I am with Internet! It's not a very good connection, but it's there :D Been fighting with it since yesterday, and it finally worked long enough to get this up. Don't have much for you in this chapter, but you'll get more when I get home. The next 5 chapters are done, and there's lots of drama coming up :O
Ahh, just got online in time yesterday to see Danila finish filming :'( No more cute pictures. But the last one he just put up is like ^.^ And finally we see Duster! *.* And the pic of him and Zoey, so cute! I love them ^.^ So sad they've all finished filming now though. No more cute pics :( But hopefully official pics and trailers soon! Can't wait for Blood Sisters!

Anyway, I'll shut up now. *Disclaimer: Still don't own it.*

Getting back to the school was a bit of an anticlimax. Sitting on a bus for hours, our excitement faded away. Then, getting back into school grounds proved just as easy as getting out. Summer was waiting for us by the gap in the fence, and she grabbed the bag her sister passed her before running off to her dorm. It was still light outside, and we were a good 40 minutes away from sunset, and danger.

Our own dorm security guy had nodded off into his magazine, and didn't notice the door opening and 8 kids running past him up the stairs. I guess he thought nobody would be up this early in the Moroi morning. We went to mine and Sophia's room, since it was the biggest, on the top floor, and actually clean (no thanks to me).

After shutting the door behind Jet, I went and flopped down on the bed.

"Well, that was easy."

They all murmured in agreement.

"Seriously, the school should get some psi-hounds or something. Then it might give us a bit of a challenge." Mason joked. Well, I think he was joking.

"Alright, everyone just drop your stuff here and go to bed. I swear I'm going to pass out otherwise." Sophia said weakly.

Concerned, I headed to the mini fridge to fetch an emergency bag of blood for her. She'd used a lot of Spirit, and I was worried she would actually pass out. I checked her emotions, but she didn't seem too depressed or anxious. The pills were doing their job. I was so glad she'd been able to get some that dimmed the negative effects, but still allowed her to use her magic. That kept her happy in itself.

By the time I'd cut the top of the pouch and found a straw, everyone apart from Jet had left. Apparently she wasn't too tired for a good night kiss.

"Push off, Jet. She needs her beauty sleep."

Jet smiled indulgently at Sophia. "Nah, she's beautiful already. You, on the other hand..." He looked me up and down appraisingly.

"It must be exhausted from the effort of looking so scorchingly sexy every day. Of course you wouldn't understand that concept. Off you fuck."
I shooed him out the door, but not before he blew one last kiss to Sophia.

I didn't wake up until almost midday, and only then because my stomach was growling so loudly (lol mine just did :P). I shook Sophia awake, and we both got dressed.

We were meeting everyone for lunch in the cafeteria before they were to head up to our room for the celebrations. It was actually the twins' birthdays today. Since we'd have company, I made an extra effort to actually make my bed. Sophia looked shocked when she came out of the bathroom and saw me fluffing pillows.

"You realise it's a birthday and not the end of the world, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. But when trying to attract a member of the opposite sex, one does not want to look like a slob. And the bed is kinda a key area." I winked.

Sophia shook her head, but I could see she was smiling. She didn't say anything.

My stomach growled again, and I gave my hair a final check in the full-length mirror before opening the door.

"After you, Miss. Dragomir."

Down in the cafeteria, I took my loaded plate over to the table. Mason was already sporting a huge '15 today' badge that he kept catching his fork on as he tried to eat. He didn't seem to realise why the fork was empty by the time it reached his mouth. I didn't bother trying to help him. It seemed that reaching a new age hadn't improved his intelligence any.

Fortunately, since I didn't want to get food flicked on me by the rogue fork, my seat was closer to Marina than her brother, so I greeted her first.

"Hey, happy birthday! Excited?" I asked as I sat down opposite her.

She nodded, not saying anything since she was still chewing her apple. Since that was all she had on her plate, I guessed she was saving herself for the feast up in my room. All the girls were doing the same, except me. I could out-eat Mason, which was saying something.

