Author's note: Thank you for your patience. I am so sorry these updates are coming slowly. I'll try to write a new chapter in the next couple days. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews. They are very much appreciated.

Happy reading!

Chapter Six

"They haven't broken me. They haven't." Sydney told herself that every night at the end of her re-education sessions. "Not yet. Not ever."

She was awakened every day—she wasn't sure if it was night or day at all—by the alarm and the mantra, "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."

She sighed and dressed. She had been moved to another cell with an attached bathroom. It wasn't much bigger than the last cell, but at least she had a tad bit of privacy. They were starting to trust her.

She was brought once more to the room with the large screen. She was sat in the chair, but was given no drugs this time. As the film played, Sydney made the proper faces of a horrified Alchemist. She was letting them believe she was disgusted by these images. She even looked away at the scene with the sexual act between a Moroi and a human that concluded in a bite to the human's neck. She even let out a retch and covered her mouth.

Sydney was returned to her room after that and left alone. There was silence. She sat down on her bed and found a book sitting on her pillow. She picked it up and found it was a well-known Alchemist propaganda novel. She picked it up and held it to her chest. A book was a book, after all. They really were showing her the trust that she was winning back.

If only they knew. She was playing them like a fiddle. And she was sure her friends and Adrian were close. He'd visited her dreams a few more times. She still wasn't sure where she was exactly. But she listened and, judging by the majority of accents, she was pretty sure she was in St. Louis.

She closed her eyes and attempted sleep. But she awoke when her door opened and Stanton walked in.

"Hello, Miss Sage. I have an assignment for you."

"Miss Stanton. I didn't expect you." She said it kindly enough.

"I know. Your father has been put on alternate assignment. Your sister went with him. While you have been here, your father was granted custody of your sister."

"That's great news." But she cursed silently. She had to save her sister. But first, she had to save herself. "What is the assignment you have for me, ma'am?"

"Mostly running errands. You aren't yet able to do much more than that. You aren't yet in our good graces. Menial tasks will be best for you."

"Yes, ma'am, I agree." Sydney nodded.

"You will be given a list of errands to run. Most of them will be within this compound, but others will be out in the city as we see you doing what we expect. You will transport some of our less important clients to and from the airport."

"Yes, ma'am." Sydney said again.

Stanton left and the door slid shut. Sydney sat back on the bed with her book and started reading. In the back of her mind she started trying to formulate her escape while she was out running errands.

Later as she slept, the world started shimmering around her. Adrian appeared with a cocky smile on his lips.

Sydney let out a laugh and ran to him. "Oh, Adrian!"

He laughed and held her close. "Hey, Sage. I missed you. But I know we're close to finding you."

She looked up at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm in St. Louis, but I'll be able to tell you a bit more soon. They're starting to trust me. I may get to go outside soon."

"Good. You look great."

"I feel great."

They held each other in silence for a long time. Then Adrian pulled back and kissed her hard on the mouth. "I'll let you get your rest. I think my phone's going off anyway."

The dream melted away and Sydney slept better than she'd slept in a long time.

Sydney was awakened by the alarm and two pairs of hands grabbing her. She was brought to a new room this time. There was a chair sitting next to a machine that she recognized.

"You're re-inking my tattoo." She said softly.

"Yes, of course. Can't have you going out with faded ink." One of them smiled.

Her mind started running. She hadn't used magic in a long time. And the breaking of the tattoo before was forever ago, too. It seemed like a lifetime. She took a breath and walked forward and sat down in the chair hoping that this wouldn't alter her. She didn't want to lose sight of her escape. The machine started up and she closed her eyes to the pain.

After what seemed like forever, Sydney woke as if from a dream. She looked around. She felt the same mostly, but there was something missing and she couldn't figure out what it was.

They brought her to the room with the screen and a video started. As soon as the first Moroi came on the screen, she screamed and ran to the back of the room. She hadn't been so frightened in a long time. She realized what was different.

She'd been blind before. She knew her previous feelings of friendliness toward her dhampir and Moroi companions in California had been wrong. They'd corrupted her. And now she knew better.

When Stanton appeared, Sydney gave her an imploring look and apologized profusely.

Her boss gave her a kindly look. "You were tainted. It has happened to some of the best of us."

Sydney nodded. "I understand. And I really to apologize."

The older woman nodded. "Now, off to bed with you. We've been keeping you on an altered schedule. Time to fix it." Stanton gave a self-satisfied smile and walked away quickly.

Over the next several days, Sydney ran messages and files between several different offices. It really was menial work, but she didn't mind it. In the end, she was able to get herself back in the game properly. She was respectful and apologetic to everyone she encountered. They all knew of the disgrace she'd brought herself and her name.

A week after she was let free, she was given her first task outside of the compound. She brought one of her superiors to the airport. As soon as she stepped outside, she confirmed that she was in St. Louis. The layout of the city came quickly to mind and she pointed the car toward the airport.

She looked in the mirror as she headed back to the compound. She noticed a dark car, average. But there was something about it that was familiar. Like she'd noticed it before. She changed lanes. The other car changed lanes. She was being followed.

She sighed. "I guess they don't really trust me after all."

She finished her journey back to the Alchemist compound, watching the car following her to see if she could tell who it was. She was never able to see the face clearly and they eventually fell so far behind that Sydney lost sight of the car completely for long stretches of time.