I spent the next day locked inside my room as I decided which of my meager possessions would accompany me outside of court. Besides the obligatory duffel of clothing and toiletries, I wanted to take my backpack along with me. I realized I may not be able to fill it even halfway, and I hesitated in deciding if there was anything worth keeping.

In the end I decided to take Dimitri's letters, the Nazar my mom had gifted me, and a few of the pictures I had of me and Lissa. I sighed as I packed them away, knowing no matter how upset I was with her, I couldn't completely leave her behind.

Someone I didn't recognize from the guardian office dropped off a small envelope with my departure time and the vehicle information on it. I tucked it away and hoped I would be able to avoid any more visitors, but of course I couldn't be that lucky.

Adrian came by with Mia and Eddie, but I couldn't bear to see them. I didn't know how to say goodbye when I couldn't explain why I was leaving. Queen Tatiana made it very clear that this mission was classified, and although I wasn't sure to what extent, I didn't want my friends to get in trouble for knowing too much. It would be easier to disappear tomorrow and let Adrian tell them the Queen approved story.

Well past the acceptable time for dinner, I decided I better go get some food. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring for me, and I wanted to be as ready as I could possibly be. That meant filling up on food and getting a good night's sleep. I wandered around court until I found one of the only late-night restaurants that was still open. I ordered a simple burger and fries and sat down at a table alone.

I sat and considered my surroundings as I savored my burger. This was possibly the last time I would be able to grab a late dinner here at court, and I felt a little sad doing it alone. Burgers were my comfort food, and while they were easy to get at most fast food places, I didn't know where we would be going and if they would be accessible to me.

I almost wished I had asked someone to come with me. I couldn't tell them goodbye, but we could have shared one last memory together before I had to leave. I thought of Mia and Eddie knocking on my door earlier and felt some regret for not letting them in. Leaving just felt too real when I thought of my friends.

When I was finished I decided to take the long way around court to cement the place in my mind. I wanted to remember the place I had called home for just a few weeks. This was the last place I would remember seeing the people I loved. Looking at the buildings reminded me of Sydney and her love for architecture. I'm sure as much as she would hate being in a town full of vampires, she would appreciate the history that went into building this place.

These were my thoughts as I traveled through the small downtown area. As I rounded the corner that brought me in front of the counsel building I ran into Christian. And by "ran into Christian", I mean I physically ran into him.

"Woah Rose, I never thought I'd catch you off guard," he laughed at me. One look at my face and he stopped.

"Sorry... I'm a bit distracted," I offered weakly.

"Somethings wrong. You're distracted and you passed on an opportunity to make a sarcastic comment? Who are you and what have you done with Rose Hathaway?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

I didn't know how to respond to Christian. In this moment, face to face, I realized just how much I would miss him and all my friends. It was finally starting to settle on me that I was leaving tomorrow, and I might not return. His expression grew more and more concerned as he looked at me, and without a word I turned on my heel and started walking towards my apartment.

"Was it something I said?" Christian called as he followed close behind. I was sure if I ignored him he would quit before I made it back home. He continued calling for me as he tried to match my pace.

Finally I made it to my building and turned to face him. I took a deep breath and tried to still the tears as they gathered in the corner of my eyes.

"Lissa doesn't want me as her guardian anymore!" I blurted as he finally caught up to me.

"What are you talking about? Of course she does!" Christian responded, slightly winded.

"You don't know? She didn't tell you?"

"Know what? Tell me what?" Christian was now following me up the stairs to my room. I took them two at a time, and when I reached the door and slid the key home, I felt such a sense of relief. I went to shut the door behind me but Christian was right there, pushing against the wood.

I didn't put up much of a fight. I knew he wouldn't leave without getting some answers, especially considering I was giving him information Lissa hadn't. I can also admit that I wanted someone to talk things through with, even if it was Sparky.

He stepped into my room and immediately noticed my bags packed and ready to go at the foot of my bed.

