Chapter EIGHT— Karina Agafonov.
Two weeks already passed by in a blink of an eye and I hardly stepped out of the house, the only exception being the time my mum forced me out to accompany her to the market. All because of that I had to meet that stinky Lycan, Nikolai, and in as much as I didn't want anything to do with him or anyone of his kind, I appreciated the fact that I could pass my thanks to him. I didn't like feeling indebted to anyone. Lycans and werewolves most especially.
My elder sisters, Sasha and Mila, were both in my room, laying down on my bed as they went through one of our old album photos. I sat on a wooden chair next to the opened window, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate as I watched them both. It was evening already and I tried persuading them to leave my room because I wanted to sleep, but they didn't concur. They insisted on staying with me, because according to them, I needed a healthy amount of human interaction. Anyways, I couldn't get mad at them. They were only trying to dote on their younger sister who had been gone for ten years.
I took another sip of my hot chocolate, taking my gaze out of the window. A windy breeze hit me and the moon was nowhere to be seen underneath the clouds, even the stars were absent. The vast sky was lonely. The street opposite my window led to an alley, one that was occasionally used.
"Karina, look at this!" I heard one of my sisters say. I immediately tore my gaze away from the window, stood up from the chair and rushed towards the bed, dropping the cup of chocolate on the floor.
I climbed on the bed, squeezing myself into their middle. My bed was relatively small, not queen sized, so three of us cramped on it made us look like the fishes in a sardine tin. "What is it?" I asked no one in particular.
"Here," Mila handed me a picture of my family as a whole. It was one of my mother, Mila and Sasha, even my late father and the fourteen year old version of me. I was almost brought to tears as I was reminded of the happy times before the war. The time my family was complete and genuinely happy. That was until the werewolves waged war against humans, stealing billions of souls, breaking apart families, stealing happiness. Werewolves and Lycan be damned because in the long run, I vowed to be the cause of their unhappiness and extinction. "It's beautiful."
Sasha placed an arm around my back. "You were so beautiful then."
I snickered. "And what about now? I don't look feminine or because of my robot arm?"
During my time at military camp, I had to undergo major training. One that changed my body physique. Before applying for the military, I used to have a ‘killer body’. I was told I could audition to be a Victoria secret model. But now, my shoulders had widened, and the back of my legs were sturdy, almost as huge as two tubers of yam. I didn't hate myself for how I turned out, for every moment of carrying weight, undergoing a tremendous amount of training, was worth it. Because in the end I fought in the frontlines. And together with my comrades, we managed to save a one-third of humanity.
"Don't say that, Karina," Sasha said, rubbing comforting circles at my back. "you're still beautiful. Compared to this fourteen year old in the picture, your beauty has matured."
"I agree, Karina. You're indeed beautiful, after all, you're our sister." Mila added.
I smiled, feeling my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "Thank you."
Mila closed the picture album and laid on her back, Sasha followed suit, so did I. "By the way, weren't you given a medal of honor by the military. I heard they give some to soldiers after being discharged."
"They gave before the war," I said. "After the war, everything changed. Things became a disarray within camp, everyone was slowly losing their minds trying to combat the werewolves. No one had the time to think about medals. Everyone only thought about their safety. . .and the safety of the ones we were trying to protect as we fought. The frontlines were worse than any apocalypse."
No one said anything. The room was quiet, only the sound of a cicada could be heard in the background.
"Do you have trouble sleeping, Karina?" Sasha suddenly asked as she stood up from the bed.
I sat up straight. "No," I lied. I did have trouble sleeping. Everytime I closed my eyes I was met with the black canvas of my eyelids. A perfect canvas to paint images of the war front, the place where I had to watch my only friends, and comrades, die due to werewolves' poisonous venoms embedded in their fangs. "I sleep like a log."
"But this morning you had transparent eyebags, that was why I gave you frozen ice to rub against your eye." Mila chipped in. She was already laying on her side as she stared at me. "At least your eye bags have vanished. But if you do have any trouble sleeping, please do talk to us, Karina. What help are elder sisters if we can't help out our younger one. We love you, Karina."
"Thank you, all. I really appreciate it." I couldn't say the last words— I love you, back to them. The word ‘love’ was heavy on my tongue.
"Let's go to a pub, I'm meeting my boyfriend." Sasha quickly changed topics.
"I'm down for it. Dress up, Karina, you're going with us."
"I don't want to," I quickly replied to Mila. "I just want to stay home and sleep."
