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Chapter 2 This girl

Lying in bed, my mind and body were very restless, staring at the slightly blue roof. Turning toward the glow from the illuminated blue florescent clock that sat on my nightstand, I squinted at the glaring numbers of 3:30. I really didn't need to be awake at this hour, but even with the blackout curtains blocking the afternoon sun, I still couldn't sleep. Sighing with frustration caused by my insomnia, I unhappily forced myself to climb out of bed.

Not looking forward to the two long hours, I still had to go before my mind-numbing shift, the internal apprehension made me realize I might as well get up now and try to function. Heading to the only thing that would pull me from my grogginess, the shower, I cranked on the hot water. I needed to think things through, what better way than standing under warm flowing water beating down on the sore stiff muscles of my back.

It had only been three days since Alberta assigned me to find the missing girls, and every day since, I have been dredging through the files nonstop; especially Hathaway's.

Something about her wonderful smile, those beautiful deep haunted eyes, and her long thick dark hair, kept drawing me to her. I have been reading and literally studying every single report in the file to find every little detail that can possibly help me. One thing is for sure, she was indeed a very reckless student. Nevertheless, I'm following my instincts, as I look deeper into an unusual pattern.

Rosemarie was known for fighting, kind of a scraper really, she would lose her temper at the drop of a hat. The most interesting part, to me, came after the fight. It seems that every time Rosemarie would get injured, her bruises or scars would miraculously disappear. Then almost immediately following, something strange or peculiar would go wrong with either the princess or Rosemarie herself.

I couldn't help but think that something much bigger was going on with Rosemarie and Vasilisa than just two girls that ran away. There had to be a story behind it. Something had to trigger their detrimental decision to leave. Rosemarie had been here practically her whole life; this was in essence, her home. You don't just leave one day if nothing's wrong.

Its standard psychology 101, cause and effect, people react to events or situations. Teenagers are emotional creatures, sometimes extremely irrational in their reactions. That's why they tend to run from their problems instead of dealing with them head on. The rational part of their brain is not completely developed yet, that's also why so many have a lack of self-control.

Alberta and the rest of the guardians told me that Rosemarie was extremely dedicated to the princess, but they all dismissed her dedication because of disobedience. This puzzled me, because behavior and dedication are not necessarily exclusive to each other. I really need to figure this girl out.

My thoughts had kept me in the shower long enough so I hopped out and got dressed. Sitting at the small desk once more and opening Hathaway's file, her beauty never ceased to amaze me. No matter how many times I opened the cover, her picture gleamed at me like rays of sunshine. Even in black and white, she was striking. I smiled to myself tracing the picture lightly with my fingertip. Looking at the clock again, reading almost a quarter past four, reluctantly, I shut the folder.

Next to the clock, a family portrait caught my attention and it had my thoughts drifting back to my quaint little hometown. The Baia house I grew up in brought back memories of my family and friends as the recollections ran rampant in my head. It had been months since I last called them. By my calculations, it was nighttime in Russia right now. I couldn't resist the urge; I walked over to the phone and dialed the number that was burned permanently in my brain.

"Hello?" My mother's soft loving voice came over the phone.

"Mama?" I smiled at the familiar sound.

"Dimka!" She screeched with overwhelming joy. "It's been so long. When are you coming to visit?" She excitedly asked with true hopefulness echoing in her voice.

"I don't know, mama. I've been assigned to find two girls that ran from St. Vladimir's. I really can't tell you how long it will take me to find them, but I will visit as soon as possible."

"Tell me about them, Dimka, I want to hear about your work." Truthfully, I knew she just wanted to hear my voice. It didn't matter what I said, she had just been missing me. Sometimes I wondered if she listened to anything I said or just enjoyed hearing me rattle on.

"Well, one of them is Princess Dragomir." She gasped. "I am her official guardian now- well as soon as I find them."

"I am so proud of you my son. You are an amazing guardian; I knew you would do something great." My mother's encouragement meant the world to me, she never failed to be supportive in good times or bad.

"Thank you. I'm just sad that it means spending so much time from my family."

"We know you will come back to us eventually, Dimka." She soothed. "Now tell me about the other girl."

Smiling at the thought, I felt an internal excitement that I hadn't ever felt before. "She is a Dhampir. The reports say she took the princess, but they are best friends. I'm sure they chose to run together and these two very smart girls have kept themselves well hidden. This girl is going to be an absolutely amazing guardian if the academy lets her continue her schooling." I tried to keep the awe out of my voice, but apparently, it didn't work.

"Tell me more; I know by your voice that there must be so much more to her than just that." She always had that mother's intuition that zeroed in on the underlying evidence.

Chuckling and shaking my head, we're thousands of miles away, and she can hear a small nuance in my voice. "Of course you do, mama. It's so strange; I just can't keep her out of my mind. Don't know what it is about her that draws me to her, but she's just always right there. Since the first day I opened up her file and now the more I read about her, the more I want to know her. She seems so… I don't know, just…" I sighed. "I just can't seem to find the right words… guess there's just… not a word for it."

"There is, Dimka, but you are going to have to figure out what it is yourself."

I laughed; she can be so cryptic, just like my grandmother Yeva. "Thanks for the help, mama." I said sarcastically rolling my eyes. She laughed along with me. Hearing her laugher warmed my heart, I missed that sound.

"I can tell that you are very dedicated to this- I mean these girls." She quickly covered up her mistake. "You will find them, I know you will."

"Thank you, mama. I'm sorry it's time for me to go, my shift is starting soon, but say hello to everyone for me. It's a busy time, but I'll call again as soon as I can. Give everyone my love."

"I will, Dimka, I love you. Be careful, please stay safe my son and remember to trust your heart." She said sweetly.

"I love you, too, Mama. Bye."

"Goodbye my son." Hearing the dial tone I set the phone down, my eyes immediately went to the worn folder and I felt compelled to walk back over to my desk. Placing my hand on the cover, stroking it as if it was a cherished possession, I slowly open the folder once more. Again, her little black and white picture grabbed my attention and sucked me in.

God, she was so incredibly beautiful, it blew me away. Shaking my head trying to get her out of my mind, I really should not be thinking about her this way. She is a student, but something about her was just simply amazing.

My mother was right. There was no mistake in her comment. I was very dedicated to this girl.

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