Finding Dmitria by Lauren Hinch (best way to read e books TXT) 📕

knew more that Aria Isabelle did. Consequently, there she was pulling the multitude of stingers out of Dmitria’s arm, cleaning the wounds with water she had sent the stable hand to fetch for her.

“Oh, I beg your pardon your highness,” she winced as Aria Isabelle pulled another bee stinger from Dmitria’s arm.

“Do not be like that, Dmitri.” she said laughing, “Next time, just please think about something before you do it…” Aria Isabelle pulled the last stinger out, and pondered for a moment. “It is common sense.”

Dmitria rolled her eyes, “of course…” she said rubbing her arm. “We should head back, it is getting late and we do not want the hags to get their skirts all in a knot.” Dmitria looked back to the orphanage as the stable hand, who had brought the pail of water to Aria Isabelle, was beginning to light the lamp posts.

Aria Isabelle smiled, “I suppose you are right…” she trailed off, looking at the waves crashing onto the far shore, mesmerized by the sea breeze.

“Aria,” Dmitria rested her hand on Aria Isabelle’s shoulder and looked out at the water.

No answer.

“Aria? Aria Isabelle, are you alright,” she asked turning her head towards Aria Isabelle’s face.

“Hm? Oh, I am so sorry Dmitria. I am doing that thing again, aren’t I…” she said to Dmitria, meeting her gaze. Aria Isabelle returned her stare to the far harbor. “Promise me something, Dmitria” she said in a whisper.

“Anything.”

“Promise we will leave this god-forsaken place…” Aria Isabelle trailed off, her voice like the fading sunlight.

“I promise, Aria,” said Dmitria taking Aria Isabelle’s hand in her own, returning her gaze to the sunset as well. “We will leave…someday…”

Suddenly, Aria Isabelle spied an ornate ship pulling into the Harbor, and uneasy feeling rising inside her, “That is odd; I have never seen such a ship pull into the harbor…”

“I agree. Usually, the ships only come from the small islands off the coast…” Dmitria said.

Aria Isabelle turned her head towards Dmitria, “It looks as –”

“Girls, time to come in for bed,” called Mattie from the door leading to the kitchen.

“I do not know Aria…but we should be getting back; you know how the hags get.”

Aria Isabelle nodded solemnly, “We must definitely speak of this later, Dmitria.”

Dmitria nodded in agreement.

Once more, Aria Isabelle looked out at the beautiful Galleon; her eyes fell to the ground. In her heart she prayed that she might one day leave that horrible place – to leave behind her world’s natural gray tint, to a place full of color.

“Well come on,” said Dmitria happily, as Aria Isabelle picked up her various belongings - an ink quill, parchment, and an old ink cartridge – and followed Dmitria back to the orphanage, the ominous feeling that beautiful ship had given her, not far from her mind.

“Hey smile,” said Dmitria as they washed their hands of the dirt, “come on, at least do it for Tally.”

Aria Isabelle shot her an aggravated look, “yes of course, I will defiantly smile for my deceased parakeet, Dmitria.” There were few times when she actually despised Dmitria and bringing up her parakeet, Tally, was one of those times.

Three months after they had met, Jane’s house cat, Bordeaux, had eaten Aria Isabelle’s parakeet named Tally. Aria Isabelle had been devastated; that evening she had cried so hard it had started to rain, as if the heavens themselves could feel her pain.

“Aria, come on. I really did not mean to hurt your feelings. Do you really want me to bring up what you did to Bordeaux?”

Just a month later their caretakers thought that Dmitria had been the one who had locked the house cat in the boiler, killing it. Jane had gone to lock Dmitri in her room for three nights with out dinner, but a huge gust of wind knocked her off her feet sending the key out the open window, never to be found.

“That honestly was not my doing, Dmitria” she said.

Dmitria turned her back to Aria Isabelle and made her way to her bed chamber, “of course, Aria. I forgot – you never do anything wrong.” She winked at Aria Isabelle before exiting through the wooden double doors.

* * *

“Mama,” Dmitria sat up covered in sweat, breathing heavily. It had been another nightmare, the same one as last night and the night before, and the night before that. “Just a dream,” she reassured herself in a rather childish voice, “nothing more than a dream.” She rubbed her eyes tiredly; they were wet. Had she been crying, in her sleep? She had never done that before.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps and the low murmurs of one of the caretakers coming from down the hall. Dmitria pulled the covers back and slipped her feet into her old leather boots, wrapping her thick winter coat around her shoulders. Curious, she stepped closer to the door.

“’ave ya ‘eard the news, Mattie,” said an old voice unrecognizable to Dmitria.

“Sorry Gretchen, I do not seem to follow,” said Mattie.

“Dat merchant ship that came in ta port t’day?” said Gretchen nervously. “On the ship there be a man with black eyes, black as coal Mattie! This ‘ere man ‘as come ta take three of our girls from us, and take the back with ‘im from wherever ‘e came from! ‘e ‘as already killed seven people in town – ‘e ‘as ‘is eye on dat little girl we’d put in ta care of Maggie.”

