A/N:

All of you are amazing, thank you so much! :-)

I received an email last chapter asking if Dimitri was the murderer, and I want to make this clear to everyone…he is the good guy!

Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy.

"But I don't wanna!" I shoved at Dimitri's chest.

His nostrils flared, eyes narrowed. "Get on there!"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Dimitri swore loudly in Russian. "Fine, I will put you up there."

He sprinted towards me, I screamed and booked it in the opposite direction. I only got five steps before being confined in his arms.

"I understand that you are afraid of heights, but this is a big part of your training and you will not pass the trials if you do not practice this test now."

"I despise you." I sneered.

"You can loathe me all you want, but you're holding up your fellow cadets…so get your ass up there, Hathaway!"

Dimitri released me and jabbed a finger towards the giant rope. It swayed back and forth, hung from the massive tree above.

"Do I have tooooo?" I dragged out the last word in a real whiny voice, knowing it would irritate the hell out of my mentor.

"Yes," his face was a boiling pot of Lava. "You have to."

I growled and stomped over to the rope, my hands gripped around the poky fabric, and I hopped on. I wrapped the rope around my right leg and pinched it with my other.

"Way to go, Hathaway!" Mason cheered. I flashed him a charming smile to which he returned.

"Alright," Dimitri cleared his throat harshly. "You know the drill. 60 seconds to get up the rope, 15 seconds to climb onto the podium, and 20 seconds to come down again."

"Piece of cake, General Belikov. Give me something worth my while." That was a lie. I was deathly afraid of heights.

"Remember, Ms. Hathaway," Both of his brows raised in a warning gesture. "You cannot hit the water, and if you do, you start all over again…and again, and again, and again. Until you get it correctly."

"Got cha."

"Ms. Hathaway…" Stan warned.

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant, yes sir!"

Dimitri nodded, pressed the silver whistle to his mouth, glanced at his watch, and blew.

With my hands above me, I used all of the strength in my body to pull myself up a few feet. I took a deep breath and anchored my feet again. I repeated the steps until I reached the top.

"35 seconds, Hathaway!" Dimitri barked.

Don't look down, don't look down. I chanted to myself. I was well aware that if I did, I'd get dizzy and probably fall from the rope—that wasn't such a good idea, considering I was 20 feet in the air. Broken bones hurt like a bitch.

I swung the rope back and forth, using my body to move it. I tried not to panic when I realized I was sweating profusely and the grip I had was slipping.

"25 seconds!"

"Thanks, I really needed that extra added pressure." I muttered.

Deciding it was now or never, I propelled my body off the rope. I landed with a loud thud on the podium. It was a giant piece of wood, that didn't look very sturdy or reliable, jammed in the branches of the giant tree.

"15 seconds!"

Once the rope swung back to me, I snatched it up.

I had no choice but to look down at the ground.

My breathing came in ragged gasps.

"You can do it, Little Cadet!"

"Shut the fuck up, Adrian." I rested a hand on one knee. "It's a lot higher than it looks!"

"10 seconds!" Dimitri yelled. "Come on, Ms. Hathaway…unless you would like to do it all over again?"

"Hell no." I pulled the rope back to the edge of the podium, gripped tight, and made a run for it.

I flew through the air; the pit of my stomach did a flip flop, like the feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster.

I soared over the muddy waters, let go of the rope, and landed on the forest ground.

"I did it!" I screamed victoriously.

The crowd applauded, whistled, and screamed out my name. I grinned like an idiot.

Dimitri scribbled something down on his clipboard, strode over to where I was standing, and gave me a small smile.

"Good job."

I glanced around to make sure no one was in hearing distance. "Thanks, Comrade. I couldn't have done it without your perseverance and encouraging swear words in Russian."

He chuckled whole-heartedly, brown eyes gleaming. "I'm proud of you, Roza."

Dimitri then did something that stunned me. He leaned down, our faces only inches apart, and pressed his lips to the skin of my cheek. He allowed them to linger for a moment, his warm breath tickling my face, before pulling back.

With one last intense glance, he turned around and began barking out orders to the next student.

I self consciously raised my fingertips to the spot on my cheek where Dimitri had kissed me; the skin burned and tingled with the lingering affects. I smiled triumphantly.

The small ball of orange fur in my arms meowed, gazing at me intently with wide green eyes. I nearly cracked from the cuteness.

"Stop it! You're for Lissa, I'm not keeping you."

