The drive to the facility took longer than I'd anticipated, so I plugged my IPod into the car stereo and hit the play button. The first song to play was Sidewinder by Avenged Sevenfold. I checked to see who's playlist it was; Eddie's. I smiled in spite of myself and turned the volume up loud and opened the window, letting the cool air swirl through the car and whip my hair about. The song was about halfway through when my phone rang. I reached for the stereo's volume control and turned the volume down. I checked the Caller ID; the number was blocked. Frowning, I hesitated before answering.
"Hello?" I asked cautiously.
"Sage! Hey!" A familiar voice shouted through the phone's speaker. It was Adrian. I smiled and shook my head in amusement.
"Hey!" I said back in mock enthusiasm.
"Were you just being sarcastic?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Yes Adrian. I am prone to bouts of sarcasm...sometimes." I could hear him laugh. "What's up?"
"Missing you and..." He trailed off.
"Seriously Adrian? I've only been gone an hour and already you're missing me?" I laughed.
"What, you're not missing me?" He asked. I snorted.
"It's only been an hour Adrian. So no, I don't miss you. What was the real reason you rang me?" Adrian hesitated in his answer.
"Ummm, Jill wants to get her bellybutton pierced and we all said no. Except Sonya; she said yes. What do you think?" He sounded a little awkward asking me this. I laughed quietly to myself and decided to let him in on a little secret of mine that I was sure he'd be surprised to hear about.
"I don't have any problem with her getting her bellybutton pierced. Besides, it's not like she's getting a facial piercing."
"You sound as if you know from experience." Adrian said. I smiled.
"Mm-hmm." Was all I said.
"You have piercings?" He pressed. He was a curious one, that Adrian Ivashkov.
"Of course. I have my ears pierced." I said trying to sound innocent. Adrian wasn't buying my lame excuse.
"That's not what I meant Sage." He said. In the background I could hear laughing.
"Oh I know. I won't tell you, I'll show you."
"Huh? What do you mean you'll show me? You're not outside are you?" He must have walked to the window and looked out because he spoke again. "Nope, no sign of your mom's car." I laughed at him. He was crazy, but I loved him.
"I'll send a picture. Hold on, I'll pull over so I can take it." I hung up and pulled over to the side of the road. Checking to make sure that there were no oncoming vehicles- of any kind- I got out the car and activated the camera setting on my phone. Careful not to knock it, I pulled my shirt up to just below my ribs, angling the camera at the right angle and took a picture. I sent it in a message to Adrian with the caption; "Even I know how to be a girl!" and hit send. I'd left the engine running, so when I got back in the car all I had to do was indicate, release the handbrake, put the car into drive and pull out.
I'd been back on the road a couple of minutes when my phone rang again. It was Adrian...again.
"You have your bellybutton pierced?" He said before I could even say hello.
"Well hello to you too...again. Yes, I do have my bellybutton pierced."
"Wow that's...hot Sage. Really hot. I never pegged you for the type to get piercings like that."
"I'm actually not. I only got it because I was dared too. At first I hated it, but then I got used it and well, now I love it. I especially love fiddling with it. Taking the bar out, putting it back in, so on and so forth." Adrian was making a funny noise, then piped up and said,
"I am so going to watch you play with it. Then try playing with it myself." He said. I laughed loudly and unintentionally covered my bellybutton with one hand.
"Sorry Ivashkov. No one but me plays with the bellybutton. You can watch, but that's about it."
"Can I at least poke it?" I could clearly see him pouting, looking at me with those gorgeous emerald eyes.
"Nope no poking. That's a form of playing. If I have mine done, then surely Jill can get hers done. But tell her to wait until I come back. I want to be there." I said. A song I liked came on through the stereo speaker's. "Sorry gotta go. Got some ACDC to sing along to. Bye." I hung up and chucked my phone onto the passenger seat and then turned the stereo up. Highway To Hell blasting through the speakers. How fitting it was for this song to play while I was on my way to the Alchemist facility.
