Hiya guys! Yes I'm still alive, I know it's been a long time since I updated, but life is manic as usual. So anyway in this chapter although it's short (One of my shortest chapters) a lot goes down, and I hope it answers a few questions. If things get too confusing feel free to message me and I'll try an help you out.

Thank you so much for your reviews so far, they keep me going :) x

#The familiar sound of the heavy metal door creaked open to reveal a butch guardian, holding a silver tray with what I believe is two slices of bread and a glass of water on it. "Great! Looks like it's lunch time in the palace, what gourmet delights have I got then?" I then take a peek "yum, stale bread and a glass of water, you sure know how to treat a girl" I wink at the guardian, trying to coach him into talking.

His face is indifferent.

"So what's your name then?" I ask, trying a different approach to get him to talk. Nope nothing. "So Queen bitch has got you running around like her little lap dog has she? She'll soon tire of you- Then where will you be? Probably in the same position as m-"

"It's no use he won't talk to you, he values his family too much, don't you Stanley?" The voice says sweetly coming from the open door, and guess who appears? None other than Avery Lazar.

What on earth?! Things are getting crazier by the second!

But I don't get the reaction I was expecting. As soon as she walked through the cranky metal door she gasped, and stood staring wide eyed at me, not moving from her spot- And strangely appears as if she's studying me.

"So glad to see you again Avery" I say sarcastically "I would say I'm surprised to see you but I'm not. Things are getting crazier by the second. What do I owe this delightful visit?"

She then seems to come out of her trance like state and sneers at me. "Hello Rosemarie, looking well I see. I've come to extract some information from you, now we can do this the easy way or the hard way" She says coldly, but before I can respond she turns to the guardian she referred to as Stanley and said "Please send for Tatianna as soon as possible, there has been a complication" Guardian Stanley nods his head towards her and leaves the room.

Wait, what complication? So it appears that Stanley is being threatened into going along with this crazy plan, so maybe I can try and get him alone then get him to help me? And what the hell is up with Avery reaction when she walked into the room? This is just too strange.

"So Rose, what was your exact nature of your relationship with Guardian Belikov?" She ask seriously. "Are you kidding me? You come in here and act all weird and threatening me and that's all you want to know? Why Don't you just ask Dimitri?"

"That's none of your business, if you want answers from me first I need answers first" I said.

She bursts out laughing! "You really think you could bargain with me? You're in no position to" she said, gesturing to the cuffs around my ankles. "I'm sure you guessed that they're infused with Spirit, all thanks to my handy work" she paused "I am so much stronger than before Rose, magic like that in the cuffs barely made me sweat. I am powerful beyond your imagination" she stops. "You know you've made this all too easy for me, soon everyone will forget about you and you'll be a distant memory. Dimitri will have Tasha, Lissa will have Christian and Adrian... well he'll have the booze. You see, life is a lot better for them without Rose Hathaway"

Right, I wonder if she's lost it again. "How did you get out the loony house anyway? I thought you were locked up for good". "Oh Rose, I thought you would have caught up by now, dear old Tatianna and I need each other, I want revenge and Tatianna needs you out of the picture" "why though?" I thought. "Before you ask, the ankle cuffs are infused with a lot of my magic, to make sure your presence goes unnoticed. You see because you and Adrian also have a linked spiritual bond- of course nowhere near as powerful as yours and Lissa's, however still enough for him to notice you and be drawn into a spirit dream. No one comes away from Spirit unscathed, we are all servants to Spirit, we follow it's biddings and you, YOU! Rose Hathaway it want you! "She starts cackling, you're doomed, I'm doomed, we're all do-".

"Enough! Enough of all the nonsense talk Avery, we don't want to hear your spirit mumbo jumbo" Tatianna makes her entrance. "Now what was so important that I needed to leave a council meeting? I can't keep disappearing, they're going to get suspicious, I've already got Belikov and Princess Dragomir on my back"

"I was mumbling again?" Avery asks "Yes sure, if I can have a word outside I would like to explain the situation"

As they both leave the room, Stanley takes place in front of the door. "You know they're probably just going to kill you, right?" I ask him, trying to make him see sense "once you're served you purpose, they'll throw you away" I look him in the eye, showing him I'm speaking the truth. You can see the internal battle going on inside deciding on whether or not to reply "trust me, I know them. What do you thinks' going to happen to me?" this seems to win him over.

"I've got to at least try" he hissed "they have my wife and four year old son, I'll do anything to save them" he whispered harshly, "what, even sentence an 18 year old girl to death? Because that's what's going to happen if you leave me here" I snap back. Before Guardian Stanley has a chance to reply, both Tatianna and Avery come back in looking very smug. "Well, well, well Rosemarie dear, this changes a lot" Tatianna says smiling at me, What does?"

Tatianna then turns to Avery and nods her head and that's when Avery makes her move towards me, but instead of pulling out a knife or a gun, like I would expect her to, she kneels down in front of me and says "Rosemarie, you will go to sleep and not wake till dawn" What, does she even think that will work? I think, but my eyelids begin to close and my muscles start to sag and one last word appears in my mind before I drift into a slumber. Compulsion.