I awoke with a start, blinding light shining in my face from the window next to the bed we slept on. The heat only accentuated the frantic beating of my heart, my ragged breaths, and the anxiety coursing through me. I mentally scrambled through my frightened haze to recall what had gotten me in this state. Images of smoke and fire, crushed metal and blood came back to me in flashes. Instantly I turned to Lissa who was beside me on the bed. She was still thrashing lightly from the nightmare she had unwittingly sucked me into, the blanket twined round her long legs and her golden hair fanned above her head. I quickly moved to rouse her, saddened by the reality of what she was going through.

Two years ago, on a drive back to Lissa's house from some long forgotten event, the car containing me, Lissa, and all of her family had been crashed into by a drunk driver. I had no memory of the event after the impact, just a distinct feeling of warmth and the image of a crisp, white light. From the images in Lissa's head the warmth was no surprise but I still couldn't pinpoint the light. Maybe I had been dying and heading to heaven. Regardless, Lissa had pulled me from the wreckage and I had somehow held on until the paramedics arrived. I was the only one besides Lissa to survive the crash, leaving me with bottomless well of survivor's guilt and leaving Lissa as the last living Dragomir and escalating her from the rank of royal to 'Princess'.

I should probably clarify when I talk about getting images from Lissa's head. Honestly I'm still not sure myself, but ever since the accident I started getting these feelings. They would come at random times, fluctuating from extreme depression to crippling joy. I thought I was going crazy, especially when the feelings escalated to images. It would normally happen when I was tired; images of a different place would filter into my head. I thought I was going completely crazy until one image showed me looking in the mirror and seeing Lissa's face staring back. Then my more inquisitive nature took hold. After a sudden mood swing I would text Lissa if something going on, and every time the feeling matched what she reported. Somehow, I had developed a mental connection with Lis. From there the frequency of the images escalated into full blow mind reading and even being sucked into her head. Obviously it made communicating and coordinating with her much easier, but it was moments like these when it really sucked.

Sitting up against the headboard I slid her into my lap, shaking her gently as I brushed damp hair out of her face. "Liss, honey, I've got you. You're OK, we're OK. We're safe honey."

I watched her eyes flicker open, piercing green focusing on my eyes before her entire face sank in on itself. She turned her head into my stomach as she started bawling. I continued to calm her and shush her, waiting out the tears. Finally she dried her eyes on my t-shirt, chuckling in the way only people who've just cried their sorrow out can.

"Good thing I never liked this shirt, otherwise I would feel bad," she said with a sniffle. She propped herself into a seated position on the edge of the bed, facing away from me.

Raising my eyebrows I retorted, "You know I wear it cuz you hate it and it's the one thing I don't let you touch. Seems you've found a loophole," I finished, looking down at my tear-stained shirt. I had it printed at a specialty shop in Ohio when we were passing through. It was black, with the Black Keys' Thickfreakness art stamped in the middle. I loved their music, and when I loved something, I got it printed on a t-shirt. Looking back up as silence stretched between us I realized from her posture that she was dwelling on the images from her dream. Scooting next to her on the bed I wrapped my arms around her.

"Liss, you know I'm here for you if you ever need to talk about it."

Sniffing, she turned to me with a smile. "No, it would be selfish of me to add my own worries on top of yours." She turned to look out the window and I followed her gaze. We both sat there for a few moments getting lost in the clear blue of the sky until the heat from the direct sun made us get up and out of the direct rays, yawning at the early hour. From the angle of the sun it looked to be mid-afternoon, a few hours before we normally got up.

See both Lissa and I are Moroi, a race of vampires. While Moroi can stand direct sunlight, we burn easy and our eyes are sensitive to the bright light. When we ran away from St Vladimir's academy a year ago we opted to remain on the school's timetable which had us awake at night and sleep during the day. This was both for our comfort and so that we could remain vigilant at night. Night is when you really have to worry as all the things that go 'bump' come out to play. While Moroi are generally a peaceful, civilized race, they have a violent counterpart, the Strigoi. Strigoi are more along the lines of your classic horror movie depiction of vampires. They come with red eyes, lightning fast speed and reflexes, and a "I want to suck your blood" personna. That's not to say that Moroi don't want the same thing; blood is a necessary component of our diet. But Strigoi are fundamentally evil, their soul irredeemable. They get pleasure in the fear and ultimate demise of their prey; Moroi are much more morally conscious. We look human. We eat human food. Many of us even have jobs heavily ingrained in the human world. We never kill when we feed, and those that do turn into Strigoi. Instead we've found humans, through various means, that wish to donate blood to cause. In a drastic situation a human could be convinced to give blood using a type of magic called Compulsion. It's essentially mind control and the thought of forcing someone to my will has never sat well with me, especially not if I was going to take blood from them. At school feeders, as the donors are called, were provided for the students. On the run, Liss and I have had less luck.

