First and foremost...SORRY...sorry sorry sorry sorry...is that enough..ol right..SOOOOOORRRY.. i'm really sorry guys.

I have been down with the illness called "Writer's block"..a pain i know. then i forgot about this and focused more on my studies, eventually forgetting this completely..i actually considered abandoning this. But my friends found my account and pushed me to continue this story after years of hiatus! SORRY again!. anyways, they told me that i should feel guilty for i was receiving many reviews and alerts and messages for me to continue.. so here i am! tnx to mostly uwe and zandy(aforementioned friends, also tin, abby and jom) so, i'm sorry if i messed up..and i would probably mess up again, FINALS is looming! i just woke up today and thought..i want to write!

and if you're wondering what has gotten me all smitten and distracted away from writing here..please please please, along with begging for your forgive ness, i am also begging for you guys to check out my blog (link in profile.. but just in case .com) for my writings which sidetracked me from here..i'm doing the best i can..i swear..check it out guys..follow me, comment on it..i don't care..really, just do notice it:) LOL

I'm gonna make it up to you guys!

and P.S. if you don't see me as often here, i think i'm gonna finish this story then try something like HP:)

please please please...READ. REVIEW. CHECK OUT MY BLOG.

Harsh or not..throw it at me, i need your reviews..desperately!

love

(as always)

AudenPaige0.o

Chapter 8

"Hey!" I shouted at my abductor.

"Hey," replied a muffled voice, instead it was cheery and amused.

The stranger pushed me to the wall his hands on my waist.

"Let go of me!." I screamed, but the party was in full mode so it was like a whisper.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." The voice should've been familiar but I'm guessing that his mask covered his whole face, including the mouth. Then he let go of me. I should run, but there was something about this person that made me stay. It made me think of Adrian, I felt a thrill of joy.

"Uhm..Who are you and why did you grab me?" I practically shouted in his face after calming my nerves. Maybe I'm wrong, he's probably not coming anyway.

"Uhh..I kinda wanted to dance with you." He gave a strained laugh," Sorry about that again, desperate times."

"Huh, desperate. But you did not answer my first question" In the darkness, I could tell that the masked stranger is tall with body bigger than mine.

"So, would you?" He asked playfully but there was a tone of hopeful in his voice. Ignoring my statement.

"Fine." I was kinda enjoying my escapade with this stranger, deep down, I could feel a connection or something from this stranger. Man, I hope it's Adrian, or I'm sooo gonna break every breakable thing in him.

The DJ picked the time to play a slow song. While the masked man in front of me placed his hands on my waist and I placed mine in his chest. We swayed in the darkness for a while.

"As much as I like dancing in the dark with you, I wish we could dance in the light, for me to dance and watch your goddess-like face."

"Why don't you?" Pulling him into the party, the darkness is actually giving me the Hibbi-jeeves and creeps.

He stayed put, "Can't Beautiful...Cupid wouldn't want Psyche see him now, would he?"

"That's sick. Who are you talking about?" I asked annoyed with his mysteriousness macho façade.

"Oh."

"Oh? What Oh?" Annoyance building up in me.

"Nothing," He said quickly.

"You have that voice my teachers use with me." Hahaha. What would I do if this person turned out to be Stan. I'm gonna throw up all the food I've eaten for the past 3 weeks.

"Really now?" I could sense that he arched an eyebrow behind those mask. What I wouldn't give to rip it from his face.

"I'm getting tired of this!" I pushed him away, going back to the party.

"Wait Rose!" He knows me? Now that's really unfair.

I continued trudging to the party annoyed with the jerk-person following me. I've had it with this sucky night. If I find out that it's really Adrian behind the mask, I'm gonna slap him so hard he'll forget his name.

I was standing in a dark corner after losing my abductor, I really did not want o leave him but I got annoyed with all this stuff, the party, the mysterious ambiance. I would've lived for this party a week ago, but not today, after Adrian, fight with my mom and freaks pulling me to creepy places. I shuddered.

I was scanning the crowd, begging to recognize someone besides Lissa and Christian who unsurprisingly disappeared. Then I saw poor Dimitri who was by the group of guardians.

Tasha was in front of him, then I saw my Mom approach Tasha and after a minute of talking and smiling, I saw Dimitri nod politely and accompany Tasha to the dance floor. I felt bad for Tasha since it was obvious to me that Dimitri was only doing her a favor by dancing with her, but I felt sorrier for Dimitri, having to deal with Tasha alone, his skills unhelpful with his battle.

I went out of the gym just to catch some fresh air, this party was getting into my nerves and I'm starting to doubt whether coming here was a good move or not.

"Hiya stranger." Said a voice a few feet away from me, leaning his side against the wall of the gym watching me. Great, do I have like some sign above my head attracting strange psychos this evening?

I lost my temper and went up to the stranger and pushed him back to the wall. I noticed that through the dim light from the entrance of the gym that he was wearing a glittered black mask covering the top part of his face, he was dashingly wearing a white sleeved shirt topped with a vest and black slacks, it made me think of a gorgeous man from Jane Austen's era we discussed in class.

"Okay creep, tell me what you want and get out of my face if you want to survive a dozen blows from a very annoyed Hathaway in front of you, and I'm telling you she won't show mercy." I hissed showing all my anger and annoyance; I'm so tired of this party. Part of me still sulked about the happenings of these past few days.

"Wait I-" He tried to protest putting his hands in front. I grabbed his shirt in front and pushed him more.

I cut "I changed my mind, just shut up…and-" That's when grabbed off his mask.

With the dim light, I saw his features…then I ran.

"Rose!" I heard him running after me and I ran faster through the woods to my dorm.

"Wait!.Just…Look…Let…me explain..-shit" I heard him getting closer, and when I turned to look back my progress, that's when he ran into me, sending us to the ground.

