Hi guys! Thanks for reading, it really means a lot to me!
This is the longest chapter I've uploaded by far, I hope you like it! (Continuing where we left off...)

The Caves II

Sophia's P.O.V.

Sophia's Senior Year - December

Blood spilled out of my mouth. I wiped it off with the back of my sleeve. I allowed saliva to pool in my mouth and spat out a lighter shade of red. That was disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I glared at the Strigoi laughing in my face.

"That was excellent. Shall we try again?" His red-ringed eyes looked on in evil amusement.

"Get fucked." I spat more blood out.

Outrage filled his face and he backhanded me. My back collided with the wall with a loud thud, creating a dent in the plaster. "You offering to do the honour, babes?" He swung in and put his disgusting face right up to mine. "Drink." His fangs bit into his wrist and he shoved it in my mouth, forcing his Strigoi blood into my veins. He was wasting his time. No matter which way he tried—there was no way I could be turned.

"Would you leave her alone?" A voice roared from the other end of the room. Thankfully, he was ignored. He was always ignored and it pained him. I was the target, intended to be hurt. He was to watch me being tortured, unable to do anything about it and that hurt him.

The Strigoi removed his wrist from my mouth and blood dribbled down my chin immediately. I cleaned it off with my sleeve again and spat it out. Traditionally, this way wouldn't work. I had to be dead and fed Strigoi blood in order to be turned. Neither way would work, the natural spirit in my blood made it revolting for Strigoi. He was just going to have to kill me.

"Son of a bitch!" he growled in my face. He untied my hands and threw me across the floor. He held me down and willed me to look into his eyes. Compulsion, he was going to use compulsion on me and I was too weak to refuse it. Strigoi compulsion was ten times stronger than Aunt Lissa's.

"You will believe you're in the most excruciating pain of your life. You will scream and cry at the amount of pain you're in. And this will hurt." I believed in every single declaration. He ripped my sleeve off and all of a sudden, I was in pain. Horrible, burning pain like never before.

Writhing all over the floor, I screamed loud and high. With the point of a knife, he pierced my skin. I had no idea what was going on but I knew he was drawing blood and it felt like fire ripping through my right arm.

"Leave her alone!" Damon bellowed from his corner where he was tied up. It was useless. Strigoi listened to nobody, but Damon—ever the defensive guardian—would do anything in his power to save me.

I screamed again, hot tears flashing in my eyes. I felt like ripping off the skin on my wrist but I couldn't move obviously.

Within a few more seconds, the worst of the pain was over and the Strigoi hurled himself off me. "In case you forgot, you were made because of us. Strigoi whore." He left the room, slamming the door shut, it shook the walls and white cloudy dust fell from the ceiling.

I was still in so much pain, I hardly moved except to crane my head to the side and see what happened to my forearm. The hot tears blurring my vision escaped my eyes and dropped down my cheeks, onto the floor. I had no energy left in me to cringe at my arm. Blood dripped down, tickling my skin. The words 'Strigoi-born whore' in capitals was written with my own blood across my arm. And it stung.

"Soph," murmured Damon.

I couldn't respond. There was no breath in me.

"We're getting out of here. Now."

"How? We have no weapons!"

"We fight them. If my calculations are correct, it's daylight. Open blinds, push them outdoors—whatever we can so that they burn in the sunlight. It's our only chance." His blue eyes regarded me levelly. "We can do this."

The door burst open and the Strigoi who'd been tormenting us the past couple of weeks strolled in. He usually had some witty line or snark to greet us but I didn't allow room for that.

His dirty fingers gripped my chin and tilted my head upwards in at him. "Sophia."

A quick glance out the corner of my eye to Damon gave me all the confirmation I needed. I banged my forehead against the Strigoi which barely knocked him off me. It probably did me more damage but I had Damon ready to back me up. With strength I didn't know he possessed, he stood up with the chair attached to his body and smashed it in the back of the Strigoi. Half the chair disembarked against the Strigoi's tall frame. Using the ropes around my wrists, I wrapped my wrists and the rope around the Strigoi's neck and twisted the way Damon showed me. It annihilated him for a second. Between Damon and I we landed a few blows. Being the big bad buff guy, Damon tore the door off its hinges in one go. I fought to keep the Strigoi down while Damon used the corner of the door and stabbed him in the heart. It wouldn't kill him but it would keep him down for the moment. If the situation wasn't dire, it was honestly comical seeing an entire door planted in a Strigoi's heart. But what else could we do? We had no other options.