Pulling myself from my musing, I heard a rumbling come from Lissa's stomach.

"Hungry? I'll go make some midday snacks," I said passing her as I walked to the door of my room.

"Thanks Rose, that dream always wipes me out."

Flashing her a sad smile I walked out the door and down the short hall to the kitchen. Liss and I had found a cheap place on the fringes of the local campus to stay. With a little convincing (and maybe a tint of compulsion on Lissa's part) we convinced the four other people in the three-bedroom apartment to let us stay in the single room. It suited us anyways, as we had slept in the same bed since we were little girls. We grew up together, my mother's side of the family being super close to the Dragomir's. My mother had always preferred a more passive life, choosing the peacefulness of a human life over the demands of living at court. Being the daughter of an unimportant Ivashkov and an even more unimportant non-royal of the Hathaway family, my mother had passed into anonymity. She also decided that she did not wish to take me with her, choosing instead to ship me off to live full time at the Academy. It was there I had met Lissa, and given the tints of royalty in my bloodline and the kindness of the Dragomir's, I had practically been adopted into their family. My last name would forever hold me back from really succeeding in our society however. My mother would never tell me who my father was, opting instead to give me the last name of her own father. And so the notorious societal stain Rosemarie Hathaway was introduced to this world.

On auto-pilot I had pulled out all the makings for grilled cheese and had already fried up the bread. Laying on the cheddar cheese I smushed the two halves together, letting it heat until the cheese began to melt down the side. I pulled the steaming mug of tomato soup out of the microwave where I had set it heat, and grabbing it with the now plated sandwich hurried back to the room. From the doorway I studied Lissa, who was now dressed in jeans and a beige top with a pleasing geometric pattern in shades of green sprinkled across it. She looked every part the royal princess, from the way she dressed to the posture she held. The only clue to the inner turmoil came through her eyes, which were once again trained out the window. It was an unseasonably sunny day in Oregon and she was once again lost in the clouds. The sun had moved while I was making our snack, now hitting the wall of the headboard. Putting down the food on the dresser near the door I walked up to her grabbing her hand as I led her to the edge of the bed. Grabbing her shoulder to face me I looked in her eyes. Shadows I hadn't noticed in the commotion of our jarring wake-up now showed clear against her pale skin in the filtered sunlight.

"You need blood," I said bluntly.

Sighing she replied, "Yeah, we both do. We finished the last bag two days ago, remember." Unwilling to compel someone to feed us we had decided to break our way into blood banks in areas right before we left them. If we got caught we used compulsion to get away. It somehow felt less appaling that way.

Looking back out at the sky I replied forlorned, "I'm not ready to leave yet." There wasn't really a question about it, if we robbed the bank we left town. In fact, we really needed to get out of the area soon. Our last heist had been only a town over due to this very reason. We had set up roots here and, not wanting to leave, had decided a little risk was worth it. But we really needed to be careful. Strigoi weren't the only threat. Lissa being the last Dragomir meant that she needed to be protected, and the Academy took it upon themselves to return Lissa safely. Once before we had brushed paths with Guardians sent from the academy. We were lucky enough to get away then but this time we were really pushing our luck. Guardians are the professional group of protectors that the final race of vampires, Dhampirs, usually became. Dhampirs are half human/ half vampire hybrids. They lack the strong magic that flows through the Moroi, granting us the affinity to the elements, but they make up for it in increased strength, senses, and agility. They are naturally more fit to fill the 'policing' role in our society, thought that vein of thought has led to a segregation of sorts. The Dhampirs are now expected to fulfil the Guardian role, anything else causing them to be shunned by society. Given the shit job, society eventually began to treat them like shit. The motto of the Guardians was "They come first". Twisted logic in my mind. Given my unconventional upbringing and my inconsequential social status I had spent a lot of time around Dhampirs, coming to enjoy the group of friends I've made within them more than any royal posse, Lissa excluded. Lissa's other friends were mainly royal, as fit for her royal status as princess, but she secretly shared a like-minded attitude.

Turning back to face her I coaxed her towards my next.

