Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9

"I apologize for making you wait. Carlisle and his friends and family were a little reluctant to leave me to do this alone." I said.

"That's quite alright my dear." Aro said calmly but Caius looked a little annoyed but was being entertained by who I assume was his wife while the other woman was sitting close to Aro.

"I take it you are quite familiar with Moroi history and their hierarchy?" I asked and the brothers nodded. "Vasilisa and I were close friends since kindergarten and her parents decided that I would be good for her and requested me as her guardian once she graduated from the academy. At that time, only Eric and his small family, his wife a son and daughter, were known to exist. I spent more time growing up with Vasilisa and her family than I did my mother, seeing as she was a guardian herself and I didn't know my father until after I turned 18."

"I was with Vasilisa and her family the night of the accident that claimed her family. Technically, I died that night." Gasps erupted through the small cabin.

"How are you here before us then if you died?" Caius asked skeptically.

"Neither Vasilisa or I knew it at the time, but she had actually specialized in a rare element for the Moroi. She specialized in spirit and the effect of seeing all those she loved dead triggered her magic. She brought me back to life, creating a bond similar to our saint Vladimir and his shadow kissed guardian Anna."

"I have read about them but I didn't know that could occur. I thought those bonds and spirit were extinct magic." Aro said thoughtfully, the others weren't impressed.

"After a while we noticed some changes. I discovered that I could hear Vasilisa's or Lissa and I call her, thoughts. During times of extreme emotion, I could actually see through her eyes. There were several effects of the bond that we share. Along with her emotions, I can sense Strigoi and by default I guess, sense your kind and the shape shifters. Our bond is like a balance of life and death. She uses her magic to bring and promote life but it comes at a cost. Darkness is a side effect to her magic and there were times when she wouldn't make sense or be slightly insane. Once I learned to take the darkness from her, she was much more stable. Sadly another part of the bond is that I dealt with, crazily enough, was seeing ghosts."

"Wait, did you just say you see ghosts?" Jane said looking at me like I had lost it. I nodded and a cold glare from Aro kept her from commenting.

"Lissa began to feel that she was being watched and followed at the academy, so to protect her from the unknown enemy, I took her into the human world and away from the academy. For two years I kept her safe, kept her fed and happy."

"What do you mean fed?" Aro asked and I sighed.

"Moroi saliva doesn't consist of venom like your kind, so they feed from donors without harming them, other than the fact that the endorphins tend to be addictive similar to a drug. Being in the human world was difficult since she needed small amounts of blood, preferably daily. Since we didn't have access to feeders, I fed her small amounts about every three days to keep her alive and healthy." I said. No one commented but I was sure they wanted to. "Finally academy caught up to us and sent guardians to get us. The leader of their little operation was a big Russian by the name of Dimitri Belikov. He carted us back to the academy and the headmistress was about to send me to a commune, separating Liss and I. He spoke for us, noticing the bond we had. After some serious 'house arrest' and humiliation I finally integrated into academy life which at that point consisted of classes, training, food, sleep and Lissa. Some unexplained occurances happened and Liss started dating a boy I wasn't particularly fond of at the time. He was an Ozera. Did you know any Ozera's Aro?"

"I did. Lucas and Moira were good friends until they disappeared." He said.

"The boy in question was Christian Ozera, Lucas and Moira's son. What do you know of his aunt Natasha?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Never really liked her all that much. She had a cruel nature." Aro commented and the brothers agreed. I couldn't agree more.

"Christian was pretty much shunned in our world because his parents had willingly turned Strigoi. Tasha was caring for Christian and they came for him. Tasha didn't walk away from that attack without a reminder, scarring her for life. Anyway, Lissa was kidnapped by her so called uncle. Victor Dashkov was dying from a rare disease and found out about Lissa's talents. He wanted to keep her for himself, having her heal him repeatedly as time progressed. The disease he had wasn't curable so one time wouldn't have done it. Victor put a spell on me and Dimitri that night and thankfully he was able to work it out before it was too late."

"What kind of spell?" Aro asked curiously and I felt the blush rise on my cheeks. Dammit.

"It was a lust spell." I said so low if they weren't vampires they would have never heard it.

"Don't be shy Rose, I can see that your bonds to him are very strong." Marcus said and I just nodded and continued.

