A/N: Hey guys!

Here is the next chapter, I hope you all like it! Thank you for all the amazing reviews, I'm happy you are enjoying this story as much as I love writing it.

This chapter is rated M. Not for anything sexual, but for gory/ violent references not all of you may want to read. You have been warned.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy.

Unsurprisingly, I awoke the next morning with a killer hangover. The sound of the blaring alarm made my head want to explode. I reached over and slammed the snooze button.

Giant blinding red letters stared at me. 5:48AM

"The Russian's just gonna have to wait patiently." I muttered, shuffling towards my bathroom.

I honestly didn't care if I was late for morning practice or not. I was already in enough trouble to worry about something so unimportant.

The past month—since Dimitri and I had our little fight at the camping trip—it had become really tense between us. Not awkward, just tense. I really didn't know what I felt about how things were going between the two of us. A part of me was sad, I'd really came to like Dimitri—maybe even a tiny bit of love mixed in—since arriving at this Military Academy three months ago. While the other part of me—the overpowering part—was angry that I'd ever let myself feel the way I did for my instructor.

I'd spent countless night's awake contemplating where everything went wrong. When did I take the wrong turn? Did I do too much? Did I not do enough?

I eventually had to put my mind to rest and realize that I might have mixed my fantasies with realty. I was nearly 18, an adult, it was time for me to wake up and smell the coffee. I had feelings for Dimitri, beyond the shadow of a doubt, but I needed to realize those feelings were only one sided. Dimitri had made it clear how he felt about me.

After hanging a sheet as a make shift door for my bathroom, I hopped in and let the scorching water relax the kinks in my back. The steam helped clear my head and ease some of the aching pain from my hangover. Kind of.

I was scrubbing lavender shampoo into my hair when I felt it. A breeze. At first I'd blamed it on having no doors—a student rushing by my dorm in a hurry to get somewhere, and causing a passing wind. But I got that feeling someone was watching me, staring at me. I felt their presence—a powerful one— and I knew I wasn't alone.

I squinted to see beyond my shower door. The glass was designed to be see-through, yet blurry. That combined with the steam only allowed my eyes to make out a large, tall, looming shadow. The colors of it were olive-green and black.

"Dimitri!" I gasped.

Thank God, the shower door was foggy and blurred. It didn't cover everything, just the most private parts of my body. Still, it gave Dimitri a front row show of my skin.

And that's when he popped his head over the door—an easy task for him, considering his height. I screamed and blushed, frantically covering what little flesh I could with my arms and a tiny, pink bath poof. It didn't help very much.

"You're late for morning practice." he stated.

Ah, that is the Dimitri I know. Blunt and to the point. No dancing around the bush.

"And you're in my shower!"

"I'm not in your shower," he pointed out. "I'm standing outside of it."

"Yeah," I snorted, "But you're still getting the full view, so get the fuck out."

With outstanding self-control, Dimitri managed not to look down. His dark eyes remained trained on my face; however, it did seem difficult and strained. Dimitri was aching to peek down and get a glance of my birthday suit. I grinned.

"See something you like?"

"Lots."

"What?"

"What?"

"What did you say?" I asked, momentarily startled.

"I didn't say anything," Dimitri stared at me, like I'd grown a second head.

"Yes, you did," I protested, "I said, 'See something you like?' and you replied, 'Lots.'"

"No, I didn't." He regarded me with complete and utter seriousness. Dimitri actually believed he hadn't said anything.

Maybe he had accidentally blurted it out, thinking it was spoken in his mind. Three words: Oh. My. God.

"Ugh. You're the most frustrating man on the planet," I threw my hands up in exasperation—accidentally breaking what little coverage I had.

Dimitri's chocolate brown eyes widened, but they weren't looking at my face, they were staring straight at my bare chest.

I shrieked and crossed my arms, blushing furiously. "Get out, get out, get out!"

His eyes were a blazing fire, clouded over with undeniable lust and desire. My body flushed with heat and want and need. Damn him, damn him and the affect he had on my body and mind.

Dimitri didn't move from his spot.

"Get out, you cradle robber!" I picked up the bottle of shampoo and launched it at his head, Dimitri managed to duck just in time.

His head popped up again. He appeared to be out of the trance, considering he was looking straight at my face and not at my body.

