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Chapter 6

Could things be any more perfect? The last 3 weeks had been the happiest of my entire life and it was all thanks to Xavier. He was amazing. I know it sounds completely lame and cheesy but I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and he will be gone. His smile never fails to amaze me. Each time I see it my breath catches in my throat and my heart starts beating madly.

I hadn't told him yet but I was totally in love with him.

Last night, like most spent with Xavier, was amazing. We had spent the whole night in the clearing. I don't think either of us planned to stay out all night but neither of us wanted to be alone so we had curled up under some trees so the light wouldn't bother Xavier and fell asleep. It was one of the best nights of my life.

It was dark when I opened my eyes. I shivered and snuggled closer to Xavier.

"Are you okay?" he murmured.

"Never been better," I admitted, turning to face him. I kissed him lightly, "We should get back before someone notices that we are gone,"

He groaned, "Can't we stay here forever?"

"I wish," I stood up and dragged him to his feet, "Come on, if my Dad finds out about this he will kill you,"

"Fine," he said giving me another kiss, "But I'm only doing this because I know you couldn't live without me,"

I laughed as we walked back towards the Academy. We were minutes away when I heard a sound that made my heart stop.

Screaming.

"Ava-" Xavier whispered.

"Come on," I grabbed his had and pulled him towards the dorms. We were at the door when I saw it. I would know those horrible red eyes anywhere. I pushed Xavier through the door, they come first, "Go get help," I yelled at him. I wasn't childish enough to believe that I could handle this on my own and without a weapon I was as good as dead. Xavier hesitated for a second but decided it was best to listen to me.

In an instant the Strigoi was in front of me. It was a female and she was about my height. She lunged forward but I managed to dodge her attack and land a hard kick to her stomach. She stumbled back clumsily, she obviously wasn't very old.

"Wow, I'm surprised they bothered to bring you. You can't even kill a novice," I laughed. Taunting her was definitely a bad idea. She growled and lunged again, this time I wasn't so lucky. Using her super strength she threw me backwards. I felt my head hit the wall. Damn that hurt.

"Ava!" I heard someone scream. My eyes focused on someone running towards me. When my vision cleared I saw it was Evie. Oh shit.

"Evie, Go! Quick!" I yelled back. Of course she didn't listen. She had some how managed to get her hands on a stake. She collided with the Strigoi and they fought for what seemed like ages. I couldn't see who was winning. Well, that was until I heard a scream and I saw the Strigoi crumple to the floor. Evie rushed over to me.

"Are you okay?" she demanded, pulling me to my feet.

"Do you know how stupid that was?" I fumed, "You could've been killed,"

"I couldn't let you die, you're my best friend," she frowned.

"Look, you need to-" I was cut off by the sound of screaming. Without thinking I started running towards the sound. I felt Evie grab my arm. "What are you doing?"

"We need to go get the guardians, we don't know how many are out there," she replied looking around.

"What we need to do is help whoever that was," I hissed.

"We can't Ava," she shook her head.

"We can't just leave them to die," I argued, "It could be a Moroi, they come first remember," I yanked my arm from her grasp and ran into the trees. I heard her following me.

It didn't take long to find the screamer. It was a young Moroi girl. The male Strigoi had her pinned against a tree, his fangs inching closer to her neck as tears streamed down her cheeks.

I lunged at him, diverting his attention to me instead of the girl. I delivered a punch to his stomach, smiling when I heard him grunt. He recovered quickly and hit my left shoulder, making me stumble. He came for me again, grabbing the tops of my arms we both struggled to gain an advantage. I saw Evie trying to sneak up on him and I immediately knew it wasn't going to work, she hadn't noticed the Strigoi that was sneaking up on her.

"Evie!" I yelled in warning, gaining strength I managed to throw the male off me. But it was too late. The monster behind her had his fangs at her neck before either of us could react. He gave me a sickly smile before biting down. "No!" my scream was echoed by the Moroi girl who hadn't moved away from the tree she had been pinned against.

