Hello everyone! I hope that everyone has been well. I've put a few easter eggs in the chapters that relate to the original stories. I also have one or two in this chapter, look through them and comment on what you may think that they are. I have had to have a bit of dental work done so that has slowed my writing and I apologize for that. Also, I noticed that the end of my last chapter update was kind of wonk. I'm not sure why the format messed up, but I will try to do better! Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and let me know what you all think!

-GreyMare

Chapter 6

Sleep wasn't something that I normally struggled with. Most of the time I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. But after my shift I found myself struggling to fall asleep. I tossed and turned in the sheets for what felt like hours. Maybe it was my body adjusting to the time change, being up during what was technically our night and not our daytime. Maybe it was the fact that Lissa's sadness over Christian was oozing into me like poison. Maybe it was the thoughts of what Adrian said slipping into my whenever other things were crashing together. I ran my hands through my hair and squeezed by my temples. The sheets were soft, the pillows were cool and fluffy, and my room was set at a chilly temperature of sixty-eight degrees. All the elements were in place for a restful sleep. I had eaten before bed, so my stomach was full, and showered.

"Damn," I whispered into the darkness of my room. I ran my hands down my face and sighed. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep. Maybe if I wore myself out at the gym I could try again later and get at least two hours before my next shift started. I pushed myself out of bed and grabbed the best-smelling workout clothes that I could find on the floor.

I need to do laundry. I thought to myself as I stumbled to the door. I raked my hair into a loose ponytail as I walked down the back stairs and outside. I huffed once I finally made it to the gym. It was a short walk from my apartment. Comparing it to the walk from the gym to my dorm room at the academy it was a breeze. Backways and side alleys were my best friend once I moved to court. Weaving in and out of the other guards who used the same backways that I did, I pushed the doors open to the gym to find that it wasn't empty.

Dimitri and Mason stood off to the side talking to one another.

Mason looked like he was on the defense. A male peacock fluffing out his feathers as Dimitri stood relaxed with his arms to his side. Mason and Dimitri both were in loose-fitting running pants, both were hanging very low on their waists. Where Dimitri wore a cut-off shirt that had been ripped on the sides exposing his ribs, Mason was completely shirtless. Dimitris arms were mouthwatering. Mason had bulked up since we had left the academy, but now compared to Dimitri's menacing stance, Mason looked like a young boy.

"Rose! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Mason walked over to me and smiled.

"I couldn't sleep," I mumbled. Dimitri smiled at me from the far side of the gym as he started walking over to us.

"You couldn't sleep either?" I asked Dimitri as he approached us.

"Not really." He answered. Mason gave a glance between us, questioning the conversation.

"Dimitri and I are both on graveyard shift," I answered the questions Mason didn't ask.

"Oh!" he nodded his head. "Well, this is great, we haven't gotten to work out together in a while. Want to show Dimitri here how it's done?" Mason wagged an eyebrow at me as he spoke.

"Last time Dimitri and I sparred against one another he handed me my ass on a silver platter." I laughed. Dimitri gave a small chuckle.

"It wasn't that bad." Dimitri tried to smooth it over.

"It was," I argued.

"You two know each other?" Mason waved a finger in between Dimitri and me as his voice cracked a little.

"We've run into each other a few times." Dimitri rolled his r in the word ran. It made me think of when he called me Roza last night. That name sounded so dangerous on his tongue.

"Oh…" Mason's eyes flickered between the two of us.

"I'm going to go run," I said. The air was thick with something that made the interaction between the three of us awkward, though I wasn't completely sure what it was.

"Have fun with that! Mason jabbed a finger toward the weight room. "I'm going to go hit some weight training."

"Mind if I join you?" Dimitri stepped toward me and uncrossed his arms. There were shadows on his face from lack of sleep, and small dark circles started forming underneath his eyes. Had his skin not been so tan they would look worse than what they did.

"Sure." I shrugged my shoulders and made my way up the stairs to the track that looped overhead. I was keenly aware that Dimitri stayed behind me the entire time as I walked up the steps.

"I normally don't run before I start my exercise routine." I had no idea why I told him that.

"Really? Why?" Dimitri sat down on the track and started stretching his legs.

"I hate running." I mused. I joined him down on the track and stretched my legs the same as him.

"Then why did you start with it today?" in one graceful sweep Dimitri crossed his legs and stretched his arms far above his head.

"Truth?" I asked.

"Truth." He said.

"I didn't want to be with you and Mason." I pulled one arm over my chest and locked it with my elbow,

"Do you want me to leave?" Dimitri started to get up from where he was seated but I quickly grabbed his bare arm and held him there.

