The Khigir Hunters

1. Goodnight

I always had an internal fear of meeting my father. This was partly due to the old lullaby my mom used to sing to me every night. I hated it. There was always a sense of unease around her, like she was constantly on her watch. Ever since I was little there were at least five locks on every door of the house. She was a paranoid woman, but she was my paranoid woman, after all she was my mother.

It was strange, just last night she hugged me, told me *доброй ночи, and now I was at the local police station. It was 3:00 AM when a social worker knocked on our door, resorting to ringing the doorbell when no one answered. At first I was confused: I wasn't ever allowed to open the front door, only my mom was. So when the knocking and ringing didn't stop, I knew something was wrong.

I should've never opened that door, because maybe then I'd never have to hear those awful words again. Here I sat, body shaking, my hands clutching the thin blanket hanging around my small frame. Her name was Karine, and she told me my mom was dead. Karine was a social worker, one who took no pleasure in breaking the news. It was inevitable however, it had to be broken.

The chair I sat in wasn't too comfortable, and I was cold from being escorted here on such short notice. Luckily I was handed a blanket, and even though it didn't do much it was a blanket nonetheless. I stared down at my feet: my mom's grey slippers hung freely off my heels, being too big for me.

When I unlocked the door this morning, Karine stood before me, as well as an officer. Quickly she told me we had to evacuate the premise, mentioning the involvement of my mother. I was scared, I won't lie. Too nervous to run back up to my room, I hastily shoved on my mom's fuzzy slippers that were next to the door, and followed the pair towards the police car. It was difficult to see with little light and thick snow obscuring my vision, however, with a little guidance from the officer, we found our way.

My hazel eyes were still glued to her shoes, as if staring at them would bring her back.

Bye-bye, bye-bye,
Quickly die,
On the morning will be frost,

Her voice was soft, full of love.

And you'll go to the grave-yard.
Grandfather will come
And will bring the coffin.

It was always such a comfort to hear her sing and pull her close to me. She would smell like sweet pine and a smile would tug at her lips. The lullaby was despondent, morbid. However, as a young child I didn't quite understand the words to their full extent.

Grandmother will come
And will bring the grave clothes.
Mother will come

I was happy, hearing that all my family members would come, though I didn't know what for at the time. How this is a popular lullaby I have no idea, but it did have a nice tune when sung, that was the positive I suppose.

It was here, when Karine decided to inform me of the other news. She approached me, I was still bundled up in a sheet of cloth and my teeth were chattering. I had to pull my eyes from the slippers to meet her saddened gaze. Karine looked like she was about to tell me worse news, which couldn't be possible.

"W-what is it?" My voice croaked. It was only then that I realized I had been crying the whole time, from the moment I unlocked the door. Hearing my broken state made her face fall, and she gently grabbed both my wrists, slightly leaning over me.

"Yulia..." Karine looked into my tortured eyes, "your father has called, and he has arranged for you to fly to the United States..." What? My father? "Given that you're only sixteen, he has agreed to take full custody of you."

"Y-you mean m-my mom d-d-dies and h-his only concern is w-who's in charge of me?" I could feel anger rising inside of me. What kind of man is he? Doesn't he feel anything for my mother? After all, they never got a divorce, they just lived in different places. They were bound to talk to each other on the phone, or at least thats what I've been telling myself...

"Yulia, I can't even begin to understand what you're feeling, but you have to do what your father wishes. Wouldn't you like to see him?" She asked me, her voice full of forced hope.

"No." I sneered. "For all I care he can rot in Hell." Karine's eyes widened a bit, but not too much as if she had expected my reaction. She let her grip on my wrists fall and took a step back.

"Your flight ticket is due at 12:00 PM exactly, you will have a guide with you. For now you are welcome to stay with me." Karine folded her hands professionally. "Do you have any questions?"

"Can I see my mom?" The desperation in my voice was heavy, my eyes coated with more tears threatening to spill. I silently pleaded with this woman I met just a few hours ago. The only thing I wanted now was my mom, and nothing would remedy that feeling except for her.

Karine's entire demeanor changed from polished to sympathetic when I looked up at her. "I am sorry, Yulia. The investigation is still underway, and for that they need her. I hope you understand." I hung my head in defeat, tears fell from my eyes like melting ice. Karine sighed. "You can rest at my house, I have a guest room already prepared. However before you go, there are some questions that we would like to ask you, if that would be ok."

Slowly I raised my head at eye level with this woman. Karine understood, as would any rational person, that I was beyond tired, emotionally and physically. Her eyes softened, "It would be best to get it over with now than later." I nodded, although hesitant. I knew there would be no choice in the matter, so I had to agree.

And will sing the prayer song.
Father will come
And will take you to the graveyard.

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*goodnight

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Short first chapter! Hopefully the next one will be longer!
If you see any spelling/grammatical mistakes please feel free to point them out!
I am currently reworking this story!
*This series takes place in 1999!!!