REUNION.

CHAPTER FIVE —KARINA AGAFONOV.

The Lycan remained quiet as we walked in the forest. I didn't miss the side glances he kept passing at me, it was almost getting to my skin, but I tried my best to ignore him. I diverted my thoughts to the possibility of my family being alive. I wondered if he was telling the truth about the people of Khabarovsk being with him or something. Well, I did hope he was telling the truth, because if he wasn't, one of us was going to leave earth in a dreadful way. He might be a Lycan, but the power of a human, particularly an ex female soldier, should never be underestimated.

The fog in the forest was getting thicker as we kept walking, I almost couldn't see anything. It remained like that until my entire vision was blocked. I couldn't see the Lycan amidst the fog so I had to stop walking. I was in the middle of nowhere, unable to see, a bit exhausted and lost. I didn't know the direction to pass. North? South? East? Or west? Most of all, I couldn't hear anything from the Lycan. I was pissed, thinking that he took me for a fool and pulled a trick on me.

"Nikolai?" I called out, straining my eyes. It was useless though, the fog was too thick. "You bastard! Where the hell are you?" I was on guard, knowing fully well that I was widely open. I was vulnerable to any attack. "I promise you if you try anything funny, I'd be serving your eyeballs to the vultures in this forest."

I heard a boisterous laughter from inside the fog. The sound of the laughter was closer to me than I thought, it immediately made me turn to the direction. I held up my robotic right arm and threw a punch. It was just air. Then, from behind, a voice said, "Calm down," the hair on my back stood up straight as I turned around, throwing another punch, but just before it could meet my target, it was caught. "You don't want to kill me, the fog is just part of the journey."

"Nikolai?"

"Yes, it's me." I knew his voice. It was him.

I calmed down a bit. "Where the hell were you? I tried calling out your name!"

"I heard. I wanted to see a princess in distress," I couldn't see him, but I could imagine a smirk on his smug face. Argh! He was making my hate for Lycans increase by a gazillion. I wanted to kill him at that moment, but I couldn't, I still had to confirm his words about my family being safe. "We're already at the front of the portal, miss. Just three more steps and we'd be there."

Before I could say a word, he held my robotic hand and pulled me along with him. True to his words, it took just three more steps before I was almost blinded by a sparkling light. We were out of the fog, into a sunny town. A town very much similar to my village, Khabarovsk. It felt so surreal, as though I had entered into a dream, perhaps a trance. I couldn't tell the difference.

Pulling my arm away from the Lycan I stared at him, he was staring back at me, our eyes locked. In the light, the sun reflected, his eyes shone. It competed with the sun to shine brighter. I hated Lycans. It didn't mean I couldn't admire something beautiful about them. And his eyes were beautiful. The most beautiful I'd ever seen. If I was just any other girl or guy, I might have gotten enthralled in the beauty his eyes held. It was compelling.

I slapped myself on my face to ascertain that I was still living in realism, also to pull myself out of my thoughts. "What the hell did you do to me?" I asked, glaring at him. I knew those earlier thoughts about his eyes weren't mine. I hated Lycans and they disgusted me so nothing about them should be beautiful. "Did you compel me?"

He raised his hand up, shaking his head as he smiled, his fangs making themselves present. "I didn't do anything. Besides, I don't know how to compel, Miss."

I began to walk into the village, leaving him behind. The village was indeed my village, but then I still found it difficult to believe it was real. I had seen my village some hours back and it was completely ruined. It was all gulfed up by fire with no trace of life. I walked-ran through the village, ignoring the stares people passed to me. If it was indeed my village, then my house should still be in the same position.

My legs moved faster than my brain towards my family house. As I ran, I prayed. I prayed desperately to a god to let me meet my family in one piece. And when I took a sharp turn, towards an intersection, I saw it. My house. A place I had left for America ten years ago. It was in one piece, the painting was slightly fading, but the structure — although old, it wasn't dilapidated. I took short strides towards the door, my body was unnerved with anxiety, and when I landed the first knock my heartbeat accelerated.

No sound could be heard from inside. I knocked the second time, then third, and even on the fourth knock I was beginning to think the house was inhabited, that was until I heard shuffles of feet from behind.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned around to see Nikolai, a smile of reassurance on his face as he nudged me on. "You don't need to be nervous." He said.

Although I still hated him, I found his assurance endearing. I thanked him and knocked once again, and the shuffles of feet became more eminent. It was headed towards the door. For a moment I forgot how to breathe as I anticipated the face I would come to see. Perhaps that of my mother, father, or one of my sisters. Eventually the door opened, and there stood an older version of my mother. Tears clouded my vision as I stared at her. Her hair had turned gray, her face was beginning to have wrinkles, and her blue eyes were clear like the prozrachnyy lake next the border of Khabarovsk.

"Mother," the words left my mouth before I could comprehend. She stared at me with emotions I couldn't decipher. I didn't expect her to recognize me, after all it'd been ten years since I left our hometown. "It's me, your daughter; Karina. Do you remember me, mother?"

Tears were in her eyes as she broke into a huge smile, drawing me in for a warm embrace. "You're such a fool, Kotik," She did remember me. My mother used to call me Kotik — little cat, ever since I was a toddler. "Why wouldn't a mother remember her own child?"

"I'm so sorry, mother," even with my eyes closed, tears managed to slip down my cheeks. I felt comfortable in her embrace. "I am so sorry I couldn't keep in touch after I left home. I missed you every single day. I missed everyone."

"Drop the talk, Kotik," mother rubbed my head soothingly. "I'm just glad to have you back home alive. I thought. . .I was scared you went along with the war. I was scared I wasn't going to see my beautiful Karina anymore. I was scared I wouldn't be able to embrace you anymore like this."

I opened my eyes as mother pulled away from the hug, with her hands resting on both sides of my cheeks. She gave me a peck on my forehead, then my nose, before landing a quick peck on my lips. The exhilaration she felt was obvious on her face, and that made me smile. From the corner of my eyes I saw Mila and Sasha, my older siblings, coming out of a room in the house. A look of disbelief on both their faces when their eyes met with mine. It had been ten years but they looked like they didn't age a day. They were still both beautiful.

Sasha and Mila ran towards where mother and I were, and before I knew it, we were engulfed in a big family cuddle.

Our reunion was one filled with tears and laughter in-between, even though I worried deeply because I couldn't see my father around. I decided not to pester them about him since I'd just arrived home, having it at the back of my mind to ask later, probably over dinner.

Meanwhile, all through my reunion with my family, I was unaware of the time Nikolai left. And although I still deeply hated him, he deserved my thanks for leading me back home. I was a girl with good moral upbringing, so I made a promise to myself to find him and give him my thanks.

I had to, regardless of anything.