CHAPTER TWENTY- LOSING MY GROUND
Hey there, are you guys liking my stuff? I understand if you don't, because you know…I'm really not all that good…so feel free to light my story, I really don't mind, flames are so funny I think and it makes me think harder and sometimes put more into my writing, because I'd want to make it that much better for my other readers…anyway, here's the next chapter…
"Rose, damn it, wake up,"
Someone was shaking me and I blinked my eyes open to see that we were back to the plane and Alexander was still holding me but now he was looking down on me with worried eyes.
My eyes were wet with tears…Blake and Tory…a quiet voice whispers. They're gone…I immediately sat up, which only caused me to hit my head on the roof of the cab. I tossed a twenty over the seat and hopped out of the car and Alexander's arms. I whipped out my cell phone and turned to Alexander.
"Does the Academy have a phone number?" I demanded.
"Why do you need to call the Academy?" he asked confused.
"Never mind, if you're going to be like that," I said irritated and dialled Mikhail's number and waited impatiently for him to pick up.
"Hello?" Mikhail's cheery voice answered.
"Hey, Mikhail, I'm coming back today, but I need you to do something really important for me right now." I said urgently as I walked to the plane. The flight attendant called and said it should only be a short time and I paced out of the way of everything.
"Rose, what's wrong, shortie?"
"Nothing, I need you to do something," I repeated.
"Okay, don't mess with Rose Hathaway, right? What is it I can do for you?"
"Go to room seventeen in guest housing and ask for Blake Macy," I ordered sharply.
"What?"
"Just do it Mikhail," I snapped then I made my voice softer. "Please, Mikhail, for me?"
I waited and silently whispered 'yes' when I heard Mikhail groan and say, "The things I do for you woman, how would you survive without me?"
Then he made his voice louder and said, "Okay, so what room?"
"Guest housing, room seventeen," I instructed.
"Fine, one minute," he said annoyed and I'm pretty sure he was running because not even a minute later, I heard him say, "Hey, I'm looking for a Blake Macy?"
"I'm Blake," a muffled voice said and then Mikhail's voice came back to say, "What do I do now?"
"Give Blake the phone," I said urgently, I needed to hear his voice; I needed to make sure he was okay; I needed to make sure it was really him.
"Hello?"
"Blake!" I screeched into the receiver. I was so relieved to hear his familiar comforting voice.
"Rose?" he asked, but he seemed pleased that I'd chosen to talk to him.
"Yeah, it's me…oh, I'm just so glad to hear you…" I sighed happily and walked further away to lean against a tree to enjoy this blissful contentment.
"Why? You miss me that much?" he joked and I laughed faintly.
"Yeah, I miss you, kid," I returned.
"So why don't you come to see me? We haven't got to see you in so long, Rose? Is it because of that Kevin kid, the one who brought our bags?" he shot the questions at me, now that I knew he was safe, I was rather annoyed with his attitude.
"No, it's not Kevin…I've just been busy, but I've got presents to make it up when I come back!" I said excitedly, brushing aside my annoyance.
"Really?" he was excited now. "What'd you get?"
"I'm not telling! That's cheating, but you can find out when I get back," I taunted.
"When are you getting back?" he demanded.
"In two weeks," I lied smugly.
"TWO WEEKS! ROSE HATHAWAY! That is totally unfair and you know—"
"Blake, calm down," I cut him off laughing. "I'm coming back today," I laughed at the pause where Blake said nothing. "Come on, do you really think that I'd leave you for that long without saying anything?"
"No…" he said slowly then said. "How soon, Rose? We haven't done anything in forever, we'll go into some town for ice cream or something when you get back, alright?" he said eagerly and I was immediately alarmed.
"No! Do not leave the Academy!" I exclaimed frantically. "Do not do anything until I get back!"
There was a pause. "Rose, we're going to have to fucking eat," he said snidely.
"Well…I mean…don't leave the Academy and don't do anything dangerous or leave the wards or anything until I get back." I said sternly.
"Alright, Rose, but what squirrel's got itself stuck up your ass?" he joked.
I rolled my eyes and was about to say something when I was called to by Alexander.
"Rose! What are you doing way over there? Get over here!"
"I'll call you back, Blake," I said angrily into the receiver before hanging up sharply and glowering at Alexander.
