Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 93506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
I narrow my eyes. We have never, and I mean ever, done anything as a family, so the fact that we’re starting now makes me suspicious.
In fact, I’m fucking paranoid about this change of events.
Christmas is usually me decorating a tree for my siblings and giving them presents because Roman doesn’t do it, and Yulia only has Christmas presents for Konstantin. I’ve come to expect that from her, but it still makes Karina cry every year. So Konstantin divides his dozen presents between him, me and Karina behind Yulia’s back. I don’t take them, but that act soothes our baby sister’s hurt feelings. She’s the one with an eternal love for glitter, bright colors, and everything pretty.
Does Yulia care? Absolutely not. It’s like Karina and I are invisible to her. I wish she was our stepmother. That way, this whole disdain would make sense.
How the woman who actually gave birth to us could treat us this way is the part that I can’t find an explanation for.
“Is that what the guards said?” I ask my brother.
He nods. “We’re finally going on a trip together!”
I cast a glance at my surroundings. All the other students have left, so it’s only us. My gut twists as I put Karina down and let her grab my hand, and then I clutch Konstantin’s with my free one. “We should leave this place. Now.”
“But why?” He tries to resist me. “Kara and I want to go on the holiday.”
“We want to go, go.” Karina pulls on my hand, too, but she has little to no effect.
Because I’m already dragging them down the street.
“Sir, come back here.” The guards' heavy footsteps sound behind me as they soon catch up to us. “We have clear instructions to drive you.”
“We’re walking. Go back on your own,” I say without turning around.
The heavy footsteps disappear, but they’re replaced by others. Lighter but more of them. I lift Karina up so that she’s glued to my side and scream, “Run, Kosta!”
There’s a small pause before he nods and complies. He doesn’t even ask me why or where we’re going. Konstantin has always trusted me with everything. Including thoughts about how he hates Yulia sometimes because she treats me and Karina like shit.
He tells me how one day, it’ll be just the three of us because my baby brother decided that my dream is also his dream.
We don’t look behind us as we run down the streets, breezing past the Christmas-decorated shops. But we’re not fast enough. Karina is slowing me down, and Konstantin keeps lagging behind. Suddenly too overwhelmed by the pace, he trips and falls, calling my name.
I curse and start to go back to help him, but the moment I do, it’s too late. Men dressed in black combat clothes and balaclavas have already gotten hold of him.
He thrashes and kicks, but it’s impossible when he’s surrounded by six of them. Karina screams at the sight, and I put her down, then hide her in a small alley. I hunch to her level and say in a soothing voice, “Stay here, Kara. I’ll get Kosta and come back, okay?”
“Okay, okay.” She keeps her hand on my arm as if not wanting to let me go, so I gently wrench it free.
I rush back to my brother to find him thrashing and cursing. Upon seeing me, hope blossoms in his eyes, “Kirya!”
I fetch a rock and throw it at one of the men. It hits him, but two others lunge at me at supersonic speed. Just when I’m devising the best plan of action, Karina shrieks.
“Kirill!” both she and Kosta call.
My mind turns into a mess, and I don’t know where to look first. But before I can decide, I’m whacked in the side of my head, and my knees hit the ground before my body follows.
Through my blood-soaked vision, I see the men carrying a screaming Konstantin and Karina away.
I try to reach out to them but realize I’m also being dragged away, but in the opposite direction.
Just like that, my world turns black.
1
KIRILL
PRESENT DAY
I believe in instinct.
Not only has it saved my life numerous times, but it’s also helped me in solving many mysteries.
It was in my early teenage years that I began to predict what type of torture my father had in store for me. He started using Konstantin and Karina to get to me, so I gradually kept my distance so as not to get them involved.
That time when I was kidnapped in front of their eyes when I was thirteen terrorized them to the point that they couldn’t sleep for days. The guards dropped them off at home, but I was in for my special torture endurance ‘training.’ A little Christmas gift from dear old Papa.
And while my father only meant to scare them, it went above and beyond and actually traumatized them.