So just pull the trigger.

5. Where's Mr. Wonderful?

The boy looked quite out of place standing in the hall, near the front door, lost and somewhat nervous. The boy's brown eyes peered around him carefully. The air in the house was mushy and smoky. Loud music played in the background, someone stumbled from the nearby bathroom with faltering steps, when somewhere else a bottle broke on the floor and heavy cursing followed. The dark-haired boy startled, his one hand lowered onto the opposite shoulder and restlessly he moved his weight back and forth from one foot to the other: The child chewed his bottom lip and made a quick glance towards the front door, clearly wishing that was someplace else and it was no wonder; this wasn't the place for someone so young. Jyri should have known that, however, the thirst for drugs must have gotten too strong to endure.

The young man observed the boy for a moment, taking a sip from his beer bottle, and tilted his head before getting closer. "Hi," he greeted the boy who brought his gaze to him, the fearful gaze in the beautiful brown eyes turned doubtful, and the boy furrowed his brows.

"Hey..." The kid mumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"I haven't seen you before, what's your name?" The brown eyes looked at him for a moment, hesitatingly.

"Joni," the boy finally replied and the young man smiled.

"My name is Aki," He said, kneeling. "May I ask how old you are, Joni?"

"I'll turn ten next week." The child replied and Aki nodded.

"A big boy already..." He smiled and the child rolled his eyes as though he was bored with such lame comments. "Would you like some candy?" Again a doubtful look, the boy seemed to hesitate.

"I'm waiting for my cousin," he replied.

"There's candy in the kitchen, I'm sure that your cousin won't mind."

"I have to wait here," the boy said and Aki glanced around.

"It won't take long, the kitchen is right there," he smiled and pointed at the nearby door. The boy turned to look, hesitated once more, and pondered his answer silently.

"I don't know you," he said then, probably remembering his parents' advice not to take candy from strangers. "I have to wait."

"Yes... Perhaps a couple of more years," Aki pondered out loud and nodded and the boy gave him a confused look. Hurried steps from behind them got their attention.

"What's going on here?" Jyri's voice asked tightly, he stepped next to his cousin and took his hand pulling him away from him.

"I was only talking to your cousin, watching over him. You should know that this isn't the place for one so young, rotten things might happen here." Aki smiled. Jyri gave him a nervous look and observed his cousin who looked to be okay on the surface at least.

"Joni doesn't need your company..." Jyri snapped. "Let's go," he said and opened the front door. The boy glanced back once more and Aki smiled.

"See you, Joni," he whispered.

**^^**^^**^^**

Misha's uncle Grigory had been close friends with his father Viktor, they had been the same age and often went fishing or hunting together. Misha felt quite uncertain of how his uncle would take his and Joni's visit.

It was close to one in the afternoon when they rang the doorbell of his uncle's home. The apartment building which they lived in was a five-story house built in the '60s, it wasn't in its best condition, in their apartment there were only two bedrooms, one belonging to his cousin Annushka who was eighteen and the other to Nikolai who was fourteen, their parents made their bed in the living room every night. Anushka, however, had gotten into a school in Moscow and would move in with her aunt's family, so this would be the last summer in her childhood home.