Chapter 6

The Establishment of Residency

THE TRUTH WAS, I totally should have seen this coming. After all, I had barely just been told my family members were mystical creatures, had seen my father’s face become horror-movie-worthy and my freaky-bitch-of-a-grandma was four thousand years old. Obviously getting a gun pressed against my head was the logical next step in this night of fun adventures.

            This wasn’t the first time I had a gun pressed to my head, but I was actually a little lost for words. There was nothing comforting about the lady standing in front of me. She seemed allegedly pissed. “I’m going to ask you this, one more time. Who. Are. You?”

            Why nobody was answering, I didn’t know—they were telling her to calm down though and put the gun down. I did know the right answer to give, but I was also painfully aware that I could rarely do what was asked of me. “Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask.”

            She hit me with her gun on the side of the head and I fell to the ground—served me right to quote V for Vendetta in such a dire circumstance. I should have just shut up and not try to be a smart ass—as usual.

            At least, that got a reaction from everybody and they kind of all threw themselves at her and took the gun out of her hands. Semyon actually looked pissed for a second. That had to be a first. Pavel crouched beside me, checking my head.

            “Are you alright?” he asked and I just nodded, pressing my hand against the bump slowly forming. Seriously, today was not my day. “Go get ice,” he commented to his sister.

            Matvei was probably the most vocal in the lot though. “Yelena, what the hell is wrong with you?” he all but shouted at her.

            “Who is she?” the woman almost growled.

            “That’s my daughter!” Matvei yelled back, pointing at me, breathing in deeply. For a second I actually feared his face would change again and he’d beat the living hell out of her.

            “You don’t have a daughter!” she replied and everybody in the room automatically protested. It was kind of nice to have other people actually backing me up, even if they all deserved to be thrown in the loony bin. “Has she compelled all of you!?”

             Okay, enough. “Lady, take a chill pill,” I groaned, my head still definitely hurting. I should remember to never be a smart ass with someone holding a gun. “Are you by any chance related with stick-up-my-ass Hugo?” I added.

            Stick-up-my-ass Hugo made a face at me. He obviously didn’t like my little pet name for him. Still, it was neither him nor crazy-gun-woman that answered. Pavel did. “That’s my mother, actually.”

            “And you sucked all the nice out of her in the womb?” I countered.

            The woman, Yelena, took a step forward, her eyes furious, but Matvei stood in front of me, protectively. “Don’t you dare touch her again,” he warned.

            “What as she done to you? All of you?” she protested, throwing her hands in the hair.

            Why was everyone in this family so goddamn overly dramatic? What was so hard in believing your brother had a daughter that just happened to pop up, out of nowhere?

            Marina came back with a bag of frozen peas and gave it to her big brother who then proceeded to press it against the side of my head. I winced a little.

            “Child. Stand down.” Grandma dearest commanded, her voice letting no room for discussion. It wasn't loud or angry. It was actually low and calm. There was something frightening about it. “We are speaking the truth.”

            Yelena looked at the man that had walked in the room with her, her husband, I could only assume. “Flynn?”

            The man frowned, looking at me. “She speaks the truth.” He had a slight accent when he spoke. It made him sound kind of fancy.

            “I thought it had been established that you were a eunuch?” Yelena snorted, losing the stressed-up stance.

            “Apparently, you were wrong,” Matvei shot back. It wasn’t letting his guard down for some reason. I didn’t really care though, I just nursed my wounded head. I’d have a nasty bruise tomorrow.

            “And apparently we don’t have time to waste on futile thing such as Matvei’s sexual life,” grandmother dearest added.

            Matvei rolled his eyes. “Thanks a lot.”

            “Just saying like it is,” his mother shrugged. “What do we do with the girl?”

            I sighed in disbelief. “I’m not a damn poodle, I can choose for myself you know!”

            Naturally, she ignored my remark and kept on ranting. “She can’t stay here, not while he’s still here at least…”

            “Fuuuuucking confuuuuused!” I drawled. Seriously, what was so wrong with me, being here? Was I that much of a burden?

            “I can leave and take her with me. I don’t mind. I can take her back to her home or somewhere else if you find it more fitting, at least until things settle around and it’s… safer for her to be here,” perpetually-mad-Hugo offered.

            I hadn’t expected him to say something like that, but that, I was definitely not having. “Oh fuck no! I’m not going anywhere with stick-up-his-ass-Hugo!”

            “It’s for your own good! Staying here—being here to begin with—foreshadows awful things.” Hugo added, just reinterring how much of a prick he was.

