Chapter 29: Problem Child

Childhood is a disease - a sickness that you grow out of

- William Golding

Mikhail's Journal 25.10.2010

All this time living in my new home and basking in my new life, I would often forget all the horrors I've experienced and all the suffering I endured. Not just what happened to me, but other people I witness suffer and succumb to grim fates. It reminds me how lucky I am that I escaped hell and found heaven, only to know that the fight is not over and I have to face hell again. One particular person or girl should I say, I feel guilty about forgetting and know she is not the same person I knew.

The end of another month I always saw as a fresh new beginning. While other's celebrate a new year and see it as a chance to start over, I thought a month is long enough to reflect on good and bad moments, what you've learned and plan what you're going to do for the entire month. The month was November and Russian national unity day was only a few days away. Today I decided to start visiting Travis who I haven't seen for a while. After Madison and Travis decided to take a break from each other, I decided to keep Travis company and make sure he doesn't get too lonely. I found Travis working in the factory where he works and like I expected, he was elated to see me. Despite Travis still being in a wheelchair he was able to work by using his hands and I saw him use a pulley just to reach a certain height.

After a handshake followed by a light hug, Travis requested me to have lunch with him, which I accepted. I even suggested going to the market for lunch.

Travis and I walked through the heavily occupied market where visitors zipped passed us having disregard that there was a man in a wheelchair nearby. Sellers at the stalls were badger at visitors to try and get them interested in buying their merchandise. It was intriguing to see the various kinds of merchandise that were sold, but I knew nearly everyone including myself was on a tight budget so it wasn't a time to buy useless junk, food and water was mandatory. I will admit I almost took an interest in a stall that sold a wide selection of tea leaves and almost gave in and decided to buy myself some of those exotic looking tea leaves. Luckily I was able to get a sample and smell the tea leaves, but not drink a small amount in a small paper cup.

After aimless wandering, Travis and I found a large tent, which served food and provided tables and benches. We were allocated an empty table and we were given menus. Travis unable to read the menu because of his basic Russian would ask me questions what each article on the menu was and he ended up settling with the same thing I ordered. We ordered pelmeni, which are Russian dumplings stuffed with potato and onion. The dish was sprinkled with parsley and had sour cream in the middle. I ordered tea to drink and since Travis wasn't so keen on tea he would settle with kvass, which is a non alcoholic beverage made of rye bread. Travis took the first sip of kvass and his face reacted bitterly.

"How was it?" I asked Travis, obviously knowing the answer.

"Oh it's... it's... it's like liquid burnt chocolate or coco cola with so much malt. You really drink this stuff?" winced Travis.

"Well it's not only drunk, but also it's used to cook many things such as soups."

"That would explain it. Think I'll just have water."

I called the waitress over and requested she bring Travis water, which she did.

"So what's the situation between you a Madison?" I asked Travis.

"Nothing new other than we have decided to take a break."

This wasn't news I had the pleasure of hearing. I was still happily together with Alicia and it seemed Travis was alone again.

"O nyet, why if I may ask?"

"We agreed we need some time away from each other until we can get back on our feet. Madison is trying to secure a position in city hall and needs time to focus on her Russian."

"O she'll manage. I've seen her hold conversations in my language and never reverted back to English."

"Smart determined lady Maddy is... so what about you and Alicia, does she still make you cry?" Joked Travis, slowly raising a smile on his face.

"Nyet, she makes me smile and forget about everything still wrong with the world. So what's this I've been hearing about you volunteering to become part of a medical experiment?"

"Well not really an experiment, more of a tester for a new form of a wheelchair. You might know there are wheelchairs that don't require hands and are electronically operated?"

"Da."

"Think of it like this, not only a wheelchair that runs on batteries, but one that gives you legs."

"Legs?"

"Yes legs. Best way I can put it, it's not really a wheelchair, but new legs that act like a wheelchair."

"Horosho, but I'm not getting the idea."

"Try to imagine pants that can bend into any shape you want, even make you stand up."

"O da ya panimyoo, kind of like an exoskeleton."

"To put it into scientific terms, yes."

"Travis that's great news, you'll be on your feet in no time at all."

Travis and I laughed understanding the joke I made.

"So what are the plans between you and Alicia, are you going to get married?" boldly asked Travis.

"Our relationship is still young, way too early to get married."

"Sooner or later Alicia might want your baby."