"No." I shook my head slightly.

"I didn't mean it like that. I didn't want to be with Mason while his fathers were on display. That's what I meant." I reluctantly let go of his arm and went back to my stretching. Dimitri didn't give me an answer, he just pressed his lips together and continued stretching. Dimitri and I started running at the same pace as one another but about half a mile in I noticed that he was slowing down to keep up with me. Something about that didn't sit right with me, I didn't want anyone to fall back to make me feel better about myself. So, despite my muscles bitching at me to slow down or quit altogether, I pushed myself to run faster. Pushed my muscles to carry me further and for my legs to move at the same pace as his. Three miles felt like three hours. But once we hit the three-mile mark I glanced up at the clock that was hanging on the wall. Bracing myself on my knees, I forced my breathing to slow and to take deep breaths in my nose and out of my mouth. I had shaved a full minute off my best time.

"17 minutes for three miles? Not bad. Not my best, but not bad." Dimitri laced his fingers behind his head and took a few deep breaths himself.

"Not your best? Fuck you." I shook my head and laughed. Dimitri grabbed a towel off a shelf and handed it to me. I started dabbing my neck and chest as he grabbed a towel for himself and wiped his face.

"My best time, really pushing myself, I was maybe seventeen or eighteen, and I ran three miles in a little under fourteen minutes. That was many years ago though."

"I've never had that good of times." I grabbed a water bottle from the shelf that held other items such as bandages. Very few guardians used this gym, so I had taken it upon myself to leave a few of my things here and there for when I needed them.

"Maybe you just need to be pushed. I have no doubt that you're capable." Dimitri's breathing had returned to normal by now. He stood next to me now, arms crossed over his chest. There was a tiny outline of sweat starting to drip down from the collar of his shirt.

"Will you teach me some of the moves you used last time we sparred?" If he could teach me some of those skills, I would be deadly.

Dimitri rubbed his chin and let the idea run through his head for a moment.

"I mean, I'm good. I know I'm good now, but if I was able to do some of the things that you can do…I would be untouchable." I felt like I needed to defend myself.

"You don't have to! I just thought that while you were here, and while we have been in the gym together maybe you cou-"

"I would be honored to train with you." Dimitri smiled down at me. I smiled back at him and moved toward him. He dropped his hands from his chest and let them hang relaxed by his side.

"So-"

"Rose?" Mason came running up the steps as I put some distance between Dimitri and me.

"Yeah, Mason?" Mason turned the corner and walked into the track room. He was sweaty too, his red hair tussled from his workout.

"I just finished my set. Want to spar with me?" Mason walked up to Dimitri and me, making himself seem taller.

"Actually, I'm pretty tired. I think that I'm just going to go back to my room. I'm going to try and get a few hours of sleep before my next shift."

"Is Ivan coming to Lissa's tonight?" I asked Dimitri and I walked to gather my gym bag.

"I'm not sure." He walked behind me and grabbed his bag.

"Okay, well, if he does, I'll see you later. And if he doesn't it was nice seeing you again." I pulled a tight smile across my face and said my goodbyes to him and Mason.

Back in my room, the full fatigue of the day started to hit me. I threw my way out of my workout clothes and into one of my sleeping shirts. My eyelids were heavy and stayed half closed as I walked through my apartment and stumbled into my bed. Throwing the covers over my tired body I was consumes immediately by sleep.

Water was dripping from a leaking pipe somewhere in the corner. A small, smooth hole in the concrete filled with the drippings. Rust covered the pipes that ran along the entire length of the ceiling and the majority of the back wall. The room itself was almost completely bare. A set of old, wooden steps were off to the side of the room, a bare lightbulb hanging low in the middle of the room and a steel cage sat in the center. Directly in front of the cage was a solitaire wooden chair. In the chair sat a man with his back to me. A lit cigarette resting in his hand and his hand on a wooden cane, smoke arise in a steady flow. He had slender shoulders and the build of a. Moroi. That tall, unnaturally skinny silhouette was hidden well. I needed to see his face, but I couldn't move. I tried to move forward but it was like my feet were glued into the concrete floors. The smell of an old musty basement filled my nose as I tried to scan the room for clues. In the cage was a ball of black curled into a ball. I saw a short, silver chain linked to the floor of the cage and disappearing into the ball of black.

"You know what I want." The man with the cigarette spoke. His voice was low and scratchy. Small whimpers were coming from the cage. I could vaguely make out an outline in the cage. There was someone in there, chained like an animal.

