"There are Dunn's right in this city," she said. "There is a Bruce Dunn and Sheila Dunn. Do you think it is her parents? Or distant family?"
Ladislas mulled it over in his head. "She was living with a friend from college. She wouldn't do that if her parents lived in the same city." He paused. "Maybe she had a bad relationship with them and didn't have contact." That was also a reasonable explanation.
"Oh, and they live in a really well-off neighborhood. They must have some money, then," Penelope deduced.
"It doesn't make sense. Human parents don't allow their children to descend to such a state," Ladislas said with a frown. "If Anna has family who is loaded, why would she be living on the street?"
"Street people: it's a lifestyle," Penelope said casually. "No clue," she amended on seeing his scathing look.
"I am going to call them. But what should I say?" Ladislas asked.
'Hello, I was wondering if you have a relative by the name of Anna. You see, she was my student at university and we spent a night together. She left in the morning before I woke up. She owes me a life and I happen to be a demon who must get what was promised to him. Oh, she is homeless and mute at this very moment. No, this isn't a joke.'
Ladislas didn't think it would go over well.
"Master, humans prefer if you keep things simple," Penelope suggested.
"You sound like a human consultant or something." He huffed. "I can do that. I'll ask them if they know Anna and if they do… they can point me in the right direction."
He dialed the number enthusiastically, but his bubble was burst when the call went straight to voice mail.
"I think the phone is shut off," he whispered to Penelope.
"Are you going to leave a message?"
Ladislas shook his head. "That would be too strange," he concluded. "I will try again tomorrow."
Penelope and he spent the next few hours talking and when she decided to head to bed, Ladislas looked at the clock again.
He had enough time to do another sweep of the local area.
With a determined mind, he put on his warm clothes and headed out of the door.
It was still terribly cold outside and he hoped that Anna had found shelter somewhere that night. He hoped that she had something to eat and that someone kind enough had given her a little money.
The sky was starting to get redder as he walked through the city.
Somewhere out there, the woman who had bewitched him in a matter of a month or two dwelled. Ladislas didn't know what she thought of him and if she was remotely interested in seeing him again, but he would try. She didn't have much of a choice as he would find her and he would bring her to his side.
'I'm on my way, Anna. Just you wait.'
.
In another part of the city:
It had been weeks since Anna had stayed over at Ladislas' place. Not that she was counting the hours or anything. She had promised herself that she would not dwell on what her life could have been like if she was a normal person, and she would try to forget every encounter she had with him.
Needless to say, she failed miserably. Then, she made a deal with herself only to think about him at night before falling asleep, when she could stare at his picture until the lights were turned off. That hadn't worked either. He was on her mind constantly. He consumed her every thought during the day and occupied her dreams at night. She used to dread falling asleep, especially with the raging cold weather. But now, the fear of being dragged off, succumbing to the biting cold had been replaced with flights of fantasies about him.
She would imagine situations with him while looking at his picture and they would spill over into her dreams. Sometimes, they were on the beach together, he was talking about some magic ritual from his supernatural world while she was watching him while they held hands and the sun shone down upon them. Other times, they would be cooking dinner together in his kitchen. Then there were the dreams where they would be naked in his bed. No, in the dreams, it would be 'their' bed. Almost every dream would be a new version of a life she could and would never have. A life with… company and Ladislas.
Thinking his name hurt so much that she rarely did it. He would always be that spark of light in her life. Sir, she referred to him in her mind most of the time. In her dreams, he was Ladislas though. Hers. But she knew that she couldn't think like that when she was awake. She couldn't afford that. He wouldn't be interested in Anna for long and someone from his species or more normal would come along for him in the future. Someone who could give him everything he wanted. Then, there was the other part of her that hated the thought of him being with anyone other than her. She was selfish when she thought like that. Just because she was incapable of living didn't mean she had to steal it from him too. No, it wasn't right to think that way. He could have everything, he possibly already had everything. And Anna was not the one who could make his life better.
She sighed and pulled the sleeping bag tighter around her. It was still so fucking cold. She bowed down her head and for a few minutes, she closed her eyes and tried to forget that she was sitting on the sidewalk of a busy street. She thought about him again.