When I woke up the next morning, I debated on putting everything in front of the door and crawling back into bed. Although I didn't doubt for a second that The Russian Mauler, and Eddie would get through it pretty quick. I groaned and rolled out of bed, getting dressed for another day of arguing with Eddie about how stupid he was when it came to strigoi. The guy only had one molnija mark, so come on… How bad ass could he really be? I almost took him down, and I've been away from any kind of training for two months. Regardless, I did my make-up and threw my hair up before heading down to the gym. I was surprised to find I wasn't the last one to arrive this time. Yeah, I know… shocked me too. Most of the novices were already warming up with their guardian. I started towards Eddie when Guardian Belikov came over to me.

"Rose, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked. I didn't know where this was headed, but I nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I said. We walked away from where the rest of the dhampirs were, and stopped.

"Okay, so Guardian Castille and I have been talking and we've decided that Eddie isn't exactly the right guardian to be training you. Instead of him being your mentor, I've switched with him, and I will be taking on the role." He explained. It took everything I had not to laugh. One disagreement and the guy had given up on me. I looked over at him, working with Dimitri's old novice, Steven. I shook my head.

"One day… one day, and he gave up on me?" I asked.

"He didn't give up on you. He's just not exactly suited to train you."

"And you think you are?" I snapped, sarcastically.

"Exceptionally. I've had to deal… with a lot of novices like you." He told me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Like me? What do you mean… like me? Bitchy, self-centered teenagers?"

"That's not what I meant." He said, voice hard. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever… Can we just start please… I didn't get much done yesterday either, and I'm already behind."

"Yeah… Head on out to the track." He told me. I just nodded, and walked out there. I was sort of confused about why, but I did it regardless. I stopped and sat down on the sidewalk, and waited for him. When he finally came out, he motioned for me to get up.

"Get on the fence."

"I'm running?" I shrieked.

"Yeah, isn't that what people normally do when they're on a track?" He asked, sarcastically.

"I ran yesterday."

"I know." He said, as if it was obvious. "You're running again today."

"Just a mile?" I asked.

"No, however many times you can run it before your lungs give out." He said.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" He asked. Dimitri didn't exactly have a 'kidders' face. It was more like an 'I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass' face. "On your mark…. Get set… go." He said. I took off, not knowing what else to do. I ran it once, twice, three times, before my legs got tired. It was obvious to me now that running yesterday had been a bad idea. I was on my seventh lap, when I finally slowed to a walk. I could barely breathe. If this was his way at getting back at me, he'd won. When I finally made it back to where he was at the fence, I was pissed.

"You find this funny?"

"Not really, no. This is a part of your training. I don't take this as a joke." He told me. Once again, I didn't ever see Dimitri trying to make a joke… ever.

"What good is this going to do me? I'm going to be a guardian. Guardians don't run from a fight. We protect our moroi, no matter what. What the hell does running have to do with anything?" I snapped.

"It's your first lesson… and I know you're angry now, but it's probably one of the biggest ones." He told me simply, not affected by my angry outburst.

"What kind of lesson could you possibly have taught me by making me run a track till I couldn't breathe?" I demanded. I was pissed and it was quite obvious.

"What do you do when you're outnumbered, out of options, and out of time?" He asked me. I just gave him a look. Now wasn't the time for riddles.

"What?" I asked, stomping my foot.

"You run." He stated, simply. I gawked at him.

"It took you… making me run this track seven times to teach me that lesson? You couldn't have just told me that?"

"It wouldn't have held the same meaning."

"And now my lungs don't hold the same amount of air. I'm surprised one of them hasn't collapsed." I snapped at him. He raised an eyebrow at me, causing me to become angrier, because I couldn't do that.

"Aren't you being a bit overdramatic?" He asked.

"I can show you overdramatic." I snapped at him.

"You're doing it now." He stated. I growled, causing him to smirk slightly. I think it was the first time I'd actually seen his expression change into something other than his guardian mask. "If you don't run now, and get your body used to it, it'll never do you any good in times of need. If you need to get away, and you run, it's not going to be as affective if your body's not used to the strain running long distances has on it. That's why I made you run. That's why you'll be running again tomorrow."

"I've ran the past three days….You can't give me a break?" He chuckled, and then composed himself. I couldn't lie, Dimitri had a cute smile. It suited his face, much more so than the guardian mask he wore all the time.

"Oh… You were serious?" He asked.

"You're not a nice person."

"Being nice wasn't in my job description. It's obvious that nice gets you nowhere because Eddie couldn't get through to you." He said, shaking his head slightly.

"It's not my fault that he didn't know what he's talking about." I told him.

"Eddie's been a guardian for-."

"For four years, yes… I know." I said.

"I think he knows what he's talking-." I cut him off again.

"I think you're wrong." I told him, bluntly.

"You'll come to find, I'm not wrong very often."