"Let's go." Damon grabbed my hand and we ran the hell out of there. Unfortunately, we ran into three Strigoi situated in the living room. The curtains were drawn which was a good sign. That meant Damon was right—it was daylight outside. All we needed was one of them open. The odds were shocking. Three—soon to be four—Strigoi versus two dhampirs with no weapons. Running was our best option but not without some fight.

I punched the closest Strigoi and kicked him. I was fighting one, dodging her from getting her hands around my neck while Damon took on the other two. I kept trying to move our fight to the nearest window which she quickly caught on to. I needed to make this next segment quick so I grabbed a fistful of her head and smashed it against the window through the curtain. With a swift flick of the ankle, I kicked the blinds up and blinding sunlight streamed through the room. The first I'd seen in two whole weeks. I squinted at the brightness but kept fighting. The female I'd been fighting was now in direct light, skin burning and searing red. Her screams chilled my spine but I didn't care. Fuck her.

I moved on to helping Damon and tried to get the Strigoi in the sunlight. One of them managed to grab a hold of my hair and tossed me across the room, pulling out a chunk of hair. I didn't think it'd do much since I had lots of it. The only thing was it hurt like a bitch. As did the rest of my limbs. He smashed me against a console table and I fell through the glass and ornaments.

"Stupid slut!" I growled. Shards of glass cut my skin but I could worry about that later. In tossing me across the room, we'd earned weapons. Kind of. I snatched up two of the largest pieces of glass, I cut off two pieces of my top and wrapped the glass shards in it. I lunged for the Strigoi who threw me and fought to pierce his heart with the glass.

"Damon!" I yelled, trying to grab his attention to pass him a weapon. It wasn't exactly something I could throw at him. Between the two of us and the two—no, three Strigoi (the idiot got the door out of his chest and joined us)—we grappled and fought. Fists and kicks were flying. My body was hurtled against the wall once again, this time my head hit the corner of a wall.

"Ow!" Black stars danced across my vision. I wasn't able to get up quick enough for the Strigoi coming for me. The best I managed was rolling away from the wall as he collided with it in trying to lunge for me. I gained the upper hand and raked my glass weapon across any body part I could. He hissed but I doubted it caused much pain in comparison to a stake. I held him down and with him expertly blocking his heart, the next best thing I could go for was the neck. I plunged the glass into his neck. His eyes went wide accompanied with a gasp. I pulled it out and used the opening to stab him in the heart. Like the doorframe, it didn't do much but it would hold for a few seconds.

Hurriedly, I ran to Damon and passed him the other glass weapon. As I took on another Strigoi, it left Damon with one left to fight. As I did with the first female, I tried to move this one into the sunlight or the nearest window to raise a blind.

Behind me, a Strigoi snarled in pain. A momentary glance told me that Damon had pushed his Strigoi in the sunlight and he was sizzling alongside the female.

Next, he took on the one with a pierced heart full of glass. He was easy to manoeuvre into the sunlight and with that the third Strigoi was down.

Damon hurled the Strigoi I was fighting off me and together we fought and finally shoved him into the sunlight with the rest of his gang.

Breathless, I wiped sweat off my brow.

"Look at that. Took down four Strigoi, no weapon needed," Damon commented with a twinge of pride in his voice. "That's next level shit, Soph. You're not even eighteen."

"I had help." I passed him a warm look. "And a great mentor." I begun to frown. "What are you doing?" Damon was rummaging around in the kitchen, flinging open drawers and cupboards.

"Ah-ha!" He shook a small box of matches. He continued peering around the kitchen. "Surprisingly, they have oil."

I rose an eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing?"

Damon opened the bottle of oil and began marinating the Strigoi bodies in it. They were still mildly alive but we needed more. Unfortunately, this was it.

Damon moved to my side and together we located the closest exit.

"The minute I throw this match on their bodies, we run."

He swiped the red tip of the wood pick against the packet. A small flame ignited and burned. Damon threw the match onto one of the Strigoi bodies. It caught fire immediately and soon, it'd spread and spread.

"Let's go." Damon caught my hand again and without being told twice, I ran. We ran fast and hard out of there and kept running.

