So here's chapter 11!
Disclaimer: I don't own VA or any of the characters from it.
Chapter 11
"She's been out for a while. Is everything alright?" I heard the same loving voice I loved.
"Yeah, she's fine. Just out cold. Look, this is too much for her. She's just a girl though," There was another voice. When I had the strength, I started to wake and move.
"Rose, how are you feeling?" I turned to Dimitri.
"I'm fine…" I told him, starting to get out of bed. Dr. Olendski was in the room.
"Rose…" She started.
"I'm fine! I'm totally fine!" I spoke louder. I grabbed my clothes, got dressed and left the room. To say I wasn't pissed still was a lie though.
"Where are you going?" Dimitri cut me off before I walked out the room.
"To get reality hit into me," I stormed out but Dimitri stopped me again.
"What? I'm not going to let you get hurt if that's what you're planning to do," I pulled away from him. If I knew Ryan well enough by now, then I knew where he was. I started to head towards the training grounds. "Rose, listen to me!" I turned to him, glaring.
"Are you mad at me because I found out without your permission?" He asked calmly.
"No, I'm not. I just need to talk to Ryan. I'll be alright," I walked towards Ryan, but Dimitri wouldn't let me go so Ryan saw the two of us.
"Rose…I heard," He told me. I scoffed a bit and then slapped him. "What the hell was that?"
"Yeah, what the hell was that?" Dimitri yelled. Suddenly, Ryan slapped me back.
"There! Feel better?" He demanded.
"What the-" I looked at Dimitri and sighed. "Was that what you meant by reality hit into you?" I gripped my fist and attacked Dimitri. "Woah!" Dimitri wrestled with me until he pinned me to the ground. "Snap out of it! I know you're hurt, but this isn't the right way to go about it," I didn't bother in resisting. Ever since that day, nothing felt the same. It was like who I thought I was, that was all gone. "Rose, look at me!" He turned my face to him. I was sniffing and holding back tears but I could tell he sensed fear throughout my body. "You're…scared…" I broke free and ran. Thing was, he wasn't following me. I didn't want him to follow me. I didn't want anyone to see this. Time passed and I kept running, not out of the school though, just enough to drive myself crazy. Finally, I came by the hedge maze in the school garden. There was a rumor saying no one had figured how to get out of it once they got in.
"Rose!" Dimitri grabbed my wrist. "That's enough. Don't go in there. You'll get hurt," He warned me.
"Look, back there, you showed me that right now, the only thing running through your mind is fear. You're scared and confused and hurt and I understand that, but you have to calm down," I pushed him away. It was wrong for me to do that, but right now, I just had myself at this point. I ran into the hedge maze and Dimitri followed. When I turned back though, no one was there. When I ran back to where I entered though, the exit wasn't there. I turned back towards the direction I was walking in earlier though and suddenly the path wasn't there. Was this thing alive or something? I started to run through it, paths and paths and soon, I was completely lost. God, things couldn't have gotten any worse.
"ROSE!" I turned to the voice. "Say something!" It was Dimitri.
"Where are you?" I started to panic.
"Just follow my voice!" I started to run. I ran rounds after rounds and soon I found Dimitri as I exited the maze. Behind him though, was my father. Not Abe, but my real father. Dimitri somehow was being held captive.
"What's the meaning of this…?" I asked warily. I saw Dimitri growling at my father. "Let him go," I warned my father.
"Not until I get something in return," He told me.
"And that would be for me to go to you," He nodded at my answer. "Then release Dimitri first," I told him. Dimitri gave me a look of disappointment.
"Roza, don't! I'll be fine," He yelled.
"You know it doesn't work that way," My father told me. I growled as my fangs started to form again. "So you found about that little secret, huh?" My father smirked.
"Yeah, no thanks to you. Let Dimitri go, father," I growled.
"Father? Oh, so I do have some respect from you. No, I can't do that, sweetheart," He said in a sickening way.
"You need me a whole lot more than you need Dimitri. If I'm not going to you, your plan will never fly off the ground," I argued back.
"Fine. Let him go," They pushed Dimitri towards me and I untied his hands.
"What are you doing?" Dimitri scolded me.
