Prologue
6 years ago…
The Williams Residence
Toronto, Canada
May 5, 2006
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
Tap, ta−
"I got it!" Meg exclaimed as she dropped her book of volcanoes onto the counter and her pencil went from tapping on the counter to furiously copying vital information.
Her mother smiled at her, looking up from the sink where she was doing the dishes in their small kitchen, "What did you get, dear?"
"I was for the the best volcano for my report and I found this one in Iceland called Bardarbunga that would be perfect!" she exclaimed in a soft, enthusiastic voice that was just above a whisper.
"That's great, honey! Tell me more about this, Barda−"
"Bardarbunga!" Meg said in a hurried whisper, "It's a sub-glacial volcano in Iceland with an elevation of 2,009 meters and it's under the Vatna−"
"Ah!" her mother collapsed, clutching her chest.
"Mom!" Meg said, being loud for once in her life, "Mom, Mom, Mom," she chanted, getting softer and softer as she held her mother, slowly rocking them both, "Mom say something! Are you okay? Please say something!"
"M- Marguerite, my dear Marguerite," her mom said weakly, "I love you so, so much."
"I love you too, Mom," Meg cried, tears dripping from her face, "I love you too. Please don't leave me."
"There are two letters in the bottom left drawer of my desk."
"For me?"
"Yes," her mother breathed, "And your sister." She said, reaching up to touch Meg's shocked face, "I am so sorry, love."
.
Nebraska Central Private School
Lincoln, Nebraska
May 6, 2006
"Really? Huh."
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Jones? We were talking about your daughter?"
John ignored her, "And you're sure it's Claire? … Interesting… What do you mean it's mine!?"
"Mr. Jones." the principal warned in a stern tone.
"Oh yeah, I gotta go, the kid got in trouble again," he finished into the phone as Amelia slumped into her chair more, looking out the window as to avoid all eye contact. "So what'd she do this time?" he asked, flashing her his best grin.
"Well, Mr. Jones, Amelia is not only refusing to do the Mother's Day crafts and activities but telling the other kids that they don't need mothers and that they'd be fine without them."
"That's why you called me in here?" John Jones asked in surprise. He leaned back in his chair, sighing, "Can't you just handle that without me?"
The principal, Mrs. Anderson, sighed, "Mr. Jones, Amelia lacks a maternal figure, and we think it would be in her best in−"
"Well her biological mother just kicked the bucket and I'm not really into the whole 'marrying' thing," he spat, crossing his arms.
There was silence.
Amelia shot up in her chair, turning to face her father, "M-my mother? I had a mother?"
5 years ago
Moscow Police Department
Moscow, Russia
December 25, 2007
Ivan sat silently across the cold metal table, his arms crossed. "I'm not going to apologize, Katayusha."
"Why, Ivan? Please just tell me why."
Ivan knew he should answer, but even though she was his older sister, he felt that he was responsible for protecting her, responsible for keeping her happy and oblivious. So he just diverted his eyes, saying nothing.
"Time's up," the guard said, indicating there time together was up. "It's off to Siberia for now, Braginsky."
As Katayusha got up, just as she was exiting, she spoke her final words to Ivan.
"You've gone and done it, you've ruined another Christmas. I wish you would tell me why…"
.
Just before he was scheduled to leave he got a phone call.
Katayusha had left. Apparently, she had run off to Ukraine. It wasn't 'till now that he regretted getting caught. With both him and Katayusha, what would happen to Natalya? She would be sent to live with their father, Abram Braginsky, where she was bound to learn about the family business. Hopefully she'd be safe until he got out, but a year is a long time.
4 years ago
Kirkland Residence
Brighton, England
August 17, 2008
He had to tell her. She was his mother, technically speaking anyway. And if things went bad, how much worse could it be? Right?
"Where ya goin', Arty?" Allister, Arthur's oldest half-brother, snarled as he walked past in the other direction.
Arthur just ignored him. None of his half-brothers liked him. He the result of the affair that broke up their parents' marriage. His half-brothers, of course, had forgiven their mother, but continued to blame him just as their mother did. They even blamed him for his father, John Jones, not giving them more penance for the burden he caused.