Nothing was around us except sunlight, snow and bare trees. We moved across the snow as fast we could. We didn't have to worry about Strigoi but we did have to worry about humans helping Strigoi. That was how we lost our stakes in the first place.

After a few minutes of us running, a loud bang consisting of shattered glass and thick flames erupting sounded. As one, we turned. The entire house we escaped was coated in bright orange flames and grey cloudy smoke.

"Let's go," Damon repeated, jerking my attention to him. We had a long road ahead of us. We were in the middle of nowhere. Not only that, we didn't know which middle of nowhere. For all we knew, we could be in Canada.

"Here, take this." Damon stripped off his black jacket.

It'd been an hour since we ran from the house. The adrenaline pumped in our veins had since finished. I—we—could really feel the cold now. Our outfits were ridiculous. Jeans, tops, jackets. No winter gear, no gloves or scarves. To say we were freezing was an understatement. I wouldn't be surprised if frostbite got my nipples.

I pushed his hand away, teeth chattering. "No. You'll be extra cold."

He cast me a look. "It doesn't matter. You're inconspicuous. If we run into someone or if a car drives by, you dressed like that raises too many questions."

I glanced down at my attire. He was right. My denim jacket was smeared with Strigoi blood on the sleeve and my black top was ratchet. I'd cut it with the glass thus utterly destroying the hem. Half of my right sleeve was ripped where the Strigoi labelled me.

"Quickly. Put it on. A car is coming." He draped the black jacket over my shoulders and I stuffed my arms into the sleeves and zipped it up. The jacket was huge on me. It was so baggy and hung mid-thigh. But it was warm. So freaking warm. I gave Damon a sheepish expression. All he was wearing was a black long sleeve and jeans. His face sported a couple of light red and purplish splotches from the fight.

Headlights shone over us as the car drew closer. The driver must've seen us on the side of the road because it begun to slow down. I assessed the car. We had to be careful it wasn't humans tracking us to kill us or worse—capture us to more Strigoi.

It was a red Mazda CX-7. A family car. Nonetheless, Damon took up a protective stance and positioned himself in front of me.

The driver rolled down the window and stuck his head out. He was a bald dark-skinned guy with a trimmed beard who appeared to be in his forties. A black woman with dark brown luscious curls sat in the passenger seat and she seemed to be about the same age. In the back were two children—presumably the man and woman's kids. One was young enough to still be strapped into a baby seat and was sucking on a bright yellow toy. The other was a little older, maybe six or seven.

"You guys okay? It's freezing out here!" The man called from the window.

"Actually, no. We had a car accident," explaining away our ragged state. "Could we trouble you for a ride?" asked Damon. We knew it was dangerous to hitchhike but these guys seemed legit and between Damon and I we could take them if they really were dangerous. Something told me we could trust them. Maybe it was the innocence of the kids, I don't know. We were desperate. Had no idea where we were and needed to get to civilisation. We could be out here for weeks for all we knew.

"Most certainly. We're heading into town, anyway." The man stepped out of his vehicle and approached Damon. He wasn't as tall but the guy was definitely six foot. "You don't mind if I pat you down first? I have two kids in the back."

"Go ahead," said Damon. He took a step away from me and held his arms out. I copied him and let the man pat us down. Satisfied we had no weapons on us, he introduced himself as Terrell. His very pretty wife was Shontelle but he didn't introduce his kids. Probably for safety.

"I only have one spare seat so you're going to have to squish," Terrell told us as he climbed in.

"Not an issue," said Damon.

He climbed in first. His large form had the six year old regard him in awe.

"Daddy? Who are these people?" The little girl asked.

"I'm Damon."

I smiled at the girl gently. "And I'm Sophia."

Damon looped an arm around me and half-lifted me into the car. Without any warning, he settled myself on his lap and strapped us in. My face flushed and my eyes went wide with shock. Clearly, Damon thought this would be a better idea than us squashing the poor kids in the backseat.

Shontelle turned around from her seat and frowned. "Are you comfortable like that? I can have my daughter sit with me in the front."

Damon snaked an arm around me, cradling my sore right forearm. "No need. You guys are already putting yourselves out offering to take us." He moved his lips to just above my ear. "I hope you're okay with this." He said it low enough that only I could hear. The humans wouldn't be able to pick up anything he said with their hearing.

