"Where are you taking me?"

We're driving down a large road, in total silence. Should I break the ice, or should I wait for him to? Oh hell, he's the one who got me in this car in the first place, may as well let him introduce himself. I then realize I just got in a car with somebody who's name I didn't know. I silently kick myself. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"You're not stupid, I can tell." he says with a slight smile. I stare out the window. Mindreaders are hard to keep things from.

"I'm Vladimir. Vladimir Jovanovik."

"You're the guy with the welcome basket." I say. Wow, way to be Captain Obvious.

"Yeah." he chuckles. "I know that was kind of cheesy, but I saw you with that other girl and I knew I had to meet you. I needed a gimmick. Time tested and at the same time, kind of funny."

It's fun just to listen to him talk. His last name gave me the impression of an Eastern European guy. God, I've always been a sucker for Russians. I try very hard not to think that thought.

Alas, to no avail. "Wow. I've never met a girl with a partiality to our neck of the woods. I'll keep that in mind." he says, laughing.

I immediately go red in the face. I have never ever thought anything like that in my life, why start now

If he heard that, he ignored it.

"So, I've introduced myself, who are you?"

"My name's kind of weird, so you can't laugh, okay?"

He looks me dead in the eyes, no hint of laughter anywhere on his face. "I promise."

"Okay." I say, a smile involuntarily creeping across my face. Here goes.

"My name is Cameo Polaris Donnelly. It sounds weird, but it's nickname gold, and my parents were astronomers who studied...a polaris somewhere, I'm not exactly sure." I power through this explanation like my life depends on it. A few potential friends didn't speak to me after I'd disclosed my full name. Kids, I guess.

He doesn't seem phased in the least. "I think it's cool, actually. I like it. The name's nearly as cool as you are." he says simply. He gives me a small, shy smile that seems a bit out of the character I've chatted up for five minutes. I return the smile. He's sweet.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask him.

He turns into a driveway. The house on the card. "That's not the question you should be asking me." He parks, gets out of the car, and opens the door for me.

I take his hand, giving him a puzzled look.

"Relax." he says. "It'll all be explained soon enough."