WHAT? Cindy uploaded twice in one month? Amazing. Haha, I hope you love this chapter. The words pretty much floated out of my mind and into my computer. Enjoy.

Previously: "You've probably heard of him, Dimitri Belikov? The badass from Russia? My old mentor."

"Oh yeah, he-" Jake stopped abruptly and looked at the space behind me.

"What's wrong?" I turned and saw a Moroi with gold hair and was looking around.

"Lissa!" I yelled and tackled her.

Chapter 16: Changing Dimitri

"Rose!" Lissa yelled when she hugged me back. We were swaying wierdly around the cafeteria causing a scene but I didn't care.

"When did you get in?"

"A few minutes ago, the first thing I did was come looking for you." I looked behind her and didn't see anyone.

"Did you come alone?" My eyebrows crinkled together.

"No, Adrian and Alberta came with me. Oh and Tasha."

"Adrian? What about Christian?"

"He couldn't come." Lissa sounded sad about it.

"Why? Did you guys get into a fight or something?" I asked, suddenly hating myself for not checking in on her. She could be depressed or something and I wouldn't even have noticed. I reached out to her and tried to get a feel of her emotions, no depression or sadness here, just excitement and a little bit of something else I couldn't grasp.

"No, he just had to stay to make up a few classes." She was telling the truth but that speck of uneasiness was still in her. I felt someone walk up behind me and keep walking until they were an inch behind me.

"Hey, Little Dhampir." I turned around punched Adrian on the arm once but gave him a hug for being an idiot. I was in a good mood now.

"Adrian, I never thought I'd say this but God, I missed you." I felt laughter coming from him and I stepped back and got a good look at him.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked him, his eyes were tired, his skin was pale and he looked sick.

"It's nothing, don't worry about me." I looked back at Lissa, her face didn't show anything and I think she was just as confused as I was about this. I looked back at Adrian and gave him a look that said "later", he nodded once.

"Rose?" I had forgotten about Jake, who was now standing close behind me, a little too close for comfort.

"Oh, sorry Jake, this is Lissa, my best friend, and thats Adrian, the drunk. Guys this is Jake, the only reason I wake up each morning." I winked at him and got a smile.

"But Little Dhampir, you promised that role to me."

"Sorry Adrian, I got a new favorite." I led Adrian, Lissa and Jake to my table but saw that my table was now filled. I saw Cathy, who was sitting in my seat, give me a dirty look and anger rose in me.

"Trouble in paradise?" I looked back at Adrian who kept looking from me to Cathy.

"It's nothing, lets go to my room." I turned my back on Cathy.

"Sorry Rose," Jake told me, "but I'm kind of suspended from the Girls dorm for a while."

"Since when?"

"Since the headmaster sent me a message this morning." I sighed. Why is he suspended? What happened? Lissa asked me through the bond. I shook my head.

"Ok then. I'll see you later than." I told Jake and he walked off.

After we got settled in my room, Adrian, Lissa and I got down to business.

"So where are you guys staying?" I asked them.

"We each got a room in the teachers wing." Lissa answered, looking around my room probably wondering if she can fit another bed in my cramped space.

"The teachers wing?" I shook my head is amused disgust. "Well I guess you're going to have to stay here."

"Awesome," Adrian became thoughtful. "I guess I'll take the bed. Well unless you want it, then maybe we can share."

"Or, maybe you should take the hall. I hear that it has the best view. Plus, the alcohol comes free of charge." I urged.

"But Rose," He gave me an innocent smile, "You deserve the hall most of all. Your generous and amourous self has to take the best spot. I couldn't possibly take it." I rolled my eyes and Lissa giggled.

"We'll figure this out later." I turned my attention to Adrians weary appearence. "Adrian, what's wrong? What aren't you telling us?"

"Rose, it's complicated. I've been getting into a lot of arguments lately."

"With who?" Lissa asked, I felt through the bond that Adrian had only recently acted this way. She figured that it was just too much stress at the academy and was the reason why she'd asked him in the first place.

"My beloved parents of course. They've been threatening to disinherit me."

"Haven't they been threatening you since the minute you graduated high school?"

"Not like this, my dads getting pretty old so he's been pestering me to follow in his steps. They have also confiscated my credit cards and my fake ID. But the ID isn't a problem, I have around seven."

"So what part of that story is leading to your current appearence?" I asked, not really getting it.

"Well, no money equals no booze which pretty much makes a zombie Adrian."

"Got it." I got up and lifted my mattress finding a bottle of vodka that I'd saved for a while. I held it up and Adrian looked at it like a starving man would look at a Bigmac. I threw it at him and he caught it deftly, opened it expertly using his teeth and took a big swig. You could literally see his skin grow more color and the bags fade from his eyes.

"Rose!" Lissa yelled amused. "How did you get that into this campus? They completely searched my bag on the way in."

"I have my ways, you'd be surprised what you can hide in a bag of tampons." I winked. "Hey Adrian, pass the bottle."

"No way Little Dhampir, without this bottle I could die! I need every single drop." He held it away.

"Adrian, it's my bottle. Hand it over."

"Sorry Rose, whoops I think I heard someone call me. I better go see who it is." He flew out the door, with me following.

"Adrian!" I looked out into the hallway and saw no one there. I sighed, closed the door and sat back down. "I'm going to kick his ass."

Lissa just laughed, "Well, can you blame him? He's desperate."

"Yeah well, now he's stuck in teachers wing because no way in hell is he sleeping here." Lissa just rolled her eyes.

"So, what's up with Dimitri?" I'd almost forgotten about my conversation with Lissa, she knew that I suspected that something wierd was happening.

"Like I told you over the phone, he's got like multiple personality disorder. He would change moods in moments notice. It's strange, what do you think it is?"