"It's fine," I murmured lowly.

And it really was.

Terrell turned the heat higher up for us and drove into town. I tried to focus on something—anything—else. The snow, the dark green pine trees, the heat of the car, the generosity of this family, how cold my toes were. Honestly, anything. But it was hard to pay attention to anything when Damon's body was so distracting and the fact that I was sitting in my mentor's freaking lap. He was a wall of hard, taut muscle which I could feel up and down my back. Throughout the car ride, I felt the child's eyes on me every now and again. Once or twice I peeked in her direction. She blinked at us in amazement but was kind of quiet. Well, until she tapped on Damon's arm.

He looked down at her with a tender smile. "Yes, sweetheart?"

The little girl suddenly appeared a little shy but didn't back down. She whispered, "Is she your girlfriend?"

I couldn't stop the bubble of laughter escape my throat. She was so cute. Damon had a similar reaction.

"No." He gently patted my hand. "We're just good friends."

The little girl beckoned Damon to bend down like she wanted to tell him a secret. She whispered very softly in his ear. She was a good whisperer but with our dhampir hearing, I was able to pick up what she said. "She's really pretty."

I hid a smile.

Damon whispered something back in the little girl's ear, devilish smile on his face knowing full well I could hear everything. "I know. I think she's beautiful too."

He leaned back and passed me a grin. I elbowed him for his cheekiness. A part of me knew that he was being his usual joking self as a deterrent to not think about what happened to us mere hours ago. For himself and me.

The ride into town took about half an hour. Thank God these guys drove by when they did. It would've taken us hours to reach civilisation on foot. They dropped us off at the town square. It consisted of everything one might expect: grocery store, ATM, a diner, a clothes stores. Shontelle and Terrell insisted on us taking a jacket each—they had spare ones. Those two were so kind, I could've kissed them.

After they were satisfied we were warm enough, Damon headed to the ATM first. Whatever we had to do next involved money, which we had none of. Damon's account however had the option for cardless cash. We still didn't know where we were until we reached the ATM and it said the towns name. We ended up in Great Falls. Not too far from the Academy, only a couple hours. That wasn't terrible actually.

Once we had the cash, we grabbed some hot food from the diner and made a quick stop to the grocery and clothes store for some essentials. We checked in to the closest bed and breakfast to shower, change and rest. The room also had a telephone we could use to call my parents or Stan from the Academy.

It wasn't until after Damon had assessed my body for injuries and carefully wrapped my forearm and wrists in bandages that the weight of what we went through began to hit me. Everything up until this point was about survival. We still had to be on our guard in the room but everything had been taken care of. We'd eaten, we'd changed into fresh clothes, we cleaned up. We could return to normal life now.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the phone and dialled a number I memorised since I was a child. It rang a few times before a familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

"Mama," I croaked.

"Oh my gosh," she cried on the other end and I could practically see the tears falling in my mind's eye. "Oh my baby, is that you?"

Another voice joined the call. "Milana?" My father. "Are you okay?" He sounded so strained and worried. Someone—I think my mother—sniffled in the background.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm all right. I need you to come and get us," I told them as strongly as I could, willing my voice not to break.

"Us? Where are you? Who are you with?" my father asked urgently.

"I'm with Damon in Great Falls."

Both of them swore in Russian, using completely different expressions. "We're leaving right away. Where exactly are you?" My mother asked. I gave them the name of the bed and breakfast.

"We're at the academy. We'll be there in a few hours," my father said.

It was about a three hour drive from St. Vladimir's to Great Falls so Damon insisted we both get some rest. There was one bed. Neither of us minded sharing the space so I snuggled under the blankets and closed my eyes. It was difficult to fall asleep. First of all, it was daylight out and even though the room had blackout curtains, the lightness of the day peeked around the edges. Second of all, every time I shut my eyes I saw the Strigoi. All four of them but mainly the leader who found torturing me his favourite pastime.

"Soph, you're shaking the entire bed," Damon said after a few minutes.

"Sorry," I replied through chattering teeth. "I'm still cold."

"It's boiling, woman." Was it? The radiator was on but it wasn't doing much for me. I thought it simply didn't work or at best, was weak. "You're probably in shock."

