CHAPTER 1

The First Summer

A little girl was sitting on the curb, running her fingers through the synthetic, blonde hair of the doll in her lap. "Vanja, come on," a voice shouted from behind her. The little girl turned her head to face her parents and grandparents, who stood by a fully packed car. She rose shakily up onto her legs before running as fast as she could into her father's arms, laughing as he made a funny face.

"Are you sure you've got everything?" the elderly woman asked the younger, who nodded. "I'm sure, mom. We better get going now," she replied as she opened the door to the driver's seat. "You better remember to give your brother the gifts," the woman's father reminded her. "And drive safely. You know how they drive so close to the border." The woman laughed before kissing her father's cheek. "I'll make sure to remember," she said before getting into the car, joining her husband and daughter. "We'll see you!" the elderly couple shouted as they waved at the car which drove down the neighborhood.

They drove for hours and hours, but the girl in the backseat didn't seem to mind as she played with her doll and the other brightly colored toys she had brought with her. She wasn't really sure where they were going, only that they were going to visit Uncle Aleks. As the sun was setting and she watched the sunflowers fly past the car's window, her eyes felt heavy and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

She woke up feeling a cold breeze on her bare legs, and she made a noise of discomfort. "Wake up, my doll. We're here," her father whispered, trying to coax her from her slumber. The little girl opened her eyes, huffing as she crawled over to her father, who took her into his arms as he walked towards Aleksandar, his wife's brother. "Is this little Vanja?" he asked as he gently poked the girl's cheek. She nodded in response, her hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You've gotten so big! Like an elephant," Aleks exclaimed with a laugh. The girl couldn't help but smile, stretching her arms towards her uncle for him to carry her inside.

As they made their way up the stairs, laughter could be heard echoing throughout the building. When they reached the floor below Aleks's apartment, the laughter grew louder, and two dark-haired children were running around the hallway. "Aleks," they shouted as they ran towards him. "Aleks, Aleks! I did the trick you taught me," the boy exclaimed. "You should have seen the faces of the older boys. I think they'll let me play with them now." Aleks laughed as he used his free hand to tousle the young boy's hair. "I bet! That's good, Pietro. Next time I will teach you something else, okay?" Aleks said as he crouched in front of him, setting Vanja down onto the floor. "Will you do it now? Please?" Pietro begged, his eyes gleaming at the thought of Aleks teaching him more football tricks. "I can't right now. I have visitors," Aleks replied as he hugged Vanja closer. "Who is she?" the shy girl behind Pietro asked, her face almost hidden by her long, dark hair. "Do you want to tell them who you are?" Aleks asked his niece, who shook her head as she kept her eyes on the two children opposite her. "Come on, they won't bite," her uncle laughed, but the girl only mumbled before hiding her face in her uncle's chest. "She is a little shy," he explained to the two older children. "Just like Wanda?" Pietro asked, gazing at his twin sister. "Yes, just like Wanda," Aleks replied with a smile.

Suddenly a door behind the children opened and their mother came out. "Pietro! Wanda! What are you doing? Are you bothering Aleks again?" their mother lightly scolded them. As Wanda ran to her mother, Aleks laughed. "They weren't bothering me, Marya. Pietro was just telling me about the cool trick he did the other day." Pietro smiled at his mother proudly before running towards her. "When I grow up, I will be just like Aleks, mother," he declared as he wrapped his arms around her leg. Marya looked down at her son and smiled fondly.
When she return her gaze towards the younger tenant, she spotted the small girl wrapped in his arms. "Oh, who do we have here?" she asked, smiling softly at the sight. "This is my niece, Vanja," Aleks revealed as he tried to remove the girl from his chest, so she could meet Marya. "It is nice to meet you, Vanja," Marya greeted as she rested her hand on top of Pietro's head, but the little girl only returned to her previous position, hiding her face from the strange people. "Is your sister visiting?" Marya asked, remembering Aleks had previously mentioned it. "And her husband, yes. We have a lot of family here in Sokovia, so they're staying here for two-three weeks," Aleks explained. "Well, if Vanja needs anyone to play with, just send her down. I bet Wanda won't mind playing with a girl for once," Marya laughed, as Aleks picked his niece back up. "Would you like that?" he asked her. Vanja looked at Wanda, who was hiding behind her mother's skirt. She leaned her head against her uncle's shoulder while nodding. "Looks like it's a deal," Aleks affirmed, as he saw Wanda give a timid smile. "I'll see you around, you little devils," Aleks said with a wink before Marya ushered her children inside, closing the door behind her.
"Who are those people?" Vanja questioned as her uncle carried her up the stairs to his apartment. "They are friends. I work with Pietro and Wanda's father. His name is Django," Aleks explained, trudging his way up the steps. "Do you think you will be friends with them?" Vanja raised her head and looked at her uncle before rubbing her nose. "Yes. We will be best friends," she declared, making her uncle chuckle.