I struck Lissa's wooden door with my fist. The banging echoed loudly, causing the kitty to jump and hide by stuffing his tiny head between my arm and rib cage.

"Aww, don't be scared, Sweetie." I spoke in a high-pitched voice that all adoring pet owners use. "It's okay. Auntie Rose will keep you safe. And your new mommy and daddy are going to wuv you berry much."

I felt the weight of their gaze. My head snapped up to meet a pair of amused jade green eyes and sardonic ice-blue eyes.

"What?" I said, a little too defensively. "He's cute. And he's yours."

I tossed the kitten into Lissa's arms as I pushed my way through the threshold and plopped down on her bed. The covers were a bright neon pink covered in tiny rainbows and glittery unicorns. Cute.

"What is this?" Christian demanded, pointing at Lissa with the kitten cradled gently in her hands. She was cooing at it adoringly as the kitten purred and rubbed its furry face and whiskers across her cheek.

I snorted. "It's a kitten, duh."

"Oh, I know exactly what it is. Where did you find it?"

"It? It?" Lissa exclaimed. "This baby is not an it. Kitty is a—" she lifted up his tail. "boy. With feelings and love to give. Do not call him an it."

I grinned at Christian victoriously. "I found this little guy rummaging through the cafeteria trash can. I named him Garbage."

Christian barked out a harsh laugh. Lissa scowled. "His name will not be Garbage. He deserves better than that. I cannot believe you found him in the trashcan looking for food…poor little guy, he's probably had a tough life, and he's only a baby."

Lissa held him up to her face, and in that same squeaky-excited voice I'd used early, spoke fondly to her new pet. "You're the cutest kitten in the world, aren't you? Aren't you, honey? You're so sweet I just want to hug you and kiss you all over."

"You might want to give Garbage a bath first," Christian's nose scrunched up. "He reeks from swimming in the trash."

"I think I'm going to name him Oscar." She ignored Christian, planting a smooch to the kittens pink nose. "I love you already, baby boy."

"I knew you'd love him. Oscar needs a good mommy like you. Don't worry, he shouldn't be hungry yet…he ate my whole bag of chips on the way over."

"Thank you, Rose. For giving him to me." She ran over and crushed me into a fierce hug, Oscar getting sandwiched between the two of us. He grunted in protest.

"Oops, sorry Oscar." I giggled. Lissa pulled back to sit beside me on the bed.

"He's cute, isn't he?" She scratched his ear. The kitten closed his eyes in pleasure.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded in agreement. "He's so cute…I just want to squeeze his tiny body until his head pops off. And then I want to mount it on the wall."

Lissa's eyes widened in horror. Christian grinned deviously.

"Not literally, of course." I added hastily, attempting to change the subject. "Want to give him a bath? Christian was right, this little rascal needs it."

Lissa nodded eagerly before running off to her bathroom. I followed.

"Hey, Babe," Christian called out. In perfect sync, Lissa and I swiveled our heads to glance at him—my head turn carried a little more attitude.

"Want to give me a bath while you're at it?" he winked.

I rolled my eyes. Lissa grinned like a cat, it was sexy and dangerous. "Later."

"Eww!" I screamed like a 5 year old and covered my ears. "You two are so gross!"

Lissa set the orange kitten on the counter and flicked on the faucet, waited for it to turn a lukewarm temperature, and pushed down on the plug. The sink began to fill up.

I could tell Oscar was already attached to Lissa, as she went to retrieve the soap from the shower, he hopped off the counter to follow her. I smiled, smug with myself for getting her such a wonderful gift that she loved dearly.

Lissa came back a moment later, an assortment of soaps and colored sponges in her arms, Oscar following at her feet.

She poured a generous amount of green-apple and coconut shampoo into the water, it was a strange combination, but I liked it. After the sink was overloaded with bubbles, Lissa scooped Oscar into her arms, and after a few kisses, plopped him into his bath.

I expected the kitty to freak out from being in the water—run, hiss, scratch—but he seemed to enjoy it. I think Oscar realized it was time for him to get cleaned, he new he smelled of garbage.

After Lissa and I were done scrubbing Oscars orange fur until it was squeaky clean, I unplugged the sink and let the filthy murky-brown water drain away.

Oscar hopped onto the counter and looked at us innocently with those big green eyes.

"Run, Lissa!" I screamed in horror.

It was already too late.

