I got Foretold today! So excited :D I haven't started it yet; I'm going to wait til I'm in bed to read it :)

Thanks you guys for the reviews! Means a lot.

Also, I started a new RxD story if ye wanna check it out; It's called It's a Tough World Out There :)

Chapter 8

The majority of the faces were Moroi…but there were many Dhampirs as well. I didn't attack but I also didn't drop my guard. There were Moroi surrounding us. They weren't posing a massive threat but they were wary of us.

A man who looked as though he may be in his late thirties took a few steps closer. My guardian instincts started to kick in as I noticed the silver stake in his hand, ready to defend my small group if the need should arise.

He studied me closely before his eyes drifted back to Rose and Sydney.

I realised after a moment that he didn't regard myself or Rose's as a threat as he lowered his weapon slightly. He was carefully scrutinizing Sydney, and I have to say, I couldn't really blame him. I mean, how often do you come across two Dhampirs – well trained guardians at that – hanging out with an Alchemist.

Not that hanging out was exactly the correct term.

I didn't relax from my defensive position as he moved ever so slightly closer. Suddenly, he reached out toward Sydney and I moved to get in his path. I noticed after a second that Rose had done the same thing.

However, before I did, hands reached out and stopped both myself and Rose in our tracks. I was more than wary now. I was about to fight them off me but Sydney's voice stopped me.

"Wait," she said.

The man gripped her chin and I felt myself tense up.

"Lily-girl," he murmured quietly.

He turned his attention from Sydney to me and Rose.

"You're here to join us?" he asked, still looking quite unsure of us.

"We need shelter," Sydney answered him. "They're being chased by – by the Tainted."

Confusion rushed over me.

The Tainted? I had never heard that term before, but I trusted Sydney knew what she was doing.

A woman nearby spoke up. "More like spies for the Tainted."

"The Tainted Queen is dead," Sydney announced. She nodded her head towards Rose. "They think she did it."

So 'The Tainted' obviously was a strange term for Moroi and Dhampirs who lived in the modern world.

Rose and I both kept quiet, even though I could see the curiosity and confusion at what was going on in her eyes.

To my surprise, the man smiled at her words.

"And so, another usurper passes on. Is there a new one yet?" He asked.

"No," Sydney replied. "They'll have elections soon and choose."

A few mutters broke out around the group at the mention of the upcoming elections. These mutters were not like the ones so often heard at Court. These rumours were not full of excitement and anticipation. They were full of disgust and disdain.

"How else would they choose a new kind or queen?" Rose piped up.

A dhampir who was standing nearby the other woman who had spoken a while ago answered, "In the true way. The way it used to be, long ago. In a battle to the death."

Silence.

These people were groups of Moroi and Dhampir alike, hiding out and living in forests. They disliked the Royals, or anything to do with the system.

The man turned and walked down the path. We followed, still cautiously and the others followed too.

We didn't have to walk very long. We enter a clearing that was set up like a campground. There was a bonfire with people surrounding it. There were small structures around the edge of the clearing and spreading out further into the trees. The word huts came to my mind as I briefly studied them. They were small and shabby, much like the majority of the clothing on the people who were obviously living here.

Studying the place closer, I realised that the 'village' was situated at the base of a mountain. I could see many differently sized caves lining the base.

I moved my gaze back to the people sitting around the bonfire. Their chatting had stopped and they were all silent as they looked at us. There were just less than a dozen of them, but didn't look like any major threat. I was keeping a close eye on them anyway.

Shock hit my system when I noticed that not everyone here were Moroi and Dhampir. Humans were scattered around the place too, and had been previously chatting with the others. I kept my face neutral though, not letting anyone see how truly surprised I was.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose move slightly closer to Sydney. I was close enough to both of them to hear what they were talking about.

"What in God's name is all this?" she whispered to Sydney.

"The Keepers," Sydney answered her in a quiet voice.

So I was right; they were called Keepers, people who believed in ancient traditions of the Moroi ways, and had moved out into the wilderness to live the way they believed.

"Keepers? What does that mean?" Rose asked Sydney but the man who had greeted us answered.

"It means that unlike your people, we still keep the old ways, the way we truly should."

I strongly disagreed with the ways of these people. I knew that Rose did too; I just hoped that she could keep her mouth shut and not disagree with the people who may very well be saving our lives right now.

"Why are they here, Raymond?" A woman who was by the fire asked, her features illuminated by the bright light. She was human, I noticed. "Are they joining us?"

"No," the man named Raymond answered her. "The Tainted are after them for killing the Queen."

His logic wasn't correct but I let it go. I saw Rose about to deny his statement too but Sydney nudged her before she could say anything. I was glad. If we disagreed with them, I wasn't sure they'd let us stay for the time being.

The rest of the people in the clearing looked at the three of us in awe. Figures.

"We're giving them refuge," he continued, smiling brightly at us. "Although, you are welcome to join us and live here. We have room in the caves."

I would join them when hell froze over.

Despite my feelings, I kept all emotions from my face.

