The day was pretty uneventful after that. Shay ended up sliding into the desk between Eddie and I. We skulled out hot drinks and tried to hurry our reports. Shay was done with her fourteen reports in six hours. Again, she wheeled her chair over to mine and offered to help. I accepted gratefully. She sifted through the reports, finding three out of the five that were there.
"You do a lot of the hunting."
"I guess. I offer, they accept." She gives me a small smile.
Shay opens the first manila folder. Her eyes scan the case and she begins to write the report.
"Dimitri was there for that. He said it was horrific. Blood everywhere."
"Yes." She says. "It was quite gruesome. I received two Molnija marks that day."
She peels back her hair to revel a bandage that I hadn't noticed yesterday. We go silent until she is finished with her reports and I am finished with mine.
"You live in the Guardian compound, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I was just wondering, I live there too."
"What floor? I live with Dimitri on the third floor. Room 3F."
"I live in 3G." she says with a small smile.
Again, we go silent. Again she breaks the silence.
"Are you and Dimitri married?" she asks.
"Nah. We always state that we don't need a piece of paper and a ring to dignify our love." I think my voice comes out a bit more bitter than I had planned.
"I'm sorry. It's just that… you two look so perfectly happy and in love. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Of course that doesn't mean your married, I was just assuming. Sorry"
She looks genuinely apologetic.
"It's okay. A lot of people just nose around in our business. It gets hard to disfigure someone trying to be nice, or trying to know everything about us."
"I know the feeling."
Again I'm struck with somehow knowing her. Her name, her face, it's within my grasp, but it slips from my grip.
"How do I know you? You seem familiar." I say, hoping to get a good answer.
"Well, I was that little thirteen year old girl who decapitated her Strigoi mother. Maybe that's where you know me from." Her voice is plain, but it's laced with bitterness.
We arrive at the Guardian complex.
"I am so sorry. I-I had no idea."
"It's okay. I get asked about it a lot. You're not the first. Most people don't even apologize."
We start to walk up the stairs. The elevator had recently broken down and we were getting it worked on. So far, our progress made zero. We say nothing as we ascend the stair. Finally we get to our door. Abruptly, she turns to me.
"I'll see you around." Her eyes are the masks of sadness.
I give you a sullen nod. She turns back and unlocks her door, disappearing from my sight.