The kitty shook off like a wet dog, covering me and Lissa in water droplets.

We screamed and giggled in unison.

She grabbed the towel off the wrack. I picked up Oscar, put his body to my nose, and breathed him in.

"He smells like apples and coconuts. My favorite!"

Lissa smiled as she wrapped the towel around him and took the kitten out of my arms.

"You're all clean now, aren't you baby?" she cooed. Oscar yawned and laid his head against her small chest. "You're tired too, huh? Let's get you into bed with daddy."

She trotted into the living room. Christian lounged in her bed. He saw us come in and guiltily clicked off a lifetime movie.

"There's daddy!" Lissa ran over and jumped into bed beside Christian, propped on her knees. She placed Oscar onto his chest.

"Daddy?" His ice blue eyes widened.

"And I'm his Mommy." She cracked a thousand-watt smile.

"I'm not going to lie, babe," Christian gazed at Oscar while he danced in circles, getting a comfortable spot on his stomach, and shut his green eyes for sleep. "I thought our children were going to be a lot cuter than this…maybe a little less furry too."

Lissa giggled. "They will be less furry, but for now, while we're still young…this is our baby."

Christian sat up—stirring a grumpy Oscar in the process—and planted a kiss to Lissa's forehead. "Alright, I'll love him as my own."

She beamed at him.

"Aww, what a cute family moment," I snickered. "This scene just melts my heart."

"That takes talent—considering how cold your heart is." Christian shut his eyes, his arms rested casually behind his head.

I launched a pillow at his face, he caught it mid-air, eyes still closed. "Thanks. I needed one." He stuffed the pillow behind him.

I huffed.

Lissa cuddled up to Christian's side, he wrapped an arm around her, his other hand snaked over and began softly petting Oscar.

I clicked off the light and took my usual spot on the lime-green bean bag in the corner. Lissa flicked on some T.V. show that made Christian and I groan.

I drifted off to sleep some time later.

I awoke from the nightmare with a start, breathing hard and covered in a thin layer of sweat. I glanced at the clock. 2:57AM.

I hissed a curse word under my breath and stood up. My whole body flushed with hot and cold. It was a disorienting feeling. And I'd had it every night—thanks to the same reoccurring nightmare.

I stretched out my stiff muscles. Lissa and Christian lay on the bed, snuggled up together with Oscar between them—apparently undisturbed from my screaming and thrashing night terrors.

The only light in the room came from the blaring T.V. I grabbed the remote from the nightstand and turned the volume down about 20 notches.

I took a deep calming breath and unconsciously fingered the chain around my neck. Dimitri. The fear and aftershocks of my dream eased just thinking about him.

I smiled giddily thinking of our morning together. Waking up in his home. I'd panicked at first when I discovered he wasn't beside me, but then I smelt the aroma of bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen. Watching Dimitri cook shirtless was a good way to start off the day.

I tiptoed out of Christian and Lissa's room and shut the door softly behind me. I dug in the pocket of my jeans until I found the spare key to her room—best friends always have keys to their best friends dorm.

After locking the door, I ran down the pitch-black hallway, snatched up the house phone, and dialed Dimitri's number. He didn't pick up. I tried unsuccessfully four more times before slamming the phone down in frustration.

Figuring he was asleep, I used my ninja skills to sneak over to the staff apartment complex. I passed multiple guards on the way, and it was nearly too easy. After ducking by a few more bushes and hiding in the shadows of buildings, I arrived at Dimitri's apartment door.

I paused before knocking, suddenly becoming nervous and self-conscious. Should I really wake up Dimitri in the middle of the night…again?

I knew the answer instantly as I pushed on the doorbell. I didn't want to be alone. Dimitri had made it clear that I was welcome to his home anytime I felt scared or unsafe in my room—or if I plain just wanted to have his company. And I wanted to be around him right now, especially since I'd just had that damn nightmare.

I found it strange that Dimitri didn't answer his door, his lights were on, so without another thought, I stuck the key that was dangling around my neck into the hole and turned. The door creaked open until it banged lightly against the wall.

The pit of my stomach tightened in fear when I took in the sight in front of me. The living room that had been neat and spotless when I left this morning was now a mess. John Wayne movies were scattered all over the carpet, the DVD shelf tipped over. The vase had been knocked off its stand, shattered into a thousand sharp pieces.

Was Dimitri okay?

Adrenaline pumped through my veins.

