Vampire Academy

"Of course I do. Do you know how to dance?" he had said when she had asked him if HE could dance. “pff.. Of course I can. What? Do you think I cannot?” she answered to him, daring him a little to really say that she probably could not dance. It had been some time ago but then again, dancing was just like riding a bike or a horse, you never forgot how to do it.

"Evanee," he started when she had made her little statement about the fact that he would probably want to get rid of her and so he would know that it would be alright if he did. It sounded a little lecturing, she never liked lectures. He had pulled her to a stop, grabbing her by the shoulders which surprised her, since it made her look into his eyes at the same time"In case you've forgotten, which seems to be the case right now, I asked you. Do you really think I'm that stupid to ask someone to the dance I don't want to spend the whole evening with?" He asked her. "Because if so, you are gravely mistaken. You won't get rid of me that easily, I can promise you that," he said, before walking on again.
It was some lecture, she could give him that at least. But somehow she simply could not make herself believe that. nice people were overrated, she had always told herself, in the end everyone was as bad as the one they were with... so that would probably say allot in this case.
She had also quite ruined it all by turning away to get something to drink. Once at the table she poured a glass of wine for herself and drank the whole glass at once. Well done, Eva. You already messed it up and the whole thing has not even really started. Monique also noticed her and came her way. “what are you doing?!” her friend hissed at her. “You should be with Jarek right now! Not drinking to find courage.” She said, but a little softer and less harsh. “I know this is hard, but still, give the man a chance oke?” she said and before poor Evanee could even nod her friend had already disappeared again into the crowd. “ Thank you for the great advice.” She muttered to herself, pouring in another glass for herself and one for Jarek. After that she turned back again and pushed herself through the loads of people already in her way. Quest number one for tonight; find Jarek. She thought and grinned a little. Maybe this would be a great book. If the whole murdering strigoi would never work out maybe she could become an author or something.

After some minutes she found Jarek and smiled apologising. “sorry for leaving you like that... sometimes I really can be a pain.... most of the time.” She said, correcting herself automatically. “And for your information I really can dance, quite good I must say.. at least my mother thought so.. but that was my mother and I was fifteen at the time.” She said, trying desperately to get a conversation going. “When was the last time YOU really got out?” she asked teasingly.

When she found him he had been standing right next to the dancefloor, talking to someone she didn’t really knew. She knew his face though, he was one of those guys from their fighting class. He seemed to be quite alone, since he was talking so freely to Jarek before she had showed up.
"Don't worry, you're not. Not right now at least," he told her, giving her a teasing bump with his shoulder. She seemed a little surprised but recovered soon enough, smiling broadly. He was kind, maybe a bit too kind but it mattered to her, she felt good being here now that she had everything planned out.
From talking Jarek somehow made the step to dancing, since he took her by her arm and took her to the dancefloor. “Don’t dance too much, it’s a waste of good wine.” She said, smiling, while she made a turn and took a sip of her drink. She could at least try to make the most of tonight and then she would be off into the great unknown.

She had finished her drink and was still dancing with Jarek. Their conversation was very... good. Just fine. They hadn’t talked about anything they didn’t want to talk about and they just enjoyed each other’s company. It felt good to dance again, certainly when there was a handsome young man dancing with you. Wait... rewind, since when did she think of Jarek as a handsome young man? For a moment there was puzzlement in her eyes and then she remembered. Yes, of course, since the time that they had been training together on a regular basis. Don’t get anything into your head girl, it will only hurt.

Another hour later she had reached her limit, at least her pretend to be limit. What was true was that she felt a little bit braver than she had before and so she asked him; “Have you ever.. you know.. had something with Charlie?” she asked him out of the blue. She took a big gulp and looked away, trying to look as relaxed as possible. “I mean not that I don’t think a man and a woman cannot be just friends.” She mentioned.
Her eyes had found Monique, who really really wanted her to look at Jarek... taking her weird arm movements right that was. So she looked back and looked at Jarek. Her thought wandered again. Was he a good kisser? .. no Eva, don’t... she thought and then she leaned over, her lips touched his for a moment and then she pulled back as quickly as possible when she realized what she was really doing. So, yes. She fucked up. “I am soo sorry.” She said stuttering with her eyes a little wider.

They had been dancing a while before she had started to ask him some questions, stupid ones that was obvious enough but still… she wanted to know. so actually she kind of got laughed at because of her asking him if he and Charlie had ever been more than friends. Then he had started something about her dating Monique and that it would not be wrong or something for her to lean to the other side or whatever. That had been when she had given him the ‘what the hell are you talking about’ look.
When she had kissed him he just blinked and she felt even more stupid than she already felt. Did she make a mistake? it didn’t really matter because she already had... way to go Eva, falling in love right before you’re going to leave school... great.
"What for?" He asked her, absently placing his glass on the table and taking hers as well. "I didn't mind," he said as het ook a step closer to her, put his arm around her waist and kissed her. There was this really warm feeling spreading through her body as she stood her in his arms, it felt so.. peaceful somehow. She again broke the kiss and looked up at him. “So... you really didn’t ask me out as a friend.” She said, grinning a little bit awkwardly. “Come, let’s dance.” She said and she gently grabbed his hands and took him to the dancefloor again.

