DPOV

Eddie strolled back over with a grin on his face.

He seemed to be in an eternal good mood, as did Mason, and their cheerful attitudes managed to keep me going all the way to lunch.

I picked up my phone, and discovered that it had run out of battery.

I left it in my locker, and we went to the cafeteria. The meal was…adequate but for the fact that they were training us to fight, it wasn't nearly enough.

There was a meeting after lunch for some of the older and more professional bodyguards - or 'guardians' - to attend and Abe gave everyone else the day off as they assessed our skills.

I found myself cruising through the streets of LA with the windows rolled down, and the wind blowing through my hair.

I came to a stop outside a café, and walked in.

"How can I help you today Sir?" the lady behind the counter asked with a smile.

"A coffee please. Black." I replied with a smile on my own.

I stood out the way so she could serve other customers, but my order was finished quickly.

After debating on whether or not I should sit in, I decided that the cool air-conditioned room was better than the heat outside.

I took a sip and leant back, cherishing the moment of peace I had.

"Dimitri?"

I cracked an eye open and looked up at the person standing beside me. "Tasha?" I asked, opening my eyes fully.

"I knew it was you!" she squealed, giving me a hug. "When did you come back? And why didn't you tell me?"

I smiled. Tasha was a nice girl. She was the first friend I made in the States after I moved here.

"Not long ago." I replied, moving up to let her sit down, "I haven't really contacted anyone yet. What have you been doing?" I asked, avoiding any questions about the army… or Ivan.

"I've been auditioning." She admitted, "At first it was acting, but I'm not sure if that is the direction I want to take any more. I'm considering music at the moment, I've been recording covers of songs at a studio just down the road, all of the big stars go there…"

I let her continue, and drowned out most of what she was saying. Directing the conversation to her meant that I was free to relax apart from the occasional 'oh really?' and 'I'd love to hear more.'

"So, what are you doing now?" she asked.

"Not much. I'm just trying to get back on my feet. I'm training to become a bodyguard at the moment."

"I never pictured you in that profession," She said, tapping her chin with a finger, "I always saw you as more of a modeling type."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise and questioning. "I mean," she continued with a flirtatious giggle and a light smack on my chest. "you have the body for it."

I smiled good-naturedly, but internally I was rolling my eyes. Like I said, Tasha was a nice girl. On top of that though, she was tall and stunningly beautiful. With long, straight, black hair and piercing blue eyes she stood out from the crowd. Her cheek, on the other hand, had a jagged scar running down it. I'm not sure how she got it, but it looked bad, and painful. But, even with it, she was still pretty - and she knew it.

Ever since we had first met, she had made it a goal to go on a date with me. I liked her,as a friend, and still feel about the same way about her now. I thought after being a way for a few years in the army she might stop.

Clearly, she wasn't going to any time soon.

"Well, standing around shirtless isn't really my kind of thing." I said, hoping she would get the message. I really liked Tasha, and I hoped to remain friends.

"That's a shame." She said. "But anyway…"

She went back to the topic of her career and I let her. I finished my coffee and tuned back into the conversation.

"I have another recording in about 15 minutes." She said, "Actually, would you like to come? It would be nice to have a friend there with me."

"Sure," I agreed, "I don't have anything else on today anyway."

We strolled down the street, and it was actually really nice to catch up. She stopped talking about her singing, and we just chatted back and forth. It was just like old times.

"What was the army like?" she asked suddenly. I opened my mouth to answer, but felt the pain of Ivan rushing back.

"Difficult." I managed to say after a long pause. I knew she wanted me to elaborate, and was grateful when we arrived at the studio.

In a matter of minutes, I found myself standing in a control room, with Tasha on the other side of a glass window.

"We're just going to run through some sound tests." Tasha's producer said to me, "You can take a look around if you like. We'll be starting in about 20 minutes."

I did as he said, and decided to try and find a wall socket from my phone into.

All the plugs were being used in the room Tasha had been using, so I decided to try some of the other recording studios.

The majority were locked, and the ones that weren't didn't have any free outlets.

