Chapter Two

Marya

Wanda cried too much. Pietro didn't cry enough. That was the one trend Marya had noticed throughout the three weeks she and Django had had the children in their custody. They had agreed to keep Magnus in the picture as long as he wanted to be in it. They had even agreed that the twins would not address them as mother and father. They would be completely open with them that Magnus was their biological father, however painful that truth may end up being.

Nonetheless, she and Django had not slept well over the course of the three weeks. And that night was no exception. Wanda woke screaming in the middle of the night. Django groaned and turned over in his sleep. "Your turn," he sighed. Marya groaned as well before getting up and making her way across the room. They had not been able to find anything particularly large in the Wungadore area, but what they had would do for the time being.

"Hush," Marya tried to coax Wanda into going back to sleep. She didn't understand it, and was confident she never would. Wanda was always making noise, even if she wasn't crying. Pietro never made a sound. Both behaviors were unnatural, and it worried her. She didn't see how two siblings, two twins, could be so vastly different from one another. God she looks just like Magda, was the one rational thought Marya had each time she held the infant. She missed her friend, friends, dearly. It seemed as though Magnus had dropped off the face of the earth after her death. It took quite some time, but the girl finally drifted back into sleep. Marya placed Wanda back beside her brother and climbed back into bed.

"There is something not right about that girl, Marya," one of the women in the small village said as she walked alongside Marya. Django had stayed with the twins that morning. "And I don't like it one bit."

"What do you mean?" Marya asked. She knew Wanda was fussy, but she had never thought too much about it. She figured it was just a phase.

The woman shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it isn't friendly. If I were you," she said, placing a hand on Marya's shoulder. "I would take your husband and children and leave this place."

"But where would we go?" Marya asked, shocked that she was continuing that ridiculous conversation. She and Django were gypsies; their people weren't exactly welcomed in most places.

"The obvious choice, of course," the woman answered. "Talk it over with your husband at least," she added before leaving.

"She hasn't stopped since you left," Django sighed. He was bouncing Wanda on his leg, trying to stop her endless screaming. He didn't know if it was colic or what, but he prayed it would end soon. Marya shook her head and picked the girl up. "We can't live with this much longer, Marya."

"We don't have a choice, Django," Marya mimicked his tone. "She'll outgrow it eventually."

"There is talk," Django said after a moment.

"About?" Marya asked.

"There are some who say the presence of these two children has angered the gods," Django answered. He would never admit it, but he was quite superstitious. He wasn't sure he believed in the gods their fellow villagers spoke of, but he did believe bad things would happen if they did not do as they were asked. "Especially Chthon."

"And since when do you believe in stories of Chthon?" Marya questioned. Wanda had finally stopped crying, bringing small relief to the situation.

"I don't," Django defended. "I was merely raising a point," he hated it when Marya was argumentative. It never brought any good to the household. "Perhaps it is time to leave again."

"I couldn't agree more," Marya said. "I don't do well if I stay in one place for too long. And this is no place to raise children."

"So you have completely given up hope that Magnus will take them back?"

"Why should I not have?" Marya asked after a moment of silence. "You saw the way Magnus looked at the boy. He despises him. I doubt he sees his children as more than objects to use in that war of his he wants so badly."

"I never knew you thought so poorly of him," Django commented. He lifted Pietro out of the bassinet and crossed the room. "Here I thought you were friends."

"No, Magda and I were friends," Marya corrected. "There has always been something off about Magnus. Don't deny it. It is for the children's sake that I agreed to let him be involved in their lives, not his." She sighed and looked down at the sleeping girl, thinking about what their neighbor had said earlier. "It's just a phase," she said quietly. "She will outgrow it."

"Perhaps," Django sighed. "But now our biggest concern is where we will move to."

"I've been thinking about that," Marya said. "Have you ever considered moving to the United States?" she asked. "New York, maybe?"

Django was about to laugh, call her insane, but then he thought better of it. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. "It's a big enough city," he said carefully. The last thing he wanted was to get her hopes up only to think of a better solution. "We could blend in well, I think. No one would give a second glance." He nodded as he continued thinking about it. "It looks like we'll be going to New York City."