"You're leaving," it wasn't a question.

"Yeah... I'm leaving. But I don't exactly have much of a choice," I replied.

"You don't have to leave Court just because you think Lissa doesn't want you to be her guardian," He said as he rolled his eyes. I laughed humorlessly, dry and uninviting. He quirked a brow up at me.

"I do, actually. Orders from Queen Tatiana herself," I said and walked to my bed. I plopped down on it, leaving no room for Sparky to join me. I could imagine how dejected I looked to him. Christian uncharacteristically took some time forming a response instead of bantering back at me with his usual sarcasm.

"Rose, what are you talking about? What's going on?" I saw some worry flash in his eyes as he asked me. I also took a lengthy pause before I responded.

"I can't really explain. I have to do something... and Queen Tatiana let me know I can't exactly share what that information is. So all I can tell you is that I'm leaving court, and... I don't know I'll be back," I said as simply as I could. Christian slid down the wall across from my bed, sitting on the floor with a small 'thunk'.

"Okay. Cryptic messages from the Queen. That's nothing new. But what does this have to do with being Lissa's guardian?" He questioned. I hesitated, not sure if I was about to tell him something I shouldn't. I figured he would find out sooner or later, so it would be okay if I told him.

"Lissa was given an ultimatum of sorts. She could only pick one of us to stay on as her guardian. The other was given the mission," I shrugged like I didn't care, but saying those words was ripping open a hole in my chest.

"So she picked... him?" He asked, too afraid to say his name.

"Dimitri. She picked him. Not me," saying his name tugged at the edges of the hole, tearing it bigger.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. I knew Lissa had told Christian what Dimitri meant to me. He looked like he had a million questions, but instead of pestering me he stood up and walked over to where I was on the bed. I sat up and made room for him to sit beside me. He hesitated before putting his arm around me in a brotherly sort of hug.

"She's been... different since he was restored. I don't know if they have some kind of weird spirit connection, or if she just feels responsible for him, but it's changed her. She's not completely different, but still. A noticeable change. I don't know what to say to help her. Or him, for that matter," he trailed off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. She's been so caught up in protecting him. It's like she doesn't care about my feelings in any of this. After everything I did to get him back... It still wasn't enough," I said as tears once again gathered in the corner of my eyes. It felt good to finally be able to say that, even if it wasn't to Lissa. Christian was a good substitute.

We sat like that for a few minutes until a knock sounded on my door. I wiped away the few tears and shushed Christian as he started to yell at the door. He gave me a look, one that said he was suspicious of me. Before I could stop him, he got up and answered it.

Adrian walked in looking more relaxed than he had the last time I saw him. When I saw his eyes, I knew he was still upset that I hadn't agreed to run away with him last night. He all but ignored Christian before he started his insane spirit ranting.

"Last chance to come with me, Little Dhampir. Say the word and we'll be out of here. You don't need to do this," he pleaded.

"You know I have to, and why I have to... Adrian... I'm sorry..." The room suddenly felt like the air had been sucked out of it. The three of us stood there, tense and uncomfortable in the silence. None of us knew how to fix it.

"I think I'm going to go see Lissa before it gets too late." Christan said as he made for the door. I'm sure he wanted to leave me and Adrian alone to talk, but before he could step into the hallway Adrian was there, poised and ready to go.

"I'll join you, Christian. We'll see you tomorrow, Rose," he said suddenly and slammed the door, not giving me any time to respond. I was surprised to see them willingly walk off with one another, knowing their somewhat icy history.

Once I was sure the two were gone, I sank down onto my bed. I knew I wouldn't get much sleep tonight, so I settled back into my blankets and prepared for a long night. I had been blocking Lissa out as much as possible since my confrontation with Dimitri in the church, and I had fully intended on keeping the streak tonight.

I groaned when I felt her sense of shock through the bond, knowing I would be pulled into the impending conversation whether I liked it or not.