Chapter 4
With a bump, they landed at Sheremetyevo 2 in Moscow, Anna having enjoyed a wonderful view on the landing. It was beginning to get dark, seeing as it was about 3:30 Moscow time after altering the clocks for the time change. They made a slow taxi from the runway to the arrivals terminal, a lone LOT Polish Airlines plane all on its own in the shadow of Aeroflot. Everyone fiddled with their seatbelts as the aeroplane came to a halt and the signs above were extinguished.
"Welcome to Moscow Sheremetyevo 2," the Captain spoke over the speaker system. "The current temperature outside is -10°C and falling; it's going to be a chilly night tonight, but I imagine that's what you've all come for. Heavy snowfall is expected over night and during tomorrow, but after that pressure is rising and snowfall is becoming increasingly thinner. But don't worry, it won't go away! It'll simply freeze over and get you that way."
Some of the Russian passengers laughed at that.
"Enjoy your stay in Moscow and we'll see you again on Aeroflot."
The Captain then began to repeat the message in English, Anna surprised how good his English was; no pseudo-American accent like a lot of Dutch and Germans tended to speak with. The people on the outside rows got to their feet to take their hand luggage out of the overhead compartments. Sarah had step around Kate to do so, reaching up and passing each of them their bags; she handed the backpack back to Anna, a miniscule handbag to Kate and her own shoulder bag.
"What can you fit in there?" Anna asked Kate.
"Bus fair and a bit of makeup," Kate replied.
"I bet you can't fit keys in there, can you? Or a portable fan for the summer."
"Why would I need all of those things?"
"In the house is empty when you get home, perhaps."
Kate shrugged. "I'll just wait."
Anna sighed and got to her feet, seeing that the Russian man in front of her had also done so. She glanced at him slightly, but he didn't seem to notice. As people gradually filed off the plane, Kate joined her mother in the isle, Anna being cut off as more people left their seats. Eventually, the Russian man in the sunglasses paused and indicated politely for her to move out in front of him. She thanked him in Russian before moving on, feeling a little uncomfortable with him standing behind her. However, his presence did not feel threatening, only strange.
Finally, Anna stepped off the plane into the cloudy outside world of the Moscow winter. She drew her long black coat around her, glancing skyward as a few, light flakes of snow fell onto her face. The areas surrounding the tarmac runways were thickly covered with snow like she'd never seen before; it was stunning. She joined up with Sarah and Kate at the foot of the stares, the Russian man walking off slowly away from them, not bothered by the snow settling on his broad shoulders.
"Cold enough for you?" Sarah asked, smiling.
"Lovely and cold thank you," Anna replied.
"Cold?" Kate cut in. "Bloody freezing!"
"Now do you see why you cannot dress like you normally do?"
"Alright, point taken."
They all headed off into the airport to travel through the corridors into the Russian immigration office before baggage reclaim. They joined the queue for the Visa checks with the other European passengers, but the majority of the people on their flight seemed to join the Russian Federation Citizens section. Now she was here, Anna found she could also read and understand the Russian Cyrillic language; strange. In the Russian half, Anna saw the stocky guy in the sunglasses standing with his passport ready. However, her eyes soon travelled to the four young Russians she'd seen before, especially the one that had smiled at her.
"Russian spotting again?" Sarah asked.
"Well, you can't really plane spot indoors," Anna replied, shrugging.
"Your radar is certainly working today!"
"It's stronger than a submarine's, I imagine."
"Why do you always get smiled at?" Kate asked.
Anna shrugged. "I guess they like me."
"It's not as if they even have nice smiles."
"Oh I think they do," Sarah replied.
She shared a smirk with her eldest daughter.
"Just because they don't have pearly white teeth and pretty, clean shaven faces," Anna responded to her sister's comment. "Clearly your opinions of men are on completely the opposite end of the scale to mine."
"You're not complaining about it, are you?" Sarah asked.
"Not at all! I have them all to myself!"
Anna took her first step to show her visa, trying not to smirk at the hard, serious expression on security officer's face. His expression suddenly changed slightly and he looked through her passport once more, as if wondering what he had seen wrong before. Shrugging a little, he passed the passport back to Anna, smiled at her briefly, and turned to Sarah. How weird, Anna thought as she walked away. However, seeing as she got through unhurt, she waited around for her mother and sister before heading off towards baggage reclaim with them both.
Anna was also unaware that she had been watched closely by the Russian man in the sunglasses. He turned away from the customs desks and disappeared through the airport, having no luggage to collect from the conveyor belts. He quickly left the arrivals and entered the main airport complex, wondering over to the coffee. He spotted Anton, Bear and Tiger Cub sat outside in their Gorsvet jackets.
