CHAPTER 2

I was on a smooth white beach, in a turquoise bikini and ripped denim shorts that complimented my frizzy, curly orange hair. Adrian was walking towards me. When he saw me, he stopped. "Whoa, baby. Turn the sexy down," he laughed. I glared at him distastefully until he awkwardly stopped laughing and became really uncomfortable. This put an evil grin on my face. Then I looked around at the beautiful surroundings, mad that I couldn't do that.

"Fucking hell, how do you do it?"

"C'mon, Amy. You should know this," he smirked.

"I do, I just can't do it." He looked puzzled, so I elaborated. "It's like I'm paraplegic or some shit. I know how to walk, I just can't."

"Calm down, calm down." Grumbling something about needing a drink, I sat down on the sand. He clicked his fingers and a glass of Shiraz appeared in me hands. "Okay, now you're just being mean."

"No, I'm not. Once you can dreamwalk, you can do stuff like that. Or that," another glass appeared in my other hand. "Or even… that."

"Adrian." I was fighting to not scream at him. "There's a bottle of gin. In my cleavage."

"I know that," he smirked. "I put it there."

"If you're trying to flirt, you just fucked up," I informed him. I pulled the bottle out of my bikini and threw it into the water, then smashed the glasses together. I knew that if you died in a dream walking dream, you woke up. I took a very large shard of glass and drove it into my chest, with Adrian protesting frantically.

When I woke up, it was turning light, which meant that most moroi would be going to bed around now. Including Adrian. Time for payback; but I needed to practise first. I knew of two other vampires who not only knew about dream walks, but they knew Adrian and they knew what he did. Lissa Dragomir and Rose Hathaway.

Conjuring up an image of Lissa's church attic hideout and a hell of a lot of concentration, I closed my eyes and found myself in the setting I had imagined, with Lissa staring at me in utter bewilderment. She knew that only spirit users could dreamwalk, and only moroi could use spirit. I wasn't moroi, which probably completely caught her off guard.

"Ah! Hello, Lissa. I'm visiting you because you're a spirit user, too. Yes, I know. I'm human. It's a long story, but in a few words: I'm shadowkissed, my moroi godfather brought me back, he transferred his powers to me, etcetera, etcetera." I didn't think her eyes or mouth could open any wider, but they did when I went on my next rambling. "And hello to Rose, too. I know you're in there." I tapped my temple with my fingers. "You got pulled in by her surprise, didn't you?"

"What the fuck?" Lissa almost never swore. I knew that. So I must have really surprised her. I mean really. Then things started going blurry.

"Shit. Sorry I surprised you so much. Rose, you better get back to sleep because I'm coming to you next. By-"my farewell got cut off by me coming back to reality. I looked outside and I knew that it was around noon. That was midnight for the vampire world, so I gathered some more concentration and focused on Rose's little cabin by the lake on the grounds of Vladimir's Academy.

Closing my eyes once more I felt someone touch my arm. Rose. "How did you do that? I mean, how did you know that I was in Lissa's mind?"

"I don't mean to brag. Actually, sometimes, it's the shittest gift in the world. I know everything."

Looking at me sceptically, she edged her way to the bed and then realized that there was no mattress on it, as always. I focused really hard on a plush blue mattress and clicked my fingers. It didn't work. I tried again, but I was losing concentration.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Shut up" I growled. I drew all of my focus to one point, just behind me eyes. Then I sent all of my power zinging down my arm as I snapped my fingers again. This time, a bright blue and white striped futon appeared on the wire frame. It had drained me; I stumbled over to my creation and collapsed.

"Are you okay?" she sounded worried, even though she didn't know me.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "just a little tired." She sat down on the bed next to me, and after a pause, put her hand on my arm.

"Thanks." She sighed.

"For what? I didn't do anything besides nearly knock myself out."

"For bringing me back here. I know you probably knew this, but this little cabin doesn't exist in reality. It got blown up by strigoi."

"I thought you'd like it. Oh shit, not again! Bye Rose. I'll visit you again, kay?" The setting had gone blurry once more, and a few seconds later, I found myself in reality.