It has been a whole year since I started writing Hold Me Before I Fall, and became obsessed with creating fanfics and then fanart for Vampire Academy. As a little celebration and thanks to everyone that has enjoyed my stories and stuck with me, I wanted to give an extra update on my stories.

Still will have another update this week :D

My hands felt clammy wrapped up in the layers of tape, the skin underneath itching. I couldn't even scratch it because of the gloves I was also wearing. Dimitri was standing before me in a singlet and sweatpants, making slow movements around the mat. I tried to copy him, following him with my eyes.

"Come on, attack me," he encouraged, curling his fingers at me.

I cringed at the thought of attacking him again, the man was pure muscle, and it felt like hitting a wall. A big shitty wall that definitely enjoyed each time he would send me tumbling to the ground.

I would have bruises for days, and I didn't think I'd be walking tomorrow. My mother used to teach me to spar, one of the few things I was glad for when living on the streets, but nothing I did could take Dimitri down.

Seeing I was unlikely to advance, Dimitri came at me, fist aimed at my chest. When we first started my reaction time was terrible, being so out of practice. Most people I fought with were slow, but Dimitri was fast and strong; just like my mother.

I side-stepped, kicking up at his stomach. I don't think I've had to fight anyone as tall as him either. "It's not fair having to fight a giant, you know?" I complained again, feeling my energy wavering the longer we sparred.

I was very out of shape.

"Use what you have to your advantage," Dimitri replied calmly. I didn't think he had broken a sweat, whereas I was soaked and struggling to catch my breath.

"You got this, Rose!" Viktoria cheered from the side of the mat.

I wasn't enjoying the audience we had gained, hearing them oohing and ahhing at Dimitri. Apparently, he was like some god around here, which made me want to beat him even more. I wanted to punch him since he kept pushing me to quit my jobs. I'd managed to call and arrange for two weeks off instead. I never took time off before, so it wasn't too hard to get my bosses to agree to it.

Two weeks, and if I still didn't know anything new about my parents by then, I was leaving.

At least I knew they were alive now. If all else failed, I'd leave a note and they could come to find me when they were ready to own up to their shitty choices and the consequences they left me with.

When another of my hits missed Dimitri, I gritted my teeth, especially at some of the laughs it gained. I guess I should take his advice and use what I had to my advantage, and I was not against playing dirty.

This time when Dimitri swung at me, I let it connect. It hurt but not enough to do a lot of damage. I let my body fall back from the impact, landing on the mat with a cry of pain. The room fell into silence.

I heard Dimitri curse and then rush to my side, "Rose? Rose, are you okay?"

The concern in his voice almost made me feel bad. Almost.

I laid on the mat, clutching at my side and waited for him to be in the right spot. When he was beside me, I kicked my leg out. The move caught him off guard; legs swept out from underneath him, landing on his back with a groan. I got up and straddled his waist, slapping my hand down on his chest with a cry of triumph.

"Ohh, nice try there, comrade. But you really shouldn't let your guard down so easily," I teased from above him, smirking at his frown.

"That's cheating."

I laughed, "You said to use my advantages." My hands rested on the top of his chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating. Maybe he wasn't as unaffected by our fight as I thought.

My fingers spread, feeling his warmth through his shirt. He really was solid muscle. I could feel the firm planes shift as he breathed. His hand caught my wrist, our eyes meeting at the contact.

"That was great," Viktoria laughed, skipping to our side. Tearing my eyes from Dimitri's, I pushed myself to my feet and took a couple of steps away from him. "I don't think I've seen Dimitri lose in a while."

"It wasn't really fair," I shrugged, removing the red gloves I wore—trying to keep myself busy so I didn't look back at him.

"Strigoi won't care about fighting fair. Don't be afraid to fight dirty," Dimitri commented, straightening his clothes, also on his feet now. "That was good, Rose."

My face warmed at his praise, hoping that everyone would assume it was from exertion, "Picked up all kinds of things when homeless," I replied, ignoring the concerned look it got me. "So, where can I get food around here?"

I wasn't overly hungry, but I wanted to get out of this conversation and away from Dimitri for a little while. I stepped away from them, picking up a towel to wipe my face. I was grateful for the black shirt I chose to wear; no one would be able to tell just how much I was sweating. Dimitri made me work for it.

"Dinner will be served soon in the cafeteria," Viktoria supplied, "I can take you there."

My tour of the building was cut short after seeing the gym, Dimitri offering to test where my skills were, and of course, I didn't want to turn down the chance to kick his ass. "Do I have time to shower first?"

"Yeah, they do dinner for a while, everyone coming in at different times. It would be all the guardians eating first, so it's best to wait a while so we can get a seat." Viktoria was trying to act like there was no rift between us, but I was hesitant to act like nothing had changed.

