AN: Hey guys! So here is a HUGE post for everyone, mainly to make up for my crappy updating. I'm talking over 6000 words...so yeah. I know that I said you would figure out about Kai in the last two chapters, but I hadn't been able to fit it in, so I seriously pinky swear you will in the next chapter.
This post is multiple POV, but mostly I want to know what you think of Eddie's? I had the most fun writting his (as well as Adrian's) but for Eddie I think it was really...sad. I don't want to spoil, but please let me know :)

And lastly, thank you to everyone who has stuck by me while writting this, and anyone who has ever reviewed. It means a lot!

Disclaimer: Sadly, VA does not belong to me, but a girl can wish right?

Adrian's Point Of View

"Come on. Come on. Come on." I muttered, as Tasha and I rushed through the corridors of the feeder building, her with the dazed receptionist and me with the hazy human girl. I continually shot glances around us, checking for anything or anyone who could catch us.
This, was why I never used to take part in Rose's crazy schemes, this right here. Because I felt like I was going to implode, that I was going to spontaneously combust from all of the worry.

"You need to stop." Tasha hissed, she had a calm exterior as she led the receptionist by the elbow down the hallway, her azure eyes darting around the vacant hallway was the only indication that she was worried. "You need to stop freaking out. Because if something goes wrong, or god forbid the compulsion wears off, I'm going to need you to jump in and fix it. I can't have you freaking out, because then the human will freak out and my girl will probably freak out, and I cannot have all of you freaking out."

"I am not freaking out." I glared, as Tasha snorted and rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. We rounded another corner, and were coming up the reception area of the feeder building, which was where everything would become difficult, as if it wasn't already.

I knew what we had to do once we reached the reception area, and I knew that it had to be done quickly. We would have to get the paperwork and make sure that it was properly changed, but thankfully we wouldn't have to change an electronic version, because I was never put into the system, since I had just showed up. Then we would have to erase and steal any and all information about the girl, and with any hope they had only started a file and didn't create an electronic version yet. If there was a merciful god out there, then there wouldn't be anything in the database about her yet.

But the trickiest part about this was that we had to do it without anyone noticing. We couldn't let any of the staff of moroi see what was going on. They couldn't know that we were toying around with this.

As soon as we approached the pristine lobby I felt my muscles cease and tense up. I couldn't do this, what the hell was I thinking? I had been hanging out with too many guardians and saints. I wasn't a hero and I couldn't save this girl. I wasn't like Rose or Belikov or even Christian, I wasn't cut out for this. I was just Adrian. I was just a royal party boy, an addict with no work ethic or real job. I wasn't a guardian or an advocate or…or…anything. I was just Adrian and I couldn't do this.

Tasha had surged ahead, until she realized I wasn't with her. I had frozen in place, my fingers digging into the arm of the human girl, as I had this silent epiphany. Looping back, and dragging the receptionist, I found myself looking into deep blue eyes.

"What are you doing? Adrian, come on let's go." Tasha kept her voice low, and I could tell that even though she reprimanded me for freaking out early, she too was freaking out. Tasha could just hide her fear better.

"I can't…this…this isn't me." I told her, my voice hoarse as I studied the hallway. I could feel my mind beginning to wander, to fall into spirit's tight grasp. I could feel myself balancing on the edge as my mind spun. Almost like I was circling the drain, swirling around and around, slowly everything began to blend together, meshing until it was no longer distinct.

This isn't me. This is not who I am. I am not a hero. I'm not good enough to be a hero.

This was what madness felt like. I was the definition of crazy and delusional. I mean, I somehow convinced myself I was capable of this, how insane could I be? My brain was broken, darkness was spreading through it, slowly capturing each cell and causing my brain to become…faulty. That's what I was, I was faulty.

A dud.

"Look at me Adrian, you are not a dud." Tasha assured, grabbing my face and forcing me to meet her eyes again. I blinked rapidly, wondering how she had known that's what I was thinking, and slowly it dawned upon me that I had probably said all of that aloud. In my fragile state I must've begun saying my thoughts and she had heard the entire thing.