A long time had passed and she really had had fun the rest of the night. Now however it was all over and she was back in her own room, looking at the emptiness around her. She had been talking to Monique only a little while earlier, gossiping about the night. Seems that Monique and her date were pretty into each other and they were already having lunch the next day. Evanee herself had kissed Jarek good night and had gone straight to ‘bed’.
Now she was wearing black jeans and a black shirt grabbing her bag from under her bed, good thing she had been prepared for all this. So now she opened her window, sneaked out, closed it again from the outside and got off the school terrain in no-time. Marius was already waiting for her, his car running. “you took your sweet time.” He said, gesturing at the passenger door. “Get in.”
So Evanee got in the car and swallowed away a lump growing in her throat. She felt horrible leaving like that, what would he think of her when he found out she had run off? “Somthing wrong, child?’ Marius asked her, looking a little worried. He had began to care about the girl who was doomed for this fate. “Nothing, just keep driving.” She muttered softly. Already the sun was rising and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

No…. Noo….not again, she thought as she turned around and looked at the creature behind her. How the hell did he know where to find her? Yet again that is. Her father was irritating her the last couple of months. At first he had not known she had left the school and then somehow, like magic, he knew where she was every time she was somewhere for more than a couple of days. “Damned girl, can’t you tell your old man to just die?” Marius said with a grin as he looked back also.
The both of them were sitting in a car, they rented a car once in a while and it never got back to the renters... renters be damned Marius always said. Now that his leg was broken, a strigoi snapped it like a twig only three weeks before, Evanee needed to drive the car... don’t ever let Evanee drive a car. The light flickered to green and the car spurted forward when Evanee hit the gas. “Calm down you, you’ll give me a hard attack.” Marius said, grinning widely. “Can’t you ever shut your mouth?” she yelled at him as she again turned a corner with slipping tires.

“stop here. I think it’s safe to say the bastard is gone.” Marius said and Evanee parked the car behind some trees. They were in the woods, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and near them was an empty enough cottage. Marius claimed it was his but Evanee could hear by his voice that he would rather not be there. She stepped out of the car and heard Marius mutter about something. “shut up you ungrateful ass.” She said with a smile and she opened the door. She was feeling tired after days of running yet again and she was in desperate need of blood. “Go off you, I can handle things here for a moment.” Marius said as he saw her face. Without a thank you Evanee ran off, reaching a speed with made her eyes tear.

Almost a year had gone by now and she still was not over the thing with Jarek. She had simply left him and it didn’t feel right but going back was not an option, at least not anymore. Now however she found herself again near school territory. Marius had received a message from someone unknown to her and he had urged her to come here. “it is very important that we’re here when midsummer starts.” He said, not caring to explain her why. She snorted and stopped, coming to an abrupt halt when she smelled something in the air. Her eyes were the only thing that gave away her enormous thirst. The hunter came right to her, didn’t know what happened when she knocked him unconscious and drank some of his blood. “Thanks.” She muttered when she left, back towards the cottage.

She had been sleeping through the day. Her dreams were more like nightmares. Certain images haunted her behind her closed eyelids and Marius found himself, sometimes, looking worried about her to where she was sleeping.
The man had arranged a fire in the fireplace and he had found something more to eat for himself. They needed something, more than this anyway. This was no living for either of them but they were needed here soon, he simply rather had that they met the rest somewhere better.

Evanee rose at night and stretched her limps. She felt a little sore but that was no wonder counting the fights she had been in lately. She grunted and closed her eyes again when she heard a cracking noise rise from her shoulder. It had been broken some months ago and she still felt it after a long sleep… not that she got any often.
“Marius.” She whispered as she walked over to where the older man was seated in a chair. The fire was still burning brightly and she stepped in front of him. “Marius.” She said again, a little louder this time. Instead of answering her right away he snored and she smiled slightly, he had earned his rest too.
So Evanee wrote a note, writing something about stretching her legs and going for a run, then she was off.

Some miles away was the school, she knew that still. It had not been that long ago but it seemed like centuries had passed by unnoticed. The yard where she used to sit looked a little neglected and she felt sorry.
Evanee was standing at the edge of the school property. Since she was no real student at the Academy anymore she was not allowed on the grounds, an older one would definitely notice her presence there. Still she wondered and so she took a couple of hesitating steps before she started to run towards the tower, where her old room used to be.

Jarek
It certainly wasn't the first time Jarek ended up walking the gardens, feeling guilty about Isabel but at the same time grateful for the fact he didn't have to be all alone.
Since he had seen how a strigoi had sliced Jeremy's throat, there weren't many people left that still wanted to be around him. Even Charlie-
well, thinking about Charlie wouldn't exactly help better his mood, would it?
Jarek could feel his thoughts itching under his skin, and he ran a hand through his hair before deciding on doing the only thing that ever seemed to help. He started to run.
First it was just a jog, enough to feel his legs working without really tiring, but soon it turned into something faster. He listened to the sound of his own breathing, and the thudding of his feet on the ground. After a while, right before he checked if his surroundings were clear, he closed his eyes.
Not practical for training, but he had long ago given up on the façade that this had anything to do with training.
As he kept running, he could slowly feel the burn in his legs creeping up, until it bannished out all his thoughts.
Right before he was about to open his eyes, his chest made contact with something- no, someone, and the force of the clash had him falling backwards. His eyes snapped open as his back hit the grass beneath him, and a muffled 'oomph' escaped his lips.
He grunted, already opening his mouth to apologise to whoever he had hit, when his eyes settled on Evanee's face.
At first it seemed as if all the air left him, and his head grew dizzy as he stared at her, not really believing what he was seeing.
When it hit him that it was, in fact, Evanee, his lungs were able to fill themselves with oxygen again. Hurtlossanger flashed through his chest, and he pushed himself back up.
His voice was even colder than he would have thought it'd sound as he spoke to her for the first time in years.
"What are you doing here?"

She knew she was quick, she always had been. But while she, once again, ran over the school grounds there was this pang of guilt hitting her. She had left this place without telling anyone, she had betrayed her friends trust... left them there.
It didn’t matter how many times she told herself that it had been for their own protection that she had left, sometimes it just got to her more than she would ever admit. However running her again felt good, not exactly like coming home but in a way it felt good, this place had been her ‘home’ in a way for years on end. Some had cared for her more than her own family had and so this was home in a way. How would Monique be doing now? Or Jarek for that matter.

It was not like Evanee paid allot of attention to her environment, otherwise she would have noticed the figure that was also running on the school grounds, someone that might have been familiar to her if she would have paid attention. With a big bang they hit each other and she landed on top of the person she bumped into. There was a moment of dizziness but that was gone when she heard the voice of the man she had bumped into.
"What are you doing here?" the ice cold voice said.
Evanee froze at that, just looking down at the man, unable to move. Her face was blank, her eyes were shocked and then filled with something else. This couldn’t be him. Why did she had to run into him?! OF all people why! Were the gods playing a game with her? She wondered. Once again she found her strength and she got up quickly, still not answering him.

