Summer
Mother frowns, concerned of my appearance. My hair is still tangled, no matter how much Katyusha tugs at it, attempting to make it neat and feathery like hers. My small flat heeled shoes, are scuffed and my dress out of shape.
Katyusha on the other hand, looks like one of the girls from our ornate picture books. Her dress is a gorgeous cornflower blue, setting of her pale aqua eyes. She was careful to keep her shoes shiny and clean.
"Now why can't you be like your sister?" Mother asks impatiently before helping Ivan button up his tiny suit. Admittedly, he does look adorable in it. Combined with his flustered expression, does make him look like a little male Coppelia doll. Round and chubby.
"Natalya, what have you done to your face?" Katyusha sighs before taking a hanky from her breast pocket and rubbing the crumbs of my cheek. I bat her hand away laughing, allowing her to smile before she begins rubbing, vigorously at my crumb covered face.
Before entering the church, she takes time to check her hair before smiling satisfactorily and stepping inside, clutching my hand.
I've never liked the church. It is a huge ugly place, full of damned people staring down at you from their fatal positions. I do like the angels though. I've asked Katyusha time and time again whether we could grow wings and fly away, making her laugh and give me a peck on the cheek.
We sit in our worn, wooden pew watching the crowd settle as the Priest walked towards the stand and begins his blasted sermon. Normally me and Katyusha, would joke and she would poke me in the belly button but, today she was holding onto every single word the Priest droned.
"Katyusha! Katyusha!" I whisper, my tone ferocious. Keeping her eyes on the Priest, she leans over for me to whisper into her ear. "How can you listen to all this crap!" I grin, making her gasp at my words.
"Natalya, where did you learn those words!" She scolds her hands over her heart. "The farm boys." I murmur. Frowning, she turns back to the Priest, who has begun to speak about the Holy Father.
I begin to kick the pew, bored by his teachings. The stuffy air doesn't help either. Fortunately, for my increasing temperature, Katyusha had the forethought to buy a fan before the sermon. I nudge her, gesturing at the fan she waves in front of her face. She must have forgotten our earlier incident, because she has begun to fan both of us.
"Thank you dear sister." I grin, looking up at her. She beams back down, pulling me into a hug. "When we get out of here, we'll go outside and play in the fields." She whispers into my ear. I nod in reply.
When the sermon finally finishes, I drag her out of the church, screaming for her to keep her promise. Being the honourable person she is, she fulfils it and walks me to the fields.
The rest of the day is spent bathing in the glorious sun, dancing in continuous circles until we fall down from exhaustion and Katyusha has to carry me home.