That didn't stop me from throwing the conditioner bottle.

Dimitri, more prepared this time, caught it mid-air. He smiled, a predatory smile that made ice-cold chills burst throughout my body.

"Let's go, before I get angry." he slid open the shower door, leaned in and turned the running faucet off.

"My hair is still covered in shampoo," I whined, wrapping a plush white towel around my dripping flesh.

"Well, now your mirror is covered in it," he said dryly. "That wouldn't have happened if you weren't so damn impulsive all the time, and actually gave a thought to something before you acted."

Sure enough, my favorite lavender shampoo was splattered all over my bathroom mirror. Instead of hitting Dimitri like I'd wanted to, I ended up causing more trouble for myself. Great, just great.

Dimitri headed out to the field, making it clear that I was to be there in less than five minutes, or he would come back and drag me from my dorm.

I got dressed for morning practice—A royal purple t-shirt, black cotton shorts, and a pair of black Nikes.

My hangover hung above me like a depressing cloud, reminding me it was still indeed there with every step I took, every breath I inhaled.

I ripped a brush through my hair, moaning each time a sharp pain hit my skull, and ran out to meet my mortal enemy.

I saw my Russian Jailer out in the field, leaning against a cannon casually, arms crossed, staring right at me.

"Good morning, Ms. Hathaway," he greeted pleasantly.

"Good morning, General Belikov," I said cautiously, throwing my gym bag onto the lush green grass.

"Call me Dimitri." he corrected.

Yeah, something was definitely up.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" he said flatly. "Nothing at all."

And then he lit the cannon. It exploded into the air.

My head felt like it exploded along with it. The pounding was excruciating. If the mother of all hangovers banged the father of all migraines, this is what their baby would feel like.

I clutched my aching head and looked up. Dimitri was standing there, staring at me with a satisfied smirk.

"You did this on purpose!" I pointed an accusing finger. "You bastard!"

"I beg your pardon?" He asked, sparking another cannon. "I'm simply testing the cannons, it's mandatory for our safety."

It got to the point where I was rolling around on the ground from pain. It felt like there was a 1,000 tiny needles being stabbed into my brain. He continued to light one after another, the sound of explosions surrounded me like a snug blanket.

"Please…stop." I begged.

"Rose, get up." I glanced up to see Dimitri hovering above me. Beautiful shoulder length brown hair worn down, framing his face.

"This angle gives me a wonderful view of your package." I grinned.

He shook his head and sighed exasperated. A smile twitched his full lips. "You're unbelievable."

"I'm not getting up," I declared.

"Yes," Dimitri grabbed my arms, firmly. "You are."

Unlike the last time when he'd ripped me up violently, he gently pulled me up from the ground and onto my feet. I wobbled dizzily, my head spun. Dimitri pulled me into his body; I leaned onto him for support.

"Don't vomit on me," he chuckled.

I shook my head. "No promises."

I couldn't help but notice how firm his muscles felt against my body as he pulled me over to a nearby bench. His skin was warm behind his uniform. Dimitri smelled amazing, like the air after it has rained, mixed with crisp and clean minty soap. Those scents mixed with his natural rich aroma was a unique combination, masculine, it fit him perfectly.

I sighed dreamily.

Dimitri's head snapped down, he gave me a strange look. "Is something wrong?"

"Like you care," I snorted.

I sat down on the bench. He took a seat beside me.

We sat in silence for a while, neither one of us willing to crack it. I could feel eyes on me. It was intense, powerful, intimidating.

"It's rude to stare, ya know," I said irritably.

"You actually think I don't care about you?" he asked.

"I don't think, I know." I said. "I'm just another Cadet to you, a problem. The only reason you decided to mentor me is so I wouldn't corrupt this school and jeopardize your big bad reputation. I'm just a number to you."

I had no idea why I was shouting out everything I was feeling on the inside. I guess it was bottled up emotions and frustrations erupting, like a volcano, oozing out bit by bit.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," his voice was like a knife that cut deep into my skin. "Don't tell me how I'm feeling."

I dropped my face into my hands and growled in annoyance. "Just shut up, Dimitri. I don't want to hear your voice right now. It's giving me a throbbing migraine." It wasn't a lie—I did have a terrible headache—it just wasn't the whole truth either. Some truth is better than none at all, right?

