"Hey, Daddy?" I called to the house.
"Downstairs angel!" He responded, I walked quietly down the long, spiraling staircase, I held my breath for a second, he was drawing again, and I loved the sound of his pencil on the sycamore paper.
"Daddy, where did Darijus and Mom go?" I asked him after nearly a minute of listening silently.
"Hm? Toris took Darijus to your Aunt and Uncles house for the weekend, da? He should be back soon."
"Oh, okay. Hey Daddy?"
"Da?"
"Why does the Boys' school not have classes on Fridays?"
"The same reason that the Girls' school doesn't have classes on Mondays. No reason, I suppose, da?" He answered, setting down the pencil and taking a good clear look at his work so far, "So, are you going to wear your uniform or take a change of clothes to your little date tomorrow?"
"How did you find out about that?"
"You know I check all you texts, da?" He said smiling to himself, "It's actually very cute."
"Hey! You shouldn't do that! What if it's a private message? Or something that needs to be a surprise, da?"
"Th-… hmm… I don't know, you didn't answer my question though, da? What are you going to wear?"
"I was thinking about the skinny-jeans, and my cut-off tank, maybe some bracelets, da?"
"Sounds like you." He said, "Hey, Anya?"
"Da, Daddy? What is it?" I asked, sensing a strange worry in his deep, but kind voice.
"You don't think I'm bad at what I do, do you, da?"
"Drawing? Nyet I-"
"No I mean… uhm…" He turned around and looked me in the eyes, "You know I love you right?"
"Of course! Why would you think I don't know that?" I asked, stepping back in shock.
"I'm worried… about Darijus…"
"Why?" I asked, I was getting a little scared, Daddy doesn't talk like this to me, he always smiles and tells me happy things, the look I saw on his face, sorrow, even a hint of fear, terrified me, "What's wrong with him, da?"
"Does he ever talk to you about me or your mother?" He asked, "He almost seems like he doesn't care, or thinks that we don't…" He sighed, and returned to his picture, "He spends so much time at Matt's house… I wonder if he decided he doesn't want to live with us anymore…" He picked up his pencil, pulled out a new sheet of paper and started to draw something else, I couldn't tell, and I wasn't going to ask. He was sketching very quickly, not lifting his hand from the paper, not going over to check for mistakes, when he got like this, he never messed up the image. He blinked a few times, and was done, he looked at it, smiled softly then crumpled it up and threw it away.
"Daddy… I don't think he believes that, I know what's wrong, but I don't know if he'd want me to say it, da?"
"Oh? Well as long as you're sure it's not what I thought it was, then I ca-" He stopped, and made a terrible face, as if he had just gotten hurt very badly, "Turn on the television dear…" he said, I did as I was told and flipped to the news.
"…endangered babies- oh? I've just received word that the old capital in Moscow has caught fire, we'll be back in a few moments with footage."
My dad groaned and doubled over for a few seconds before the film turned back on.
"You can see here, that the building is completely enveloped in the flames, people are pushing and shoving to get out of the building now."
Daddy fell out of his chair, curled up tightly, with his arms wrapped around his chest, I checked the screen again.
A lot of screaming, and a huge cloud of dirt and smoke flew toward the camera man, I heard Daddy cry out in pain, and the man on the tv yelled.
"Oh my God! The capital building has just collapsed under its own weight!"
"Daddy?" I cooed, he was shivering on the ground, "Daddy, do you need something, da?"
He didn't answer, so I moved around him to look at his face, "Da?" He was unconscious, I called Mom.
"…And then he just collapsed!" I said, as Mom carried daddy to their room. Mom was a lot stronger than he looked, he carried Daddy bridal style, in spite of how much smaller he was than Daddy.
"Alright… then I need to explain something to you I bet, huh?"
"Da." I looked over, and I saw that Daddy was awake again, "… what happened?"
"The rebels burnt down the capital, it collapsed. There must have been a lot of people inside, because you passed out, plus you bleeding from your side."
"Da? Anya, leave for a moment dear, I think I ought to take a look."
"It's high enough, and low enough not to send her out, love." Mom said, pulling open the heavy coat, "You want to tell her or should I?" He asked his bed ridden husband.
"You can if you want to, da?" Daddy answered, closing his eyes and trying to relax while Mom put the cleaning alcohol into the wound that had caused itself.
"Alright," Mom sighed for a second, "Anastasia, you know what we are, don't you?"
"we're people aren't we?"
"Well… Yes and no…"
"What do you mean, Mom?" I asked feeling uncertain, I sat down next to Daddy, who avoided looking into my eyes.
"Well, you hear us talking about countries as if we own the people who live in them, and the land right?"
"Da."
"Well, we sort of do… okay, this is going to sound really weird, I know, but here goes. My name is Toris Laurnaitis-Braginski, and I am the country Lithuania."
Daddy spoke to, "I am Ivan Laurnaitis-Braginski, and I am the Federation of Russia." He whispered.
