SRY SRY SRY I apologize for taking this line I realize that I'm a terrible person okay? And the fact that I just had an amazing new idea doesn't help things but I will start writing again from today on out. So there.

Btw Happy Presidents day!

Okay guys. So I realize that I forgot to give you my input at the end of the chapter last time. I didn't really have much, except to say that I'm back and I'm sorry that it took me so long. This one is kind of long to make up for it. I will get on the next one as soon as I finish this one, but again, it will be awhile. Just stick with me.

Last Time:

"Go!" His yell spurred me into action. Even if I had no right, I had to at least pretend. It was an order. I sprinted to the Dorms, and burst inside. My Pack looked up, all clustered in the living room.

"Everyone up. We're preparing for battle."

Chapter 31

My Pack didn't hesitate, didn't ask questions; they jumped up and got changed, grabbing their weapons and gear. I did the same, dressing quickly in battle uniform and sliding Psyche into my belt. When I got back into the living room, they were already lined up standing at attention. Dimitri turned to me, his eyes shining. "Glad to have you back, Rose."

I smiled. "Glad to be back." And it was true. Looking down their faces, at the respect that they still held for me, I knew that I was back in the saddle. And it was okay. I knew that I did the best that I could in the circumstances, and that I would do better this time. After all, failure was not an option.

"Right. So here's the situation." I briefed them on what we had learned. Some were confused, most were surprised. Jean remained unperturbed, probably having suspected for a while. "It doesn't matter when it happened or how it happened. All that matters is that it did. We have a battle on our hands. Judge Harks is not on our side. Alex is not on our side. Circumstances are not on our side. But we don't need any of them. We are strong, we are a team, and we will not lose two battles in a row!" They smiled and yelled in agreement.

"So now I need your help. Fargh, acting as our stand-in Judge, has activated Omega Protocol." As my Pack stared at me with blank looks, I fought the urge to sigh. I couldn't expect them to know Guardian lingo. "Basically, lockdown aside from a select group of people with special clearance and the commissioning of a campus army. Fargh is now our General of the Army. He has selected Dargan and some others to serve as Generals alongside him. And he has promoted me to Colonel, effective immediately." That meant that I had the same rank as the teachers that weren't generals. I showed them the plastic card that had been given to me. It was similar to our ID cards, except that it held my new status and dictated that I was in command of the Krijders. I then pulled out the nine other cards that had been given to me, and handed them to my Pack members respectively.

"Dimitri, you've been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Kylie, you're a major. Abby, you're a major. Lissa, you're a major. Sam, you're a major. The rest of you are Captains. These promotions are an honor, but they're also a responsibility. We cannot take these responsibilities lightly. People's lives are in our hands." They all nodded and saluted respectfully. I knew that they would never really understand the weight of command that I bore, but at least they might get a small sample. And really, I didn't want them to have to deal with what I did. The pressure of holding another being's life in your hand – especially a friend – was a burden that I never wanted them to experience. It was a terrible thing to deal with without training. Of course, it was a terrible thing to deal with with training, but I knew that I was strong enough to handle it.

I took a deep breath, trying to think through my mind's ramblings. I didn't know how much time I had, only that it wasn't a lot. "Right. I'm going to visit the seniors, try to get them in order. Jean, you're with me." I ignored the surprised glances. I needed her to help me with the seniors. I knew that they wouldn't be quite as willing as my own Pack to follow me, and wanted Jean to help me sway them into obedience. "Dimitri and Nick, talk to the juniors. Kylie and Paul, take the sophomores. Sam and Matt take the freshman, and Lissa and Abby take the Lower Dorms. I need the Upper Guardians to be brought back here, where we will be setting up command. The Lower Dorms need to be protected, so I'll be sending some Krijders your way as soon as we can. In the meantime, set up some small physical barriers. Kylie and Nick, I'm going to need Bowser and Boo to run some messages for me, if that's alright." They both nodded. "Okay. Everyone knows what needs to get done?" More nods greeted my statements. "Good. Stay smart, stay strong, stay safe. Let's get to work."

