Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers: Do'B, Kimavinzant, TheProlificWriterGirl, XxHiddenInTheShadowsxX, Guest, luciinwaters, Alena, Vinaa Belikova, and Guest! I appreciate every ounce of support that I get for this story. Enjoy the chapter, and hopefully, you guys don't hate me too much at the end.
With that being said, I want to give a shoutout to my bestie, TheProlificWriterGirl, who beta'd this chapter for me, and puts up with me on a daily basis, and edits a lot of my writing. I love you, dear! PS if any of my lovely readers like Phantom of the Opera or CSI: New York, then definitely go check her profile out. She is an amazing, and heartbreaking writer that will leave you begging for more.
"I want you," I whispered as I pressed my lips against his.
For a second, Dimitri kissed me back. A moment later, he was shoving me aside and bolting up from the couch.
"Rosemarie, that will never happen again," he scolded, backing up further. "It was completely inappropriate. I am your teacher, not your classmate."
"I don't try to screw my classmates," I corrected, standing up from the couch myself.
"That is not the point! If you're going to act inappropriate, then you can't stay here," he snapped.
"Scared you might cave?
His brown eyes flashed. "Do not test me, Rosemarie."
I scowled. "My name is Rose."
"Children don't get to make requests when they've done something wrong," he said from the kitchen.
"I'm not a child," I snarled. "I'm eighteen,"
"That obviously doesn't make you an adult," he barked back.
"You're right; being eighteen doesn't make me an adult," I said. A triumphant look crossed his face, quickly falling as I continued. "I like to believe that I've been an adult for longer than just today. I saw my parents die in front of me. I was kidnapped for months. Both of those left their own scars and aged me faster than anybody else. So no, being eighteen doesn't automatically qualify me to be an adult. I've been one for much longer."
"Rose—"
"I don't want to hear your excuses or your apologies. Good night," I interrupted, ignoring the brief flash of anger across his face.
I shut the bedroom door tightly behind me and curled up in the massive king-sized bed. I never liked to mention my parents. My thoughts were always consumed with the few memories I had of them after talking about them and I knew then that it would be a restless night.
Footsteps paused outside the door, the floorboard creaking under the weight as Dimitri stood there. I stared at the spot on the floor where the shadow fell, blocking the light. Sometime later, the footsteps moved away, and the light seeping under the door disappeared completely as the living room light was shut off. I got up and closed the curtains, hoping to appease the uneasy feeling that circled my stomach. The room was too different from my own to get comfortable, and I tossed and turned for God knows how long before falling into a restless sleep.
When I woke, my arms were above my head, with biting metal cuffs preventing them from being pulled down. My body was stretched as far as it could, my toes just barely on the ground. The door swung open, and the girl appeared, her heels clicking against the floor. She approached me slowly, her perfume reaching me before she did.
The acrylic nails she wore ran along my wrist and forearm briefly, sliding through the blood that dripped from where the cuffs had bit into my skin from too much struggling.
"You're not going anywhere, Rosie," she whispered from behind me. "I won't allow it."
"What do you want from me?" I sobbed.
I could hear the grin in her voice as she answered. "I want you to pay for all the pain you've caused."
I screamed as she kicked my legs out from under me, forcing all my weight onto my wrists, and the metal cuffs bit in even deeper.
"I don't even know you," I gasped, trying desperately to regain my footing.
"Oh, but you do. I'm so much closer than you think."
"Rose!"
I bolted upright, a scream on my lips. Dimitri was perched at the end of the bed, tense, and wide-eyed.
"Rose?" he whispered as the tears began to fall. Without hesitation, he moved to the head of the bed and pulled me into his arms, leaning back against the headboard.
"You're okay. You're safe."
He kept repeating those six words, over and over, until the shaking stopped and the tears ceased to fall. Small patches of sunlight crept through the closed curtains, and I itched for them to be open all the way to prove to myself that I wasn't in the basement anymore.
"Rose?" Dimitri whispered; his arms still wrapped around me. I pulled away and faced him. "What did you dream about?"