"Please," the man ashed the cigarette, "Don't make me use force." The man leaned forward on his knees and whispered.

"Why do you continue to fight? Though I must admit the fire and strength that you have is admirable. But you must know that it is useless. No one knows where you are or if you're even alive…" the ball of black started moving, slowly. The sound of the chains racking across the floor of the cage bit into the air. A pale hand reached out in-between two bars of the cage. Fragile, bone thin fingers and a slim wrist shook in the air.

"That's my girl." I could hear the smile on the man's lips as he leaned forward more and grabbed the hand with such force, I thought that he would snap it off completely. I heard no bones breaking, but instead small whimpers as the person chanted in the cage.

"Now that's a good girl." The man was petting the top of the pale hand. He spoke softly to them as he continued. "It won't be long until your suffering is over. You'll serve a great purpose for my people. Just think of how your life will be able to help save thousands! There should be some glory in that. You should be proud of the part that you're going to play." There was silence that filled the room. But suddenly the sound of the chains moving again made my eyes go wide. Dirty fingernails, pale hands and fingers wrapped around one of the bars of the cage. Two bare knees came into view and the outline of a body.

A girl.

A blonde, debilitated, Moroi girl came into view. Her ratty, stringy hair was matted and hanging in her face. She was wearing some rag that use to be a dress. Dirty covered her skin and hate filled her voice.

"Our…people…" her voice cracked like she hadn't spoken in days.

"What did you say?" the man gripped her hand with prominent force. I heard the girl gulp down the fear that she had.

"Our people. Not your people, our people." The man dropped his cigarette and stomped it out with the toe of his leather dress shoe.

"You are nothing more than what's crushed beneath my foot."

"I'm the same as you…" the girl leaned forward but I still couldn't see her face.

"You might have been at one point in time. But now? You're nothing more than a necessary step. Now, get to it. I don't have all day." The playfulness that was once in his voice faded. There was nothing pleasant or playful in the venom that he spoke now. The girl regripped the man's hand and sucked in a deep breath. Then in one brilliant flash the room was filled with light and warmth. It was so powerful that it knocked me back a few steps until I stumbled into the wall behind me. I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the light that filled every corner of the room. But as fast as the flash of light and warmth filled the room it was gone.

The girl collapsed on the floor of her cage and laid there lifeless. The man cracked his neck and stood up. A knock from the door at the top of the stairs made me jerk my head towards that direction. I pressed my body as flatly as I could against the wall. Hoping that the darkness would conceal me.

"Enter." The man spoke now but his voice was different. Strong footsteps descended the stairs until two other men stood in the room with us.

"Give her a cup of blood, no more. Then when she has been fed make the necessary preparations." The man was unrolling his sleeves and buttoning them as he spoke. "We need to move, and I don't want any kinks as we do so. Remember what happened last time?" the man was quizzing his two henchmen. They nodded in agreement and remembrance.

"Good. She is to remain chained the entire time. It's a long flight and I don't want her dying on us like the others have." The man stood tall and alert. When he turned to walk up the steps something in the corner caught his eye and he stopped at the bottom step. Gripping onto the railing, his eyes bore into me. A sick, sinister smile crossed his lips as he licked them and looked at me.

I jerked out of my sleep with a gasp. I was panting and hair stuck to my forehead and chin. I rested my hand on my chest and tried to slow my breathing and calm myself down.

What the hell was that? I thought to myself. Adrian got into my head and was making me have nightmares. I rested my hand on my forehead and slowly laid back down. Looking over to the nightstand I saw that I had managed to get a few hours of sleep. Though after that dream I wasn't feeling well rested. I would need to be at Lissa's for my shift soon. Once I got my breathing back to normal, I pushed the covers off me and sat on the edge of the bed. The carpet was warm under my feet as I played with the fringe with my toes. It had to be Adrian messing with my head. He has dream walked into my mind before without showing himself and just controlling the dreams that I've had. That's what this had to of been. Like the time he made me dream about dumping mason because I was madly in love with him. Or the time when I dreamed about become a nudist. This had to be one of those times too. I looked around my room and saw the various clothes laying around the floor, the couch, and the dirty dishes that were scattered everywhere. I got up from the bed and grabbed the clothes hamper from the restroom and started picking up the clothes that needed washed. Throwing away the trash and putting the cups and plates into the small sink at the front of the apartment, after thirty minutes or so it started looking much cleaner. I would ask for a maid to come in and clean the carpets and the other areas that I didn't have time for right now. I could go to the communal laundry room for the queens' quarters now or wait until later. After looking and seeing that I had no clean clothes for tonight's shift I decided that I would need to go now.

