A/N:...So it's been a while! Yes, I know I've been fairly quiet with this project. Don't think that just because I haven't written anything that I haven't been thinking of this. I've been thinking a lot on this project, wondering where I am going with it, how long it'll be and how I should end it and everything. I had plans, but I've been adjusting them in my mind, making sure that I have a story that will work, that won't have any sort of dies ex machina ending and that won't have events that you are expecting. I don't want this to be too predictable.
I would like to thank everyone who gave me comments and critiques! It means a lot to me that you actually took what I said into account, since it lets me know that you do want me to succeed in one way or another. I tried to take in what everyone said into account, though if I've skipped over some advice that's either because that type of style is a habit of mine I can't break or I didn't need that advice for this chapter.
So! On that note, I would like to present the next installment! I hope I get the next one out faster. (smiles)

Disclaimer: Vampire Academy Characters belong to Richelle Mead.

Alright, so that last statement wasn't particularly true.

While the rest of the bus for the bus ride was silent, the old man beside me was not. After five minutes of riding in silence, him looking out the window and myself leaning my head back with my eyes closed, I heard the gravely sound of him clearing his throat. Sighing mentally to myself, I opened my eyes and looked over at him curiously, raising an inquiring eyebrow. He smiled at me again and I smiled unsurely back, before he started to speak.

"You're not graduated,"

Ohh, he'd noticed the lack of the promise mark. Damn. I was hoping this old man's eyes wouldn't notice that, but it seemed that not only did they show he was strong, they were also perceptive. Maybe he wasn't retired then? I couldn't exactly tell all that well. "No, sir," I mumbled then, pushing back some of my hair. It was a little drier after I had washed it at the gas station, but it still curled and tangled around my face. I must've looked a wreck, some sort of runaway or something. I mentally wondered if he was going to ask what school I was from and find me the nearest airport. It seemed like the sort of thing a responsible, old fashioned guardian would do. I just hoped this old man wasn't a responsible old fashioned guardian.

"Why is that?" He asked then, looking at me curiously. Well, he didn't seem like he was plotting on sending me home. Maybe my hopes have finally come true for me. Or maybe I'm just ridiculously lucky.

"It's personal, sir," I replied then, looking at my lap quietly. "I have to do something before I can graduate, or else I'll be the most distracted guardian in history."

"Well, that wouldn't be good for your Moroi's health, would it?" He laughed, his laugh wheezy and gravely. He seemed like a fairly nice old man so far, with a sense of humour. A sense of humour was always a good sign, right? Or was I just digging by now? "Well, if it's personal that's fine. But why are you so far away from your America?" It was then that I noticed the man had a slight accent, one you couldn't pick up immediately if you were talking to him. He was very fluid in English and could hide his accent well, meaning he must have served an English family during his prime—or was still serving an English family, I wasn't entirely sure.

"Because I'm hunting down a certain target, and they've taken me as far as here," I replied, looking at him then. It was surprising how easy it was to talk to this old man. Maybe it was the quiet smile he wore, or the companionable air that surrounded him. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't ask who my mother was or what school I was from. Hell, maybe it was because he felt like he could be my grandpa. I didn't know it was just weird. "The target's the reason why I'm distracted."

"A friend turned Strigoi?" He guessed and I winced, looking away. There was a soft sound of pity and understanding, and a gnarled but strong hand patted my shoulder comfortingly. "There seems to be a lot of that case happening lately. Where is your target heading?"

"Russia." It was easy to say where Dimitri was going, since you couldn't tell just from the destination that it was Dimitri Belikov, strong god-like guardian turned Strigoi, whom I was hunting. I didn't want anyone to know I was hunting Dimitri. No one needed to know, and no one would ever know if I had any sort of say in this. Hopefully I had some sort of say in this. It was my journey.

"Ahh, that's a very far destination from your America," he said, nodding slowly. "This Strigoi-turned of yours must've been from Russia?"

"Mm," I nodded slowly avoiding the old man's gaze. It felt like he could read the answers through my eyes and I didn't want him to read anything. I suddenly didn't want to talk to this man anymore. I had a feeling that he was weeding information out of me so he could report to some person or another. I felt a hand on top of my hands then, looking down at my lap to see his gnarled strong hand before looking over at him with wide eyes, brows raised high as he looked at me seriously.