I glared at him. "Rainbows and sunshine."
"Rosema—." He cut himself off as my glare intensified, staying silent for a moment. "Please. I want to help you."
I pulled out of his arms completely and got out of the bed. "What I dreamed about isn't any of my teacher's business. After all, that's what we are, right? A regular teacher and student?"
He barked out a laugh. "You know that that is not what I meant when I said that."
I crossed my arms, ignoring him.
"Rose, please," he said softly.
I rubbed my wrists subconsciously, even though I knew that the scars there were faint. When I had first gotten to the hospital, after being rescued, I remembered Lissa rubbing cream onto my wrists, telling me that it was going to make the scars go away. It never worked fully, but Lissa remarked that the scars had faded and looked better than they did before.
"I need to get ready for school." I didn't wait for a response and walked into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me.
When I came out of the bathroom, there was a suitcase sitting against the wall by my other bags. I cracked the bedroom door enough to lean my head out.
"Where did the suitcase come from?"
Dimitri glanced up at me. "Lissa gave Ivan a couple of things to bring over. I guess you had left some clothes and shoes in Lissa's room, or she had borrowed a couple of things, and so they survived the attack."
I frowned. "Lissa and I aren't the same size. And how did she know who to give the suitcase to?"
He shrugged. "Maybe Haley told her that you were staying with Ivan?"
I sighed and shut the bedroom door. The curtains were open now, allowing the brilliant sunlight to light up the room. I laid the suitcase on its side and unzipped it. There was a black lace dress on top with a pair of lace black flats. Neither item was familiar. However, under the dress was my favorite sweatshirt and a VHS Cheer t-shirt. A note in Lissa's familiar handwriting was taped to the inside lid.
Rose,
The dress and flats are my birthday present to you. They should be the right size. The sweatshirt I found halfway under my bed, don't ask me why it was there. I know you're probably wondering why I included the cheer shirt, but it was another one of your things that I found intact, and figured that you might want it, regardless of bad memories or whatever. I'll see you in class, love you.
Lissa
I pulled out the flats and zipped up the suitcase before putting it back against the wall. Since my leggings were crumbled in a ball in one of the bags, I opted for a pair of light wash jeans and an oversized sweater. I slipped into the black flats that I pulled out and walked out of the bedroom. Dimitri walked into the bedroom a moment after I came out and shut the door.
I walked into the kitchen, flipping the light above the sink on as I went. The fridge was to my left, and when I opened it, I found it close to empty. The pizza from last night was on the middle shelf, and there was half a gallon of milk besides the orange juice on the fridge door. A few cartons of yogurt sat on the door below the milk and juice, and there were apples and oranges in one of the drawers. In the drawer next to the fruit, there was a small array of vegetables. I snagged a yogurt and found a bag of granola in the cabinet that I sprinkled into it. As I sat down at the island, the bedroom door opened, and Dimitri walked out in a white button-down and dark wash jeans. He walked past me, grabbing an apple and a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"How soon are you ready to go?"
"I'm ready," I said around a bite of granola and yogurt.
"Attractive," he mumbled dryly, and I glared.
"What does it matter to you?"
He didn't answer and instead walked to the front door, holding it open for me. I walked through it, still eating my yogurt, and paused while he locked the door.
"You're dressed conservative today," Dimitri said as we stepped into the elevator. By the way he quickly pressed his lips together, I guessed that he had meant to keep that comment to himself.
But I couldn't help responding. "And by that, you mean I'm not dressed like a slut?"
He sighed. "What I mean is there is more of your skin covered than there is showing."
I rolled my eyes, sarcastically adding, "This whole no clothes thing really cramps my style."
He ignored me again, and I scanned the parking lot as we walked outside. There was no sign of the Impala, just as Dimitri had promised. The ride to the school was quiet, and the morning NPR was the only thing breaking the silence. I stared out the window, trying to remember the path to get from the school back to Dimitri's apartment. We arrived at the school early, and most of the students hadn't arrived yet, allowing me to linger slightly without risking being seen.