"Oh yeah? Looks like we have something in common." I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. He rolled his eyes at me. "I think hell just froze over." He shook his head, obviously having nothing further to add.

"You're excused, Rose. Meet me back out here at five instead of going to the gym."

"Sure, sure… When are we going to start combat?" I asked.

"When you're ready for it." He stated simply.

"I'm ready now." I snapped. He chuckled humorlessly and shook his head.

"No… You're not." He said, obviously amused by the fact that I thought… No, that I knew I was ready. I rolled my eyes at him. "You're dismissed." I rolled my eyes and walked away, heading back inside and too my room. I showered and changed into something more comfortable, and headed down to the kitchen for something to eat. When I walked in, one of the other novices was sitting at the table. He looked up when I entered.

"Hey." He said. I turned to him. He had dark blonde hair, and light green eyes. To be quite honest, he was pretty adorable. He had a baby face, much like my friend Mason Ashford back at the academy.

"Uhm… Hey." I said.

"I don't think we've been introduced properly. I'm Landon."

"I'm Rose." I said. He smiled and nodded.

"You're an amazing fighter. What you did on introduction day was pretty amazing."

"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself." I lied. I hadn't paid much attention to the others. I really could care less about them and their abilities.

"Thanks." He said. "So, I see you and Steven switched mentors."

"Eddie obviously couldn't handle me." I told him.

"Eddie?"

"Oh, sorry… Guardian Castille. I keep forgetting that we go by their formal names here." I said. He chuckled.

"Not used to being around that anymore?" He asked, obviously trying to weasel his way into the 'you-ran-away-from-the-academy-with-the-princess' conversation. I was used to that though.

"I guess I'm not." I answered. I looked down at the table, to see he had a composition book and a pencil in front of him. "Homework?" I asked, motioning to it.

"No… It's just a project I'm working on."

"A project?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I like to write. I've written a bunch of books and stuff, just never published them." He told me. I had to admit, as much as I hated reading… that was pretty impressive. That would take a lot of time, and patience… something I had little and none of.

"That's actually kind of cool."

"Cool isn't the word I'd use." He told me, smirking. He closed the book, and sat up.

"What do you do for fun?"

"I haven't really had fun in a long time." I admitted. It was kind of true. Out in the real world, my only focus was Lissa. Taking care of her was a full time job, meaning there was no time for fun. When I wasn't protecting her, or blissed out on the endorphins of her bite, I was asleep, eating, or trying to find out what our next move should be.

"I guess you wouldn't really have time to have fun, huh?" He asked. He was still trying to weasel his way in, so I gave him another generic answer.

"Yeah."

"Look, I don't know why you ran away, and I don't expect you to tell me, or anyone… but you kept the princess safe for the entire two months you were gone, and the human world is a harsh place, and that's definitely saying something. She means a lot to you and it's obvious. I don't judge you for leaving the way the rest of them do." He said. I was actually caught off guard by this kid's kindness. I sat down at the table with my bag of chips, partly because I wanted to know his motive, and partly because I still couldn't feel my legs from running.

"What is it you're trying to do exactly?" I asked.

"I'm not trying to do anything. I'm being friendly. Something the others obviously know nothing about." He told me, shaking his head.

"They're idiots. They don't know anything." I growled slightly.

"I know that. Regardless, they're judging you for something they don't know about. You could have had a legit reason, and none of them know. It isn't something they should make you an outcast for." He stated. I laughed.

"I've been an outcast my whole life. I've never been one to 'fit in'." I admitted.

"I guess I can understand why." He told me. I gave him a look and chuckled.

"Why?"

"Because you're beautiful, obviously extremely strong-willed, and from the looks of it the other day, you don't take shit from anybody." He said, looking down at his hands as he admitted this, as if he were shy. It was quite adorable. I smirked and nodded.

"You have it all about right." I said. He looked up at me, and smiled, causing both of us to laugh. It was the most interaction I'd had with any of the dhampirs here, and I had to admit, it was kind of nice. I didn't need friends. Lissa was all I'd ever need in this world, but it was nice to have some friendly interaction here. This conversation was probably the nicest one I'd had in months. It made me miss Lissa that much more though. I rolled the bag of chips up, and threw them in the cabinet. "It was nice talking to you, Landon. I'm tired though, so I think I'm gonna head up and relax. I'll see ya later." I said. He nodded.