"Huh? I don't understand."
"Hold on it gets longer, Anastasia, you are the territory known as Siberia, and Darijus is the, newly returned to you father, land of Alaska. That is why the winter season hurts us all so badly, and why we also hurt when our people die. It's why we get sick when diseases pass through our land, and why we are always watching national news."
"TO keep track of your nations?"
"And our friends as well, da? Yao and Kiku, are China and Japan. Your Aunt and Uncle are Ukraine and Canada respectively."
"Anyone else?"
"Heracles and Sadiq, Francis and Arthur, Gilbert, Elizabeta and Roderich, Im Yong and Xiang, Natalia, Veneziano and Ludwig, also Lovino and Antonio, Eduard and Ravis, and their kids, heck I think even Joska is at least a territory!"
"Da? Really?"
"Taip, you see we are all under stress, many of us are going through what Ivan is, our people are revolting against our bosses, which, causes us pain. What's worse, if the people win and the government is changed, the people change the name and system of the country completely, so the body of that country, would die and a new one would take his or her place." Mom explained, wrapping Daddy's cut tightly.
"Daddy?" I asked, feeling tears start to fall.
"Nyet love, don't you worry! I have been through many changes in my time, the history of my country is in the mind of all my people, they will not do anything horribly drastic even if they do win, all they want is someone to blame the pain on, da?" He said, sitting up and pulling me into a close warm hug, "So don't worry about your big papochka, okay?"
"… Yes sir." I said, feeling oddly forced into an agreement.
The phone rang and Mom went to answer it, Daddy laid down and I sprawled out next to him, his breaths became quiet and steady, he had fallen asleep, he looked calm, and happy. The look on his face made me feel calm and happy too. I fell asleep listening to my Daddy breathing and Mom talking quietly into the phone.
"Get up Anya, we're leaving!" I heard Mom say and I felt her shaking me up.
"Nyet, Toris, I'll get her, da?" Daddy said, I felt his strong arms lift me up by my shoulders and waist.
"What's going on, Da?"
"Shhh… go back to sleep little one." I closed my eyes and I heard Mom say to Daddy, "You checked with Matthew? Darijus is still there?"
"Da, I made sure with Kat as well, da? I'm more worried about us four."
"Right… I forgot…" I heard Mom giggle quietly.
"Not now Toris," I felt Daddy take a big step, stairs is what I think it was, "Don't start fantasizing yet, wait until we get somewhere safer, da?"
I wonder what Daddy means by that… I thought.
"Right… oof!"
"Toris?"
"I'm fine, I tripped. Oh! I can't leave this!" I heard Mom ran off into the distance, and Daddy turned quickly and called loudly for him, "I'm sorry Ivan, I couldn't leave it!"
"Don't worry love, what is it?" I felt their pace quicken.
"Our wedding video of course!"
"Da, it really was a beautiful day wasn't it?" I would have listened longer, but I couldn't, I felt fatigue tugging at my mind, and I allowed it to pull me under the waves of sleep that lulled me into darkness so often.
"He… what?" My father was so shocked by whatever he had just heard that he dropped me to the ground, and he even fell to is knees, "Dari-… no he couldn't have gone back…"
"Ivan! Wha- what if he tried to go back home!" Mom yelled as I tried to sit up, and I realized I was hurt by something.
They're talking about Darijus… I wonder if he's okay, I wonder where we are, I wonder why I can't move. I thought to myself a few times, before I felt something big move off of me.
Beep beep My phone rang, the text alarm. I woke up instantly, and checked it.
"It's from Darijus!" I said, reading further.
Can you check for me on the GPS?
What's up?
I went out to get something, and then it got too dark to see, and I got lost…
Okay, hang on a sec
I turned on the GPS, and it started beeping the little blue dot that was my brother's phone.
Ur abt twenty miles E of where I am.
Well where r u Anya?
"Hey Mom where are we?" I looked up and saw Aunt Katyusha, "Oh…"
I'm Aunt K and Uncle M's place, start walking and I'll tell u if ur going the right way.
K
The blue dot moved a little bit in the direction of my own purple dot.
Ur going the right way.
There's a huge forest in front of me!
o… uhm… find a cave or something, I'll go get you!
Hurry, it's rly cold out here
I got up and ran out the door, without hearing what Mom and Daddy were yelling at me, I just ran and ran, checking my GPS every now and then to make sure that I was still on the right path.
"Darijus!" I called. I could see quite well by now, as twenty miles turns out to be a lot further than you'd think.
I checked my phone, I was very close to his blue dot, but then my phone died, weird…
"Darijus!" I called again, looking for something out of the ordinary for a forest, like a boy sleeping in a tree or under a pile of leaves or whatever, "You here or what?"
"Anya?" I heard, I turned around a few times, and then he called again, "I can't get down!"
"Where are you?"
"Look straight up!" I did and I saw him, clinging to a branch for dear life, "A little help?"