"Come on," he whispered, fingers brushing my thigh. "Let's go."

"Where?" I looked up at him.

"To my home," his voice was soft, careful, concerned.

Dimitri must have seen the surprise in my face because he was quick to explain. "I have something that will help with your hangover."

He stood up and so did I. Dimitri lead me towards the staff apartment complex.

"You have a lot of experience with hangovers, Comrade?" I teased.

"No," he shook his head, eyes trained on the path ahead. "I just made sure I was prepared for something disastrous like this to happen."

"And by disastrous…you're actually referring to me?"

He nodded.

"Well, at least you're being honest." I shrugged.

The apartment complex was clean and organized, nothing fancy, but it was nice. The edges were outlined with bushes and small trees, the grass cut sharp like an Army man's hair—I found that ironic. The hierarchies were such control freaks, they didn't leave their work at the job…they brought it home with them.

Dimitri passed Alberta on our way and nodded, she nodded back in acknowledgment. She was out on her lawn, watering the grass. I liked her apartment the best so far. It was decorated in cute little statues, welcoming signs, colorful flowers, and a small water fountain. The girl had some taste.

"Hi, Sergeant Alberta!" I waved enthusiastically.

She smiled. "Please, Rose, it's my day off. Call me Alberta."

"Wow, Alberta. You look great!" I shouted. She was wearing pale jeans and a cute orange top. Her hair hung lose in long waves. Alberta looked…delicate and youthful and beautiful. Of course I couldn't tell her that, it would make me look all girly and less badass.

"If I was a guy, I would totally tap that!" I let out a low wolf whistle.

"Oh, Rose," she sighed and placed a palm to her forehead. "I'm going to let that go."

I grinned and nudged Dimitri's side. "Pay her a compliment."

"What?" he whispered, so she was unable to hear us.

"A mercy flirt,"

"What are you talking about?"

I called out to Alberta."General Belikov said he would like to get in on that, too."

"Rose!" he hissed. Her mouth dropped open, forming a perfect O.

Dimitri forced a smile. "Ms. Hathaway thinks she's clever."

"I can't tell if she's brave or stupid," Alberta murmured.

"Stupid." He said automatically. I glared at him.

"I will be taking Ms. Hathaway for the remainder of the day. Please inform all of her teachers she will be absent."

"Consider it done," she said. "Goodbye, General Belikov."

We said our farewells and left.

"It's pretty badass being the General, huh?"

"Hmm?"

"It's cool being the General," I said. "You get to do whatever you want. You're in charge. Nobody questions your intentions. Like Alberta back there, she didn't even bat an eyelash when you said you'd be taking me away for the rest of the day."

"I don't see where you are going with this,"

"You could be taking me to your apartment to have crazy, rough, bondage sex for all she knows. Yet, Alberta didn't even question your intentions. It's like you have them all brainwashed."

"I am in charge," Dimitri said. "Nobody questions my authority, and if they do, they get severely punished and fired. It's not a good thing when you cross me."

"I've noticed."

We arrived at apartment number B43. Dimitri reached into the pocket of his pants and retrieved a small brass key. He unlocked the door and beckoned me in.

I glanced down at the door mat. It was brown with a picture of cowboy boots. It read: Wipe your boots before entering. I laughed.

Inside was simple and cozy. A brown couch that looked soft and comfy, sat on the far wall. A decent sized television set on the opposite wall, with a DVD shelf beside it. I walked up to investigate.

It was packed full of John Wayne movies. I giggled.

"What?" Dimitri arched an eyebrow. He stood there, hands behind back, watching me. The look on his face was eager, expectant. As if he was waiting for my approval.

Why would he care if I thought his apartment was cool?

"You like John Wayne?" I asked curiously.

"Obviously," he answered.

I walked over and gazed at his cherry-wood book shelf, over filled with books. "More cowboy stuff," I stated.

"I prefer the term Old West." he walked into the kitchen, I followed him.

The kitchen was simple and clean, with all of the necessities: Refrigerator, steel oven, matching sink and dishwasher.

Dimitri retrieved a bottle of orange fluid out of his refrigerator. He handed it to me. "Pedialyte,"

"Why are you giving me Pedialyte?"