I walked to the kitchen to find it in disarray, much like the living room. Broken dishes, a bottle of red wine—which I believed to be blood for a heart-stopping moment—spilled all over the floor, surrounded by the green glass of its bottle.

And that's when I heard shouting from the bedroom. Dimitri's shouting.

I ran to his bedroom. What I saw took my breath away. Dimitri lying on the bed. A woman on top of him, straddling his waist, kissing his lips. She had a mass of raven black hair and a petite body. Tasha.

Dimitri growled deep in his throat, lifted Tasha off of him, and threw her roughly to the ground.

I gasped, feeling the sting of tears.

His head snapped up, his dark eyes focusing in on me. The anger from his face faded, crumpling into pain and sadness.

"Roza?"

I ran.

Hearing Dimitri's pursuing foot steps from behind gave me the drive to push my legs harder. I flung open his front door and clumsily fell down the steps—the ones I'd forgotten about.

Before I could recover, I was pulled from the ground and onto my feet. I tried to run, but Dimitri grabbed my waist, forcefully pulling me into his body.

"Get off me!" I screamed, shoving my elbow into his stomach. He grunted.

Dimitri's arms captured me, encircling around my body, squeezing tighter like an Anaconda, as I struggled to get out of his iron grasp.

"It's not what you think." he growled, I slammed my foot down on his.

From the tiny movement I could manage with my hands, I raked them down his forearms. My fingernails came back coated in red liquid. Dimitri's blood.

"Let go of me," I snarled. "Somebody help me! Please someone!"

"Let me explain." His knee crushed into my back, stealing my breath away.

It accomplished what Dimitri had wanted. It stopped me from screaming, from struggling. I fell limp in his arms, shocked. He flipped me around so I could face him, his hands supporting the weight of my body.

"What happened in there, it's not what you think." Dimitri said, eyes pleading with me to believe him. I stared at him for minutes until I could finally regain the ability to talk.

I laughed bitterly. "When I saw how messy your apartment was, I feared you might have been hurt." I shook my head, traitor tears spilling out of my eyes. "Now I know that it was probably from you fucking Tasha. I didn't think you'd be the type into that crazy, wild sex. Tell me, Dimitri, do ya like whips and chains too?"

"It's not what it looks like, if you'd shut your fucking mouth and listen to me explain." his tone was cold and menacing, face livid. "Tasha and I—"

I lifted my hand to silent him. "Please, just stop. You've already hurt me so much…just stop talking."

"Roza…" his tone bled misery and poignancy. The expression on his face shattered my heart into a million places.

"Just please, let me go," my tone was weak and tired. "I need to be alone right now."

Dimitri searched my face thoroughly for one uncomfortable moment, nodded, and reluctantly released me. I backed up a few feet and stared at him. I let all the anger and hatred and frustration from what I'd seen tonight flow back into me. Anger for leaving myself vulnerable to him, hatred because he'd betrayed me, and frustration because I knew he'd never be mine. I pictured Tasha kissing Dimitri. That drove me over the edge.

I pulled my fist back and struck his face. I hear a sickening cracking noise and crimson sprayed from Dimitri's nose.

I ran.

I ran and ran and ran until I reached the high-school building—I found it strange that Lissa decided to choose living in the high-school building instead of the staff complex, considering she was over 18 and worked here, but she'd explained to me that she felt more comfortable being around kids her age...and not hard-asses like Dimitri—okay, maybe I'd added that last part.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably, I tried several times before finally getting the key into the hole and unlocking it. I flung open the door.

"LISSA, CHRISTIAN!" I exclaimed.

Simultaneously, the two of them shot up in the bed. Oscar meowed—upset that someone had disturbed his sleep, and climbed over to the pillow where he promptly fell asleep. Pieces of black hair stuck out in all different directions from Christians head, he rubbed his eyes sleepily. He actually looked kind of sexy. Not that I'd dare to admit that out loud.

"What is it? Is the murderer out there?" Lissa screamed, platinum blonde hair a cute mess.

"What?" Christian exclaimed, still a bit disoriented from sleep. "The killer is after you?"

Before I could respond with a very stern NO, he jumped to his feet and ripped the lamp from the nightstand. He swung it around like a madman, hitting the wall and busting the light bulb in the process.

"Is the murderer out there?" he pointed towards the hallway, running towards it.

"What? No."

Christian stood in the middle of the hallway, spinning around in circles, searching for the killer.

