Dimitri

My trip back to Russia was dreadfully long. The flight itself was a little more than 30 hours along with restless sleep. When I did get the chance to drift off into my subconscious, Roza would invade my mind. Except she wasn't Rose. It was a monster who look like her.

To get to Baia, I was going to take a train since I couldn't drive there. Plus it was more dangerous driving or walking the long way because of the strigoi lurking around.

I was staying at a hotel that was near Nightingale. Nightingale was a well known club in both Russia and the US, for the rich and royal of Moroi. I decided take a walk because staying in my room for too long made me think of her. I been going in and out of Nightingale for a couple of days now, usually for a drink or two. Some of the guardians with their charges didn't give me a second glance and I was glad. No one bother me when I went to the bar inside the club. I was just finishing up with my second drink when the bartender place another drink in my spot.

"Я не заказать другой напиток." I spoke in Russian. (I didn't order another drink.)

"Я знаю. У тебя есть тайный поклонник." The human bartender said. (I know. You got a secret admirer.) He gestures to his right. Just five seat away from me was a Moroi woman who bright blue eyes and ebony color hair. She batted her long eyelashes at me, flashing a small grin. Strangely enough she had a strong resemblance of Tasha Ozera. I wonder if she was part of the Ozera family.

The moroi woman got up from her seat and moves closer to me. "Алло" (Hello.) She said to me. I could tell she was American because of her accent.

"Мне неинтересно. Извините." I said, getting up from my seat. (I'm not interested. Sorry.)

She gave me a pout look and grab my forearm. "Пожалуйста? Могу заплатить больше, чем вы зарабатываете ..." (Please? I can pay more than you earn...) I felt disgusted. Usually I heard of the moroi men looking for dhampir girls for sex. But this is the first time I was offered money for sex.

"I'm not a blood whore." I spat at her, yanking my arm from her grip. I never felt so offended in my life. My kind risk our lives everyday for the Moroi and yet they treat us like we're second class citizens or mere sex objects.

When I got outside and started walking back towards my hotel room, I heard footsteps following me. A shadow from behind was being cast be the flickering street light. I place my hands in my pocket, wrapping my fingers around my silver stake. No good guardian would let their presence be known to their target. The unknown person took a few steps and I quickly turn around with my stake out in the open.

I froze.

It was a human girl.

She was younger than me, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old, around Rose's height, with cropped dark blond hair and dressed in business casual. I recall seeing her yesterday with a couple of moroi men.

"You know you shouldn't have that thing out like that." The girl said, sounding annoyed. "People will think you're a psychopath."

"You shouldn't sneak up on people." I said to her.

"It must be you then?"

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you can't just do that, okay? It's a real pain in the ass to be getting rid of strigoi bodies-"

"Strigoi?"

The human girl steps from the shadows, revealing her face. On her left cheek, she had a golden lily tattoo. Of course she knew about our kind.

"I'm sorry. I rarely run into the Alchemist." I explained to her. The alchemists are humans who dedicate themselves to protect the humans from knowing about the vampire society. "What's your name?"

"Sydney Sage. Are you part of my internship or testing?"

"No," I shook my head. I gripped my stake tightly in my hand and my body became tense. Sydney studies at my sudden change of body language. For an Alchemist, she was very observant.

"What's wrong?"

"You might want to be still." I said, just as the strigoi was about to attack her.

The female strigoi made the mistake of going after Sydney instead of me. It was a bad move because she should've gone after me instead. A swift kick knock him against the brick wall and released Sydney from his grasp. The strigoi looks up at me, her bright red eyes angry and lips curled into a snarled, baring her fangs. She sprang up and aim towards me. I easily dodged her fist and just then Sydney came up and hit her on the back of the head. It only had startled the strigoi but it was enough for me to stake her in the heart. She let out a scream and struggled against my weight on her body until she stop moving.

I stared at the dead strigoi below my feet and thought to myself: What if that was Rose?

Ever since I got to Russia, it seems I always found myself killing strigoi who was stalking either moroi or humans. And every time I kill a female strigoi, I couldn't help but to think if I kill Rose or would I have the guts to do the deed. I felt my heart twisted. Her face on the strigoi.

I regained my calm exterior and my instincts was telling me to check if Sydney was alright.

"Are you alright?"

She was shaken but nodded in response. "Nice work," She said, trying to sound confident. "I never...I never... seen one killed before..."

"We should go to an area that is populated with humans."

"Wait, are you just going to leave it out in the open?" Sydney exclaims.

"My idea would definitely attract unwanted attention." I admit.

Sydney rolls her eyes and reach into her leather purse. From it, she produce a small vial with blue liquid inside it. She then proceed to sprinkle the blue liquid over the body and then step back. I watch as the strigoi was cocooned in yellow smoke and then grew smaller until there was nothing but a pile of ash.

"You're welcome." Sydney said, giving me a disapproving look.

"I'm sorry to cause you such trouble." I said honestly. "I was trying to stop them from hurting moroi and humans. How about, for your trouble, I get you some...coffee?"

She look at me in silence for several seconds before taking up my offer.

We went to this small cafe that Sydney likes to go to that was very busy with humans and moroi. I didn't know why I even offered to buy her coffee. It sounded like I was asking her out. But the truth was I was feeling lonely and I thought it would be nice to have a conversation with someone.

"Are you okay...um, whatever your name is?" Sydney was staring at me.

"Yes I'm fine. It is Dimitri."

Sydney and I sat outside of the cafe shop and look over the menu. There was a small selection of food that consisted of sandwiches and pastries. When the waitress arrived, I was surprised that Sydney ordered her food in perfect russian. I ordered a sandwich and a chocolate donut. I expected the alchemist to start asking me questions when the waitress left but instead she simply kept to herself, avoiding eye contact with me. I sense she was uncomfortable around me. I had forgotten that alchemist did see moroi and dhampirs as 'evil creatures of the night'. It really offended me since the moroi and dhampirs weren't naturally evil like the strigoi.

"You know," I began to speak. "I'm not like the strigoi if that is what you're thinking, Ms. Sage."

Her expression was bland. "Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans."

"Our kind is not evil...at least not strigoi evil."

"That's true." she said. "Strigoi are more evil."

I frown slightly. "Ms. Sage-"

"Please call me Sydney."

"Sydney, Moroi and dhampirs are not evil by nature. We, like your kind, have morals and values too." I argued. "Unlike the strigoi who are indeed evil by nature. I understand why you may see all vampires as evil but I assure you that's not the case with a majority of moroi and dhampirs."

Sydney opened her mouth to speak against my argument but the waitress had brought us our food.