"I'm going to get my car today," I said as I climbed out of Dimitri's car. "I need to be able to have my own transportation."
"It's not safe—"
"I don't care. I need my car."
Dimitri sighed. "We'll go get it after school. Please be ready by two-thirty."
I scowled. "I don't need a babysitter."
"It is not up for discussion, Rose. We'll go together or not at all."
He met my gaze, daring me to challenge him. I sighed and relented. I would rather have my car than challenge him.
I grabbed my backpack from the backseat and walked towards the school building. When I reached my locker, I immediately noticed that it wasn't closed completely and that the lock was hanging open. I was almost positive that I had shut it completely yesterday.
Opening it slowly, I saw nothing out of order. Except for a folded piece of paper sitting on top of my English composition book. I set my bag at my feet before carefully unfolding the note. The writing looked vaguely familiar, but the message sent shivers down my spine.
You can run, but you can't hide, Rosie. I will get you, it read.
My hands were shaking as I reread the note over and over. She has access to the school.
"Rose? Is everything alright?"
I shrieked and jumped ten feet in the air. Haley had appeared behind me, silent as silent could be.
"You scared me," I whispered.
"I'm sorry." She frowned. "That wasn't my intention."
"How long have you been here?"
"At school? A half-hour? Give or take. I was working on a project," Haley answered, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"Have you seen anybody else around here?" I gestured to the hallway.
She shook her head apologetically. "I've been in the library. Why?"
"It's nothing," I murmured, crumpling the note up. "I'll see you in HOPE."
I slammed my locker, making sure that it was fully shut before making my way outside. There was still a chill in the air, but I knew it would be sweltering by this afternoon. The metal bench I sat on carried even more of the chill than the air.
You can run, but you can't hide.
Whoever this was, she was most likely a student. An adult would have succeeded, wouldn't have let me leave. She knew where my locker was and knew where to place the note to make sure that I would absolutely see it first thing. How many people were blonde and knew that I always put my English comp book on top?
"Rose!" I turned and saw Lissa jogging towards me. "Are you ignoring me?"
"Why would I be ignoring you?"
"Because I called your name four or five times? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said, still tense.
Lissa is blonde. I shook the thought off as soon as it entered my mind. I really needed more sleep; I was obviously delirious. Lissa would never hurt me. She's practically my sister.
"You're not," Lissa said softly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "But if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to."
I arched an eyebrow. "You're willing to just drop the subject?"
"For now," she confirmed. "Pushing you will only make you clam up more. I hate that you're hiding from me."
"I'm hiding for your safety," I reminded her. "The last thing I need is you getting hurt too."
Lissa's eyes hardened. "I don't need you to keep me safe. I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself safe."
"I know you are." I sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't," she argued.
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do," she said.
"Can we not do this? I don't really want to fight with you."
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Fine."
"I'll see you at lunch?"
"Of course."
Lissa walked away as the bell rang, leaving me sitting on the bench by myself.
I was one of the last people to walk into my history class and took my usual seat next to Adrian. He smiled at me but didn't say anything as Mr. Young started his lecture. My phone buzzed halfway through class.
From Haley (8:47): Want to hang out after school?
From Rose (8:47): Sure. Meet you at your house?
From Haley (8:48): Sounds good
From Haley (8:48): 1728 Hallow Dr
I liked the message and went to put my phone away when it buzzed again.
From Haley (8:51): What happened last night?
From Rose (8:51): I kissed him
From Haley (8:51): And?
From Rose (8:51): And he pushed me away. The end.
From Haley (8:52): The end? There has to be more
From Rose (8:52): There's not.
From Haley (8:52): You seemed pissed at him this morning.
From Rose (8:53): ?
From Haley (8:53): Library has a good view of teacher lot
From Rose (8:54): There was an argument. I don't want to talk about it. It's over
My phone didn't go off again, and I tucked it back into my backpack. When the bell rang, I darted out of the classroom and ignored Adrian calling after me. The last thing I needed was a confrontation from him too.
