The GateKeeper of Atlantis

Chapter two- in which Anya find a boy in her shadow

“Dimitri- hey, bud, stop talking in Russian! Dimitri- DA! PRIVET! NEIN! QUE? Okay that wasn’t Russian, but hey, you can speak English!” There was some more rapid fire Russian. “Okay! Okay I think I understand… You want Anya to meet you… At the air force? No! Airport! Got it! Okay, shoot me an email later in English!” 

Click.

“Anya,” her father turned toward the black-haired girl, who wasn’t looking him in the eye. “Anya, dear. Let’s get you packed. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

Anya’s blue eyes flicked towards her father. “I don’t really want to go.”

“We’ve already decided this, hon.”

“Yeah, well suck it.”

Her mother tsked, “What’s this change of attitude, dear? You were practically bouncing from excitement yesterday when we scheduled the flight.”

“Yeah, well,” Anya got up from the table and drank the last sip of orange juice, “Sudden change of plans. I have so many parties to go to. You know, some chicks from the education center and crap.”

Her father, Abram, let out a booming laugh. “Ha! I can practically see the sarcasm dripping from your lips!”

The black-haired girl slammed the plastic cup on the table and sneered. “You wanna go, old man?”

“Ho ho! Look who’s got some guts, uh?” Abram stared right back at his daughter. “I wouldn’t talk back to me if I were you.”

Anya snorted, “‘Ho ho’? Either you’re trying to insult me, or you’re slowly turning into Santa Claus.”

“You need to go to Siberia.”

“Sudden change in attitude. That isn’t like you!”

Her father sighed, and let the smile tumble from his face. “Anya, this isn’t something we can discuss right now. I have to go to the supermarket and your mother needs to go to work. Can we trust you enough to lie some clothes out on your bed?”

Abram’s seriousness was unsettling Anya. “Yeah, yeah sure. I guess so.”

Emily clapped her hands excitedly, “Oh this is wonderful! I’m so glad you’re going Annie, it will be such an adventure!”

“Anya. My name is Anya.”

“Can’t your nickname be Annie? It’s adorable!”

“No. I am no orphan and I will not sing about how hard my life is right now. And I don’t do adorable.”

Her mother turned her pale lips up in a sarcastic smile. “Fine, Anya. I’m going to work now, see you in five hours.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The Russian girl muttered.

Once her mother left, Anya went upstairs, not even pausing to say goodbye to her father. It wasn’t necessary.

It had been only a year since they had moved to cold and rainy Tacoma Washington, and even though Anya liked it better than steamy California, the rain was a bit much. Since it was early summer, the humidity in the air was off the roof. To much moisture and warm temperatures. 

In a way, it was more steamy than Cali could ever be.

The Russian girl flopped on her bed and sighed. “What did Grandpa Gav want me to bring again?” The list was there somewhere.

Somewhere...

There!

Anya grabbed the piece of paper off the desk and squinted to read the late man’s writing.