"You are not a dud. You just helped save this girl's entire life. And who knows, she could do miraculous things for the world – maybe not our world – but you would be the reason behind her future." Tasha assured, and I found myself glancing over at the dazed human girl, remembering back to my earlier thoughts.

When I first laid eyes on her I only felt sorrow. I had a revelation as to why Rose wanted to save her so badly, I saw the fear radiating off of the girl. I could see it in her wide hazel eyes that she was terrified, that she was weak and helpless. I saw all of those feelings, and I wanted to save her. I had the instinct to help her somehow, and I needed to grab a hold of that feeling again. I needed to remember how vulnerable and afraid she was, and I needed to be able to do something for her.

If I could just do that, if I could just hold onto the mental image of the human girl, shaking in the chair then I could get through this. I could be the hero, I could be a saint or an advocate…well, maybe not a saint.

Lissa's Point of View

"Vasilisa," The word left Tatiana's lips in a grave whispered, and my eyes met her usually kind (to me at least) emerald eyes, but this time there was no kindness. Instead there was passion and…fury. There were so many emotions in her glittering orbs, the irrational part of me briefly thought that they would explode. That her irises would split open from all of the emotion swimming inside, and that Tatiana would be covered in glittering green.
I quickly shook the mental picture from my mind, knowing that these Tim Burton type thoughts were just a side effect of Spirit, but I knew Rose would like the thought of an eyeless Tatiana.

"Compulsion is illegal and never to be used. The moroi use their gifts for good, to help benefit our society, and compulsion is not a proper use of a gift. It is vile and barbaric. I am appalled that the thought would even enter your mind." Tatiana explained, her voice never raising over a tense whisper, almost like she was trying to contain herself, like she was trying to keep her voice from shattering.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she wanted to yell. That she would probably pop a vein from shrieking and screaming at me and if I were anyone else then I would have been afraid. But I was Vasilisa Dragomir, meaning, I got a light smack on the wrists before being sent away.

My nine letter last name, and blood pumping through my veins prevented her from screaming at me, stopped her from having a fit. Because I was the only Dragomir – I was a prized jewel – and I was this girl's only hope. I couldn't cower away, especially since the Queen wouldn't actually yell. I needed to fight and I would be successful, my name and lineage would guarantee my success.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

"It entered my mind because I excel at it and I've used it before. You know that, you just don't want to admit it." I told Tatiana, channeling all of my confidence and defiance. In the back of my mind I imagined Rose smirking, nodding her head in approval. And if I turned slightly, I could see Christian doing the same.

"Vasilisa!" Tatiana scolded, clearly outraged by my admission. She opened her mouth to continue on what I expected was a very long, very angry lecture but I cut her off. I wanted to be heard first.

"This girl doesn't want to be here. All of the other feeders do – which we have plenty of by the way – but this girl doesn't, and she had a right to be let free. Do not make her an addict against her will, and take her life away." I told Tatiana, my stomach clenching as I did.

I felt like I had two different options at that point, two different paths that I could follow, and two different people that I could be.
I felt brave and confident, like Rose or Christian, I felt defiant and capable. It was an empowering feeling, and I felt like I had the capability to conquer the world. But I was also nauseous and terrified. I didn't want to upset the only woman who showed my guidance over the years. I had two choices, whether I wanted to continue standing up for my beliefs, or if I wanted to back down and accept defeat.

"By keeping her here, you are taking away her freedom. You are forcing her to stay here when there are ways to let her free. You are stealing something from that girl, and I guarantee that I'm not the only one who sees it that way." It was a snap decision, but I could feel in my heart that it was the right one. I was making the right choice. I was standing up for what I believed, for what was right.