"Do not get yourself killed over an obligation you truly do not have to keep." He said it so wisely, as if he knew exactly what I was doing and why I was doing it, before letting go of my hand, leaning his head back. I watched him for a moment longer, poking him quietly and he shifted, opening an eye and looking at me tiredly. "You heard me, girl-child. You have much life to you yet. You have an obligation to the greater world to protect them." He paused, looking at me fully again. He then smiled a little. "You have a very good future."

Okay, the old man was nuts. Maybe that's why I felt so uneasy around him. He kind of reminded me, in a way, of Alice the feeder from Vladimir Academy. He was nice, a little out of it, and said the strangest things that didn't make a lick of sense, but struck a cord with me. They had both said that I needed to protect people—Alice had said I needed to protect the school, this old man saying I have to protect 'them' which I can only guess means the Moroi, since what else would it mean? I didn't pay much attention to that though, watching as the old man leaned his head back again and soon enough fell asleep. Well, there was the conclusion on the weirdest conversation of my travelling life.

I hope it didn't actually mean anything.

The bus stopped in Zielona Gora the next day. When it stopped, I jerked, looking around in surprise. I had dozed off sometime during the ride, so I hadn't been aware of anything. I looked around stupidly as the old man next to me got up, shaking my shoulder a little. "Come, little miss," he said, raising a withered eyebrow at me curiously. "You have quite the journey to get to if you wish to catch up with your Strigoi-turned."

I sighed, knowing that the loopy guardian was right, before taking my bag and following the people off of the bus. I looked up at Zielona Gora as I walked towards the sidewalk next to the old man, looking at the quaint buildings and calmly walking people. The atmosphere around the place was calming, gentle on the mind and mood. The buildings were gorgeous, too, with the trees and other plant life that grew everywhere. Zielona Gora was a beautiful place. I'd have to come here again for different reasons, say, to enjoy myself. Rather than hunting down my undead boyfriend.

I was still walking next to the old man. "If you're going to Russia, you'll want to take the train from here to Wroclaw. After that, switch trains to Leszno, then follow that train to Poznan. Take that to Torun, then to Olsztyn. If you take the train from Olsztyn, you should be able to get into Russia. From there you're on your own."

Um. Whoa, what the hell? "Excuse me, but why are you telling me this?" The old man looked at me as if I were crazy. Okay, buddy; it was the other way around here!

"You are young, girl-child. Young and naïve about the world around you. You know nothing of what you are truly getting yourself into, yet I know the look in your eye as well as I know the sun rises in the east and the grass grows. You will not give up on your quest, even if I were to find out your Academy and place you forcibly on a plane back to your America." He sighed, shaking his head and patting my shoulder with his strong, gnarled hand. "If you are going to go through with this plan of yours, you might as well have a plan of action. The train route I have given you is one I've taken many times to Russia, and it does not take long. A week, at the most, so you will be able to find your Strigoi-turned." He removed his hand then, looking forward as we walked. I don't know why, but I felt if I followed him he'd lead me to the train station. Maybe he'd even lead me to my path in life.

He was taller than I had thought shoulders broad, face strong, eyes alert of everything. He was not a frail old man, though he seemed like he would be. Maybe that was part of his disguise; he wanted to trick the Strigoi into thinking he couldn't do anything to save his Moroi, and when the Strigoi tried to take advantage of that he killed them swiftly. That was the kind of impression that he gave to me. Brown eyes were kind but hard, and you could easily tell that he had seen a lot in his day.

"Excuse me," I asked then, looking at him curiously. "I'm just wondering, but…Are you retired?"

"Retired? Goodness no," the man laughed, shaking his head. "I am still going strong. I protect a small family in Zielona Gora. We do not get too much trouble here, as this is a very quiet city, very calming. We attend each Song and Wine Festival." He smiled, turning to me. "I am still young yet, my dear girl. I may be old and withered, but I am strong and reliable. You know the older tools you use will always come out for you. At least, that is until they finally rust away into nothing. Until that day comes for me, though, I will be protecting as many people as I can." He stopped, his hand sweeping in front of him. I looked at the train station, staring at it owlishly before looking at him again. "Aren't you going to buy your ticket?"

"Oh…right." I nodded, smiling at him a little uncertainly. "Well…thanks for your help."

