Ania

Breathe in, breathe out.

Try not to stare too hard at Daddy; he might wake up. You never know.

Try not to draw attention to yourself, or the crowd of reporters will notice you: "Miss Greer, what happened?" "How's your father doing?" "The fans want to know if you'll take on Mr. Greer's career, like you were planning too.

If that happened, I would probably just break down.

And wouldn't that be terrific?

I feel Edge's hand on my shoulder, a warm caress that only makes it harder to hold in the tears. But I don't shrug him off; this is almost as hard on him as it is on me.

Daddy gave him his job, even though he was down on his luck and the youngest bodyguard I'd ever seen. And, in return, Edge had done everything he could for us.

Watching Daddy get hurt was terrible for him. If I wasn't so miserable, I would try to comfort Edge. I can tell he's holding it together for my sake.Because he's the only one I have left.

            Daddy shifts in his sleep. I watch as his face creases with discomfort; the bandage must be giving him problems again.

            I know I should be thankful that he's still alive. I know I should. But this man only seems like a shell of my father.

            The only thought that remains in my tear-washed mind is this- revenge.

            Cera. Will. Pay.

            She will pay for what she did.

With my every breath, I hate her. I hate her pale eyes, and unnaturally colored hair. I hate the way she'd wormed her way into my life, then ripped it all away.

Finally, I hear Edge say, "Come on, Miss Ania. Let's go home."

I want to fight, but I'm so exhausted, so empty, I just stand up and let him guide me through the reporters. Lights flash all around me, voices ringing in my ears, but I look as emotionless as a rock.

A rock that has just lost everything that matters to it.

But an emotionless rock nevertheless.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I climb into the waiting limo and cover my face with a coat. Maybe tomorrow's tabloids will say "Ania Greer Can't Adjust to Father's Injuries", but I don't really care.

            I just don't want them to see my mascara running.

           One of them will manage to get a picture of it, and that's the very last thing I need at the moment.

I collapse on my bed and close my eyes, ready to sleep, even if the nightmares come, but a rapping on the door keeps me awake.

            "Do you want me to get that, Miss Ania?" calls Edge.

"Isn't it just another bunch of reporters?" I yell back.

            There's a pause, then he hollers, "It's a boy.”

"A what?" I sit straight up. It's been awhile since a boy's come over. I dumped the last one months ago, made it public that I wasn't in the mood for a relationship. I hadn't been bothered for a long time. It had been wonderful. But now...

I slip into a cream-colored sundress and braid my hair around my head, then touch up my make-up before putting on my leather gladiator sandals and creeping down the stairs.

Edge is questioning someone I can't quite see. He turns and sees me. "Miss Ania, you might want to talk to this one." He steps aside and lets in the boy.

I blink.

He has dark curly hair and bright eyes; I can't quite decide what color they are, but they're... nice. He looks sort of Hispanic. He's tall and lean, wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt, with a leather jacket. There's a motorcycle helmet under his arm and a pair of sunglasses pushing back his hair.

Not bad.

What does he want from me, though?

We stare at each other for what seems like ages, before he clears his throat and says, "Miss Greer, it's a pleasure." His voice is strong and deep, even if he couldn't be much older than me.

"Who are you?" I blurt out, then blush at my rashness.

He doesn't seem to mind. "I'd love to tell you, but we might need someplace more... private." He glances around at the vast hall. "Is there anywhere quiet? Like a broom closet?"

Edge snorts, but manages to keep it together.

"Um, I don't know about the broom closet, but how does my father's office sound?"

His eyes light up. "That would be perfect."

I wonder if I'll regret letting him in, but I can't very well say "never mind" now, so instead I say, "My bodyguard will be coming with us, however."

"You don't trust me?"

"I've never seen you before today. Isn't the answer to that question obvious?"

"Touché." He heaves a dramatic sigh. "Alright, let's go to famous Mr. Greer's office."

            I turn and go up to Daddy's study, the boy behind me, Edge in the rear. The doors swing open at my touch, so I sit in the comfortable chair behind the mahogany desk. I have an urge to put my feet up on the desk, but I don't, for maturity's sake. The boy slides into a recliner, completely at ease in my father's huge office. Edge closes the door quietly and stands guard.

            Silence.

            I look at the boy awkwardly. "So."

            He smirks. "So?"

            "You never told me your name."

            "I didn't, did I?"

            I shook my head.

            He stood up and walked over to me, offering his hand. "Xeno. Fabian Xeno."

            I return his handshake. "That's an interesting name."

           "Yeah, my parents were kind of crazy."

            I laugh in spite of myself. "Did you need something, Mr. Xeno?" I ask him, with mock sincerity.

           "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

           "Go right ahead and talk. I'm listening."

           "It's about your father."

           I tense.

           "I knew Tomas Greer very well. He told me what to do if there was an emergency; we can assume that this is an emergency, wouldn't you agree?"

           I said nothing.

           "Do you trust me, Miss Greer?" he asked once more, his bright eyes were calculating.

           "Of course not!" I exclaim, standing up. "Now, if I can be of no further service to you, Mr. Xeno, you would be very kind to leave."

           He rose slowly. "Well, would you like a ride on my bike?"

           I didn't expect that. "Um, no?"

           "Well, if you ever do, just let me know." He flashed a grin (nice teeth) and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. If you decide to trust me, we'll talk some more."

           And with that, the strange visitor left.

           I turned to Edge. "What was that all about?"

           He furrowed his eyebrows. "I... I can't tell you, Miss Ania."

           "Why not?!"

           "It's something your father was working on. He told me not to tell you. Ever."