would have been untidy while eating? As she informed us that she needed to visit the ladies' room, and after Keanu's crude comment, Sydney rose from her chair as well.

"I do too," she hastily said. With suspicion, my eyes followed her as she pushed pass Marcus' chair.

As she walked pass me, I couldn't help but grab her wrist and ask her for a moment, "Are you okay?"
Her golden brown eyes came down on me, and her mouth slightly parted, but she hesitated and closed it once again. Then, after a second's deliberation, she said: "I'm fine. I just need to adjust Eloise's clothing a little. It's a bit big for me."

I dropped my hand and let her walk, but not without an overwhelming sense of regret. And anger. Marcus put down his coke.

"Something the matter, Adrian?"

Keanu licked his lips and replied, "He's probably just upset about Sydney. The two of them used to go out-or at least, I think they were. I don't know if they were an actual item, really, but they were pretty close before the mishap."

I turned to point a look at Keanu. "Like if. Sydney and I were just friends."

Suddenly, the song changed, and an annoying Christmas carol started over the speakers in the restaurant. I groaned.

"Oh, liven up, vamp. It's Christmas. A time of celebration," laughed Keanu. At then, Eloise returned, wiping her hands on the serviettes at our table. Her ears perked, much like mine before, when she heard the song.

"Rudolph, eh? I guess this'll be the first Christmas I've spent in America. But in Utah, of all places …"

I glanced around.

"Eloise, where's Sydney?"

Keanu began to scrunch up the wrapper of his burger. "Yeah, we're practically done here. We should get going."

Eloise frowned. "Sydney? Wasn't she here with you?"

"She was, but she left to go to the bathroom. Surely you must have seen, or heard her enter right?" Marcus asked.
Eloise shook her head, though. "No. I was the only one in the bathroom. I know because I was singing Adele in my cubicle, and nobody complained. And trust me, if you've heard me singing-"

"Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my fist against the table. The people around us turned and stared, but I could have cared less. What was I thinking, letting her out of my sight?

She didn't trust us from the beginning! Marcus put his hand over mine soothingly.

"Calm down, Adrian. She couldn't have gotten far. She must have left through a back door or something, but she's easy to spot."

I slid my hand from Marcus' and pushed out of my chair. "I felt her pulse, Marcus. Her heat beat was racing when she said she was just going to the bathroom."

Keanu 'oohed'. I once again gave him a pointed look.

"Not ooh, Keanu, but ugh. I knew she was lying, but I …"

Marcus rose from his chair and grabbed the plastic fork from Sydney's salad bowl. He then pulled on his jacket and led us out to the front of the venue and around into an alley way. I followed him hurriedly.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Marcus stopped once we were far from the street. He looked to Eloise who was just only catching up to us.

"Eloise. Make sure no one from the street in looking."

Eloise nodded and turned back to the alley way entrance. Marcus then turned to me.

"Lighter?" he asked. I opened my mouth to tell him that I didn't smoke anymore, but before I could, Keanu had reached out holding a metal lighter. Marcus took it. He then told us to stand a few feet back.

He straightened his posture, separated his feet shoulder length apart, and then flicked his blonde hair from his eyes. Holding out Sydney's used fork, he held it above the lighter and began melting it. Then, he began chanting. Light began to stream from the fork. Marcus' indigo tattoo shimmered as he chanted, and his eyes eerily flashed to be the same colour. They were alight, shining, just as I knew, even without my Spirit powers, that his aura was as well.

That this was it. Magic.

The words echoed louder and louder the more he chanted. A heavy pull began to surround us, and glancing to Keanu, I knew he was just as surprised as I was. To finish the spell, Marcus repeated a few words, words I vaguely could hear were latin: "Apparebis in conspectu meo!"

Blue light, like tendrils of vines, spurted from Marcus' fingers. The contents of the fork which were melted sprayed onto the wall of the alley way, and wiggled and moved about to form a letter. Or, more accurately, an ideogram. Marcus sighed and dropped the fork, then, calling Keanu over softly, returned back the lighter. I slowly came to Marcus' side.

"Apparebis in conspectu meo?" I repeated. Learning a bit of Latin in high school did come in handy after all. Marcus gently nodded.

"Appear before me. It's an old spell I know. A way to track someone as long as you have a trace of their DNA. It presents a map of where the person you're searching for is headed and their intentions."

Keanu and I glanced to the symbol on the wall. It was oval, with lines coming out at uneven angles, as if it were to represent an eye. A seeking spell.

"So, where is she?" Keanu asked. Marcus looked around.

"Well, we're currently on Main St. Sydney's headed towards a church on W1400N, which is a street name by the way. It seems she's off to crash a Christmas party."

"A Christmas party? Who's?" I asked. It was one thing to be ditched by the girl you love, but another to know she's off to eat Santa cookies and sing by a Christmas tree without you.

Marcus smiled listlessly. "A party thrown by Norah and Jared Sage."

"Norah and Jared Sage? Who are they?"

I spun around. Eloise, her hair all pixie like and her nose much like a button, was red on her cheeks and was breathing pretty heavily. I gave her an odd look.

"More importantly, what happened to you?"

Eloise straightened, but that didn't erase the cringe on her face.

"It seems we were followed here," she said.

Keanu cursed. "Alchemists, again? I thought I taught them a lesson before!"

Marcus stepped forward but had cast his eyes out far. Traffic was slow, but it wasn't hard to look beyond the alley way and the street to the shops that lay beyond. Eloise shook her head.

"No, they definitely weren't Alchemists. And they weren't Strigoi either. I mean, its daylight, which says enough. But …" Eloise gulped and peered over her shoulder. "They were watching you guys. And they were wearing these weird things around their necks."

"What things? What weird things, Eloise!?" I impatiently yelled. Eloise seemed to jump in her skin.

"Crosses. Silver crosses! They looked ancient as well. Way out of fashion."

Keanu blanched. "Shit," he muttered. Marcus and I gave him a look. Keanu averted his eyes. "The Warriors," he said with a pout. "The Warriors have been giving Strigoi who work alongside them silver crosses as a show of allegiance. If they're wearing the same type of crosses …"

I remembered the last time we were followed by Strigoi, and I remembered the gleam of sliver around their necks.
Marcus quickly jumped into action. He looked down the other way of the alley. "This way," he said, pushing us forward. "If they are Warriors, then we don't want to confront them. Lets just find Sydney, save her before she walks into a venue full of Alchemists who all currently want her in re-ed, and get the Hell away from here."

I scoffed. "Sounds like one Hell of a plan."

Author's Notes:

Let me tell you this quickly if you're confused! Days have skipped ahead, the gang has arrived at Logan, and we all know what happens when they break in. That's chapter 4.5. This chapter picks up after that. I hope you understood that, otherwise, I suggest you skim pass chapter 4.5 once again!

So, next chapter: we meet Norah Sage! The infamous woman who Sydney apparently takes after greatly. We'll also get to meet Zoe once again, and even Sybil! Look forward! There's going to be a large confrontation scene between Sydney and Adrian coming up soon. Oh; and to anyone who can guess who will be the witch or warlock to return Sydney's memories, you might receive a special treat for being so clever. (It's obviously not Marcus, just so you know).

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