In the Vampire Academy, Rose sees Janine as a neglectant mother who irks her to no end. But what she doesn't realize at first is how similiar they are, and how much her mother has been through. Janine Hathaway deserves a chance to tell her story. And because she is fictional, I will write it for her. This is Janine's story. It will span through her own six week field experience, how she met Rose's father, how they fell in love, and how the relationship abruptly ended. Thank you for reading and please review.

I grinned at my best friend, Russell. "Russ, shh, there are young ears around." I pretended to chatise him.

My other best friend, Nicole, scowled angrily. She was a year younger than Russell and I, and we made sure she knew it. "Shut up, Jan," she told me, smiling slightly despite herself. "And Russell, I wouldn't be laughing. I can still beat your ass in a fight." That shut him up and I snickered.

"I'm pretty nervous," I confessed to the both of them. "We get our Moroi assigned today." I was pretty excited, too--the next six weeks were basically a test. A test that I needed to pass in order to become a guardian. A test that I knew I would ace. I was the top of my class.

"I hope I get Rachel," Russell muttered. Nicole scowled. She had a crush on Russell since our sophomore year, and he currently had an infatuation with a pretty Moroi girl named Rachel Smith. I got to hear all about the drama it from her.

"I'll miss you guys when you graduate," Nicole said wistfully. "I wish I was a year older."

I smiled and ruffled her hair just because I knew how much she hated it. "You'll get your shot, chick-a-dee." She hated it when I called her that.

Sure enough, she glared at me. "Watch yourself, Hathaway," she warned, only half-kidding. I smiled for the millionth time that day.

"All seniors please report to the gym. All seniors to the gym, please." An announcement blared from the speakers in the hallway. I bounded to my feet excitedly and tugged impatiently at Russell's arm.

"Let's go!" I told him, finally hauling him to his feet. "Bye, Nicole!" I added over my shoulder. "Maybe I'll come back and babysit you sometime."

"You better run, Janine Hathaway," she yelled at me. And I ran, pulling Russell along with me.

The gym was almost full by the time I burst through the doors dramatically with Russ in my wake. Several heads turned in my direction, and I preformed a dramatic bow almost to the floor. My combat instructor was nearby, rolling his eyes at my theatrics. I waved at him, laughing when he pointedly ignored my wave. Russell moved ahead of me and I slipped through a throng of my classmates to follow him towards the front. Several people grumbled as I pushed past them and I just ignored their complaints. Eventually, we found two vacant seats in the third row. Just as I sat down, Headmistress Kirova walked onto the stage and stood behind a podium, holding several pieces of paper.

She was a fairly young woman, in her late twenties. Her facial features were sharp, like a hawk's. Not many students really crossed her. Well, Russell and I had crossed her a few times too many for our liking. The last time had been when Russ had snuck some alchohal onto campus for a party. Bad idea. Apparently, word of underage drinking at a party really spreads around campus quickly.

Kirova cleared her throat consipcuously. The chatting in the gym silenced as everyone waited for her to start listing our assignments. "Before I assign you to your partners, I am going over how the entire process works." There were loud groans from students--the past couple days or so we had been preached to by almost every teacher on this subject. "Dhampires, you will be guarding your Moroi for six days a week. You will go attend every class with them. You will go everywhere with them. If they go to a feeding, you go, too. If they go to the bathroom, you stand right next to them and wait. Everything. Dhampires will even sleep in their Moroi's dorm room--not in their bed, of course," she added when several male students cat called. I smirked to myself.

"Attacks will happen at many different times during the day. Even though we are your teachers, we want you to go all out. No holding back."

"We don't have a problem there, Headmistress!" I called out. Most of the kids around me laughed. I swear even she cracked a smile.

"Anyways," she continued as if I hadn't spoke. "Even though Strigoi cannot go outside in the sunlight, attacks can occur indoors during the day so don't assume that the daytime hours are safe. You are never safe in the field experience. Anything can happen, anytime. Guardians, always be aware of your surroundings.

"And now I will announce the pairings." The room went deathly quiet as most students held their breath. "Guardians, I will say your name and then the name of your Moroi partner. Then you are to proceed to the front of the gym and get a packet with important information on the Moroi you are paired with." She looked down at the paper she was holding. "Paul Abbott, you are paired with Jeanne Lopez. Lindsey Acet, you are paired with Rachel Adams." I heard Russell grumble under his breath and I smiled at him sympathetically. Kirova continued down the list, and at the end of each pairing she listed, there was either a groan or an excited yelp. I had started to fool around a bit by yelling with excitement at the end of each pairing. Russ apparently found it pretty funny, as did most of the people around me. I had a feeling it bugged Kirova, though.

"Russell Harald, you are paired with Jonathan Matthews." I whooped loudly and Russ rolled his eyes and snickered as he stood to retrieve the packet. "Janine Hathaway, you are paired with Dillon Thomas." I had opened my mouth to yell again before it really hit me. I was paired with Dillon Thomas. Oh, hell.

And that is the first chapter. Thank you for reading it and tell me what you think.

Mel.