Years had changed her. Her hair was darker, her skin more fair than before. Her eyes had a hint of savageness in them because of the things she had seen, encountered... and killed.
“I uh...” she started, though she couldn’t make herself to finish this. Perhaps she could simply avoid him? For sure she was faster than he was. And so she tried that, taking a leap of faith and running as fast as she could, trying to get away from him without even needing to say anything more.
How could I tell him that I need to be here for some stupid reason? How can I possibly explain why I left him... Monique... everyone...

Jarek
His breath felt unsteady in his throat as he stared at Evanee's face. She seemed just as dumbstruck as he was, because she never answered his question. "I, uh...," she started, and as she spoke Jarek could feel his brain restart again. A sudden nausea overwhelmed him, and he pushed against Evanee's shoulders, growling. "Get off," he hissed, the anger finally breaking through in it's entirety. 
Before he knew it, she was up on her feet. She was already getting out of his sight when it finally sank in what she was doing.
She was running away.
Again.
Jarek wasn't sure if he ever made an actual decision, but within a few seconds he found himself running again, this time to follow Evanee. Wherever she was heading, he didn't care. She couldn't just run. In the least, she would have to listen to him. 
Somewhere in the back of his head he noticed she had been training, because she was very fast - but Jarek was very determined. They had left the school ground without him realising, and he vaguely felt the asphalt burning the soles of his feet. It took him another few moments to realise why- he hadn't bothered putting on any shoes when he had left Isabel. Jarek didn't slow down, however. Instead he sped up just the tiniest bit more, until Evanee was within his reach and he snapped out his hand, grabbing her by the wrist. He wasn't exactly gentle when he pulled her to a stop and around at the same time, but he was too angry to notice, let alone apologise.
He was breathing hard, and his hair was sticking to his forehead with the sweat that had formed there.
He still held a tight grip on Evanee's wrist, almost scared she would disappear again if he let her go. She couldn't leave him, not yet; there were too many questions filling his head that he wanted answers to. Where had she been? Where was she going right now? What had she done? Who had gotten her away from the school grounds? What had happened to her?
To his own surprise, however, none of those questions left his mouth. Instead, all he asked her was an almost silent "why did you leave me?".

Evanee was fast, she knew she was. She had to be if she wanted to survive any strigoi attack. She noticed how she ran of school property again, probably because it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, running around on school property while you’re already searched for.. or had been searched for. In some way this gave her a thrill. She felt like she could run until she had reached the border but she knew for a fact that that was just the adrenaline talking in her mind, messing it all up for her. Asphalt was now underneath her shoes, though she ran so fas that she barely touched the ground. Behind her she could her the footsteps of Jarek, gaining more and more ground with every second. How was he faster than she was? How could he! She thought, almost thinking of this more and more like some childhood game.
However the game was over much faster than she would have anticipated. Soon she felt a sharp pain in her wrist, as if it broke though she was quite sure that it wasn’t. She let out a soft scream of pain as she tried to duck away to avoid more pain in her arm. “Damn it, Jarek!’ she said, looking at him now with a fire in her eyes. Why was he following her! He should be angry, he should go to the head mistress to tell her she was back around, so that she would be caught and put to justice. However he ran after her caught her, and now what? What was he planning.

But when she looked at him, really looked at him, she could see the hundreds of questions already in his eyes. Again this feeling of guilt overwhelmed her and she turned away her face.
"why did you leave me?" he then asked her with a voice so soft it was barely audible.
She swallowed away her first remark, that was only the adrenaline that wanted to resist all of this.
“I had too.” She said softly. She had already given up trying to break loose of his grip, she knew that wouldn’t work in a million years.
“Did you follow me just to ask that? Shouldn’t you be angry?” she asked him, still unable to look at him because only then she would be confronted with her actions from years earlier.
She took a deep breath and a scent got into her nose, she knew that smell. “So how are you and Isabel doing?” she asked, trying not to sound hurt because she had no right. “How is Monique?” she added softly.
Slowly she tried to stand straight again and she got her wrist loose. This time though, she didn’t ran away, she just stood there unmoving. She simply couldn’t move.
he looked different now. Older, not much but just a bit. He seemed hardened by time, she thought, probably because he had seen allot of things lately, more than he would have wanted.

Jarek
"Damn it, Jarek!" she said as he grabbed her by the wrist. The words only made his anger flame a little more. As he stared at her, all his questions fighting for dominance, she turned away her face. Jarek's fingers gripped a little tighter, though he didn't really notice it himself. 
"Why did you leave me?" Jarek regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He could see her throat moving as she swallowed, and his back was tense as he waited for her answer.
"I had too," she replied softly. "Did you follow me just to ask that? Shouldn't you be angry?" She suddenly asked him, though she still wasn't looking at him. Jarek could barely contain the growl that bubbled up in his throat, and his eyes flamed up as he stared at her, incredulous.
He was about to answer her when she took in a deep breath, followed up with, "So how are you and Isabel doing?"
Jarek let go of her wrist as if he had burned himself, but he immediately took a step closer, using his height to his advantage. "Oh, no, you do not get to play that card," he hissed, looking down at her with disgust clear on his face. "Isabel never left me. She is here when I need her," he spit out. "Don't be mistaken, Evanee," he said, her name rolling out of his mouth as if it were a disease. "I am angry, very much so. You chose to disappear out of my life, so you don't get to judge my choices, not anymore," he told her.
"How is Monique?" Evanee asked, and the soft tone of her voice made him take a small step back again. His face fell shut, the anger disappearing behind his eyes. "I wouldn't know," he told her. "We don't speak anymore. Things have changed, Evanee," he said, this time speaking her name in a slightly more gentle way. "The Acadamy hasn't stuck in time."