I got to the last room, and twisted the handle. The door opened a crack, and I could hear someone talking. I was about to shut the door when the most beautiful voice started to sing.

The first word sent shivers down my body, and they only continued to grow as she continued singing. The beat picked up, and I felt myself smiling softly.

There was something about the song that I recognised, but I couldn't pin it. I had never heard it before, I would recognise it otherwise. But… it was there. That niggling feeling in the back of my mind that told me I should know this.

"Ain't never gonna let you down." She sung the last line and the upbeat music slowly came to a close. I considered looking to see who was singing, but knew that I had already overstayed my welcome. I quietly closed the door and went back to Tasha's studio, the words of the song still swimming in my mind.

They stuck with me, even when Tasha began to sing.

I couldn't help but compare their voices.

Tasha was good, and she could make it in the singing world, but her songs weren't originals. Everything she sung was a cover, and it lost all creativity – no matter how good she sounded.

The other song was an original and paired with such a stunning voice made it ten times better.

Both of their voices were slightly breathy but with Tasha it didn't quite receive the same effect.

I was so consumed by my thoughts that I didn't even notice that Tasha had finished.

"What did you think?" she asked as we walked back to my car.

"You sounded great." I assured her.

"Really? Or are you just saying that?" she asked, smiling jokingly.

"I'm serious," I promised with a smile of my own. "I'd love to hear you do an original."

"I don't really do originals." She said.

"Why don't you write one?" I said, "I could try and help, I know someone who writes songs and-"

"It's fine," she cut me off. "Like I said, I don't do originals."

The rest of the walk was silent until we got to the car.

"Do you need a ride home?" I asked.

"It's only a few minutes' walk." She said.

"I can drive." I insisted, unlocking the car and opening the door for her. "Hop in."

She slid in beside me and directed me towards her house.

"Do you want to stay the night?" she asked once we were parked.

"I can't tonight." I said. "I have work in the morning."

"Oh." She said, the voice sounded sad and her eyes held disappointment. "Well, I have your number so we'll have to meet up soon!"

After saying goodbye, she climbed out the car and I drove home.

I turned the radio on, and a familiar voice came out of the speakers.

"And now I just can't hide it

I think I'm fallin' for you

I can't stop thinking about it

I want you all around me

And now I just can't hide it"

The song continued, and came to a soft close.

"And that was 'Fallin' For You' by Rose Mazur. This song has been climbing in the last months, and she is as popular as ever! We have been told that she is working on her first album-"

That's where I had heard the voice before.

I walked in on Rose Mazur's recording.

Once again, I was exhausted as I walked through my front door.

I plugged my phone in, and had a quick shower. It was on when I walked back out and I had a new email.

I read it and smiled.

I brought up my contacts and added her number to my phone.

September 12

Hey Roza. (it's Dimitri)

I'm sorry that you have to act towards your father like this, I hope it doesn't continue. I really don't want you fighting over me.

I was about to ask what studio she recorded at, but pushed the thought away. The girl I heard singing couldn't have been Rose.

How did your song go? I can't wait to hear you. It's only a few months left now!

I ran into an old friend today. Her name is Tasha. She has been recording songs too! I went with her to a recording today. It was nice to see an old friend. I completely forgot to contact anyone when I came back to the USA.

It's quite late, so I think I'll end this here.

I hope you're doing well,

-Your Comrade.

I set my phone back down and went to sleep.

I woke up and looked at the time.

6:10am.

Knowing that the army schedule was slowly working its way out of my body, I smiled. It was a small step, but a step at least.

My phone sat on my nightstand, and I clicked the home button.

No reply.

I was saddened by the thought, but reminded myself that she was a teenager and the likelihood of her being awake was small.

My routine went as normal, and I arrived at the training centre on time.

"Dimitri!" Eddie and Mason ran over to me as I walked through the doors. "Have you heard?" they asked eagerly.

"What?"

"We have to go straight to the gym." Eddie began.

"Because Mr. Mazur is holding a meeting." Mason continued.

"Apparently some people are going to get kicked out." Eddie whispered.