"Emma Lynné Sullivan. Both parents are missing persons."

"How do you think she survived on her own like that?" I asked, watching the young child through the two-way glass. That poor little thing was traumatized and spent most of her time sitting in the corner of the room she was put in so we could monitor her.

Sydney who was an alchemist and a good friend sighed tiredly and said, "Someone had to be helping her."

"Interesting. I noticed that the windows were all boarded up and she was screaming like a maniac when we took her out of the chapel."

"So you think someone knew about strigoi?"

"Likely. I can't think of another reason why a child would lock herself up in a church like that unless someone told her that was her safezone."

Sydney and I shared a look with each other after throwing in all the possibilities that we could think of.

"Have you gone in to talk to her?" Sydney asked, jerking her head towards the little girl.

I scoffed and showed her the little teeth print Emma gifted me the first time we met. She was a menace.

"Feisty, huh?" The mischievous look in her eyes had me rolling my eyes.

"You bet."

"Like someone I know. Perhaps you're the best person to talk to her."

I gave her an incredulous look. "You're kidding me, right? She literally attacked me!" I was not going to give Emma an open invitation to bestow me with her childish biting.

Sydney placed her hands on her hips and insisted, "She already knows you, Rose."

"As someone she bit! Yeah, I should go in and ask her if I tasted like Christmas ham yesterday."

"I'm a mother to two children," she imparted, and my eyes dropped to her bulging stomach, "Okay, three children. Just go easy and put some distance. She is still a child. She will warm up to you eventually."

"Need I remind you again that she bit me?"

"It was for self-defense!" She grounded and gave me her oddly familiar look—the kind of look mothers would give to their children when they were disobedient.

I closed my eyes and groaned, "Children aren't my thing."

"That's because you haven't learned how to handle them. Once you do, it becomes less stressful and more rewarding."

"Spoken like a true mother."

I clapped my hands together and shook my head at her. She laughed, her eyes bright and twinkling, as she placed her hand on her stomach and lower back. It was fascinating to watch Sydney go through her two pregnancies. Although, she seemed more laid back the second time.

"Fine, I'll talk to her. I just need some prep time," I expressed seriously.

"Well, if you ever need some prep talk, let me know. I do that to my two kids back at home nearly every morning because they don't want to go to school."

"Thanks, mom. You can go now," I teased, "Adrian's gonna murder me if I keep you here any longer."

She scowled and came to my defense. "He can't say anything because it was my choice to help when I caught wind of what was going on. Plus, I get to see my friends too. But if he does say anything, feel free to put him in his place. You have my permission."

"Signed and stamped, woman."

I walked Sydney to the door when we came face-to-face with Eddie. His eyes widened for a brief moment when he noticed Sydney. The two shared a few quick words and talked about having Jill come over to visit after her due date. I would bet my soul that she just wanted an extra pair of hands to help her kids when she would be busy with the new baby.

Then, Sydney left and the thick suffocating tension dropped on us like a big boulder. He sighed and walked past to where Sydney and I stood watching Emma a few moments ago.

I followed him and stood next to him. Work was work. Personal matters would have to be resolved at another time.

"Did you learn anything about her?" He asked, flipping through Emma's records and test results.

"Not much, but someone obviously knew about strigoi. She lived in the chapel and someone had to be bringing her food."

"We need to talk to her."

"I know."

"I'm going to go in and talk to her," he stated and went straight to the door the test room. He pressed in the passcode on the keyboard and the door unlocked. I watched him step into the room and Emma instantly shrinking into her corner even more.

"Hello Emma. My name is Eddie. I'm your friend. I want to help you," he began calmly, crouching down so his height wouldn't terrify the living wits out of her.

She shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

"Emma?"

Silence.

"Emma, is everything okay?"

Silence.

"I want to help you. Please let me help you."

Then, she whispered something under her breath. I turned up the volume and from the confused look on Eddie's face, I knew he didn't catch what she said.

"Emma, could you say that again?"

"Rose."

●●●

"I don't understand why she would want to speak to me," I wondered, walking down the empty hallway of St. Vladimir's with Ben at my side. "How did she even know my name?"

