The Guardians

Irina was walking back to her apartment from the Morning Blend when a car pulled up beside her. A voice yelled out, “get in and hurry up about it.” Fear filled Irina’s heart as she was driven down the back roads of the county. When they came to an old barn, the car stopped. “Get out and go inside.” the man ordered. Irina didn’t know who this man was, but he seemed to know a lot about her. As she opened the door there stood the one who brought her here in the first place. “Well, I hope you had a wonderful day at school. But it seems to me that you are losing your focus and that you are forgetting why you are here. I didn’t bring you here to jump into bed with that bookstore owner.” Irina felt her face blush. “I haven’t been in bed with anyone, do you hear me?” Her voice was getting louder as she spoke. “If you think you are going to yell at me when I have done so much to help you, well, then good luck finding your daughter and getting her back without my help.” “No,” Irina cried. “Please, all I want is to find my daughter.” She stood there crying helplessly. Never had she felt so much pain and confusion in her life. Finally she had met a man she could fall in love with, but even that was not within her reach. If she could just get her daughter back… “So, do we still have a deal?” The voice was cold and hard. There was no evidence of love ever having been in that heart. Irina only thought she had seen cold, hard people in jail, here before her stood one who cared about nothing or no one. “Yes, we still have a deal.” Irina didn’t know why, but at that moment, she felt like she had just lost her daughter for good.