"Christian, what are you doing? I never said—"

"Where the fuck are you?" he shouted. "Don't be a pussy, come out. You want to target women who are smaller than you? You want to mess with my girl and her best friend? I say fuck that. Take me on. I'm a man. Go up against someone who can put up a decent fight."

I wanted to release a hilarious comment on the man part, but I was too amused and a bit startled by the situation.

"Come on. What are you waiting for?" Christian grasped the lamp in both his hands like a baseball bat, and made a horizontal swing.

"Jesus, and he calls me a psycho." I muttered before running up and clamping a hand over his mouth. "No one is after me. Stop screaming or else you're going to capture the attention of the guards."

He nodded in understanding.

I let him go.

"The murderer isn't after you?" Christian asked bewildered.

"No."

He relaxed tremendously. "That's a damn shame, I was ready to kick some ass."

"Sure you were," I snorted.

"Is everything okay out here?" Lissa's face was frightened, Oscar tucked tightly in her arms. After what just happened, the damn kitten was still asleep.

"It's okay, babe," Christian wrapped protective arms around her. "Just a little misunderstanding."

He gave me a pointed look, I responded by sticking my tongue out.

Lissa shot me a dubious glance. "Is…Is everything okay, Rose?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you barge into my room screaming?"

"Ah, about that…" I scratched my shoulder. "We're leaving St. Augustine's."

Lissa's mouth fell open in shock. Christian cracked the biggest grin.

"That's right. Pack your things. We're going on a road trip." I said.

"Why? What's wrong, Rose?" her jade green eyes narrowed.

"Everything." I threw my hands up. "There's a killer on the loose, the police don't have the slightest clue who is committing these crimes. Teenage girls are getting brutally murdered. Do you really want to sit around until it happens to us, Liss? I'd like to keep all of my organs."

She grimaced, probably at the mental image floating around her brain.

Lissa looked scared, like a child left alone in a big city. She was confused. She didn't know how to take the next step. I was going to be the one to push her into it.

"Let's go, pack up the necessities: Toothbrush, hairbrush, Clothes, PJ's. Whatever the fuck it is, pack it, and pack it quick." I instructed.

"I won't leave without Christian." Lissa said firmly, grasping onto his forearm protectively.

"I knew you wouldn't," I chuckled. "Get your shit packed, Hotstuff."

He grinned and fist pumped. "Let's go, I'm so ready to get out of this hellhole."

The smile that stretched across Lissa's face swelled my heart. She had complete faith and trust in me and this crazy mission. I only hoped I deserved it.

"How long do you think we'll be gone on this," she quoted the air. "road trip?"

I shrugged. "Not forever. Just until the police catch this lunatic."

"Okay," Lissa looked relieved. "I'll go with you—as long as you promise to eventually come back here to St. Augustine's."

"I promise to come back, Vasilisa Dragomir." I assured her. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Lissa covered her ears. "Don't talk like that!"

"Whatever, whatever," I waved my hands impatiently. "Just pack your things, I'll meet you back here in 10 minutes."

I ran towards my room.

"I'm bringing Oscar, too." She called after me.

I ripped the duffel bag from my closet and began stuffing clothes in frantically. I packed everything I needed to survive: Jeans, T-shirts, clean underwear, tooth brush, hair brush, and a snickers bar. I hoped this one didn't melt all over my clothes like the last one had.

I hadn't realized until now that Dimitri and Lissa were the only things tying me down to this school. Dimitri broke his strings, now all I had to worry about was Lissa. Now that my best friend—and her pain-in-the-ass boyfriend—were coming along with me, I was free to leave the military academy behind.

The reason I wanted to flee was because I wasn't about to sit around and wait for the killer to come to us. I was running away from my problems to keep myself and—more importantly—Lissa safe. Seeing Tasha all over Dimitri finalized my decision in leaving the academy.

I was running away from life as I knew it. The life I had built around myself just merely three months ago. The life I had become familiar with. The life I was comfortable with, the one I'd fit into—the life I loved.

I met Lissa and Christian outside her dorm. Christian was rolling one giant pink suitcase—I'm assuming belonged to Lissa—a black duffel bag, and Lissa's sequined purse draped over his shoulder. Lissa carried her giant beach bag on one arm.

"Where's Oscar?" I asked.

She pointed to the bag and carefully opened it. Inside was the orange kitten, asleep, snuggled in a fleece blanket, and cuddled next to a stuffed animal Garfield.