"Vyacheslav!" Anton called him over.
He headed over to them and brought up a chair.
"She's through customs," he explained. "Without a letter of invitation, there was no chance of her getting in; I can't believe her mother didn't realise that! So I hung around and noticed that the customs officer was looking a bit hostile, so I put the thought in her head that would allow her and her family entrance."
"Sneaky," Bear complimented.
"So long as the Day Watch doesn't book me for it. Technically, I'm not supposed to use my gift on humans, only to help an Other who's in danger or to keep an eye on Dark Others."
"Then say she's an Other in danger."
"Anyway, if they know about her, they'll forget it," Anton added.
"We'll have to get to her first," Vyacheslav noted.
"It's her decision, Vyacheslav."
"I know, but she knows my brother Maxim; her name is Anna Smith and I know he's a good friend of her's. I'm sure that he would want her to be safe, so I want to do all I can to make sure she makes the right decision."
"But don't interfere."
"I'll be as subtle as possible."
Tiger Cub laughed. "Oh yeah Vyacheslav! What'll it be then? Join us because we're good?"
"Maybe Semyon will make an impression."
"What have you told him to do now?" asked Anton.
"Just to keep an eye out for her outside."
"I see… and how will that make an impression on her?"
"He said that he'll see what he can do."
Bear hung his head. "Oh dear."
"It's her!" Anton suddenly cut in.
They all turned round to where Anton was looking, watching as Anna turned up alongside her mother and sister. All of them had their sunglasses on over their eyes, which hid their gaze to some degree. However, anyone who saw four people looking in their direction with sunglasses on would feel a little nervous. They watched as Sarah stood and looked around briefly before being joined by a fat Russian taxi driver. After a short conversation, the English family followed the Russian man towards the exit and out of Sheremetyevo 2.
Anton picked up his phone. "Semyon."
"Have you got her Anton?" he replied.
"She's just left the airport."
"I'll keep a watch for her."
"She's got the luggage trolley."
Semyon laughed. "I'm right next to the trolley park!"
"Vyacheslav says you'll be making an impression on her."
"Did he now? I don't know what he means."
Semyon phoned off, smirking to himself and getting out of his yellow truck, shutting the door behind him. He shivered slightly, brushing some of the snowflakes off his balding head before lighting up a cigarette he'd stolen from Tiger Cub earlier on, and shoving his free hand into his jacket pocket. The trolley park was just ahead of him, so within any luck, she'd be coming his way. He looked at the exit to the airport, spotting Anna and her family crowded around a Russian taxi cab. He laughed to himself typical of foreigners to pick up an unofficial cab; they'd be getting a high bill.
After a brief conversation with her mother, Anna waited for the taxi driver to offload the trolley before she looked around for the trolley park. Once she found the one near to Semyon's yellow van, she headed over towards it, Semyon getting ready. He wondered away from his truck a little, glancing at his watch as if he were waiting for someone. He glanced up as Anna came over, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and smiling at her. She returned the smile with an almost playful glint in her eyes before parking the trolley with its companions. This would be too easy.
"Hi," he greeted in Russian.
She turned around again.
"Hello," she replied.
"Nice day?"
"Oh yes it is!"
"Where have you come from? Pevek? Murmansk?"
"England; I'm not from Russia."
"You're not? I'd never have known that; you seem so fluent and well spoken in Russian to be foreign. Even an Englishman confident in Russian still fails to get a proper accent. How do you do it?"
She shrugged and flashed him a smile.
"Either hard work or pure talent," she replied.
"Indeed," he returned the smile. "You look Russian too."
"Thank you. I rather like your accent though."
"Hmm, I have a Novosibirsk accent."
"You look so Russian."
"Really? In what ways?"
He used another smile to tempt her to compliment him.
"Oh, many things I guess," she replied, offhandedly. "Could be your stubble, your accent, because you're podgy, because you're smoking, or anything like that! I think you fit the English stereotype of a Russian."
"I'm flattered."
"It's my first time here."
"You find Russian men attractive, do you?"
"Hmm, the vast majority, yes."
"Even myself?"
"Oh quality Russian!"
They laughed, but Sarah soon interrupted them.
"Anna!" she shouted. "We're ready to leave now!"
"Sorry!" Anna called back. "I was just talking."
"Are you chatting up more Russian men?"
"Most certainly!"
"Come on, the taxi man wants to leave I think."
"What's he saying?"
"Err; it sounds like 'pashly' or something."
"Then I'm on my way!"
Anna turned back to Semyon.