I think Tatiana could see that I had made this choice. I think she could tell that I was throwing all of my respect and manners out the window, and that I was throwing caution to the wind. It was obvious that I wasn't acting like my usual respectable princess self, I wasn't putting on airs anymore.

Rose's Point of View

"That's my queue," I sighed after closing my phone and I broke away from Eddie. Although I didn't really want to leave Eddie, I was thankful for the sound and knew that I had a job to do. And this signal provided a relief, it meant that half of the plan worked out well, and now I just had to pray that Eddie's signal would come shortly.

"I would wish you luck, but you don't need it Hathaway." Eddie smiled, and I just gave his arm a squeeze, silently thanking him before heading in the direction of the feeder building.
I gave one fleeting look back, watching as he just continued to gaze at the stars above, and I felt a smile form on my lips. He was going to be okay. We were all going to be okay.

I quickly jogged to the elaborate feeder building, making sure that I stuck close to the shadows and avoided any eyes. Everything had gone accordingly on this side of the plan. I just prayed that Lissa and Christian were also successful.
As I got closer to the building, I spotted Jill leaning against the stone wall, trying to remain nonchalant, and if I had to guess, I would say that Adrian and Tasha weren't far away.
Once I was close enough for her to see, Jill pushed herself off of the wall and slowly began making her way along the side, further into the night shadows. I followed her slowly, trying to remain unseen.

Once we were far enough behind the building, in the shadows of court where no one could see us, is when Jill stopped. I quickly caught up to her, ignoring the prickly sensation I was getting on the back of my neck, for such a pristine building it was creepy on near the back.
I was close enough to Jill that I just wanted to wrap my arms around her, I was so thankful that everything had gone well and that everyone was safe. But I knew that I shouldn't, I needed to remain impassive and level headed. All of my emotions and feelings needed to be checked at the door, because I couldn't let anything get in the way.

When I was still at the Academy, Dimitri had tried to teach me that lesson over and over again. He tried to teach me self-control and remaining distant. I was supposed to protect and fight, I wasn't supposed to feel.
The other novices grasped that concept early on, Eddie was proof of that and so was Kai. Both of them had the ability to kill, fight and protect without remorse.
But me? Well, I was a little bit trickier. I never seemed to learn that lesson, instead I felt it all too passionately. Maybe it was because for as much as he preached that he leaned his control and that he had the ability to look at things logically, Dimitri also felt things too passionately. I mean how was I supposed to learn how to treat things indifferently when my mentor was struggling with the same thing?
I knew that Dimitri felt remorse whenever he killed someone, he had told me once upon a time. And I knew that he – not as often as me, of course – let his emotions take control, and even sometimes get in the way.

But although I didn't learn that lesson when I was at the Academy, I slowly began to realize that my emotions were getting in the way, that my impulsivity was ruining everything. I thought I had learned, and I thought that I had reformed myself, but I hadn't. The mission was proof of that.
I had let my emotions get in in the way, and I acted impulsively. And due to my actions I endangered my teammates on the mission, I saved a girl only to have her condemned to life as a feeder and I lost Kai. My emotions had gotten in the way, and that's what fucked me over.

It's what screwed me over so many times in the past.

Adrian and Tasha stepped out of the shadows, which silenced my mental rant. I didn't have time to think about anything else. I needed all of my attention on this. I needed to focus on right here and right now.

Eddie's Point Of View

The high pitched ringing of my phone is what broke me out of my trance. I had been starring up at the stars on Rose's front porch, replaying the conversation we just had.

Rose and I had always been friends. But we were never close, until Mason died. Before that, I just hung out with her on occasion, joked around and had a few classes with her. Back then she was Mason's close friend, not mine.
But after Spokane, everything shifted. We both needed to fill the void that Mason left – she needed a new best guy friend, and I needed a new best friend – but it wasn't any easy one. When Mason died, he left a gaping hole in both of us – in practically everyone.