I pondered this. Well. Everything was crashing down on me and reality was sinking in.

"Come on," he slid an arm around my shoulder and rolled me over so that I faced him. "Warm up." His hand around my shoulder pulled me a little closer to him and tugged the sheets higher so that it covered my ears and hair. He left a small gap for me to breathe comfortably. His other hand wrapped around my waist and settled on my back. His hand was hot and instantly spread warmth down my spine.

"Mm. How are you so hot?" Without realising, I'd snuggled closer to him to draw more of his heat into me.

He smirked. "My dad had sex with my mom and here I am."

I shoved him for the smart-ass comment. He laughed deeply. A true, rich smile shone on his face. The most expressive I've seen him since we left the Academy wards.

His arm tightened around my back and he drew his body closer. My palms had a mind of their own and slid up his chest, splaying my fingers up to his collarbone. I settled my face against his chest, resting my nose in the nook of his neck and collarbone. I closed my eyes enjoying the hard muscles of his chest. "Gosh, you're like my own personal heater." With any other guy, I wouldn't've dared to do this or would even feel comfortable.

Damon, on the other hand, always gave me a sense of security. Always there when I need him. Always the guy I could turn to. A true friend. I suppose a regular mentor and student relationship would not entail cuddling in a bed and breakfast but Damon and I were more than just a student and teacher. We'd been friends first and from the beginning he was always protecting me. This situation was no different. Ever the gentleman—kind, caring, chivalrous, taking care of me. Always, actually. That's when it hit me.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

His face didn't change for the most part, except for his eyes. They grew a smidge of sad. He took a while to respond. When he did, he cleared his throat first. "I will be. Seeing what you went through…" He sighed and leaned his head back on his pillow. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything, Soph."

I shot upright. "Don't apologise for that. There was nothing either of us could do."

He shook his head ruefully. "I should've thought of our escape plan earlier—"

I cut him off gently. "We're out now. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be alive right now."

He resigned. "I'm so mad at them for hurting you. If there was more that I could do than just kill them, I'd do it."

"You did. You barbecued them."

He chortled. "It was the least I could do."

That hand on my back tightened, pulling us closer and closer. Almost every inch of my limb was brushed up against his. "Sleep," he ordered. I readjusted my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. My hands were still on his chest. His arms stayed around my body, locking me in place. With a start, I noticed my shaking stopped along the way and I was growing warmer and fuzzier. A small nap quickly overtook me and it felt like I had rested for about five minutes when the room's phone began ringing.

Rose's P.O.V.

"This is it." I looked out the window, the cream sign with purple writing on it read 'Annie's BnB'. Dimitri parked the car in the lot and I had to stop myself from rushing inside like a lunatic. We had to stay calm and collected in order not to raise any eyebrows.

There was a young woman probably in her early twenties sitting behind the warm wood reception desk. She greeted us with a cheery hello and smile.

"Hi, I'm here to see someone who just checked in here today. Her name's Sophia, and she was with a guy—"

The girl half-grinned and politely interrupted. "Was she with a very tall guy—almost about his height," she nodded to Dimitri, "with dark hair and stunning eyes?"

I bit back a laugh. "Sounds about right."

"Yep. I know the two. Cute couple. Are they expecting you?" she asked.

"Yes," I confirmed, trying to smoothly sidestep my surprise over her thinking my daughter and her mentor were a couple.

"I'll ring up to their room. Just one moment…" She reached for a black phone and punched in a number.

"Hello Mr. Petrov? I have two people here saying they're here to meet with you?" She paused, listening to Damon's response. She glanced in our direction. "What were your names?"

"Rose and Dimitri," I told her. She repeated our names into the phone.

"No problem. Thank you." She hung up. "They'll be down in a moment. Feel free to grab a seat." She gestured to two dark emerald plush armchairs with a small round table in between them. She gave me a once-over and said, "I see the resemblance now. Are you her sister?"

This time, I did laugh. "No, I'm her mother."

The girl blanched. "You guys must've had her young."

Dimitri smiled fondly at me. "Yes, we did."

"I did, comrade," I corrected. "You were thirty. Practically ancient." That earned me a quirk of his lips and the receptionist giggled.

We took the seats the girl motioned to so that we appeared normal and not on edge over seeing my daughter who'd been missing for two weeks straight.