"Anyway, Victor tortured her into agreeing to heal him and I endured the torture right along with her. Victor used others to torture her with air, smothering her with it or taking it away from her. The worst was the increased pressure in her head." I said and I shuddered remembering that part. "When we finally got to her, we were attacked by psi hounds. Christian was torn apart, dying and I fed Lissa again so that she had the strength to heal him. She loved him and I couldn't bear the thought of her being without another person she cared for."

"Things went a little smoother after that, until there were larger numbers of attacks around the holidays. I was going to take my qualifier with Arthur Schroenburg."

"Ah how I miss Arthur. How is he?" Caius asked.

"You'll find out very soon." I said.

"I'm not gonna like this am I?" He asked and I shook my head.

"We got to the house where his Moroi charge lived and the sidewalks weren't salted, not a single footprint in the snow. Dimitri noticed the door broken and told me to stay in the car. I didn't listen of course, but I wished I did. I went around the back of the house and found a stake driven into the ground under the snow. Inside the house were the bodies of the family that lived there, along with several guardians. Arthur was one of them." I said sadly. Caius was for once speechless and sullen looking, the sneer gone.

"After that, the academy decided to send us all to a ski resort for the holidays so that we were 'safe'. I actually met Tatiana's nephew, Adrian, that day. Two of my friends that were novices and a Moroi girl I didn't particularly care for, decided to go Strigoi hunting and Christian and I went after them. We caught up before they got into trouble, but we were taken by humans that were working with the Strigoi and they kept us for days, planning to starve one of the Moroi into turning willingly. We finally managed to escape on our own with Christian, Mia and I doing what we could. One of the novice's didn't make it out of that house alive. The Strigoi was about to kill me when he came back and the Strigoi simply snapped his neck as if it were nothing. I finally decapitated the two Strigoi with a dull sword that hung on the mantle. I was only 16" I finished.

"Wow, what do you say to someone after that?" Caius asked and I looked up sadly.

"That isn't even the half of it yet." I said.

"What?" All those in the room said with the exception of Aro who had seen my thoughts. I nodded.

"The short version is that there was an attack at the school after that. I could see the ghost of Mason, the boy that was killed and I thought I was going crazy. I was seeing him inside the wards which confused me. Some of the Moroi students had been using their magic near the wards, negating their own magic. There were a large number of Strigoi and several students and teachers were taken. Christian and I teamed up during the fight. He would light their hair on fire, distracting them enough so I could stake them. I killed over twenty that night but it wasn't over. Using my 'sixth sense' (yeah I know bad movie reference but I couldn't resist), I tracked that they couldn't get out of the sunlight before sunrise, so with Mason's help I was able to put together a rescue plan and the school was reluctant but finally agreed. We succeeded in getting most of the students and teachers back, but not without losses. Dimitri had been on the rescue with me and I had to watch helplessly and the Strigoi overpowered him and the other guardians pulled me back. They went for the bodies the next day but his body wasn't found. Mason confirmed that he was Strigoi." I said and I closed my eyes tightly at the memory. I felt waves of calm and I knew Jasper was around, no wonder I wasn't I babbling teary mess right now.

"Jasper, you better get your ass in here right now. If you gonna damn eavesdrop you might as well get in here so come on." I yelled. I heard a faint laugh from the guard members and a chuckle from Jasper as he came in.

"Sorry Rose, The family were worried about you." He said.

"Well I have been taking care of myself for almost 19 years, what's a couple of hours?" I said sarcastically and we all laughed, even the little uptight Jane. Jasper came over and sat beside me. "Anyway, Dimirti and I made a promise to each other that if one of us were ever turned Strigoi that we would kill the other to keep them from wandering the earth killing innocents. So as soon as I turned 18 a little later, I dropped out of the academy and tracked him to Russia. I met Dimitri's family and apparently no one thought to give them any news so I had to break the news to his family that he was, in the eyes of the Moroi world, dead. I actually met my father for the first time while I was there, although I didn't know it at the time. Finally I left the family and joined a group of rouge Damphirs, killing Strigoi and making sure that Dimitri knew I was looking for him. He finally found me and took me prisoner in Novisbrisk Russia for several weeks. He fed off me to keep me weak and docile, wanting of course for me to turn willingly, but I always refused. At my first moment of clarity, I managed to get away, but just barely. I thought I had killed him that night, but I had missed my mark. Of course that isn't hard to do when you are hanging off a bridge in the middle of the night."