Mason was one of a kind. Always positive and always bright, he would do anything for his friends. There weren't many pure people like him in the world, so losing him was just a hit to the entire school. Everyone loved him, it didn't matter if you were close to him or not, he always made it feel like you were best friends.

So, it was no wonder that losing him hurt so much. Especially when I felt like I should've tried harder. Who knows, maybe if I had been able to resist the endorphins from Isaiah's bite, then maybe Mason would still be alive.
It was a painful thought that plagued me ever since the endorphin high wore off. I remember the moment, it was clear as day. I was lying in a bed at the Academy's clinic, with a solemn looking Christian and a tearful Mia gripping my hand tightly.

I blinked a few times, unable to remember how I got here. The last thing I remembered was sitting in a straight back wooden chair, my hands bound behind my back with Isaiah sauntering towards me, and Rose screaming in the background.

At first I thought that Isaiah knocked me out or something, and that the guardians must've shown up soon after. It was the only rational explanation; that the guardians had figured out where we were, and that they killed the Strigoi.
But that didn't explain why Christian and Mia looked so…agonized. And that also didn't explain why they were sitting at my bedside. I mean out of the four others who'd been captured, I figured Mason and Rose would be the most likely to be sitting by my bed.

And that's when everything clicked. Something had happened to Mason and to Rose. There was no other explanation, something went wrong.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice strong and steady despite the fact that I wanted to hurl. I was a novice, and would be a guardian in less than a year, I could take it…or at least pretend to take it.

There was a beat of silence, and all that could be heard was Mia's soft sniffling. Christian wasn't looking at me and neither was Mia, they were both caught up in their own sorrow. And for a minute, I thought that neither would answer me, but then they did.

Christian looked at me head on, his icy eyes boring into mine as he laid his hand on my shoulder. He gave it a firm squeeze, and I would never forget what he said then, "I'm sorry man. I am so sorry."

Everything else sort of blurred together after that. My room was filled with doctors, moroi officials and guardians. They pushed fluid and sugars, asked questions and explained what had happened. But I was dazed through the entire thing and not because I was still groggy from the high. I was hazy because my best friend died, and I couldn't remember a damn thing about it.

The rational part of my brain knew that Mason's death wasn't my fault. That I couldn't have stopped Mase from running back into that house, even if I had been in my right mind. Mason was determined in that way, and nothing I could've done would have stopped him.
But then there was always a nagging voice in the back of my mind. It was the same one that told me what to do in emergency's and how to act and think. I'd like to think it's my guardian voice, trying to somehow guide me or something like that.
That voice, was always questioning what if?

What if I'd been stronger? What if I could've helped with the escape plan? What if I could've stopped Mason? What if I could've helped Rose? What if I had died instead?

I struggled with the questions almost every day. They were persistent after Spokane, always on a constant loop in my mind. But slowly over time I didn't think about them as much, but they would always be in the back of my mind. I would always second guess everything about that captivity, always wondering how different things would've been.

I knew that I shouldn't dwell in the past, especially when so many things were happening in the present. I needed to live my life, which meant putting that all behind me. It had been years and I was still letting it hang over my head, so I needed to do what Rose said. I just needed to focus on making Mason proud, and everything would be alright.

At least, that's what I told myself as I jogged over to royal housing.

Rose's Point Of View

"You need to de-compel her or whatever." I commanded Adrian, looking at the human girl, who had a dreamy look on her face. Both Adrian's and Tasha's eyebrows rose, confused and surprised by my words. Jill just stood quietly beside me, obviously not wanting to get in the way.

"What? Why?" Adrian asked, and I opened my mouth to explain by Tasha cut me off.

"Rose, if we stop using the compulsion, she will start freaking out." She explained, shooting glances at the girl who was just starring off into space. "The last thing we need is her to be screaming and yelling and drawing attention to us." She had a point. I really couldn't expect to remain unseen if I was dragging a screaming and shouting human across court.