"I told you to wait for me." He said brushing strands of my hair from my face gently panting at the same time.

That's when I broke it.

"I can't." I heard my voice crack.

He hugged me tight and whispered in my hair "I missed you."

After a minute of feeling his comfort, I pushed him away and got up.

"Adrian, I'm sorry but..I..uhmm..you see.."I sighed and helped him up.

"What? Say it." He pushed.

I shook my head and muttered "Forget it."

He looked at me for a minute and sighed."Do you want to go back to the party?"

I thought for a second and then shook my head again. "No, but go ahead, I'm just gonna go back to my room and shower and sleep."

He grabbed my arm, entwined it with his, and started walking to my dorm. I was shocked but I hid my smile, I was glad that he chose to be with me instead.

After running in the corridor of the dorm building when the guardian turned her back to grab more coffee, we got to my room.

Adrian then got a back pack from the corner of my room and put it on my bed.

"What's with that?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking that-"He paused and put his index under his chin, then seeing I did not get it, he blushed and turned his head away from me before continuing "maybe, you won't mind spending the night with me in my room instead?" He gushed out quickly.

My heart leaped and I felt a thrill of excitement…But that after a millisecond, my heart sank, I heard my mother's words echoing in my head, playing and rewinding.

I stood there staring at the wall in front of me, and when Adrian realized that I was out of it, he grabbed my shoulders facing me towards him.

"Rose? I swear I did not imply anything. I just…well I missed you and I wanted to spend more time with you." He said almost pleadingly, but I remained silent with a blank face. Thoughts were running through my head.

Oh my god, my mother was right. I'm just another one of his bloodwhores. I grimaced at my thought.

Adrian saw me wince. "Look I'm sorry, really Rose. If you don't want to, then we won't. I wasn't pushing you or anything."

"It's okay." I said after a minute. "It was just…Sorry I blacked out there..I guess my mind just got tired of the party and.." I shook my head.

"It's fine." He assured, he then dropped the subject and sat down my bed, grabbing me with him.

"Rose, if there's anything on your mind, though it looks I'm don't damn care anything about the world, I care you know? It's you so my attention projects to you."

I smiled and patted his cheeks "Thanks" I said gently.

The following weeks were a blur to me. A chaos of lessons and times spent hiding from my mother for a few days as well as avoiding Adrian as much as possible after the ball.

I sat beside Lissa in a bench after lunch. We both sat in a comfortable silence, after a few minutes Christian joined us.

"Hey Liss." Kissing her cheek, "Oh my god, is that you Rose? Surely I my eyes must be playing games with me."

"Hello to you too asshole. What did the world do wrong to deserve your face shown this century?" Rolling my eyes.

"Play nice."Lissa sighed.

Before I could even retorted, someone dropped by my side. Sigh. Adrian.

"So, the Goddess finally thinks we're worthy for her presence." He said jokingly.

I rolled my eyes and slapped his arm playfully.

"Can I borrow you for a minute or so Rose? Please? Please?" He pleaded. What the heck.

"Sure." I nodded.

After walking for a few minutes, we came to a stop on the bay of the lake. We watched the calm surface for a minute or two before he broke the growing awkward silence.

"Okey, so I'm sure it's not my extremely hot face and bod," I managed to crack a smile at this, "So what did I mess up?" I sighed.

I turned to him but did not go anywhere as to touch him.

"I swear, nothing's wrong," he raised an eyebrow at this," It's just that…Adrian, I really don't know what's wrong. I'm getting sappy, aren't I? " I smiled a little. Then I jumped.

So I pushed him and kissed him hard. His seemed hesitant at first but then after a few seconds he got into the kiss.

I just found a new strategy. Playing it his way.

We then spent the whole day making out and catching up by the lake. I could tell that he know I was much more reserved than I originally was, but he did not comment further.

It was two blissful weeks later with Adrian that the inevitable happened. The Queen was coming to the school.

For Adrian.

For me.

To be brutally murdered.

By her.

With her bare hands.

Great.

"You didn't!" he said laughing while shaking his head.

"You should have seen Stan's face!" I shouted laughing with him.

We were in my bed back in my room while I was recounting my antics during class today. He then grabbed my hand from my tummy and started tracing shapes in my palm. I snuggled closer to him radiating from him.

"Want to hear your aura for today?" He said cheekily.

"If you must. Be my guest big guy." I replied with a smile while my eyes were close.

"Uhmh..It seems like you are radiating yellow little Dhampir…Are you sure you aren't getting soft on me?" I swatted his chest.

"And based on your palm," I raised an eyebrow but did not comment," there is this one hot royal moroi in your room waiting for you to kiss him senseless." He said innocently.

I sat up from my bed and looked around room pointedly ignoring him.

"Nope, no HOT, royal moroi around…too bad though."

He tackled me and we ended up as a mess in the floor.

"Seriously though Rose, why are the edges of your aura darkish?" He said seriously after we stopped laughing.

I settled in his chest. "Nothing" Burying my head in his chest.

"This is about her right?" He said softly after a minute.

"Who 'her'? I swear Adrian, I'm straight." I tried to duck the question playfully.

He sighed and ran his hand through my hair.

"No silly, I know that you know babe that this her is my dear sweet auntie…the Queen." He said bracingly.

"Are you afraid?" I said.

"Nope, I'm afraid for you though. I don't know if she knows, but knowing her, she would probably by now. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? It's no biggie." I shrugged.

"Then you won't mind coming with me to the banquet in honor of her?"

"Oh No-freaking-way Adrian!" I shouted. He laughed.

"You should've seen your face Rose!" More snickers. He cupped my face gently and kisses my forehead. "But not to worry, I was only playing with you." I whacked him in the head with a pillow.