He hated everything about being his mother's son. Except Peter. Little toddling Peter who hadn't learned to hate him yet.
He hated everything about being his father's son. Except Amelia. Nice, outgoing Amelia who he would correspond with regularly by email.
It was because of Amelia he was going to take the chance and tell his mom about who he really was.
He would finally tell his mom that… he preferred boys.
And if she rejected him, would much really change? He already knew she favored his brothers.
How bad could it be?
.
Queens Park
Brighton, England
August 22, 2008
Arthur ran. It was the only thing he could think to do. The only way he could think to escape.
A week ago, he finally came out to his mother.
"What do you want, boy? This liquor won't drink itself!" his mother exclaimed as she poured herself another shot.
"Well, um, you see…"
His mother looked at him, stern and cold as ice, "Boy, I said out with it. I don't got all day for your silly blabberings."
"I'm gay," he whispered, his shoulders shrugged, looking at the ground and playing with the hem of his shirt.
"What," Emily simply stated, stated down a recently emptied shot glass. "Repeat that, boy, and think carefully about what you say next."
"Mom," tears threatened to spill over as he pushed the next sentence out, "I'm… gay."
Arthur looked up at her, but she was already looking out the window on the other side of the room.
"Arthur, please leave me, I'll talk to you about this later. If you change your mind about, this, tell me. Otherwise, leave."
.
After that, he had tried to continue on as normal, but his mother was even colder to him than usual. And his brothers could tell, so they too were colder, were nastier.
This morning, Emily had told him he would be leaving. That he'd be going to school in America at a boarding school called The World Academy in New York. She then handed him a brochure and told him to pack his things. All of his things.
Emily had contacted his father's lawyer and set it all up. His father would pay his way through boarding school and he would officially be out of his mother's hair.
He had emailed Amelia. She was excited at first, thinking she'd finally be able to meet her big brother. But he was going to New York, and she was in Nebraska, and their father had no plans of going to see him.
After he found out about going to America, he thought a lot about maybe seeing Amelia, or Meg−the sister they found out they had two years ago. Or maybe meeting his father. Was he really as bad as Amelia had said?
He also wondered about Peter.
Would he ever see him again? And if he did would he still even like Arthur? He hoped so.
But maybe, just maybe, this was what he needed. An escape, a fresh start.
3 years ago
Siberian Prison Camp 17
Moscow, Russia
March 18, 2009
"Back again, eh, Braginsky?" one of the officers asked as he pulled a bundle that included his mattress and beading out of the utility closet.
Ivan shrugged. As the sovietnik1 of the Braginsky Bratva, Ivan was first arrested on assault and conspiracy charges, and now for involvement with counterfeit money and hiring a torpedo2. That on top of allegedly bribing the government, but who could say for sure.
He wasn't a snjor3 anymore. People knew who he was, knew he was Pahkan4 Braginsky's kid, and he'd be the pahkan himself once the old man kicked the bucket.
"You're no the little bandity5 who came here two years ago, but here you are, sidet'6 yet again," the officer continued.
Ivan turned and looked at the cheery guard coldly, "Yes I am, musora7, and don't you forget why."
Ivan had changed. Not just from his year in prison, but also during his year out of prison. Helping his father run the Braginsky Bratva had opened him up to the real world, including the fact he couldn't protect Natalya from mafiya8 life. Their father had already sent her off to Belarus for a time after she knifed one of her guardians, a Lithuanian named Toris Laurinaitis. Not to mention she was already a target of an Italian mafia clan after threatening one of the Capo di tutti capi8 Vargas' granddaughters.
Ivan also dealt with the self-imposed burden of driving Katayusha away. They had yet to hear from her, and all the while Ivan blamed himself. He clung to the memory of his loving big sister, treasuring the scarf she once gave her. Maybe it would be enough to get him through prison again. The hope that is. The hope of maybe seeing her again.
The officer's expression turned to stone as they arrived at Ivan's cell.
"Don't worry, Braginsky," he shut the cell door, "I won't."
The lock clicked.
This was his home for the next two years.
2 years ago
Jones Manor
Lincoln, Nebraska
July 6, 2010
"Come on! You promised!" Amelia pestered, "I turned fifteen two days ago and Meg turned fourteen five days ago! You promised this year for our birthdays you'd tell us everything about our parents' marriage."