"Da, hold on." I said, dropping my heavy winter coat, "This'll take a second, da?"
"Won't you get cold?"
"I'll be fine for a few minutes, da?" I said making my way up the tall, bald tree, "Okay I got you, what's the problem?"
"I'm afraid of falling…" He said, blushing, but he would have blamed it on the cold wind, "Can you help me down?"
"Da."
"Are Mama and Tetis following us?"
"I don't think so, but I'm not sure, da?" I said carefully climbing down next to him, letting him hold onto my shoulders as we gripped the branches and descended.
"Okay, good. I don't want them to be mad at me for getting lost…"
"I don't think that they'd be mad for that. But they will be upset with me when we get back, da?"
"Why?"
"I ran out, and I didn't tell them anything."
"Ouch, that'll do it. Jie iš proto, kad."
"Da, so I'm wondering if we can go home slow?"
"Of course." He said, jumping down the last few feet to the ground, and I followed.
"I don't believe this!" Darijus said to me quietly but with anger as we approached the cute house where our parents were, "That's Tetis' car! They didn't even come to look for us!"
"Yes they did, see the tracks? After a while, even Daddies have to rest, and take care of Mom's."
"I guess but… I still feel like they didn't try…"
We stopped at the door, not sure if we should knock, or just go in to receive our (well, 'my') punishment.
"On three, da?"
"Right."
We both counted in our parents languages.
"Vienas, du, trys"
"один, два, три" I grabbed the knob, and Darijus pushed the door open.
"…Nyet shhh Toris!" Daddy was cradling Mom with his back to us.
"But… Darijus… and then Anya just up and left and we couldn't find her!"
"Shhh, you know how those two work, if we couldn't find them, they found each other, da?"
"But what if they got more lost trying to get back?"
"Then one of them would be able to call us, da?" He said, and I heard something I had never heard, I could hear my Dad choking back tears.
"Tetis?" Darijus cooed quietly, Mom was startled and fell out of Daddy arms, and Daddy jumped very quickly, "Uh… we're back?"
"Darijus!" Mom yelled pouncing on him, "Anya!" He pulled me into a terribly tight hug, nearly choking both of us.
"I… I'm sorry I ran out like that, da? I just really wanted to get Darijus…" I said, crying a bit myself.
"Shhh, it's okay. You're both back home now, Aš taip džiaugiuosi, jums viskas gerai!"
We lived in the embrace for a few moments, and then Daddy called us both to him.
"Da?" I asked, looking up I saw a cold, emptiness in his violet eyes. He asked us to go into the other room so he could talk to us, we went, but Mom grabbed Daddy's sleeve.
"Ivan…"
"Da, I know love." He said, sighing. He walked in, and shut the door behind him.
"Daddy, please don't be mad at us-"
"Tetis Anya left because she had to come get me!"
"You two…" His eyes, suddenly changed, from the oddly heartless appearance, to a terrifying mix of fear, sorrow and… pride? "Я люблю вас обоих столько!" He fell to his knees and pulled us down with him into a crushing embrace, with our heads on either of his shoulders.
"T-Tetis?" I heard Darijus ask with a jump, I felt something on my own shoulder, and I realized that Daddy was crying onto me and my brother.
"Но разве ты все-таки, вновь!" He said, standing up grabbing us by the waists of our shirts.
"Hey Anya?" Darijus asked looking at me, "Where's your coat?"
"Huh? My co- oh gosh darnit!" I yelled, realizing I had left it in the woods somehow.
"Don't worry, da?" Daddy said, his cheeks bright red, wiping his eyes, "We'll get you a new one tomorrow."
"Why not today?"
"Today we will be very, very busy…" He said, getting very serious, "You remember what Mom and I told you last week, da?"
"Ya, about me being Alaska, right?"
"Da. Well, it would seem that many of my people are really upset at my boss and decided to try and destroy me and my family to get rid of Russia, da?"
"What?" I said loudly.
"That's why we had to leave so quickly last night. If my boss hadn't warned us ahead of time, we never would have gotten out until it was too late, da?" He said, opening the door and letting us back into the main room, where Mom had fallen asleep on the couch, "He was up all night worrying about you two, Listen to me both of you. When your Mamochka wakes up, there's something we have to tell you, da?"
"Da, okay Daddy!"
"Taip, Tetis."
"Good, now go to bed for a while okay?"
Nyet-Russian=No
Papochka-Russian=Father (Or close to that…)
Mamochka-Russian=Mother (Close…)
Jie iš proto, kad-Lithuanian=They'll be mad for that
Tetis-Lithuanian=Dad
Vienas, du, trys-Lithuanian=One, two, three
один, два, три-Russian=One, two three
Aš taip džiaugiuosi, jums viskas gerai!-Lithuanian=I'm so glad you're both okay
Я люблю вас обоих столько-Russian=I love you both so much
Но разве ты все-таки, вновь-Russian=But don't you ever do that again!