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I do no own Vampire Academy… Awesome Richelle Mead is! Hooray for her! I hope I get more hits than usual. I know I have been late in updating this,. Reviews please if you like it… it gives me bubblies.

Chapter Three

I usually know when my dreams aren't just mine now. My dreams have always been dark and when it starts showing light and happiness I knew that I have a visitor.

I groaned in my dream expecting Adrian to pop out at any moment and call me names. I was expecting this to happen too, I haven't been guarding my mind from any of the spirit users lately. And the fact that I also never really got much sleep for the past month wasn't also helping my cause.

"Adrian! Get out!" I threatened. I like my dark dreams. At least in these dreams I get to see Dimitri. Of course no matter how much I'd say that, the arrogant bastard wouldn't listen to me. So I'll just stand here and do nothing and wait for this darkness to become light.

But this change seems slow, it isn't as fast as Adrian's. Plus this place seemed familiar, the aura of this place I had visited once. And then it hit me, this isn't Adrian doing this dream hoping… Lissa.

"Rose!" her voice screamed in the edge of the beautiful meadow. Her shadowed figure started to walk towards me.

And then I woke up with a horrible head ache. Not any kind of head ache that made my head explode, but a head ache that seems like someone was trying to compel me and I was trying to fight it. For a second there I was expecting the ghost to float around my room, but nothing. Except one question echoed in my head… Where am I?

I had been roaming around the Western Us for a month now. Trying to hunt for clue to find Dimitri and maybe killing Strigoi as a bonus too. So there are other times where I would wake up and not even remember what state or city I even crashed in.

But right now was weirder, I had no idea where I was. I stared around the room examining every inch of the place as if I haven't been here before. I was just listening to the order in my head, until I found a napkin on the bedside table… Portland, Oregon. And then with that my head ache disappeared.

"What was I trying to do?" I asked myself, confused on what just happened. Then my eyes landed on an envelope addressed to Eddie Castile stating that if Lissa had strange feeling about things like being followed or just something out of the ordinary that seemed dangerous. He should take her away from the academy and be on a run for awhile and then take her to Royal Court.

But I never seemed to have the guts to mail it. I know Eddie did swear to me when he saw me filling out the withdrawal sheet that he was going to look out for Lissa for me. Not to treat her as if he's her practice guardian but her sanctioned guardian.

Next thing I knew I slipped into Lissa's mind. I've been doing that at least once a day if she's alright.

She's asleep and dreaming about bright and pretty stuff when all of a sudden opened her eyes, astonished.

She seemed disoriented and then she looked at her hands as if she was seeing them for the first time.

"Lissa?" someone asked her, Christian touched her back lightly. "Are you alright?"

She raised her head from looking at her hands to him, tears building up her eyes. "Rose," she muttered quietly. And then she looked at her hands again, Rose, I miss you.

Then I left her mind, bewildered. What was that? Did she just notice that I was in her mind? That's impossible the bond only goes one way… right?

And where was she anyways. I was too distracted by the fact that she was noticing me in her mind to even actually see her whereabouts. The hazyness of the road on the background… does that mean she's in a car? Did she try and escape the academy? Or was it just a trip to the mall kind of thing. When I slipped into her mind she didn't really seem like she was in danger.

I jumped out of the bed and took the envelope and ran to the mailbox in front of the hotel. I didn't even hesitate anymore I just dropped the letter. The way she said my name was as if she needed my badly. Maybe when she learns about this letter she would know that even though I'm not looking out for her as a guardian, I'm still there for her as her best friend.

I had been in two states for the past two months, searching (more like hunting) for Dimitri or information about him. Searching for Strigoi who knows about him and might lead me to him. I only came across to three groups of Strigoi, two of the groups didn't really know anything about Dimitri or anything wrong with the world of vampires (the attacking Vampire Academy and massacring Royalties). They weren't also as trained as the other Strigoi that attacked the academy. They wanted to suck my blood dry that their hunger was their own demise and killed each other before I could even get my stake to do it myself.

The group which had four Strigoi, freaked me out so much that when they mentioned Dimitri as their hostage once I kind of flipped out and didn't really know what had happened next other than all of them died—I blacked out like what had happened a few weeks ago with Guardian Tanner.

After Oregon I'm going to drive to Idaho. Seriously I wouldn't believe they would be hiding in the south of the country. Where it would always be sunny? Now that would be insane. So that means for me, Arizona, California and Nevada are the states I don't need to search for.

I drive all night long just searching. When the sun is getting ready to rise I find a place to sleep, eat and all that other necessity things. And then go hunting again. That has been my life for the past month I don't really care anymore, I just need to find Dimitri, and I need to free him from his soulless lifestyle.

It's been three hours since I've been driving and for some damnable reason I've been having a killer head ache. And the fact that at times I feel like I'm lost, that I had the urge to look for signs or something to see where I am. Which I really don't get because I don't drive for landmarks or even care where I am, I drive by instinct.

Just as I was about to turn into another highway, I had that nauseating feeling crawled into my stomach and into my spine. Luckily, there was no car anywhere near me because I immediately halted into a stop that that ever was behind me would be in a terrible accident. I hastily turned into the opposite direction.

I was thanking myself that I was a better driver than I thought. Then I left my car on the side of the road. And ran as fast as I can to the direction my gut had told me. When my stomach clenched harder, I knew I was going to the right direction. Hoping and praying that this was it, the end of my search. Of course it could never be easy… but I can always dream.