"It will help with your hangover," he said. "It helps replace lost electrolytes, which you desperately need."

I shrugged. "Do you have Grape flavor?"

"Hmm?"

"Grape flavor," I shook the bottle. "I'm not a big fan of orange."

"No," he said. "I only bought orange, you'll have to manage."

I shrugged and took a sip. "Not feeling any difference here, Comrade."

"It's not a miracle cure," he said. "Give it a few hours, you will feel much better."

I was forced to drink the entire bottle.

"It wasn't so bad now, was it?" Dimitri smiled.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

The smile became more prominent. "Now, you may have not favored your Pedialyte, but I know you are going to love this."

Dimitri pulled out some bacon, eggs, shredded cheese, margarine, and a loaf of wheat bread.

I groaned.

He looked puzzled and gestured to the food. "Are you allergic?"

"The wheat bread,"

There must have been something telling in my voice because his face suddenly became amused. "You're lying,"

"Am not,"

"You are to." he shook his head and grinned.

"Okay, I'm not allergic," I admitted. "I just hate wheat, can't we have white bread?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I only eat wheat," Dimitri said. "Besides, it is healthier for you."

"Alright, whatever. Just make it, I'm hungry."

It was a pleasant view watching him cook. His back muscles rippled beautifully under his black tank top. I had to wipe the drool from my mouth—and it had nothing to do with the food, although it did smell delicious.

Dimitri set my bacon and egg sandwich on a plate, and handed me a cup of orange juice.

"The carbohydrates will help settle your stomach," He pointed at the sandwich, and then at the glass or orange juice. "And vitamin C will help, as well."

"You seem to know a lot about hangovers."

He simply shrugged.

I bit into the sandwich. The bacon was crispy and salty, the eggs fluffy, and the cheese warm and gooey. I moaned. "This is delicious."

Dimitri smiled.

After I was done scarfing down the entire sandwich and downing the orange juice, I felt surprisingly tired. "My head doesn't hurt so much anymore."

"That's because your hangover is fading," he said. "It should be gone within a few hours."

I nodded and yawned, stretching out like a cat.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Yeah,"

"Would you like to stay here and take a nap?"

I'm pretty sure my eyes widened as big as saucers. "Uh, no. It's fine…I'll just go back to my room and take a nap."

"Rose," he looked me straight in the eye. "If you do not feel comfortable staying here, then that is fine. But I don't mind you being here at all, I actually enjoy your company."

"I find that hard to believe," I chuckled.

"Me too." he teased. I walked over and socked him in the arm. Dimitri responded with an amused laugh.

"Ouch," I clenched my hand, knuckles red and sore. "That kind of stung."

"As I was saying," he said. "I actually enjoy your company. Besides, if you had to go back to your dorm, it's a ten minute walk. It'd be easier if you stayed here, and after you're done sleeping…we can walk back together for evening practice."

Dimitri scratched the back of his neck like he was uncomfortable.

I shrugged. "Whatever, as long as you don't mind."

"I don't."

Without asking permission, I sauntered off to what I assumed to be his bedroom. I knew in an instant it was—considering it was the only room in the apartment and smelt strongly of aftershave. My knees went weak; I could inhale that heavenly aroma and die a happy woman.

A queen size bed, covered in a black quilt lay in the middle of the room. A polished cherry-wood nightstand beside it, on top, a simple lamp and a battered western novel.

I felt his presence behind me. I turned around to face him. "No T.V.?"

"It broke three years ago and I haven't had the time or desire to fix it."

"Ah," I ran my fingers along a picture. The woman on it appeared to be around my age—17 or 18—with golden brown hair and pretty brown eyes. My heart dropped.

"Is…is," I stumbled over my words. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Dimitri outright laughed. "My girlfriend?"

"Yeah, your girlfriend," I snapped, placing my hands on my hips. "Girlfriend, wife, mistress, lover, booty call…you know that type of thing?"

He cleared his throat, that care-free looked vanished from his face. He was all serious now. "She is my sister, Viktoria. She lives in Russia with my family."

"Oh," I blushed and averted my eyes, feeling extremely stupid for being psychotically jealous and possessive over nothing. I guess Dimitri just made me do crazy things. Love had no limits.