            I looked at Matvei, who wasn’t saying a word, and glared at him. Shouldn’t he be doing something? Saying something? He was my father after all, was he not? “You know, father, if you don’t want me hanging around, just say the damn words. Don’t hide behind fake and empty threats!”

            “They are not empty threats! Not in this city,” Yelena answered for him.

            “Just perfect” I groaned and moved the pack of peas against my head. “What’s wrong with the city now?”

            “Are you familiar with the cities of refuge talked about in the Old Testament?” grandmother dearest inquired,

            This just kept getting better and better. “You mean the bloody part of the Bible?”

            “If you want to put it that way, yes,” she conceded and went on. “By their law, in that time, if you killed someone, there was a member of the family that was named as the blood avenger and had the duty to claim a life for a life, but if the kill was accidental, the person guilty of manslaughter could claim a right of asylum in one of the cities of refugee, and there, the blood avenger couldn’t kill him.” Was it too late to rewind time and go back to Detroit? Seriously. “There were six cities named as city of refuge. One of those cities name was Hebron. This tradition is still on with suprahumans, though the general rules have slightly changed. In this city, some mystical creature guilty of awful crimes has the right to hide. Or creatures curse to wander have the right to stay in a city of refuge for a large amount of time without being smitten.” So that was us, obviously. “If you’re a suprahuman in trouble, you’ll most likely hide in a city of refuge.”

            I groaned because I had pressed the peas against my head a little too much and then sighed. “So you mean that a bunch of messed up creatures all live here?”

            “Yes,” she and everybody else in the room nodded.

            “And therefore, because you might be after them, that means that I might be in danger if I stay here?” I deduced.

            “Yes.”

            I didn’t know if I was supposed to laugh or cry. At this point, I think curling up in a ball was a good enough option. “I’m touched by the sentiments but I can take care of my own damn self, thank you very much”

            “You know what? I’m with the feisty girl on this.” Semyon suddenly exclaimed. I don’t know why, but I could have hugged him right about now. Yes the old man was crazy, but he was nice. “She can take care of herself, and I doubt her being here will start the apocalypse or a Third World War.”

            “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Hugo mumbled.

            “Well that’s because you’re a pessimistic little fu—dge!” He changed his last word when his wife gave him a stern look.

             “I think we should still consider the idea of her departure. Matvei could part with her in the worse case. Or fetch her mother,” Flynn pitched in.

            Matvei shook his head and silently said, “I can’t do that.” I didn’t bother asking him if which part he couldn’t do, the mother thing or the leaving with me thing. At this point my attention was on the other man that had just spoke and was still unknown to me. “And what the hell are you?”

            Flynn shook with contained laughter. I think my bluntness amused him. “An einherjar.”

            I snorted. “I’m not going to even pretend like I can pronounce that crap! What can you do?” Yes I was demanding, and yes I was probably asking things I shouldn’t be, but at this point I didn’t care. They were probably about to kick me out of their house anyway. The least I could do was have a good reason to be kicked out.

            “I am a fallen warrior, chosen by the Valkyries to fight in their army. Your grandmother picked me up from the battlefield as I lay there dying.” What was up with the fancy talking?

            “When?”

            “It was during Charles V reign, so roughly in 1520.” Great, another walking corpse.

            “So what, you’re like a Valkyrie’s bitch?”

            Again, I made him chuckle. “You could word it that way…”

            “I’m wording it that way. I’m not in the mood anymore. And I’m hungry.” I added as an afterthought. “Oh and don’t make that face grandmother dearest.” I said for her benefit because she was giving me a creepy look. “You’ve only been a bitch with me so far, so don’t expect me to be nice to you. I don’t care how old you are. If you don’t respect I’m not going to respect you. I haven’t even been here twenty four hours and you’re all trying to get rid of me so I’m sorry if I’m not little Miss perfect with you!”

            “Yes, she’s definitely your grandchild Semyon—just as stubborn as you.” She told her husband and then gazed back at me. “Look, Child. You can do whatever pleases you. Just remember I warned you when all goes to hell.”

            And that’s when Matvei finally decided to get his head out of his ass. “Stop!” He all but growled. I swear his eyes were getting pitch black again. “Stop it, all of you. Nothing is going to go to hell. And if she wants to stay, she will stay.” You tell them daddy. “I’ve just learned I had a daughter today and I don’t care what any of you thinks. If she wants to stay around even after we all scared her to death, then I would be really grateful to have the opportunity to actually know my daughter. None of you have any right over this. Even you mother,” he glared at the old lady. “You left your rank to be with your family, so how dare you trying to take away mine.”

