1 Chapter One
The distinctive sound of writing could be scarcely heard all around the overcrowded classroom. The temperature was a pleasant warmth with the ideal mixture of the high heat outside and the air conditioning inside. The smell was of distinct jasmine that the teacher prefers to spray every now and then, to keep the scent of teen odor at bay. The teens themselves were all focused on the test in front of them, some of them answered confidently, others were inner panicking, while the rest completely gave up and started guessing.
The few students who were done were either in their own mind space, doodling, or merely staring at other people because for the hell of it. In the middle of the class smacked right dead in the center was a teen with distinct facial features. His eyes were on the slim side and his cheekbones were prominent but not noticeable from a distance. His nose was long and pointy as his dark auburn hair was in a wavy medium length mess.
The place he was in was a good spot to enjoy the sunlight shine on his olive skin causing him to feel drowsy as the atmosphere was peaceful. To keep himself awake his brown eyes scanned across the familiar classroom. It landed on the windows, the white walls surrounding them, then to the whiteboard in front of him. The big words "Test Day" written on the center of it in purple cursive letters. Finally, his eyes landed on the red clock that showed they had 5 minutes left of class.
Also, notice the time, Mrs. Jules gave an announcement to start finishing up. The sound of inhalation and cursing came in various directions as the sound of writing became more hurried and urgent. With peace of mind, the teen started packing up. He picked up all his pencils, pens, and erasers in their assigned pockets before standing as the bell rang. It was the end of the class day and the beginning of spring break. Picking up the test paper he walked up and set it on the wooden desk before turning to head out.
Behind him, he can hear Mrs. Jules tell him to have a wonderful break which he responds with a vague "you too."
Opening the door, he met with the hotness of the school hallways that was currently being filled with increasingly rowdy students. Not wanting to be caught off in the sea of sweaty teenagers, the brown-haired teen, Nikolai, instantly entered the disorderly crowd. With his 6'2 feet height that gave him long legs, he immediately exited the school, experiencing the high California heat blasting him head-on. California was different from his childhood home city, Yakutsk. The climate here is somewhat bipolar, can be extremely hot one day and then cold the next. Something that greatly contrasts with Yakutsk's freezing all-year-round weather.
Scarcely looking at the blue sky that was the home of white clouds and a vast vibrant and yellow sphere called the Sun. He instantly knew it was going to be a swim day. Walking to the front of the school and making his way to the bike rack that contained a bunch of different color bicycles in various types of sizes. Spotting his black gravel bike, he steadily with fast hands unlocked the Fahgettaboudit U-lock before hopping on with his helmet already steady on his head. Making sure everything was satisfactory and safe, he can scarcely hear two boys a little away from him talking eagerly to each other while unlocking their bikes.
"No way! Really?" One of them said. His youthful face that still had baby fat made a shocked expression that would cause great grandmothers to want to pinch his cheeks.
"Yep look," The other one looked more athletic like with his loose-fitting shirt and basketball shorts that showed off his tight muscles. His face revealed a hint of excitement. "The Scientific Institute in Anaheim exploded, of course, it wasn't a big one. It did not injure those from outside, only the ones inside got some damage. All of them were taken to the hospital."
"That sucks." The athletic one made a sound of agreement as they both headed out with their bikes still talking about the explosion. Nikolai stood there for a second observing them before they were no longer in his sight before he left himself.
The pleasant air brushed past him from both sides as Nikolai made his way down local streets, sounds of honking and chatter can be heard everywhere as it was the time most got off of work and school. He intentionally slowed down a little when he rode by The Scientific Institute. People and the News were gathered in front of it capturing pictures and informing each other what happened. The exterior of the building looked fine but through the doors, you could see black scorched walls with firemen and police bustling in it.
It was only a couple of seconds glance before he continued on his way. He didn't stop until he reached a big area with the sign Anaheim Zoo on the top of the entrance. Getting off and securing his bike on the rack, he entered through the staff area where kids similar his age were also heading.
The men changing room was filled with teens of several ages as they were there to get community service points for their school.
He looked at the board that was filled with names. When he found his name, it was under the expected Swimming Duty. He quickly got changed into the proper attire of a yellow non-chemical t-shirt that said Anaheim Zoo Staff in green font with black trunks before making his way there. Families of all diverse races were there and enjoying their time. Laughter, screaming and some whining could be heard; Nikolai felt slight envy as this was something his parents would never take him and his siblings to. The most exciting thing they ever took them to was a shooting range but that excitement was purely from adrenaline and nothing else.
The leader watching them today was Mr. Johnson. He was a robust man in his late forties. His clean-shaven head cast a blaring glare that made some of the students laugh quietly to their friends next to them or grumble as the glare was hurting their eyes. His skin was a light tan from constantly being out in the sun and his mustache was trimmed containing hints of grey in the black. His pale blue eyes scanned the teens in front of him before finally letting them go to their assigned positions. Today Nikolai was taking care of the dolphins. Heading over to their pool he was greeted with shrieks of numerous types of dolphins on one side and a heavier, deeper shriek of Killer Whales on the other. A little smile made its way on his usually stoic face as he grabbed the bucket of fish for the dolphins and sat at the edge. Instantly he was surrounded by happy-sounding big grey color marine mammals. One by one he fed them and petted them where they liked to be petted. Some of them splashed water at him hinting at their want of him to enter and play, but today wasn't a show day so he wasn't allowed to enter with them. When finished, he grabbed another bucket for the killer whales and sat with them. The biggest one named Maria instantly came up to him behind her were two smaller males.