"I didn't want him to feel alone." she whispered, careful not to wake Oscar.

I giggled. "They're like twins."

Ahem. Christian cleared his throat harshly. "If you want to get out of here before the school awakens which is in—" he glanced at his watch. "45 minutes."

I gasped. "What time is it?"

"5:45AM."

"I guess we took longer to pack than we originally thought." Lissa slid me an amused smile.

"Shit," I hissed. "Dimitri's going to be awake and walking the grounds. It's nearly time for morning practice."

I groaned and kicked the wall.

"We'll just have to be extra careful." Christian offered.

"Like ninja turtles." Lissa said.

I grinned. "Like teenage mutant ninja turtles."

I shot out my hand. "Team work."

Christian and Lissa place their hands over mine. "We're in this together."

He howled. "Let's do this!"

We tip toed out of the building, I was in the lead. It was dawn, which meant that we were more vulnerable to passing eyes. I instructed Lissa and Christian to press their bodies against the wall of the building and slide across it—which was sort of awkward for Christian, considering he was carrying multiple over-sized bags, one of which was neon pink, making us stick out like a sore thumb in the watchful eyes of the guards.

So far, by some miracle, we were extremely blessed not to have been caught or run into anyone—and if we did, we'd be severely punished—excluding Lissa—by Dimitri's wrath. Oh joy.

"Where's your car, Liss?" I whispered.

"Over there," she pointed towards a black car.

"The Mercedes roadster?"

She nodded.

"Shit," I grinned. "How in the hell did you afford that?"

Lissa shrugged. "Having rich parents has some exceptional perks."

"Indeed."

Lissa's car was appreciatively 20 yards away, just in our reach, I could virtually taste freedom on the tip of my tongue.

And that's when Dimitri popped out of nowhere.

I dropped down behind the bushes, yanking Christian and Lissa along with me.

Lissa stumbled clumsily and fell to the ground with a loud, thump.

Dimitri—only five feet away from us—heard the noise and abruptly stopped walking, his head snapped over, staring at the bush suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

'Don't move.' I mouthed to Lissa and Christian. They nodded.

'I said, don't move.'

I glanced back at Dimitri—who was still glaring at our bush. I'd clearly broken his nose earlier with the punch I'd landed on him, his nose was bandaged and he was sporting two nasty black eyes. I felt a pang of guilt for causing him pain—no matter how much Dimitri had caused me heartache, I never should have punched him. I loved Dimitri. I wanted to protect him—not cause him physical harm.

Dimitri looked tired, the weary lines on his forehead aging him a good 7 years. If I had to put money on it, I'd say that he hadn't caught any sleep.

I had a feeling he knew something was going on, that someone or something was behind the bush—Not me of course, if he suspected it was, I'd be dragged away immediately—but he was too exhausted to check it out, so with one last hard glance, he stalked away. I let out a breath of relief when the high-school doors shut behind his form.

"Alright, let's go! We have to hurry, he'll be out soon once he finds that I'm not in my dorm." I ushered them towards the car.

Lissa and Christian smiled amusedly when I plunged to the ground and did the army crawl. And just to lighten up the tense mood, I began humming the Mission Impossible theme song. I accomplished the mission of getting them to laugh.

Once the bags were thrown into Lissa's black Mercedes roadster, Christian and I were stuffed into the trunk.

"Oh, sorry, Christian." I accidentally hit him in the face with my elbow.

"Oh, sorry, Rose." he accidentally head butted me.

"Fuck!" I hissed at the same time Christian groaned in pain.

"I guess no one really wins when it comes to head butting." he laughed, rubbing the red spot on his forehead.

Lissa popped her head in the trunk, one arm extended on the door, ready to close it.

"Do you want to explain it to me again why the two of you have to hide in the trunk?" she asked.

"Because if the guards by the gate see us...then they'll know we're running away. You work here, they won't think anything of you leaving, right?"

Lissa nodded. "What's the story?"

"You're going to visit your parents for Thanksgiving. You've taken an extra long vacation and should be back at St. Augustine's before winter break. Do you think you can handle saying all of that? You also have to be very convincing and believable, if the guards even get the slightest indication you may be deceiving them," I paused to capture a breath. "They'll search your car…and we all know what will happen subsequently."

Lissa tapped her manicured fingers against her chin, deep in thought. "I am a very convincing actress. I can do this. Do you want me to pull out the Crocodile tears?"

