A/N - Okay, so after I posted last night, a friend and I were talking and we realized we both had different ideas of how Indigo ended school-wise. He was under the impression that winter break had already started and as I thought all schools actually closed completely for winter break (including boarding schools), I assumed that it was more like finals week. Since the story had already started and already been read by some people, I decided to keep it the same rather than contradicting things in the second chapter from the first. So if it is winter break, we are going to say for the sake of the story they have a few days left.
A couple more notes before the chapter starts-I moved this to the Bloodlines section. I honestly didn't know there was a separate section because I equate them all being from the same universe. If you know anyone reading this that has trouble finding it, please help them out. Also, I can't always promise that I will be posting daily. I've had some free time lately and am only working on one other fic for now. I do have a couple of other fics in mind and if I do anything with those, it might take more time between updates. My goal is to update at least once per week.
Sydney waited outside the school for Adrian to come get her. He had replied back sometime during one of her classes saying that he would come pick her up—she couldn't keep the car that Marcus had left with her, so Adrian would have to drive her around until she could get a new car. She hadn't really had the chance yet, but maybe she would be able to get Adrian to take her car shopping that weekend. That was, if they could figure out a way to continue their relationship with Zoe in town, because honestly that was what she was afraid of—that they might have to break up now.
She didn't want to come to that, she had just gotten to the point where she could admit her feelings for him and that she wanted to be with him, so she really didn't want to end things now. It would hurt too much and on top of everything else that had been happening… well Adrian had been her rock. She couldn't have gotten through any of it without him and that was with him trying to resist her most of the time so that she wouldn't walk out on him again. Breaking up would devastate him and she really didn't want to do that.
When he pulled up, she put a smile on her face in hopes that he wouldn't notice that something was really bothering her. This conversation shouldn't be in a car, it should be face to face in private. She knew that it was best to wait until they got to his apartment.
Adrian, however, was smarter than that. "What's wrong, Sage?" he asked when she got in the mustang.
Sydney looked over at him in surprise. She had actually thought she had done pretty well at keeping her emotions hidden, but maybe her face had betrayed more than she thought.
"Your aura," he explained. "I can't really explain it, but it looks like something is off."
Sydney nodded a little. She had forgotten that he could read her emotions at any time. Maybe forgotten wasn't the right word—she was fully aware of his aura-reading abilities. It was more like it had slipped her mind. She wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to begin with. "I don't really want to talk about it here," she told him. "Can we wait until we get to your apartment?"
Adrian nodded and drove away from the school. She rested back against the seat, closing her eyes. Now that she knew he was fully capable of actually driving the mustang, she wasn't so afraid of him doing something wrong in it and she could let herself try to relax. It would do no good to be all wound up when they did get around to talking. "How much school do you have left?"
"Hmm?" Sydney asked, opening her eyes and glancing over at him.
"Winter break is coming, right?" Adrian asked her.
Sydney nodded once she realized what he was talking about. "Yes, this week is finals week and then we're out next week," she explained to him.
"I know Jill has to stay here, but are you?" Adrian asked her.
"I have to, she's my assignment," Sydney pointed out. Alchemists didn't really get 'Christmas breaks' despite their religion and the importance of the holiday. They were all expected to recognize it, of course and some could arrange to go to services like the one she had gone to in St. Louis, but she didn't have any desire to experience that again.
"So then I can get Christmas with my girlfriend?" Adrian asked with a grin.
Sydney laughed in spite of herself. That was what made Adrian happy? Then it occurred to her that if they couldn't figure something out, there was a really good chance she might not be his girlfriend for Christmas. "We can discuss Christmas later," she told him. "Let me get through finals first." She didn't want to give up on their relationship, really didn't want to and if they came up with anything that would work, she would fight for them as hard as she had to. She just couldn't fight if she got sent to re-education.
Adrian nodded in response and before long they were pulling into the apartment complex. She waited for him to park and got out of the car.