I laughed at Travis talking about something so impetuous in a relationship. It was a part of Travis I've never seen before. Normally he wouldn't joke even when he was teaching a class, but on this occasion he decided it was time to laugh again.

"Alicia and I haven't even had sex, I doubt she'll be wanting a baby anytime soon."

Travis laughed at how open I was about my sex life with Alicia. Our joyous boisterous laughter would be interrupted by a loud noise outside the tent that shook up everyone. Like everyone we rushed outside the tent and a cloud of smoke blew in our faces. I could only briefly see fire and where the fire was emanating from. It turned out the noise was a helicopter that crash landed. On closer inspection it was a Hiller OH-23 Raven not a Russian but an American helicopter. Who was in the crashed helicopter I would discover after tearing through the crowd of people gathered around.

The burning smoking helicopter was swarmed by a group of firefighters who pulled two people out of the wreckage. The first person was someone I met. It was the same person I met back at California who offered me sanctuary after I carried out the mission to rescue Strand, it was Dimitri. He was unconscious and he was bleeding from his forehead. The other person was someone much younger than Dimitri. She was someone who was barely in her teens, it was her, it was Mina. Then I begun to ask myself why they didn't make it here before me, unless something happened on the way. What disturbed me the most was seeing Mina's mother was not in the helicopter, implying she was killed or missing. Rather than cerebrate on what happened I ran up to Mina.

"Mina, what happened? Where's your mother?" I asked. Without getting a response I could see she was in shock and didn't recognize my face.

Before I could try to get another response from her, one of the firemen intervened, "Back away, sir. Let us handle this."

At that point I was persistent in trying to further communicate with Mina despite her mental condition even going as far as getting physical with the firemen, I realized I had no authority to get involved and I should leave it to them to give Mina the medical treatment she needed.

I located the hospital reserved for civilians where I assumed Mina was taken. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to see Mina because she was in shock and visitors would worsen her condition, so I had to turn and walk out. This gave me sleepless nights as I was worried whether Mina was ever going to recover from whatever it was that traumatized her. Alicia would question my erratic behavior and I was forced to tell her the truth that Mina had been discovered and she was in care. At first Alicia was confused who Mina was so I told her she was a little girl who was a refugee back in California, who we took in and accommodated. Alicia vaguely recalled and suggested we convince Madison to talk to her, since she currently works as a social worker and speaks Mina's language.
Madison remembered Mina as soon as I brought up the name with her, she happily agreed to try and approach Mina and communicate to her. Alicia and I couldn't accompany her because of confidentiality so all Madison could do was inform us how the meeting turned out.

Mina was camotose for a whole week until she was able to do the basic things to function normally like walk, eat, talk and sleep. This was news I wanted to hear and it was a relief to know Mina was on the road to recovery. Eventually Alicia and I got permission to watch Mina behind a glass panel as Madison interacted with her. Mina's demeanor was calm and for most of the time until all of a sudden she erupted into rage and trashed the room with Madison trying to subdue her and calm her down. I saw Mina cry as Madison cuddled her and stroked the back of her head as she let the tears flow down her face. This was a clear sign that something terrible had happened and that her mother was dead.
When Madison was done assessing Mina, she came outside to talk to Alicia and I.

"So what's new with Mina?" I asked fearfully.

"I don't think you're going to like to hear what she's been through, but I think you should know, Mikhail," said Madison, showing concern.

"Please tell me, Madison. I prepared."

"She along with her mother and Dimitri were ambushed and captured by Marc Antony on the way. While in captivity Mina's mother was killed in front of her."

I didn't think he could ever get this low, killing a little girl's mother for whatever reason he personally justified. It only made me think of what could become of Mina and know she'll never be the same innocent happy girl she once was.

"Will she be alright?" I asked, while taking glimpses of Mina behind the glass panel look motionlessly down on the floor.

"Physically, but not mentally I'm afraid. It's going to take a while for her to recover," replied Madison.

"Does she have a place to go?" asked Alicia.

"The hospital can take care of her, but unfortunately who will foster her I don't know," speculated Madison.

Suddenly the idea came to me. Even though Mina's mental condition would need further testing and fully analyzed, I came up with a suggestion that I thought was best.

"Maybe Alicia and I can become her foster parents."

Alicia didn't object or react to my proposal. Madison however hesitated and looked at me, probably skeptical about the whole idea.