After a long drive I finally arrived at the facility. Flashing my tattoo to the security guards at the gates, I was let through and soon found a car park. After making sure everything was locked, I made my way inside the building. The walls and floor were a white that made me think of hospitals. Or, a psychiatric ward. But it smelt like a dentist; sterile and uncomfortable. I turned left at the end of the corridor and stepped into a quiet room. I checked in at the counter and went to take a seat, but didn't even make it halfway when Donna Stanton walked out...and so did my father. They were in the middle of a conversation but stopped when they saw me. My father's expression was one of shock, he clearly hadn't expected to see me here. But Stanton's expression showed no surprise; she was expecting me.
"Sydney, what are you doing here?" My father asked. "Is something wrong? Are those creatures treating you horribly?" I flinched when my father referred to the Moroi and Dhampirs as 'creatures'. I wondered how he would react when he found out I was in love with one of them. Well he was going to find out. My mom knew, Carly knew, Zoe probably knew by now, so why not tell my father at the same time I told Stanton?
"I'm here to speak with Miss Stanton. A situation has risen and I needed to speak to her face-to-face." I said. I gave my father a strange look. "Actually, I'd like you to be there too dad." My father returned my strange look. Jared Sage was a person who had to know everything and actually wanted to be the first person to know. He was going to disown me, I knew it. But I really didn't care anymore. Miss Stanton gestured back to the room her and my father had just walked out of. I walked in and stood in the middle of the room.
"Sydney what's going on?" My father warned. All in good time father of mine, all in good time.
"Yes, Sydney, what is going on? Is there a problem with the Moroi and Dhampirs?" Stanton asked. I shook my head and fought so hard not to smile.
"No, no problem. Well, you may think it's a problem. One you will more than likely want to deal with immediately." I said.
"Well? Spit it out!" My father demanded.
"One of the Moroi; Adrian Ivashkov has fallen in love." State the obvious why don't you?
"And that's a problem how?" My father said impatiently. I repressed an irritated sigh.
"He's fallen in love with...me." I said quietly. My heart was thudding painfully against my ribs. The palms of my hands were sweaty and I rubbed them against my pants. My father looked outraged. He turned to Stanton,
"We need to remove Sydney effective immediately." He demanded. Stanton shook her head and nodded in my direction,
"I think there's something else she wants to tell us Jared." My father turned to face me.
"Is there something else?" He asked. His tone dangerously quiet. I nodded my head and then looked up and stared into his eyes unblinkingly.
"Yes. There is something else. Adrian has fallen in love with me...and I with him." There, it was out. They were going to send me to a re-education centre for sure.
"What?" My father yelled, spittle flying everywhere. "I knew it was a horrible idea to send you instead of Zoe. If we'd sent Zoe, none of this would have happened. This proves you can't be trusted around them at all. You're going to a re-education centre to learn how to act properly around them. To learn that they are not friends or, or anything more." My father grabbed hold of my arm and began dragging me out of the room.
"Wait!" Stanton called out. My father halted in the doorway, me struggling to break free. "Let her go Jared. That is no way to treat your daughter. Your flesh and blood." My father reluctantly let me go.
"No one can help who they fall in love with. Yes, it is wrong for them to be together, believe me, I know." Stanton gave me a knowing smile. "I'd fallen in love with a Moroi, many years ago though. It was a lovely romance, but unfortunately, it turned quite nasty and he attacked me. I ended it and dedicated myself to the Alchemists. What I'm trying to say is; be careful dating a Moroi. It could turn nasty and you could end up dead and we could end up dealing with another Moroi who's turned Strigoi. Now, I'm not saying that Mr. Ivashkov is going to destroy you, I'm just saying it could happen." My mouth hung open in shock. Donna Stanton and a...Moroi? That was crazy! No wonder she was hostile towards the Moroi. And understandably, my father flew into a rage.