"I returned to the US and later received the stake I had used that night with a message that I had failed. He wanted me, but it wasn't love at the time. It was for mere possession. I learned during this time that there was a chance, a very slim one, that he could be restored to his Damphir state. I eventually found that if a spirit user infused their magic into our stakes and staked the Strigoi themselves, that it would restore them. I refused the idea even though Lissa was all for it. I wasn't endangering her to get him back, or so I thought. Eventually Dimitri was restored, but it wasn't without immense guilt for what he did as a Strigoi, especially to me." I said. "He pushed me away and I was an absolute wreck. During that time, Tatiana was murdered, Staked through the heart with my stake and I was imprisoned for her murder. I received a note from Tatiana's lover of sorts, telling me that Lissa wasn't the last in her line and that I was the only one she could trust with this information. My friends broke me out of jail with the help of my father and I was on the run, finding Lissa's half sister and clearing myself of Tatiana's murder." I said.

"You have been through so much my dear." Aro said.

"I'm still not finished believe it or not." I said and they all sat their stunned. "Not only did I manage to obtain evidence of my innocence, but I also managed to point out the real murderer. Tatiana's murderer was a very familiar Tasha Ozera." I said and the brothers lost it.

"What? That ungrateful, hateful wench!" Caius ranted and Aro and Marcus looked pained.

"When I called her out on the murder and I was cleared, she got even more desperate. She had killed Tatiana and used me as the scapegoat. Her reasoning for framing me was that she could then pursue Dimitri without my interference. She held a gun to Mia's head while all the guardians tried to talk her down. She aimed the gun at Lissa and fired, but I jumped in front, taking a bullet to the chest." I pulled down my shirt a little showing the small scar that remained as a reminder of my second death. They gasped. "That was the second time I died."

"Wait you died?" Marcus asked. I just nodded.

"I woke up many days later. Apparently the guardians wouldn't let Lissa near me, so she couldn't heal me, but my will to live was enough for me to barely pull through. The bond went silent and it only recently reformed for some odd reason. Since Lissa was no longer the only member of her family, she could take her rightful place as queen and once I was cleared of all charges, I became her guardian." I finished. Jasper sent me calming waves and I swear I saw a teary look in his eyes. The brothers, their wives and the guard all wore the same expressions.

"Now if I may ask, why did you react the way you did when you heard my name?" I asked.

"Ah yes, an old Moroi friend of mine dated a girl whose name was Hathaway. Her name was Janine I believe." Aro said and I paled a little. Oh shit here it comes.

"What was his name?" I asked warily. This really can't get any worse could it?

"He was a Moroi, Turkish decent I believe. We usually called him Ibrahim. He was a non royal. Mazur was his name I believe." Aro said thoughtfully.

"Damn this world is too fucking small." I muttered quietly and Jasper laughed, knowing where this was going. I wanted to see if they could put the pieces together themselves. Aro looked at me strangely for a minute as did Caius and Marcus. They brushed their hands over Aro's sending the silent message. I tapped into their thoughts and they were putting the pieces together slowly.

"Yes I do see some resemblance." Aro answered the silent questions and I groaned. Will I ever meet someone without them having the influence of my father? They looked at me in question.

"My mother is in fact Scottish and my father is Turkish. Janine is my mother." I said and they studied me before widening their eyes.

"Well my dear I can see where the temper and attitude comes from." Aro laughed and the other joined in.

"In case you haven't worked it out just yet, yes Abe Mazur, or Ibrahim as you call him is in fact my father." I said. Damn I really needed to take a picture of this. Their eyes were crimson saucers, large and bright in amazement. I couldn't help but laugh at their expressions. The brothers, along with their guard were stunned into silence.

"So how is it that you have power? I thought that only Moroi had any kind of magic as you call it." Aro asked. Should I really tell him what occurred with the wolves? I looked over to Jasper as if to ask if I should tell them and he just shrugged. Some help he is. I felt like I could trust them but I wasn't entirely sure. My job was to help rid the world of evil immortals and although they didn't seem to be evil, I didn't want this information to get into the wrong hands.