"And is she your mother?" I quickly tried to change the subject, pointing at the picture beside it.

On it was a woman in her mid-forties, beautiful with lovely salt and pepper hair—more pepper than anything—and dark chocolate brown eyes that matched both Viktoria's and Dimitri's.

"Yes, that is mamma," Dimitri gazed at it wistfully. "Her name is Olena."

"She's very pretty,"

"She is beautiful." he smiled at me.

I surveyed the rest of the photo frames hung on the wall. Dimitri didn't seem to mind, he actually looked pleased. He told me all about his nephew Paul and his niece Zoya. He laughed and smiled the entire time and I couldn't help but join in. He looked so incredibly happy. I guess family will do that to you. Well families that were built around love and trust. My small family consisted of greed and dishonesty. Hell, I didn't even feel like my mother or father loved me.

Dimitri noticed my soured mood. "What's wrong, Roza?"

"Roza?" I raised both of my brows.

"Rose," he corrected hastily. "I said Rose."

I shrugged. "Nothing's wrong with me."

Dimitri looked like he didn't believe me. "You're a terrible liar, Rose. But I cannot and I will not force the information out of you. Just know, if you ever need anyone to talk to, no matter what is, don't hesitate to come and talk with me. My door is always wide open for you."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Dimitri. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," he pulled back the covers of his bed. "Now, come on. It's time for you to get some rest so you can get rid of that terrible headache."

I giggled and snuggled into the blankets, they were warm and soft. I put them past my nose and secretly inhaled the heavenly scent of masculine aftershave.

Dimitri hovered above me. "Do you need anything?"'

"Just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep." I grinned.

"Alright, here," he reached behind his neck and unclasped a long silver chain, a key hanging from the bottom. He handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A spare key to my house," he answered. "In case of emergencies, I want you to keep it in a safe place."

I nodded and placed it around my neck.

My eyelids suddenly felt really heavy. "Sleep now, Comrade, talk later."

I heard his soft chuckle. "Goodnight, Roza."

"Dimitri," I mumbled.

"Hmm?" he stopped mid-stride and turned to look at me.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I was desperately trying to keep my eyes from closing.

"For what?"

"For getting wasted and kissing Adrian,"

I heard him hiss under his breath and mutter a Russian swear word. "No, not angry. Disappointed, yes. But not angry. I expected better from you, Rose."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'll try not to disappoint you next time."

"I believe you." Dimitri's voice was soft like silk and rich like chocolate.

"There isn't a chance I'll be getting my door back anytime soon…is there?" I asked hopeful.

"Absolutely not," he chuckled softly. "Goodnight, Rose."

And then he left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Night, Comrade."

I lost the battle to my eyelids and drifted off to a peaceful oblivion of dark shadows.

I awoke a few hours later, feeling content and well rested. The house was quiet; the buzzing of the air conditioner was the only thing I could hear. It was too quiet. Eerily quiet. Something was wrong; I could feel it in my gut.

The note that lay on the pillow beside me confirmed that. In neat, perfect hand-writing that made me envious, read:

Stay here, don't leave. I was called in for patrol, something has occurred on campus grounds that I cannot inform you of. Listen to me this once and stay in the house. It is safe and locked. I will come and get you soon, I promise.—Dimitri.

I ripped off the sheets and immediately ran for the door. If something was happening, I needed to get out there. I couldn't stay locked up in this cage forever. Inactivity drove me wild.

Dimitri hadn't mentioned what was going on, but I knew it was something terrible. I had an instinctive feeling that twisted my stomach into knots.

I unlocked and ripped open the door, blistering winds stung my skin as goose bumps rose all over my body. It was late, the sky pitch black, adding to my increasing uneasy mood.

"I have to find Lissa." I breathed. Once those words left my lips, I took off running towards the high-school building.

Some maternal instinct inside of me made me want to protect her. I needed to watch over her, and I would. Ever since we'd become best friends three months ago, I'd become extremely overprotective to Lissa. I watched her like a hawk in the sky. She called me her own personal guardian angel. I liked that name.

I flung open her door without knocking. Lissa was alone; painting her toe nails a perfect cherry red. When I barged in, I had startled her, causing her to jump and spill polish all over the brown carpet.