The receptionist piled into a door behind her with a binder and some papers—probably to do some filing and paperwork. Ugh. I loathed even the thought of it.

Voices bounced down the hollow staircase adjacent to the reception desk. A sweet, subtle voice that I dreamt of hearing in my sleep, praying she was still alive and would come home. Her foot touched the bottom of the stairs. Dimitri and I stood up together. She was wearing fitted jeans, black shoes and a lavender-ivory coloured parka with fake fur trimming around the hood and she looked…fine. Hair was clean and dry, no blood or cuts…anywhere.

"Milana…" breathed Dimitri. As one, we met her halfway and crushed her into a big bear hug.

"Ow," she said.

"Sorry." I loosened my hold on her. She was probably bruised up and extremely sore. I cupped her face in my palms, tears welling up. I squeezed her—lightly—again, holding her close in my arms.

"No crying, Mama," she murmured. "I'm fine."

She let go of me and gave her father a hug. Meanwhile, I wiped my tears and gave Damon a hug. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

"Never better," he mused.

"Come," I clasped my daughter's hand, "let's go."

Damon and Dimitri quickly greeted each other with that bro-handshake-slap-on-the-back thing that guys tend to do.

Damon checked him and Sophia out and we piled into the car, those two in the back, Dimitri and I in the front. As usual, Dimitri was the driver.

"So, tell us what happened," I said once we pulled out of Annie's parking lot.

"When we get back, Mama. I don't want to repeat the same story twice," she replied.

I thought about this then agreed. If she wasn't ready to talk yet, I wouldn't push her.

Sophia's P.O.V.

I fell asleep in the car and let me tell you it was not comfortable. Add a sore neck to the growing list of injuries I currently obtain. When we arrived at the Academy, the school day had merely begun. We were ushered into Kirova's office to file an official report about the events that occurred. As Captain of the guardians, Stan was present of course. All I wanted to do was sleep but the guardians needed information about what happened. This was what being a guardian entailed so I sucked it up. Mom, however, insisted I sleep first and regroup later but I argued that I just wanted to get it over and done with.

Just as business concluded, the door clicked open and Kirova's assistant let in two familiar faces. I wanted to beam and run into their death grips but I lacked the energy. I settled for turning in my chair and half-smiling at them.

Nadya was in no mood for squishy cuddles judging from the look on her face. She gestured wildly at me. "Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. You've been kidnapped for two freaking weeks and you look like you stepped out of a magazine," she snapped. "Look at you! Not a hair out of place or a single scratch!"

Damon squeezed his eyes shut and muttered under his breath, "She's got plenty of those." I nearly hit him for slipping up. We agreed we wouldn't tell them all the torture I endured, only what was necessary. A large portion we glossed over, including the bit about them cutting 'Strigoi-born' into my skin. I didn't think my father would be too pleased to hear about that. Besides, I didn't want to bring up bad shit.

"Where?" Nadya reached for me. She wasn't being malicious with her actions. It was just her odd way of showing she cared. "If you guys haven't already, I'll kill whoever hurt you."

A burly, built figure stepped into my vision, blocking my view of my sister lunging for me. "She doesn't want you—any of you—to see," he said coolly and steadily.

"To hell with that. I'm her sister!"

"Nads. I know you care and want to look after her but this time I need you to let it go." His voice was so smooth he could've been using compulsion. I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing forming tears.

Nadya sighed. "Can I at least hug her?"

"Be gentle. You're like a dog with a bone sometimes." Damon stepped out of the way and a pair of arms snaked around me, crushing me into a hug. Another set of arms came around the two of us.

"We're glad you're back home safe," Sacha whispered.

"I missed you both," I said kissing Nadya's head. I rubbed a palm up and down Sacha's back. As one, we released our hug. "I know you want to talk, but later. I need to rest."

We were done with our meeting, my parents and school officials knew the details and would keep it to themselves. I knew Nadya and Sacha wouldn't let up until they found out something which is why I promised a chat after I sleep.

"All right. You want me to stay with you?" Nadya asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. I'll see you at dinner."

"We'll walk you up," Sacha offered not giving me a chance to say no. Kirova excused them from the next class and we departed her office. Mom and Dad were going to sleep in their guest room too. They'd been up practically all night, as was Damon. I slouched all the way up to my dorm. My ribs were killing me.