"Come on, you're looking like you really need it." Lissa looked at me with doubt in her eyes. We were both tired and in need of the blood, but she looked like she was really suffering. While Moroi blood wouldn't be a nutritious as human, nor as uniquely delicious as Dhampir, it should sustain her until tonight when we were going to have to make our break in. I watched as the doubt turned to hunger in her eyes. She voiced once out of politeness, "Are you sure," even as she leaned into my neck. I nodded my affirmative. I was prepared to sacrifice anything for Liss, a little blood was nothing. A warm feeling spread in my neck when she bit me, followed by the feeling of loss that always accompanied the act of giving blood. We hadn't done this much so the same mental warnings went off that always triggered in my body that I shouldn't be losing blood, I should be taking it. While there wasn't the same taboo around biting another Moroi as there was surrounding biting a Dhampir, this would still be seen as a highly sensual act. If Liss wasn't practically my sister and this situation a necessity, I would refuse outright. I still worked to suppress the erotic waves of pleasure that always accompanied being bitten. They were stronger for other races than Moroi, but it was still pleasurable. Dhampirs who allowed themselves to be bitten often became addicted. It was a highly frowned upon practice, and any Dhampir who allowed it was labeled a 'bloodwhore". In fact a Dhampir who chose any career path besides Guardian, though it wasn't like many were really available, were labeled as such. The nasty term was even used to describe Dhampir women who chose to raise their children instead of fight as a Guardian. Likewise, humans could also become addicted. The blinding veil of pleasure could be seen in the eyes of anyone being or about to be bitten. The same expression probably passed my face as the emotions warred within me. I tried to contain it, settle my face into a mask of impassivity but the pleasure was always there. As Lissa finished sipping she pulled away. With a slight sigh I could not contain I fell back onto the pillows, my world slightly soft around the edges. Getting fed on always did this to me.

A much brighter looking Lissa bobbed into view. "You OK?"

"Yeah just give me a sec."

With a blinding smile I watched her bounce out my view. Summoning my strength I propped myself back into a sitting position. I turned my head to watch Lissa steal I bite out of the grilled cheese and then moan appreciatively. She handed me the plate but looked longingly at it.

"You sure you don't want any more," I asked out of politeness. I wasn't starving but I wouldn't turn down the food, especially not after what we just did. Scrunching up her nose she shook her head slightly.

"No, eating after feeding never goes well, even if your grilled cheese is amazing as always. Plus, you really need it more than me." She flashed me a sympathetic smile.

Turning back towards my view with plate in hand I took a huge bite. It always impressed Lissa the volume of food I could consume. Most Moroi were dainty eaters, but I was never like most Moroi. While the current society had silently pushed towards a segregation between species where Moroi lived a sheltered protected life provided by the Dhampirs, I had rebelled against it. Starting at a young age I was confused when my Dhampir friends were put through rigorous physical training while Moroi remaining inside. Secretly I began training on my own, building up my physical endurance. I was now on par with some of the weakest Dhampirs and leagues above all of my Moroi peers. I successfully hid the physical changes this caused my body under heavy clothes and poor posturing. I didn't care what most Moroi thought, as they had already disregarded me due to my family name, and the Dhampirs never minded me hanging out with them, even if their motto was still ingrained within their mind. I had even convinced one of my ex-boyfriends, Mason, to teach me some hand-to-hand combat in secret. He was still a close friend and I'm sure was excelling back at school. My thoughts turned forlorn as I drew away from thinking about what had been my home for many years. Instead my eyes focused on a slight movement outside of the window. Placing the now empty plate beside me on the bed I stepped forward to get a better look. Down in the center of the complex that our apartment was in stood a man in a long leather coat. He was slightly concealed in the shadows of the trees but a slight breeze had ruffled his long hair, causing me to see the movement. My stomach dropped when I took in the aggressive posture and stare directed right at my window. I watched as recognition passed over his features and he turned towards the street entrance.

"Shit."

Ramming the blinds shut I turned to the closet to grab our bug-out bags and two jackets.

"Liss!" I called down the hall as I turned toward one of our roommates' doors. I heard her rapid approach behind me as Jason opened the door to another bedroom. Locking eyes with him, I put under compulsion.

"Hey Jay, you're gonna give us the keys to your car," I said in a charismatic tone.

Confusion passed through his clouded eyes. God this made me sick, Lissa was the one who normally did the compulsion but we didn't have time for the lengthy moral argument that would ensue.

Pushing a little harder I repeated, "Jay, give us the keys to your car and forget all about Liss and I. You misplaced your car keys but won't look for them until tomorrow."

The confusion disappeared from his eyes and with a small smile on his face rummaged through his back pocket, dropped his keys in my hand and turned back into his room.

"You're lucky Sean wasn't in the room with him," Lissa said with disapproval in her voice. Her face quickly turned to a mask of concern when I rushed past her down the hall, grabbing her hand.

"We've gotta move Liss, they found us."

With a gasp, recognition and determination passed over her face.

"Remember the plan?" I said, thought the comment was more an excuse to vent some nervous energy. The sandwich hadn't been nearly enough to satisfy and given my weakened state I knew I was running on anxiety and adrenaline. She nodded as we rushed to the front door. We were almost there when someone started banging on it shouting "THIS IS THE POLICE, OPEN UP!" I highly doubted it was the police.