After we broke up, I pulled Bowser and Boo over, wrote two notes, and sent them off. I watched them sprint away before turning back to Jean. "Let's go." We ran up the stairs to the senior dorms, knocking on all of the Dorm rooms and calling the Guardians. All of them were annoyed, grumbling as they strolled out, but as soon as I showed them my badge, they got serious. They ran back inside, yelled some orders, and came out a few minutes later in their outfits. I talked them through the situation as we walked back down to my dorm.

"Why can't we just use the senior dorms as command center?" One of the Betas asked. I glanced back, surprised that he couldn't think of the answer on his own.

"Because they can fly, and in any case if we're in the middle of the building we have two equally distanced exits and more fortification. If we were on the bottom then they could come as humans and we wouldn't have time to get to the top. If we were on the top then they could come as birds and we wouldn't be able to reach the bottom. Either way we die."

"But couldn't they just attack from both sides if we were in the middle? I mean it just doesn't seem like the best idea."

I hated people that argued. But I did my best to be patient as I explained to him, "You know how we have the advantage in numbers?" He nodded. "Well they have the advantage in maneuvering. If we give them space, like the air or the ground, they will inevitably out maneuver us and we will be defeated. This way, they have to come through narrow hallways one at a time to get to us. We can navigate the halls better and get around them. We are funneling them in. I'll explain more later."

The hall was silent as I finished my statement. They were just coming to the realization that I actually knew what I was talking about and that we were actually in a real war situation.

I offered a confident smile to try and boost their morale. They were going to need it. As confident as I looked and sounded, the fact that we were forced to remain in the building was not a good thing. I had no idea if we really had the manpower or numbers to fend them off. I was making this up as we went along, and I prayed that I didn't make a mistake. What we were doing was dangerous, after all. It was war.

We reached my Dorm and Bowser was sitting out front waiting, a bag clutched in his maw. I took it, patting his head absentmindedly as I looked through the bag.

Excellent.

I walked into the dorm, the seniors trailing behind me. Looking up, I was pleased to see that Dimitri already had the Junior Guardians and that they had set the room up as a command post, clearing the furniture to the peripherals of the room and putting up a big table in the center.

Dimitri saw us walk in amid the confusion and pushed his way through the room to pull me aside. Everyone in the room was nervous, and most were expressing this through chatter, which meant that the room was incredibly loud. To make himself heard, Dimitri had to put his mouth right next to my head. I felt his lips brush against my ear and couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine. I knew that I shouldn't be thinking that way considering the situation, but I couldn't help liking the closeness of our bodies. All that passed through my mind as he whispered something into my ear, so that I had to ask, "What?" as if I hadn't heard.

He repeated, a little bit louder, "There are going to be too many people in here. We need space." After a quick scan of the room, I nodded and pushed my way back through the crowd to the table. In the most dignified way possible, I climbed onto the table like a drunk girl at a karaoke bar.

I gave my loudest whistle (which was pretty loud) to get the crowd's attention. "Alright! So I need two Alphas from each year. Preferably the highest ranking. The rest please go find a close room in the hall. We'll have messengers keep you posted." There was some grumbling, but after five minutes we were left with the four Alphas that represented the juniors and seniors. The Alpha of the Sophomore Pack 9 (the guy that had beat me, in case any of us forgot) and two more Freshman Alphas showed up just as they left, which meant that our little war committee was all here.

I was about to start speaking when I felt a nudge. Turning, I sighed. It was Mia.

"What the hell is she doing in here?" I asked Leo, the Pack 9 Alpha.

He shrugged. "She said she wanted a word with you before…" He trailed off. "Before whatever happens happens." I glared. He should have kept better control in a situation like this and he knew it. Instead of apologizing he just shrugged again. "She wouldn't take no for an answer."