"Do you know how to be a parent, Mikhail? It's not as easy as it looks. You need to take and accept full responsibility."

"If there's one person Mina would accept as a foster parent it would be me. She knows me and I'm sure I can help her recover. Maybe all she needs is love and attention and show a good time."

"Well if that's what you want Mikhail, I can talk to the right people, prepare the paper work and we can arrange a meeting."

"Very good, Madison. I'm sure Mina will be happy to see me again and to know Alicia and I will become her parents."

Alicia and I both attended a meeting with Madison who got us to fill in the paperwork, which I had to translate for Alicia whose Russian wasn't yet advanced to read such documents. We both signed the forms and we were told to wait outside the hospital where we saw Mina being escorted by a nurse. When Mina looked at me, she didn't reciprocate the smile I bestowed on her or even look happy. She had the same demeanor as she did when she was hospitalized after the crash. I put it down to the basis that she didn't recognize me. I bent down, still smiling and trying to appear as loving and welcoming a foster parent should be.

"Hello Mina, do you remember me? It's Mikhail, you remember me don't you?"

Mina didn't respond right away she just looked at me with expressionless eyes and answered apathetically, "Yeah, I do."

"Well Mina, you might not have been told but Alicia and I are your new parents," I bubbled.

"Where's Marc Antony? I want to kill him," snarled Mina.

"Don't worry about him, Mina, this has nothing to do with him. Come, let's go home," I smiled, hoping to make Mina smile.

Before Alicia and I went to pick up Mina from the hospital we cleaned and prepared the house for her arrival. Since there was only one bedroom, which was reserved for Alicia and I, we decided that Mina would be sleeping in the gym, that I've converted into a small bedroom. We've also prepared a gift basket, which was filled with toys and edibles, edibles a child her age would enjoy. Everything we did and put a lot of effort into we wanted her to feel welcome and loved.

When we got home, Mina wasn't amazed by the big homely interior of the house, just stood still and unresponsive. I affably showed her round the house starting with the kitchen, garden, bathroom and banya before finally showing her her bedroom. Not once during the tour did she seem impressed or even ask questions, still the same joyless facial expression.

"So here we are, Mina. Your own bedroom. Sorry about the weights and other useless junk. Not to worry, I've put them in the corner. Just hope it's all the space you'll need," I presented.

"It's fine," grouched Mina.

"In case you haven't noticed I've left you a basket of goodies. There are toys and munchies. However don't eat anything because Alicia is putting on lunch. Just kidding, tuck in. Eat them if you want."

Mina looked at the basked, dug her hand in and examined the contents, but didn't take anything out.

"Tonight is going to be a special night. Do you know why that is?" I asked Mina, but she didn't respond or even make eye contact with me, "Because tonight is the 4th of November and it's Russian national unity day. There's going to be a carnival, singing, dancing and lots to eat. It's going to be fun. You want to go?"

"I don't mind," groaned Mina, looking down at the floor.

"Hey," I moved closer to Mina and crouched down next to her, "You should come because I'll be performing. Maybe you would like to see me dance and then it might inspire you to dance too. How does that sound?"

"Cool," mumbled Mina.

Clearly Mina wasn't enthusiastic about her new home or inviting her to the carnival that was to be held at the newly built and populated city of Helena. I thought it would be better to allow Mina time to let her new home sink in and hopefully later on she would be in a more cheery mood.

"Well I'll leave you alone for now. If you need us, Alicia and I will be in the kitchen."

I left the room allowing Mina some privacy to grow accustom to her new home.

With the parade in Helena only a few hours away, I got myself clean and dressed in my ceremonial uniform, which amazed Alicia as she flirted and did a small roleplay with me. Alicia dressed modestly in thermal jeans, wooly sweater with a brown pea coat worn over the top since it was November and the evening was going to be cold. As a final garment, Alicia wore an ushanka made of fox fur. Alicia was really starting to look Russian. Mina wore a black shearling jacket made of sheepskin along with a grey ushanka made of rabbit's fur.