Halting in my tracks, Lissa crashed into my back. Making an about face I shooed her towards the bathroom. Plan B. While the price for these rooms had been perfect, we chose this group of apartments for a reason. Originally a three story building during development, the project manager must have acquired more money during the build because it was quickly changed to a five story to match most of the other apartment complexes in this area. That meant that while structurally one staircase had been built up to the third floor, another staircase was made to get from the third to the fourth and fifth. Both staircases hugged apartment 3H, the room Lissa and I had happened to stumble upon. Assuming any threat would come from the lower stairs, plan B was to take the staircase up to the roof and escape from there. While our bedroom faced directly out to the quad, the bathroom backed right up to upper stairway. With a little excavation and a conveniently placed vent that no one questioned 'wink wink' we had ourselves an alternate escape route.

Pushing Liss towards the toilet I locked the door and crouched down by the sink. I then kicked out the weakly installed vent. All those squat workouts were really coming to fruition. Gesturing to Lissa she quickly got onto her hands and knees before backing out of the vent. Grabbing her wrist I gently lowered her to the steps below. After pushing out the bags to her I followed suit. Landing in the stairway with a thud that I deadened as best as I could. I was an Air user. I found my affinity at a pretty early age, being only 14, and my connection grew rapidly. Again, I kept my practices a secret but I knew I wanted to be able to protect myself and that meant training body and mind (and air, I guess). While not traditionally seen as being a particularly strong magic, I found myself excelling at deadening the sound of my movement and had even worked on modulating air density to help soften falls.

Grabbing Liss by the hand again I began climbing the steps up to the roof. As expected this staircase was empty, but given the fact that they were soon about to bust in our door and find us missing from the apartment, I wasn't sure how long that would be the case. Reaching the door to the roof I found it unlocked and slightly ajar, just as I had hoped it would be. People often came up here to smoke as it was prohibited in the building. Dropping Lissa's hand I rushed to the far side of the building that butted up against a thin alleyway. Peaking over the edge I saw it and the fire escape empty. Motioning for Lissa to follow I started down the escape. To prevent us from completely giving away our position I deadened the sound again, but the drain of using my magic was starting to catch up to me. With relief we hit the pavement and I cut the magic, creeping towards the street I peeked around the corner. It appeared empty but I couldn't be too sure. Handing one of the hoodies and one of the bags I had grabbed to Lissa I put the other on and flipped the hood up, motioning for her to do the same. It was comforting to have my old leather jacket/hoodie combo back on, even if it was rather warm for it. Linking my arm in Liss's I turned us away from the front of the apartment complex scanning for Jason's old beat-up sedan. I prayed that it was in this direction, but turning back to check the other way wasn't an option. I had no idea how many Guardians were in the vicinity, but as soon as they figured out we weren't in the building, this whole block would be covered by their vigilant watch. Muttering under my breath I realized I couldn't see the car, but I wasn't stopping. Reaching the end of the block I hooked left with Lissa. By this point, the adrenaline was starting to wear off and I realized it was all that was really carrying me at this point. Unfortunately, Liss didn't share my appreciation of the physical aspects of my training nor did she have a specialization in her affinity. This meant she really wasn't strong enough to do anything in this situation, a fact I secretly lamented. I pushed the keys into her hand saying, "We find the car, you drive." She was partially supporting me by this point.

We turned the corner and with joy I spotted the car halfway down the block. With renewed hope I picked up the pace as we moved towards the car. The hope turned to fear though when we were still three cars away. Behind a voice shouted something. The one bad thing about the area we lived in was that no one was around in the middle of the afternoon. Students were in class and adults were at work, making two teenage girls in pajama shorts and heavy jackets really stand out. We ran the rest of the way to the car. Turning around at the passenger side door I noted the figure of the man from earlier. He was already halfway to us and I resigned myself to a fight, hoping Liss would focus on getting the car started. As he got closer I dropped into a defensive stance, loosening up my shoulders. I was really worse than a novice when it came to hand to hand but I was hoping a surprise attack from a seemingly weak Moroi would be enough to stun him long enough for Liss and I to get away.

I heard Lissa squeak as she finally got the door open and glanced up to see how close the Guardian had gotten.

"Get the car started," I said to Liss focusing completely on the target in front of me.

Seemingly disregarding me, the man, now 10 feet in front of me spoke, directing his words at Lissa. "Princess Dragomir. I am a Guardian with the Academy, I've come to bring you back safely to St. Vladimir's by order of-"

His words were cut off as he responded to my attack. I was pissed, and when I was pissed I was strong. How dare this man just disregard me as not a threat. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. Summoning a slice of wind I directed it at his face as I launched into a sweep maneuver at his feet. Being so weak the air was barely enough to leave a superficial cut, but it provided enough distraction that my sweep knocked him down.

"Now Liss!" I yelled as I sprang towards the car. The car jumped to life under her hand and I was just pulling the door open when Lissa gasped.

I felt a broad hand grab my shoulder and fling me towards the sidewalk and then everything went dark.