Once they were in the apartment, Adrian took a seat and patted the seat next to him, waiting for her to sit down. If they were going to have what looked like it could be a serious conversation, they could at least be sitting down for it.
Sydney sat down and before she had the chance to say anything, Adrian pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, slow kiss. She slipped her arms around him, kissing him back as though she was trying to memorize it in case they didn't get this chance again. Her heart sank and she pulled away slowly.
"What is it?" Adrian asked, determined to find out what was bothering her.
"You know that I asked you not to dream walk with me last night," Sydney started, "but I didn't have the chance to tell you why…" she trailed off, trying to figure out the best thing to say.
Adrian just watched her. He knew all this, though she was right he didn't know why, though he hadn't questions it. Last night he had just assumed that she was exhausted and wanted to get a full night's sleep. Now, however, he knew that wasn't the case.
"Zoe is in town," Sydney explained finally. "She got in last night, she is playing another cousin of ours and she's my roommate," of course as much as all of that bothered Sydney, she left out the thing that bothered her the most. "She has a tattoo," she added softly.
Adrian reached for her hand. He knew that Sydney had been having trouble with the Alchemists lately and if she ever hadn't wanted Zoe to become one now that would be multiplied. If she really was working for an organization that was lying to them, she wouldn't want her sister involved. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Is she?"
Sydney nodded a little. "She's happy," she replied. Zoe was happy to be an Alchemist and even more happy to be assigned to work with her sister. All of the earlier distance in their relationship had been dissolved during their brief encounter in St. Louis, but now it was completely gone. They were now equals in Zoe's mind. Zoe didn't know that Sydney was having her doubts, dating a Moroi and had broken her tattoo.
"But you don't want her to be an Alchemist," he replied. It wasn't a question, he knew how she felt about them right now.
"Not yet," Sydney answered. If Zoe had a chance to grow up and still really wanted it, Sydney wouldn't begrudge her that. However, as it was, she didn't feel Zoe had had the time to really decide if this was the path she wanted to take. "Not until she's older." It was done now, however. The Alchemists owned her little sister.
"She will be fine," Adrian replied positively. He didn't realize yet that there were other implications in this. Things that very well could affect him more strongly. "She has a loving older sister to look out for her."
Sydney smiled appreciatively before glancing away again. "She doesn't know that I've broken my tattoo," she told him. "I can't say or do anything that would make her suspect that. Zoe has been wanting this for a while and I know she is more loyal to them right now than she would be to me if she found that things had changed," she turned her head for her eyes to meet his. "Or if she knew that I was dating a Moroi."
Adrian caught on and nodded a little. Now that she mentioned it, he could see how Zoe's presence, especially in Sydney's own room could make things more complicated. "So we just have to be more careful."
"Can we, though, Adrian?" Sydney asked, "be more careful?" While that would be nice, she wasn't sure it was possible. Before, she was around people who might not necessarily agree with the relationship and couldn't just be told—but if they found out they wouldn't rat them out. "Is it really possible to continue this with Zoe here?" There, she had laid it all out on the table and she felt horrible.
"Are you breaking up with me?" Adrian asked, confused. Things had been so perfect last night when Sydney had shown up. He had thought he could actually be happy for once and now it seemed that that was being taken from him all over again.
"I don't want to," she told him. "I just… I don't know what else to do, Adrian." Tears formed in her eyes, she hated this and she didn't like the expression she was seeing on Adrian's face right now. The one that told her that she had just shattered him to his very core.
A/N - I fully expect I might get some hatemail for this one, or hate reviews but I assure you that this is nowhere near the end of the story and NOTHING is official as of this point. I cut this off at a bad time, but this is still early in their conversation and we all know that Adrian doesn't give up easily. I'm not going to say how this conversation ends or if it will end badly or if they will work it out this time or not, but I do want you guys to know that the whole book won't be like this. The story is overcoming obstacles, and that simply means that there will be good with the bad and as fans of Richelle's, we all know what that means.