"Of course." He smiled at me, a withered, comforting smile. "By the way," he said then, taking hold of my shoulder and holding me back when I went to go to the ticket booth. "On your hunt for your Strigoi-turned…do not forget who you are. This is not your life. This is simply your mission that you chose to do. Your life is elsewhere." He looked at me a moment longer, as if making sure that I really took it in, before letting me go and turning to walk away. I watched him disappear silently into the grounds, becoming another person, before walking over to the ticket booth and asking for a train to Wroclaw. After buying the ticket, I went to the train and grabbed a seat by the window, sitting down and making myself comfortable, setting my bag at my feet.

I looked out the window then to people-watch, and saw the young girl I had seen in Berlin. Something close to what I imagine lightening striking me zipped down my spine, and I watched as she disappeared into the crowd once some woman passed in front of her. I almost had the urge to get up and chase after her, but I had already paid for the ticket, the train was going to leave soon…And I don't think I could catch her.

Feeling completely perplexed, I settled back into my seat and watched as the other passengers started to find seats.

Watching the scenery outside of a window is much like watching a painting going under the tap. Colours twist and morph into each other, creating a watery, barely distinguishable picture. It was the only thing, along with the sounds the train made as it rolled along, that kept me awake.

I knew that I should've probably taken a nap or something. I mean, I hadn't really slept at all since I got to Zielona Gora and that had been a few hours now. The sun was starting to set, making me wonder if Lissa was getting up for classes yet or if she was with Christian talking about how mean I'd been, leaving her like I had. The thought made my stomach tighten, so I pushed it aside for now. Rubbing my eyes, I looked away from the window and instead watched the people around me.

All of them were humans; I felt no illness coming over me like I would've if I had been near a Strigoi. I could tell none of them were Moroi either, since there was no one sitting there that had a single person sitting next to them, alert and watching. I don't think there were any dhampirs, either. I hadn't spotted any tattoos. They were all sleeping peacefully, as if none of them had a care in the world. They probably didn't, since humans really did have an easier life than any of the vampire races. Strigoi had to hunt and kill people to feed. Dhampirs had to watch for danger, protecting the Moroi. The Moroi had to survive day after day without getting them killed.

I shifted, feeling a trickle of guilt over the fact that it was basically my fault that Lissa temporarily didn't have either of the bodyguards she had been promised. I had left to hunt down Dimitri, and…well…

Dimitri had fallen in love with me, causing him to probably be distracted in that cave for my safety. Getting him bitten.

I wiped at the tears suddenly in my eyes, standing up and heading to the bathroom that was at the back of my compartment. Damn it all, I could not be crying over this right now. I had had my chance for tears. I had taken my time to grieve before I had decided to do this. I had all the chances in the world to go back to what I knew, to mourn and pout and protect Lissa. I decided not to.

I didn't have the right to cry.

Closing the door and flicking the switch that said 'Occupied' in Polish, I turned to look at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red for my brief crying spiel, my hair mussed from the constant train rides and lack of showering, and my mouth felt disgusting. Sighing, I turned on the tap and cupped some water into my hands, splashing my face and drinking some water, swishing it in my mouth before spitting it back down the drain. I towel-dried my hands and face then, wiping off straggling drops of water from my neck before exiting the bathroom and going back to my seat.

Just as I was sitting down, however, something outside caught my eye. I looked out, eyes narrowing as I tried to catch a good look at whatever was out there. It was moving too fast for me to get a proper look at it, especially while I was moving at a pretty fast pace myself. This only told me one thing:

There was a Strigoi outside of my train.

My head twisted to look up at the ceiling when I heard something land on the metal, and I was surprised I didn't get some form of whiplash. Rubbing my neck, I listened for a moment, before opening my window and sticking my head out to try and look at the roof.

I suddenly felt very, very sick.

"Shit," I muttered, getting up from my seat. I looked around to make sure everyone was still asleep, before I crawled out of the window and grappled my way up onto the roof. Once reaching the top, I crouched low, feeling the push from the pressure trying to knock me over. It was a good thing I had strengthened my legs before leaving on this stupid mission of mine. If I still had the same strength I had when Lissa and I had run away, I would've flown off the roof in no time.

Quickly, I checked to make sure my stake was still with me and sighed in relief when I felt the cool metal. I then looked around, wary eyes trying to find some sort of figure, a sign that a monster had been here moments before.