We had a horse carriage allocated to pick us up and transport us to Helena. When we got there I met with my commanding officer (not Ivan) who greeted me with a salute and asked me to accompany him. I left Mina with Alicia which she amenably agreed to, placing her hands on Mina's shoulders. I bent down to Mina's level still looking glum and told her to stay with Alicia, then I kissed Alicia before departing hearing her wishing me luck as I walked with my commanding officer.
I was escorted to a battalion of soldiers dressed in the same uniform as me. They didn't recognize me and I didn't recognize them. For all I knew they could have been Janissaries like me. I was given a black hi-tech looking Kalashnikov, which looked like a new model not yet deployed for combat. The order was given to march and so we marched down the empty street of Helena and so I marched in accordance with my comrades.
Marching down what seemed to be a clean yet isolated city, we reached the crowd of people standing on the pavement cheering and waving Russian flags. Military music played with the help of soldiers at from playing instruments such as brass instruments, drums and cymbals. Unexpectedly snow lightly floated down from the sky, which couldn't have been at a more perfect time to embellish and Russianize the environment. It really made me feel like I was back home, but visiting Smolensk as part of a school trip during winter.

One thing that really surprised me about Helena was how small and modest the city looked. It wasn't how I imagined an American city to look like. There were no skyscrapers, the tallest building I passed while marching was a cathedral which had two spires and an overall gothic looking design. It was like Smolensk, but with a more modern style.

Marching to the music and pass an enthusiastic crowd we finally reached Montana State Capitol, which was the official government building of the state of Montana. It was a rather beautifully designed building with sandstone and granite walls with a dome and lady liberty standing on top holding her sword in the air. The sergeant ordered us to halt and face the building where a stage was set up and on the stage were people dressed extravagantly, it was obvious they were members of the newly established Montana State Capitol. What struck me the most was one of them on the stage was Madison wearing a luxurious brown long coat and leather gloves. She had her hair done as it looked tidier and slightly trimmed. I assumed she saw me because I saw a slight twitch of her lips and her eyes looking in my direction. If I could have done I would have waved, but I'm sure that would have been a violation against regulations. Above the stage was a large screen that stood on a thick round pole. It amazed me to see that I was in a place that had access to modern technology that I thought would be obsolete or at least unobtainable.

The new leader of Montana State Capitol who I could tell by his accent was Russia, gave his speech to the people who watched and listened attentively, "Welcome everyone, thank you for being here to celebrate Unity Day, a glorious day for Russia. It gives me great pleasure to present you with a speech from our great president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin."

The audience applauded and the screen flickered into life with a moving image of the person I strongly identified as Vladimir Putin. He was dressed in his pristine smart suit with a white shirt and tie. He sat at the desk with his elbows and hands resting on the desk. Behind him was a Russian Federation flag with the double-headed eagle emblem. He tilted his head slightly to the right and leaned forward to deliver his speech.

"My fellow citizens of the new oblast of the Russian Federation welcome you all to celebrate this glorious event in Russian history. Our beloved country was attacked and occupied by Polish troops and it only took the bravery and determination of those willing to take up arms and fight. With each blood that was spilt whether it was the enemy or our comrades, we took our land back and gave Russia another chance to survive and prosper. Centuries later our land was invaded again by Napoleon and his Grande Armée and then a century later by Hitler and his German troops. It didn't matter who struck the hardest and who had the better odds, we the Russians would never allow anyone who thinks they can come and take what we have. Our land is our land and we will not yield. We will fight and we will show our enemies no mercy. Our enemies will know the consequences of provoking Russia and will feel the wrath of the mighty powerful nation we are. Those who choose not to take up arms and accept the help we offer will be embraced by Mother Russia and will be accepted into our society. Let it be known to all Americans out there still starving and looking for sanctuary, come to us and accept the love and peace we can give to you. You will become part of the family and together we will survive this apocalypse. Let us not fight, but love and survive as a people. One people, one society and one nation, our nation, Mother Russia."

The crowd zealously and loudly cheered even whistled. I just stood with my comrades and gazed into the eyes of my leader whom I knew I had devoted my life and soul to. Then as expected I heard the clash of cymbals and roar of brass instruments fill the air as I knew what was to come, we were to all sing the Russian national anthem. I rehearsed and memorized the lyrics along with the comrades I stood next to. While I sung with my comrades the endearing benevolent lyrics devoted to my country, I saw members of the audience try to sing too. I even saw Alicia with Mina as she tried to sing along even though I doubt Alicia knew the words. Mina on the other hand still looked gloomy and empty, I could only imagine the Mina I knew before would at least try singing despite not knowing the lyrics.