            At that point, the only sound in the room was his rasp breathing. I wondered if mumbling aaaawkward, would be wrong. He definitely knew how to shut up a crowd. Everybody was pretty much gapping at him. They ought to though, his speech was spot on.

            “Wow, you really brought out the awkward right there,” I finally mumbled, tired of the silence.

            He turned to me, his eyes back to their original blue. “How’s your head?”

            I shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

            “Still hungry?”

            He didn’t have to ask me twice. “Definitely.”

            He offered me his hand so I could get back on my feet. “Come on.” I took it and Pavel rose up too, helping me up. He had stayed sitting on the ground beside me during the whole thing. Seriously, why did he have to be my cousin? He was nice.

            We left everyone, Matvei, Pavel and me and walked towards another room—the kitchen obviously.

            Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was white and perfect. The cupboards were in wood—well fake wood—the oven, fridge and other appliances were in stainless steel. There was a long counter in the middle too, with a sink in the middle and white stools on one side.

            I sat beside Pavel on one of the stools while Matvei rummaged through the cupboards and fridge, getting food out. I thought he’d heat some left-over but he was actually baking me something—what I didn’t know, but as long as it was eatable, I’d be happy.

            “You cook? Shouldn’t your mother do that?” I teased.

            “She’s not exactly the cooking type,” Matvei admitted, throwing meat in the pan with veggies.

            “You don’t say…” I trailed, rolling my eyes, while Matvei filled a pot with water and put it on the stove at high.

            Pavel cleared his throat. “Sorry about my mother, she’s a little…”

            “Mean?” I finished for him, still holding the frozen peas against my head. They were slowly un-freezing so cold water was dripping down my neck.

            He chuckled. “Yeah, mean works,” he admitted. “I’m sorry about the rude welcoming. We’re just not use to newcomers.”

            “And unexpected daughters of Matvei?” I joked.

            He nodded, his gaze fixed on his hands. “Yes, that’s definitely a shocker.”

            I didn’t want him to feel bad, he was actually on of the few nice people in this crazy household. “It’s fine.” I assured him. “I guess I should have expected something as messed up as this. Not that you’re messed up, I just mean, I should have figured I was a curse mystical creature, I really needed that to add to my why-my-life-is-shit list.”

            Pavel shook his head but chuckled nevertheless. At least my humor wasn’t lost on everybody.

            In the end, Matvei gave me a bowl filled with chicken, veggies and chow men noodles. It was good and I welcomed more food.

            The rest of the family was obviously still chatting energically about the whole dear-old-me deal. I couldn’t care less at this point. I was just exhausted. I wasn’t even witty in my head anymore. That wasn’t a good sign.

            Pavel left because he had things to do, so I was left alone with my father, while we both sat, opposite to each other.

            “So, after hearing all the great news today” we both laughed a little. It was nice. It made me feel like I had some kind of complicity with him. “Do you want to take the next bus back to…” he left the sentence trailed. I hadn’t told him where I was from, I realized.

            “Detroit. I’m from Detroit. And I don’t know… there’s not much waiting for me back there…” And it was true. I sort of had been kicked out of my last foster home and I’d be stuck in a half way house for a while until they found me a new one, but at my age, I’d just stay there and then get kicked out soon enough. “Technically I didn’t get all the answers I wanted, but I doubt I’ll ever get them and…” I sighed. The next thing would be hard to admit. “I never had a family, even if this one doesn’t seem to like me that much.”

            Matvei was about to stretch his hand to take mine but thought better of it. “Well, I like you and your grandfather definitely likes you, and so does Pasha and Marisha” my confused face must have tipped him off “Your cousins, Pavel and Marina.”

            “Oh.” Weird Russian nicknames. “Should I always call them that?”

            He shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

            I nodded, sighing heavily.

            Matvei frowned. “You should go and get some sleep.” I made a face. He was right, but wrong at the same time. “Let me guess, you have a hard time sleeping?”

            That got my attention. “You do too?” This was another of the many reasons why shrinks said I had to deal with my abandonment issues. They said my insomnia was a result of my unresolved problems.

            “No, but your mother did,” he explained and got up.

            I got up too, and followed him. I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going but I couldn’t care less. As long as he didn’t make me sleep outside in the forest, I’d be okay. “My mother, which you obviously are keeping information about, from me.”

            He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s for your own good.”

            We passed in front of the door at the entry and I took the opportunity to grab my duffel bag that was still lying there. “How about I decide what’s good for me?”

            He led the way up the stairs and I followed. Everybody were probably in their room or busy elsewhere now, because the living room was empty.

            He looked back at me. “Can we not argue, at least for tonight? Didn’t you argue enough for the day?”