he had gripped her wrist even harder just before he let her go, his answer however was not something she had imagined.Perhaps she should have known that he would react the way he did, it was his right to act the way he did. His eyes were flaming, mirroring the anger that was building up inside of him. After she had made that remark about him and Isabel, he spoke.  
"Oh, no, you do not get to play that card," he hissed, looking down at her with disgust clear on his face. "Isabel never left me. She is here when I need her," he spit out.
"IT's not like it was an easy decision, Jarek." she hissed back.
"Don't be mistaken, Evanee," he said, speaking her name like she was nothing more than a disease, filth that wasn't even worth talking too. "I am angry, very much so. You chose to disappear out of my life, so you don't get to judge my choices, not anymore," he told her. Evanee now looked at him, confronting herself with the result of her action. She, however, ignored the hissing and the spitting and she dislike in his voice. She was sorry that he had no idea about how Monique was doing, she had wondered about her friend allot the past time.
"We don't speak anymore. Things have changed, Evanee," he said,sounding a bit more gentle than before. "The Acadamy hasn't stuck in time."
She snorted at that. "That's no surprise. Everything changes with time." she answered, sounding more like she didn't care than she wanted to. She took one step back and looked at him, feeling unsure at that point. She didn't know what to do. "You look good though." she said, smiling a bit sheepish. "Time had treated you well." she added.

Of course she wanted to tell him everything, but something stopped her. It was again this fear that she would bring him and her old friends in danger if she told them everything. That was the only thing that held her back and so she fell silent again.
It was quite awkward and she looked around a little. The property hadn't changed much but there were some things that in fact were different than before. "A shame about the garden, I liked it there."she said softly, turning back to face him again. She tried to keep her face straight, she didn't want to show him how she felt, it was no used. "Listen, Jarek. You should best go back and forget about seeing me." she started. "But if you have the feeling in the coming weeks that something isn't quite right. Come to the garden and I will come to explain everything. I just hope that won't be necessary." she said, the last words almost not audible.
Evanee turned around, in order to get back to Marius again. "It's not like it was an easy decision, leaving Monique... You most of all. Just... trust me when I say I had to." she whispered. Even after all this time she still felt the same about him, she felt it again when she saw him. This warm feeling spreading through her body, making her feel safe and like nothing mattered any more. "I do miss you." she added and with that she disappeared again, into the woods, back to the truck.

Jarek
"It's not like it was an easy decision, Jarek," Evanee hissed in response. She finally looked at him as he told her she didn't have the right to judge him. After he told her about the fact he was the last person to know how Monique was doing, a slightly awkward silence hung in between them.
He watched with alert eyes as Evanee took a small step back, looking at him. "You look good though," she suddenly said, causing Jarek to blink his eyes. She threw him a sheepish smile, and even though he didn't answer it, he didn't scowl either. Progress, in a way.
"Time has treated you well," she added to her earlier words. Jarek's face fell as he thought about the past few years. It wasn't just the strigoi attack that had happened: somehow he had managed to alienate himself from almost everyone. "No, it hasn't," he therefore answered, the anger slowly seeping somewhere to the back of his head, where he could ignore it for now. "You- look good as well," he suddnely said, though the words came out a little hesitant.
They were silent again, and Jarek averted his eyes to stare at the ground. His toes were covered with wet grass. 
"A shame about the garden, I liked it there," Evanee said, and Jarek looked up for a few seconds, humming a noncommittal answer.
"Listen, Jarek. You should best go back and forget about seeing me," she started, and he could feel the anger flaring up again, but before he could say something she continued. "But if you have the feeling in the coming weeks that something isn't quite right. Come to the garden and I will come to explain everything. I just hope that won't be necessary," she told him. For a few moments, Jarek could do nothing but gape at her until he found back his words.
"What are you saying?" He asked her, his voice tense again. "When are you finally going to understand you can't just forget about people? Everything already isn't 'quite right'," he spat, throwing her words back at her.
Evanee had already turned around as she spoke to him. "It's not like it was an easy decision, leaving Monique.. you most of all. Just- just trust me when I say I had to," she whispered. Jarek pursed his lips and clenched his fists, his breath coming out in angry puffs through his nose. "It was a decision nonetheless. You left, and you didn't even warn any of us. I can't just trust you again," he told her.
"I do miss you," he heard her say, right before she disappeared into the woods. Jarek stared at the place he had seen her last with a hollow feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, just watching, but eventually his feet felt numb and the sweat on his body had turned cold, so he turned around and walked back.

"It was a decision nonetheless. You left, and you didn't even warn any of us. I can't just trust you again," it sounded in her head while she ran off. She was fighting to keep those feelings away from her hearth but she knew that eventually it would knock her down. He was right, she had let them down and he was right not to trust her in this.
Still, she also remembered him saying that it already wasn’t quite right over there. What did he mean by that? She wondered, trying to keep her mind of her feeling but to the task at hand. She had to talk to Marius about this, that much she had figured out already. Perhaps she would show her face around the school property tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, Marius could sneak in and find some things out himself.

Marius was already standing next to the car, waiting for her return. Evanee already knew that he knew, she saw it on the look he had on his face.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Eva.” He said. He was the only one who had ever thought of shortening her name, nobody ever gave a moroi a nickname.
“I know, I am sorry.” She muttered, coming to a halt in front of him. The man sighed and shook his head. “You should have known that this wouldn’t work out the way you wanted it to. You made a decision long ago and that had a result.” He said to her. But instead of getting angry with her, the man gave her a huge. “I say you go to Monique tomorrow night. See how she’s been, find out what has happened in the time you were gone. If she was your best friend back then, I am sure she will still be now. Even after everything that happened.” He said to her, though it sounded like he already knew more about the situation.
Evanee already knew better than to ask him and so she nodded her agreement. “Fine.” She answered. “But don’t go to Jarek. It won’t be good for the both of you.”Marius warned her. “Now, go and take a nap. You need the rest. I will take the first watch for now.” He said to her. A warm smile appeared around her lips. “Thanks.”

