Natalia stirred in her sleep. The girl's eyes fluttered open and she observed the room she was in. It wasn't familiar, but it gave off an aura of safety.

She remembered the previous night. Alfred Jones taking her home, and the fact that this was his bed. And she was in it with him. Thats when she noticed the body pressed up against hers. Oh.

Natalia realized that she must have wound up on his side of the bed. His arms were wrapped around her. Surprisingly, she didn't do anything about it. It actually felt comforting to wake up this way.

By the time Alfred woke up, Natalia had almost fallen asleep again. "Natalia?" he whispered, "Are you awake?"

"Mhm." She nodded. She rolled over, making him let go of her.

Alfred smiled at her. "You stay here. I'ma make you some breakfast and then you have some explaining to do!" He got out of bed and ran to the kitchen.

She sighed, wondering if it was possible to sneak out of his house to avoid the interrogation. She checked the time on Alfred's clock. It was 8am on Saturday. By now, her siblings should have figured out she was gone. Going back now would be a nightmare, so she decided she would stay out for a while longer.

~oo~

Meanwhile, Alfred was downstairs preparing breakfast. He took eggs and bacon out of the fridge when Matthew walked in.

"Hey Al, I didn't hear any moans coming from your room last night." He grinned, "care to explain?"

"N-No! It wasn't like that at all! She was just sleeping here. Promise."

Matthew laughed, "Hah, I know. I'm just playing!"

Alfred rolled his eyes and grinned. "You're such a perv."

His cousin winked in response. "Hey, are you gunna make pancakes?"

"I was hoping you could do that." Alfred pouted.

Matthew checked his watch. "Nah, I gotta head off to work. See ya." He waved as he left the house.

"Toast it is then."

~oo~

Natalia sat up and stretched. Alfred's bed was far more comfortable than her own. A few minutes later, the boy came back. "Breakfast is served!" He reached his hand out for her to take and then led her downstairs into the kitchen.

The girl's jaw dropped. There was so much food on the table. There was no way this was just for three people. "Is this what you guys eat every morning?" She grinned ravenously as Alfred led her to one of the chairs.

"Haha, no, just on weekends." He sat down as well and began pilling his plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. "So, did ya sleep good?" He asked, taking a bite of bacon.

Natalia nodded, "Yes, I did." She began to fill her own plate with considerably less food than Alfred, but more than she was used to at home.

"Thats good. I'm glad." He smiled, "So, Natalia. You have some talking to do!"

She frowned, "Fine. What do you want to know?" She figured she owed it to Alfred for being so kind.

"Well, for one, why were you walking alone outside?" Alfred asked.

'My brother threatened me, so I left out of fear.' She settled on a white lie, "Well…I had a fight with my brother, and he told me to get out…"

"He just.. randomly kicked you out?" Alfred frowned at her. He felt awful. "Didnt your parents say anything?"

She shook her head. "Nyet, er, no. We do not live with them." Her voice trailed off, "It is just Katya, Ivan, and I."

Alfred noticed how the conversation seemed to be putting her in a depressive mood. He decided to postpone the questioning until later. Soon enough, the two had finished their food.

Natalia stood up. "Thank you for… for everything you've done. I think it would be best if I left now." She walked towards the door.

"Hey, wait!" Alfred stood up too, "You don't need to go yet. You can stay here for the day if you want." He knew how crazy Ivan could be. He shivered thinking about what it must be like to live with the guy.

"I'll see you later." She spoke firmly. She was pretty sure that the longer she stayed out, the angrier her brother would be.

He frowned. "At least let me walk you home."

Natalia could have sworn she saw a blush on his cheeks. "Fine, but not all the way. I don't want my brother to see you."

"All right! Lets go then." Alfred grabbed his coat and put it on, also handing one of his outgrown coats to Natalia. "You can keep this one. It's too small on me."

Natalia smiled at him, "Thank you Alfred." she put on the coat. It was a tad big, but in her mind it was a perfect fit. It was dark blue, a perfect color to go with the rest of her wardrobe. 'Maybe Alfred really is a good guy…'

He led her out of the house and began the walk to her's. "If you ever need somewhere to go, just stop by. I'm usually not busy. And even if I am, you can still come in, okay?"

She nodded, although she wasn't intending on imposing on him again. She felt bad for taking advantage of his hospitality.

"Do you have a cell-phone?" He pulled out his own.

She shook her head. "No. We only have a landline."

"Damn. I was gunna say you should text me." He put his phone back in the pocket.

"Sorry." She said blankly as they reached the park, the halfway point between their homes.

He shrugged, "No big deal. I'm just used to even teenager having a cell phone." He fumbled around in his coat pocket for a few seconds before pulling out a crinkled paper and a pen. "Here, I'll write it down just in case."

"I won't need it." She lied, but stuffed the paper into her pocket anyway. Maybe his number would come in handy. She just prayed that Ivan wouldn't find it.

"Whatever you say, Nat." He smirked down at her.

"Nat? Do not call me that." She crossed her arms and pouted. She wasn't a fan of that particular nickname. It sounded… American.

He frowned, "But its cute."

"Not at all."

He kept smiling, his blue eyes twinkling. "You're really different than I thought you'd be."

She was confused. "Huh? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know. Haven't you heard the rumors at school?"

Natalia nodded. "Most of them are false."

"Thank god. I always doubted them. I'm glad to hear it from you." Alfred chuckled.

Natalia immediately stopped walking when she spotted her house. "Stop."

Alfred did as she asked. "What? Why? Which one is your house?"

"That one." She pointed to a small white house on the left. "We cant go to clse. I don't want Ivan knowing where I was. He dislikes you."

"You don't need to tell me twice." He laughed quietly.

Natalia looked away from him, "Thank you again."

"It's no problem, dude. Natalia." He laughed again, "Can I have a hug? Only if you want."

"Fine, but only this once, you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Now c'mere!" The boy held out his arms for her and pulled her into a tight hug.

She hugged him back, smiling to herself. He felt so comforting. "Bye Alfred. I'll see you in study hall on Monday." She let go.

He gave her a friendly wink before walking back in the direction of his house. Natalia watched him until he disappeared down the street.

~oo~

The girl slowly slipped through the door to her house, trying not to make any noise. Natalia tiptoed into the family room and stopped dead in her tracks. Katya was curled up into a ball on the couch, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Natalia whispered "Where's-"

Katya just shook her head and continued with her muffled sobbing.

Natalia looked around for any signs of Ivan, and when she didn't see him, she bolted straight up to her room and shut the door behind her.

Are they all insane? Katya cries all day and Ivan controls her and abuses me! Can't she see this isn't right? It's not right! They're all insane!