"Like you've been doing for the past few weeks," Mila stood up from the bed and moved towards my door. She opened it and looked outside, before saying, "Look Karina, mother is worried. She thinks you're depressed. Let's go out. You know as they say in Khabarovsk, a pub is a happy place to drown away your sorrow."
I tried to pull the puppy face trick, probably they might change their minds and let me stay in my room, however I failed miserably.
"You look funny doing that, it doesn't work for you anymore." Sasha said to me, walking towards my wardrobe, probably looking for clothes.
I groaned loudly, hoping they would change their minds. After a while, when I noticed nothing was happening, I agreed to their demands.
"Finally!" Mila clapped cheerfully, then she walked out of my room. I watched as Sasha ransacked through my clothes as she kept pulling everything out, throwing them on the floor if it didn't seem suitable for my outing.
Like a lightning speed, my sister walked fast out of the room. I stood up from the bed and started arranging my clothes back into the wardrobe.
It didn't take much time before the both of them walked into my room. Mila was holding a satchel bag while Sasha arms were caged with clothes.
"Okay now, sit down so we can dress you up." Mila said, as she dragged me to sit on the chair near my desk.
I froze after she said those words, they wanted to dress me up. I was anxious about the scars on my upper body. My mother and siblings had yet to see it. I had to look for a way to let them down gently so I could dress myself up. "Uhm — don't bother with that, I can dress myself and do my minimal makeup. Both of you should go do your own thing so we would not be delayed." I said to the both of them,
Sasha laid the clothes on the bed and then she sat down. That's when I figured they were not going to leave. I was stuck.
"Thank you for thinking about us all the time, but we just want to do this for you so allow us." Sasha said.
I gathered courage and decided to tell them the truth about my body and how I was insecure about it. It wasn't like I hated my scars, I didn't, they were scars that held the stories of my courage. I was just uncomfortable letting others see them. After I told my sisters about my scars, they were not bothered about it, they believed it to be little injuries. I excused myself and told them I was going to clean up. I took my underwear and left for my bathroom.
After doing my business, I tied a towel around my body and went back to the room. The table was set with makeup and other essentials, while a cloth was picked out. I saw a short red dress, with tiny straps and a little slit by the thigh. I was so sure that if I put that on, my legs were going to show. My sisters looked at me, waiting for me to pull down my towel, but I did budge.
Mila walked towards me, "C'mon Karina, your scars can't be that bad."
I sighed before pulling the towel off my body and I heard their loud gasp. I looked at my sister's who looked at my partly clad body, their faces were ashen and it was very obvious that they were shocked.
Tears cascaded down their eyes as I bent down to pick up the towel from the floor, but before I could pick it up, my sisters came to hug me. We all sobbed quietly, being careful as to not allow our mother to hear us.
We all quietened after a while, but my sister's eyes were filled with emotions. Pity and regret. "Please, stop looking at me like that," I said, "It doesn't hurt anymore and there was nothing you both or anyone could do to have stopped it from happening. It was going to happen." I stopped speaking, feeling like I sounded rude and insensitive so I apologized to them.
Sasha sat me down on the chair, "It's alright Kar, we are just— don't worry about it, are you sure you don't feel any pain?" She asked.
I reassured her that I was not feeling any and they began dressing me up while I sat quietly like a robot that I was.
"Hope what you are putting on my face isn't much?" I asked Mila as she did my make-up.
She smiled softly at me before replying, "Don't worry my little soldier, watch as your sister performs her own magic."
And so they did.
Hours later, we were all ready to go. I hadn't taken a look at the mirror yet but my sisters were beaming brightly at me, they were both looking drop dead gorgeous and I was feeling insecure.
"Look at the mirror now." Sasha said.
I wiggled in declination, "No need, I am sure I won't be pretty like you two."
Mila looked angry with my words and walked closer to me, towering over me with an inch, "Never ever belittle yourself Karina Agafonov. You're a beautiful woman with a strong heart. Many of the people I know can't do what you can do, not even us, so be strong and confident, you are one of a kind, do you understand me?"
I nodded my head before hugging my sister tightly. Sasha came to join us. We pulled apart and went downstairs. On our way, we saw our mother approaching us with tears conjured up in her eyes.
"Mum, what's wrong?" I asked, going closer to her as I held her hands in mine.
She shook her head, "Kotik, it's nothing. These are tears of Joy— I'm just so happy to see you go out and not stuck in your room." She explained.
I hugged her quickly, "We are going to get going now." I said to her.