Meg stood behind her sister, softly nodding her head in agreement, clutching her stuffed polar bear, Kumarija, or was it Kumojiru?
"Yeah," the shy Canadian girl agreed in hushed excitement, "Father's not here right now so you can tell us!"
"Alright, alright!" Martha, their nanny, said, throwing her arms up in surrender. "Well, it was sixteen years ago…"
.
Jones Manor
Lincoln, Nebraska
October 25, 1994
This was bad. John had his whole life ahead of him, and now that Claire was knocked up he'd have to marry her or lose his inheritance. His father would never let him get off the hook with this.
"John?" Claire whispered, "Are you mad? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"
"No, no. I'm not angry," he said gently. More like pissed off, he thought. "We'll get married."
She looked at him with wide violet eyes, "Wha-what?"
"Yes, we'll get married and raise this baby together," he grabbed her hands, pulling her closer and smiling down at her.
Claire smiled, leaning into John and burying her face in his shirt. He must really love me, she thought, if he's willing to do all this for me, for us.
.
Jones Manor
Lincoln, Nebraska
July 6, 2010
"That's why he married her!?" Amelia exclaimed in disgust, "That just adds to the list of reasons not to like Dad," she pouted, crossing her arms.
"And she really thought he loved her?" Meg asked sadly.
Martha sighed and stroked the younger's hair, neatly divided into pigtails. "Yes dear. I'm afraid so."
During Claire's time in the Jones Manor, she had told Martha everything. They had become close, forming a mother-daughter bond during their short time together.
"Now hush if you want to hear the rest."
.
Jones Manor
Lincoln, Nebraska
October 12, 1995
"I thought he loved me…" Claire said. Her eyes were red, shoulders slumped with an overall look of defeat encompassing her. "B-but he was with… someone else."
Martha looked at the poor, young girl, brushing Claire's tear stained cheeked with her weathered hand. "Darling, you can't just let this go on, you need to talk to-"
"No." Claire said firmly, sitting up straight. "I'm leaving, Martha. I heard him over the phone… he just married me because of Amelia. I can't let him keep both my babies just so he can get his lousy inheritance."
"What about Amelia?"
Claire looked away. "I don't want to abandon her, but what if John fights for custody of this child so he can play the part of the hero daddy to impress his father? I can't take that chance. There's just too much risk."
A/N: For those of you wondering, Meg and Amelia's nanny, Martha, was named after Martha Washington, George Washington's wife. Ugh this took forever to write. I already have some of the other chapters outlined and I'll hopefully be able to write at least one up over Thanksgiving break but you know, Honors English 10, Honors Advanced Math I, and AP World History… Yay education.
The next chapter will explain why Claire died and it will include Meg and Amelia meeting and all that great stuff as well as Claire's letters to the girls.
I was going to do a "1 year ago" but nah. It'd add to much plot for me to keep track of. Maybe one day I'll come back and do a scene from Arthur at The World Academy but probably not.
Footnotes:
Sovietnik – ("Councilor"), is the advisor and most close trusted individuals to the Pakhan, similar to the Consigliere in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. (Wikipedia)
Torpedo – "Contract killer" (Wikipedia)
Snjor – sock washer, low-class convict (Heavy Eco)
Pahkan − is the Boss or Krestnii Otets "Godfather" and controls everything. The Pakhan controls four criminal cells in the working unit through an intermediary called a "Brigadier."
Bandity − common word used among police referring to hoodlums. (PBS)
Sidet' − to be in prison; literally to sit. (PBS)
Musora − cop, prison guard (Heavy Eco)
Capo di tutti capi − often referred to as the Godfather in English, is Italian for "boss of all bosses" or "boss of the bosses" (Wikipedia)
Characters:
Amelia Jones: America
Marguerite Williams: Canada
Arthur Kirkland: England
Allister: Scotland
Peter Kirkland: Sealand
Ivan Braginsky: Russia
Katayusha: Ukraine
Natalya: Belarus
Toris Laurintais: Lithuania
Capo di tutti capi Vargas: Rome
Then the rest are OCs.