Time had passed by so quickly. Soon it was already the next night. Now Evanee was dressed in black, in order not to be noticed that fast this time. She really wanted to see her friend again and so she got off as fast as she could. Of course after saying goodbye to Marius.
He saw her ran off and smiled. Over the years the girl become more than just someone who he hunted strigoi with, she was not the young girl who got a job to help him, now she was a skilled hunter and killer. Somehow it pained him, to know that so much damaged had been caused only because a man didn’t want to die... ever. He hadn’t told her yet but he had received a message about her mother, telling him that she had killed herself some months ago. But it looked like the girl already knew in a way and so he didn’t speak about it. “Just be careful, Eva.” He muttered softly before he got back in the car and rode off to where the cottage lay in the woods.

This felt great, Evanee thought, just like the old days when she had sneaked out and tried to sneack back into the building again before getting caught. Luckily for her she still had some unknown advantages over the schools guards, she knew almost every way in and out of the building. And so that is how she got into this shaft which was filled with spider webs because of the lack of use over the years. It seemed like the old heating shaft was forgotten now. A smile appeared around her lips and she had this tickling feeling in her stomach, just childish enthusiasm.
Softly she climbed out of the shaft, knowing she was somewhere near the hall she used to had her room in, the girls tower.
Monique’s room was the second door to the right if she remembered correctly. Evanee was a bit nervous but that was soon lifted when she saw the familiar sign on the door saying: Don’t come in, I bite.
She looked around before opening the door quickly and slipping through. However just as she thought she was safe inside the room she was hit on the head with a massive blow. Again there was a blow but this time Evanee blocked it. “WHO ARE YOU!” Monique shouted, smashing Evanee to the ground and putting a foot on her stomach. Already the light was turned on. Monique hadn’t changed a bit, Evanee thought. She saw how the blood drew out of her friends face as she looked at Evanee like she had seen a ghost. “This can’t be.” Monique whispered then, seeming so uncertain about herself at the moment. “Hi.” Evanee said, pushing Monique’s foot of her stomach and rising to look at her friend properly. “I thought... you were... I thought you were dead.” Monique said, unable to make just one good sentence because of the shock. Her eyes were huge now but, even before Evanee could speak, her friend put her arms around her and hugged her. “I missed you so much.” She could hear her say and with that the both of them stood for a while, crying in silence.

Evanee told Monique everything, she had to because she had been her closed friend and even after the betrayal she still was her friend. After that Monique told her some things but she also said to Evanee that she expected Jarek to know more about it all. “We haven’t spoken since a few months after you left.” She started, giving Evanee her glass of blood. “ But I have been keeping an eye on him and something tells me that he knows more than he’s letting on.” She said, winking. “SO you already know about him and Isabel huh? A bummer.” She said and with that Evanee grunted. “Don’t speak about it please.” She pleaded.
Right after the drink, Monique pulled her up from the bench and announced that she had to go and talk to Jarek. “You have to tell him the truth, Evanee.”
“I can’t, Marius advised me not to.” Evanee said, almost looking a bit scared.
“Don’t tell me the almighty strigoi hunter fears a conversation with her almost boyfriend?” Monique said, trying to make it sound like a joke. Evanee grunted again, shook her head and took a deep breath. “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked her friend then, faking being hurt. “You need someone to keep your mind clear of all nonsense. Now go.” Monique said. “I will see you in a few days at the cottage.” And with that Evanee was almost thrown out of the room.

As softly as possible Evanee sneaked through the halls of the school. If only Isabel wouldn’t be there. If the bitch was Evanee would have to hit her out cold and that was not really the thing to start a good conversation. It was not like you could just barge into a room, knock out a girlfriend and could then say; so i am just here to tell you the truth and p.s I love you.
So there she was, completely and utterly alone in the halls. Not that it was a bad thing, something better like that wouldn’t come around every day or so. And that was how she opened the door, saw Isabel only a few feet away. Before Evanee could think this through she hit Isabel on the head, real hard actually, and the girl went out cold in front of her. “sorry about that.” Evanee muttered softly. Right there, on the couch, was Jarek. Not looking all to amused. “I couldn’t know that she would be hear, could I?” she said, as though it was so very normal that a woman came into a room of someone she had left years ago and that it was obviously ok that she would knock out someone else just for old time’s sake and because she had to tell him things unknown to anyone in the school but Monique.
“Yes, I’ve been speaking to Monique. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s her fault I knocked out Isabel! She told me to do that... besides I never liked her. She was a bitch.” Evanee told Jarek like it was the best explanation ever.