My mother walked us to the door, "You girls should watch your little sister, have fun and stay safe. Come home once you're done having fun."
My sisters rolled their eyes at my mother, "We hear you, Mother, and by the way– Karina can look after herself, after all she was an ex-soldier." Mila said before going out the door.
After my mother lectured us about boys and how careful we should be, we finally left home, headed for the pub.
—
As soon as we stepped foot into the pub, heads turned towards us and whistles followed. I was uncomfortable but my sisters seemed used to it already. Sasha held my hands before pulling me along with her in the direction of an empty seat for the three of us.
"What do you want to drink?" My older sister asked immediately as we sat down.
I was unsure of what to order, and so I asked for just water. My sisters gaped at me with shock on their faces, "You want water, just water?!" Mila asked. I nodded my head in reply, "C'mon Karina, we can't just give you water. Don't worry, I will get a drink for you."
A sigh left my lips as Mila went ahead to order our drinks at the bar front. I glanced around the pub, people were still staring at me and I stared back at them, adding a glare in my eyes. "Why the hell are they looking at me like that?" I mumbled to myself, but Sasha heard what I had to say.
"No one knows you around here and they are a bit skeptical about seeing your face around. I'm sure that with time, it will all be good. I also think they love your robotic hand." Sasha explained to me.
I looked away from them, "It's rude though— them staring at me like that just because I have a robotic arm. I don't like it."
Sasha laughed it off and we fell back to silence, listening to the indie music blasting from the speaker. From my peripheral vision, I saw Mila approaching with a tray of drinks, and an unexpected visitor, Nikolai, right behind her— greeting people, "Hey sis! Guess who I saw?" Mila asked us as she dropped the tray of drinks on the table.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance just as the Lycan got closer to our table. When he finally got to our table, I heard him greet Sasha, who replied politely and then he turned to face me.
He looked shocked to see me as well but he was quick to plaster a mask on his face. "Whoa, I didn't peg you as a fun type. I guess the moon goddess must be mad at me or something because I wonder why I keep seeing you everywhere I walk into; or are you stalking me, Karina?" Nikolai said.
The way he said my name slowly did something to my body and I hated the feeling of it.
I looked up at him in annoyance, "Do not flatter yourself, Lycan. I'm more irritated at seeing your face here." I gave him a befitting reply.
Nikolai annoyed me to my bones and I was going to express my annoyance at him in every way possible, no matter the location we were at. I glared daggers at him, but he looked at me with warm eyes which only aggravated me, and it wasn't until my sister stepped in did we look away.
"Karina, stop! What are you doing? Do you know who he is?" Sasha asked, her eyes were wide like saucer.
I rolled my eyes in irritation, "Yes I do know. He was one of the people who saved you all, and so what? Are they not the ones who caused it right from the beginning by brin-"
My words got cut by my Mila who placed her hand on my mouth to stop me from talking. She faced Nikolai and apologized to him for my ‘rude’ behavior. The idiot didn't even look at her, he was staring at me— clearly amused.
Mila faced me and warned me about my actions, which earned an irritated eye roll from me, nodding slowly in reply. She slowly withdrew her hands before taking a seat on the chair.
"Ladies, do you mind if I join you?" Nikolai asked.
I wanted to tell him to fuck off but both my sister's gave me a glance before telling him to sit beside me, and so I kept quiet, taking a drink from the tray. I was annoyed before gulping everything in one take. When I dropped the glass on the table, I saw all of them looking at me, weirdly.
"Um— Kar, are you okay?" Sasha asked, concern etched in her voice while Mila was struggling to hold in her laughter.
I tilted my head in confusion, "I am, but what happened?" I asked.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Nikolai responded.
I looked at him, "Really? I didn't ask you, Mister."
I saw Mila glare at me, "Kar, stop being excessive, he's trying to be nice."
"I didn't ask him to." I muttered to myself.
After a while, a guy approached us and Sasha got up to kiss him, introducing him as her boyfriend. I looked at the guy, he was handsome but he wasn't Nikolai, so his beauty was minimal.
Fucking hell, I thought, why was I comparing a human to a Lycan? I groaned slowly, making heads turn to me. I smiled sheepishly before facing the table which was now filled with drinks.
I picked up another and drank it immediately. My sisters palmed their faces, while I was confused. Sasha left with her man but not before telling Mila and Nikolai to look after me. Not long after, someone came to Mila and whispered something in her ear before she also stood up, telling me she would be back in a jiffy. Then I was left all alone with Nikolai.