Once she had swallowed, she spoke.
"It's gonna be an epic party. With yesterday..." she trailed off glancing furtively around, "today's party, and getting mom and dad's present later, it will be the best."

"Good luck. My birthday's coming up soon, so that'll be even better. You'll have your work cut out trying to beat my work, though." Every year we'd organise each other's birthdays, taking it in turns. This one had been mine to plan.

Marina and Mason should actually have been in the year below, but Mia and Eddie had been called away on a year-long tour to promote Moroi fighting the year when the rest of us started school. They couldn't get out of it, so St. Vladimir's offered to take the twins a year early. Apparently the school had been worried Mia and Eddie would settle down out of America, meaning the twins would attend a different Academy. St. Vlad's didn't want to lose out on the chance to teach the children of those 2- a famous Royal Guardian and a Moroi at the helm of the offensive magic movement, which had now been successfully instated as a result of that trip.

Just then, someone came to stand behind Marina. It was Angelo, the sexy Hispanic Dhampir she'd had a crush on for years but only recently admitted. I forced myself to hold in a smile, else I'd give it away.

"Marina", was all he said, but it made her jump about half a mile in her seat.

"Uh, hi, Angelo. Um, what do you..." She trailed off, blushing a bright red. She was normally so confident around everyone, it was funny to see her out of her depth.
Angelo seemed to notice this too, and fought to keep a smile of his own off his face.
Not a laughing-at-your-discomfort smile, but a it's-so-cute-that-you're-nervous smile. With a hint of his own nervousness, too.

He was so into her.

"I just wanted to wish you happy birthday. 15, right?" He'd turned 16 a couple of weeks back.

She nodded, seeming incapable of speech. His smile grew.

"Well, here. I saw this and it reminded me of you. Happy birthday."
He picked her hand up from where it lay on the table, caressing it slightly before placing a small, blue wrapped package on her palm.

"I- thank you." She looked up at him with a smile, before looking back at the present in her hand. When she looked up again, Angelo was already walking away.

"He laiiiikes you." I teased.

She shot me a warning glare as she began to unwrap his present. One the paper was ripped, something slivery slipped into her hand.

Holding it up, I saw it was a necklace. The blue stone was the exact colour of Marina's eyes; it was clear why it had reminded him of her. The small hallmark on the chain showed it was real silver.

"He really likes you, Mari." I repeated, not joking this time. She looked stunned, like she believed it too.

As she put it on, I looked across the hall to see Angelo watching her. When he caught my eye, he smiled and gave a small shrug. I winked back.

I had a feeling that the rest of the day would be just as great.

When we all met up at my room again, we sat in a circle with the presents in the middle. Marina and Mason took it in turns opening presents, which took about an hour. It would have taken most people longer, but the twins seemed to have a special talent for ripping paper open in record time. How Marina's manicure stayed intact, I'll never know. Then again, I thought that every time she hit someone, too.

It was a great haul of presents, the most memorable being a Bobbi Brown make-up kit for Marina and new iPad for Mason. He did like the comedy gifts as well, though.

"Woo! I have 2 dicks now! Whaddaya think, Ladies?" Mason shouted after opening my present. The others recoiled from the swinging chocolate penis, but I managed a mask of shock.

"What, you mean you have another one hidden somewhere? Honey, your chode doesn't count." I teased.
After a moment's thought, Mason pulled on his 'may contain nuts' boxers over his jeans.
"Aah, I see. Of course."

Once all the presents were opened and it looked like a wrapping paper bomb had exploded in the room, the twins stacked their stuff in a corner and came back to the circle. Sophia and I rejoined them a minute later with trays and bowls of food.

Ash grinned. "Right, what shall we play first?"

Well, that's all for now. Next chappie up when I get reliable internet again, probably when I'm home. Until then, go drool over Danila pictures ;)

S'laters :)