"I did say your name a few times when we had her," he speculated with wrinkles between his eyebrows. But it still didn't settle in with me.

"She was screaming so loud that I doubt she could even hear her own thoughts at the time." I winced; my ears still hurt from her high-pitched screaming.

We arrived to the investigation room where a few guardians were present watching the little girl through the glass. Eddie tried to ask her a few questions, but they all fell on deaf ears. After nearly half an hour in the test room, he gave up and came back out with very little progress.

I got Ben to come with me because he was there when she attacked me like some animal in the church. I was sure he must have noticed something about the whole thing.

I opened the file and read the information out loud, "Her parents have been on the missing persons list for three years and they're actually from the East Coast."

"Where in the East Coast?"

I looked at the paper again and said, "New Hampshire."

"Someone wanna explain to me how a nine-year-old girl moved from New Hampshire to a godforsaken town in the middle of nowhere in Montana?"

"And we don't even know how long she's been living there on her own," Eddie asserted, gesturing to the photos of the church on the table. "Somehow we need to get her to talk."

"I'll talk to her tonight before my flight. Give her a little break. We don't want to overwhelm her," I put forth, still trying to piece all the information together so it made sense or gave me an outline of what we were going against.

My time at St. Vladimir's was coming to an end and I would return back to my peaceful life at the Royal Court. I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to that.

"Some little birdie told me that you gave Volkov a piece of your mind," Ben said, shoving a sandwich into his mouth. Students eyed our table in the cafeteria and whispered to each other as they walked past us. Of course, the news would spread out. I didn't expect any less from St. Vlad's social circle.

I unwrapped my sandwich out of the foil and corrected him, "You mean a piece of my fist."

"You're a legend to all the dhampir students," he commented, his eyes growing wider with excitement. "How awesome is that?!"

"I didn't know I was so inspiring," I drawled, feel a little bit of pride. It was nice you were being worshipped by the next generation, but I was really hoping for a different reason. So far, the stories I had heard about me were things I wasn't exactly proud of now that I thought back about it. Talk about bad influence and regrets...

"They want to be like you."

"Oh, please, aim higher."

"What's better than being the Queen's best friend and guardian? You're living the life, Rose."

I set my sandwich down and shook my head. He didn't understand what I was going through. Not that I expected him to; he was a mentor here at St. Vladimir's and perceptive to the rumors that circulated these hallways, dormitory, and classrooms. He looked at me surprised by my reaction to all of this.

"You're not happy?" He looked at me like I had grown a third head.

"I'm sure you've heard stories about me and my teenage years. I'm curious to know what you actually think about them."

He sucked in a deep breath and frowned slightly. "I think you're cool."

But I wasn't having any of it. "Oh, come on. Everyone's judged me at least once in their life. I know you heard something about me. It's impossible not to." Especially while working for Volkov? I was sure he mentioned me in bad light a few times.

He chuckled, "I still think you're a legend! You've got guts."

"Well, love makes you do crazy things."

He stopped chewing and stilled, his expression growing serious. His eyes fell me like he was contemplating something deep.

He licked his lips. "Did you really stake him?" He asked, barely above a light whisper.

I tried to speak, but no words came out. I settled for a small smile and nodded. Dimitri took a part of me with him. And no matter how time had passed, he would always be that one thing I would hold close to my heart. Nothing in this world could change that. I sighed and shrugged, "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemies."

I let our conversation die at this point. There was no use in speaking of the unchangeable past. I quickly finished my sandwich and made my way to the test room.

I frowned when I saw a student trying to peek into the test room. One of my eyebrows raised at the sight. Judging from how skinny and lean she was, she was a moroi. I cleared my throat and she let out a small sqeak like a little squirrel. Her amber eyes widened as she struggled to form words in her mouth.

"Breathe," I instructed, stepping closer. The last thing I needed was a student dying because she forgot to breathe when she was caught red-handed.

She let out a long breath but kept eye contact with me. She backed into the door of the test room and stuttered, "G-guardian Hathaway, p-please don't report me."