I nodded at her, "I'll meet you at yours in an hour?" She grinned back at me.

"See you then."

There were two staircases; one on each end of the building, and three elevators. I managed to slip into one just as the doors were closing. There were two guys in there already, one blond and the other with bright red hair. I gave them a polite smile as I pressed the button for my floor and then leaned against the wall for support. I was still exhausted, and sparring for two hours didn't help.

"Good job with Belikov," the redhead broke the silence of the elevator, a big grin on his face.

"You mean when I wasn't getting my ass handed to me?" I rolled my shoulders, feeling all the aches and pains now that I was standing still. Maybe it will be a long bath instead of a shower.

He shook his head, "Nah, that was good compared to some people. Belikov is a god. Unbeatable."

"Maybe for you," his blond friend joked, elbowing him in the side, "If you actually trained more, you might beat him."

"Like you can take him down."

The blond shrugged, "I've gotten close."

I snorted at their exchange, pulling faces at one another.

"You're new here, right?" the redhead asked, giving me a look I had seen from guys before when they were trying to flirt with me, "I'm Mason."

His friend rolled his eyes at Mason, "I'm Eddie. You can ignore him."

I jutted my hip out, winking at Mason, "Rose. And this is my floor." I turned and escaped before Mason could say much else. I didn't mind the attention, but I would rather flirt with a guy when I didn't smell like sweat. That and I was still trying to wrap my mind around everything.

I regretted agreeing to meet Viktoria now. Just being able to sit in a dark room alone with my thoughts sounded so much better.

Of course, my plan of even an hour to myself was ruined—opening the door to my parent's apartment, I was greeted by a short elderly woman sitting on the couch. Her long grey hair was pulled back into a braid down her back, and a purple shawl draped over her shoulders.

I paused, our eyes meeting; she was old, but those eyes were definitely still sharp.

"Umm… Hi…" I looked out into the hallway, hoping someone was there looking for their grandmother. "I think you're in the wrong place."

The woman didn't respond, eyes unmoving, which were starting to unnerve me.

"Do you need help finding your family?" I asked in a slightly louder voice.

She scoffed at me, shaking her head as she muttered in another language, too soft for me to recognise which one.

My jaw clenched, walking to the kitchen and pouring myself a cup of water. I drank half of it before turning back to the woman. "Well, I don't know where you're meant to be, but it sure isn't here." I didn't know what to do with someone's grandmother that doesn't speak English. I didn't even know who to call about this, and other than going door to door and hoping someone would recognise her, there wasn't much else I could do.

I tried to conceal my annoyance at the whole situation, approaching her with a smile, "Come on, let's go find–"

The woman smacked my hand away, standing up from the couch with more agility than I had expected. She glared up at me and shook her head again. I was starting to get pissed off by her.

She clicked her tongue, "Not ready." Her voice sounded a combination of frustration and disappointment. I stared at her stunned, as she walked out of the apartment and slammed the door after her.

"What the fuck?" I blinked at the closed door, making a mental note to lock my door in the future. Crazy grandmothers were definitely not on the list of things I wanted to deal with.

The shower did little to ease my irritation; just making the pain from fighting and losing set in more. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically, not even sure where I was emotionally.

It hurt to move, and yet here I was wandering the halls of this large boarding-school-turned-apartments, having no idea where I was going or where I was.

I was at the point where I was just going to go back to my room and sleep, or I would if I knew the way back. "Why does everything have to look the same?" I groaned, dragging my hands down my face in frustration.

This was all Dimitri's fault, I decided. With his stupid sexy voice, captivating eyes, and way too much height, that was also totally loveable because he would be able to reach the top shelf all the time.

I was pulled from my stray thoughts by a hand tapping me on the shoulder. I jumped, spinning around to face a man. My body relaxed when I realised he was with Dimitri this morning, but I couldn't remember his name, only that he had vodka.

At least his eyes looked less agitated now.

The corner of his lips pulled up into a smirk, "Hello, little dhampir."

I cocked my head at him before remembering, "Oh, that's right. You all think I'm one of those."

"I see you still don't," he pulled out a cigarette from a pack in his back pocket and lit it. After taking a drag, he held it to me, "Want one?"

I pulled a face, stepping away, "No thanks. Those things will kill you, you know."

"We all die in the end. Why not enjoy the ride?" I rolled my eyes at the wink he sent my way. "So, what are you doing over here?"

I contemplated walking away, but that would just result in me getting more lost. "I'm trying to find Viktoria's place, but everything looks the same. Or maybe I got the wrong floor. I don't know."

"Lost little girl?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, "And what are you? The big bad wolf?"

"Maybe," he grinned, this time showing more teeth. I inwardly cringed when I noticed his canines were elongated—fangs.

