Sorry again for the shortness of this chapter too. I'm just trying to get this story out and updated for you guys. more will be coming and longer chapters will be coming when i have days off of work

Dimitri POV

It's been three days already. I was called away from Princess Vasilissa and Rose for a few days by official guardian business. Now that it was concluded I was glad to be getting back. I'd been driving for hours. I knew I was only minutes away from the beach house. It made me want to drive faster but at this time of night I knew some kids were still playing outside. I didn't want to hit them.

I was rounding the last corner when I noticed something beside the road in my headlights. The thing turned around and I saw a crying toddler in oversized clothing. I pulled over immediately. I walked up to her slowly and with a smile. "What are you doing out here little one?" I asked her as a knelt down to her level. She was sniffling and rubbing her eyes. She must have had pants and shoes on at point point but they were gone now. All that was left was a long sleeve black shirt. It covered her from her shoulders to her toes. Her long dark hair was a mess and her brown eyes were puffy. For some reason this girl reminded me of Rose Hathaway.

"I dunno!" She cried. "I don't remember."

"Do you know where your parents are?"

"Nuh uh." She shook her head.

I frowned. "Why don't you come with me?" I offered. "I have friends at my house that can help you find your family. We even have some cookies if you want."

"Cookies?" She glanced up from behind her sleeves. The sniffing and sobbing have stopped.

"Do you like cookies?" I ask. She nods her head fast. "Then we'll go get some cookies. Come on." I offer her my hand and she puts herself in my arms. I pick her up and through the fabric of the shirt I don't feel a diaper or underwear. I frown deeper. Was she kidnapped? "Can you tell me your name?" I ask her.

She chews on her sleeve as if she's thinking about it. "I….dunno…." Her bottom lip starts to quiver again.

"Shh shh shh. it's okay little one." I murmur to her. "there's no need to cry. Let's go meet my friends and have some cookies."

"Okay." I buckle her into the backseat tightly. I make a mental note to send someone out here to look for any clues. I would but I can't leave her in the car. Not if her kidnappers are out there. I drive away and pull out my phone. I call the guardian still at the house will Lissa and Rose. "I'm almost back. I've found a young girl. She's about…." I glance in the rearview mirror "four years old. She only has an oversized shirt on and she can't remember her name or her parents or how she got on the side of the road. I'll need you to run a search on any amber alerts. When I come back i'll drop her off. I need to go back and investigate where I found her."

"Understood Guardian Belikov." I end the call then pull into the driveway. I expect to see Rose coming out but she isn't. I only see Guardian Taylor on the front steps. She has her arms crossed and once I park the car she approaches. "Where did you find her?"

"About a mile up the road." I explain as I move to the back door. I unbuckle the girl and let her see Guardian Taylor.

"Who are you?" She asks Taylor, with fear in her voice.

Guardian Taylor offers a motherly smile. "My name is Amy, I'm friends with Dimitri." She points to me. "Do you want to come inside?"

"He said cookies." The girl points at me.

"We have lots of cookies." Amy smiles. "Come on sweetie." Amy holds out her arms and the girl moves into them. Amy carries the girl inside and takes her to the kitchen. After seating her on a stool, Amy offers her several cookies and the girl eats them while kicking her feet.

"I'll be back." I say to Amy. "Try to find her clothing." I then leave and go back to where I found her. Once i'm back in the wood line i find evidence of disturbance. I venture further into the woods and I start finding clothing. Except it's adult sized. I find a bra and underwear along with leggings and shoes and socks. I frown at the articles of clothing. I've found nothing else. I smell the clothes and frown deeper.

I can smell Rose on the clothing. "Rose?" I call out. Something in me tells me I need to go back to the house to check and see if Rose is there. As i'm walking back to a car I notice an ipod. I knew it belonged to Rose because i'd seen her with it many times. She had a custom photo case for it. I practically race back to the house and go straight to Rose's room. I knock. "Rose?" I knock again. "Rose? Are you up?"

"She left for a run." Lissa has stepped out of her room.

"I did not mean to wake you, Princess."

"You didn't" She replied and shrugs. "I saw Rose jogging down the beach. She should be back soon."

"All right." I frowned.

"What's wrong?" Lissa tilted her head to the side.

I sighm. I can't keep this from her. "On my way back I found a young girl on the side of the road in oversized clothing. I brought her back and went to look around where I found her and I found Rose's IPod and Rose's clothes. But no Rose."

"Oh my God." Lissa gasps. "You don't think Strigoi got to her to you?"

"There's no side of that. But the girl downstairs does look a lot like Rose. Her hair and her eyes." I look down. "I'm going to keep looking. Guardian Taylor is here. In the meantime. If you could find out something from the girl. She can't remember much."

"I'll try." Lissa nodded. "I hope you find Rose."

"Me too." We both go downstairs and Guardian Taylor has the little girl in the living room. She's eating cookies and watching cartoons. She's still in the oversized shirt but a blanket is wrapped around her. She's silent and focused on the TV when she looks over at us. Her eyes go back to the TV.

Several minutes later the rest of us are discussing how this could have happened.

"It must have happened where you found her clothes probably." Lissa decides. She casts a glance over her shoulder at the little girl. "Speaking of clothes, she can't stay in that shirt forever and nothing here will fit her."

"Yes," I agree. "She'll need some new clothes while she's like this. And we'll need to find out how to change her back."

"And who did this." Guardian Taylor adds. "Should I request backup?" She looks at me.

"I'm no sure. We'll stay put tonight and then we'll go out in the morning for clothes. The forecast is overcast tomorrow. The princess should be able to come with us."

The girl's giggles capture our attention. "That's funny, Lissa." We all frown. How did the girl know Lissa's name? And Lissa didn't say anything.

"What's funny?" Lissa asks. She gives me a look. Obviously she must have thought something.

"Mitri is a scaredy cat." I balk at her comment.

"What?"

"Lissa thinks you're scared of going shopping for girly things." The girl explains. She starts eating the last of the cookies. I look at Lissa who shrugs with an apologetic look.

"It was just a stupid comment how you'd be uncomfortable going shopping for her clothes."

"That doesn't matter anymore. If she could tell what you were thinking then that means Rose is right there." I point at the girl. That's how we figure it out. Rose isn't missing. She's simply shrunk into a toddler and has no memory of how it happened to her.

"Well, this summer just got more interesting." Lissa murmurs.