Anya
Anya decided the best course of action would be to stay put, at least until she figured out where exactly she was, how exactly she would get to St. Petersburg, and how she could possibly get a ticket to Paris. It occurred to her, that she did not think her plan through. The long day's trek, combined with the blizzard that almost killed her, told her that it would have been more sensible to have listened to Matron Osley and stayed on track towards the village. Matron's voice sounded in her head, "How in the bloody hell did you expect to get anywhere if you don't have a plan eh?"
Anya was forced to admit that in this case, Matron was right.
To hell with a plan, Anya thought. I've survived. I can do it again. But I won't do it foolishly, this time I'll ask for help, to hell with my stubbornness.
And so, Anya rose from the bed she was sitting up in and headed towards the closet door. Opening it slowly, Anya pulled out her clothes, removed the nightgown she was put into and changed.
A few moments later, she heard a timid knock on the door. Anya, thinking it was Elaine, said, "Come in, I have something to…"
A small child emerged. She stood at her full height, unabashedly staring upwards at Anya. She spoke, "Mum wants me to tell you that it's dinner time. Come on, follow me." Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door and walked down the small corridor. Anya followed, suddenly reminded of the little guy she left behind, Tommy. Like her, Tommy was self-assured and extremely inquisitive. He wasn't afraid of questioning his elders and looked up at them in the same way that she had. She half smiled and hoped that Tommy was still kicking butt at the orphanage and at school.
Anya began, "Um… What's your name?"
Glancing up, the little girl said, "Valentina."
She continued, "I do hope that you like the food. We are having tyurya, pelmeni and for desert, varenve. I am very glad to see that you are not frozen anymore." She gave Anya a wide smile, "After we eat, you are playing P'yanitsa with me."
"Sure," Anya grinned. She might as well be comfortable while she was here and one game couldn't hurt.
They reached the dinner table and Anya ate. She ate until she was full, her heart was content and realized that this must be what a family is like. After the game with Valentina, she asked Elaine and her husband what she could do to fund her trip and to basically give her a map to where she was going. They obliged, but not without warning her of how dangerous her undertaking was.
Anya departed midday.