Chapter Nine


Wanda rolled her shoulders as she stumbled into the dining room for breakfast, Nina sticking close to her side. Her younger sister had had nightmares again the previous night. Neither of them had gotten any sleep and this morning she was clingier than usual. Wanda sat her at the table with some of the younger students before going to grab then both a plate of food.

She didn't know Marya had approached until her mother put a hand on her arm. Wanda jumped and yanked away, her heart in her throat. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry." Marya peered at her worriedly. "You need sleep. I'll stay with Nina today-"

"No. She doesnt trust anybody else."

"Wanda-"

"She needs me, OK?!"

Marya sighed heavily. "You can't keep this up forever."

Wanda held her mom's gaze. "I'll take care of Nina for as long as she needs me to."

Not willing to give this up for good, but changing the subject, as Marya knew better than to start an argument with her daughter in a room full of students, she spoke quietly. "Has Nina agreed to see... anyone else yet?"

Wanda ran a hand through her unruly hair, shaking her head. "If you mean Erik, no. She's still convinced he abandoned her, forgot about her, and I haven't been able to change her mind yet. Peter says Erik's really cut up about it as well."

Marya bit back a scathing retort about the fact that Erik had a history of doing just that. "Perhaps you should speak with him," she said instead. "Nina needs to hear from him what happened or else all your words will be for nothing."

"I would, Mom, except for the small detail that Nina needs to be where I am or she'll panic-" Wanda cut herself off, pulling a gentle smile onto her face as Nina sidled up to her, reaching for her hand. "What is it, honey?" She shifted her attention from her mom to her sister- Marya would just have to wait.

"Will you come sit with me today?" Nina asked in the whispery voice she still used when anyone besides Wanda was in earshot.

Wanda heard Marya stifle a sigh as she left Wanda to see to Nina, but ignored it. Still, she didn't want to do as Nina asked- it would set a precedent for her always being at Nina's side, and she was trying to encourage the little girl to regain some confidence and start doing some things on her own. "I can't, honey. You know the rules, I have to sit at one of the tables for grown ups." That wasn't a rule, per se, but she'd taken to telling Nina it was, in an attempt to get her talking to the students nearer her own age. Sticking to Wanda like glue every minute of the day might be understandable for a child with PTSD and separation anxiety, but it wasn't a healthy behavior. "You go have breakfast with the other kids, alright, and I'll come get you right after. I promise I won't leave the room. You'll be able to see me the whole time."

Nina's expression, like a kicked puppy, tore at Wanda's heart, but she steeled herself. Nina wouldn't get past any of her problems if Wanda caved in to her wishes all the time. "Go on, go and eat." She handed the little girl the smaller plate, then stroked Nina's hair. "I won't take my eyes off of you. Promise. Go on." She kept her eyes on the little girl as Nina trudged off to join the other younger children, smiling encouragingly and gesturing for Nina to go on whenever she looked back.

Once Nina was sitting and eating (or rather, picking at her food), Wanda took a seat herself, and all but inhaled her own breakfast, surprised at just how hungry she was, listening to and getting caught up in the good-natured bickering between Peter, Hank and Raven. She'd only just finished her breakfast when Hank's eyes focused on something behind her, and, turning, she saw Nina standing there silently, arms wrapped round herself, eyes locked on Wanda, clearly having no intention of going anywhere until her big sister joined her.

Wanda stifled a sigh as she stood. She was starting to think her mom had a point, that Nina was coming to view Wanda as a crutch, needing her there in order to do anything. Wanda loved Nina as much as she loved Peter and Ana, so she didn't grudge looking after her, but Nina's clinginess was becoming obsessive. Taking Nina's hand, she decided, randomly, to take a chance. It had been weeks since they got here, and Nina was getting worse, not better. It was tough-love time.

"What do you want to do today, Nina?" Up til now, Nina had followed obediently where Wanda led, reading books or watching TV etc., as Wanda instructed.

Nina's eyes widened and she shrugged, looking up at Wanda. She resisted the urge to offer the little girl any suggestions, though. Nina must remember what she used to do for fun, before it had all gone wrong. And Wanda had no intention of doing anything, even leaving this room, until Nina had at least answered verbally.

"C-can we go outside?" Nina's voice wobbled. "S-someone said there are h-horses here."

"You want to go to the stables and see them?" Wanda prompted.

Nina nodded. Wanda cupped her ear, waiting.

"Yes please."

Wanda smiled warmly. "Of course we can, sweetie. We might even be able to give them some treats, if you like." She wasn't too keen on horses, if she was honest, but she'd learned from Erik, by way of Peter, that Nina used to love animals back in Poland. Wanting to see some again could only be a good sign, right?

Quickly fetching herself and Nina some apples to feed the horses, she had Nina lead the way outside. The little girl still clung to her hand, but at least she wasn't hiding behind her any more.

