Rose

I stirred groggily. I groaned, holding a hand to my head. Then, all my memories came back and I remembered what had happened.

I sat up, instantly on the alert, and assessed my surroundings in true guardian style. I sat in small, windowless room, surrounded by four grey walls. There was little furniture, other than two wooden chairs facing each other. The only illumination came from a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I had been lying on a hard wooden floor. The temperature was freezing, and I shivered.

Pressing a hand to my head, I felt a lump and winced. That was probably going to be a bruise.

Now that I'd ascertained I was alone, my next thought was of a distinctly more troubling nature: Why hadn't they turned me Strigoi?

I wasn't complaining, obviously, but something struck me as suspicious. Strigoi were known for killing and turning, but it was obvious I hadn't even been drunk from. What was going on?

It was then that the door to my prison cell suddenly trembled. I looked at it, and saw that it was locked and bolted from the outside, with what appeared to be a combination of modern technology (a keypad) and a traditional keyhole. I crouched in a defensive stance, so that when the door swung open, I was fully prepared to throw myself at whoever entered.

When the door did swing open, though, I found myself faced by two Strigoi. I recognized the one on the right – he was the one who'd captured me. The other was a woman, slender enough to be a former Moroi.

They stalked into the room, sneers on their faces, flanking me so that I couldn't get to the door. A human girl followed them, which should've surprised me, but didn't. I'd known already that some humans worked for Strigoi masters.

"She's hardier than you said she'd be, Eugene," snarled the Strigoi woman. "You said she'd probably still be passed out."

Eugene?! I snorted. "Your name's Eugene? Let me guess, you were the high school nerd who everyone hated. All that's missing is the glasses."

Eugene lunged forward. "I'd shut my mouth if I were you," he growled. "You have no idea on what incredibly thin ice you're walking."

I glared back, refusing to show fear. In reality, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was weaponless, defenceless, and probably far from any kind of help. A squad of guardians wasn't here to help me now.

Calm down, said a voice that sounded remarkably like Dimitri's in my head. You've done this before. Think this through. What's your next move?

I was shocked to find I didn't have one.

The Strigoi seemed to notice that I'd realized I was out of options, and their sneers grew more pronounced. The human girl in the doorway disappeared for a moment, then returned, setting down a tray of bread and water. My eyes widened.

"Eat," snarled Eugene. His red-ringed eyes stared into mine.

I raised my chin. "Why would I?"

The Strigoi woman gave a harsh, barking laugh. "She's smart. Smart enough to be irritating."

I thought desperately back to when I'd been captured by Dimitri as a Strigoi in Russia. He'd fed on me back then, leaving me in an endorphin-lulled state that left me vulnerable and almost unable to move. Here, though, I hadn't been fed on, leaving me in full possession of all my senses. I had to ponder my next move carefully. At the same time, though, I figured I had nothing to lose, and may as well try being direct.

"Where am I?" I blurted out.

"Not in Pittsburgh," the woman responded, her lips curling up in a cruel sneer. "Exactly how stupid do you think we are?"

"Very," I told them. "Or you wouldn't have captured me and held me. You know who I am. The Moroi queen will stop at nothing to find me and kill you." I hoped he wouldn't be able to hear me bluffing.

Eugene shot me a withering look. "Be careful, dhampir. We're under orders from a powerful authority not to harm you just yet, but if you get on my nerves one more time I might just decide to disobey him."

I was determined not to show the terror I was feeling, but kept silent and turned away from them. A moment later, the Strigoi seemed to grow bored of me and moved away towards the door.

"Eat," the woman commanded one last time over her shoulder, and then the door slammed shut.

In spite of myself, I moved towards the tray of food the human girl had left for me, near the door. I was ravenous, and I just had to eat if I was to stand any chance of escape – starving myself certainly wouldn't help. As I began to wolf down my food, however, I heard snippets of conversation coming from beyond the door, as it was being locked from the outside.

"What if she's right?" asked a softer voice, one I hadn't heard before. I put two and two together and realized that it was the human girl who'd been in here earlier. "Will the Moroi queen come looking for her?"

A harsh laugh – Eugene's. "Natalia, you fool. No matter how close this dhampir is to the Moroi queen, she'll never be valuable enough for them to send rescue missions after her." The sound of the lock clanging stopped, and footsteps began to sound, gradually receding. I scrambled to the door, hoping to catch any more snippets of conversation.

"And even if the Moroi did send people looking for her," Eugene's voice continued, growing fainter, "they'll never find her before we take her to the Grand Master."

That was the last I heard, because their voices became unintelligible with distance. I sat back against the wall and thought.

Who was this Grand Master, and why did he want me alive? What was he going to do to me? I still didn't know where I was, and there was no way of reaching out for help.

Despair came crashing over me. What if the Strigoi were right? What if nobody came after me? I blinked back tears as I thought about Lissa, Dimitri, even my mother – and how I'd never see any of them again. I could only wonder what the Strigoi had in store for me.

As I lay down, I noticed tears coursing their way down my cheeks. I closed my eyes again, and drifted off to a miserable sleep.

Only to open my eyes again and find myself in a spirit dream.