A/N : Hola Chicos!Again, unsure if anyone will be reading this but… I have recently edited and changed minor, non life changing details in the previous chapters.

Also, I'm sorry for the weird updating; the past year has been filled with exams, stress eating and I have been backpacking around South America and Europe for the past five months and will not be going home until September- where I intend on actually getting this fanfic going!

Disclaimer: Obviously Richelle Mead's idea and, I have used a line from Chris Lilley's 'Ja'mie, Private School Girl'.

Chapter 5

Nik was understandably quiet as we walked down the stairs and out the house.

Even quieter as he began walking over to his car.

Hang on, is he leaving?! Why is it that the good ones never stand up to any pressure?

"And where is it that you are going?'

My voice must've given something about my current thoughts away to Nikolai, as he turned to me with a small grin.

"To get my boots out of my car." His grin grew in size to show his dimple, "Of course though, only, if it is okay with you?"

I let out a shaky, relieved laugh, "Run along boy, I will wait for you here."

There I go, always letting my assumptions run ahead of me. This pattern of thought is becoming too common, too… intrusive. I am broken out of my ponderings by a certain dimpled boy calling out to me.

"Oh and Mahalia? Enjoy looking at my arse as I walk away." He looked back at me as he said it, the easy smile on his face lifting my mood from the darkened place it was in.

And I did watch his arse as he walked away; I especially appreciated it when he squatted just a little to reach his shoes in the back seat of his car. The movements caused his shirt to be pulled taut, making it possible for me to see the muscles in his back and shoulders to ripple in that delicious, panty-wetting way, and as the muscles in his legs flexed, his pants were stretched across that glorious derriere and his legs.

I've never given thought to a man's legs before, never seen them as attractive. But now? I'm feeling a bit flushed.

Unfortunately, I was still flushed when Nikolai joined me again; and also unfortunate, he noticed my change in complexion, which he acknowledged with a sly wink.

Together, we walked almost in sync to where my brothers and Rhea were standing with another girl, around the same age as Rhea.

I was halted by Nikolai grabbing ahold of my arm.

"The girl with Rhea? That's my eldest sister Maria; I need to tell you now that she won't speak to you. Not because she doesn't want to but because she can't, a Strigoi destroyed her vocal cords a couple years ago when she was bitten. " I gasped, the horror of such an atrocity previously unfathomable. "But she can hear you just fine, so please, talk to her normally. As you would to me, knowing that I would respond to you with words." Nicolai's eyes held mine captive, his gaze serious and pleading.

"Of course I would Nik!" I hugged him, without even thinking I just wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face into his chest. I was surprised that he didn't hesitate to immediately return the gesture; and I was even more surprised at the lack of sexuality in the act, just pure comfort. "But…" I began, turning my head to meet his gaze, "I won't be talking to her as I talk to you…" Nikolai's expression changed at the first part of my sentence, it became completely bare, showing nothing and caused me to pause. "Because there is no way in hell, that I will ever talk to your sister about what's going on in your pants or about how we can take it back to my room."

Nikolai let out a laugh at this. A real laugh, it held relief and actual amusement within it.

"Come on you, we need to go over to the others; we need to strategise how we are going to patrol the area." While his words didn't hold much room for lightness, his tone and stance did.

My brothers and his sisters looked up as we walked up to them, laughter in our steps.

Very quickly, I could see that Rhea and Zac were leading this meeting, or was Rhea just acting as Maria's mouthpiece?

My speculation turned out to be right as Maria made hand signs to Rhea before Rhea addressed me.

"My sister, Maria says Hello to you, and that she hopes you will excuse her from properly talking to you now, and will let her talk to you later when we are not so rushed." While Rhea said this, Maria smiled at me, which I tentatively returned.

Zac cleared his throat before continuing our brief tactics meeting.

"Nik, Mali, you two will be working together. We have placed you in the copse of trees here." At this he gestured to a small patch of green that appeared to be situated in-between the houses of the two Dhampir families.

