Author's note: I hope you guys all enjoy the Vampire Academy movie! Maybe that will help make this chapter more bearable. Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Keep it coming!
Happy reading!
Chapter Four
The next several days, Sydney wasn't allowed to sleep long enough to get fully rested. She was awakened every half hour by a loud alarm and the repeated monologue about the evils of Moroi, dhampirs, and Strigoi.
"Humans are the superior race. We are the pure race. Vampires, in all forms, are abominations. We aid the Moroi to keep them hidden. They mostly drink blood from willing donors. Dhampirs are the worst abomination of all. They are the unholy offspring of a union between vampires and humans. They are not to be trusted any more than the Moroi. The Strigoi are to be feared above all. They will not ask for consent. They will drain every drop from you."
After it was over, Sydney tried to go back to sleep, but was again awakened by the alarm and the recording a half hour later.
After several hours of this—which could have been more than a day—the door to her cell opened. She was again allowed to shower and then brought to the room with the dentist chair. This time there was a machine beside it. They strapped her into the chair and then slipped a cuff around her wrist that was connected to the machine.
"No drugs this time?" She asked snidely.
The Alchemist gave her a hard look. "You won't need them." She pushed a button on the wall beside the door. "But I'm sure you'll be begging for them soon enough."
As Sydney watched, a screen dropped from the ceiling. An image flashed on it. Her heart beat fast in her chest as she saw the familiar green eyes and smirk. She smiled.
And was given a shock from the cuff on her arm.
"What the hell?" She snapped.
"You recognize that man?" The woman asked.
Sydney noticed the remote in her hand. "Yes." Sydney gave her a defiant look. "That's my boyfriend. Adrian." She was given another shock. This time it lasted longer. "Ouch!"
"Adrian Ivashkov. A Moroi royal." The woman said. "He likes to use women, as most Moroi do. For his own pleasure. Like others, he drinks from the women he sleeps with."
"He's not a bad guy." This got her another shock. She screamed out and demanded, "What is the point of this?"
"He's an abusive alcoholic. There's no telling how many woman he's impregnanted."
"None. He always used protection with all those other girls." Another shock, longer. She gritted her teeth.
The technician fiddled with the machine as she spoke some more. "I understand he gets violent."
"He would never—" The shock she was given this time was stronger and lasted much longer. She let out a long, agonized cry.
It went on and on. Each statement she denied, the intensity was increased. She cried out, screaming, begging for it to stop.
"If you want it to stop, then admit that Adrian Ivashkov is evil." The technician said stoically.
"I won't." She said with a sob. "I love him." She was shocked again, causing her to scream so loud her voice cracked. "I love him." She said hoarsely. Another shock. Another scream. "I love him." Again and again. She wouldn't relent.
It went on for hours. Even when she no longer had a voice or the energy, she adamantly said, "I love him. I love Adrian Ivashov, Moroi royal."
They finally let her go. She was exhausted. So much so that they had to carry her back to her room.
Before they left, she said, "You won't break me. Nothing you can ever do will change the fact that I love Adrian Ivashkov."
"You'll break. They always do." The last Alchemist said before he left the room.
Sydney spat in his direction. "Go to hell." She mumbled. She passed out as the door closed.
Mercifully, they actually let her sleep. She slept so heavily that she wasn't fully aware of the dream at first. There was Adrian. He looked as tired as she felt. But he also looked relieved. He ran across the room. As he gathered her into his arms, she realized it was the room in the bed and breakfast. The place where they had first made love.
"Oh, god, Sage." He sighed in her ear.
"This isn't just a dream?" She asked finally.
"No, it's not." He pushed her away just enough to see her face. "You look like hell."
"You're one to talk." She let out a small laugh.
"Do you know where you are?"
She shook her head. "There are only a small number of facilities." She thought a moment. "I don't think they would send me to St. Louis. But it's a possibility. There are also facilities in a lot of the major cities." She rattled off a lot of other places.
He stopped her with a kiss. "How is your mind still working?"
She smiled. "If I don't have my mind, I have nothing."
He tilted his mouth across hers once more. "I'll find you. I promise."
Tears filled her eyes. "They electrocuted me today."
"Sage." He gathered her into his arms again. "Just hold on, we're coming to get you."
"Please hurry." She begged.
She woke up before Adrian was able to dissolve the dream. The alarm was sounding. And then the monologue started once more.
"Humans are the superior race. We are the pure race. Vampires, in all forms, are abominations. We aid the Moroi to keep them hidden. They mostly drink blood from willing donors. Dhampirs are the worst abomination of all. They are the unholy offspring of a union between vampires and humans. They are not to be trusted any more than the Moroi. The Strigoi are to be feared above all. They will not ask for consent. They will drain every drop from you."
"Wrong." She croaked. "All wrong."
It started over again. She closed her eyes and tried to gather back to herself the spirit dream with Adrian. It wasn't just a dream her mind created. It had been real. She kept telling herself that as the voice repeated the monologue. It seemed to get louder with each repetition.
And then it stopped. She didn't know how long it had lasted. She rolled over and rubbed her thumb over the necklace. She wasn't made to remove it. She was glad of that. She was able to hold out that last thread of hope that Adrian would find her.
The alarm sounded again and she bolted out of her bed. She lifted up her fists, ready to fight this time. She wouldn't let them do this to her anymore. She took a swing at the first figure that got close enough and made contact.
But it wasn't enough in the end. She was tackled and a needle went into her arm.
"Not again." She pleaded as the drug took over.
She dreamed of Adrian. She saw him in the sunlight. She should have known this was a real dream, but she still basked in the sun with him. They kissed and held each other and made love. It was glorious. She could live in that dream forever.