I sighed and turned to her. "This really isn't the best time. Go back to your dorm and await instructions." I was about to turn back to my assembly, but she caught my arm.

"It's important," She said through gritted teeth, her nails digging into my arm. I pulled my arm back and walked away, annoyed. She followed me onto the balcony. I motioned at her to speak.

She coughed, and looked at the ground. Huh. Never knew she had a weak side, I thought. It looked like she was fighting herself for this. After a few moments she took a deep breath, and when she looked back up at me she had a clear determination about her. "I think you should rethink your decision to lead us. I don't believe that you are the best candidate for the job. In light of recent events-" I cut her off with a hand. I couldn't believe that she was going to bring this up right now. Seriously, the girl had control issues. I mean I knew that she hated me and everything, but this was a little extreme. In spite of all of this, I couldn't help a little internal chuckling.

"Truth be told, I had the same thought when Fargh told me." Her face showed shock. "I lost. I let my team down. I let my family down. I let myself down. In light of recent events," I quoted her, "I don't think that I should lead you all either. And I'm scared. But here's the thing. I don't have a choice. Someone has to lead us. And it isn't going to be you, and it isn't going to be Leo and it isn't going to be Dimitri. Because even if you despise me, you have to know that I'm the best. Fargh wouldn't take no because he believed that too. He believes in me.

"I know that I let my teammates down, and I know that you don't trust me. But you have to. Because I know that I won't let my teammates down, I won't let myself down, I won't let this school down. I will do anything, give everything, to protect this school. I will not fail. I believe in me. And now you have to too."

She looked down at her shoes again, then up at me. "I really am trying. I know that I haven't been the nicest to you since, well since Alex left. Truth be told, I think I blame you for his leaving. I always had a crush on him before, and I guess I felt like I was competing with you for his attention. And he left, and now we're doing it again, with Dimitri." She chuckled softly and turned away.

I knew she was crying, but didn't want to say anything. I didn't know what to say. I never knew that she felt that way about Alex, but thinking back on it, it had been kind of obvious. She had always looked at Alex a little strangely, always trying to talk to him. She had been shy and quiet back then. She had been nice. I guess I never really thought about how Alex's leaving might have affected other people.

Without turning to me, she sighed, "I can't do it. I can't forgive you for driving away Alex and stealing Dimitri."

It made me sad to think that we could've been friends. I sighed, and then put a hand on her shoulder lightly. "You don't have to forgive me," I said softly. "I still haven't forgiven myself. But it would be nice to have your support, at least on the field." I let that sink in for a moment and then sighed. "Stay out her for a bit if you want. It always helps me think. Just get to your dorm before too long. You need to prepare."

I walked to the door, but a thought stopped me. "You know, maybe after everything's said and done, we can be friends. You're not that bad." I didn't wait for her response. I wasn't one to push my luck. Instead I walked back to my assembly. Dimitri had started discussing our situation with the newcomers at the table. The seniors and juniors were talking amongst themselves off to the side.

Upon my arrival, they walked back up to the table. All eyes were on me. I coughed, freezing like a deer in the headlights. Then I felt Dimitri's hand on my back, just holding me there. His warmth was comforting and I looked at him in thanks.

"Right. Now that we're all on the same page, let's start talking strategy." I explained my half formed plan to the others, careful to include an explanation after the questions in the hall. "Any objections?" Nothing. "Right. So now we need to consolidate all of our resources and distribute them to the posts. I need you, you, and you," I pointed at one alpha from each grade level, Leo included, "to relay that to your teams. Ammo, food, bandages, medicine, weapons, shields, all that needs to be in this room in the next fifteen minutes. Go." Immediately the four left.

"Now we need a list of all of the Packs." Dimitri took the information down and showed it to me. "Alright now, we can put these two packs here and here to hold the roof with these four as…" The strategy continued, the other Alphas asking questions or making suggestions as we went through the list and posts that needed to be filled. Half an hour later, we had figured out a vague map of positioning. The details would need to be figured out among each of the Packs themselves.