"Saving you," I sunk my fangs into his neck and drank from him. Ironically, Dimitri even held me when I kept drinking. When I had enough, I stopped and Dimitri, from lack of blood and strength, stumbled to the ground.
"Sweetheart, it's time to come home," My father spoke. I smirked and turned at him. Dimitri's blood ran down the side of my mouth and my father was shocked. "You made a deal!" He yelled. Using a newfound strength, I ran and tackled one of my father's henchmen, killing them without hesitation. Bloodlust ran through me as adrenaline pumped through my body. Whoever was bold enough to hurt Dimitri would go through me, even my father. My father sparred with me and we attacked each other. "I don't have time for this little girl," Suddenly he pinned me and bit deep into me.
"Roza!" Dimitri yelled. My body slowly stopped moving as I was paralyzed.
"That's better now," My father spoke. When he leaned down to pick me up though, a barrier protected me. "Just give up you insolent girl!" He demanded. My father started to hit the barrier with intents of breaking it. As the barrier stayed strong, my body grew weak.
"Get off of her!" Dimitri came to rescue me. "Get out of here now before I kill you," he threatened my father and being a coward, my father backed off quickly. "Roza!" Dimitri bent down to me. I pushed myself up.
"You want to be my father?" I looked at my father. He looked back. "Then act like one!" My father looked away. "You're using me to be your own weapon! Look at you! Did you think that I wasn't a normal person anymore just because you created me to be a tool for you? Who do you think I am?" I took off running again.
"Rose!" Dimitri came after me and cut me off. A snarl escaped from me and Dimitri put his hands up.
"Woah, there. It's just me. It's just me," I had to escape. I tried to move around him but Dimitri wouldn't have it. "It's alright. It's just me. It's just me, sweetheart. Fight it back. You're not like this," He told me. My heart pounded and adrenaline kept pumping through me. Soon, my vision blacked out but I wasn't falling. I tried to move but I heard Dimitri's voice.
"I can't see…Dimitri!" Suddenly someone grabbed me and I screamed.
"Rose, it's me!" I shook and tried to fight my way out. "Rose, stop moving. You'll get your vision back when you calm down. That's how it worked last time," I struggled more and more. I couldn't stop. "Rose, snap out of it!" I felt tears stream down my face at this point.
"Rose!" I heard another voice and moved away from it. "What's going on with her?"
"She can't see. She's totally freaked out," I started moving again.
"Rose! It's Abe, can you hear me?" I growled at the voice.
"Abe, don't corner her by any means!" I just ran in a direction and took off like the wind. "ROZA!" Suddenly I ran into a person and fell to the ground. I scrambled to get up, but something was snagged onto me.
"Let go!" I screamed.
"Rose, it's me. It's Dimitri. Just take it easy," I growled at him and suddenly I felt him kiss me. "Take it easy, you'll be okay. You're just on edge. Listen to me. You can't see anything right now, but I'm going to get you to lie on top of me. Got it?" I nodded. Gently, he let me down and I felt his chest moving underneath me. "You okay so far?" I nodded again.
"Yeah," I closed my eyes. He started taking deep breaths so that I was moving up and down on top of him. Somehow, it soon calmed me and I relaxed.
"Now, open your eyes," I slowly opened my eyes and my vision was back. I saw Dimitri underneath me, smiling gently. "See? Now that wasn't too bad, was it? You just have to trust me. That's all there is to it," He sat up and I sat up with him. All the while, he kept brushing my hair, keeping me calm.
"Are you okay? Are you calm now?" I nodded but then shook my head.
"So you're okay, but not calm yet?" I nodded. When I got off of Dimitri, I had a hard time balancing myself.
"Shh…it's going to be okay. Just take it easy and you can take one of your pills when we get back. Climb on," He pointed to his back. I climbed on and he gave me a piggy back ride back to his room. Somewhere in the middle though, I stopped talking. "Rose? Hey, rose!" Dimitri shook me and I opened my eyes again.
"What?" I was tired.
"Oh, nothing. I thought you passed out. We're almost back. Once you take your medication you can go to bed," After a while, we headed back to his room where he gave me the pills and a glass of water. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked. I laughed quietly.
"No. I'm not okay. But even if I'm not, I have to be. That's how it always works, doesn't it?" I put down the glass of water and Dimtri gave me a firm look.