Of course Evanee had seen the huge heavy study book that Jarek was slinging with. Not that she really seemed to care because, as was already well known, she was too busy knocking Isabel out cold, which didn’t really pleased Jarek... how could that be? She thought sarcastically. She had just knocked his girlfriend out cold after having abandoned him out of the blue and somehow she expected it to be as it was when she left? Don’t be so stupid Evanee, she thought then, and she crossed her arms, looking at him defiantly.
Jarek, in the mean while, kneeled down near Isabel, lifted her up and lay her gently down in the bed. What the hell had that woman done to deserve such generosity?! She had been a total bitch when Evanee had still been and school and now out of nowhere she had become Jarek’s best friend? Impossible, Evanee could just not understand that. Anyway Jarek was looking really angry and he started to say something about if she ever thought about him and all of that stuff.
"Have you ever thought about what I think?" He asked her. "Because everything you do seems to imply you've never thought about that," he blamed.
“Don’t be like that. You sound like a child saying that.” Evanee spit back at him. Looking at Isabel like she was some piece of filth that was in her way. “I could have killed her, be glad I haven’t done that...yet. perhaps she would be thankful if I did.” She said to him. Before she said that there had been something about not hitting her so hard or something. Evanee however was not a little distracted. She had always known that Jarek had a good appearance, sort of speak, but the years had done him quite good. As soon as he put on a t-shirt however Evanee cleared her throat and shook her head.
“No I didn’t come here to knock out your girlfriend. But it was a good extra.” She said, adding the last part quickly. “I’ve already spoken to Monique just a few minutes ago and she advised me to just tell you. However I can’t tell Isabel, can I? Because I, in fact, do think about people sometimes.” She said and she continued before he could say anything to stop her. “But it’s time we have a talk Jarek and if she knows she can be great danger. You however already know something about it and I need someone here who knows about things so that we can get this over with as soon as possible and simply go our separate ways again.” She said to him. There was no question, her voice simply implied that he would listen to her, if he wanted to or not.
“It has to do with my father, Jarek. That’s why I had to go in the first place because I was a danger to you all. For some bloody reason he needs me. Even though he is in fact a strigoi he had the power to control himself and to get other strigoi to work with each other. When I left there were multiple attacks around school properties. The night you saw me fighting a strigoi, do you remember, that was the night he first contacted me for decades. Believe me or not but he has some sort of twisted plan.” She started. Now however she didn’t feel like standing and so she sat down on a chair, her arms leaning on the back of the chair.
“Marius and I left only some nights after that, to try and find my father so I would be able to kill him and solve the problem. But there is something going on that is more complex than we could have ever imagined. One of the clues led us back here, for midsummernight, when the two worlds are closer together for some reason. We have the idea that my father has someone inside to academy who investigates for him and can help him with his little experiment. We think he wants to summon someone back to this world, someone even more dangerous than he is.”
“That is why I needed to tell you this because Monique is coming with us and you are the only one inside this place who I do trust” she said to him, knowing that he would never trust her either way. Quickly she glanced at Isabel, who was luckily still out cold. Now that she had told him this it felt like a burden was lifted from her shoulders and suddenly she looked tired, which she was. She had been fighting for so long now. It was hard to imagine not having to fight anymore. “please Jarek, do this for me... for everyone you hold dear. After this you never have to see me again. Just please...” she said, begging him now because he was their only hope at this point.

Jarek
"Don't be like that. You sound like a child saying that," Evanee spit back at him. He was back on his feet immediately, and he spun around to face her. "Don't call me that," he hissed. 
"I could have killed her, be glad I haven't done that... yet. Perhaps she would be thankful if I did," she said. He gave her an incredulous look. "I'm going to pretend you did not just say that," he told her, staring at her face for a little longer before he walked to his wardrobe. "You're not a murderer, Evanee. I don't believe that," he muttered. 
"No, I didn't come here to knock out your girlfriend. But it was a good extra," she said, though the last part was so quick he could barely distinguish the different words. 
Jarek stared at the closed wardrobe, suddenly feeling a little guilty for shouting at her now his anger subsided a little.
"I just- it wasn't my intention to end up like this," he muttered. "She did... act like a bitch, as you put it so elegantly," he said, giving her a weak smile before his expression turned serious again. "I just want you to know I don't suddenly agree with the way she acted towards you." 
He pursed his lips, deciding he had given the subject enough words, before he sat back down on the couch. 
"I've already spoken to Monique just a few minutes ago and she advised me to just tell you. However, I can't tell Isabel can I? Because I, in fact, do think about people sometimes," she said, and Jarek flinched a little. Okay, maybe his words had been a little harsh. "You could have just asked her to leave," he muttered.
"But it's time we have a talk, Jarek, and if she knows she can be in great danger. You, however, already know something about it and I need someone here who knows about things so that we can get this over with as soon as possible and simply go our separate ways again," she said to him. Jarek gave her a slightly odd look. "You've got Monique," he said, frowning a little.
"It has to do with my father, Jarek. That's why I had to go in the first place, because I was a danger to you all. For some bloody reaosn he needs me." She started to explain to him everything she knew about her father, and Jarek listened with his eyes fixed on the floor. Halfway she sat down on the chair at his desk, and Jarek watched her for a moment before his eyes went back to the ground. 
"That is why I needed to tell you this, because Monique is coming with us and you are the only one inside this place who I do trust," she said to him. He stared at her for a few moments, and only now noticed the tired slump of her shoulders. "Please Jarek, do this for me.. for everyone you hold dear. After this you never have to see me again. Just please..," she said. He rubbed a hand over his face, before giving her a sad smile. "You sound as if you really believe I'd just send you away," he said. 
He rubbed the nail of his thumb across his upper lip, thinking over his words before he rose to his feet.
"Okay," he breathed. "Okay, yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, throwing a hesitant look at Isabel. 
"I think there's something you need to see," he told her.

He was thinking about something, she could see that by the look on his face. She smiled thinking about how many times she had seen that look before. But there was nothing in thinking back, she corrected herself and she sat straight up again, looking at him.
There was a short silence for a moment and when he agreed Evanee smiled at him, gratefully but most of all just glad because she had the feeling that their friendship wasn’t entirely gone.
“Thanks Jarek. That’s means allot to me.” She said and she looked down for a moment, not really that sure how to react.
"I think there's something you need to see," he told her then and she rose from her seat.
“You were wrong by the way,” she started, standing next to him, “I am a murderer.” And with that she left the room, to stand outside it and wait for him to show her whatever it was that he wanted to show her. She looked to the right, for she had a feeling there was someone watching her, but when she looked down the hallway there was nobody there. Odd, she thought and when Jarek got out of the room Evanee walked with him in silence, unable to speak unless it was an answer to a question. For some reason it felt like all the energy was just gone now that she had told him the truth.
"How did you and Isabel end up together?" she asked after some time of silence. Was she able to ask him the question that controlled her since she saw him the night before? No, not yet, perhaps later.

In the mean time Monique was already heading for the cottage. She had followed the directions Evanee had  given her and when she knocked on the wooden door a man opened. “Hello Monique. I have been expecting you. Come, sit down and tell me what happened.” Marius said. Monique stood there for a moment, gaping at the man in front of her. “You can’t be that old man that cleaned the school? How are you so young again?” Monique asked before she entered the cottage. “A man can have his secrets too, Monique.” The man said, laughing while he poured her a cup of tea. “Now, don’t tell me. Eva has already told the boy hasn’t she?” he said, having a serious tone in his voice. for some reason there was something disturbing and Monique nodded. “yeah.”
“Seems like their paths are still intertwined then.” The man mumbled softly.