"Shoot!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" I kneeled beside her, surveying her body for injuries.

"I'm fine," she dotted the carpet with a clean cotton ball, causing the red liquid to smear in further. "Why? Is something wrong with you?"

"Me?" I forced a laugh. "No, I'm fine, just wanted to come and check on you and say hi."

"Oh," she smiled. "Well, hi Rose."

I peeked out the window, like a paranoid freak. I was met with bushes and trees being tossed around violently by the heavy winds.

"Hey," I walked over and grabbed her pale hands, staring into her jade green eyes. "Is Christian coming over tonight?"

"Why?"

"Because this is serious and I need an honest answer," I said. "There is something going on out there—I don't know what—but it is important that you are not alone tonight. Call him."

Lissa looked alarmed and afraid, but she complied and quickly dialed the numbers on her pink cell phone.

A few seconds later, he picked up.

"Christian?" Lissa's voice was small and scared, she sounded like a five year old girl.

I was only able to hear the one sided conversation, so I had to use my imagination and guess what Christian might be saying.

"No, I'm fine. Can you come over?"

There was a sharp sound over the phone.

"Now,"

More muffled sounds.

"Because I don't want to be alone," Lissa said. "And Rose wants you to stay with me tonight."

She giggled and shot me a quick glance. "No, don't say that. She's not crazy."

I glared.

"Alright, I love you," she smiled at the phone. "See you soon."

Another giggle. "I'm not going to hang up."

A short pause.

"No, you hang up first."

"No, you first."

"No."

"No."

"Oh for Christ's sake, I'll fucking hang up for you." I snatched the phone out of her grasp and slammed it shut.

Lissa frowned. "I was in the middle of talking to him."

"You'll get over it."

A few moments later, Christian knocked at the door. I opened it and beckoned him inside. "Come on! Come on, get inside!"

"Is something wrong here?" He walked over and pecked Lissa on the lips.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," I said automatically. "Just stay here tonight. Watch Lissa and keep her safe—or else I'll serve your balls on a golden platter encrusted with pretty little rubies."

And then I was gone before they could respond, flying out the door faster than Superman.

It took me a measurable amount of time to find something out of ordinary, considering I had no clue who or what to look for. I spotted the flashing red, yellow, and blue lights that belonged to police cars. Bingo.

I ran over and was surprised at how many officers and detectives were there—at least a dozen. A man in a brown suit and gold glasses caught my attention, he was speaking with Dimitri.

I walked up to them. "Is everything alright here, Comrade? Who died?"

Dimitri grimaced. "What are you doing here, Rose? I told you to stay where you were. It's not safe out here."

"And why is that?"

He didn't answer my question. The two men shared a glance before the detective nodded in understanding. "I'll give you two a moment; you may want to explain it to her. I believe she has a right to know."

The detective turned on his heel and walked away to go speak with the other officers.

"Explain what to me?" I demanded.

Dimitri pursed his lips together, forming a tight line. Tension rolled off his body and fell onto me. "I don't know if this is the right time or place to tell you, Rose. Perhaps we should sit down first."

"I don't want to sit down," I shrugged of his hand. "I want to know what the hell is going on here. I need the truth."

"You want the truth?" he said flatly. "Here is the truth. Your friend, Meredith, was murdered and her body was dumped on campus just a few hours ago."

I felt the blood drain from my face. I swayed slightly. My vision got blurry. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. "What?"

Dimitri's face softened, suddenly becoming compassionate and concerned. His hand shot out to steady me, keeping my body from tumbling over and breaking a hip.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I wish it weren't true, I wish this wasn't happening to you," he shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "But it did happen, nothing is going to change it."

"How did she die?" I somehow managed to find my voice.

"I don't think that is appropriate for you to hear—"

"Cut the shit, Dimitri. Tell me, I need to know so I can find closure."

"The police officers don't know for sure," he paused. "But they believe it was strangulation. They also found multiple flesh wounds on the body and missing organs."

"I think I'm going to be sick," I covered my mouth and ran over to a nearby bush, emptying my stomach of all its contents.

Dimitri came up behind me, rubbing soothing circles into my back. "This is why I didn't want to tell you, I knew you couldn't handle it."

