The Shadows

I sat in my hard chair and sighed as I typed randomly into a computer. The thought of having another file on my desk made me sick but in this office was being put to work. Protecting children is our motto but who's protecting my sanity?

"Hey!"

I snapped out of my thought and groaned as I saw the brunette standing by my desk with a vanilla envelope in hand. Her brown eyes shined as she dropped it on my messy desk and stared at her for a second, wondering if she was serious. I mean I was already swamped as it is. The phone calls I made an hour ago was already stressing me and I didn't feel like messing with anyone else.

"Stefan, you know that we're already swamped here too."

"Elena I'm already working on five other cases and a bitchy woman…"

She placed a manicured hand up, "No parent it perfect…"

"We help them to get a little closer. I know, I know." I said in a sing along voice, "But there's so much I can take."

She gave a sigh and placed a hand on her hip, staring me down with her famous 'you better or else' look that usually scares the new people here but I gotten so use it that it doesn't bother me anymore. She pulled on her white shirt and smiled again,

"Take it and I promise I will make it worth your wild."

Thinking about it I sighed and gave in. This is what I get for dating her but it was all good in the end.

"Fine but I want something special." I sighed

She gave a nodded before bouncing off somewhere. I watched as she turned the corner and smiled but then I turned my attention to the file. The thought of what this child was going through filled my head. What has this poor soul been through. Was the child being beaten? Was the child being raped but won't say nothing? After everything I seen it could be everything and above for all I know.

I grabbed the file and opened it to see a picture of a young boy with a small smile. I gave a glance over the file and learned that the boy's name was Damon Salvatore, ten years old and is really smart…until these last few months. It seemed that he was failing every class he took.

The phone started to ring and I grabbed it and placed it on my ear.

"This is Stefan Stamen of Children services, how may I help you?"

First all I heard was heavy breathing then there was a scream. It seemed to be a child's scream; I jumped out of my seat and shouted into the phone.

"Are you all right? Where are you?"

There was just more screaming on the other line. Elena ran to my desk and grabbed the phone from my hand before looking at me funny. My heart was beating a million times a second. When she placed the phone back on to the receiver I screamed,

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR THAT SCREAM?"

She shook her head and placed a hand on my forehead,

"You're right. I am overworking you."

I stared at her dumbfounded, "Didn't you…"

She placed a finger on my lips, "It was just static Stefan that was all I heard."

Her brown eyes were filled with worry and I couldn't have blamed her when I calmed down. Maybe I was over working myself and I was hearing things now. It was just the stress. But suddenly I had the feeling of someone watching me, and it wasn't coming from the many co-workers that were staring at me.

"I'm going on a break Elena."

"Sounds as if you're lost your mind." Said the woman in front of me

I let out a sigh when I saw her chuckled with a sub in her hands. Her green eyes looked at me playfully and seemed to be waving my worries away.

"Bonnie what if I am…"

"Believe me Stefan, if you lost your mind I would be the first to blow a hole through it."

I stared at her in disbelief and replies sarcastically, "Yes, thank you Bonnie."

She gave a laugh, "Come on. If I lost my mind I rather have someone shoot me in the head then for me to worry about if the aliens or the Easter Bunny is coming after me."

The sounds of kids running by us made me a little worried. What if they were hearing this? Bonnie noticed my looks before she wrapped her fingers around the handle of her white coffee cup.

"Do you have kids on the brain 24/7?" she picked up the cup and placed it on her lips, "If so I might have to check your background."

I shook my head as I looked up at the coffee shop's tacky sign. Star beams, I never thought it was a good name for a coffee shop. I looked back over to the brunette who seemed to be enjoying her coffee and retracted that thought.

"So his name is Damon Salvatore. At least I know that he will grow up to be an asshole."

Bonnie mumbled, "I just hope he doesn't get in trouble with the law."

"You can't bind him to a future just because you think his name is bad."

"No." She said, "That's not what I meant. It's just…" She looked as if she was thinking of a way to form her words, "It's just that guys with names like that means trouble."

I raised an eyebrow, "So you're condemning him."

She opened her mouth but my cell phone rang. I dug into my pockets and pulled it out; pressing a button on the screen that read Elena's and placed it on my ear.

"Hey Elena."

Bonnie opened her mouth a gagged and I laughed at her. We've been friends from ever since I was little and it was nice that Elena and Bonnie can be friends. There were always stories about how the guy's friend wants to be a little more than that but Bonnie isn't like that. Besides she had a thing for tough guys and that was something I was not.

"Why don't you flip her off for me." She laughed, "But on a serious note I need you to get some notes on Damon Salvatore's home. Make sure it's safe and things are in order."

"Why do you bring it out now?"

"Because he's been missing ten days of school."

I gulped. Maybe it was Damon earlier but then again, how would he have gotten my number? Bonnie got out of her seat and smiled,

"My break time is over! See ya!"

"Bye Bonnie.

When I watched her leave I was sudden felt as if someone was staring a hole in my head. I quickly turned around but no one was behind me but the feeling of being watched washed over me. The bad feeling was growing in the pit of my stomach.

Hope you enjoy my new story and hope you like it. Why do I have Damon as a kid in this story? Well you just have to sit and find out. *Smiles* Thanks for reading. Peace, love, and chocolate.