Mailbox

RPOV

Every single morning I would routinely go and check my school mailbox, always hopeful that it may be different from the previous day. And every single day I would be disappointed.

I tried not to let it get to me. I hadn't had the easiest upbringing, what with my estranged father and absent mother, so I didn't know why I was so surprised at the lack of correspondence. I had been practically raised by my best friend Lissa Dragomir's family since the tender age of eight, as my mother was constantly away for business. But early in our Sophomore year at high school, my new family and I were in a serious car accident. Lissa's parents and older brother passed away, leaving the two of us to fend for ourselves. We were taken under the care of her Uncle Victor for the next few years of high school, until recently when we came to college together.

My mother was constantly in and out of my life. Janine Hathaway was a highly respected Major General in the US Marines, married to her work and continuously away on business. She was present after the accident, taking on the role of mother and supporting both Lissa and I for several weeks. Yet when Victor offered to care for us she had no qualms in handing over the reigns. I would see her occasionally at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but she was never a staple piece in my life.

On the other hand, my father had moved out long before I was old enough to even remember him. It was only recently within the last year where we had formed any sort of connection. After several years of searching, the infamous Abe Mazur had been able to track me down and contact me. We had met twice and both meetings were sufficiently awkward, but we were both doing our best to form some kind of bond to make up for all those years of absence. Abe was also completely dedicated to his work; gaining power by blackmailing those in high places. With their careers almost being polar opposites, it was a wonder that he and my mother had been able to have a relationship. But they had, and I was the result.

I never received any mail. Victor would send letters addressed to both Lissa and I, but they never arrived at my mailbox. I suppose it was rather childish of me, a girl who had had to grow up far beyond her years to deal with the circumstances that life had thrown her way. But truth be told, I was finding college a struggle. Even though Lissa and I were roommates, we were taking completely different classes and involved in different activities. I missed my best friend. I missed my old friends from home. I missed my messed up, unconventional family.

College had brought out new insecurities in me. Usually I had Lissa by my side. I would usually be ready to face anything. But the slight separation between us was troubling me. Lissa was flourishing; making friends and experiencing new things like the social butterfly that she is. Yet I was more apprehensive about this new change, masking my nerves with sarcasm and witty comments. Caught up in her own little world of excitement, Lissa just couldn't tell. But he could.

I didn't know who he was. He was simply always there. Every morning when I came to check my mailbox, he would be there at his own. His box was 160, on the right of my own, and he almost always had something to retrieve from his mailbox. I tried not to feel jealous of him, but it was hard not to. In a time when I felt so alone, it would be nice to have some kind of contact with my family other than the occasional rushed phone call.

Mailbox Number 160 was tall, towering over me at around 6'6" or 6'7" and had long, dark brown hair. He was certainly attractive, but also very reserved in his nature. He never spoke a word to me, but smiled each time he passed me in the mail room. It was nice. His deep brown eyes sparkled with friendliness despite his shy nature, and the small, simple interaction soon became my sole reason for checking my mailbox daily (I had long accepted that I would never be sent a letter).

It was common for him to pull out one or two coloured envelopes every few days. They were usually red or yellow. Some of these letters had exotic stamps on them of weird shapes I hadn't seen before. I supposed they were foreign. And judging from the writing of the return address on the back of the letters (which I couldn't read - not that I was trying to stalk him anyway, I was simply curious), they came from Russia. I would stare at them wistfully from the corner of my eye as I dutifully checked my empty mailbox over and over again. I would sigh, and I'd become aware of him sometimes watching me too as the routine played out.

Once when he accidentally dropped one of his letters, I quickly shot down and retrieved it for him. I was rewarded with a friendly, crooked smile. Still, neither of us said anything, so you could imagine my surprise when one day, about a week later, he stopped me in the doorway of the mail room and said secretly, laced in the smoothest Russian accent, "The post has arrived."

"What…?" I stared at him in confusion. But he simply smiled, released my wrist and strode away.

Mystified, I went over to my mailbox and opened it. There lay a yellow envelope addressed to Mailbox Number 159. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I tore off the envelope. Instead, handwritten on plain white paper was the following message.

Dear Mailbox Number 159,

I am your neighbour, Mailbox Number 160. I hope you are doing well today. I would like to thank you for your kindness and friendliness in the mornings every single day. Checking my mailbox is one of the very first things that I do, and seeing such a friendly face so early is truly a nice start to the day. I believe you're a wonderful woman and I hope that I can get to know you better. If you would too, I'll be waiting in Room Number 244.

From your mailbox neighbour,

Dimitri Belikov

AN: Hey guys, hopefully you enjoyed this! I had this new idea to write several Vampire Academy AU College drabbles that all run along the same timeline, except there's not really a plot/story line. So it's sort of a story made up of drabbles if that makes sense. I can't promise regular updates because my year 12 exams are within the next couple of months, hence this is more of a hobby or break from studying haha so please don't get mad at me for not updating as regularly as you may wish. I also am sorry to say that my story Rose's Bloodlines will not be updated until after my exams in November (at the earliest.)

Anyway, please write a review and tell me what you think of this idea. I'm excited to hear from you guys again!

From Lu xxx