"Please don't say that. Rose, you're still a child so it's alright if you have to give in a bit. You don't need to have a brave front for me," He brushed my hair aside.
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for myself. Right now, nothing's keeping me grounded. I get confused, scared, angry, happy, and every other emotions within seconds and then I lose it," Dimitri hugged me.
"Shh…it's alright. I'm here. That's what I've always been here for. Look, get some rest and we can talk about this later," I laid down on the bed and sighed. Dimitri sat at his desk and started doing some paperwork. When he caught me staring, he stopped working. "Roza, sweetheart, get some rest. You need it," I didn't answer him as he started working again. I just simply stared. There was something about him working that just captured my attention.
"Dimitri?" I called his name.
"Hm?" He acknowledged me while working.
"Can I have your duster?" He looked at me now, confused.
"Sure," He tossed it to me as I draped it over myself.
"Are you cold?" I shook my head and curled up. The scent of his duster was as strong as a sedative. Soon, clinging on tightly to Dimitri's duster, I fell asleep quickly.
Few hours later…
I gasped as I woke up. That dream again, that illusion. Abe's test for Dimitri had become a problem as I had nightmares without end about Dimitri turning into a Strigoi. I wasn't going to let it be true no matter what. As I looked in the room I was in, particularly Dimitri's room, no one was in but me. Where was Dimitri? I looked on the desk and saw a note.
My dear Roza,
I had an errand to run and you were still asleep. If I'm not back by the time you wake up, go eat dinner without me. You have my phone number. Call me if something comes up and you need me back.
Dimitri
I read the note carefully again. What errand was he running? I laid in bed as I just waited. I had an uneasy feeling after the dream and I wasn't going to go off without him. When I got out of bed, the uneasy feeling lingered. I started to pace and before I knew it, I opened the door and left. My mind was telling me that I had to go find Dimitri. Something was wrong so I started to get dressed and leave. I didn't even know where to start looking so I looked around before I left school grounds.
"My, that's not a smart idea," I turned the minute I stepped outside of the wards and my father was there waiting for me.
"Leave. Me. Alone," I hissed at him. "Where's Dimitri?" I asked.
"Dimitri? Why would I know?" He smiled.
"That dream…that dream's just a dream…" My father brushed my face and I shuddered.
"Is it?" He asked. I started to panic.
"I need…I need to find Dimitri…" I looked around my father.
"Belikov, time for you to show yourself," Dimitri stepped out from the shadows with red eyes. I flinched and moved away quickly.
"Dimitri…please…don't…" I started to cry.
"Roza…I'm sorry…" He started to walk towards me. When he hugged me, I tensed.
"You're so cold…" I felt his face. My strength left quickly and soon my knees gave out. Dimitri held me tight as I felt my heart break piece by piece.
"Roza! Get away from there!" I turned and saw Dimitri behind the school wards. Why were there two Dimitris? Because my legs had given out though, I couldn't move. I used my arms to push but the Strigoi version of Dimitri simply hugged me tight.
"Let go of me!" I screamed. The Dimitri from the school wards stepped out and pulled out his stake.
"Close your eyes!" I followed the command and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, the Dimitri that was standing next to me was gone. What the hell? I turned and saw my father and the real Dimitri.
"Come back to me, love," I ran with all my might to Dimitri but my father restrained me.
"This time, I win," My father started to drag me back but I used everything I could to get out of his grasp. Dimitri came at my father and tried to tackle him, but my father had his head at my neck, ready to bite. "It's time you came with me, sweetheart. Summoning portal!" A portal opened and I started to fight more.
"Rose!" Dimitri called out. My father stopped so I could see Dimitri probably what would be the last time. "It's alright. No more fighting. I'll find you. I promise," After that, my dad pushed me into the portal and it closed after him. We ended up in a house where a group of Strigoi was waiting for my dad to return.
"Is her room prepared?" A Strigoi nodded and my father walked me up to the room. By this time, I had gotten out of my father's grip but nothing could be done. I had no idea where I was.
"Rose, it's time for you to get some rest. Kevin, look after her and make sure she doesn't escape," My father warned as he left my room, locking the door behind him. I stood to the farthest corner away from Kevin. From the looks of it, he was older than my brother. If I had to take a guess, early twenties would be my guess. The Strigoi watched me carefully but I had no intention to get any closer. He simply looked at me with curiosity and interest.