"Thanks for the chat," she noted.
"Any time," Semyon replied, smiling.
"Perhaps I'll see you soon?"
"Sooner than you think."
He winked at her, sharing another smile as she turned away and walked back towards the red cab. He wondered back over to his truck and leaned against the shut door, watching as Anna approached the taxi. She climbed inside and it drove off, Semyon catching sight of a second Gorsvet van subtly following the taxi. Then they could let Geser know where Anna was staying; it had shaped out nicely with no interference from Day Watch so far. But he was willing to bet that Zavulon would soon know what was going on and catch Night Watch at their job looking out for Anna. Semyon grimaced slightly; after talking to her, he really wanted her to become light.
The other four came over to where he had parked the yellow truck from inside the airport, Vyacheslav looking more like a member of the Russian mafia than an electrician. They joined Semyon at the yellow truck, Bear and Tiger Cub climbing into the back while Anton and Vyacheslav at up front in the two passenger seats. They fastened their seatbelts, Semyon having the usual struggle.
"Did you find her?" Anton asked.
"Got hold of her as she put the trolley away," Semyon replied.
"What do you make of her then?"
"Very nice; well done Anton!"
"Not in that way."
"I think she's the one you mean; she's definitely an Other because I felt she'd been in the Gloom before. I had an idea also that she knew someone was looking out for her because she was keen to flirt back at me. Maybe she is the Lost Other Geser keeps talking about; the one who's Light but comes from Dark. If that's all true, then it means she'll become Light like us. But what does come from Dark mean?"
"Her father's a Vampire!" Vyacheslav laughed.
"Be serious Vyacheslav!"
"No, he could be right," Anton cut in.
"But how? She's English even if her Russian accent is real."
"Did she have her father with her?"
"There were no males travelling with them," Vyacheslav noted.
"So her parents are separate then," Anton concluded
"Her father could be Russian."
"But who?"
"Is that really important?" Semyon asked.
"At the moment, no."
"Then we'll see how it unfolds."
Semyon pressed down on the accelerator, driving off away from Sheremetyevo 2 and filing up behind a long queue of traffic, a large proportion of which were taxis. He sighed, tossing his cigarette out of the window and winding it back up again. Bloody foreigners taking up all the space on the crowded roads in taxis; they should learn to use buses. They could be stuck here for sometime.
----
Soon, Anna and her family arrived at their hotel in Moscow after a taxi ride that took a little while in the traffic, but still showed them a good view of the Russian capital. Anna had sat up front with the taxi driver because she could speak to him in Russian. In the wing mirror, she had noticed a yellow truck, similar to the one she'd seen at the airport, which seemed to be following them. The taxi driver said it was a vehicle owned by the City Light Company, Gorsvet. Even as they unloaded their stuff, Anna saw a yellow truck drive passed at park further down the road, but no one seemed to question it.
"Don't worry about them," the taxi driver assured her.
"A lighting company, you said?" Anna queried.
"Yeah; without them, we'd have no lights!"
"So, do they just run around for maintenance work?"
"Probably…"
But he was cut across by Anna's mother.
"Could you pay the man?" she asked her daughter.
"Of course," Anna replied.
"And don't give him a tip."
Sarah walked away with her own suitcase, but Kate left hers behind for Anna to carry, seeing as she could never be bothered to do so herself.
"What was that about?" the driver asked. "I can't speak English."
"My mother told me not to give you a tip," Anna replied.
"Well… I guess you must oblige…"
Anna laughed at his expression.
"I didn't plan on leaving you nothing extra, friend."
The taxi driver cleared his throat. "I feel guilty now."
"I know that you're an unofficial taxi."
"Then why…"
"Because you were polite and talkative, not for ripping us off."
Anna paid the taxi the fee, adding in a bit more.
"And trust me, you're cheaper than London taxis!" she laughed.
"When you're on the way back, call up our number and ask for Driver number 118. Or if numbers are a little too meaningless, ask for driver name; Ruslan Pavlovich Mirskin. That's me of course!"
"I'll remember."
Anna laughed, smiling as he thanked her and then left her with the thought that every Russian she'd seen so far had smiled at her. Now there was a nice thought to start the holiday with. Anna dragged her's and Kate's suitcase into the entrance hall seeing as her sister was too weedy to carry all the rubbish she'd packed. She'd brought a hair dryer with all the different fittings and hair straighteners, whereas Ann had taken her laptop and camcorder in comparison. Thankfully, they had adaptors each to change English to European plugs, but they still had to share a room. Perhaps they should have packed sandbags, but the most Kate could do was flap her arms and screech. Anna preferred to leave to sarcasm, but now she could speak Russian, she could mutter anything to Kate and get away with it.