Jarek
She smiled at him when he agreed to help her, and Jarek looked away again. "Thanks Jarek," she said. "That means allot to me." He scraped his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a little unsure of himself. "Yeah, well..," he muttered. "It's not really something I can say no to, is it?"
As he stood up, telling her there was something she needed to see, she surprised him with her next words. "You were wrong by the way," she told him as she stood next to him. "I am a murderer." 
Before Jarek could react - and he wasn't even sure he wanted to - she walked out of his room, waiting for him to follow the way when she stood in the hallway. Jarek let out a shaky breath, decided at the last moment to scribble a quick apologetic note for Isabel, and then joined Evanee in the hallway, softly closing the door behind him. He motioned for her to follow him towards the exit of the dorm building, and they walked in silence at first. 
He wondered if they needed to make sure Evanee wasn't seen by anyone, but for some reason he didn't ask the question out loud. He started to wonder if he should have put on a sweater instead of just a shirt as they exited the building, when Evanee broke the silence.
"How did you and Isabel end up together?" She asked him. Jarek could feel the muscles in his shoulders tense up, and he forced them to relax again. He stared ahead of him, thinking about the answer for a while before he started talking. 
"I'm not sure," he admitted. He turned a corner, walking through a small alley between two buildings. "I mean, after you left - don't get me wrong, you hurt me. A lot. But I managed," he said, trying to keep his voice clear of any emotion. "I guess I became a little more distant towards my friends, I'm not sure. It's hard to remember for some reason." He turned another corner and stopped walking as they came to the backdoor of the building where most of the classes were held. 
"Then I- there was this mission, to practice mostly. Me and another dhampir, we were supposed to keep an eye on one of the moroi students together, you know the drill." He rose to his toes and scanned the small ledge above the door until he found the key. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but two strigoi attacked. I killed on of them, but not before it killed the other dhampir." He opened the door and held it open for Evanee to enter before he locked it again. "And after I just- I was acting stupid. I knew I should talk to someone about what happened, but instead I just blocked everyone out," he told her. "And then I couldn't sleep anymore, and then Isabel was just- there." He let out a shaky breath, avoiding eye contact with her as he led her through the dark hallway. "Also, I don't think I know where the key is, so we should probably keep a little quiet now," he muttered under his breath. He eyed the small plates on every door until he found the right one. Using the same key, he opened the door and slipped inside, immediately making his way to the teacher's  desk. "This is Mr. Thatcher's room. He teaches something to do with water to moroi," he told Evanee, opening the bottom drawer. "He's from some royal family or something, so he can come to most meetings, and I- well, I'm part of the elite now," he said dryly, waving a hand to the tattoo in his neck. "I saw his papers a few weeks ago, and even though I'm pretty crap at all the anatomy subjects, I'm fairly sure this isn't in our text books," he said, dropping a fat file folder on the desk. "I'm not sure who all knows about this, but I'm almost certain the head mistress has something to do with it."

"I'm not sure," he answered when she had asked him how he and Isabel ended up getting together. They turned a corner and she already knew where they were going to. Evanee frowned, why would he take her this way? She wondered, but she didn’t have much time to think about that because he continued talking.
"I mean, after you left - don't get me wrong, you hurt me. A lot. But I managed," he said "I guess I became a little more distant towards my friends, I'm not sure. It's hard to remember for some reason." He turned another corner, she followed, and stopped walking as they came to the backdoor of the building where most of the classes were held.
"Then I- there was this mission, to practice mostly. Me and another dhampir, we were supposed to keep an eye on one of the moroi students together, you know the drill." He rose to his toes and scanned the small ledge above the door until he found the key. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but two strigoi attacked. I killed on of them, but not before it killed the other dhampir." He opened the door and held it open so she could go through and she could hear the door closing behind her again, as he locked it from the inside. How did he get the keys to these parts of the building?
"And after I just- I was acting stupid. I knew I should talk to someone about what happened, but instead I just blocked everyone out," he told her. "And then I couldn't sleep anymore, and then Isabel was just- there." He let out a shaky breath, avoiding eye contact with her as he led her through the dark hallway. "Also, I don't think I know where the key is, so we should probably keep a little quiet now," he muttered under his breath. And so that was the end of their conversation. Not that she minded, she hated to talk about Isabel but somehow, because of recent events, she didn’t really care at the moment. Because of that it was easy for her to shut her hole and she followed him to another door. Again that door was opened by the same ket he had used before. She had to ask him how he got those keys, she thought.
"This is Mr. Thatcher's room. He teaches something to do with water to moroi," he told Evanee but she didn’t recognise the name. Just before she wanted to ask him who the hell that was he already told her. For some reason it made her shiver and she quickly scanned the room with her eyes.
"He's from some royal family or something, so he can come to most meetings, and I- well, I'm part of the elite now," he said dryly, waving a hand to the tattoo in his neck. "I saw his papers a few weeks ago, and even though I'm pretty crap at all the anatomy subjects, I'm fairly sure this isn't in our text books," he said, dropping a fat file folder on the desk.
Evanee took a few steps forward, picked up the file from the desk and looked at a few pages. The contents shocked her and her eyes grew a little wider with every line she read. What was this all about? Why did anyone need to have this kind of information? She wondered, turning another page again.
"I'm not sure who all knows about this, but I'm almost certain the head mistress has something to do with it."
“What does she have to do with all of this? I remembered her being ambitious but this... no, it’s nothing for her. She wouldn’t risk her life for this! Would she?” she said, growing more and more insecure.
The information on the papers w as dazzling, crazy to be honest. Everything in there had to do with strigoi. How they lived, how they could change the way they lived, how they were created... everything was there in great detail. She had to have this file for herself but she couldn’t just copy it herself, could she? Perhaps Marius could regain his position and find a way to retrieve this document for their own use. “This is insane... nobody should have this kind of information.” She muttered.
“There is only one person I know who has access to this kind of information... my father.” She said, letting the words hang in the air. “We should go, Jarek.” She started, putting the file back on its original place. “Isabel will wake up soon and I have to meet up with Monique at the cottage.” She said. “Perhaps we could meet again tomorrow. I can tell you where to meet and then we can talk things over with Marius and Monique.” She proposed. So she told him which spot she would like him to see the following night, it was the spot where he had seen her fight that strigoi.
“See you tomorrow, Jarek.” Evanee said in the end, looking up at him, not really knowing what to do. “Be careful, alright?” she said, giving him a quick hug and then she ran out into the darkness, knowing that soon the school would come alive again.