My eyes flicked to his, needing to check for the rings of red I saw in the Strigoi's last night. The wound may be gone, but I could remember the pain and the high.

I wondered if his bite would feel the same.

A look crossed his face that made me falter, a knowing look in his eyes.

I faced away from him, looking down the hallway instead. "What way do I go to get to Viktoria's?"

"If the young lady would follow me," he held his arm out. I eyed it until he shrugged and dropped it. "This way."

I felt dead on my feet standing outside of Viktoria's apartment. Glancing to my side, I eyed Adrian. While he was surprisingly good company, I was still a little weirded out each time he would smirk, a fang peeking out.

When no one answered after knocking on the door, I considered just returning to my room. Other than the couple of hours I got, I hadn't slept much these last two days. I was used to running on little sleep, but after everything that happened and what I've learned, I needed time to sort through it all.

Though I wish I could do it back in my apartment. It wasn't much, but it was mine, and it gave me more comfort than in the room my parents decorated for me. Olena had said I wasn't meant to know about all of this stuff; I wondered just how long they were going to keep me in the dark.

Were they ever going to tell me?

Finally, the door opened to reveal a freshly showered Dimitri, in a new singlet and low-hanging pants, a towel rubbing against the damp ends of his hair. His eyes widened a little when they caught mine, and then his mask returned.

"What's up?" he asked, eyes flicking between Adrian and me. "Is something wrong?"

I pushed down my annoyance at him, and the small hurt that he didn't treat me as he once had. No more warm half-smiles that made my stomach fill with butterflies and my knees feel weak.

"Looking for Viktoria," I explained, shrugging like talking to him was a waste of my time. The last couple of weeks obviously were. To think I was going to ask him out, even buying that stupid book that I still had to get rid of.

"Oh, she already went downstairs when you didn't show."

I gritted my teeth.

"Well," Adrian drawled, slinging his arm over my shoulders with a wink, "I found her wandering the halls all lost. Guess you gave a shitty tour, cousin." A look passed between them, Dimitri's eyes narrowing as Adrian's smirk grew.

I stepped away from him, shrugging his arm off me, not in the mood to deal with his flirting. "Whatever," I grumbled, turning to leave.

"I can take you down there if you want?" Dimitri offered, head tilted towards me. I wished I could believe that maybe he wanted to spend time with me again, but I knew it was probably just another ploy to build some semblance of trust.

I rolled my eyes at him, spinning on my heel as I replied over my shoulder, "I don't need your help."

The oppressive feeling of my parent's apartment was the only reason I found myself downstairs in the cafeteria. I wandered around a little and eventually found the large room. The set-up was much the same as a high school. The line against the wall with the food arranged in a buffet style, people behind the counters to serve it and others behind them working away in the kitchen.

The smell of the food drew my attention, my stomach grumbling as my hunger made itself known.

"Hey, Rose."

I looked over my shoulder, the red-headed boy from the elevator strolling towards me with an empty plate in hand. His face lit up, a full smile aimed at me. I could admit he was cute.

"Hey…" I cursed my terrible memory as I fumbled for his name.

"Mason," he supplied, "Did you come here to eat?"

I resisted rolling my eyes. "No, I came to the cafeteria to sightsee," I replied sarcastically. Mason took in stride, chuckling.

"Well, it's much easier to eat if you actually go to the food," he replied in the same tone, "we aren't fancy here with table service." He tilted his head to the line, walking towards it.

I followed after him, my lips quirked up a little. Maybe I could make a friend here.

Mason handed me a plate, pointing out which foods were good and which ones to stay away from. There was a part of me that felt like I was in school again, which was a strange feeling considering I was homeschooled until I was fourteen, and then I dropped out when my parents died.

Correction—when my parents faked their deaths.

With full plates, Mason led me to a table towards the back. I instantly recognised Viktoria and Lissa sitting down with some others. Viktoria perked up when she saw me; rather than taking the spot beside her, I sat between Lissa and Mason.

"I thought you were sleeping or something," Viktoria tried explaining, guilt in her eyes, "I tried knocking at your door, and when you didn't respond…."

I felt a little guilty for the cold shoulder I had given her as her voice trailed off, eyes falling to the table. "I got lost looking for your apartment, but it's okay." I offered her a small smile. I wasn't ready to forgive the fact she had been lying to me and stalking me, but I understood why she kept it secret.

It's not like I reacted well when Dimitri did tell me the truth.

She returned my smile, the guilt in her eyes easing. I started to eat, hoping that I could finish the meal without having to talk too much. But, of course, that hope was destroyed.

"So, Rose," Mason angled his body to face me, one eyebrow raised, "what brings you to St. Vladimir's?"

Hope you are liking it so far!