After the song ended I was permitted to break free from my unit, but was scheduled to carry out a dance number I would be performing with my comrades. I found Alicia, Mina, Madison and Travis waiting for me. They smiled and welcomed me. Madison even told me how handsome I looked in uniform, which made me blush. We had a stroll round the market and passed by many stalls that sold captivating looking trinkets, clothing and delectable looking edibles. Just the sight of looking at an elderly female in a headscarf cooking pancakes on a hot stove was enough to make my stomach rumble, which was when I suggested getting a bite to eat before I take the stage. We all took shelter from the falling snow in a small tent reserved where we had our own table. While we chat and ate I could see Mina had barely touched her food and when she did eat her food she just nibbled. I could tell something sinister was on her mind and she has the anger boiling inside her. Just to make sure she was still there I tried communicating to her and ask if everything was alright, which she did respond, but not so merrily. Madison even tried talking to her, but even with another person talking to her wasn't enough to bring back the cheeriness into her soul.

With a stomach full of pancakes coated in honey and a side of varenye, I energetically skipped backstage where my co-dancers were in costume and were ready to go on stage. They too wore the same uniform as me and they immediately recognized me because we did a lot of rehearsing together, which was required for the performance we were about to execute, since it involved a lot of daring stunts.

The sky got darker, the air got colder and snow was still falling from the sky. A loud voice emitted from behind the stage, which was that of a presenter greeting the audience and announcing the acts ready to go on stage. Our act was called and I along with my coworkers took the stage. Fast paced jaunty Russian folk music played, which I could only identify as Korobeiniki, which many identify as the theme for Tetris, a popular videogame from Russia that many played. The dance was a mix of cossack and acrobatics. One part of the dance was more like building an assault course with people, which included my fellow dancers and I forming a staircase, which aligned with four dancers. One stood on the other's shoulders and formed two pillars facing each other. The dancers on top who faced one another formed a hoop with their arms. A few of the dancers climbed on the human staircase and dived through the hoop and landed on their feet. Then the staircase disintegrated while the two human pillar's remained. This time the two dancers standing on the other dancers' shoulders formed a horizontal hoop. Two dancers stood next to the two pillars who held out their open hands and as the dancer stepped on the open pair of hands he was catapulted in the air and dived through the hoop like a human basket ball. One section of our dance number included dance solos or dance duet. When it was my turn to do a solo I did the hopak, which is a Ukrainian folk dance that consists of flexibility and acrobatics. I spun around at full speed like a helicopter with one leg sticking out. I would also launch myself in the air while rotating and with legs sticking out, acting like helicopter blades. Everyone in the audience seemed pleased to see the human helicopter I was imitating, especially from a group of people in the audience who I'm sure were Ukrainian and appreciated my homage. We concluded by forming a pyramid as we stood on each other's shoulders and backs. Then we would break the pyramid apart by jumping and somersaulting into our finishing stance and would hold position while our audience thunderously and fervently applauded. I saw my loved ones in the audience who were clapping and smiling at me, it gave me a sense of deja vu like I was back in Paul R. Williams High School after performing at the talent show. Looking down at Mina, I could see she was the only one not clapping, not even a polite clap. Still looking moody and nonchalant , it saddened me to see how I failed to impress this girl or even lift her spirits up.

I reunited with my beloved ones who complimented me on my performance, until the next act came on and we chose to draw our attention back to the stage and watch the rest of the acts. The next act that came on stage was a young blonde female who looked like she was in her mid 20's. She had her hair braided and tied around her head as if it was a hat. Her dress style was a red and white sarafan where the skirt area was short and showed she was wearing felt Russian boots known as valenki. Before I noticed she was wearing a pair of valenkis she started singing the Russian folk song "Valenki" which I found to be a remarkable coincidence. Other acts that took the stage was a group of dancers dressed up as cossacks and were armed with sabres. Then there was a group of Belarusian dancers, I could tell they were Belarusian judging by the outfits they wore. The dance group only had one male while the rest were female who wore long skirts that spread out like umbrellas when they spun around during their dance number, which was traditional Belarusian dance. There was even a bear show where a bear took the stage with his trainer leading him and commanding him to do circus tricks like standing on its two legs and balancing on a ball. Another act I expected to see was a ballet, where the ballet dancers did a scene from the Nutcracker, which I remember from my childhood as my grandma took my father and I to see it in Moscow.