Grabbing a shower, changing into what clean clothes I had left, and the laundry hamper I made my way downstairs and to the laundry room. I started a load of clothes and grabbed a chair while I waited. I pulled out my phone and texted Adrian.

R: Hey. I typed the message and set my phone on the table next to me. A few minutes later my phone rang with a text back.

A: Missing me already? Adrian responded.

R: Not after what you did last night.

A: No clue what you're talking about gorgeous. I rolled my eyes and typed my reply. I was surprised that he was already up.

R: Don't mess with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Are your dreams so sad that you must haunt mine.

A: If you're already dreaming about me Rose, then we might as well make it official and just elope together. Another eye roll followed as I typed back.

R: Knock it off. You know that that's not what I'm talking about.

A: What size ring do you wear? I'm going to guess a five.

R: Adrian.

A: Yes?

R: You dream walked into my dreams last night. Yes, or no?

A: No

I sat the hunk of metal down on the table and starred straight head. Watching the machine swirl around my clothes and water and soap suds locked me in a trance. I wasn't superstitious. I mean I lived in a world where magic was real, and some had to survive off blood and food. The boogie man was real, I killed them for a living. But conspiracy theories of people being held hostage and plots were not a part of that. As I watched the clothes go around and around in the washer, I thought about mine and Lissa's lives together. More specifically I thought about the day that Lissa was called to court by Queen Tatiana. It had started as any other day; we woke up in our dorm room but this morning there was knocking on the door and court guards outside. They told us that our presences had been requested at court, official wax sealed letter and everything. We packed enough clothes for a few days and boarded the plane that was waiting for us at the nearest airport. I think that if Lissa had known what the queen was wanting, she would have tried to run away. She would have picked the farthest corner of the world and set up a tent there. Lissa didn't take to queenship at first. She had actually told Tatiana no. But Tasha, Christian aunt ran into us while we were at court and talked to Lissa. I still don't know what she said to change her mind, but afterwards Lissa went back to Tatiana and told her that she accepted. She still had to go through the trails and the elections but having Queen Tatiana naming her the heir had done wonders for her support. As the washer slowed and the water drained, I felt like I was moving outside of my body. I knew that I was switching out the clothes, but I didn't feel the cold, damp clothes as I was doing it.

How did we end up here? I thought as I started the dryer and sat back down. We were supposed to have a carefree live. Lissa and I would have graduated and moved somewhere warm. The Royal Court was not in our views for our future. Once my clothes were dry, I scooped them up and made my way back to my apartment. The look in the man's eyes that I dreamed of kept creeping back into view. While I was making my way towards Lissa's apartment for my shift the words that Adrian and told me last night rang in my head.

I know the difference between a dream and a memory. This was a memory.

I wasn't sure whose memory I had seen, or what the hell I had witnessed. But it was not a dream. It had felt too real.

The next few days felt like they passed by in a blur. I feel into a routine with Dimitri and Ivan as they visited Lissa almost every night. Lissa still hadn't heard from Christian, and she was beginning to worry more than she already was. Lissa was trying her best to hold back from finding out where he was staying. I knew how hard it was on her being away from him like this. Her emotions were flooding into my mind on a constant loop. On the last night of my graveyard shift I laid on the couch listening to Lissa snore and the crushing silence of the room. With one arm thrown over my eyes and the other under my head I ran my mind back to a day before. Dimitri and I had started working out together. We met up after our shifts while the gym was still empty. He had taught me a few techniques that he had learned when he was in school and though my body bitched and moaned after every workout, I could feel myself getting quicker, stronger, more agile than before.

Dimitri didn't go easy on me either. Most of the times when we were alone, we were silent. That comforting silence fell between us and filled most of our time. There were small gestures that he done that made me wonder if he was flirting with me. Brushing my hand when handing me things, his eyes lingering longer than they should, I would catch him watching me sometimes out of the corner of my eye. As I counted down the minutes to my shifts end, I realized that I was more excited to see Dimitri than I was to get off work. I wanted to see him so bad. But then a soul crushing reality sat in. I sat up on the couch and gripped the edge of the cushions.

Dimitri would more than likely be leaving with Ivan whenever whatever they were doing was done here. Dimitri wouldn't leave Ivan in the exact same sense that I wouldn't leave Lissa. All we would ever have would be these fleeting moments and these flirting encounters. Nothing more would be able to develop. I don't know what hurt me more. The fact that whatever I felt for Dimitri wanted to pursue him anyway even though we would always be worlds apart or that the thought of not seeing him every day left an aching hole in my chest.