"We only need to stay here…" she trailed off, looking a little unsure. "A couple days probably."

That would probably be enough time to figure out and plan our next move.

"You can stay with my family," Raymond told us. "Even you." He said to Sydney.

"Thank you," she answered him. "We'd be grateful to spend the night at your house." I saw realisation and relief cross Rose's face as she realised that she wouldn't have to live in a cave for the next little while.

Before we were led to the place we would be staying, the 'community' felt it important to get to know us. I kept silent most of the time, unless a question was directed at me, but Rose and Sydney handled most of them.

The conversation was starting to get a little uncomfortable as people started to ask, how exactly, we had killed Queen Tatiana.

Fortunately, the woman who had spoken earlier joined us and led us away, all the while speaking to the group.

"Enough. It's getting late and I'm sure our guests are hungry."

Right on cue, I heard Rose's stomach rumble ever so slightly and a small smile graced my lips at the normality. No matter changed in our lives, Rose seemed to always stay the same.

The woman introduced herself as Sarah and led us down another path, similar to the one we had walked earlier.

As we were walking, Sarah turned to Sydney.

"Did you bring us anything?" she asked. I was intrigued. It must be some form of tradition.

"No," Sydney answered. "I'm just here to escort them."

"An important task," Sarah nodded.

"How long has it been since my people brought you anything?" Sydney asked her.

Sarah thought about her answer. "A few months."

Sydney looked a little troubled at this but didn't say anything.

I wondered why Sarah had asked Sydney this. I made a mental note to ask her when I got the chance.

We walked in silence as Sarah led us to a larger hut-like house. It was better than nothing and there had obviously been some effort put in to building it.

It was dark inside and Sarah lit one of those old-fashioned lanterns. I remembered Yeva, my grandmother having one of them in her room when I was young. She had never lit it though, there was no need to when we had electricity.

Pain engulfed once more as I thought of my family and all of the happy memories I had with them. They didn't know that I had been changed back…and I wasn't ready for them to know. They were much better off thinking I was dead.

Sarah nodded to one of the doors leading out of the kitchen/dining room, bringing me back to reality.

"You can sleep in the girls' room," she said.

"Thanks," Rose said, not looking entirely sure that she was thankful.

"Are you Raymond's housekeeper?" Rose asked Sarah.

I had always quite admired Rose's boldness…but I wasn't sure in this case. I was pretty sure Keepers didn't have housekeepers.

"I'm his wife," she answered but she smiled at her.

"Oh," was all Rose replied and I suppressed the urge to smile.

Sydney warned Rose with her eyes not to put her foot in her mouth again and to just keep quiet. I silently agreed that this was probably best.

A human married to a Moroi? I couldn't comprehend it.

Where Rose and I came from, it was unheard of. It had happened in the very beginning of time; that was how our race had been created in the first place. But things had changed since then, and human-Moroi relationships were unheard of.

Raymond entered the door of the 'house' with two children and a young woman, who looked a little older than Sydney and Rose, and a young male, who looked to be the same age as them.

We were introduced to the newcomers.

"I'm putting them in your room," Sarah told the young woman who had been introduced as Paulette. "The rest of you can share the loft."

Even though I disagreed with their ways, I immediately felt bad for putting them out of their rooms.

We don't want to inconvenience you," I said to them, speaking up at last. "We'll be fine out here." I said, indicating the living area.

"Don't worry about it," the young boy about Rose's age said, smiling at her. He had introduced himself as Joshua. "We don't mind. Angeline won't either."

"Who?" Rose asked the question that had popped into my head.

"My sister." He said. Now I felt really bad; there were even more of them.

"Thank you," said Sydney. "We appreciate it. And we really won't be staying long."

"Too bad," the Joshua boy said. I felt like hitting him for some reason.

"Stop flirting, Josh," Sarah scolded him. "Do you three want something to eat before bed? I could warm up some stew. We had it earlier with some of Paulette's bread."

"No need," Rose jumped in quickly; making me wonder was she was not eager to eat for once. "I'd just be fine with bread."

"Me too," I said. I didn't want to cause them any more trouble than we already had.

They showed us to our room and brought in a loaf of bread along with a bowl of butter.

The room wasn't very big but it would do the three of us for a couple of days.

The Keepers had placed two extra mattresses on the floor with unusually patterned quilts laid neatly on top.

"It reminds me of some of the designs I saw in Russia," Rose said, running her hand across the designs on one of the quilts.

I looked at the detail threads that ran throughout the thick duvet.

"Similar," I told her. "But not quite the same."

"It's the evolution of the culture," Sydney spoke. "Traditional Russian patterns brought over and eventually fused with a typical Americana patchwork quilt form."

"Um, good to know." Rose said. I almost laughed, knowing that she hadn't a clue what Sydney had just said.

"Are you ready to explain who the hell these people are?" Rose asked Sydney, lowering her voice after looking at the closed door warily.

"The Keepers." Sydney answered her.

"Yeah, I got that. And we're the Tainted. Sounds like a better name for Strigoi."