Mattie’s eyes widened, “Ekaterina?”

“Aye, dat be ta one. Well, turns out the other two are ‘ere.”

“And who, might I ask, are these girls you speak of,” asked Mattie suspiciously.

Dmitria knew who the girl named Ekaterina was; however, the image of her was vivid – the long brown hair, the slightly tanned skin, the chocolate colored eyes. She was familiar with her, but did not know her very well. Ekaterina Lai-John had been put in the care of Maggie, when they were five, and Dmitria had not been in contact with her other than seeing her a year or two before she had met Aria Isabelle.

“I t’ink ya don’t really want ta know” Gretchen looked around cautiously. “Ya listen ‘ere Mattie, w’en I tell ya dis, ya gotta promise me somethin’.”

Mattie nodded.

“Ya gotta promise me dat w’en ya find out ya will get ta bloody ‘ell out o’ ‘ere. I’m serious, Mattie.”

She nodded once more.

“Ya know ta little red ‘ead?”

“Aria Isabelle? Are you certain Gretchen?”

“As sure as I can be,” said Gretchen shaking her head, “I don’t know w’at ta do, Mattie. Da cook left dis mornin’, Jane went wit’ ‘im, day got no idea w’o ta ot’er one is, but I’ll sure not be staying ta find out.”

Dmitria had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming, her heart about to beat clear out of her chest. She froze, “Aria…”

“When is this man you speak of coming?”

Dmitria returned her attention to the caretakers.

“Ta night Mattie...Ta night!”

‘No…’ Dmitria ran to her window looking out at the sundial, shaking her head only to realize that she was not going to be able to read the sundial in that time of night. She heard the frantic footsteps of Mattie running down the worn steps of the grand staircase. Dmitria knew what she had to do to save her best friend; who had recently become more like a sister.

Dmitria changed into the most comfortable dress she owned, and packed a bag full of things she would need – a change of clothes, a knife, and the little pouch of silver pieces she had been saving in order to by herself a new evening gown. She shook her head at the irony of the conversation she and Aria Isabelle had only hours before. She had promised Aria Isabelle that they would get out of there someday, somehow – now they would.

Dmitria pulled her rucksack over her shoulder and headed towards her chamber door. Then something caught her eye. She turned around to see a chain necklace with a red jewel on the end. It had been a gift from her parents, before they had left her to grow up in the orphanage. She grabbed the necklace, pulled it over her neck, and ran out the door and down the hall towards Aria Isabelle’s bed chamber.

Dmitria quietly opened the door to Aria Isabelle small bed chamber. “Aria? Aria Isabelle,” Dmitria whispered hoping that the man Gretchen had been speaking of had not kidnapped Aria Isabelle. Then, she noticed the distinct sound of Aria Isabelle’s breathing from the corner of the bed chamber. Dmitria walked over to Aria Isabelle’s bed, nudging her gently, “Aria wakeup.”

After a few attempts, Aria Isabelle stirred, “Dmitria,” said asked sleepily, “What are you doing here, the hags are going to –”

“Aria, the hags are not here anymore, they have packed up and left.”

“What,” she said sitting up suddenly, “Dmitri, all of them? Dmitria, what is going on?”

“I cannot explain right now,” she said shaking her head, “but you have to get up and get dressed. We are leaving.”

Aria Isabelle did not question Dmitria, for Dmitria’s voice was forceful; that made Aria weary. She dressed herself in the same outfit as Dmitria, packed a rucksack, and grabbed a sapphire pendant and pulled it over her head.

Dmitria grabbed Aria Isabelle’s arm and pulled her out into the hall, down the worn mahogany grand staircase and out the heavy wooden doors to the main house.

Aria Isabelle glanced back sadly at the place that had been her home for her entire life. She shook her head, attempting to suppress the depression that was sure to come. “Where are we going, Dmitria?”

“I am not entirely sure, Aria.”

Dmitria and Aria Isabelle came to the main hall only a few moments later. Dmitria stopped and looked down both halls on her left and right. Breaking into a sprint she ran down the left hall towards the hall of archives, Aria Isabelle not far behind her. When they entered the hall of archives, Dmitria immediately found a dusty leather book with a giant ‘L’ on it. She opened the book, flipping through page after page. Finally, she found the page she had been searching for and ran her finger down the list of names, “Ekaterina Lai-John, Ekaterina Lai-John…here. Maggie’s current residence is listed as 023 Sea Ridge lane. Aria, do you know where 023 Sea Ridge lane is?”

“I think I might…but why do you want to know?”

“Because that is where we have to go” said Dmitria crossing out Ekaterina’s name with a quill. She then proceeded to find the ‘K’ and ‘R’ book where she continued to cross out their names.

“Dmitria, why are you doing such a thing? You are defacing a valuable resource. I –”

“Aria, we must not leave any sort of sign that we were ever here,” said Dmitria looking at Aria Isabelle seriously. She shook her head, frowning, and once again pulled her rucksack over her shoulder. “Do you remember the address I told you?”

“Yes…”

“Then we should go,” Dmitria grabbed Aria Isabelle’s arm and ran.