When the doorbell rang the following day, and Wanda stood outside in her red dress, Natalia, Vanja's mother, wasn't surprised, her brother having told her about the agreement with the Maximoffs. "Is Vanja here?" the small girl asked, her voice small. Natalia moved to the side before calling her daughter's name out. When Vanja appeared by the kitchen door, Wanda smiled at her, giving her a wave. "Go get your jacket, then you can go," Natalia ordered before turning back to Wanda with a soft smile. As Vanja returned with and her light jacket, Natalia helped her put it on. "Now remember, you come home when Wanda does, and if you behave well, maybe you will get an ice-cream later, both of you, okay?" Wanda and Vanja looked at each other before nodding eagerly causing Natalia to laugh at them. "Now go!" she announced, as she kissed her daughter's cheek before pushing her out the door.
As she closed the door, her husband, Dragan, appeared behind her. "Did you just send our daughter out to play with that gypsy trash?" he questioned, his voice laced with vexation. Natalia sighed as she turned around, giving her husband a disapproving look. "Do not look at me like that, woman. You are just as bad as your brother," Dragan rebuked before returning to the living room, beer in his hand.

For the next two weeks, Vanja played with Wanda every day, from early morning and until their mothers would yell at them that it was time for dinner. It would often be just the two of them running around the playground, imagining running away together to exotic lands, or being whisked away by handsome princes on their horses. Pietro would sometimes join them, playing the evil dragon which held them captive, but he usually played with the neighborhood boys, though never straying too far away from the girls, always keeping an eye on them. In the evenings, all the children in the neighborhood would gather and play games together, often racing each other. Pietro always won when it came to racing, and each time Wanda and Vanja would cheer at his victory.

One day Natalia invited Marya and the children out for lunch. As the two mothers walked together, their children ran ahead, fooling around. "They are very close, your children," Natalia observed as Pietro held Wanda's hand when she couldn't keep up. "Yes. It has only been the two of them for a long time, and they are twins as well. They still sleep in the same bed sometimes," she revealed, laughing slightly at the sleeping image of her children. "They have taken a liking to Vanja," she added, turning her gaze towards Natalia. "I'm glad. I was worried she would be bored here in Sokovia," Natalia confessed as she smiled at Marya. "Your husband," Marya continued. "He does not like us very much, does he?" After the initial shock, Natalia bowed her head in shame, her cheeks reddening. "It's okay. As long as it doesn't affect our children, I can live with it." Natalia looked back up at the dark-haired woman by her side, and felt nothing but respect for her at that moment. "I don't share my husband's view of the world, and I would rather give my life than have them forced upon my daughter," Natalia revealed as she turned her head back forwards, keeping an eye on the children. As Vanja took both Wanda and Pietro's hands into her own, Marya let out a chuckle. "It seems she has not taken after her father."