"Yes, but Adrian is commanding a lot of Spirit right now, and he needs to save his energy for the guardians at the gate," I explained, while continuing to make surveying glances around me, this place was seriously creeping me out. "The guardians at the gate are going to be the hardest, and if Lissa couldn't come through then we are going to need all the power we can get. Besides, she will slow us down if she's under compulsion."

Both Tasha and Adrian fidgeted, and no one said anything. We were both right in our own way, and now we just had to decide how to proceed. I knew that it would be impossible to force Adrian to stop using compulsion, the only what I could do that was if I knocked him out, and that wouldn't help matters.
The two moroi looked at one another, and then looked at the girl, before shrugging.

"It's up to you Rose, if you think that I should stop compelling her, then I will." Adrian nodded, leaving the decision in my hands. I knew what he was saying, the unsaid words that hung between us: You're the leader, and it's your choice. But if things end badly, well… I told you so.

"Stop compelling her." I told him. I felt confident in my decision, because although my emotions and impulsivity had gotten in the way in the past, my gut never let me down. And I had a gut feeling that I was right about this.
I watched as Adrian slowly turned towards the girl, he blinked several times and I watched as the dreamy look disappeared from her face, only to be replaced by panic.

She opened her mouth and I knew she was ready to scream, and I could not let that happen. So, just before the shriek erupted from her throat, I jumped practically on her, covering her mouth with my hand.
Her eyes were bulged and she was fighting my hold on her, but it was no use, I was way stronger than she was.

"Shh, shh! Shhh!" I hissed, begging her to stop this muffled screaming. I didn't have time for this, and I needed her to stop so that we could continue on with the plan. "Please, for the love of god, just shut up."
Surprisingly, that did it. She stopped screaming and wiggling, instead just stared at me with horror struck eyes. I didn't remove my hand just yet, but I gave her a calm smile.

"Much better, now do you remember me? I'm Rose, I helped you out of that house the other day." I told her, watching as she frantically nodded her head. "Good, you remember. Alright, now you need to listen to me okay? I need you to stay calm, I'm going to help you out of here, I'm going to get you home. But I need you to be quiet, okay?"

She nodded once more, and I slowly took my hand away from her mouth, preparing to smother her once more if she did try and scream. Luckily, she didn't. She took several deep breaths, her eyes staying locked on me.

"You're…you're really going to take me home?" She asked in a small voice.

"I'm really going to take you home." I told her, giving her a reassuring smile as I grabbed onto her hand. "But we need to get going. So try to keep up and keep quiet. You'll be home in no time." And with that I began pulling her towards the front gates, the rest of my renegade following behind, sticking close to the shadows.

The front gates were in sight when I spotted Eddie in my peripheral, and he wasn't alone. I veered over, my gang following closely behind as we dove into the shadows where Eddie and his group were.

"Did everything go accordingly?" I asked, not bothering with any other type of greeting. The finish line was in grasp, and there was no way that I was letting it go.

"Everything was accomplished." Eddie nodded, but I noticed that he didn't agree with the whole "going accordingly". I glanced at Lissa, and felt my eyes widen in shock. She was leaning against Christian, her eyes slightly bloodshot and hair dishevelled. It was far from my usual put together and pristine best friend.

"What happened?" I hissed, eyes darting between Christian, Eddie and Mia as I shuffled towards Lissa.

"It's fine. I'm okay." Lissa assured when I got close enough to her. I surveyed her up and down, noticing that she didn't have any type of marks on her.

"She and Tatiana got into it, but Lissa held her ground." Christian explained, smoothing her blonde hair. "We thought we had it, but Lissa had to compel her in the end. It just took a lot out of her."

I knew what Christian was saying. He was telling me that the darkness was seeping in, that compelling Tatiana had been a huge drain not only on her powers, but emotionally as well. Lissa would be fine, but she would need a few days to herself, she would need to rid herself of the darkness, somehow.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do." I announced, needing to create a new plan. "Eddie, you are going to take Lissa back to her room. Everyone else is going to come with me to the gates." Everyone nodded, but Lissa began to protest.

