Number Three! Okay, warning! This one is very angsty. I wrote this while very upset, however, my situation turned out much better, thankfully.
Songs: Little Things -One Direction
Katyusha was beginning to worry. It had been two hours since her sister had returned home. Ivana had seemed upset, but had retired to her room before anything could be said. She still hadn't come out.
Sighing, her eyes traveled to the dark and snowy Moscow sky. The colorful turrets of St. Basil's cathedral could be seen poking up in the distance along with the bright lights of the Red Square. Her eyes were staring out at the familiar scene without really seeing. In all her years of taking care of Ivana, she never known her sister to act like this, and she was debating whether to go upstairs and check on her.
Setting her book down, she rose from the squishy armchair, her decision made without even realizing it. Quietly, she slipped up the stairs of her sister's darkly lit home. She felt a pang of guilt and saddness, remembering a time when the house had been warm and bright, filled with other countries. Fumbling down the hall (why was the light switch at the other end?) she passed many doors, names written the countries underneath. There were the three Baltic states first, Latvia's room nearest to her, Toris' (Lithuania) old bedroom farthest of the three, with Eduard's (Estonia) situated in the middle. She saw others with peeling names like Armenia and Uzbekistan. At the opposite end of the hall were the only three bedrooms that were still used. Her own, Natalia's (Belarus), and the room she had been looking for in the middle.
Katyusha stopped in front of her sister's familiar door. She didn't need light to see the white wooden door painted with pictures of sunflowers. She reached a hand out and gently knocked on the door.
"Ivana? Is everything all right?" There was silence. "Sister. May I please come in?" There was a soft snuffle but no response. Slowly, she pushed the door open and was met with a numbing sight.
Her sister, her strong, simplistic, and easy going sister was curled into a ball on her bed, her head buried in her arms, and her body shaking with silent sobs. Kat practically ran to her, wrapping her arms around the younger woman, rubbing her shoulder soothingly.
"Ivana, my dear sister, what is wrong?" She asked softly. Ivana just started to cry harder, her thin body trembling. "Please, Iva, tell me what is wrong. You know that I only want to help." Kat continued to rub circles, hoping to calm her down. She was silently thanking whatever deity there was that Natalia was not around. Their violent, youngest sibling would only make things worse.
Slowly, Ivana managed to lift her head, and she looked at her older, motherly sister; her violet colored eyes were red and puffy. What scared her though was the hollow look in her sister's eyes.
"Amelia." She croaked, barely above a whisper. Her red lips were trembling. Kat looked confused.
"I- I told her. I mean, I… told her that I loved her. I- I just. I don't know why. I…" She looked at her sister desperately. Her voice was barely above a shaky whisper. Her reaction just confused her elder sister even more.
"But… shouldn't this be a good thing, sister? You have been wanting to tell her for very long time, da? Why are you so sad?" Ivana just shook her head in response. Tears were blurring her vision and she could feel them threatening to over flow again.
"Nyet, sister. I- I should not have said anything. Sh-she did not... She said nothing. Still hasn't. I wish, I just wish she would have reacted." Ivana was becoming hysterical and looked as though she was going to continue crying at any second. "Even rejection or disgust would be better. This- This silence. It is awful, sister. At least, at least with her hate, I would know what to do. I- I would at least know how she feels in return. I cannot stand not knowing if she hates me or not." The young Russian opened and closed her mouth a few more times, before finally shaking her head and giving up trying to speak through her anxiety.
She closed her eyes and let the tears fall again, pulling her knees tighter to her chest and wrapped her arms around her older sister's neck, crying into it, feeling like a child again. Kat wrapped her arms protectively around her younger sister, stroking her ashen colored hair, neither saying a word. Eventually, her sister stopped shaking, and within moments, she felt Ivana's soft, steady breath on her collar bone. Katyusha pulled back, untwining her sister from her, and kissed her forehead, laying her back down on the bed.
Kat was greatly concerned by the effect that the American's silence was having on her younger sister. She knew of their history-who didn't, after all-and remembered how her sister had fallen apart after the Cold War. She had been nervous when Ivana had told her about the strange feelings she had been having around Amelia. She did not know the American well, but had heard much about her from both Matthew, Amelia's older brother, and Ivana.
Sighing softly, she picked up the phone in her sister's kitchen and dialed the familiar number. "Hello?" Came the sound of Matthew's familiar, and soft, Canadian voice.
"Matvey. I need your help, please. It is very important." She could hear the confusion in his voice.
"Kat? What's wrong? Are you all right?" The Ukrainian woman bit her lower lip, unsure if Amelia had informed him of what had happened.
"It is Ivana. I am very worried for her."
"Why? Kat seriously, tell me what's wrong already, eh?"
"I told you about Iva's… feelings toward your sister as of late, da?"
"Yah…so?"
"Well, Ivana apparently told her today, and received only a shocked reaction. Matvey… Amelia has said nothing since. Please, Matvey. I need you to talk to your sister for me." Katyusha could feel a few tears welling up in her own eyes. "Please. I have not seen Ivana cry since the Cold War happened. She did not even cry when the Soviet Union was broken apart, granted she was probably too shocked to feel anything. Even then, Matvey, it was not even close to this. I'm worried about what will happen to Iva if Amerika continues to ignore her. We both know that Iva is already not the most stable person. I am scared of what this will do to her sanity." She was ready to burst into hysterical tears. Her voice was a whisper. "Please."
Matthew was silent letting his friend's words sink in. He didn't know Ivana that well, only what he'd seen. Ivana, creepy, impenetrable, Ivana was upset- no, crying- and it was worrying Kat. Mon dieu... this was bad.
"Sure. Of course, Katty." Katyusha barely managed to catch what he said, his voice was even softer than usual.
Kat felt a huge sense of relief and managed to calm down.
"Thank you, Matvey. I mean it, thank you." She set the phone down and felt a small smile creeping on to her face. Soft footsteps came from the hall way and she turned; her grin fell into a look of concerned shock, and a little fear, at the sight of her sister.
Ivana was standing in the doorway. She looked awful. Her ashen hair was tangled, and ruffled. Her violet eyes were still red, though less puffy, and tear streaked; the look they held, Katyusha would never be able to forget. The childish light that they usually held was gone, leaving them dimmed, and empty.
"A-are you feeling any better, Iva?" Her sister shook her head.
"I am sorry for the concern I have caused you, sister. I assure you, it will not happen again." Her voice, scratchy from crying, was monotonous and dead. Kat's worry flared again.
"What do you mean, sestra?" She tried to give a cheerful smile, but it faultered, fear and concern still in her eyes.
"It does not matter. My emotions should have no precedence, and I should not have broken down like that. I-" She took a deep breath. "I am done with that Capitalist pig."
Katyusha could only watch helplessly as her sister left the room, knowing that there was nothing she could do to change the Russian woman's mind.
Kat took a breath and steadied herself. She knew that if she weren't as nice as she was, she would be setting Natalia, her violently over protective (to the point that she was the only person who could scare Ivana) youngest sister after Amelia.
Ivana had to be truly upset if she would go this far. Her sister had become so hurt that she had let ice like that of her precious Moscow close over her heart, not wanting feel the pain of it broken.
Kat was disappointed, and sad. If only there was more she could do, but she knew better. Iva was stubborn and determined to avoid what she perceived as weakness, even if it meant letting apart of herself die along with it.