"Only if it is absolutely necessary."

"Got cha. I'll see you guys soon, love you."

"Love you, too." I said.

"Babe?" Christian called out.

"Hmm?" Lissa asked.

"Kissy before you leave?"

I snorted.

"I'm only gonna be gone for a few minutes."

"A few minutes too long." he pouted. "I am astonished that you will not miss me as much as I will miss you."

"Of course I'll miss you greatly. What would make you think otherwise?"

"Just give him a damn kiss!" I intolerantly exclaimed.

Lissa giggled before leaning down to press her lips to his, it was an awkward position, considering she had to practically lay on top of me to get to Christian.

"Alright, alright!" I wildly flailed my arms. "We're already lacking oxygen in here, I don't need you two breathing all heavily and sucking it right up."

Lissa laughed, leaned up, uttered a quick goodbye and slammed the trunk shut. Everything went entirely black. The only sounds were our soft breathing, and my stomach growling hungrily. A few moments later, I heard the stir off the engine and the car took off, smooth and slow.

"Man this sucks." Christian coughed. "Especially having to spoon with you in this tight ass space."

"The only tight ass in here is you."

"I knew you'd be thinking about my ass."

"Did you eat Doritos?"

"Hmm?"

"Doritos, the nacho cheese chips. High in fat and carbohydrates. Delicious. I can smell them heavily on you."

"Oh," he chuckled. "No I did not eat any of them, but the precious kitty did as an early breakfast."

"He's a fatty."

"I know, but he's a cute fatty."

"Agreed."

"Hey, Psycho?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to hear a funny joke?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"What has two thumbs and loves a blow job?"

I grimaced.

"In case you didn't know," he whispered close my ear. "I have two thumbs and I'm pointing at myself. So it's me!"

The car came to a sudden halt. I shushed Christian by elbowing him in the stomach and waited anxiously for Lissa to get past the guards.

After ten agonizing minutes—with the fear of Dimitri ripping open the trunk, a furious expression on his face, at any moment—the cars engine roared and sped off.

"Thank God." I emitted a breath of relief.

"Amen to that." Christian uttered.

Merely minutes later, the car pulled to another stop. This time Lissa popped open the trunk and let us out.

I made a noise of approval and hopped out to stretch my aching neck and cracked my back.

I snatched the keys out of Lissa's hand. "I'm driving. And you're getting shotgun. Don't let Christian talk you out of it, he only wants your seat."

"Controlling bitch." he said.

"Lisssss," I whined. "Tell your boyfriend to be nice to me."

She smacked the back of his head. "Be nice to my best friend. I'm tired, I don't want to deal with all of this crap."

Without another word, she walked over to the passenger side, and slipped into the car.

"You evil bitch," Christian's ice blue eyes narrowed, he shook his head. "She was so innocent and sweet before she met you."

I grinned and stuck out my tongue. "She was boring before she met me. I bring excitement to her life, I'm her burning fire."

"No," he paused. "I am her burning fire."

After hopping into the driver's seat of the Mercedes roadster, I put the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. I slammed on the gas pedal.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Christian leaned forward from the back seat, head rested on his fist.

"The plan is to crash at a motel tonight, and then hit Lissa's parents house tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good." Lissa yawned.

"You two just get some sleep, I'll figure everything out."

They mumbled their good nights. Lissa snuggled into the seat with Oscar and her lavender blanket, while Christian laid his head on the back seat, slid his arms behind his neck, and rested his eyes.

I flipped on the radio to stay awake. Undisclosed desires by Muse spilled into the car.

I rolled my shoulders, took deep calming breaths, and focused on the road ahead of me. My plan was to get at least 50 miles away from St. Augustine's, this way if the academy did come searching for us, we'd be far enough away to make a quick escape.

I knew I'd probably regret what I was doing later, but for right now, in this very moment, it felt like the right thing to do. I'd miss life at the academy, I'd miss my friends, but most of all...I'd miss Dimitri. I let the tears fall freely—Lissa and Christian were sound asleep, so there was no need to be ashamed of crying. I had to remind myself that this road trip was only temporary. I'd get to see Dimitri again. And when I did, I had a feeling he wasn't going to be too happy with me.

Hello freedom. Goodbye Academy.

A/N: Don't worry, you'll be seeing more of the Russian God…very soon.

As always, let me know what you think! :-)