A/N: I want to apologize for my English and for every eventual grammar error, but English is not my first language, this story is kind of a challenge for me. However, feel free to let me notice my mistakes so that I can improve my English.

I warn you that this story will probably see a slowburn StevexOC.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think of it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, only my OCs.

PROLOGUE

1992, Athens, Greece

It was the hottest day of that summer, the old ladies sat on the porches moving the fans back and forth in front of their faces, while looking at the shouting children that ran in the street, splashing water from the fountain. A tanned skinny girl was laughing and running completely soaked, ignoring her mother who was shouting for her to come home.

"Coming!" She eventually heard her and shouted a goodbye to her friends, and started to run towards the older woman.

Before entering the house, the girl looked back; the sun was slowly settling down, she had been playing around nearly all day. Some other kids started to leave the street, called back from their parents. Everyone was getting ready for the festival. The summer festival was the main event in Athens, lots of tourists came from every part of Europe to participate, and the kids were always excited. The girls used to put on their best dresses and boys styled their hair neatly.

That year, Arianna's mother picked for her a lovely white and blue dress, in contrast with her dark features, matched with white flats and a blue flower pinned on her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and made a pirouette, smiling at her reflection.

"Come on Ari, we need to move or we'll be late." Her mom called for her.

The city was beautiful, Arianna couldn't stop herself from looking around her in amazement. It was full of lights, colours, and people, lots of people laughing and shouting and even singing. From where she was, she could barely see the amphitheatre getting full before the show. She pulled her hand away from her mother's, intended to go get a look at the theatre; she loved the ancient Greek tragedies that were usually represented during the festival, while her mother found them boring. She made her way into the crowd, careful not to step on anyone's feet, in order to not get her shoes dirty. But then someone came running towards her and she lost the balance, falling on her hands and knees, scratching them on the tarmac. Her eyes started to get filled with tears, but she blinked them back, not wanting to cry in front of all those people.

"Hey there kid, let me help you." A tall tanned man was looking at her with a warm smile while stretching out a hand. Arianna stretched her own hand and grabbed the man's one, who pulled her on her feet.

Twenty minutes later, somewhere in the crowd, a woman was screaming her daughter's name, begging for someone to help find her. A man came near her, trying to calm her down, saying he will help her find the kid, she just has to calm down and they will find her, he promised. Some other people joined them, splitting in the crowd looking for the little girl with the white and blue dress.

But that night, Arianna was nowhere to be found. Nor the day after, or the day after that. She had completely vanished.