UNKNOWN GUEST

#107 Grandma's Farm

We trudged along a narrow path carved into the hillside, our boots crunching into patches of half-melted snow and frost-covered grass. The ground was littered with footprints—others had passed this way recently, but none of us seemed to care much.

Alexei was leading us, as if he was the world's greatest tour guide instead of a former Soviet super soldier fresh out of prison.

The cold breeze tugged at our clothes, and I shoved my hands deeper into my jacket pockets, hoping the awkward silence between all of us wouldn't last long. It didn't.

Alexei, clearly noticing me for the first time, gave me a once-over with squinty, suspicious eyes. "So... who's this guy?"

Aunt Lena, walking just a few steps behind him, answered without missing a beat. "He's also an Avenger. Worked with Natalia."

That made Alexei stop dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, his narrowed gaze bouncing between me and Mom. I could practically see the gears in his head grinding as he tried to make sense of things. Then his bushy eyebrows shot up.

"No way. For a second, I thought—" He smirked, waving a finger between us. "I thought he was your long-lost brother or something."

I nearly tripped over my own feet. Oh. My. God. Of course, Alexei had to notice that Mom and I look kind of alike. Same sharp features, same intense eyes. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before someone made that awkward connection.

Mom shot me a panicked side glance, her lips pressed together like she wanted to scream but didn't dare. I cleared my throat and focused on putting one boot in front of the other, pretending this conversation wasn't happening.

We started walking again, though the weight of Alexei's suspicions lingered like a dark cloud over us. And just when I thought we could let the whole thing slide, Alexei turned back to us—his expression surprisingly thoughtful, though that didn't make it any less alarming.

"I have an important question for you two," he said, eyes flickering from me to Mom and back.

Mom braced herself, her whole body tensing as if she was expecting something serious. "What is it?"

Alexei sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his thick coat. "Does he talk about me?"

Mom blinked, visibly thrown off. "Who?"

Alexei cleared his throat, trying to look casual but clearly dying to know the answer. "Captain America," he said, as if that explained everything. "Does he ever talk about me? You know... our history. Trading war stories?"

Mom and I exchanged bewildered glances. What in the world...?

She frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Alexei puffed out his chest, grinning like a kid trying to impress his classmates. "Captain America. My great adversary in this theater of geopolitical conflict. Not just a nemesis, but more like... a contemporary."

I tried—really tried—to keep a straight face. But nope. A chuckle slipped out before I could stop it.

Mom pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "He was frozen in ice for 70 years, Alexei. And that's your idea of a competition?"

Alexei shrugged, clearly unbothered by logic or facts. "Well, that's not how I remember it," he mumbled.

From ahead of us, Aunt Lena called over her shoulder, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Captain America is famous around here because of him, you know."

That earned another chuckle from me. I could already imagine the stories Alexei would tell—heroic encounters, epic battles, probably a few wrestling matches he completely made up.