Originally, the spirit users and I were supposed to approach the gates while everyone stayed behind. They were strong enough to compel guardians, and the fewer people we had the better, but now with Lissa out of commission, I was going to need as many people as possible.

"Eddie, take her there now." I demanded, not wanting to hear Lissa's protests. Without another word, Eddie grabbed Lissa's shoulders and began leading her towards her room. She tried to break free but she was too weak and Eddie had years of training.
I felt guilty for doing this too her. I felt guilty that we were no longer bonded and that I couldn't take away some of the darkness. And I especially felt guilty for harshly having Eddie cart her away. But I didn't have time for guilt, I reminding myself, feelings needed to be set aside.

"Once we get to the gate, I need you to channel all of your energy in compelling them. There should only be two or three at the gate, so divide and compel. I'll sneak her out in the meantime." I explained, receiving nods before grabbing the girl's wrist, and running to the front gates.

We were in luck, there was only three guardians manning the station, one of which was Dimitri. I nearly froze in place when I saw him, I didn't even think that he would be guarding the front gate. According to the guardian schedule, he usually stuck to perimeter surveillance, event guarding or one on one protection. I never even imagined he would be an obstacle in this mission.
I didn't let it hinder me for too long, instead I regained composure and stormed the gates with my team close behind.

The three guardians were stunned when we approached the booth attached to the gate system, but they were quickly on their feet. The two other guardian's relaxed slightly when they saw me in the lead, but Dimitri remained wary and on alert. He obviously noticed that I was a woman on a mission, and nothing would stand in my way.

"Guardian Hathaway," One of guardians greeted respectfully, but his eyes soon narrowed on the human girl I was gripping to. He took a step forward, obviously sensing something was seriously wrong here, but before he could do anything I cut him off.

"Now!" I shouted, watching as all of the moroi approached the guardians, locking eyes and putting them in a trance. But I specifically watched as Adrian approached Dimitri tentatively, sensing that he was the hardest to compel. But before he locked eyes with him, he turned to face me.

"Do you seriously want me to compel Belikov?" He asked, obviously waiting for my orders. I watched as Dimitri calmly surveyed what was happening around him. His two colleagues were being compelled, one by Tasha and Christian, the other by Mia and Jill.

"You're trying to rescue her," Dimitri stated, voice low as he looked around at everyone. As he looked at me and at the girl I was still holding onto tightly.

"We're going to rescue her." I told him, watching as he starred at the other guardians being compelled, and I watched as he glanced at the red button that would set off the court's alarm. I felt panic rush through me, causing me to lose my breath.
For a brief second I thought his higher reasoning and loyalty to the guardians might win, and that he would alert the rest of court. For a quick second I thought he might do the right thing – well, the guardian's definition of the right thing.
But then I saw something in his smouldering eyes, and I knew that he wouldn't turn us over. I knew that he would help me, he would take my side because he knew that it really was the right thing, despite what the guardians might say. He was ready to jump into the treasonous plan.

I watched as Dimitri leaned over, and pressed another button, which opened the wrought iron gates. I sighed in relief, and felt a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

"Thanks," I breathed, taking a slow step back as Adrian too backed up. I knew the rest of the gang would finish their compulsion and follow through with the rest of the plan. They would go back to their rooms, and wait until I gave them the signal, that would tell them we were in the clear.

I tugged on the girl's wrist and we darted out of the booth, Adrian right behind us, our feet pounding against the rocky terrain, which quickly morphed into pavement as we sprinted through the gates. I felt a heap of weight lift off my shoulders as soon as my foot stepped off of court grounds, only to find it come crashing back down when someone called my name.

"Rose!" He shouted, and I wondered what he wanted. Had he changed his mind? Was he going to drag me back to the guardians? No, Dimitri would never do that to me.
Before I knew it he was standing beside me, looking god like as ever. Focus Rose, I chided myself mentally.