"Hello Maria," he said gently to her as she rubbed her head onto his legs. Silently he fed all three of them. All three were quieter than their dolphin cousins but still shriek a couple of times as if talking to him. After finishing feeding them he started picking up trash around their area and cleaned the equipment. The California weather changed into a pleasant warmth with a slight breeze. The gentle breeze felt nice as it swept through his abundant locks and caused him to genuinely feel a little bit happier than usual. It was six in the evening when he finished, the sun was setting but still rideable. Instantly taking a brief shower and putting on his clothes from earlier he made his way out of the zoo and swiftly rode his bike home.
His home was a two-story house with five rooms and three bathrooms. It was in a gated community and right at the end of the street. The lawn was a vivid green from the daily maintenance of the gardener and the building itself was a light blue. Nikolai could never comprehend how such a peaceful-looking house is the home of the most stifling people he ever met.
Putting his bike on the side of the house, he made his way to the door. When he was about to place the key in the entry, the sound of unlocking was heard and instead of the door was now his mother.
Nikolai was the only one out of his siblings that took after her. She was from Sochi where it was the hottest place in Russia. She had long, curly brown hair that framed her model-like face. High and prominent cheekbones, plump red lips with penetrating brown eyes that were outlined with long eyelashes and sharp eyebrows. She wore a black fitted dress that outlined her natural hour shape body with red stilettos matching crimson lipstick. Her neck and ears were full of diamonds that glittered under the light. Her brown eyes that had black eyeshadow were glaring into his.
"Where were you? Didn't I inform you to come back early?!" She said in Southern Russian.
"Forgot," He responded non-emotionally, flames seemed to come from her eyes as she pointed upstairs with her acrylic red painted nails.
"Go quickly! Put on the black suit with a red tie combo! Your father's corporate partner and his family are coming to eat dinner." Finishing what she wanted to say she turned back around and headed to the kitchen to make sure the food was turning out properly. He watched her back before turning right to head up the stairs. On the way up, Nikolai felt something brushed against his leg. Looking down he was met with blue piercing eyes of his mother's Birman cat.
Bending down he picked up the 12 pounds 18 inches cat and held her in his hands as he continued his journey up. When he reached his bedroom door, the door next opened and his younger brother by a year and his girlfriend came out. The girl was giggling at something his brother said, while his brother was showing a cocky expression. The cocky expression soon disappeared when his eyes landed on Nikolai, it turned into an expression of dislike and scorn. His girlfriend on another hand showed a blissful expression mixed with delight.
"Hello, Nikolai! Coming back from the Zoo? How was it?" Her pale face instantly blushed up as Nikolai's eyes switched from his brother to her. She felt nervous yet static, her heartbeat going crazy as she fiddled her blonde hair in an act to seem delicate. She liked her boyfriend. He was kind to her and bought anything she wanted but his older brother made her legs tremble especially right now. The hallway was warmly lit showing off his brown hair teen's brown dark eyes that gave off a mysterious aura with his non-expressive face. His clothing was on black jeans that perfectly outlined his long legs making the heights between the brothers more noticeable. Even though he was just wearing a hoodie, to her it made him seem like a Mafia boss in the making, especially with the white cat purring and snuggling in his arms.
The teen gave her a glance that only lasted five seconds before entering his room and closing it right behind him. Through the door, he can hear his brother irritatedly asking her why she was asking so many questions before they both headed downstairs.
Setting down Lilly the Birman cat, on his black sheeted bed before getting changed. The suit itself comprises of three pieces: black pants and a coat with a red vest. All of which hugged him and made him feel uncomfortable and restricted. The Dress shoes were even worse as they weren't broken into, making his feet go numb in pain. Ignoring how stifled he felt, Nikolai finally put on the red tie that had black lace patterns on it and put on a diamond earring stud in one ear and an expensive watch on the opposite side wrist.
Hearing his mother call his name he quickly ran a brush through his hair making the curls flowy and soft looking. He picked up Lily as he was heading out and down the stairs. His mother that was at the bottom was waving her hands to hurry him up. When he got down next to her, she used the height from her stilettos to quickly fix anything out of the ordinary. When everything looked good she pushed him by his older brother of 2 years Ivan and his french model wife Clamara. Ivan glanced at him before once again focusing on the door waiting for the guest to come through. His wife on the right side of him was clicking through social media while texting her manager on the latest best phone.
