Transforming Tradition (AKA What Happens Next)

Chapter 20

"Thank you, I really needed to hear that." I said with a small smile. I stood up and left to go to the kitchen to see what was taking Dimitri so long. When I got to the kitchen, I saw a sandwich on the counter. I scrunched my eyebrows wondering where Dimitri was. I looked outside at the porch next to the kitchen and saw him talking to Lissa and Christian. Their heads turned to me when I opened the screen door and stepped outside.

"Hey guys, what are you doing out here?" I folded my arms around myself realizing that it was pretty cold. Dimitri stepped forward and gave me his duster.

"We were discussing bringing reinforcements." Christian said. I narrowed my eyes confused and I saw Lissa scoff and roll her eyes.

"He's been watching too many military movies. We were talking about bringing Mia and Eddie out here to help out with this." I nodded in agreement and thought about someone else who could come.

"Adrian too." I said bluntly. Their eyes widened in surprise and I remembered that they probably still thought I hated him.

"Really Rose? Adrian? Do you not remember how you guys were back at home?" I sighed before explaining.

"We worked it out when he visited me in my dream. And he's a spirit user. He could help us figure out a lot. We're friend now and I would really like him here too." I said and I saw Lissa smile. I laughed internally because Lissa hated conflict and was happy that there was a lot less in our group of friends. Dimitri also nodded in agreement. We talked a little more about contacting our friends to fly down before my stomach felt like it was going to concave and we went back inside. I took the rest of my chips with me into the library to see what everyone had learned. They hadn't found much other than what we already knew.

"There is a library that's not far that I suggest we check out." Olena said. Oksana nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, I guess a another way to know if the prophecy is about your children is their sexes. The prophecy says that it will be a boy and a girl. So it could be a way to either rule it out or rule it in. When will you be able to determine the sex?" She asked.

"Well we are going to find out the sex next week and then the week after, we were planned to fly back to court. But I've been thinking that I want to stay here until the babies are born and we have figured out everything about this." Dimitri squeezed my hand in support of my decision. I saw smiles around the room about us staying longer and Olena embraced me in a big hug obviously happy about our decision. Oksana and Olena made a big dinner for those who had helped us and I devoured at least three servings of the delicious Russian cuisine. By the time we were done with dessert I was close to dropping my forehead into the pastries I was so tired. We were all getting ready to go home and I knew I would fall asleep in the car and I was not ready to trust my sub- consciousness so I pulled Lissa into a corner.

"What's up Rose?" She asked. I swallowed my fear of looking weak and asked her. "I had a really terrifying dream last night." I said and explained the dream to her.

"I was wondering, if maybe you could sleepwalk with me in the car so I could get some sleep." I was looking down in shame when Lissa threw her arms around my neck.

"Of course." She murmured in my ear. She pulled me out of the hug and looked at me sternly. "You never have to be ashamed to ask me for anything, you’re my best-friend, not sister." I gave her another hug.

"Thank you Liss." I went out to the car where Dimitri had already started the engine.

I got in the passenger’s seat and laid my head on the window.

"Did you ask Lissa about the dream-walking?" He asked. I yawned and nodded. I felt his lips press against my temple as I drifted into a dream.

I 'woke up' in our apartment we had in Portland. I saw Liss sitting on her old bed smiling. I laughed. "What are we doing here?" I asked. She smiled and walked up to me.

"I thought we have a trip through memory lane! Happy memories, that is." I laughed at her quirkiness.

"So where do you want to go first?" I thought for a moment before laughing at a memory. "How about how we became best-friends? I've always wanted to see that from and outsiders perspective." She giggled nodded then closed her eyes in concentration. A few seconds later we were in the academy's preschool section. I saw the horrible teacher start to give the dreaded assignment. And then it happened. I saw a little rose, with long brown hair pulled into pig-tails throw her workbook at the teacher and call her a 'fascist bastard'. Hearing that come out of my mouth in my cute six year old voice made Lissa and I hold our stomachs in hysterical laughter I went over to her and whispered another memory into her ear. She gave me a smile before again closing her eyes in concentration. I closed my eyes with her, and when I reopened then I smiled when we were in Lissa's parents house. It was the last Christmas we spent with her family before the accident. Her older brother Andre had a knack for always getting us gag-gifts. It was always really funny to see what he got us. This year there was too huge boxes under the tree, and naturally, it was a box inside and box and so on. But inside the smallest box, he got us both these beautiful necklaces. They were identical except for the stone. Lissa had a jade green stone where I had a ruby. We had worn them every day until the accident, where Lissa had burned and fell to the floor mine had been lost when I flew through the window. But the night we got these necklaces were wonderful. As tradition called in the Dragomir home, we had an amazing meal, and spent the night watching our favorite Christmas movies. Lissa and I held each other as we watched this happy yet sad memory.

"Okay, one more." Lissa said. I thought for a while before choosing the moment. I asked her if she would let me control where we went last and she nodded and gave me control. We ended up where we had begun the dream. In our Portland apartment. She looked at me little confused and I smiled as I watched the reenactment of our last night there. I watched as I woke up from Lissa's nightmare, as I fed her my blood, as I looked through the window, and as we ran out the door as fast as our feet could take us. I just smiled as I took it all in. Lissa came and stood by me, confusion still clear on her face.

"Why is this a good memory?" She asked.

"Because that night is the night that changed everything. And at that moment I saw it as the end, but really, it was the beginning to the extraordinary life I am living now. Think about it, without this moment, we may still be on the run, still confused about our bond, your powers. We wouldn't have Christian or Dimitri, and I wouldn't be engaged or having two miracles. Honestly Liss, this night is one of the top ten." She looked at me with tears in her eyes and hugged me tight. "When did you get so wise?" She mumbled. I smiled at her. "When I realized how lucky I was." We reminisced for a while longer before Lissa hugged me and told me it was time to wake up. I opened my eyes to see we were still in the car on our way home. I looked over to see Dimitri smiling at me.

"What are you looking at comrade?" I said with a teasing smile.

"Did you have a good time with Lissa? You were smiling the whole time." I sighed happily as I remembered our walk down memory lane.

"Ya, it was awesome. We remembered some good times." I took his hand and kissed it.

"I love you Dimitri." I said. He smiled be we drove home in a comfortable silence.