HEY GUYS!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while but it's because I only got like 2 reviews for the last chapter and so I wasn't exactly very motivated to do more. So, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!, it means sooooo much to me!

Issie (: x

I woke up and just lay there, luxuriating in the feel of the hotel sheets around me.

Wait a second…

Hotel?

Everything came flashing back suddenly, I remembered the strigoi fight and then both Laura and I collapsing onto the bed.

Oh my god…

Laura!

I could not hear her heavy breathing next to me and I instantly shot up from the bed. I looked around frantically, my heartbeat rising with every millisecond, until I saw a light peeking from under the closed door of the bathroom. I sighed in relief, she was just taking a shower.

I just sat there collecting my thoughts, my whole body was aching, especially my ankle from where the strigoi had grabbed me. I checked the digital clock next to my bed and saw that it was around 1.30 in the afternoon. Jeez! I must have been tired; I was going to have to floor it if I wanted to make it to Vegas today!

I heard Laura turn off the shower and so I waited at the door to come out. She only took another minute or so but I found myself getting angry that she was not hurrying up. I banged on the door and she came out and gave me a smile, I slipped past her without a word and got in the shower.

I turned up the heat and just stood there for a minute, letting the water smooth out my tense muscles and for a minute, it seemed like my life wasn't so messed up. I wasn't on the run, Mason hadn't died, Dimitri hadn't been turned strigoi and then rejected me and Titania hadn't been murdered. I imagined that I was back at Saint Vladimir's with Lissa. Before everything got complicated, just after we had been brought back from 'vacation.' Back then, my biggest worries were whether I could catch up to everyone or fighting my lust for Dimitri.

I could not help but laugh aloud as I turned off the shower and slowly came back to reality. How much worse can it get if that is my 'simple' and this is my 'complicated?'

I was in a much better mood now and my earlier anger at Laura seemed weird and random. Oh well, I had much bigger things to worry about. I got dressed in the bathroom and came out to see that Laura was waiting for me on the bed; our stuff (or what little stuff we had) was packed and ready to go

"I figured you would want to leave immediately"

"Yeah, thanks." I mumbled, "Are… are you okay? I mean… last night was pretty full on."

"Yeah… I'm a bit shaken but I think I can go on." She smiled at me.

"Cool, because we have a lot of ground to cover and not very much time to do it. I am not going to turn up to some stingy motel in the middle of nowhere again because we didn't make it!" I smiled at her, she turned and headed to the car to get ready, and I went to the office to hand back the room key.

"Thanks." I told the old, balding man sitting at the front desk.

"No problem. Uh, did you hear anything last night. I'm sure it was just a group of teenagers, we think they lit a bonfire because there is a big pile of ashes out the side."

"Oh? Ummm no, I did not hear anything. You most likely imagined it." I said.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

I turned around and left with a mischievous smile on my face. Humans will believe anything to escape from the truth and stay concealed in their perfect worlds. As much as they want to believe in the supernatural, I could walk up to one of them and say 'Hi, I'm a half vampire and this is my best friend Lissa, she's a full vampire!" and they would just laugh and walk off.

We got on the road and there wasn't much talking, neither of us wanted to think too much about last night. I didn't because of my lapse in concentration which caused Laura's capture, and Laura didn't because it was her first strigoi encounter. So we just sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the radio and occasionally singing along to the songs we both knew.

We saw the lights before we saw any buildings. It was definitely true that you could see this place from space. It was truly spectacular! I sucked a sharp, shocked breathe in when we finally got to the city. I had forgotten how big this place was… this could take a while!

PLEASE REVIEW! It will be greatly appreciated. Also, fear not. The exciting bit gets closer with each chapter!