Too soon it was time to leave Sokovia, thereby leaving the twins. As Dragan and Aleks packed the car, Natalia was conversing with Marya and Django, exchanging addresses. "I hope you'll visit again next summer?" Django asked, the tall man pulling his wife to his side. "I'm sure we'll visit again soon," Natalia divulged as the children came darting back, Vanja bumping into her legs. "Mama, can't I stay?" she asked, dark eyes looking hopeful. "Stay where?" her mother asked back in a joking manner, glancing at Marya and Django before returning her gaze towards her daughter. "Stay with Wanda and Pietro," the child replied as if it were the most obvious. "You can't stay here. You have to go home to your grandma and grandpa; they're waiting for you." The young girl's eyes started watering as her lip began trembling. "No! I want to stay," she yelled. "I want to stay with Wanda and Pietro." Django laughed wholeheartedly at the child's antics, before picking her up. Vanja rubbed her eyes, trying to dry up her tears. "Listen, asja, don't cry. I promise you I will come visit," he joked, causing everyone to laugh. "No! I want Wanda and Pietro," the small child screamed as she hit Django's chest, which causes him to laugh harder. Natalia quickly took the small girl from the man's arms, scolding her for hitting the man. "Don't tell the girl off, Natalia. She just wants to be with her friends," Marya stated with a grin on her face, as they made their way to the car.

Wanda was standing beside her brother, holding his hand tightly while tears streamed down her cheeks as the car drove away with her best friend. "Oh, don't cry," Marya cooed, picking up her devastated daughter. "She'll come back soon." Wanda threw her arms around her mother's neck, burying her face in her hair as the two made their way back into the building. Pietro stood watching the car until he couldn't see it anymore before he felt his father's heavy hand on top of his head. "You will meet again, čhavo," was all he assured as the two stood side by side.

During the following months, Natalia exchanged many letters with Marya in order for their children to stay in touch, attaching pictures the children had drawn to each other, and sometimes sending small parcels filled with tokens and sweets. Dragan wasn't delighted when he found out, but the smile on his daughter's lips whenever a letter came made him endure it.

Summer turned to winter, which turned into spring, and soon enough the planning for the next trip to Sokovia started. As Dragan and Natalia were sitting by the kitchen table and their daughter lying on the floor, drawing yet another picture for her friends, the phone rang. Natalia rose up quickly, rushing over to answer it. The kitchen was quiet until a deafening scream filled it. Vanja looked up and saw her mother fall to the floor, her cheeks wet and open mouth quivering. The view was confusing for the little girl, who couldn't understand what had just happened; she had never seen her mother cry before. Her father rose so quickly up that his chair fell to the ground, startling the girl, who ran into her bedroom, hiding beneath her blanket as her mothers sobs filled the apartment. It wasn't until hours later that her mother had been able to explain to her that her Uncle Aleks had died.

When they reached Sokovia, they had to stay with some relatives, since Aleks's building had been completely demolished by the bombs. They had driven by, but couldn't get close since everything was blocked off, but Vanja could recognized the neighborhood. "Are we going to visit Wanda and Pietro?" she had asked her mother, who stared at her husband in search of an answer. "We... We don't know where they are, my doll," her father replied honestly. He didn't have the heart to tell his daughter that the only thing he knew was that their parents had died in the same bombings as his wife's brother. "Then we must find them," the girl had replied, sitting back in her seat, cheerful at the thought of seeing her friends again.

They weren't able to find the Maximoff twins until months later, when a call came, informing Natalia that they had been taken in by some distant Romani family members. She had tried to get their address, but with no luck. When the call ended, Natalia turned to her daughter, who was perched upon a chair, drawing yet another drawing for her Sokovian friends. At that moment the woman was grateful that her daughter wouldn't understand what had happened until years later, after they had moved from Serbia.

A/N: Hello everyone! So I know it hasn't been fully confirmed where Sokovia is, but since I've seen some signs and stills from the movie, it looks positively Serbian, so that's the setting of this story. Furthermore, I know that we don't know the names of the twins' parents, so I've just used the names of their adoptive parents from the comics, although not being familiar with them. I felt it was important for me to integrate the twins' Romani heritage, since nothing is mentioned of it in the movie, and it plays such an important part in the comics (or so I've read), which is the reason why I've put some Romani words into Django's speech pattern. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but the words in italics should respectively translate into 'teardrop' and 'boy'. Thank you for reading!