So, I figured i'd go ahead and put the second chapter up before I forgot everything that I was going to write. :-) So enjoy!

Five Years Later:

Rose-

I woke up from my nightmare with a start. It was always the same one. There was a strogi. It was coming towards me and I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even blink. But the strogi kept coming foreward. When it finally reached me I could see it's deep crimson eyes. They made a chill go down my spine. It reached it's hand out to my neck, bent it's head down, and bit. Then I always woke up. It shouldn't scare me as much as it did but I got terrified every time the nightmare happened.

I turned the lamp on beside my bed and looked around the room. Adrian was laying beside me in the bed and everything was normal. I glance down at the ring that graced my fourth finger on my left hand. It was truely beautiful. My life seemed perfect.

I was engaged to a wonderful man, I had an amazing 5-year-old daughter, and a job I loved. After everything I had gone through in the last few years I deserved this peace.

I pick my clock up from the beside table. 6:34 in the evening. Great. I was up about two hours earlier than the rest of the school.

From a room around the corner of mine I hear a quiet, " Mommy." Anya must be awake. I stumble through the hall fumbling for the light switch. Eventually I find the swiitch and go into her room.

Anya was sitting up in her pink chiffon bed yawning. " Good morning sweet heart. Why are you up so early?"

" I couldn't sleep mommy. There are monsters."

I sit down on the bed beside her. " Where are the monsters?"

" Over there." She says pointing to her closet.

" Would it make you feel better if I went and looked"

" No! It will get you!"

But it was to late. I was already opening the closet doors and pulling the light. " Look. Nothing here. See?"

" I don't believe you."

" Well there's no monster here. Look for yourself."

" Nevermind. I believe you."

I let out a little laugh at how much she really is like me. " Do you want to wake Adrian up?"

" Yeah!"

I follow her out of the room into my bedroom. Standing in the doorway, I watch as she jumps on him. Anya instantly bursts into a fit of giggles and Adrian wakes up. " Mommy! I squished him like a panacake!"

" Oh yeah?" Adrian asks. " Well that just means that the tickle monster is gonna get you!"

" Mommy says there aren't any monsters."

" Mommy lied!" Adrian says and starts furiously tickling Anya.

" Alright! Now that everyone's up, who wants breakfast?" I ask them both.

" Yay!" Anya exclaims and runs to the kitchen. These are the times that I'm glad the school gave me and Anya our own house on school grounds. I could never make panacakes for Anya in the middle of the night if we had to share a kitchen with 500 other people.

I enter the kitchen. Ring! Ring!

I pick up my phone to see that Lisa is the one disturbing my morning. " Adrian, will you please start the panacakes. I think Anya is getting hungry."

" Sure little damphire. Everything ok?"

" Yeah. Just gotta take this."

I walk out of the room and answer my phone. " Hello?

" Hey. We need to talk."

" Lisa, I'm not really ready to talk at the moment. It's too early."

" Well you're going to want to hear his."

" Alright. What's up? But this better be good. I'm not in a good mood this morning."

" Well this is going to make your day hell."

" What is it?" I ask. My mind is reeling trying to figure out what it is I'm going to get so upset over.

" Dimitri's back. And he brought Tasha.