Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Ch. 5 To Russia

"You're kidding." I was too shocked to think of anything more eloquent. It was impossible. How could Adrian have even found out about Dimitri's trip? I was pretty sure besides me and possibly Alberta, no one else would know.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Believe me, little dhampir, I'm not kidding. I have a two-way ticket to Russia. And if you go, you're on the same plane as the cradle-I mean Belikov."

My mouth was hanging open now. I looked into Adrian's green eyes and I could see he was telling the truth. I mentally chastised myself for thinking the worst of him. He wasn't always bad.

"But…why?" I asked. I knew perfectly well that Adrian wasn't a fan of me being in love with Dimitri. Given the chance, if I ever stopped loving Dimitri…Adrian would be there to take his place.

Adrian's eyes softened as they regarded me. I was a little surprised at the warm feelings in his eyes. "Because I want you to be happy, Rose. I know that you'll be miserable without Dimitri if you aren't with him, and I know you hardly get to see him already."

I was still in shock that he was basically accepting that I would be miserable without Dimitri. "And also how did you even know he was going to Russia and get a ticket so fast?"

Adrian now laughed. "I was near Guardian Petrov's office, and I heard him giving her all the trip details. As for the ticket? I just went online and booked one right after I heard him."

"Thank you, Adrian," I whispered, touched by how he would do this for me.

"Hurry," he said, handing me a ticket and a wad of $10, 000 in American money. "The plane takes off in two and a half hours, and I have to drive you to Missoula. Pack, and be ready in ten."

He left the room, and I quickly flew around the room, throwing clothes and a bag of toiletries into my small suitcase. I critically regarded the tank top and sweats I wore, and quickly threw on a hoodie and some boots.

Before running out the door, my eyes fell on my nightstand. The promise ring! If my friends tore apart my room to look for clues where I'd gone, they'd find the ring. I planned to tell them after graduation about me and Dimitri.

I quickly took out the box containing my promise ring and shoved the ring onto my finger before tossing the box into my suitcase.

I quietly went down the stairs with my suitcase in one hand and left the dorm. Adrian was waiting for me outside, smoking a cigarette.

He turned at my footsteps and his face lit up. He instantly dropped his cigarette on the floor and stamped it out. I was going to scold him for littering on campus, but decided to give him a break. He had cut back a little on smoking anyway.

"And since when did you have your own car?" I asked as we started walking towards the parking lot near the front of the Academy.

He smirked as he pressed down on the keys and the car beeped. "I don't. Even I don't have that much money to afford one. I just borrowed a car."

I frowned. "What did you even tell the person lending you the car?"

He didn't answer, and suddenly I was a little scared of what he'd done. We stopped in front of a very red shiny Ferrari that looked brand new. "Please don't tell me you used compulsion."

His silence confirmed it further, and I sighed. Then another problem occurred to me as I sat next to him. "Wait. How are you going to get me out of the Academy?"

"Little dhampir, you already answered it," he replied as he started the engine and started backing up the car.

My mouth dropped for the second time tonight. "Adrian! If you use too much spirit…"

"I'm fine," he interrupted me. "And I'm only using a little so it shouldn't affect me." Key word-shouldn't.

I sighed, but I really couldn't think of any other option besides compulsion. Even worse, he didn't have someone bonded to him to absorb the effects of spirit.

We stopped at the gates on our way out, and Adrian compelled the guardians into not being able to see me. After five minutes, we were on our way to Missoula.

It took us about an hour to get there, which meant I had an hour and a half left until my flight took off.

Adrian stopped the car at the Departures sign, and helped me out with my luggage. He placed it on the curb and we stood there a bit awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, I guess that's it," I murmured, looking down at my small suitcase.

Adrian nodded, his expression carefully clear of any emotions. To my surprise, he leaned over and hugged me tightly.

"Please, Rose…be careful in Russia," he whispered as he held me.

"Of course," I said, surprised, but I hugged him back. "Nothing in Russia can take me down." At least, so I hoped.

He held me at arm's length. There were conflicting emotions in Adrian's eyes. Suddenly I knew that for all his joking and teasing, he really cared about me. Although he really hated the idea of me being with Dimitri, his desire for me to be happy overwhelmed it.

He shocked me even more by kissing me on the cheek, a soft quick peck. "See you in a week," he murmured before getting into the car and driving away.

I stood there for a moment, shell-shocked. My hand went to the spot where he'd kissed my cheek. It tingled a little, from the warmth of his lips.

Adrian had just kissed my cheek. If he'd been acting like a player, he could've stolen a kiss on my mouth. But instead, he'd just kissed my cheek.

My phone beeped, alerting me to how I had exactly one and a half hour until my flight took off. Crap. I had to check in and go through security.

I ran into the airport, and quickly checked in my carry-on. I tore into the security area at a sprint. The only metal I had on me was my promise ring, but they didn't seem too concerned about that.

After going through security, I started walking towards the gate where my flight would take off.

Along the way I passed by some magazine shops, and decided to purchase a few fashion magazines. I had no idea how long the flight would take, and I guessed we'd be flying more than few hours to get to Russia.

I stuffed the magazines into my suitcase, and eyed the restaurants around me. God, I was so hungry. I was pretty sure I hadn't actually had anything to eat since lunchtime, and that had been hours ago. It was almost seven in the morning-"nighttime" for us.

I went into a sandwich store and paid for a sandwich before I quickly devoured it. It didn't taste very good, but I was hungry and I did need to eat.

As I kept walking, my thoughts turned to Dimitri. Would he be angry that I was coming with him to Russia? Would he try to send me back? I shivered a little at the last thought.

No, I firmly decided. He wouldn't do that to me, after all the effort that I went through to see him. He'd probably try to dissuade me from coming, but he wouldn't send me back.

I finally stepped into the gate where my flight would take off later. My eyes scanned the area until it fell on a tall, dark-haired man sitting a few feet away from me, who was reading what seemed to be a Western.

As if he could sense me, he looked up and his eyes widened when he saw me. In that moment, it felt like there was no one but him and me in the airport.

"Roza?"

More chapters coming~ Hopefully they won't be as short as the first few haha