As if someone out there heard my prayers I heard voices. I couldn't make out the words, but when I didn't understand if I was happy or not.

"If that novice just wants him, why won't we just give him stead of losing a lot of us?"

Then a cold chilling laugh was followed after a few moments of awkward silence, "Foolish boy, he is one of our best fighters. We can't throw him away like bait."

Definitely Dimitri. Or more likely Dimitri and me! But the weird thing is, I only killed about ten Strigoi within the past month. I mean ten isn't that bad especially if they had lost a lot more in the attack of the school.

"Why not, we have lost a lot already!" an older woman voiced agreed with the younger Strigoi.

"It doest matter!" the leader with the chilling laugh yelled that made the entire group quiet down. And also made me jump, which made a very loud noise since I stepped on a dry twig.

"Guess who we have here…."

I heard a swift movement towards me, and I was quick enough to reach for my stake and collide into something into its dead heart. And then I heard another attack coming at me so I used the dead Strigoi in my arms to throw it at him. I jumped out of the way when he threw the dead body back at me.

The next thing I knew I was surrounded by three Strigoi staring at my bare neck, lusting on my blood. But that didn't disturb me as much as the leader's face was someone that I had seen in the cave a few months ago. He had this evil grin on his face, he looked happy to see me. He was staring at my neck too, but he wasn't lusting over it. He looked amazed at my tattoos on my neck. Then comprehension had hit him, he knew who I am.

"I was wondering when I'd get to meet you, Rose. I thought we just got a lost little kitten. I didn't realize it was you." He had this look on his face that made me want to split his skull into two and I would love it.

"I'm glad," I paused as I held on tight to my stake ready for any attack. One little movement from them, they are dead. "That you want to meet me then."

"You're her? Killing all my brothers?" The youngest looking male in the group said in low voice. He was glowering at me and then clenched his teeth together making a horrible cringing sound.

"Enough!" The leader of the group hissed at the others who had started to make slow movements towards me. He took a huge step so he can get closer to me, he all of a sudden had welcoming warm smile on his face baring his fangs. "You should join us… I'll be glad to awaken you myself." His eyes slowly became a lighter color of red that didn't look threatening at all.

I thought about what he had said… and then I realized he was trying to compel me. Disgusted with myself I spat on the ground, "No!" I yelled trying to take myself off his compulsion. I was making sure I wasn't going to have any contact with his eyes anymore.

He growled the friendly look on his face disappeared in a second. He was probably pissed that I escaped his compulsion. His lips pulled back a little showing a dark smile, "He joined us you know…" he whispered that only I could hear.

"No, you compelled him… you made him join you."

He laughed a maniac echoing laugh, and then he stopped. He all of a sudden raised his arms in the air as if he was offering me a hug. "He begged for us to turn him. He wanted to be awakened…"

I was shaking my head the entire time he was talking. I couldn't believe what he was saying. I didn't want to believe it. It's impossible for that to happen. Dimitri would rather die than become an undead…---

One movement on my left jumping towards me, someone was taking advantage of my daydreaming. I ducked in just in time and kicked her in the gut making her fly a few inches off me hitting on of his companions. I stood up immediately and glared at their leader. "I would have believed you if your little minion over there didn't attack me!"

"I am nobody's minion! I go by my own rules!" The Strigoi that was clenching his teeth the entire time I was talking jumped to me and tried to slash my chest open, but I was too quick for him and stabbed his chest with my stake—not before he could scratch my side.

I pushed his lifeless body away from me and staggered a bit. And for a second I thought I was going to fall over. There was still two Strigoi left. I'm pretty sure I can take them. But for some reason my strength was falling and a little sting on my side was throbbing now. My hand touched the scratch and I realized that it wasn't just a scratch, but it was a huge cut on my side and I was bleeding like a waterfall.

"Amazing how sharp our nails can be… sometimes I forget and I behead one of my companions in a little fight for food." When he said that I noticed that the girl beside him was laying on the floor lifeless. He was taking a few steps towards me, with bloodlust in his eyes.

I staggered backwards again away from him. I was trying to stay conscious—trying to fight my slowly losing consciousness from loosing too much blood. This cant be it…. I can't give up! I have to be strong for Dimitri.

"Do you know how long it takes for a mortal to be unconscious after loosing too much blood?" and then he started explaining what I was feeling. "You're trying to fight it, but you know cant do it anymore. In a matter of seconds your eyes are going to close… and you aren't going to be able to open them. You are going to hear and feel everything that I am going to be doing…."

He was finally in front of me. I could feel his arms wrap around my huge wound. He was the only support I have. I couldn't even keep my balance. Then he hastily grabbed my side squeezing more blood from it. That even though I know I couldn't have the strength anymore, I yelled on the top of my lungs in pain.

I slowly opened my eyes, and I saw him lick his palm longingly. "Ah, I'll hand it to him. He always chooses the good tasting ones." I could feel him pull me closer to him, he leaned my head so my neck was bared to his lips. "I would gladly awaken you myself, if I don't suck your blood dry." He whispered against my neck.

As soon as I could feel his teeth sink into my neck, tears started to flow down my eyes. It wasn't because of the pain that I was feeling at the moment. It was because this is the end. I couldn't believe this is how I was going to die… My death was in the hands of someone else.

And then something hit me hard—a rush of emotions that was I didn't understand at all. It was a very messy emotion that was wanting my safety. But I didn't really think about it because I was already losing all my strength that the last thing I saw was flames and a bright light before darkness finally swallowed me.

a/n: dont forget to review :)