"Cute jacket. Where'd you get it from?" Nadya asked, linking our arms together.

"A family picked us up on the side of the road after we escaped the Strigoi. The woman—the mother—gave me a jacket since we hadn't any."

Nadya grunted in surprise. "That was nice of her."

When we reached my dorm, my siblings didn't hang around much. They wanted to but I practically kicked them out and changed once they left. I hadn't really looked at my body properly, just a glimpse after the shower I took at the bed and breakfast. Peeling off the clothes and depositing them in a corner, I caught sight of the dark bruises scattered over my ribs and back. They hurt to touch so I took care sliding on pyjamas and a hoodie. Damon did a good job wrapping bandages over my cut arms so I didn't have to force my eyes away from staring at it. I fluffed my pillows, turned the heat up and settled in my bed. I half-expected it'd take me ages to sleep but it didn't. I was so exhausted sleep reigned me in for a good thirteen hours.

When I rose, it was daylight again. I completely missed dinner. Thankfully, no one interrupted my sleep, they allowed me to rest. Stumbling and squinting around the room, a present sat atop my dresser. There were two sandwiches wrapped up, a banana, a packet of cheese and crackers, a bar of chocolate, a small packet of potato chips, a small bottle of orange juice, a box of painkillers, some bandages and a large bottle of water neatly arranged on a tray. There was a note that read 'Eat. Hydrate. And rest some more. Love Mom, Dad, Nadya and Sacha xoxoxo.'

I brushed my hands over the tray, smiling.

I was dying to pee, so I used the bathroom first, washed my face and cleaned my teeth. I returned to my room and ripped into the sandwich. I was famished and parched. Downing the banana, cheese and crackers and orange juice next, I felt fuller and much better. I kept the rest of the snacks for later. Still tired and sore, I downed a couple of painkillers and kept the bottle of water beside my bed. Snuggling back into the sheets, I intended to close my eyes and simply lie there. In the end, sleep won out. When I awoke, it was sunset—the start of our vampiric day. Back on regular schedule, I washed up and changed into a simple outfit. Black loose training pants, a dark grey long-sleeve, a black thick hoodie and a jacket. I slipped on my training shoes and brushed my hair. I applied moisturiser to my face, neck and hands. I flung a grey-checkered scarf around my neck and left for breakfast.

Since the moment I left my dorm, everybody I ran into stared and whispered. I put my walls up, blocking them out. They were just in shock at seeing me, I told myself. Everyone knew what'd happen. It was no secret I was gone for two weeks.

I served up my breakfast tray with eggs on toast, cereal, fruits and a green juice. My body needed the nutrients more than ever and this morning I felt significantly better than last night. Still felt like crap overall and that wasn't going away anytime soon. I sat alone at a table in the cafeteria and ate. Mind you, it wasn't peaceful, not with everybody doing double-takes every two seconds.

"Do you guys have nothing better to do? Why don't you stuff your faces and shut up," a loud voice snapped to half the cafeteria.

Ever my loyal defender, my sister joined me with her breakfast. "I'll punch anyone who says a word to you."

"There's no need yet."

I munched on my cereal and nearly choked as a pair of ice cold hands wrapped around me from behind. "Thank God you're back!"

I wrapped my hands around his forearms and leaned into his touch. He kissed me on my head and jumped into the seat next to me. "How are you really? I've heard some crazy shit."

I rested my spoon in my cereal bowl and swallowed. "I'm okay, Chaddy. And nothing crazy…just the usual…getting kidnapped by Strigoi."

He shuddered and rested a hand over mine. "Hey, we're here for you, okay? All of us." He squeezed my hand.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, ice chilled my neck and spine. No, not actual ice, just cold freaking hands. "MJ!" I shrilled, jumping up. These two scoundrels and their blue hands.

He laughed. "Good to see you're alive, Soph. You scared us half to death." He squeezed my shoulder and sat in the spot opposite me.

"You can relax now. I'm alive and well," I said.

"Are you? Well, I mean?" MJ asked.

I glanced around the cafeteria. "I am okay…Wish everybody would stop staring at me like I'm a circus freak."

Chad and MJ passed pissed-off glares to anyone who looked in our direction. Nadya told multiple onlookers to quietly fuck off for the rest of the day. And I tried to carry on with the school day like a regular person.