            “I would just like the truth, for once in my life,” I answered truthfully.

            When he had reached the second floor, he leaned against the railing that surrounded it, looking back at the first floor. Seriously, this house was too nice. “You want the harsh truth, here it is,” he began, not looking at me. “The truth is, being with your mother was a mistake, on both our account. We both knew we shouldn’t have been together but we were young and stupid and in love.” I went to stand beside him, leaning on the railing too. “Her parents were important people and for her to be with a nobody like me was absolutely inacceptable. And I’m a berserker with a dangerous life. Being with anyone is a bad idea to begin with. If we stopped having children like we do, the curse would end, you know. So when I left, we were never supposed to see each other again. We were a mistake.”

            I snorted, not liking his answer. “And that’s why you left her your ring? That’s why you’ve never been with anyone after her? Because you weren’t meant to be with her and she was a mistake?”

            “That’s not the point,” he groaned, his elbows against the railing, holding his head with both hands. “The point is, I never should have been with her, and I’m guessing nobody knows she had a daughter, she probably went in a vacation in the States to give birth to you so nobody would know, so her family wouldn’t know and she wouldn’t get in trouble.”

            I huffed in annoyance. “Is this the real story now? She did it to not get in trouble? Not because she did it because it was the best thing for me because she was so selfless?

            Matvei gazed painfully at me. “Oksana…”

            “And I’m a mistake? That’s what I’m to you.” This conversation was getting awkward and really not fun. I had asked for it though.

            “Me and her together—that was a mistake. And look what it did? What kind of life did you get because we shouldn’t have been together? I didn’t get to hear your first words, see your first steps, and watch your grow up. I missed all of it.” He seemed really upset saying that. And I couldn’t really find fault in his thinking here.

            “This is all a real big mess, isn’t it?” I sighed, my back leaning against the metal railing. There was a telescope here in front of a big window. I had the urge to go to it but restrained myself.

            Matvei, turned too, mimicking my position. “You could say that…”

            I looked down at my feet covered with socks that didn’t match—my old beat up sneakers waiting for me by the side of the front door. “Tell me the truth. Do you want me here? Don’t worry about my feelings.”

            I could feel my father’s gaze on me, but couldn’t bear looking up. “Yes, I do want you here. I don’t want anything to happen to you but I would really like to get to know you, even if it’s just for a few days,” he answered quietly.

            I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. It didn’t register with me, just how much I wanted to be accepted by him, by my family, as crazy as they were. “Well, technically I have nowhere to go, so I guess I could stay…” He smiled. “But it doesn’t mean I’ll stay forever,” I added quickly.

            “I know,” he conceded. “Now, come on. I’ll show you your room.”

            The way he smiled, I was worried for a second. I followed him nevertheless. We walked in a corridor pass a bunch of door—bedrooms, obviously, but never even slowed down till we arrived in front of a small door, right at the end of the corridor. Opening it, he revealed another step of stairs.

            Was he taking me to a tower or something and then turn into a dragon? Because I doubt any prince charming would come to save me.

            At the end of the stairs there was another door, which he opened and walked in. I followed but froze after the first step.

            The room wasn’t gigantic, but well furnished, with a queen size bed, and a comfortable looking couch, a little library—empty—and drawers for clothes. There was a door to a bathroom on the left. What was impressive about it was… well, the whole freaking ceiling, and parts of the sides were in glass. As in, it was just a bubble covered window. I had never seen a room like that, ever.

            “Are you sure I can stay here?” I asked, my eyes glued to the sky. “Don’t people fight for this room?”

            “As a matter of fact, no. The windows make it hard to sleep-in in the morning, but something tells me, you don’t do that often,” he smiled at me.

            There was something comforting in having him guessing those things about me. “Am I that easy to read?”

             “Maybe,” he chuckled and then yawned.

            “You can go sleep too now. You look like you need it.”

            He chuckled again. “Yeah, I do. If you need anything, just scream, somebody’s bound to come.” I laughed and he smiled at me and then turned around, about to step out.

            “Did you expect your day to turn out that way?” I asked, right before he was out.

            “No, not at all,” he smiled and closed the door behind him.

            After he left, I all but sprinted to the bathroom, in the shower, and stayed in until there was no warm water left. I washed my hair about six times with the shampoo in there and washed myself twice as much with the nice smelling soap.

            When I stepped out, for the first time in months, I felt really clean. I rummaged through the drawers and found clothes that could work to sleep. They all smelled good and clean. So did the sheets on the bed. It had been a while since I had slept in sheets.

            Finally, I lay on the bed, looking up at the sky and counted the starts until I fell asleep.