The White Rosebush

Chapter 21: Abduction

Chapter 21: Abduction

"Murder! You're not only the most pretentious twit it has ever been my misfortune to know," the blonde girl was saying rather haughtily, "but you're also narrow-minded and a fool. Nuts!"

"In my mind," Arthur snapped back, "you died years ago." His sister smirked slyly. I looked off blankly into space, trying to recall how exactly I had gotten in the middle of this increasingly awkward situation. This mess had all started with Ivan, as 99.9% of my problems seemed to. He had appeared in my bedroom out of nowhere, seeming to have manifested from thin air. My anger at him hadn't waivered; if anything, it had gotten more pronounced, so I greeted him accordingly to my bitter feelings.

"What do you want?" He had given me that stupid, eerie grin.

"Just to see you. I thought you might be happy to see me as well, da?"

"Nyet," I growled, mocking his native tongue in his annoyingly precious voice. His smiled had widened with a pleasure that was almost infectious. Almost...

"O! Vy govoryat na russkom, da? Eto dovol'no nyeozhidanno dlya menya, dorogoĭ!" he replied happily, almost condescendingly. I gave him a withering glare that would have blown his heart out of his chest if looks could kill.

"Don't speak Russian to me," I growled. "I don't want to try and guess what you're saying. It's nauseating and I can't understand you." His grin faded faintly.

"Nyet? I could have sworn I heard you speaking Russian..."

"I was mocking you!" I groaned exasperatedly. He closed his eyes slowing, placed his hands behind his back, and tilted his heard slightly, grinning all the time.

"Oh dear..."

"What?" He opened his eyes, smiling sympathetically.

"Dorogoĭ, you need to work on that... Although I must say that your attempts to give me attitude are endearingly pathetic, Amaliya.” I glared at him; he smiled innocently. "I find pathetic people to be oddly overpowering."

"Excuse me? That was rather uncalled for."

"Was it?" he titled in head in innocent confusion. "You must accept my apologies; it really can't be helped that I find you to be delectable."

"I don't know if I should be offended by that or not," I had replied, rather taken aback. He smiled in response and closed his eyes again. Rather than reply, I had attempted to walk away, turning around quickly and heading toward the open door, only to crash right into Ivan again, who seemed to have warped from one spot to another. In extreme aggravation, I had snapped, "Would you just leave me alone?! I don't like you; you're a freak and I want you to disappear into thin air like you usually do!" He beamed at me.

"I can't help it that you're extraordinarily unperceptive and slow to react to the movement of other people, Amaliya..."

 "GO AWAY!"

"Nyet. That wouldn't be any fun."

"Then please tell me what you want."

"I have a job for you..."

So here I stood, bearing witness to an intense sibling rivalry between Arthur and who I took to be his sister that he'd been so keen to hide from me. That was just an assumption, but they looked too similar to not be related in some way. Ivan was also present, standing in the doorway next to me, watching the two argue uproariously with mild interest, although I could tell that he wasn't finding it to be particularly mesmerizing. Eventually the girl took notice to Ivan and turned her attention away from Arthur.