I Promise

by ladierock

AH. Rose was trying to help but she only made things worse for herself. Before she knows it she's taking self-defense, learning to stand up for herself, to be strong again, fight, and that it's okay to trust people. She's dealing with recent traumatic events in her life but she might find love along the way. Read and Review please. Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns the characters.

6. Natural Feeling Of Running

Dimitri was right.

Running did give me time to think.

I though about how nauseous I felt running, dizzy, and the knots in my stomach. I thought about how much I hate running. This was how I felt my entire first week at the defense class.

I just ran.

I came early right after school.

Dimitri was always there.

He'd loan my the running shoes until I'd be able to get my own and then I'd run and he was always there when I came back, holding a water bottle out to me that I drank gratefully.

Running actually started to feel good despite the protest of my body and all the thoughts flying in my head.

I thought about everything.

I thought about school, how I silently went through all of my classes mostly unnoticed, intentionally avoiding certain people and succeeding for the most part.

I thought about my mom, how easily I lied to her and how she probably wouldn't say a word about it despite knowing I was lying. I thought about how hard she worked to make sure I had a future, no matter how small, to look forward to.

I thought about how much I was looking forward to my future and forgetting the past.

I wanted to forget.

I had to.

I had to be fine.

I'm fine.

My thoughts went like this everyday I ran and they wouldn't stop. More would come until I felt like I was going to explode and yet I was okay with it. I felt okay thinking about everything because I felt in control when I was running.

"We're open on the weekend you know," Dimitri said to me when I finished running on Friday.

I was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall and drinking my water while he pulled a chair out from inside the building and sat beside me, resting his arms on his knees.

I looked over at him. "So I can...I can run here on the weekends?"

He nodded. "I'd love to have the company. Not very many people come here on weekends."

It sounded good to me. I thought about my first weekend home after the attack and I imagined being home, laying bed, thinking about nothing but that fact that it's been a week since what happened.

Being home didn't sound as good as it did a few days ago.

"I'll be here."

He gave me a gentle smile as he stood. "I look forward to it. Then we can really get you fighting."