"Well, if you're right about the moodswings. It could be compulsion, it sounds like Dimitri's subconciously trying to fight the spell. You said he was wearing a silver ring right?"

"Yup, it was plain and kind of thin." Lissa looked through her bag and came up with a plastic bag of silver rings.

"Did it look like any of these?" I looked through them, some were plain, some were decorated, some wear too thick, some didn't even look silver. I combed through the rings and found one that was an exact match.

"This one," I nodded proudly. "It looks exactly like it."

"Alright, so what we'll do now is switch the rings and if Dimitri acts like the old Dimitri we'll know somethings wrong with the ring." Lissa started to put the rings away but I stopped her.

"Wait Lissa, maybe you should charm the ring."

"What, why?"

"Because what if Dimitri's being compulsed? Can't you somehow make the ring wearer resistant to compulsion?" Lissa looked at me for a moment, then she studied the ring. I felt spirit well up in her and then I felt her manipulate it into the ring. Lissa paled and weakly handed it over to me.

"Put it on, I'll try to compulse you and if you resist completely we'll know that it worked."

"Are you sure you want to try now? Maybe we should go to the feeders." I eyed her cautiously. I felt guilty for making her use her magic.

"After, I just want to make sure it works." I put it on.

"Rose," She looked me in the eye. "I want you to quack like a duck until I tell you to stop."

I glared at her and she laughed "Well at least we know that it worked. I didn't feel your compulsion at all."

"All right, so how you going to switch the rings?" Lissa asked me, standing up.

"I have a plan."

I dropped Lissa off at the feeders and went to my classes, when I went to my tutoring session I found Jason punching at a few bags lying around. Our relationship was rocky, I was worrying too much when I yelled at Anthony for giving me a male student. The kid hated me. He would barely speak to me throughout each lesson, he just grunted when I told him the plan for the day. At least he's bulked up some, not as close as what a regular novice is but he's getting there.

"You know" I interrupted him. "You should probably wear gloves, It's a real pain to have to deal with messed up knuckles."

"I know." He grunted

"Well then wheres your gloves?"

"Left them in my room." I rustled through my bag and took out a green pair of gloves.

"Take my lucky ones." I tossed them at him, he glanced at me once and put them on. "So today we are going on a fieldtrip."

"Where?" Jason momentarily paused.

"The woods, I got a surprise for you." I smiled, I had set up a few dummies in a patch of grass in the woods.

"Kay." He grabbed his duffle bag and followed me out. When we got there I took two stakes out of the bag and stood near one of the dummies. Jason eyed the stakes with wonder. I knew that the other sophmores hadn't started stakes but I figure that it wouldn't hurt to be ahead.

"So today 're working on stakes. As you know there are three ways to kill a Strigoi, one of these ways is staking. You already have the strength to push one of these babies into someones chest. But the hard part is hitting the heart."

"You need me to what?"

"I need you to distract Tasha for a few minutes." I told Adrian. I had found him in his room and told him that I'd forgive him if he did me a favor.

"What are you up to Rose?"

"Nothing, just distract Tasha for a few minutes while me and Lissa go talk to Dimitri."

"Aha! I knew this would have something to do with the Russian." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, your a damn Sherlock. Will you do this for me or not?"

"I'll do it. When do you need this distraction?"

"Now would be nice." I smiled at him. He cursed and took a drink.

"Fine. Go talk to Dimitri I'll take care of Tasha for as long as I can." I thanked him and left.

Now I had to find Dimitri and somehow get the ring off him. I had told Lissa that I had a plan but I had no idea what the hell I would do. I looked down at the ring in my hand and grimaced. Suddenly an idea came to my head, I ran for the Gym and hoped that Dimitri would be there.

"Hey Rose," Nate called to me when I entered the Gym. It was partially full with a few students and a few teachers here and there.

"Hey Nate." I skimmed the area and found Dimitri sparring with the head Guardian of the school. There was a group around them. I headed toward it just in time to see Dimitri pin down the other guardian. The audience clapped and I jumped on the mat. Dimitri raised his head to lock his eyes with mine.

"Up for another round comrade?"

"I am if you are." He smiled sneakily. He stood up and mimicked my stance.

"This will be fun." I made the first move and tackled him. He pushed against me and ended up on hs feet, we exchanged punches and kicks pretty evenly. Neither one of us getting the upper hand. I grabbed his hand and managed to rip the silver ring and throw it across the room. Dimitri didn't give the ring a glance and elbowed me in the gut. I doubled over but managed to hit him behind the knee, he pulled me down with him and we tumbled on the ground, trying to get control. Dimitri managed to pin me down but I kneed him. I pushed him over and got control. I held him by his wrists and managed to overcome him.

"Well, that's two for two. I guess I am getting better than you." I stood up and found the silver ring. I exchanged the rings and threw the faulty one to him. "I'll see you later."

I'm sad to say that I hadn't even seen if the ring switch would work because as soon as I woke up the next day one of the guardians was an inch away from breaking my door down.

"What?" I answered the door.

"The headmaster would like to speak to you for a minute."

"Now?" The guardian nodded once.

"Why?" The guardian shurugged. I sighed. "Alright, give me a minute to change."

"No time, the headmaster was very specific when he said he wanted you there as soon as possible."

"Well, no one will get hurt if I just ran a brush through my hair." I tried to wlk away but the guardian took hold of my arm and pulled.

"Woah! Hands off." I shoved at him but walked toward the office. Anthony, Tasha, Dimitri and Lissa was there. Anthony looked dissapointed, Tasha looked angry and Dimitri and Lissa looked confused.

"Rose, we have had a few complaints about you-" Tasha interrupted Anthony's speech.

"Get to the chase, Rose, why did you steal Dimitri's engagement ring?"

Oops, caught in the act. :D Can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter.

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