"No, Strigoi are the Lost." Sydney explained to her. "You're the Tainted because you joined the modern world and left behind their backward ways for your own messed up customs."

"Hey," Rose said unhappily, her voice getting slightly louder. "We're not the ones with overalls and banjos."

"Rose," I warned her, giving a pointed look at the door. If we wanted to stay it was so important to not insult them – especially when it came to their customs and way of life. "Be careful. And besides, we only saw one person in overalls."

"If it makes you feel better, I think your ways are better." Sydney said. "Seeing humans mixing with all this…It's disgusting. No offense."

"None taken," Rose replied. "Trust me, I feel the same way. I can't believe…I can't believe they live like that." She said sounded shocked.

Sydney nodded along in agreement. I just watched them; it was strange to see them actually agree on something for the first time. "I like you guys sticking with your own kind better. Except…" Sydney trailed, looking a little apprehensive to finish her sentence.

"Except what?" Rose asked her.

"Even if the people you come from don't marry humans, you do still interact with them and live in their cities. These guys don't."

"Which Alchemists prefer," I guessed. "You don't approve of this group's customs, but you do like having them conveniently stashed out of mainstream society."

Sydney nodded to me.

"The more vampires who stay off on their own in the woods, the better – even if their lifestyle is crazy. These guys keep to themselves – and keep others out."

"Through hostile means?" Rose asked her.

"Hopefully not too hostile," she replied.

"They let you through," I said to her. "They know the Alchemists. Why did Sarah ask about you bringing them things?"

"Because that's what we do," she answered. "Every so often for groups like these, we drop of supplies – food for everyone, medicine for the humans. The thing is, if Sarah's right, they could be due for an Alchemist visit. That would just be our luck to be here when that happens."

I could see the dilemma. The best we could hope for was that we'd get lucky and that the Alchemists would show up while we were still here.

"Wait," Rose said, thinking over what Sydney had just said. "You said 'groups like these.' How many of these commune things are out there?" Rose turned to me. "This isn't like the Alchemists, is it? Something only some of you know about that you're keeping from the rest of us?"

I shook my head, confirming what she had said. "I'm as astonished by all of this as you are."

"Some of your leaders probably know about the Keepers in a vague way," Sydney said, "But no details. No locations. These guys hide themselves pretty well and can move on a moment's notice. They stay away from your people. They don't like your people."

Rose sighed quietly. "Which is why they won't turn us in. And why they're so excited I might have killed Tatiana. Thanks for that, by the way."

"It gets us protection. Such as it is." Sydney said and then tried to cover a yawn. "But for now? I'm exhausted." She looked it. "I'm not going to be able to follow anyone's crazy plans – yours or Abe's – if I don't get some sleep."

I wasn't sure how Rose wanted to do this. I would offer to look over them both if she wanted to get some sleep like Sydney. Whatever we decided, I wasn't going to leave them unguarded in such a strange place that we knew next to nothing about.

I looked at Rose and she looked at me to form a plan.

"Shifts?" She suggested.

I nodded, deciding that this was probably the best way; this way we could all get some sleep and stay protected.

"You go first, and I'll-" I was cut off by the door being flung open.

I leapt up, as did Rose, ready to attack.

A young dhampir stood in the doorway, glaring at us. She looked about fifteen…and extremely pissed off.

"So, you're the big heroes taking my room."

"Angeline?" Rose guessed.

She narrowed her eyes at Rose. "Yes."

She studied Rose and then moved to me. She looked very suspicious.

"I don't believe it," she stated, looking back at Rose. "You're too soft. Too prim."

If I had to pick one word to describe Rose…prim would be one of the last words to ever enter my head.

"Looks are deceiving," Rose said, shrugging her shoulders and pretending not to look bothered about being called 'soft'. I could see the anger hidden in her eyes though.

"Yes, they are." Angeline replied, glaring at Rose. She then stalked over to an old chest in the corner and pulled out some nightclothes. "You better not mess up my bed," she warned Rose. "I don't care what you do to Paulette's." she said to Sydney.

"Is Paulette you sister?" Rose asked her.

Personally, I didn't see how this could offend anyone. But then again, I wasn't used to their ways.

"Of course not," she said and slammed the door angrily when she left.

Rose stared after her in ashtonishment.

Sydney yawned and lay down on one of the beds. "Paulette is probably Raymond's…eh, I don't know. Mistress. Concubine."

"What?" Rose exclaimed. I was just as taken aback as she was. "Living with his family?"

"Don't ask me to explain it. I don't want to know any more about your twisted ways than I have to."

"It's not my way," Rose said defensively.

Sydney said no more and got settled for bed. Sarah came in shortly and apologised for her daughter's behaviour. We assured her we were fine and thanked her. She left us shortly after that to get some rest.

Rose and I decided that I would take first watch while she got some sleep.

She snuggled into the bed, and before long, both she and Sydney were asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

As soon as I was on my own, I let my thoughts about my family travel back to me. I felt pain and for the first time in days, I embraced it.