"What's your name?"

"Avianna Conta." Her head hung as she lowered her gaze to the stone floor.

"You should be in class. What are you doing here?" My eyes hardened at the young moroi girl.

"I-I was just...I-"

When she failed to give me a valid reason, I pressed further.

"Obviously you're not supposed to be here. This part is restricted to students. Only guardians and moroi staff are allowed in this section. You are neither of those things. Why are you in this section, particularly at this door?"

A panicked look passed through her eyes as she frantically shook her head. "I didn't mean to pry like that, Guardian Hathaway, I swear! Everyone's talking about a secret investigation that the guardians are conducting and you're here so it must be a big deal and true to the rumors," she poured out.

I sighed. "And that's why you're here?"

"Well, yes," she admitted, her pale cheeks turning a little pink. "So...is it true?" She peeked at me through her lashes with her amber brown eyes.

"What you and the other students should worry about is your class attendance and upcoming exams. Go to class now or I will not only report you to Headmaster Serling, but your family as well. Is that what you want?" I threatened sharply.

She paled and her mouth gaped open. Tears pooled in her eyes as she came closer to me.

"P-please don't report me! My parents will be furious if they hear about this," she begged, pouting slightly.

"Then I suggest you get to class immediately before your teacher gives you detention."

She blinked her eyes a couple times and scurried past me, breaking into a record-breaking sprint afterwards. I scoffed and shook my head in utter disbelief. I never expected a Conta to be here breaking rules like this. My threats were likely enough to last that little squirrel a lifetime, especially when they spoke nothing but the truth.

Shaking my head again, I pushed the door open and went in. It was time to talk to the other little she-devil.

Eddie was already there waiting in the control room. I approached him and asked, "Any progress while I was gone?"

He shook his head and sighed, "No. She only fell asleep on the floor and woke up not too long ago." The dark circles and bags under his eyes told me he was beyond exhausted.

I nodded. "I'm gonna go in."

I went to the door and pushed in the passcode. The door unlocked with an audible click. I stepped in and Emma instantly pushed herself against the wall with this terrified look in her eyes. It was heartbreaking to see such a look in a child's eyes.

With great patience, I sat down on the floor and asked, "Do you remember me, Emma?"

She looked at me, almost glaring.

"My name is Rose."

I decided to move in closer by a foot. Her eyes never left mine. I carefully stretched out my legs and continued talking.

"Do you know where you are?" I took her silence as a 'no'. "You're at a school for special girls and boys your age. I used to study here when I was younger."

Her gaze on me softened. The tension was loosening.

"Have you ever been to school, Emma?"

Her little head bobbled up and down. And somehow that made me smile like a fool. That was progress. She had been in school.

"Did you have any friends?" I asked, smiling at her. "You know, I had a lot friends when I was in school. We didn't always get along but we were always there for each other. Sometimes it was hard. I caused a lot of trouble when I was a student."

She raised her hand and showed me four fingers.

"You had four friends when you were in school? That's awesome. I'm sure they made you happy."

She nodded again.

I licked my lips and asked, "Emma, is there someone else with you when you were at the church?"

I knew I was pushing my luck with this question, but curiosity and impatience got the btter of me. She stared back at me and nodded again.

"Can you tell me who it is?"

She shook her head.

"Okay. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Another nod came my way. She opened her mouth and I leaned in closer not wanting to miss this chance to hear her speak.

"I will always love you."

My ears were ringing, but they were fine. It was the pin-drop silence that filled my ears. A cold chill ran up my spine as I sucked in sharply.

It was impossible for Emma to love me; she didn't even know me on a personal level. That was what made this whole thing scary for me; those were the last words I spoke to Dimitri before I staked him. Words only he and I knew, no one else.

I swallowed thickly and pushed for more. "Anything else?"

"It's almost time for your last lesson."

Author's Note

Thank you for the votes! I hope you enjoye this little chapter here. I'm slowly falling back into the groove again.

Feel free to leave a comment and vote this chapter! I would appreciate it a lot.

Iris