Hello again! Sorry I had been neglecting this story for a while, but I had to write something else first, before continuing with this story. You can check out the results when you read the one-shpt BREAKDOWN. I would be very happy. But I finally have the new chapter from this story ready for you. YEAH ME! But this is only a little bit fluff, before the next major event happens to our dearly loved Rose. Poor one. But this will be on the next chapter, I've also written out already. But I wanna be mean a little bit so I will poste it later. ;)

CHAPTER 6 – Life at St. Vladimir's Academy

During the next two days Mia and I got close really fast. We hang out nearly all day and talked long into the night. She had heard about the fight and Lissa telling me to stay away from her. Mia had also seen my changes and my struggle to stay alive, but she never pushed me into telling her. She only told me that she had seen it but she left the decision to tell her up to me. I appreciated it very much and I promised myself that I would tell her. Not today but someday I would.

When Mia and I got attacked, I finished off the teachers quick and efficiently. Alberta, who had watched the fight, nearly beamed at me and Mia was happy, too. When the teachers said their praise, I saw Lissa walking by closely knowing exactly that she wanted to listen. When she realized me being praised, I saw a frown appear on her face and she stalked away quickly. Eddie gave me a short nod and even Christian gave me a thumb-up! Luckily, Lissa didn't see that, otherwise Christian would be in trouble right now.

I found myself enjoying the company of Mia more and more each day. She was fun to be around with and her friends included me in their circle quickly. With them I learned how to laugh again and slowly something close to my old me returned.

Lissa had also made new friends in the Moroi groups again. Much to Christian's disappointment, since they still didn't treat him like one of them but more like he would turn into a Strigoi soon. Lissa obviously didn't mind much and so it happened from time to time that Christian would leave her with her new friends and come over to the group gathered around Mia and me. When Lissa wasn't around Christian also loosened up a bit it so I found myself making new friends and not really missing Lissa at all.

At the beginning it was hard for me seeing her with the other Moroi talking and laughing. But the feeling through the bond told me that her smiling and laughing was a fake. I felt her struggling even more than me to cope with the situation she had brought on us, but I promised myself to stay hard and to let her come to me. She had made the decision to send me away and she must be the one to come to me. I wouldn't give in I promised to myself and I was keen on keeping that promise.

A few weeks after Mia had been named my protégé, I felt ready to tell her why Lissa and I weren't talking anymore. Also it was close to the end of the school year and soon she would go to Court and I hadn't made any plans yet. But I was sure not going to the Court! I probably would be called to protect a Moroi which I had been training for all those last years.

At the end of the day I pulled Mia aside and up to my room.

"I need to tell you something." I had said to her earlier and now she was probably guessing the right direction in which this talk would go. When we arrived at my room, we sat down on the bed and I pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a Coke to mix up some drinks from my secret hiding place under the bed. I knew that Mia didn't mind parties with alcohol and likes the mix of whiskey and Coke a lot.

With a raised eyebrow she looked at me but I only grinned and shrugged my shoulders.

"Alcohol loosens the tongue to make it easier for me. You know me!" I laughed.

"Oh yeah, I do!" Mia answered, also laughing. After I had mixed us some drinks, we casually leaned back against the wall and enjoyed the first sips of our drinks.

"I never thought that something could separate you and Lissa.", Mia hesitantly started the conversation, "I always thought that you two where in-seprable, you know?"

"Yeah, I thought the same. But obviously we've been wrong, haven't we?" This was more a rhetorical question and Mia guessed that much.

After a few more sips and minutes of comfortable silence I started to tell Mia my story. I told her everything: how I met Dimitri for the first time, how we started to have feelings, why we didn't show our relationship in public and how it ended.

It was hard for me to talk about everything. With telling, all my bundled and deeply hidden feelings came back up and this made it even more difficult to speak about. For the first time I realizes that Lissa had not asked me once what had happened when she found me standing at the gates that night. I wondered about the reasons briefly but quickly dismissed them since this wouldn't help me any. I couldn't even ask her.

Mia didn't cut in on my speech for once. She only listened to me, wrapping an assuring hand around mine to push me further, when I haltered in my story for a deep breath. I felt the tears being close but with some effort I pushed them away, not giving into this weakness. I had already cried enough for the loss of my love, now came the time to look into the future.

When I had finished the story of Dimitri and I, I patiently waited for her to work everything through I had just told her. I knew that it was a lot to take in, since nobody had ever suspected this, but I also was sure that Mia wouldn't expel me because of me having been so secret about our relationship. She would understand, of that I was absolutely sure.

"Wow!" was all she said at first, "I had never expected something like this. You both must have really loved each other."

"Yeah, I thought so, too." I said, giving her a small smile. "But for the obvious facts I was the only one believing this." The alcohol seemed to help seeing this more from the sarcastic side than in reality. Also the alcohol numbed the pain.

"I'm sorry, Rose!" Mia said, pulling me into a friendly hug, "I know how hard it is when you lose someone, you know? I'll always be here to help you when needed, okay?"

"Thanks." I mumbled into her shoulder.

After a while of hanging on to thoughts, Mia shifted slightly and said:

"Well, so what about you and Lissa? I don't want to be rude, but I can feel that this is bugging you also."

"That's a totally different story!", I said, pushing myself into telling her. I still had the feeling that Mia could never replace what Lissa and I had, but it could get pretty close to that. And I still felt the urge to protect Lissa at all costs, and some days I had to fight harder than on others not to go to Lissa and ask for her to take back the words she had shouted in me.

"I was guessing that already, but if you're not up to it, I can understand that. You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's no big deal, really.", I shrugged, acting as if I wouldn't really care, but Mia knew that it was just that – an act. "I was named to protect Christian in our field trip a few weeks ago. Lissa had the opinion, that I didn't protect Christian good enough and she wouldn't need a Guardian she couldn't truly trust. Lissa thought that I was not protecting Christian on purpose and if the teachers would have been real Strigoi, Christian would be dead by now. Or a Strigoi also. So, that's what it basically was about and why she ad ditched me."

"That's stupid! I know that you had been too far away to protect him! And I'm sure that you wouldn't let anything happen to the person that is almost as important to Lissa as you have been. It's ridiculous!" Mia exclaimed which made me smile. I could count n her to stand up for me when needed and this feeling as really good for my battered soul.

"It doesn't matter, actually. She told me to stay away from her and this will be exactly what I'll do." I said, putting more force into my voice than I actually felt.

"But it's not right. You two were meant for each other and you know it. What will you do after graduation?" Mia asked persuasion audible in her voice.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just get a new protégé to protect, so this will be no big deal." I shrugged casually. There was not really much to do about it.

"I'm just feeling sorry for you. You're the one left behind, not only by Dimitri but by Lissa also. At least she should have helped you through this."

"Mia, it's okay now as it is. Leave it at that. You cannot change it anyway." I said, being moved at her fighting for me.

"Rose, tell me just one thing: did Lissa ever ask you why you had been so depressed?"

"No, she never did." I admitted whispering. Voicing the thought out laud, made the pain come back and quickly I filled up my glass drowning it nearly at once.

I hope you liked this chapter. I think it was important to show some facts about Rose's and Lissa's relationship but also to show the trust Rose is having towards Mia. I like that girl and am really happy to be able to give her a major role in this story.

Please don#t forget to give me a review whether you liked it or not. Thank you!

Lilian85