One act that came on stage was someone I knew and did not expect to see take the stage, it was Ivan. He was dressed in his casual military uniform with long combat boots and sleeves rolled up. This tall muscular man surprised me with his spectacular singing voice as he sung an upbeat Russian pop song I've never heard of before. The lyrics I could translate were about a long lost love he wished to be rekindled with, which I never would have thought Ivan was the romantic type.

After a long and exciting night, we decided it was time to retire to our homes and get a good night's sleep. When Alicia, Mina and I got back home I offered Mina a bedtime story where I asked if she wanted to learn about the Soviet Union. She curtly declined and I offered to make her tea before going to bed, which she declined too and would withdraw to her bedroom.

From that night on and the upcoming days I expected to see a change in Mina's disposition, but no, it only got worse as the days went by. Mina didn't really have an interest in anyone or anything. She was mostly unresponsive and didn't make eye contact when Alicia or I tried to communicate to her. It did however please me to see she ate the food we cooked and served to her and she went to bed when we told her too, but other than that she remained detached and embittered. I did try to persuade her to talk to me and tell me what was bothering her and she only responded with Marc Antony and wanting to kill him. It was all in vain when I tried to change the subject and talk about happy things, but Mina would immediately revert back into her reserved demeanor.

On the 25th of November Madison proposed cooking me Thanksgiving at my house. Thanksgiving I never celebrated before because it's an American holiday so this was to be my first Thanksgiving ever. We invited Travis to join us and he was delighted by the offer and accepted. I offered to help Madison with the cooking, but didn't want to interfere because I wanted Madison to have complete freedom and access to my kitchen. Mina spent a majority of her time in her room like she had been doing for the whole week. When the food was cooked and the table was laid I called Mina upstairs. She sat at the table without greeting our guests especially when Travis greeted her. I reminded Mina that is was rude to ignore people and requested she greeted Travis and Madison, which she obediently did. Madison brought the roast turkey to the kitchen, which Mina just stared at with eyes wide open. I would have asked Mina if something was wrong, but before I could ask I heard Madison's voice.

"Mikhail, would you do the honors?" smiled Madison, handing me the carving knife and carving fork, which I politely took from Madison's hands and proceeded to cut the turkey.

As I sliced into the turkey, Mina made an ear-piercing scream across the table. She grabbed her drinking glass and hurled it at me I was only able to duck and have the glass narrowly miss my head. She grabbed her fork and ran towards me with a savage cry. Travis tried to stop her, but she stabbed him in the arm with her fork. I dropped the carving knife and carving fork, which would prove to be my mistake because when Madison grabbed Mina and tried to calm her down, Mina grabbed the carving form and pricked Madison in the leg.

"Mum," cried out Alicia, rushing to her aide.

Mina then grabbed the carving knife and looked at me with scornful and murderous eyes. She charged at me and swung the knife at me. The way she swung the knife at me wasn't how an amateur would wield a knife, it was if someone taught her how to fight with a knife. Fortunately I was able to avoid the long sharp looking knife and have Madison and Alicia grab Mina from behind and wrestle the knife out of her hand. Mina continued to scream and thrash and cry out for her mother. When Mina was exhausted and stopped screaming after placating with her and holding her to the ground, she then went into a catatonic state. As much as we didn't want to do this, but we knew it was for the best, we locked her in her room and proceeded to have Thanksgiving without her. We did bring her some food and allowed her to eat in her room, but she would freak out when she saw sliced turkey on the plate. What was it about the turkey I asked myself? We then decided it was better to serve her leftovers and hoped she would eat it.

The Thanksgiving incident was an unforgettable moment where I experienced a side to Mina I never expected, but this wouldn't be the only violent thing she did. One time in school she attacked a classmate with a knife. It wasn't the injury this kid sustained from Mina that was shocking, but rather his ethnicity. The kid was African American who he and his parents were granted sanctuary by the Russians, who obviously didn't exclude refugees because of their skin color. This violent outburst from Mina appalled me and I planned to have words with her when I collect her and take her home.

"Why Mina, how could you do such a thing?" I scolded Mina, who was sitting on her bed not looking remorseful.

"I had him, I could have had him," barked Mina, snarling with rage.

"What did this kid do to you?"

"He looked like Marc Antony and I thought it was him."

"That kid was not Marc Antony, he was just another kid at your school who didn't deserve it."

"No, but Marc Antony deserved it. He killed my mother... he's a b..."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT, MINA... him being black has nothing to do with it. I had a black friend and even though we had a falling out I never made any racial comments about him."