"You should really listen to your father. Get some rest. I promise, I won't hurt you," He spoke to me in a careful manner, almost as if to not frighten me anymore.
"I can't trust you. You're a Strigoi," I growled. He sighed and came closer to me. Rather than approaching me though, he laid down on my bed and stared at me from there.
"I work for your father, but I have no intention of hurting you whether you believe it or not," I didn't talk anymore. As Kevin looked at me, I looked away. "I'm just looking at you. I'm not going to compel you to do something. Just look at me," I closed my eyes and sat in the closet. "Well, you're pretty stubborn," He told me. Just what was his intention? I gulped and stood up slowly. Kevin's eyes were closed, but they slowly opened again. He moved over on the bed, leaving me room. But he now completely ignored me, probably for the reason I wasn't giving him any attention at all. His back was to me, however, which gave me time. I started to look for a way out. As I saw a window, I snuck over, trying to open it. Kevin dashed out of bed and growled at me. "Don't make this go the wrong way," He warned me clearly. Fire burned in my eyes and I had every intention to escape. As I tried to punch him though, he grabbed my hand and started to tighten his grip. I gasped in pain and he let go.
"I'm faster and I'm stronger than you. You try to pull another move, and I can kill you instantly," He slammed me against the wall and bound my hands with just his grip. I looked away and suddenly he hugged me. "I know you don't want to be here. But your father needs your help. It won't make things easy if you keep fighting your way out," He advised me.
"I'm not going to help him!" I yelled back.
"You don't have a choice in the matter anymore. Your destiny was decided the day you were born," He told me.
"I don't believe in destiny, or fate, or whatever. This is my life. I'll live it the way I want to live it whether people like it or not," I told him. As I tried to get to the window again, Kevin threw me across the room.
"Stop. Now," He warned me a second time around. Finally I stormed out of the room. "Rosemarie!" He yelled after me. I was going to escape no matter what. I didn't care where I was, but I had to leave. As I made my way to the front door, my father's voice stopped me.
"Hold it. Where do you think you're going?" He asked cynically.
"Home. I'm going home!" I opened the door, but he closed it as fast as he could.
"No, this is your home now. I spent so much time trying to get you here. I won't let you leave easily," He told me. I turned around and pushed him away.
"You can't keep me here forever!" I yelled. He totally ignored me though. When I opened the door again, he let me go. As I tried to leave though, I walked into what seemed to be an invisible barrier.
"Like I said, I'm not letting you go back easily," He told me again.
"Spell Error!" The magic spell rebounded and failed to work. I started to slam into it seeing if I could physically break it. Nothing worked. My father had me trapped in a bubble and I didn't see myself going anywhere anytime soon.
"Rosemarie, come back inside and rest," I turned to see Kevin standing, waiting for me. I walked away from him. When I was far enough away, I just yelled.
"DAMN IT!" I slammed the barrier once more, but as expected, it didn't budge. The house had a big backyard so I could still move freely to an extent. When I looked at the back yard, there was a huge garden. Well, if it was one thing I was sure about, it was the fact that my father apparently was a rich man. As I walked, there was a maze similar to the school so I entered it.
"Rosemarie, come back here!" Kevin called after me.
"Seal!" A magic spell sealed the entrance to the maze so that no one would be able to enter.
"Rosemarie!" Kevin called out again. I started to wander through the maze. However, I had no intention of solving the maze. I simply wanted to work my way around, to memorize every detail and dead end in case I ever needed to escape again should anything actually work. As I was walking though, the leaves from the hedge started to move and seal up the path I was walking in. This maze had a spell on it too, similar to the one back at the school. I turned around and went in another direction. Soon, it started to get dark outside so I started looking for a way out. Unfortunately, after many turns, I had no idea which side I was even on.
"Seal, release!" I yelled out. I heard the entrance reopen, but the problem was, the place the sound was coming from was different. Did the entrance shift as well? I started to jog around the maze. Nothing. I couldn't find the exit or the entrance despite the seal being released. Shit.
So, Rose is stuck in a hedge maze again. Oh dear. Who's going to rescue her? Where did Kevin go when she needed him the most? Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Thanks!