Their Guardian

Chapter 4

Edited

*Third Person POV (2 months later)*

"Why can't this girl just stay in one place, or better yet, give us something to work with" Booker grumbled, staring down at the very full map. At this point, he wasn't sure if there was a place she hadn't visited. 

They had been tracking her for months, and they still weren't sure if they were even on the right track. Whoever she was trying to evade was making everything difficult for the team, seeing as it was working on them.

She had been all over Russia, jumping from little town to little town. They had followed her everywhere, only several nights later. She was good at her job, and it was really screwing with them.

The rest of the team were equally as frustrated, though more quiet about it, she was moving quickly and efficiently, doing her best to stay away from distinguishable landmarks. Not to mention, they had still yet to actually dream about her in any useful interaction, all they got were standard conversations, very polite contacts, and a lot of alone time, no motives.

They still didn't even know the girl's name. Two months watching her and not a single detail to put with her face.  

"She's smart, I'll give her that... Her movements are clearly hiding her. Though she will need resources, maybe we can find her cache." Andy said with something resembling pride. To her, this girl was a wonder. With the technology they had available to them, they should have found her within days of getting out of the woods. It's now been over a month and she's still evading them without trying. 

She was a good spy. She didn't even know they were after her, and she still kept them in the dark quite effectively. When they had realized they died, It took each of them months to figure out that the dreams may have been leading them to actual people, after that the only thing that really mattered to them was finding each other. The girl gave no indication of searching, so it appeared that she was still in the dark.

"We should try to sleep. Maybe we can find out more?" Joe said with a hopeful expression. He loved finding out more about the girl. From what he could see, she was very polite and kind, and pretty much everything this group needed. From all of her interactions, they had seen that she was a perfect fit. There was just one thing that he couldn't wrap his head around, and it was how that kind of girl became an agent. He just assumed he would have to ask her when he met her. There had to be more to her story.

Nicky was completely on board with that idea. He would take just about any excuse to cuddle with Joe. He also wanted to know more about their mystery girl. Something about her just drew them all in and he wanted to know why. 

"I like that idea. Any information is better than none." Nicky said, trying to keep the hopeful sounding note out of his voice. Like Joe he looked forward to the dreams they would receive about the girl, however, unlike Joe he also resented them. They were taunting him and the others with images they wouldn't be able to use. Every time they found a location, she was long gone from it. It always felt like they were so close only to wake up and realize how far away they truly are.

Booker and Andy nodded in assent, they didn't have any other ideas and maybe this time would be different. On top of all of that they were each sleep-deprived and desperately needed rest.

So with minimal words and no complaints they all drifted off to bed, each more hopeful than the last.  

The first thing they saw was the inside of the train. It was nice, but clearly a far cry from first class. The car was filled with married couples and families. She was the only one sitting alone. 

The next they noticed was the smell of cigar smoke and the way it drifted across the small car. 

Finally, they noticed her. She was in a warm dress/coat sitting alone in the corner of the car, reading a book in Russian, and for the most part avoiding people. However being young and alone tends to attract attention, and many of the patrons were glancing at her frequently. 

This time she didn't mind the attention she was receiving. Especially when it came in the for of a little girl who looked to be about eight or nine. The girl walked up to her and just started starring, this caused her to look up and smile at the young girl. She didn't usually talk to people she didn't have to, but maybe this time she can make an exception. 

She looked around for the girls mother and located a sleeping woman a few rows down, it wasn't hard to make an assumption about where the girl came from. Lost in thought she didn't even notice that the girl was preparing to speak. 

"I'm Dasha, what's your name?" the little girl said with uncertainty, like she wasn't sure if she should speak or not, this was made more apparent with how she was clinging to her small doll, almost as if it was grounding her. Body language was the first thing a spy was trained to notice.

"Hi Dasha, I'm Noella. Your doll looks very nice, does she also have a name?" She asked with a smile, in the past she kept her interactions very short and polite, however this time she seemed very interested in the conversation. 

The little girl lit up with happiness as she started to babble on and on in Russian about her doll and where she was going. The group didn't even notice that time seemed to speed up, however she still kept talking to the little girl. The train ride was almost over, and she didn't even seem to notice, she just kept listening to the little girl, wondering if this is what her childhood could have been. 

"You're very pretty." The little girl said with admiration in her eyes, taking in the features of the green-eyed, dark-haired girl. 

They saw their ghost who had haunted them for weeks in a whole new light. As they turned their attention back to the scene in front of them they saw Noella, soften her eyes and say with a warm disposition. 

"Really? Because I'm positive that you are far more beautiful than I ever will be." she said with a warm smile.

This was followed by the little girl initiating a very warm hug and for the first time ever they saw her hug back. All of their past information her indicated that she hated touch but she seemed more than willing to make this little girl's day.

"All passengers this a warning we will be approaching Moscow in 15 minutes" the speaker spoke with no emotion. This awoke Dasha's mother who frantically started looking for her daughter only to see her chatting away with a girl who couldn't be more than a teenager. The woman shot up and rushed over to check on her daughter.

"Dasha! Why did you run off? I'm so sorry she bothered you." The mother said full of concern and apologies as she looked over her daughter to make sure she was alright. 

"It wasn't an issue. I found Dasha to be very good company." Noella said warmly.

After a quick thanks the mom dragged Dasha back to her seat to prepare to exit the train. They watched her smiling warmly at the girl and give a quick little wave to her before standing up and grabbing her small bag. 

They watched their ghost exit the train and smile at the snow. She looked different, more at peace, and they had no clue what could have prompted her change. It was at that moment their dream started to fade in and out as they began waking up for the first time with actual answers.  

"Moscow!" Booker exclaimed gleefully. They finally knew where she was, and you could trust that they were coming for her. 

*Noella's POV*

Moscow was just a beautiful as She remembered it, however it wasn't the beauty she was here for. She had come to the city for only one thing. After, it was a race to get the hell out of the Soviet Union. She would not let herself get stuck again, not after last time.

Noella only knew one thing for certain: She had just entered her arena, and it was show time. She planned to make it out alive this time. She just had a few hurdles to clear. After that it was a new adventure, one that could take her farther than she had ever been.

 As the sun started to set on this lovely city, she walked into the night preparing to do what she had to, and no one was safe.