I started running towards them but the first Strigoi caught me around the waist. I threw one elbow up behind my head, catching his nose while the other jabbed into his gut. We continued to struggle when I noticed a stake at my feet. I snatched it up and before he could register what had happened I plunged it into his heart.

I turned back to Evie and the other Strigoi and my own heart stopped. I understood where the stake had came from now.

Evie was a crumpled mess on the ground. Her skin was pale and her eyes open in a glassy stare. The leaves beneath her were stained with blood, as were the Strigoi's lips, which were turned up in a mocking smile.

"Delicious," he whispered and I saw red. I went for him, refusing to believe what I saw before me. If I could get to the Strigoi and kill him then everything would be okay. Everything would be normal and safe again.

I collided with his body kicking him hard in the side. His hand quickly shot out, catching my arm and pushing me away. I pretended to stumble and when he lunged again I struck out. The stake bit into his heart, his eyes widened in shock and then went blank. The body fell at my feet. I looked in all directions making sure there were no more Strigoi waiting for their chance. The area was clear. I yanked the stake out of the dead Strigoi's chest.

I ran back to Evie and collapsed next to her. I shook her shoulders, knowing it was useless. I was too late. I had failed.

"W-we need t-to get out of h-here," the Moroi choked out. I turned to glare at her.

"We aren't leaving her alone," I replied, not recognising my own voice.

"There's n-nothing we can do, she's d-dead," she cried.

I pushed off the ground and stormed over to where the girl was standing. She cowered under my fierce stare.

"We just saved your life." I fumed in a deadly voice, "She would still be alive if we had just left you to die. You should be dead. Not her."

"I-" she started.

"Get away from here," I ordered.

"What if there are m-more of them?" she sobbed.

"I don't care! Just get away! Now!" I screamed. She gave me a terrified look and then sprinted in the direction of the Academy.

I sat back down next to Evie, pushing the hair away from her face. I laid down next to her and took her hand in my own. My eyes clamped shut. If my eyes were shut maybe I would wake up to find this had all been a nightmare.

I don't know how long I stayed there. Time didn't seem to matter any more. Nothing mattered. Eventually I heard voices. I didn't know if they were good or bad. Quite honestly, I didn't care. I stayed where I was, hoping that if they were Strigoi they would just kill me quickly.

"Ava?" I heard a voice whisper and I felt hands on my face. I closed my eyes tighter. Someone tried to pull me away and I flew into a sitting position my stake ready to strike.

"Get away from me!" I hissed, before taking in the face before me.

"Ava-please?" Mom held out her hand for the stake. It was quiet for a long time.

"I d-don't-" I stuttered, unable to get my words out, "I- don't want t-to see any m-more," I finally confessed.

"I know," she nodded, eyes filling with tears, "I know you don't baby."

"I-I couldn't s-stop it," I choked, my throat burning from the tears that were trying to escape.

"This isn't your fault. I promise you are safe now. Give me the stake," she whispered. Her words were filled with love and fear. They wrapped around me, making my grip on the stake loosen. It landed on the ground with a soft thud.

The moment it left my hand I launched myself at my Mom. My arms locked around her neck and I buried my face in her hair. The tears didn't come. The grief and fear was eating me up inside but I couldn't let myself cry. If I let myself cry I would never be able to stop. My breathing came out in jagged gasps.

"I d-don't want to see any m-more," I repeated. I felt strong arms lifting me off the ground and away from my Mom. The familiar smell of my Dad made me feel safe.

"Belikov, we need everyone to stay here," I heard a guardian order.

"She's my daughter," Dad said simply, I waited for someone to argue but no one did.

I rested my head on my Dads shoulder as he walked.

"Luka?" I asked.

"He's fine baby," Mom whispered, "Everyone else is fine,"

"Oh," I mumbled, my eyes closing. The sounds around me drifted away, as did everything I was feeling. My whole body went numb. I felt myself being pulled deeper into the darkness and I hoped I would never resurface.

AN: So what does everyone think? Read and Review please.