I hope no one looses their faith in my story. I have gotten a couple reviews saying that they were pretty disappointed in my decision of letting Rose losing her hearing. However, those people fail to realize my genious in writing! Lol. Please, don't give up on me yet. I have plans, and you will see my plans in this chapter, so please, stick with me. ;)

He just waltzed right in- and then I felt nauseated and something hard struck me as soon as Mason walked in. If it wasn't for my guardian reflexes, I would have fallen down on the ground. I turned around to face my opponent, and reached down to my pant pocket-

Shit, this wasn't good. I was still in that damn bathrobe that Dimitri, no doubt, put me in. I had no weapon to kill this monster. I looked around, and found a good, sturdy, twenty-four inch wooden branch. And it was an a few yards away. It only took me a quick second to see my new weapon, and I immediately turned my attention back on the strigoi, who had his full attention on me.

I got into my defensive position, giving him my meanest glare. I don't appreciate being pushed. The strigoi glared right back at me, then his mouth started moving like he was talking to me.

"Mase, what is he saying." I said, not taking my eyes off of the strigoi.

"He says that you are psycho."

Me? I almost snorted; okay- maybe sometimes when spirit darkness gets to be too much.

"Me? Sunny, I think you got it wrong. You are the one that kills for a living."

The strigoi dropped his defensive position and started shaking in laughter. I took that as my distraction and took off for my stick. I reached the stick, and bent down to retrieve it when the strigoi came up on me, yanking me down on the ground by my hair.

I think I screamed out in pain, because he was pulling so hard, I felt my scalp pull.

He slammed me down on the pavement, head first. I saw stars at first, but quickly shook my head to make them go away. While I saw stars, the strigoi moved, positioning himself on top of me, reaching down with his other hand- the one that wasn't holding my hair- down to my throat.

The bastard was going to suffocate me! I think I was about to each this strigoi a lesson, because first of all, he didn't restrain my limbs. Therefore, with my leg completely extended outwards, I brought it up and with my foot, hit him as hard as I could in the back of the head.

I had the enjoyment of watching his vision become hazy as he was almost knocked out- which would have been impossible, since strigoi don't sleep. However, while I got to enjoy myself, I made my move, flipped him over so that I was straddling him. I bent down, restraining his arms and locking his knees with my thighs. With my free hand, I positioned my 'stake' up to his throat.

"Lesson number one, always restrain limbs."

His vision came back and was looking at me with blinding hatred. He thrashed against my hold, but I was strong and held it.

"He wants to know your name." Mason said in amusement. Apparently he knew I was superior, so he isn't worried.

"How about I tell you the second lesson?"

He smirked at me and his lips moved.

"He said sure, and I will use it against you." Mason translated for me.

I gave him a wicked, evil glare. "Lesson number two, don't piss me off!"

I felt his evil laugh rumble through his chest. Mason started translating again. "They said that his Tribe, along with several others, will take over Court, and will soon use you as a slave." Mason paused, then when he spoke, his voice was so dark, it scared me. "Kill him, Rose! Now!"

I plunged the stick into his throat. I felt the vibration of his screams as my stick went through. I pulled it out and pierced the throat again, and this time, I made sure it went through his spinal cord, breaking the neck. The strigoi went limp, but I was no fool. He wasn't dead.

"My ex-girlfriend is a badass!" Mason yelled, pumping his fist in the air and his eyes were glowing.

I laughed. "Oh Mason, how I have missed you." But before Mason could say any reply, I was rudely jerked up by my shoulder, being carried away from the strigoi- and I had no idea who it was. I saw a guardian go up to the strigoi and stake him in the chest.

However, I was still being towed, and whoever was towing me is behind me, and they are holding my wrists together by their hands, behind my back. And that was pissing me off! I have rights, but not only that, but hell, I demand respect! I am a freaking dhampire being!

"HEY!" I yelled in complaint. "Let me go. I was saving my own ass, not to mention Court!"

Mason started translating. "The guardian said that you need to get back to the hospital."