I thought through the logistics again in my head. There were 40 Packs, ten Krijders to a Pack. That meant 400 Krijders. I had sent seven Packs to the Lower Dorms, knowing that teachers would be there to help them out too. That left us with 330 able bodied Krijders, though who knew how many would actually be able to fight well? I knew that they were scared, and I knew that they didn't want to fight. I just didn't know how many would give into their fears.

"Wish I could give them all a pep talk," I muttered to myself.

Dimitri, who had stayed with me, heard and commented, "Well you know there's the P.A system down in the offices on the first floor. You want to use that?" I looked at him. He laughed and asked, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about how I'm the luckiest girl alive to have someone like you." He chuckled and I leaned in to kiss him. I had also just thought about how after today, I might never see him again. I was sitting on the table, Dimitri standing facing me. I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, and he chuckled against my lips.

"Someone's a little aggressive," In answer, I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer still. I was trying to convey everything that I might not be able to later. Who knew when we would have a moment alone again? Who knew if I we would both wake up tomorrow? Who knew if he would ever know how much I loved him?

I needed him to understand, in that moment, that there was no one else. That I loved him completely, forever, with everything that I was. I loved him so much that it hurt sometimes. He made me laugh, cry, shout, scream, smile, worry, and wonder. He made me a better person. And I loved him for it. I needed him to know that, but I didn't know how to say it.

So instead I kissed him, with everything I had, completely unreserved. I invited him in, more than I ever had before. In that moment, I was completely vulnerable. In that moment, time seemed to freeze and I could imagine that we could stay like that, connected, one, for the rest of eternity.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. He pressed his forehead to mine. "I'm the lucky one," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered back. "Don't ever leave me."

He smiled. "I won't."

"You promise?" He nodded, his smile broadening. "Alright. Let's go to the PA system." We walked through the hallways overflowing with Krijders hand in hand, at peace.

When we got to the room, I wasn't sure what I would say. "How far does this thing reach?" I watched Dimitri setting it up.

"Well, we have speakers throughout this building, and the Lower dorms next to us. They use this room to control the lights and such of the dorms." I nodded, and he handed me the microphone.

I took a deep breath. "Right." I pushed the button, and the feedback was loud enough to catch everyone's attention.

"This is Colonel Rose Hathaway speaking." I paused, and then let the words flow freely. "I know that some of you are scared. I'm here to tell you that it's alright to be scared. We're at war, and I know that up until now, many of you didn't think that that was really going to affect you until you got to the real world. Well, the real world is here now. Our parents have been fighting this war for centuries, and it's time for us to step up to the plate and fight alongside them. It's time for us to pick up the slack and hold the fort down, because we're the only one's here to do it. The California Strijder Head has been notified, and reinforcements are on their way. But we don't know how long they are going to take and until then, it's up to us to stand up and fight. Don't fight for yourselves. Don't fight for the glory. Fight for the people standing beside you holding the line. Fight for your friends, for your families. Fight so that one day, this war may end, and peace may again sweep the land. I urge you to stand and fight." I pulled the microphone down and looked at Dimitri.

"Ready?" He asked me.

I looked at him. "God, I hope so."

Alright so I know the Mia thingy may have been a little weird, but I had to tie up that loose end. And I hope the Dimitri thingy wasn't too bad I'm just not that good at like romancey stuff.

Alright so I want you guys' input on the battle. I'm gonna let you guys decide who dies. You can choose any of the characters (except for Rose) or no one if you really want but that wouldn't be any fun. I will kill up to two people, just review and tell me who you want to see die. So review and tell me and then I will write it in. Alright?

And also tell me what you thought about the chapter obviously. Alright, until next time!

PS:

pllllleeeeeaaaassssseeeee? I really wanna know what you guys think and also who to kill...sooooooooooo REVIEW!