"You're not going to send her to be re-educated when she clearly needs it? What the hell kind of Alchemist are you? Those...those things are abominable creatures of the night. No human in their right mind would ever fall in love with one of them, unless they used their powers of compulsion to make them fall in love with them..." My father came to a sudden realisation and turned on me. "They've been using their evil powers to control your emotions. Sydney, you're not really in love with that thing. You aren't...you can't be." My father had backed himself into a wall. He slid down the wall and covered his face in his hands. I didn't go over and comfort him. How could I? He'd controlled almost every aspect of my life. I wasn't going to let him control who I fell in love with. He looked up at me then, his eyes suspiciously bright.
"You're supposed to fall in love with Keith and get married." He whispered. Keith? Surely not...
"Keith Darnell? Dad, come on. Are you serious? I wouldn't get with him even if my life depended on it. You have no idea of the terrible things he's done!" Keith Darnell was Palm Springs local Alchemist. He'd insisted on my younger sister Zoe being the one to go to Palm Springs. He and I hated each other. He'd planned on giving false reports about me to the Alchemists and have me recalled. Unfortunately for him, I'd called him out on selling vampire blood to rich teens. He'd been removed from his post and sent to a re-education centre.
"I know all about the vampire blood trafficking." He said dismissively.
"That's not what I'm talking about dad. Keith raped Carly! He raped her! Your golden boy raped one of your daughters! What do you think about that?" I was yelling by now and didn't care who heard me. My father was shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're lying! Keith would never do that!" He said, though he sounded unsure.
"He did! Carly came into my room later that night, hysterical, and begging me to promise not to tell anyone." I realised that I'd just broken that promise. "I came here to tell you about Adrian and me, and instead I get threatened with re-education. Not that I wasn't expecting it, because I was. All I wanted to do was ask to be placed on leave. I'm not saying I want to leave the Alchemists, I'm saying that I don't want to do any Alchemist work after this mission."
Stanton regarded me fondly, "Of course. Don't want to get in the way of love." She laughed. "Go, be happy. And, thank you, for all the hard work you've put in. It has been a most intriguing experience." I couldn't stop smiling. She was letting me go? Just like that? It was amazing. I'd expected to go in and get sent to a r-education centre, instead I was walking out a free eighteen year old woman. I thanked Stanton and turned towards the door. I stopped in the doorway, one hand resting against the frame and looked back at my father. He was still crouched against the wall. He'd moved his hands back over his face.
"I hope sometime in the future you can find it within yourself to forgive me." I said to him. Slowly he lifted his head out of his hands and regarded me coldly. I didn't flinch.
"You've disgraced me. You've brought shame upon the Sage name by claiming to be in love with one of them." He spat. I raised an eyebrow and walked out.
It was dark by the time I'd left. The stars flickering miles above me. i must have been in there a while. I made a sudden decision and pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled Adrian's phone.
"Hello?" He answered, his words slurring a little.
"Have you been drinking?" I asked incredulously.
"No, I haven't been drinking. I was trying to sleep." He yawned.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I apologised.
"It's okay. Did you do whatever it was you needed to do?"
"Yes, I did." I said confidently.
"Good. Are you on your way home?"
"No." Yes. I was actually pulling up at Amberwood as I spoke. "There's one more thing I need to do."
I heard him sigh, "You promised you'd be at Son-"
"Yes, I know. I promised I'd be at Sonya and Mikhail's wedding. And I will be. I'll see you at Court. Night." I said as I hurried up the stairs to my dorm room.
"Okay night." I hung up and shoved my phone in my pocket. I yanked the door to my room open and grabbed a duffel bag from underneath my bed. I stuffed a couple of things inside; my pyjamas, toothbrush and toothpaste, hair brush, underwear, makeup bag, a few pairs of shoes, my curling wand and some hair accessories. I stopped in front of my open closet and just stared. I grabbed only one piece of clothing from inside and smiled at it before folding it neatly inside the bag. I zipped it shut and ran back downstairs and out to the car. I started the car and swung out and headed towards the Moroi Royal Court.