I sighed. "Why are you taking me there?"

"Because you left without anyone knowing."

I gave them a hard chuckle. "What are you, my mother?"

Mason's eyes turned troubled. "She said yes."

All my anger drained away, and I was suddenly depressed again. "Mom." I cried out, brokenly- I think.

She suddenly stopped and turned me around, and before I knew it, her arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a hug. My arms went around her shoulders. "Mom, what am I going to do? How am I to fight?"

My mother shook her head, and I knew what she said, even before Mason translated. "She said that you are not to fight. You are a liability now."

I jerked out of her hug. I am not going to be a coward and run. I am many things, but a coward is not one of them. I looked down on cowards, and I will not be one of them.

"You can't be serious."

Her brown eyes were sympathetic, yet stern. "She says she is dead serious, and I quote," Mason used both of his index and middle fingers and used them as quotation marks and bent them up and down once, "you are my daughter, and I will not let you go out on a suicide mission. End quote," Mason then bent his fingers once to signal the end of the quote.

I looked at her just as sternly. "I am a guardian, and until the day I die, I will not stop being one."

She gave me a weird look, and her mouth started moving again. "She wants to know how it is possible you understand her when you can't hear anything."

I looked at Mason, and I saw my mother's eyes follow. "Mason is here, and I can hear the dead."

She whipped her head back to me, and her eyes were of astonishment, but before she could say anything- which I wouldn't know, because I couldn't hear- I saw someone move out of the corner of my eye. I completely forgot about the other guardian. I turned my whole body towards the guardian.

It was Tina. She put her hands out, showing no harm and her lips moved. "She says she is sorry about your condition."

I gave her a wistful smile. "It's not your fault," I said, glaring at Mason. "Mason Allen Ashford, you better explain why you and your ghost buddies did this to me."

Suddenly, I felt movement on the ground and look towards the movement. Less than a hundred yards were my family- Dimitri included, because he is family now- running towards us. I crossed my arms, remaining adamant; I wanted answers, damn it!

I stood still, watching them come closer. Dimitri's legs kicked in gear and it was like he flew towards me. When he came up to me, there was this big gust of wind, followed by strong arms wrapping around my waist and lifted me off the ground, and spun me around in a circle, his arms squeezing me tighter and holding her closer- and it was becoming painful.

Dimitri set me down, and kissed me hard on the lips; so hard, that I am so going to have bruise on my lips later on. By the time he put me down, the Cobras were surrounding us in a circle; all of them were a foot apart from one another and two feet from Dimitri and I- we were still chest to chest.

What was all this about? I was deaf, not dead! I pushed him off and took a few steps back. "Comrade, what is this all about? I am deaf, not dead!"

I looked straight in his eyes and he was glaring at me. Those beautiful dark brown eyes were accusing me of something; probably accusing me of being stupid and reckless.

"What? I had to get some air." I said, quickly referring back to my excuse to the doctors."

He shook his head.

"For the love of God, just tell me what the hell you are thinking! Because, Mason can tell me."

His expression was priceless! His eyes widened in shock. Hell, his mouth even dropped open a little bit. If it wasn't for the circumstances being pinned on me, I would have found that hilarious, but right now, it was far from humors for me. It was still really upsetting.

Then his lips started to move. "He says 'how is this possible?'" Mason translated, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Because of the fact that a part of me died, I can hear Mason. And since I am already shadow kiss and see ghosts, it is like I am ghost whisper or some shit like that." As I looked at Mason, I found his appearance to be a bit blurry. "Well, mostly, his appearance is sort of fading, because of the wards."

Speaking of wards. "Did they damn guardians put up the extra wards yet?"

Dimitri eyed me as he nodded. He was probably

"Rose, they put them up as Gideon sent out the grenades. It was part code." Mason said to me, rolling his eyes.

"Oh." I shook my head and turned my attention back on Dimitri with narrowed eyes. "And what was with that glare? You really shouldn't glare at your fiancé!" I said, and wiggled my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes and a ghost of a smile was on his lips.