Nik and I nodded at each other, unsurprised with our pairing. Noah and Zac, as twins, seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing exactly where the other was, and what the other is thinking without any verbal communication. This made them an obvious patrol pair, as their little 'twin bond' made them deadly against Strigoi with their silent efficiency and the way they could support each other perfectly.

I was also expecting Maria and Rhea to be paired together; Maria couldn't communicate to me which would make us vulnerable and Rhea I don't know as well as I do know her brother – knowing something about the way your patrol partner thinks, acts and reacts is critical for a successful pairing.

After waving goodbye to Rhea and Maria, I briefly hugged the twins, because no matter how good they are, I know that there is always a chance that I would never see one of them again. Zac's hug was longer than Noah's and I knew why. Sensitive Zac; everyone believes Noah is the softy out of the two but in reality it is Zac, who masks his sensitivity with his protectiveness for his two younger siblings.

Walking away from the twins with a weary heart, I place the speaker Nikolai hands me into my ear. All six of us would have one, letting us speak to each other (Nikolai informed me that Maria will clap into hers in the event of an ambush or when help is needed and will click into it if she is ever taken or… about to die). It is an absolute certainty that someone in the house has one as well; back up is never to be frowned upon!

The copse of trees Nikolai and I are to spend the next six hours in is pleasant; the flowers are nice, and the entire setting is very cutesy. We scout our designated section quickly, to become familiar with out surroundings; holes etc. before settling into a slower walk through the track that we will change each loop to prevent predictability.

Scanning the area for anything, the sun sets early in the tropics, so the risk and danger is very present and pressing.

After a couple minutes, a gentle hum of conversation starts between us, it isn't flowing but stopping and starting with the topics changing, free of any awkward pauses but instead, silences that say something to us, that speak of more than what we say, that speak of what we are doing and who we are.

This same thing continues for the next three hours. I find out that unlike many of the Moroi/Dhampir population who are Eastern Orthodox, Nikolai does not practice any religion. I also learn that while he has had to focus his energy and time on the physical side of learning; new fighting techniques and the like, he has a preference for tinkering with things.

"Fixing things, cars, doors, my sister's wardrobe. I like to be occupied; mind and hands, and I definitely prefer work that doesn't come with the stress of our occupation." A light shone in his eyes as he spoke of fixing things, as he spoke of what he enjoyed he moved his hands animatedly, gesturing here and there.

I tell him of my dreams to travel and see the world. I also tell him of my fear that I will never know what it is that I really want to do.

"I have no idea. Absolutely none. I hear of Guardians who just want to guard. Or my mum, who does art; my dad who argues for money. I can't think of anything like that for me. I am envious of you; you know what you want to do, even if you have to do the Guardian thing as well, you have your passion. Me? I can't say the same." I looked away before finishing. "I'm scared that I will spend my life Guarding and never find what job it was that I would've done if I had been born with the opportunity to choose."

"Stop." Nik grabbed my shoulders, keeping me still. "Don't think like that. We are only seventeen; you have plenty of time to explore. Try being a waitress. Then a barista, bartender and so on." He huffed, "Try to find it before it's too late; we live a life of danger and our time could be over in an hour. So search for it. Maria's was singing; she'd actually left the Dhampir life to pursue fame. And she had it in her grasp until she was attacked." Nikolai shook me gently, "And you know what? She has no regrets, She went for it, and she did it. Yeah! Of course she was sad. But now? She is more than happy, voiceless and all."

After he finished, we walked silently for half an hour; me thinking about what he had told me; and him giving me the time to think about what I needed to do.

"I want to go home. I don't want a big life, full of glory and gore. I just want to live on the beach, have a family and a house." I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "That's not a dream Nikolai."

He gave a bark of a laugh before responding.

"Yes it is! Dreams can look like Maria's fame or like Rhea, who wants to be a Librarian. You have your dream; fight for it."

It was with this appropriate sentiment that a silhouette came to a standstill in front of us, causing us to rip our stakes from their respective positions.

"Georgia?" I gasped, semi-frozen, heart thundering away in my chest.

"It's me Mali." My school friend replied.

The only problem was, my friend had pale skin and red rings around her eyes.