AN- Hey Guys! So It's been …awhile. Sorry I have been super busy with work and life but I'm back and have some new stories for you as well as finishing the two ones I have yet to finish. I decided to do a short story on what would happen if Rose and Dimitri didn't make it to her Qualifier. The first chapter starts at the beginning of frostbite but with some twists! So I hope you will enjoy reading this and please don't forget to review.

CrazyDamphirxx

Chapter One -

I looked in the mirror at my long dark hair wishing I had actually brushed it and hadn't slept in as long as I had. I turned to Lissa and ask her how she was feeling as I could sense darkness all around her and was worried.

She had been prescribed medication to stop Spirit from working and I knew she missed it but I hope she hadn't stop taking her pills just so she could be closer to the magic.

"Liss? What's wrong?" I asked

"Nothing" she answered nervously

"Lissa, please tell me. How can I help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Biting her lower lip as she slowly answered me in a small voice "It's my pills…they're not working…as well as they have been."

"What?"

"My pills. They're not as strong as they were in the beginning. I feel closer to the magic but I still can't use it."

"If you think the pills aren't working then maybe we should tell someone"

"No,no. It's fine honestly …they're still working just not as well as they used to.

" Just tell me if they stop working, ok?" I added

Nodding in agreement she pointed at her watch and told me I was going to be late for my Qualifier exam if I did not get a move on. Her sudden change in topic worked. My Qualifier exam was today and I had only found out an hour ago.

All of us novice guardians were required to pass during junior year at St. Vladimir's Academy. I had missed mine but that was another story for another day.

"Don't worry about me I promise to let you know if things get worse." Lissa said

Through the bond that I shared with my best friend I could sense some darkness, not much but it was there and it worried me.

" Li,,Lissa you would tell me right? If things weren't ok?" I asked one more time.

"Yes Rose of course I would. Please don't worry about me. Just focus on passing you 're Qualifier exam"

"Okay" I replied as I gave my best friend a quick hug before pulling on my coat and raced out of the dorm room as my best friend yelled "Good luck" to me.

Looking at my watch and swearing to myself I raced across the school grounds to where my mentor, Dimitri Belikov was waiting beside a Honda Pilot.

Pity it wasn't a Ferrari or something cool and sporty (like in a James Bond film and we were two spies on a secret mission).

"I know, I Know." I said seeing the look on his face.

I looked towards the sky as it turned a dark grey and all around us snow was just beginning to fall. I watched as the snow, white crystal flakes gentle drifted down –several landing and melting on Dimitri's hair.

"So who else is going?" I asked him

"Just you and me" he replied

"Oh" I said surprised and trying not to smile at the thought of him and me in a car…alone!

"How long is this car journey? I asked secretly wishing that it was an over night journey or even better maybe we would get stranded in a snow bank and only body heat would keep us alive.

"Five hours"

"Oh"

Oh well at least that was better then nothing and there was still a possibility that we would get stranded in a snow bank. Jumping into the Honda with Dimitri in the driving seat after pestering him to let me drive but he insisted on driving saying something like "We want to get there in the one piece Roza."

I quickly gave up when I realised that he was not going to let me drive and tried to focus on my Qualifier exam instead of my hot mentor, which was proving to be extremely difficult. The smell of his sweet scented aftershave was driving me insane and all of a sudden five hours seemed like forever.

"So why are we going to them? Don't they usually come to the academy?" I asked

"Actually you're going to a him not a them." He replied

"Who is he?"

"Arthur Schoenberg"

Turning my gaze from the road ahead to Dimitri.

"What? But..But he's a legend!" I gulped

Arthur Schoenberg was one of the greatest Strigoi Slayers –ever. I was doomed for sure.

"Wasn't there anybody else?"

"Don't worry you'll be fine" he said trying not to smile.

As much as I appreciated Dimitri's confidence in me I did feel a little nervous about meeting this Arthur Schoenberg or as Dimitri called him "Art". At least one of us was on first name terms with him.

Of course Dimitri hadn't run off with his best friend for two years. I knew that this wouldn't do me any favors in helping me pass my exam.

"Don't worry you'll do fine" he repeated

"Thanks" I smiled back at him.

I leaned back into my seat and tried not to think about anything except passing my Qualifier exam. That's what I was going to focus on and nothing else. I curled my feet up underneath me and I thinking about Lissa and wondering if she was ok as I decided to quickly check up on her as I closed my eyes and concentrated on entering her head.

I was getting pretty good at this and I knew she hated it, saying it was an invasion of her privacy. But I just had to make sure that she was all right. The darkness that I had seen around her earlier had frightened me.

I could see Lissa now she was sitting in the canteen with Christian. They where talking and I could feel through the bond how she was feeling –happy as she listened to her boyfriend joke about something that had happened earlier that week.

I felt no other emotions the darkness had vanished for the moment. Relieved to know she was fine I returned to my own head. I yawned as I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It had been an hour since we had left the Academy and neither of us had spoken in a while.

The snow was still falling and I began to shiver. I moved my hand to turn the heat up just as Dimitri was reaching for it too –our hands touched sending a shock up my arm. He quickly pulled back and I wondered if he too had felt the same thing.

From the corner of my eye I could see his body tense as if he thought I was going to jump him right there and then! Suddenly the five, hour car journey seemed too long.

After a while the silence was becoming too much as was the lack of food lining my stomach. Sighing I thought back to this morning and wished that I had had something a little more substantial to eat.

I'm hungry…can we stop?" I asked a little while later.

"If we stop now it's going to delay us. Besides Art does not like to be kept waiting." He replied.

" Awwww Comrade! I'm starving cant we just stop for take out?" I whined

Eventually he gave up and told me we would stop at the next gas station, which was about a mile away. I smiled to myself at my little victory as I rested my arm against my head.

True to his word he turned off at the next exit and pulled up close to the gas station and to my relief, there was a small restaurant too. I quickly jumped out of the Honda and pulled my coat tightly against my body. The temperature was beginning to drop further and it sent chills down my legs and arms.

I walked towards the restaurant as Dimitri called out to me not to buy too much food and to be quick. I waved back and headed inside. The restaurant was warm and it smelt wonderful too.

I order some fast food and bought some chocolate for later. As I waited for my order I looked out the window and watched Dimitri fill the Honda with some gas for the remaining journey.

I drank my hot chocolate as I walked towards the back of the building and stopped to stare at the beautiful view that lay before me. Dimitri walked over and stood next to me.

"Rose, we better get going if we are going to get there before dark." He said

Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think!