Someone's hand snaked their way into mine. I looked up to my right side, and saw Tamara with sad eyes, starring at me. I instantly knew why she was sad- I couldn't fight with them, or well, they thought I couldn't fight with them.

"Rose," Mason called me. My head turned to my left where he was at; Tammy and the rest of the gang looked where I was looking and then looked back at me with confused looks. "You are still going to fight, right?" Mason asked me. "Tamara and the rest of the Cobras want you to sit out of the fight, but…"

I nodded, "I know, I need to fight, like you said." As I finished, someone's hands were on my shoulder, turning me around and jerking me to face them. I was faced with Lev. His face was red and I didn't need to hear to know he was more than disapproving of my idea. He hated it.

"Lev said over his dead body." Mason translated, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Lev. My heart squeezed a little bit in loss. The more I hear Mason talk, the more I realized how much I miss and missed him.

I won't even say that that could be arranged, because it certainly won't be. However, I am still going to fight. I told Lev, and anyone else who was listening, the exact same thing I told my mother and Tina- if she was listening- earlier.

"I won't sit around while you guys fight. I can expand my senses, or at least strengthen them. I won't sit out. If I die, well, oops, but I won't sit around watching TV while Court is under attack!" I looked at Denis, "You know what it is like to not be able to do nothing. You had no alternate, but I do!" When Denis was still healing from the attack last year when I had found him, a strigoi had broke into his house and almost killed him. He was practically in a full body cast (when I first saw him, he was okay, but he was stupid and went out to fight and got hurt twice as bad, causing him to be in a full body cast) and couldn't move. The strigoi thought he would be an easy treat and almost killed him if it weren't for Tammy and I leaving the story earlier than we had suspected- Tammy worked at the local grocery store. She was still saving up for college.

"Gabe- I can't understand what he is saying. Sorry, I don't speak Russian."

I sighed. "Dimitri, can you please translate that, Mase doesn't speak Russian."

"Gabe said that he will train you then. You are not to do anything but train. You will wake up early in the morning and train until late at night."

I shook my head. "Don't overwork me, Gabril." I said in Russian. "I want to get good, not die."

Mason shook his head. "Gabril says no, and you will do as I say. Everyone, including me, agrees."

I sighed, knowing they were right. "Okay, when do you want to start?"

"Now." Mason said, I know he said it before the words came out of Gabe's mouth.

"Alright, lead the way." Gabe lead the way, while everyone else looked at me with awe.

I turned my head, looking at my left and right, knowing I had on a weird, confused face. "What?" I finally asked after a few minutes. We had a fifteen minute walk to the gym- that is if that is where we are heading.

Mason and I were walking side by side. He laughed, his head bent so that his face was looking up at the sky. "Rosey, they thought that was impressive that you killed the strigoi."

I rolled my eyes. "Guys," I said in Russian, "I am only deaf, not blind handicapped."

A few minutes silence passed- okay, for me it is always quiet, but the point is Mason started talking. "So…you and Belikov?"

I looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah."

"Since…when?"

I looked down at the ground. "Since before we almost started dating." I felt eyes on me, and I felt like a lunatic. At least I had a legitimate excuse that I'm not talking to myself. I'm talking to a ghost. You might as well name me Melinda.

"How long have you been in love with him?"

My shoulders slumped without my permission. I was hoping we would never talk about this. "I've loved Dimitri for a long time Mase."

"Did you use me to get to him."

I shook my head. "When we almost started dating, it was because I was trying to move on from him, not because I was trying to make him jealous. I tried to make him jealous with Adrian." A ghost of a wicked smile was tugging at my lips.

He started laughing. "Is that where all the rumors came from that you and Adrian were almost a thing?"

I laughed too. "Well, Mia did ketch us together and at the time, Mia didn't like me because she didn't like Lissa. So yeah, I guess that is where it came from."

He nodded, looking onwards. "You could have used me."

I shook my head violently. "I may be a bitch Mase, but I would never use you like that. I have a great respect for you."

