Chapter 2
I could not help but wince as the tattooed woman with black hair put the needle into my left tricep. I craned my neck backwards and clutched onto the leather chair I was lead into.
“You alright, man?” my friend asked, leaning forward in his swivel chair on my right side.
I cursed under my breath.
“I don’t know what you just said,” he snorted. “But I didn’t think it hurt that much.” He pulled the sleeve of his black v-neck up to reveal his tricep tattoo of a thinly drawn compass that was in front of a lighter, detailed star.
“Shut up, Vinny.”
The woman mixed the needle with a crimson color before jabbing it back into my flesh. “You have an interesting accent,” she purred, brown eyes wide from delight. “Where are you from?”
“Russia,” I said through my teeth.
“Ooh,” she curled her pink lips into a bit of a smile as she worked on my arm. “You’re a cutie, I must say.”
I gave her a crooked smile before clearing my throat. “I am seventeen.”
The woman frowned in response and muttered something to herself. She was maybe in her early twenties.
“What are you getting done anyway?” Vincent asked, craning his neck forward to look at what the woman was etching into me.
“You will see when it’s done.”
~~~
It turned out as a crimson and black star that seemed to be three-dimensional, the Russian word for strength etched in white ink in the middle of the star. Surrounding the star was a grey cloud of smoke with thin strokes of black mixed into it.
“Looks classy,” Vincent chuckled as I poked at the reddened art.
“It’s going to hurt a little,” the tattoo artist informed me as we were about to leave after paying.
I nodded and gave her a little smile. “I should be fine, thank you though.”
I could just have my father make some pain medicine if it would end up being vital.
~~~
The new ink was just barely covered by the sleeve of my t-shirt as we stepped out from the shop and into the brisk chill of nightlife. It had been two hours since I left the house.
“When do you have to be home?” Vincent asked as we made our way towards the entertainment area of the city, poking a bit at his tattoo as he walked.
“I should be getting home.”
“Already? Come on!”
“We have school tomorrow,” I reminded him, remembering that the both of us were to be awake at six the next morning.
Vincent groaned, tossing his head back in a way that flipped his hair. “Fine, I can hang around home.”
I chuckled a bit at his reaction before turning around to face him. “I will see you tomorrow though.”
“’Kay, bye.”
“Goodnight.”
~~~
Vincent and I turned separate ways to get back to our apartments, leaving me to roam the bustling streets on my own. The sky was black and fogged, chilled with nightly temperatures and lit up by the neon brightness of downtown. My shoulders brushed against those of lovely tourists and locals with nothing to wake up early for. They were fully aware and sane without alcohol or drug consumption, and the drivers on the streets were more controlled than they would have been ten years before. With all potentially harmful substances being banned, the city seemed safer. Those striving to evade the law either stole from the hospital if they were inclined enough or visited my father.
I stopped at one of the large maps that stood in the middle of the sidewalk for the fastest way home. I halted behind a teenage girl at least half of a foot shorter than myself.
“I’m sorry, I’m in your way,” she apologized, spinning around to meet my gaze. She gave me a smile that was soft, teeth glowing in the night sky. I bit my lip as I took in the appearance of her fair skin that looked flawless, her long, brown hair that had slight volume at the top and was straight all the way down to her breasts. Her eyes seemed to be a shade of dark brown, gleaming in a sociable manner.
“N-no,” I began to stammer. “You are fine, believe me.”
She smiled again and fixed the bottom of her cream-colored, flowing shirt with short sleeves. “Do you know where you’re going? You don’t sound like you’re from here.”
I felt myself grin. “I have lived here for five years, I know where I am going. I’m just trying to get home in the fastest manner.”
The unknown girl ran fingernails painted black through her hair. “Where are you from?”
“Russia.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Wow, that’s so cool!” she exclaimed. “I love your accent.”
I chuckled at the thought. How a person could love an accent such as mine was beyond me since it was so thick and raspy, and it sounded almost menacing when I spoke in my native tongue. “Thank you.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to places like Russia. Is it nice?”
I shrugged. “I think so. I am from Engels, which is a port city near the river Volga. Not too big or too small. Moscow is nice, kind of like here.”
“Do you like Manhattan better?”
My head shook. “We cannot drink here. There’s no drinking age in Russia.”
The girl’s big, beautiful eyes lit up. “Wow, that’s crazy.”
We did not say anything for some seconds before she spoke up again.
“I’m so sorry, I’m keeping you!” she said, eyes worried.
I chuckled and held my hand up. “No, no, you are fine.”
She showed her glowing teeth again. “I’m Nae, by the way.”
I held my hand out. “My name is Andrei. Andrei Novikov, I should say.”
Nae placed her delicate hand in mine and allowed me to shake it, my hand gripping hers much too hard. I pulled back and felt my cheeks begin to turn red from embarrassment.
“Sorry,” I said. “I have my father’s handshake.”
Nae giggled, crossing her feet that wore black sandals with a slight heel.
“It’s okay, Andrei. That’s an interesting name, by the way.”
“More interesting than Nae?” I teased her. “Is that Celtic?”
“Yeah, how did you know? Don’t tell me you speak Russian, English and Ancient Celtic.”
I laughed and shook my head, running a hand through my shagged, blonde hair. “No, no, I have just heard the word before. It means no, correct?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know what my parents were thinking. Maybe it means I’m stubborn.”
“Are you?”
“Oh, very,” She laughed. “So I guess they were right to name me that.”
“It’s pretty though. Very pretty.”
“You flatter me, thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
My heart was about to stop when Nae giggled again, her laugh soft and lively. Her fingers played around in the pockets of her black, skin-tight jeans. “It was nice to meet you, Andrei, but I should get home. My dad is probably wondering where I am on a school night.”
“Same,” I turned to leave and Nae spun around in the other direction. “Goodnight, Nae.”
“Goodnight, Andrei.”
~~~
I slowly opened the door to the apartment just after eleven thirty, entering on my toes and biting my lip. I was not past curfew or anything, but my father would have had my head if I woke him up.
“Vat are you doing?”
I nearly tripped over my own feet on the wooden floors, spinning around to find Ilia standing in the hallway to the left of the entrance. She stood wearing a white nightgown with short sleeves, light blonde hair sitting atop her shoulders. It was messy from sleep, and her eyes were glassy. The eleven-year-old rubbed one of her blue eyes.
“Vat are you doing awake?” I asked softly, tossing my shoes by the door and approaching her.
“I heard you come in.” Her accent was soft and gentle, high-pitched in her young age.
I sighed and went up to her, bending down to kiss her cheek. My younger sister hopped into my arms and I carried her like I would a toddler.
“You are getting too big for this, Ilia,” I laughed, taking her to her bedroom.
“I am not!”
“Shh, let’s not wake mother.”
“Okay.”
I switched on the light to show her lilac walls, my feet cold against the dark wooden floors. Flipping her upside down over my head as I did most night, I plopped her onto the bed. She giggled when I tickled her stomach and reached for the light.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Andrei!” she chirped as I shut the door.
~~~