Jarek
His eyes were fixed on Evanee's face as she looked through the pages. Mostly he just saw his own reaction after he had first discovered the file. He tapped his fingers against the surface of the desk, growing a little nervous. He had sneaked in more times than he could remember, especially after he had discovered the content of Mr. Thather's drawers, but he hadn't taken someone with him before. It was a whole lot different now he was responsible for not just himself. 
"What does she have to do with all of this?" Evanee asked as he sprouted his suspicions about the head mistress. "I remembered her being ambitious, but this... no, it's nothing for her. She wouldn't risk her life for this! Would she?"
Jarek pursed his lips, his eyes trailing towards the door. "Like I said," he muttered. "A lot has changed since you left."
He ran a hand through his hair, checking the door a second time before he turned back towards Evanee. "I just- I had this feeling, you know? So I.. kinda spied on her. She has been seeing Thatcher a lot," he told Evanee in a hushed voice.
"This is insane," Evanee muttered, and Jarek bend a little closer to catch her words. "Nobody should have this kind of information."
He watched the papers from over her shoulders for a short moment. "I know," he muttered in reply, leaning back again. "There is only one person I know who was acces to this kind of information.. My father," Evanee said. Jarek looked back to the file in her hands. Just as he wanted to ask her if she believed the Acadamy had somehow made contact with her father, she spoke first.
"We should go, Jarek," she said. "Oh- right," he muttered.
"Isabel will wake up soon and I have to meet up with Monique at the cottage. Perhaps we could meet again tomorrow. I can tell you where to meet and then we can talk things over with Marius and Monique," she proposed. Jarek gave her a weak smile as she told him where to wait for her the next day. "I'll make sure Isabel isn't there this time," he said in a weak attempt at a joke.
"See you tomorrow, Jarek."
"Right. Yeah."
They both looked at each other, and Jarek was suddenly remembered of the distance hanging in between them now. "Be careful, alright?" Evanee said, and before Jarek could respond she surprised him with a quick hug. He watched her leave the room for a moment, before he placed back the file, making sure there wasn't anything looking different. He left the building with a hollow sort of feeling in his stomach, locking all the doors behind him and placing the key back on the ledge.
He had tried to deny what was happening to himself for a long time, but now he had told Evanee there was no way out anymore.

Isabel woke up seconds after he had entered his room, looking a little confused. "Wha- why am I in your bed?" She asked him with a frown. "It's already past noon." 
Quickly, Jarek made up a white lie, telling her she had hit her head. Surprisingly, Isabel seemed to buy it, and she let herself fall back into the matress again. "Right, well, better get on with your homework," she said, and Jarek let out an annoyed grunt.

Yes, she had waited behind a tree somewhere until she had seen Jarek leave. With a sigh she turned around and started to walk, her hands in her pockets and her eyes fixated on the ground before her. This was getting more complicated with every step she took. It was like every time that she was on the right path, something was there to ruin it all again. But maybe, just maybe, that meant that she was in fact on the right path.
The sun had already set for some time now but she could hear the bells of the school clearly and she knew that every student was now out and about, doing his or hers business. Would Monique be missed? She wondered first and then she started to walk a little faster.
After some time of walking in the same pace she still had this faint notion of something being right behind her. Every time she stopped and turned around however, she found that there was nobody there. When another cracking sound was right behind her she started to run, fast. But not past enough in appeared. She was nearly at the cottage when suddenly something stood in front of her. She slid past the figure and came to an abrupt halt, with the help of the tree that stood there. She didn’t have any time however to get up because the thing came at her, pulled her from the ground and threw her away. When she landed the sound of breaking bone echoed through the night, followed by an unwilling scream.

When Monique and Marcus heard the scream they both raced out of the cottage and when they came outside they found themselves surrounded. “Holy..” Monique started in awe. Though they didn’t have enough time to attack they did have enough time to protect themselves, at least for a little while. While Evanee was fighting on the other side of the fence, Monique and Marcus were fighting near the cottage.

There were too many, Evanee thought, her heart was already punting in her ears as she, again, avoided another blow to the head. Her arm really did hurt bad and she made a pace. Her eyes were filled with pain and some desperation, she had never faced so many at once. Then there was another scream that filled the air. Evanee knew who it was immediately and looked towards the cottage. There she saw Monique, who was being held by one of the so many strigoi. He had grabbed her by the neck and she was trying to fight him of... she never stood a chance. “MONIQUE!!!” evanee could hear herself scream with terror in her voice. right after she had shouted the name the strigoi put a knife through her friend.
As if that had been the sign all of the strigoi suddenly disappeared and evanee was able to jump over the fence, towards her friend. Marcus also came, running, but when he saw the damage that had been done he stopped some metres away and watched the two young women.

Evanee was sitting or her knees now, Monique’s head on her lap while she was caressing her friend hair. “Stay with me. Please stay with me.” Evanee begged while she was holding back her tears. There was blood coming out of her friends mouth and Evanee pushed back a cry. “We had some good times...” the weak voice of her friend sounded and all that she could do was nod and hold onto her friend with her whole heart. “Kill them for me.” Monique whispered softly and then there was just the movement of her arm... her heart stopped beating and that was it.
Unable to cope with it Evanee just sat there and then she cried out a horrible cry. All feelings came out at once and she didn’t notice that Marcus was now at her side. After that she simply couldn’t stop crying. She could not remember afterwards that Marcus had carried her to bed and put her in it... she didn’t remember anything but the dying request of her friend.
Kill them all..