Unfortunately, they were only halfway to the stables when Wanda saw the solitary figure of their father staring out over the school grounds, and realized, with a sinking heart, they were going to cross paths with him. She thought fast. Her mom had raised a good point earlier- maybe the only way Nina would accept that Erik hadn't forgotten her was if he personally told her his version of events. And Wanda was here right now, so Nina shouldn't go into a meltdown or panic... She put a hand on Nina's shoulder to stop her, and her big brown eyes blinked up at her.

"Nina, sweetie, we are still going to go see the horses, alright? But we just have to stop a second. I need to talk to Er- Papa for a minute. Then maybe he can come visit the horses with us, OK?" Wanda lowered her voice slightly. "I know Papa would like to see you too. He's missed you a lot. Can you be a big girl and talk to him, for me?"

There was a long, heavy silence, then, to Wanda's relief, Nina managed a barely-perceptible nod.

"I'll talk to him." Her little face was somber, and her grip on Wanda's hand was almost painful, but she allowed herself to be led over to Erik, going near him for the first time since they'd gotten back to the school.

Wanda caught Erik's eye as they approached, trying to plead with her eyes that he didn't lose control of his emotions and overwhelm Nina. She had no way of knowing if he'd gotten the message, but it was too late to talk to him privately- they were within speaking distance now.

She forced a smile onto her face, intending to keep this casual, hoping Erik followed her lead.

"Morning... Dad." That still sounded weird, calling him that, but she couldn't use his first name in front of Nina, and her name for him, Papa, was even more bizarre, to Wanda's mind. "Nina and I are just going to go and visit the horses, aren't we?" She nudged Nina to respond.

"Yeah." Nina's voice was soft, her eyes far away. "Like we used to go visit deer in the forest out back... before."

"Did you? That sounds like fun." Wanda kept her voice as gentle as possible, while Erik make a stifled, choked noise, his eyes shining. "Was that just you and Papa?"

"Yeah. The deer were my friends. They used to play with me. Then they took care of me when I was on my own. They loved me." Nina sniffled, and the gaze she turned on Erik was almost accusatory.

Erik looked at Wanda, but she stayed still, aware on some level that she shouldn't interrupt Nina, like the child needed to get this out before she could even start to move on.

Nina was still glaring at Erik, talking as if the words were being yanked from her, her voice rising. "I was all alone! it was dark, and cold, and there was no food. I had to climb out of the hole in the ground, and only the deer were there. Loads of them died! Mama was gone and you just left! You forgot me!" She was nearly hysterical now, screaming at Erik, tears pouring down her face.

Wanda, hating hearing this, and cringing at the look on Erik's face, nonetheless still held back. Venting her anger and confusion would be cathartic for Nina, no matter how much it hurt Erik to hear it.

"Then the bad people came, and they took me away, and kept hurting me, and it was so cold. And you never came and got me!" Nina's final scream was punctuated by her aiming a punch at Erik, then stumbling and tripping. She stayed on her knees, sobbing. "Why didn't you come find me, Papa?"

Wanda was crying silently by this point, but didn't go to Nina. Erik was looking at her helplessly. Wanda gestured him toward Nina, using her facial expression to make her intent clear- that it needed to be him that consoled Nina now, if there was any chance of them getting back some semblance of the bond they'd once had, though it could never be like it was before all the trouble.

Slowly, Erik moved, kneeling in front of Nina and speaking softly in Polish. Wanda didn't know the language, but she assumed he was apologizing, as the same two words came up a lot.

Nina's sobbing gradually eased, and she began replying to Erik in the same language, her words punctuated by sniffling. Finally, at last, she edged forward, letting Erik hug her for the first time since their reunion.

Wanda heaved a sigh of relief as Erik buried his face in Nina's hair. From the way his shoulders moved, she thought he might be weeping, but decided not to ever tell anyone that- now, of all times, he had a right to be emotional, after all.

Nina's head turned towards her, and her little hand reached out. Cautiously, Wanda moved to join them, taking Nina's hand and giving it a squeeze, not sure she wanted to actually join in the hug- she still hardly knew Erik, after all.

Nina smiled weakly, obviously pleased to have her papa back and still have a new sister as well. Erik looked up, his eyes wet, and met Wanda's gaze. Understanding flashed between them in an instant.

Nina would, in all likelihood, still need Wanda to help her through her trauma- some of the things they'd been through together, Erik wouldn't know how to help Nina cope with. And Nina's attachment to her big sister wouldn't just vanish, not now Wanda was essentially in the maternal role. But maybe, now this biggest hurdle had been overcome, and Nina was back on speaking terms (hopefully) with Erik, he- and Peter, and the rest of the 'family' at the school- could take some of the responsibility of taking care of Nina from Wanda.

That Erik might come to resent Wanda for being the main caregiver for his baby girl now did actually cross her mind, but she decided they'd deal with that if and when the problem arose. For now, the cracks in this damaged family were beginning to mend. She hoped it could only get better from here.