He turned back to me with a gentle and emotional look on his face. "I know, the sword said it all."

I gave him a half smile. "I miss you Mase; Eddie and I both do."

He gave me a sad smile, and went to put his arm around my waist, but it went through me and out my stomach. I grimaced and he did too.

"I hate being dead." He said, his brown eyes turning darker.

What could I say to that? Me too? I wasn't dead, only a part of me was, but still… I knew to an extent on what he was talking about.

He shook his head and turned his attention back on me. "I can't believe I didn't see it!"

I gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, that is exactly what Lissa said."

"When did she find out?"

"The next night of the attack, after you warned me, Dimitri had fallen when we had launched that rescue mission. I had to get Eddie back. It was bad that I already lost you, but Eddie too? No. I wasn't putting up with that."

Mason nodded. "I am glad you did that- persuaded everyone to do that. And especially your mother, wow! I knew you didn't like her at the time, but when you Hathaways want something done, you both get to work and fight!" As he spoke, his voice gradually got louder and more excited.

I chuckled in amusement. "Well, my mom is the most experience guardian. She has lead more missions than I have-"

Mason shook his head. "I disagree." I raised an eyebrow at him and he did the same. "Russia Rose."

"Russia? I just took charge and- oh."

He nodded with a huge smirk on his face, saying he knew it all. "Whatever, smartass!"

We both laughed, but then he spoke. "You have changed since your sophomore year." He shook his head in awe. "You have become quite a woman, and I am delighted to call you my friend- my best friend."

I wanted to hug him, but I knew that I would just be hugging air. I reached out to him, and only felt air- as I had thought. I clenched my teeth together in frustration; I am going to be talking to him a lot. This is going to be very frustrating.

"Hey Mase?" We had walked a few more minutes in silence, then an idea came to my head.

He looked at me and winked. "Yeah?"

I gave me a curious smile, with a twinkle in my eye. "Can you just go 'poof' and go anywhere you want?" While it was silent, I was thinking about how some moves and in the moves the ghosts can just 'poof' and disappear, going anywhere they wanted. Could he do that?

It seemed like his laughter bounced off the ground and walls, then hit me. I waited patiently for him to settle down and come to the conclusion that I am serious.

His chuckles slowed down and became softer, then he looked at me. "You're serious." He stated. I nodded and he chuckled a few more times again and shook his head in humor.

"Yes I can, actually. It's one the wonderful things about being dead."

I smiled. "Have you went to other countries yet?"

He laughed again. "No," then his face turned sad. "I visited my family, though. Mom cries a lot. She says my name a lot too, saying she misses me and that she hopes I am in a better place."

I grew sad too, thinking about what his mom must be going through. "Why are you not in heaven? Or in..wherever?"

He shrugged and I let it drop. I thought that I must be a delicate topic. He was dead, but even the dead, as I am learning, have feelings.

We reached the gym a few minutes later and Gabe immediately took my upper arm and directed me inside. We walked to the middle of the gym and Denis came up to my side and turned me to face him. My gang was a few yards behind Denis, waiting for the instructions.

Mason translated for me. "He said that today, only one person is going to come at you, but since you can't hear, you won't know where or when."

I nodded, and Mason started talking again. "He said that only him and Dimiri and going to stay and watch, but everyone else is going to leave, and someone will come back in, targeting you."

I nodded. "Let's do this!"

With Military efficiency, they all (besides Denis and Dimitri) walked in a straight line and out the door; I watched them as they walked out the door. Denis came up to me when the door closed and turned me around.

Mason started talking, because Denis's lips started moving again. "He said that you need to feel your surroundings. Feel the ground, observe the ground and look for scuff marks. He said to observe your surroundings- take a mental picture."

I nodded and closed my eyes, doing exactly what he said. Seconds later after I closed my eyes, I felt a small, faint even, rumble on the ground close by.

And so it begins.

Please review. Tell me your thoughts. Do you have any ideas that her gang could come up with for exercises Rose can do to improve?