The three of them took the lift to floor three where their rooms were. They were right next to each other, so if Kate was complaining about Anna pinching all of the plug sockets, she could go and use Sarah's. Batteries needed charging and it was a constant use of power. When it came to irritating Kate by using up all of the free power points, that was an advantage of manually charging the batteries.
"The heating needs to go up," Kate stated.
Anna checked the thermostat.
"It's heated to 15°C," she noted. "That's plenty."
"That's cold."
"Rubbish! Alone I'd drop it down to about 10°C"
"I saw that guy you were chatting up at the airport."
"Which one do you mean?"
"The guy with the yellow truck."
"Oh him! Yeah, he was rather cuddly."
"He looked about fifty-odd."
"No! I'd say early forties."
"Still way too old for you."
Anna shrugged. "It was only a conversation."
"Why do you like older men?"
"Why do you like boys who look about 12?"
Kate blushed and watched as her sister plugged her laptop and camcorder up to charge, already taking two of the power points. Anna then took out a tub of powder drink mix she added to water to create a protein supplement. This strawberry flavoured drink was much nicer than red meat, and she needed to get protein from somewhere to keep her muscles in trim.
"Why do you drink that stuff?" Kate asked.
"Why do you ask such irritating questions?" Anna queried.
"Because I don't understand you."
"Then please don't bother trying."
"Why?"
Anna sighed. "To help develop good muscles."
"You don't need to, you know."
"Maybe not if I was a little girl like you. But I'm a woman and I have good reasons to need a well build physical structure. I either want to do HGV driving, engineering, construction and demolition work or mechanics. For either one of those jobs, I need be strong to do them."
"Those are men's jobs, Anna."
"Maybe more so than others, but being a lone women with all those men might not be as bad as it sounds, so long as they're all under 45. Hmm, on building sites in the summer, relaxing back in a JCB on a paid lunch break looking at all those top naked, sweaty men. Getting to know the young foreign lorry drivers at all the service stations and truck stops in Europe. A lot to be desired."
"You're weird."
"Maybe, but at least I have ambitions."
"So do I."
Anna sighed and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Alright," she stated. "Like what?"
"Like hairdressing, beauty or fashion design."
"Ambitious for some, but they'd bore me to tears."
"Alright, I admit I'm not intellectually superior."
"Listen Kate, you are my sister and as much as I hate your sense of dress code and detest your irritating girly personality, I can't deny that I want you to make the best decision in the future. Yeah, you're a bit of a slut, but that doesn't really anger me more than just worry me. But I will stick up for you if you make the correct and most sensible decision. I'm also old enough to stop you ruining your life."
"That's not exactly reassuring."
"I only ask for a bit of respect."
Kate sighed. "I have stuck up for you a bit."
"Now I'm interested."
"My friends all think you're a geek."
"I like computers and sci-fi, so why not!"
"I don't think you are."
"At least that means I'm intelligent."
"I just think you're a little weird."
"I take that as a compliment a bit more!"
Kate grimaced slightly. "This is hard to say."
She sighed.
"I admit you're cool."
Anna laughed. "Now you're in big compliment territory."
"But don't you dare tell them I said that."
"Hey, I don't speak to your little chav gang."
"And yeah, you'd make a great trucker or something."
"Then I also have to say that you'd make a good fashion designer. As much as I hate fashion and disagree with it, I imagine you'll know exactly what to do with it. Just so long that when you get rich, you buy me a fast car."
"A fast car? You're kidding?"
"Yeah! Ferrari, Lotus Elise, Alfa Romeo Spider…"
She trailed off and glanced at Kate's expression.
"Ford Transit van," she added.
"I knew that was coming," Kate replied.
There was a knock at the door that interrupted their conversation. Kate went to unlock the door as Anna unpacked some plastic cups and set them down alongside the pack of drink mix. Her sister opened the door and Sarah came in.
"Unpacked enough?" she asked.
"Pretty much," Anna replied.
"Kate?"
"Not really," she shrugged. "Why?"
"Who fancies a quick look around Moscow before dinner?"
"True, we haven't got much time to look around," Anna replied.
"We could get a cab," Kate noted.
"Hmm, a little bit expensive," Sarah replied, uncertainly.
"I can unpack later I suppose."
"I'll leave my cam here," Anna added. "It needs to recharge over night."
Sarah glanced over at the charging laptop.
"Why did you brink that?"
"Gut instinct told me to," Anna replied.
"Shall we go out then?"
"We'd better wrap up warm."
"I'll meet you outside in the corridor."