"You are not my mother! And I don't have a damn father so you're not that either! I don't have anything right now; it's just me, alright? Alexander, just shut it and deal with your shit and I'll deal with mine. I don't need a supervisor twenty-four-seven! Good God, you treat me like I'm two years old, I'm not! Look at the back of my neck, I can fend for myself, damn it!" I screamed and Alexander stopped dead with shock. I stormed past him and onto the plane, I ran into the pilot.
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I was just about to call, the plane is ready," he said politely taking off his hat.
"The fault is mine, I'm sorry," I said bitterly with anger towards Alexander. "I am sorry," I apologized again. "I'm in a little snitch with Alexander –" I was cut off when Alexander came stomping in. "Speak of the damn devil," I muttered under my breath.
"Rosemarie Hathaway, you are out of line!" he pointed a finger threateningly at me. I wanted to break it.
That was the one thing that he shouldn't have said. I glared at him, completely infuriated. He could say that me yelling at him was out of line…but he couldn't do anything when Janine Hathaway was beating on me?
"Oh! I'm out of line? Wow, and when Janine Hathaway was hitting me, and when she made me bleed, that wasn't too far out of line to do anything? How come you didn't stop her, Alexander?" I asked, pretending to be sweet and curious.
He paused before saying, "You can stand up for yourself, as you've just pointed out,"
"I can stand up for myself…" I growled. "Yeah, if I stood up for myself," I spat. "Janine Hathaway would most likely be in the clinic with severe injuries for a long time,"
"Rose, you don't mean that," Alexander shook his head with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I mean that, but, luckily enough, it's a good thing I have enough self-control to just stand there and hold back everything, yeah?" I leered.
He was shocked and I just clenched my jaw. "Whatever, alright, Alexander?" I snapped and stocked off to the same seat I had before, ready to spend the whole flight back with my iPod. I turned on the song Saviour by Rise Against.
It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten
What the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them
As the telling signs of age rain down a single tear is dropping
Through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten
There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place
And there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds
But seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you
Like walls that we just can't break through until we disappear
So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
Because I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer to the questions that you still have
But the day pressed on like crushing weights
For no man does it ever wait
Like memories of dying days
That deafen us like hurricanes
Bathed in flames we held the brand
Uncurled the fingers in your hand
Pressed into the flesh like sand
Now do you understand?
So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
Because I don't know
That' s when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have
One thousand miles away
There's nothing left to say
But so much left that I don't know
We never had a choice
This world is too much noise
It takes me under
It takes me under once again
I don't hate you
I don't hate you
So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
Because I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, no
I liked this song because the girl was the saviour and she was trying to save the boy that she cared about. I would try to do that…for my Lissa…Christian…Eddie…Adrian…I would protect them with everything that I had.
Maybe if you got rid of yourself, you WOULD be saving them. That bitter voice sneered. I shook my head and cranked up the music up louder changing it to Hero by Superchick. It was such a sad song, because so many kids did commit suicide because of others bullying them, it was wrong.
I shook off all thoughts and blanked everything out of my mind as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat.
All I saw was blackness…then…flashes came back to me. They were of me…my life. My life with Lissa, Mason, my rebellion, running away to Portland with Lissa, Dimitri, Christian, Eddie, my ex-mother, Adrian, more Dimitri, lots of Lissa, Strigoi, more Adrian…everything…
I felt a small smile spread across my lips as I thought of Adrian and his outrageous flirting with me, I felt like an idiot because I'd never noticed his true feelings, even thought it was so obvious. I spent the rest of the flight, watching myself fly by, spending time watching a slideshow of my life…and mostly…holding back my agonizing tears each time I saw Dimitri…
*****
I am on a beach, savouring the warm sun on my skin. I glance down, I'm wearing a black bikini top and jean shorts with black flip-flops. Of course, I think. I start to walk towards the setting sun and the calming waves. I kick off my flip-flops and jog to the water and let the waves tickle my feet as I wiggle my toes in the wet sand under the water that came up to my shins.
I giggle quietly to myself and smile out to the pink sun.
"Little dhampir," an amused voice says from behind me and I spin around, tripping over my feet and falling into the water soaking myself.
I shake out my hair and look up to see Adrian looking down on me with a smile playing across his lips.
"Oh…um, hello," I say kindly and I smile up at him. He was wearing black swim trunks and an unbuttoned dress shirt, it was the same type as the one he was wearing during our last encounter but just a different colour, this one was pink. "I'm liking your shirt," I grin and Adrian's answering grin was brilliant, it made me tingly inside for some reason. I brush it off and take the hand that he's extended to help me up.