I had a free period next and hid in the library like I usually did. Instead of sleeping, like I also usually did, I pulled a book off the shelf at random and tried to distract myself with it. It mostly worked until I realized that my phone was going off inside of my backpack again.
When I pulled it out, I saw that I had a missed call from an unsaved number and a text message from the same number.
Unknown (10:53): Meet me in my room during lunch. We'll go get your car then; something came up after school –Dimitri
I added his number to my contacts and stood up. I might as well as go to his room now since I had a free period. It was close enough to the bell ringing at eleven that I figured I wouldn't be stopped for roaming the halls. When I reached his room, I noticed through the window that the classroom was dark. Dimitri must also have a free period now. The door was unlocked, and I let myself in, letting the door close with a barely audible click. The office door was cracked, and I could hear him talking to someone.
"You need to get her to trust you!" A jumbled voice came through what I assumed was a phone, and I froze.
"What do you think I am trying to do?" Dimitri bit back.
"Try harder! It can't be as hard as you're making it out to be."
"All she wants to do is jump my bones," he said dryly.
"Then sleep with her, Belikov," the voice ordered. "Hathaway is a pretty girl, surely it can't be that hard."
"My job is not to manipulate her."
"Do you even remember what your job is?
"Of course I do," he snapped. "Last time I checked, sleeping with her wasn't in my job requirements."
There was a long pause, and then the voice on the phone spoke again. "Do you not understand that your job is on the line here?"
"My job should not be on the line over not sleeping with a minor."
"She's not a minor, and you know that."
"I am not going to sleep with her to get information!"
"You begged for this assignment, and against our better judgment, we gave it to you," the voice snarled.
"Don't you dare throw that back at me. You know exactly why I requested this. I promised A—"
"I don't care about what promises you made in the past," the voice said. "You were hired against other's better judgment then too."
"Don't—"
"Your job is to find out what Rosemarie Hathaway knows about the kidnapping. You're to achieve your mission, no matter what you have to do."
Panic clawed at my chest, and it felt like I was gasping for air as if an elephant was sitting on my chest. Tears welled up at the corners of my eyes, and I hastily brushed them away. The conversation was still going on, but I couldn't hear anything either party was saying. My vision blurred, and I turned, opening the classroom door, walking back into the hallway. Part of me realized that I should have made sure the door didn't shut loudly, but I couldn't worry about that when it felt like my legs were going to give out on me any moment.
I slumped against the wall next to Dimitri's classroom, relishing the feel of the cold cinder brick against my overheated skin, as it seeped through my sweater. Slowly, I breathed in deeply, holding it for a second before letting it all out. My senses slowly came back to me, and my vision focused as the ringing in my ears stopped.
"Rose?" Dimitri appeared before me, crouched down so that he was at my level. The panic started to well up in my chest again, and I shoved it down. "What are you doing?"
"J-just waiting for you," I stammered.
"In the hallway?"
I nodded and pushed myself off the wall, allowing him to go ahead of me. I followed him out to this car. We didn't speak on the way to my apartment, but my leg twitched the entire ride, and Dimitri kept shooting me looks, though he stayed silent.
"Straight back to school," Dimitri ordered as he dropped me off.
"I need to stop for gas and then to school," I said.
I hurried away from his car and into my own without looking up at the apartment. My stomach growled in hunger, and I ignored it as I pulled out onto the main road, going in the opposite direction of the school. I wasn't lying about the gas, and as I filled up, my phone buzzed. I took it out with trepidation, but it was only a message from Haley.
Haley (11:20): Hey, I came down with something and went home early. Can we reschedule?
I didn't reply. When I got back into my car, I programmed an address into my phone's map and drove. Fifteen minutes later, my GPS was telling me that my destination was on the left, and I parked in the street, practically running up to the front door.
"Rose?" Haley questioned as she opened the door. "Did you see my text?"
"I need your help," I gasped.