<div style="text-align: justify;">Still sniffling and wiping at her eyes with the base of her palm, Alannah wondered why the cowboy hat was so special. Dimitri had been very careful with it, lying it on the floor outside as if it was made of glass. She finally got her watering eyes under control as Dimitri disappeared behind her on the hunt for some unknown treasure that probably only held any value to him and his adoptive parents. She thought she heard a faint, metallic jingling and turned her head just in time to see her boyfriend emerging from the depths holding a cardboard box.<br/><br/>The mixture of excitement and nervousness that had been residing in her stomach left her in a whooping exhale as Dimitri opened the box and revealed - childhood photographs. No explanation for his behavior, or the hat, or his <span style="font-style: italic">parent's</span> behavior, nothing! Just mindless gibbering about baby pictures. Alannah surged from her position on the box and to her full height, staring at Dimitri.<br/><br/><span style="color: #4080FF">"That's it?! Ya wanted to show me pictures of ya as a kid?! That's <span style="font-style: italic">it</span>?!"</span> She was not quite screaming, but if her voice became any shriller, only bats would be able to hear it. <span style="color: #4080FF">"How about ya begin telling me about the wee ya been acting lately? In case ya didn't notice, something's been festering around heah evah since we got outta that lake, and I wanna know why! What is <span style="font-style: italic">wrong</span> with ya?"</span><br/><br/>Finishing her little tirade, she folded her arms across her heaving chest and waited expectantly for an answer. Her eyes were glimmering, both from dusty tears and anger. She would not let him weasel out of this one.</div>