"Later, Rose." He said, as I walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When I got into my room, I let myself slip into Lissa's head, knowing that just that much would make me feel better. She was in her room, alone, and from the feel of her emotions, she was crying. I didn't understand. I searched through her head, and found nothing other than the fact that she missed me, and wanted me to be there. Instantly, I felt bad. I should have put up more of a fight to stay. I should have done everything in my power to keep me by her side. I was her guardian. I shouldn't have left. I watched through her eyes as she got up, and went into her bathroom, picking up the razor off the counter. NO. No. No. NOO! I was screaming at her, even though I knew she couldn't really hear me. Our bond wasn't that strong, unfortunately. Jesus Christ, Lissa stop. I was begging, but it was doing me no good. I watched through her eyes as she dug the blade into her wrist, and slid it across. Tears were leaking down my face now. I could feel the pain through her, but at the same time I felt how relieved she was by the pain. I'd never understood her reasoning behind this until now. Regardless it was dangerous, and I had to stop her. I pulled myself out of her head, tears still streaming as I grabbed my phone and dialed her number. Logically, she didn't answer. I threw my phone across the room, screaming. I needed some fresh air. It was late now. The sun was probably starting to rise. I didn't care. I couldn't sleep right now if I wanted too. I walked out the back door, letting the cool dawn air wash over my face. I walked out to the sidewalk, and sat down, putting my face in my hands. Those idiots back at the academy had no idea what they'd done to use when they'd separated us. She needed me. They had no idea of our bond, of anything. They were going to kill one of us by keeping us apart. The thought made the tears flow faster down my face. I didn't know what I was going to do. How was I going to protect her, protect her from herself when I was here, and she was there. I didn't hear anyone come outside, so when I heard his voice, I jumped.

"It's late, what are you doing out here?" The voice asked, the Russian accent lacing through every word. I jumped up, quickly wiping my face, but knowing I'd already been caught.

"I was just.. I-." I'd been caught off guard, and didn't have a legit excuse.

"You're crying… are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I snapped at him, continuing to wipe the tears off my face.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing." I said, quickly.

"You wouldn't be crying if it was nothing." He stated. God, why couldn't he just leave me alone? "I'm here to help you, Rose. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." I exploded then, all the anger and frustration I had lashing out of me.

"I don't need your help, alright? I don't need any body's help. I was perfectly fine on my own. I was taking care of Lissa just fine in Portland. Nothing would have happened to her because I'm a good damn guardian, and I don't give a fuck what any of the people at St. Vladimirs think. I kept her alive the entire time we were gone, and would have given my life to protect her. Now she's there, and I'm here, and she's going out of her mind because I'm not there to help her. Strigoi aren't the only thing she needs protecting from. She needs to be protected from herself, and I'm here, and I can't do that, and she needs me. They don't understand what they did to us by separating us. She's going to get hurt or hurt herself and it's going to be their fault because I'm not there." I screamed. By the time I'd gotten down with my rant, I'd slowly sank back down to the ground, sitting back on the sidewalk, my entire body shaking from the anger and rage that was building inside me. It was in that moment, as I came down from my outburst, that I realized I'd let him in on too much. His next question confirmed that.

"What do you mean, she needs to be protected from herself?" I shook my head.

"Nothing… She doesn't-." He cut me off.

"If something's going on with her Rose, you need to tell me. I can help her."

"We don't need your help." I growled at him, tears still steadily leaking down my face. "She needs me…" I whispered. He walked over and sat down beside me on the sidewalk, obviously completely lost in what to do for me. I really just wanted him to go away.

"You're not used to being away from her."

"I'm her guardian. I'm supposed to be with her." I whispered.

"Rose, you're a novice." He stated.

"And I bet I could take down half of the guardians you have here. I need to be with her. They don't understand how much she really needs me. They thought we were kidding when we told them that… but we weren't." I said.

"Why does she need you?" He asked me. I knew I couldn't tell him. I knew he'd tell Kirova, and then Lissa would be lost in that sea without me. I couldn't take that chance. I knew I couldn't trust him. I couldn't trust anyone but myself here.

"You wouldn't understand." I said, simply. He touched my shoulder.

"Then make me understand. I don't want to see anything happen to her either, and if she needs help, Rose." He tried. I wasn't going to give Lissa away. I couldn't take the chance on it becoming known and me being here. She'd need me, and I wasn't taking that chance.

"It's nothing you can help with, Dimitri." I said, turning to him. He seemed caught off guard by my use of his name, and not his title. He didn't comment on it though, which shocked me.

"Look, how about this… If you continue your training the rest of this week, and do exactly what I ask of you, I'll take you to St. Vladimirs to see her." He said. I met his eyes.

"You would do that."

"I will." He told me. I just nodded, not knowing what else to do.

"Please… I just… I need to see her." I told him.

"I'll take you this weekend to see her." He said. I stood up, and so did he.

"Thank you." I whispered. I really wanted to hug him, but I thought better of it. He didn't seem like the hugging type. He just nodded.

"I need you to focus on your training, and it's obvious you're not going to be able to do that when you're this worked up over this."

"You're right. Thank you, Guardian Belikov." I said. He shook his head.

"Call me Dimitri." He said.

"You're serious? We're on a first name basis now?" He gave me one of those slight smiles.

"I guess so. Go get some rest, Rose. Five is going to come awfully early." He said. I groaned.

"Thank you, Dimitri. Goodnight." I said, walking away from him and going inside and upstairs. I laid down in my bed, and slowly fell asleep, ready for the weekend to be here.