"I'm kinda busy here, Dimitri." I told him, as I pulled on the girl's wrist, making sure she kept pace with me. I knew it was difficult for her, and that I was probably yanking her arm out of its socket right now, but I needed to get her as far away from court as possible.

"I'm coming with you." He told me, almost causing me to trip over myself. I glanced at Adrian, but she stayed silent thought the entire thing.

"That's not necessary, I have it all under control. Besides, I'm not going far, only-" I began but Dimitri cut me off, which in turn made me glare at him.

"Only going a mile or two, because you're meeting someone, I know. Tasha filled me in." He told me nonchalantly, and I grinded my teeth in frustration. Note to self, kill Tasha later, or at least tape her mouth shut.
Before I could open my mouth to protest with my usual Rose logic, Dimitri cut me off again, and I swear there was steam coming from my ears at that point.

"Save the twisted Rose logic," He told me, a small smile on his face. "I'm coming with you. Besides, it will seem less suspicious, and the others already compelled the guardians to think we are scouting out something." He explained, and I rolled my eyes. Damn it, he was right.

"Fine." I huffed and continued to surge forward, very aware of Dimitri's presence beside me.

After a while we slowed to a moderately quick pace, mostly for the girl's and Adrian's benefit but for ours as well. We needed to start scouting for danger or for the person that I was meeting.
Dimitri and I formed a protective like circle around the girl and Adrian, with him on the left and me on the right. We didn't even have to say anything to one another, it just happened. Which either means that our guardian instincts are so ingrained, or that our connection was perfectly in sync.

I didn't have time to figure that out, because about a hundred yards away I spotted a car. It was a tan Honda CR- V that was pulled off the road, parked near the trees and brush that surrounded court. It would be undetectable to human eyes, but thankfully I had better vision.

"Come on, we're almost there." I whispered to the girl, sliding her hand in mine once more, and quickening the pace. Dimitri was hanging back and sticking close to Adrian. I could feel a smile break out on my face as we reached the car.

Home free, I thought.

The driver's side door opened, and a woman with tousled blonde hair, dressed in dress pants and a blue button up.

"Well, isn't it my favourite alchemist." I laughed, while Sydney grimaced. When I first met her in Russia while I was searching for Dimitri, she disliked me from the start. But over time she grew warmer towards me, especially when we ran into each other on occasion in Europe. But about a year before I came back to court, she returned to the states again.

"That's me…unfortunately" She told me, and I just rolled my eyes. I knew that she was kidding around, because why else would she do a favour for the eternally damned like me, if she didn't have a soft spot.
Adrian and Dimitri had just caught up and joined our semi-circle, studying Sydney as she bristled at their arrival.

"Okay," I turned back to the girl, watching as she studied Sydney from head to toe. "This is Sydney; she's going to take you home, okay?" I assured her, beckoning for Adrian to step forward.

"Wait, no." The girl latched onto my arm, her fingers digging in. "I thought you were taking me home. Rose, please don't leave me." She begged, tears filling up in her hazel eyes.
I opened my mouth, getting ready to calm her down, but then I realized something. I didn't even know this girl's name. I had been so hell bent on rescuing her and helping her, but I never learned her name. Something about that struck me.

"What's your name?" I asked softly, and she just gulped, nails still digging into my arms.

"Brooke." She told me, tears washing down her face.

"Okay, listen Brooke. I have gotten you this far, right? You trust that I want to help you, right?" I asked, while she just nodded her head slowly. "Alright, so you just have to trust that by going with Sydney I'm helping you. She's going to get you home, I promise." I told her.

Before I could say anything else, Adrian stepped between us, pushing me back slightly. Using a calm voice, he began using his compulsion. He was telling her to forget. He was telling her that she got lost and the Sydney found her on the side of the road, that she was going home. That's all that she would remember.
I just bit my lip and watched Brooke nod in compliance. And silently, I watched as Sydney led her to the car, and drove away.