Law of Spikelets

Chapter 3

"This is where we are going to live, кішка," my mother said, pointing at a small dot on our globe, "It's called Toronto."

Canada was so much bigger than Ukraine. Tato had said that ten million people lived there, all spread out across the big country. He also said we wouldn't be living on a farm, we would be living a big city, similar to Kiev. Our house would be smaller, and attached to many other houses. Does that mean we have to share our house, if they're all stuck together?

"Does Canada have писанка eggs?" I asked. She shrugged, "I don't know, прінчеса, if not we can always make our own."

I sighed, it was always my favourite time of year when we got to paint eggs at school, taking the day off to see the parade. Mrs. Evancho would bake паска, and we would dance until midnight.

Tato appeared in the doorway, four suitcases in his hands, "Nastya, look what I got."

She beamed, "It's perfect, Tigryenok!"

She kissed him on the cheek, grabbing the smaller of the two and handing one to me and one to Andrei.

"Go pack your things, we need to get to the docks by tomorrow morning," she said, giving me light push towards my bedroom.

I tilted my head in confusion, "How am I supposed to fit all of my things in here?"

Though we didn't have much, I was certain that this small space wouldn't even fit half my wardrobe.

"You're going to have to pick and choose, Anya," she replied, "We're going to have to leave some things behind."

I frowned, leaving the room. I didn't want to leave my things behind, especially not to some stranger. I opened my chest of drawers, pulling out all of my clothing and placing it on a heap on the floor.

I grabbed a few dresses, shirts, skirts and bottoms, along with a few pairs of underwear. I shoved it into my suitcase, satisfied, as it only took up a quarter of it. I had just enough room for all of my dolls.

I placed my large box of dolls in beside the clothing, managing to stuff a few more articles in before snapping it shut.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, I hauled the suitcase into the hallway. I didn't want to leave Oksana, or any of my other friends. I'm sure тато could work for Mr. Morotov, the baker, for awhile, he was always looking to hire farmers. I huffed and lifted my suitcase once again, dragging it to the front door.

Mr. Polychenko's car sat outside our driveway. He and Denys sat in the front seat, a solemn look in their eyes. The four of us squished into the backseat as Denys strapped our luggage to the roof of the small vehicle. Mr. Polychenko pressed the gas pedal, and we began our long journey to Canada.

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"NO!" I cried, they couldn't take Mama and тато away from me. The man with the chipped tooth, an immigration officer snarled, pulling me towards a van, despite my pleads. A tear slid down Mama's face, and тато pulled her closer.

Why would they let this happen to me? Leave me alone in a new country, without Andrei?

I was shaken awake by the chipped tooth man, who silently yanked me from the vehicle. I didn't understand why they would leave me here, did they want me anymore?

A tall, crumbling, brick building stood in front of me.

"Walk," the nasty man spat, shoving me forwards. I approached the front door with caution. Where was I? What was to become of me?

The man placed a hand on my shoulder, leading me into a cramped room, taken up by two chairs and a large desk. A broad man greeted me with a smile, and handed me a large package, briefly exchanging words with the chipped tooth man before dismissing us.

The chipped tooth man shoved me down a hallway, past many solid wooden doors, each the same as the next. We stopped towards the end, and the chipped tooth man unlocked the door with his ring of many keys, giving me one last push into the room.

I heard the door close behind me, and took a moment to process what had just happened. Was this some kind of prison? I sunk down to the floor, silent tears streaming down my face. A slight tap on my shoulder made me jolt upwards.

"Привіт? Are you okay?" A slim, pale, blonde girl knelt in front of me. I nodded, sniffling as I stood up.

"I'm Valeriya," she said, offering her hand.

"Anya," I replied, "How did you know I was Ukrainian?"

"You don't look like the other girls, the natives, we're the only others let into the schools."

"This? A school? This is much bigger than any school I've ever seen. They must be rich," I said.

"Trust me," Valeriya replied, "They may be rich, but the way they treat us, you would never know. It's nearly morning meal, let me help you unpack."

She took the package from my hands and unwrapped it, handing me a bundle of fabric. A wide-collared deep blue dress, a ribbon for my hair, woolen grey stockings, and two pairs of panties. Valeriya held up a textbook, pad of paper and a pencil.

"You can collect these after morning meal," she said, "Change into your dress, quickly, I want to be the first in line."

"What does it say?" I asked, tracing my finger over the gold lettering of the textbook.

Her eyes widened, "You don't speak English? Sister Lydia will surely pierce your tongue if you speak a word of Ukrainian in her prescence. That's it! We'll pretend you're a mute, that way she will let me help you. Put on your dress and stockings, we're already late."

I reluctantly obliged, stripping from my cotton blouse and skirt, and pulling on the unbearably itchy stocking and dress. As soon as I was finished, Valeriya pulled me out the door by the hand, nearly dragging me down the hall.

A/N: Hey guys, I didn't think I was going to continue with this story, but I thought I might give it a chance.