"I'm fine," I snapped.

Dimitri brushed his cool fingers to my clammy forehead. "You're burning up; let me get you some water."

He retrieved a small, plastic cup of ice-cold water. He handed it to me and I gulped the entire thing down greedily.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri crouched down, so that he was at eye level with me.

I nodded. "I'm fine, I just wanna go back to my room and be alone to my thoughts for awhile."

He nodded. "I understand. I'll escort you back to your dorm."

"I don't need a bodyguard."

"Yes," he said firmly. "You do, Rose. There is a murderer on the loose and I will not have you walking around alone at night."

"Whatever," I shrugged. "Just get me home, please. I am exhausted."

Despite the fact I had slept all day, I felt like a dead battery drained of energy. A hot shower and a comfy pillow sounded really good right about now.

"I didn't even know her that well," I said on our walk home.

"Who?" Dimitri gave me a side-long glance.

"Meredith," I said. "I didn't know Meredith very well, but I still liked her. She was nice. She didn't deserve to be disemboweled like some animal back there. It's just saddening, that's all."

Dimitri grimaced, searching for the right words to comfort me. "Even if she wasn't your friend, it would be sad. Tragedy is something all humans go through. You must not let it destroy you, you have to deal with it and move on. Be stronger. Learn from it."

"Thanks, coach," I gazed up at him, trying my best to keep the bite of sarcasm out of my next few words. "That zen life lesson was really needed."

"I'm here to help." he said.

When we arrived at my dorm, Dimitri did something that made my mouth drop open.

"Is that a Taser gun?"

He handed me the small, black square. "Yes, it is. The safety is on."

Dimitri showed me how to press a few buttons. "That is what you need to push if should ever need to use it. God forbid."

"Cool." I zapped it and screamed from the piercing noise.

"It is for emergencies only!" he growled, flicking the safety button back on. "Do not, ever, do that again. You could hurt yourself."

I carefully placed the weapon into my pocket. "Why am I going to need this? Because of the murderer on the loose?"

"Yes," Dimitri nodded. "But there has also been other strange occurrences here at St. Augustine's."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I'm going to be honest here, Rose. No sugar coating," He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, face tired and weary. "There have been three girls to go missing without a trace from this school within the past two months. Meredith was victim number four; she carries the only clues or evidence we have to catching this homicidal maniac. I don't want to run any risks, since you are a teenage girl, you are a target."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "Wow."

"Wow indeed," he said.

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" I suggested.

"Two missing girls is a coincidence, three is a pattern."

"Why have you kept this from me for so long?"

"I didn't want to worry you. The school board believes it is a missing person's case. They are positive the girls will turn up eventually." Dimitri didn't look convinced. "After all, this is a school for troubled teens. Students run away from here all the time."

I'd have to remember that for later.

"This is nice and all," I gestured to the taser gun in my pocket. "But couldn't I get something cooler, like, I don't know...nunchucks?"

"Oh, Rose," he sighed.

"Is that a yes?"

"God, no," he said immediately. "Not now, not ever."

I frowned. "Fine."

"Get some rest and be careful. There is something entirely wrong going on here, and I want you to watch your back until we figure everything out. Here..."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a western novel.

"Geeze, you take those puppies everywhere you go. Don't ya?" I teased.

Dimitri ignored me and scribbled something down on a blank piece of paper, he ripped it from his book and handed it to me. Written in that same perfect hand-writing was a number.

"What's this for?" I waved the paper in the air.

"My number. Don't ever hesitate to use it. I don't care if it's the middle of the night, you still call me if you need anything." he ordered.

I nodded. He used that tone of voice that indicated he was serious, that he meant business. I couldn't object. I wanted to listen to anything Dimitri had to say.

I nodded and saluted him. "I'll be careful, Comrade! Don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

He suddenly embraced me into a tight hug, wrapping his hands around the small of my back, pulling me into his warm body. "I'm worried about you, Rose."

Dimitri's warm breath tickled my ear, causing my body to raise in goose bumps.

"I'll be fine, Dimitri."

He pulled back away from our hug and I immediately felt the loss.

"You are not invincible nor indestructible, Roza. Remember that." Dimitri's voice as husky with an emotion I couldn't pin point. And then he was gone.