Letters From Russia

A/N This is something of a trial to see what I can do if the catagory isn't Fantasy or Thriller. Please tell me what you think. This chapter will be dedicated to summergirl21. She did the cover which I absoutly love. I would also like to Mention VikkiB3092. She has helped me tremendiously on the learning of Russian words.

I was Home.

I stepped off the plane into Virginia. I could feel it the second My sandaled feet touched the ground. I walked around the airport in a daze until I saw the family that had been the object of my every waking thoughts.

A small child ran up to me hugging me tightly. The older daughter, who was my age, came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Finally the third person, a male, walked over to me. He shook my hand delicately...

I brushed my blonde hair behind my ear and continued to look at him. His eyes were so blue. I felt like I was drowning in an ocean, surrounded by the beautiful and deadly waters. The mother and Father of the group rushed up and took me in a big hug.

"Hi Dear. We're so Excited to have you hear! I'm Amy and this is my husband Roger." The woman had a kind face and seemed genuinely happy to see me. I smiled back and waited for her to introduce the boy.

"I am Arina Maronova, I am very pleased to meet you." I spoke slowly trying to enunciate each word.

The little girl walked up to me and tugged my shirt, seeing she was wanting me to bend to her level I complied and did so. "Arina, my names Shelly." She giggled and ran behind her mothers legs when I repied in russian.

"привет Shelly." The other girl popped her bubble gum and smiled at me. She introduced herself as Anna.

"And you?" I said looking at the boy.

"My name's Sam."

"I am happy to be in America!" I danced around like a fool for a second and then asked if we could leave.

My new family informed me the drive to their home would take close to three hours, but I didn't mind. The second they showed me to their Mazda 5 I fell asleep. When I woke I was tucked into a small bed in a nice sized room. I looked at the clock and saw it was nearly noon. Checking my cell phone I found that it was a day later in America.

I walked down a small set of stairs and into what could be considered a breakfast nook. Amy was making grilled cheese sandwiches. "Oh, you're up. I understand jetlag."

When I nodded she turned the burner off and turned around to face me. "You've only spoken to Sam and Shelly. Are you shy or uncomforatable? Is there something I can do?"

"No, ma'am. It's just I've been dreaming of America since I was six years old and to be here now... it's magical."

She nodded. "Would you like a grilled cheese sandwich?"

"Yes, Please." She smiled at me talking. When I finished I asked where the bathroom was. Going back to the room I was in earlier I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to a bathroom With a shower and a bathtub. Choosing to shower I climbed in and was soon clean.

Drying off I pulled on a pair of jeans a tank top and an oversized t-shirt that my best friend had given her. In cyrrillic letters it read; "Never give up." It was their quote. He was in England right now. She would have to skype him later. Walking out of the bathroom and tossing the towl into the green hamper Arina looked around her room.

The walls were misty purple, and there were random trinkets pulling the room together for her. A small laptop on a desk in one corner, a bean bag chair of pastel pink sat in the other corner. So this is the surprise that Amy had mentioned in her letters.

I only had one more thing on my mind as I went downstairs for the second time that day; who was the mystery man who had been sending me letters? Who was the person who had paid for my ticket to the United states?

I walked out the door and got my first full view of the house. It was a nice white color. The two stories made it magical and the shutters completed the frame. She could imagine this as a drawing. As a talking drawing. She could animate this into something special.

"Hi Arina! Wanna give us a hand?" Roger yelled twenty feet away. Sam and Roger were chopping wood at a small chopping block. Shelly was carrying small pieces of wood to a wood chip box and Anna was nowhere in sight.

"What can I do?"

"Well for starters you can put your hair up." Sam looked hardly at me.

"Pardon?"

"What my very insensitive teenaged son means is; you need to put your hair up if your going to help us. We need you to run the wood chipper and you can't do that if your hair's down."

I took a black hair tie from my wrist, flipped my head over and put my hair in a high ponytail. "This good enough?" I asked Sam.

He shrugged and went back to chopping. I looked down when I felt a hand tug at my shirt. I bent down to Shelly's level and listened to her question. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"No, there aren't as many blonde's in Russia as Anna says. Actually my best friend has coal black hair. I tease her by saying her hair's black because they have a coal stove."

Shelly laughed and took me to the wood chipper explaining in detail a machine that was ovbiously quite easy to use.

I looked back at the house an hour later and saw Anna standing in the window, staring at me. I shuddered at the thoughts that I knew were running through her mind. Sam touched my shoulder and brought me back to reality. I wanted to forget the look she gave me, I wanted to completely erase it from my mind.

No I couldn't. Erasing a threat from your mind isn't something that's going to keep you safe for very long. You need to hold the threat close to heart and always remember to keep the enemy closer than the friend.

I went back to chipping wood and helping Shelly put it into the designated box.

Right before dusk I walk inside with my new family and smelt a smell that comforted me. Blinis. Amy had found a recipe for them online and on some she had spread hot butter. On others were rolled with cottage cheese or yogurt of different types, some were lightly drizzled in honey, orhers had meat rolled into them, then finally some had grape jelly.

I ran over to Amy with a hug. Brushing back tears I looked at her and asked, "Blini! They were one of my favorite foods. How did you find this recipe?"

She took my hands in hers and answered. "Google is magical. I know how excited you are to be in America; but I thought you might be a little homesick. I ran out to buy some tea bags while you were working."

I hugged her again and dried my eyes. I sat down in one of the empty seats next to Same and Shelly. I ignored the looks of hatred coming from Anna across the table. Drinking my herbal tea black I ate blini and enjoyed the happiness that my new family offers.