Bile rose in my throat and I dropped to my stomach in time to avoid a pair of strong, masculine arms.

I rolled away from the Strigoi, flipping over and grabbing my stake, pulling it in front of me in a defensive position that could quite easily be thrown into an offence. I then looked up at my opponent and almost fell over.

Dimitri. I was staring straight at Dimitri.

"Ah," he said, looking at me with blood red eyes that were so cold and unemotional, nothing like the warm brown I used to stare into. Staring into those eyes made me feel completely sick. "I see that I've caught your train. Silly of me." He shook his head, sighing as if he was exasperated to see me. He probably was. He was probably thinking, somewhere in his mind where rational dhampir thoughts remained, that I was stupid to have dropped school just to hunt him down. He was probably thinking that I was taking what he had said what seemed so long ago now much, much too seriously.

"I thought…that you would be way ahead of me."

He appraised me for a moment, before deciding that he could answer. He'd always done that, I know that. Yet with that pale skin…and those bloodshot eyes…It was so much worse. "I ran into a bit of trouble. Didn't I tell the vendor for you to see the woman Jadzia in Zielona Gora?"

I had totally forgotten about that. How could I have forgotten about that? That had been my only lead into where Dimitri had been heading…Yet that old man. That old guardian made me totally forget to go see the Jadzia woman. Had he meant to do that? Had he known that if I had gone on a hunt for a woman I didn't know the appearance of would have taken away precious time? Had he been sparing me time so that I could get to Dimitri faster?

"Would she have told me anything useful?"

"She would've had you on a wild goose chase, much like the Strigoi Tobias. Yet you seem to have not taken the vendor's advice. Why is that?"

Should I tell him about the old man? But…but what if he hunted him down. I decided to stay silent and he sighed again, shaking his head. He pushed back some of his loose dark hair, appraising me for a moment before turning away. "Where are you going?"

"…" He glanced back again, before shaking his head again. "That really isn't anything you need to concern yourself with, Roza." He then jumped off the side of the train. I rushed over as far as I could get, leaning over, yet I couldn't see him. He had disappeared. Pounding my fist onto the roof of the train, I let out a cry of frustration and agony. Damn it…God damn it! I had been so close! He had been right there, in my reach, right in front of me! He hadn't even attacked me except for when he didn't know who I had been! I could have finished all of this! I could have gone home, back to Lissa and Eddie and Christian and everyone in my life that was still with me who I cared about.

I could have moved on finally.

Why hadn't I moved? Why hadn't I tried to kill him? He'd been right there…

He'd been so close…

One of the conductors had pulled me from the roof. They'd placed me by the fire of the engine, given me a cup of hot chocolate and told me to drink it while I got over whatever it was I had been feeling. They said all of this with very heavy accents and with a few mix-ups between English and Polish words, but I didn't care. I think they thought I was suicidal, yet it didn't matter to me what they thought of me. I'd never see them again after all was said or done. I'd either take a plane straight back to America or die trying to save Dimitri.

Dimitri, who I had just seen not even an hour ago.

Dimitri, who I had let walk away without doing a damned thing.

I buried myself deeper in the blanket tat one of the conductors had produced for me, resting my back against my bag by the engine. I sat on the floor, my legs pulled to my chest and the cup of hot chocolate cradled in my hands. The scent was really very comforting. Sipping it, I watched with uninterested eyes as the conductors worked to make the train move. Usually I would've been asking all sorts of questions, wondering what it was like to run a train on coal rather than on electricity like some trains. Right now though I had no interest in it, since I was still thinking about Dimitri.

Dimitri.

Why had I let him get away?

Why had I let him talk, and then just walk away?

Why hadn't I even tried to stop him from leaving? I just asked where he was going. I didn't try to grab him, or pin him down, or even stake him, like I knew I should have.

I just let him walk away.

I know I let him live. It was almost like me seeing Mason's ghost all over again when I had been doing my field test. I was just in shock, staring at Dimitri as if he were a ghost. If a Moroi had been with me, they'd be very dead, and I wouldn't have reacted in time to try and save them.

Why did I let him live?

Burying myself deeper into my blanket, knees and hot chocolate, I tried to ignore the little voice whispering nastily in the back of my mind, telling me why I'd let him go without a fight.

I was weak.