"HE KILLED MY MUMMY AND YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS OKAY."

"Nyet Mina, it was not okay what he did. It was despicable and inhumane of him to do that. He will pay for what he did, but now isn't the time. You got to live and enjoy life."

"How can I enjoy life living with the fact he killed mummy, should I just forget it?"

"Nyet, that's impossible to forget, but it shouldn't let the memory consume your soul. Live your life and enjoy yourself, revenge is not going to end the pain and bring your mother back."

"If you won't help me get revenge then what good are you?"

"Mina please, just stop this, okay?"

"YOU'RE NOT MY DADDY OR MY BROTHER. I DON'T NEED YOU OR ALICIA."

Mina just sat with her arms folded and eyebrows drawn together. It was at this point I knew there was no reasoning with Mina and there was nothing else I could say that would make her think otherwise. I didn't want to give up on Mina because this was only a phase and she will overcome her desire for revenge, but my patience was being tested and I knew because of her two violent outburst I had to do what a parent would do and punish her.

"Okay, but you do understand I have to punish you so that means no leaving your room. You will only leave to eat at the dinner table or when you need the bathroom, but other than that you can not go outside and play and Alicia or I have to escort you to school. Do we understand one another?" I said firmly.

"Whatever," snapped Mina, still having her arms folded and looking inconsolably angry.

With nothing else to say I left the room and locked the door behind me. This didn't feel right to lock a little girl in a room, let alone deny her fresh air and see the sun, but I knew it was too dangerous to let her play outside because she could potentially hurt someone. I proceeded upstairs and hoped seeing Alicia work in the kitchen would take my mind off the guilt.

Alicia and I did talk about Mina and what we should do about her behavior. When I told Alicia about Mina's punishment, Alicia condoned my action and suggested she just needed more time. I even proposed the idea of home schooling her, so she doesn't attack another student, but Alicia preferred the idea of her getting therapy; which I also thought was a good idea.

Dinner was served and Mina did come to the table and eat everything on her plate. It surprised me to see she ate faster than she usually did, but she refused to have a conversation at the dinner table despite Alicia and my attempts to brighten her mood and show we still cared for her and wanted to rekindle the relationship. We even offered her dessert, which she declined in a surprisingly amicably manner and asked to be excused from the table. I permitted her to get down from the table and reminded her to brush her teeth, which she responded she'd do as she headed upstairs.

While Alicia and I cleared the table and washed the dishes I shared Alicia my idea of taking her out for a walk for her good behavior at the table or even alleviate the punishment. Alicia adamantly objected my idea because she thought Mina needed to learn and understand why she's being punished, which I accepted and decided to let the punishment stand.

I was woken up in the night by a sound, which I dismissed as a disturbance and not a break in as I lay back down and went to sleep.

When Alicia and I woke up, the first thing I noticed when I looked outside was how white the sky looked and how snow rained from the sky. The streets were covered with layers of snow and icicles hung on the eaves of the houses like pointy crystals.

Alicia started to cook breakfast until she noticed one little oddity that wasn't a pleasant start to the day.

"Wait, didn't we have a complete set?" questioned Alicia.

"Da, why?"

"One knife is missing," Alicia pointed at the knife block where there was an empty slit where a knife should have been.

"Maybe it's in the dishwasher," I assumed, as I checked the dishwasher and saw it wasn't there. Thinking where the knife could be, I then started to panic when I thought what happened to the knife that was missing. "Wait here Alicia, I think I know where it is."

I raced downstairs to Mina's bedroom and the first thing I noticed was that the door was unlocked when it shouldn't have been. I looked into the room and Mina was no where to be found. It was clear that Mina had run away and out into the storm. I jumped up the stairs and ran into the bedroom to get changed into my winter clothes and arm myself with gear from my gun cabinet.

"Is something wrong, Mikhail?" inquired Alicia.

"Mina is gone, she snuck out in the middle of the night."

Alicia expressed concern for Mina's safety.

"She snuck out? You've got to bring her back, she won't survive out there," worried Alicia.

"You're damn right, if walkers don't kill her then the cold will." I slung my coat on, looked at Alicia and ordered, "Alert the authorities and you stay here in case Mina comes back."

"Please Mikhail, be careful and bring Mina back safe."

Not wanting to waste another second, I ran outside without a good luck kiss from Alicia.

To be continued...