Problem, menace, violent… all words to describe one person: me. I'm just happy that people like me aren't welcome in the human world; otherwise, I'd be in military school by now. My parents never pay attention to me. I'm not entirely sure they even remember I exist. They are both very busy with their precious jobs, too busy to pay their eldest daughter any attention. Whenever they found time in their precious schedules to come visit, they always went to the elementary and middle school campuses first. They often "ran out of time" to visit me on the high school campus, but I don't mind. It's too late to reconcile and have a true relationship with them, but it's not too late for Sofia and Sienna.
"Miss Belikova!" a sharp voice barked. I snapped my head up and met the hard eyes of Eddie Castile, St. Vladimir's head Guardian. I gave a weak smile; my Uncle Eddie had always been pretty terrifying.
"Yes, Guardian Castile?" I asked, trying to school my expression and act cool. He just shook his head at me in disappointment.
"Stop trying to fool me, Sage. It isn't working." I sighed and slumped further into my chair, trying to avoid Uncle Eddie's hard gaze. "Sage, what's with all the fighting lately? You were never like this. Now that I think of it, this all started when Dimitri got reassigned…" Eddie's sharp eyes didn't miss my flinch. He sighed and kneeled down in front of me, putting one finger under my chin to force my gaze to his. I tried to fight the trembling in my lower lip and failed miserably.
"They never visit me," I whispered to him, a lone tear carving a path down my cheek. "They never call and when they visit, they go to Sofie and Enna, never me." I said, the tears falling faster now.
"Oh sweetheart," Uncle Eddie exclaimed, pulling me up to him in a hug. "I had no idea you felt that way. Do your parents know?" I shook my head; they never spared the time to care about me. Uncle Eddie took a walkie-talkie off of his belt and pressed the 'talk' button. "Ivanova."
"Yes?" a muffled feminine voice answered. I recognized the voice, and I shook my head vigorously, trying to stop Uncle Eddie.
"Come to my office ASAP," Uncle Eddie ordered before putting the walkie-talkie away. I groaned in frustration and flopped back into a chair.
"Why did you call her?" I demanded.
"Sage?" I looked to the door of Uncle Eddie's office to see my Aunt Viktoria. She looked just like my dad. I sighed and felt more tears building at the thought of my forever-absent parents. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, hurrying to my side.
"Mom and Papa never visit me. I even know you and Uncle Kolya better than my own parents," I cried. Suddenly, I heard something that I have only heard once and never care to hear again: the sound of my mother crying. I whipped around to face the doorway. My mother and father were standing there, my father's arms wrapped around my mother in comfort.
"Sage," my father said, catching my eye. I turned my back to them and ran out the back door of Uncle Eddie's office.
"Sage! Sage!" I could hear my parents calling my name, but I kept running. Why would they care now? They never did before. In my haste to escape them, I didn't pay attention to where I was going. That is never a good idea, especially with the people around here. In my haze I ran straight into Reilly Lancaster, a fellow dhampir.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Belikova?" he asked, catching me before I could tumble over.
"Anywhere but here," I said as I broke free of his hold and kept running into the inky blackness of night.