"How are you, Rose?" he asks and I grin brightly and wave my hands around in the air listlessly.
"I'm great, Adrian, I'm happy, look around you, how can't I be?" I said blissfully. I turn to look at the waves and feel confused when he takes my face in his hands and turns it to his. Adrian's face was worried and shocked. "What's wrong with you?" I ask politely and Adrian's face only screws up more.
"Rose, really, how are you?" he asks sounding so concerned, like I should be in a detention center. What the fuck?
"I'm fine, I just told you that," I roll my eyes annoyed.
Adrian runs a hand through his hand and lets out a big sigh, then he looks back at me. "How can you be so…so LAX with everything that's going on?"
When he says this, everything comes back to me, all my worry, fear, shock, anger, all of my feelings that I'm having in the real world are coming back to me. I am now angry at Adrian for ruining my moment. "Damn it, Adrian! Why would you do that?" I pout.
"Do what?" he's shocked at my sudden mood swing.
"Wreck the mood! We were having a great start and you had to ruin it, what's up with that?"
He laughs at me. Adrian is actually laughing at me. He throws his arm around my shoulders and sighs again, this time, with contentment. "Ah, Rose," is all he says as he looks into my eyes.
I gaze back…those emerald green eyes were burning with a strong emotion that sends tingles through my entire body. I smile right into his brilliant eyes and Adrian's answering smile is radiant. I get a nagging feeling in the back of my head, like I should be telling Adrian something important.
"Rose…" Adrian says and his face comes closer to mine. I put my hands to his lips and close my eyes in concentration.
BLOOD PROMISE, a voice whispers and my eyes snap open and I look into Adrian's eyes. He kisses my hand passionately before I remove it.
"Adrian…what do you know about a…Blood Promise?" I ask. His reaction is really noticeable. He goes as straight as a rod, like something had shocked him. "Adrian?" I ask worried.
He shakes his head and his gaze returns to mine. His eyes are smoky and serious. "What about it?" his voice is tight and remote.
"Adrian, tell me what ever it is that you're hiding right now," I demand sharply.
He sighs and puts his hands on either side of my face. "A Blood Promise…it's something that you are bound to do…it's something that a person MUST do…when someone is…locked into a Blood Promise, they must do whatever the Promise is for…" he sighs and puts his face closer to mine. "They are practically COMPELLED to do whatever the Promise is for, Rose…it ties your soul to it, and the keeper will not be free until the Promise is kept."
I just stare at him in shock. Am I bound by a Blood Promise? "H-how is a…um, Blood Promise…um, forged?" I whisper.
"It has to be forged in the deepest of sincerity," he says so seriously. "It could be because of the deepest of affection, love of a friend, a guilty dept to repay that is most sincere, anything…but it must be true. If it's not, then it's not true and it's not a Blood Promise, it's empty words."
I am in a Blood Promise.I think numbly.
Adrian pulls closer to me, all thoughts of everything else, but his amazing emerald eyes so, so close. I wanted him to kiss me.
"Rose…" he whispers longingly.
"Hmm…" I hum pleasantly as I watch his eyes through half-closed eye lids.
He gazes into my eyes as he moves closer to me; I don't break the stare and hope that he can read the 'okay' in my eyes. Obviously, he could because his lips were on mine…it wasn't rough or hungry…it was tender and…loving. It was AMAZING.
He pulled back and rests his forehead against mine and stares into my eyes again. "You…you don't even know how…perfect that was for me…" I see the question in his eyes and fall down on the sand, staring up at him.
"Hmm…I might…if you enjoyed that as much as I did," I wink up at him and he looks so blissful that I have to grin up at him.
The air around us starts to shimmer and Adrian looks so disappointed that our encounter has come to an end.
"Rose, I'll see you again?" he asks so hopefully that I can't help but let my grin widen.
"Yes,"
Adrian touches my cheek so lightly it takes my breath away. His smile is brilliant before everything vanishes and I'm left with nothing but darkness and questions.
Did you like that last part, with Adrian? There's some twists coming up down this road that Rose must travel, but hey, I hope it entertains you guys, because that's what it's all about.
If you didnt like it, burn the damn story to the ground. Flames are so funny! Please review, I love you for it. Hey, have you checked out the BLOOD PROMISE COVER? It's already on google and on Richelle's blog/site.
Review please.
alice