All of a sudden, I felt tired and nauseous. The air in the pub wasn't enough for me, I felt stuffy, and I was starting to get sweaty and hot. I fanned myself with my hand while Nikolai looked at me with concern.
"I think the drink is having an effect on you already." I heard Nikolai say, but I didn't give him a response.
I tried standing up, but I sat right back, I felt very frail.
I could feel Nikolai's eyes on my body but I wasn't in the mood to tell him to look away, "I think we should go outside to get you some fresh air." He said to me.
Nikolai put his hands on my body and immediately I reacted, slapping him hard on his face with my robotic hand. He whipped his head back towards me, cracking his cervical spine. His yellow eyes dilated as they gradually began to change colors.
"You bitch! How dare you hit me?" He spoke wickedly to me and I felt annoyed.
I looked him square in the eye, "What did you just call me?" I tried to remain calm.
Nikolai closed his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. He was irritated, that I was sure of. After he had calmed down, he opened his eyes. I had not noticed it before but his eyes color looked different from before, they had a speck of gold dust in them. I had wanted to ask but I didn't want to look like I cared— I didn't even care.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, forget it. Let's just go outside so you can get fresh air." He said to me, more calmly.
I forgave him, but I didn't forget, and I was definitely going to get him back for calling me the b word. I agreed with his suggestion, stood up from the chair, and together we walked out the pub. Nikolai assisted me with his arm around my shoulder — I didn't need his support but I also couldn't deny that the energy in my leg was weak.
Immediately we got outside, I felt a cold breeze of air hit my body which made me feel invigorated. I walked closer to a tree to rest on it, Nikolai at my back— not saying a word. I was feeling a little bit better than earlier.
"Are you feeling a bit better?" Nikolai asked me.
I looked at him, "It's none of your business."
Nikolai tousled his hands through his hair, before throwing them up in frustration, "You know I was right about earlier— You've been nothing but the B word to me. I'm trying to be nice here and you keep acting like I'm a leper, even lepers shouldn't be treated this badly."
"I didn't ask you to be nice to me, I know you are just pretending so please, spare me the lie," I said to him, "besides why are you trying to censor your words? You already called me a bitch earlier in the club, so what difference does it make? And a leper? I'd treat them a thousand times better than I'd ever treat you."
I was also irritated with the way he kept talking to me. I agree that I was rude, but I had my reasons for being rude to him. He was a Lycan, and I didn't like Lycans and werewolves. I hated them more than anything on earth.
"You think I'm putting on a guise by acting nice to you?" Nikolai asked, he sounded more sad than frustrated. "I didn't know that was what you thought of me. What do you think I am? A killer who kills your kind?"
Everything was getting chilly at this moment but I didn't care. I was mad at this Lycan bastard and he was going to hear it from me. "That's not far from the truth, is it? After all, your kind almost wiped out all humanity."
All of a sudden, Nikolai pushed me roughly, letting my back hit the trunk of the tree. I didn't even know when he reached my front. He was fast. The Lycan bastard was finally showing his real self. I, on the other hand, didn't know what crawled up his ass but I wasn't going to stop.
"You irritate me so badly, I want to remove your heart and feed it to the wolves who you despise." Nikolai shouted, as he backed me up against the tree— breathing down on my face.
His fangs were slowly protruding and his eye color was different. They were glowing Gold for a reason I didn't understand, but like I said, I didn't care,
"You wouldn't dare." I remarked.
I tried to leave the spot where I was being held but he was too strong, maybe a thousand times stronger than I was. He held my hand tightly which was hurting but I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction of showing pain. Nikolai growled maniacally, and was about to throw a punch at me when I closed my eyes, expecting an impact but nothing came. All I felt was his hands off me.
He let me go.
I opened my eyes and saw someone holding him down. When or how the person appeared, I didn't know, nor did I care. The only thing that made me scared was the Nikolai at my front. He wasn't normal anymore.
He was snarling at me, his eyes were glowing brightly but someone kept holding him down. Not long after, two other people appeared as they all brought chains to tie him down.
I hid behind the tree as I watched the scene in front of me, then my eyes came in contact with someone I recognized. It was that rude lycan I had met with Nikolai at the bridge. That rude Lycan was Nikolai's brother.
These were all the Lycan brother's who saved Khabarovsk. Nikolai kept growling my name, but his brothers held him down then suddenly they disappeared like smoke in the air.
I came out from behind, wondering what just happened. Then I felt a presence behind me but it was too late because I felt a hit on my neck before I could turn around.
I lost consciousness.