"I'm afraid that for my safety I cannot explain that to all of you. You and your brothers are welcome to that knowledge but I must suggest that the others are not present for that revelation. It is nothing personal, but I have secrets that must not get into the wrong hands." I told Aro and he nodded in acceptance but I could see that Caius wanted to protest.

"I need all of the guard members to leave. Go out of range and I will alert you when it is okay to return." Aro stated and I could see all of the guard members wanting to protest.

"If it would make them feel better, Jasper will remain here and you may choose one guard to stay. I know that this is unorthodox but you will soon understand my reasoning." I stated and the brothers nodded, asking Felix to remain and the others left the cabin. Once I was sure that they were far enough away, I began my story.

"How much do you know of the Queillutes that reside here?" I asked.

"They are a small tribe that has some type of magic in their blood. They shift into large wolves for protection of their lands and they have an agreement with the Cullens." Aro stated in confusion.

"When I first met the Cullens, Lissa and I were here with some of our friends on vacation. Lissa suggested a camping trip and we had picked Forks because it had the smallest number of Strigoi attacks. Abe had never mentioned any of your kind so none of us knew that there were others. That night we met the Cullens and the wolves but we were also attacked by a group of Strigoi. I fought them while the remaining two guardians covered the Moroi. I was on the last Strigoi when he managed to get the upper hand and pinned me. Jake, one of the wolves, took out the last Strigoi and we broke camp to stay with the Cullens. We stayed with them and explained our world while they explained theirs.

I was sparing in the yard with some of the others when the wolves came. They thought that the Cullens had broken the treaty and created more of their kind. In the confusion of the attack, I was bitten. They had never bitten a human before and didn't know what would occur and since I was only half human we still weren't sure. Lissa rushed out to heal me but her power couldn't heal the bite." I said.

"Jake's father is a tribe elder and found a prophecy related to what would happen if they bit a Damphir. Apparently the power I have comes as a result of that prophecy. I can use all the elements and 'borrow' others. It also causes me to have the ability to phase like the tribe does." I finished warily and I could see the shocked expressions they held. My concern was that they would jump to the conclusion that I was like the children of the moon. Caius looked like he was battling himself which caused me some concern.

"Can you show us?" Aro asked and I nodded. I stood and they followed me outside.

"Jaz you will have to go back and get me some clothes unless I can step into the trees." He nodded.

"I need to either step into the trees or Jasper will have to send for some more clothes." I said to the others.

"Whichever you prefer my dear." Aro said and I stepped out of sight, stripped my clothes and phased. I stepped back out as I watched their eyes widen. They marveled at my snow white fur and I assumed that my eyes were the icy blue they were before. Minutes later I stepped back into the trees and phased back. I dressed in my clothes and stepped back to where they all stood still in shock.

"Well it is obvious that she isn't one of the children of the moon but what do we do about her?" Caius asked.

"You will do nothing about me." I stated. "My purpose is to rid this earth of those immortals who are evil which would be the Strigoi and of course some of your more colorful characters. You three are brutal and merciless of course, but you use those traits to uphold the laws. What is to say if I destroyed you three that the next rulers of your kind would be better or worse? I know enough about your kind to tell the difference." I stated proudly.

"You are truly a formidable weapon against the Strigoi and of course our kind." Aro stated thoughtfully.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean that I intend to let it go to my head. I understand what you are and that your kind need to feed. Those who feed off of humans aren't necessarily evil and there is a fine line between them. I also understand that there are even mortals in this world that are inherently evil as well. It is a delicate balance and I cannot simply destroy those vampires who maintain a 'natural diet."

"I believe that we might in fact be able to agree on something here." Aro stated. "The volturi keep close watch on all of our kind and send our guard to deal with those evils as you call them. We sometimes run into large factions of newborns that aren't trained, created for personal vendettas and such. Perhaps we could locate those for you?" He finished.

"I don't know. I really haven't thought much on the matter seeing as I am still training and getting the hang of all this. Perhaps I could get back to you on that?" I said and Aro nodded.

"I understand my dear. Carlisle knows how to contact us should you decide to agree to that. I believe that we have spent enough time here and it is unfortunately time for us to head back to Volterra. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you my dear. I would also be thrilled to see your father again. Please give your parents my regards." Aro stated and he sent Felix to retrieve the others. Once they departed I noticed that Jasper looked somewhat confused.

Please R&R.