Winter Snowflakes

Chapter 2

July 1995

Russia

Moscow

The children's home of Moscow isn't really the place where a kid wants to be. Don't get it wrong, the people there are friendly and children like to play with each other, but still it is the worst nightmare to be in an orphan home. Some children get dumped, some children are given away to get a good life and some children get placed there because they don't have family.

Like Adriana, she is a lovely little girl. A bit rebels sometimes and she has a huge fantasy. Even though she's seven, she still wonders why she ended up in the orphan home. Didn't her family love her? Wasn't nobody out there to be able to take care of her? She likes to think that someday her family will come and get her. But when that day is she can't tell.

So she makes live easier for herself to do anything she wants. Like that time she stole candy from the store down the lane when she came out of school. Miss Aleksandra was really angry at her. She needed to do extra courses for a whole week. That didn't stop Adriana from doing it again. She learned from er mistakes she made last time and wasn't caught the second time.

And so once again today like every other normal Tuesday she walks down the road from school back to the orphanage. She has a small bruise on her arm and a bit of mud on her dress from fighting that girl on school. The other children in her class aren't always nice to her. Telling her she is weird because she doesn't has a family. So today when Jessica called her weird she got mad. She had shown that you couldn't just say that to her.

As she walks past an alley on her right she sees two dark figures. Maybe it is better to just go home and don't cause more trouble because today was already worse enough, but she is just curious. Beside nobody will hurt a little girl, right?

She walks into the alley, the figures becoming more clear to the eye. There in the shadows of the alley stand two man. One tall and muscular one, long brown hair covering his face and his left arm replaced with a bionic metal one. The other guy is not as tall and muscular, but stil strong, his hair is short and brown, one eye is a bit thick and a bit red and blue and his lip is also bloody and red. He is probably beaten up. They both don't see Adriana, both not expecting to see a small girl in this alley.

The big man grabs the smaller man by his throat with his metal arm. Pushing him up against the wall with a lot of force. Panic is in the eyes of the smaller man as he try's to free himself from the strong hold of the bionic arm. The small man kicks with his legs and grabs the arm with his own hands trying to free himself. His eyes roll back in his head and he gasp for air. He gasp one last time loud for air and then his body goes limp. The big man lets go of the smaller man who falls to the ground as soon it gets released. the man doesn't move, laying stretched on the ground, staring in outer space, his mouth a bit open. The bigger man looks one last time at the smaller man on the ground and then turns himself around. Ready to leave the scene.

As soon as he turns around he sees Adriana. She should be scared right now. She should scream for help and run away, but she can't. She is shocked by what she saw. But the face of the big muscular man is not new to her. It's like she already knows this man. Like she saw him before. Something like an old friend you didn't know you had.

He could kill her right now. He should kill her, she saw to much. It's like he is fighting his own thoughts, why can't he kill her? She is just a child. A child that saw to much. But he can't do it. His body not reacting. What is stopping him? She wouldn't be the first child that would die. Why is she different? Maybe the sparkling in her eyes? Maybe her eyes that say she is afraid, but still is not scared of him? Maybe her way of standing there with confidence and the will to fight? He doesn't know it, it doesn't even matter.

He pulls out a gun and shoots in the air. Adriana ducks to the ground surprised by the sudden action. The man running away from the scene. There she is all alone, the man that did it gone and a dead body on the ground. She could call the police. Tell them what she saw. She has already to much problems. The children at school would only bully her more because she was at a crime scene. nope, it would be better to get away before the police arrives.

She sneaks out of the alley, leaving the crime scene behind her. She already hears sirens somewhere. The police is probably on their way. She runs back to the orphanage as fast as she can. Jumping up the stairs before the front door skipping the first step. Before she walks in she sighs deep steadying her breath. She walks in like nothing happened. Going up the stairs trying to be invisible as possible. 'Adriana!' the shrill voice of miss Aleksandra yells. Adriana stops Immediately with walking up the stairs, busted. 'I've been called by the headmaster. He told me you got into a fight?' miss Aleksandra says firm. That's gone be another week of heavy chores.