Maksim and his girlfriend came up to Nikolas to his right, painting a perfect couple picture as their arms entwined around the other. His twin younger sisters came rushing the stairs, one in a red dress while the other is in a black one. Their blonde curly hair bouncing up and down as they finally made it to their spots in front of them. His father's grandparents came after both of them in black with no other color on them. Their faces were stern and cold as their shrewd melancholy eyes landed on each child. They stood next to the twins as they were smaller in height due to their age. Seeing everybody is ready Nikolai's mother nodded before heading to the door after hearing the sound of talking approach them.
When she opened it, Nikolai's father came into view. He was wearing a black and grey suit, dark grey dress shoes with his blonde hair slicked back. His face was both attractive and imposing as his blue-silver eyes. Next to him was a heavily weighted American man and an attractive woman with red hair by his side.
"This must be the wife I see and the children!" the heavy waited man said joyously. Nikolai's mother Kira gave the man a handshake along with his wife. Saying greeting to the man now known as Mr. Anderson.
Nikolai and the younger people all bowed their heads together greeting the man in conjunction while the grandparents only gave the man a nod and nothing else. At that time a maid came and announced dinner was made before showing the way to the dining room. When Mr. and Mrs. Anderson came in, they were followed by their three children. The oldest was a male that was a similar age to Ivan, the second oldest which was a girl was around the same age as Nikolai and Maksim, while the last was an age close to the twins. The girl quickly spotted Nikolai, and he watched as her face gradually dye red like her hair. The lovey-dovey eyes made him feel uncomfortable, but he didn't let it show on his face as he turned the other way making ways to the dining room with the others.
When he took his seat the girl sat right in front of him hurriedly. Nikolai didn't pay any mind to her as a food dish was placed right in front of him. He immediately recognized it as Turbot and Morels. It looked fancy as if it was served in a high-class restaurant. He can see that his father was trying to pressure the man by showing him how much more class, expressive, he is compared to the other. From the corner of his right side, Nikolai could tell it worked as both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson stared at the dish and then back at his parents like nothing was wrong.
The two businessmen started talking to each other from across the table as both sat at the end with their wives on the right of them and their oldest on the left. The others started talking quietly to those around them. Nikolai zoned everybody out and started eating, in his mind he recalled the day he spent. Which recounted as doing tests for each class, skipping out at lunch then finally his day at the Zoo which was the best part and forever the best part. One hand was used to eat while the other was used to pet Lily who was sleeping comfortably enjoying his warmth on his lap.
"Um. Nikolai right?" a gentle voice can be heard in front of him. The other chattering voices seem instantly to go away as different pairs of observant eyes landed on him and the speaker. Looking up at the girl in front of him who also noticed the unfavorable situation and started blushing, he didn't respond but stared.
The girl possessed green eyes like her father and the same red hair as her mother. Her facial features were on the gentle side as her eyes were big and bright with a button nose and plump lips. She wore a white flowy dress further carefully bringing out the innocent look. Her eyes kept darting from him and then at her food, as she grew more nervous over time.
"Ah, so this Nikolai! Your father speaks well of you. 4.5 GPA with college-level classes! That's quite impressive," Mr. Anderson said while staring at the non-expressive teen. Moving his sight from the daughter to her father, giving the older man his attention. "You see my daughter Kayla is also a high GPA student 4.2 I believe." He turned his sight to his daughter who gave a shy laugh before correcting him that it was 4.3. Nikolai on another hand didn't care, he just wanted to eat and go to sleep with the cat, who is already ahead of schedule.
"Well isn't that impressive. Maybe they can study together and give each other pointers. Don't you think that's a brilliant idea, Nikolai?" His mother said as she gave him an artificial smile. He stared back at her in silence. He can see his mother's mouth twitched as her eyes began to turn into a glare.
"I believe he will. Nikolai is too smart for his fellow students at his high school. I wanted to send him to the private high school his younger brother is going to but he prefers not to as he wanted to experience the 'high school realness,'" his father said, swooping in to end their eye battle.
Nikolai can go against his mother, but his father made him afraid. His father is a strict man that had messed up principles to those who lived in America but in Russia, it's normal thinking. He remembered being only six years old where his father took him away from their home into the forest. He was bundled tightly, but the cold air and snow still made him sneeze and shake like a leaf. He was small for the age of six making the snow come up to his upper thigh as he stood in it. He was looking around, wondering why they were there before the next thing he knew his father gave him a knife and told him to find his way back home himself. When the young Nikolai heard that he instantly started crying and complaining. He was cold and tired now he was told he was going to be in the forest alone. His mind instantly collapsed forgetting who his father was; he grabbed onto the older man's coat only to be instantly slapped into the ground. His father then told him to man up as he turned around and took his leave. The young Nikolai laid there in the blistering snow watching his back gradually disappear from view.
The only reason Nikolai was still alive was that two snow foxes appeared in front of him. His little body collapsed onto the ground after trying to find his way home. They let him follow them into their cave then gradually led him in the right direction where the city was at. His love of animals came from those two foxes while the impression of humans gradually shimmered away.
The tension gradually developed in his body as the parents were setting up 'study time' between the two eighteen-year-old teens. His body started getting hot and his gaze was getting a little dizzy. He ignored it all as he picked up eating once again resuming his earlier state of blocking everything out. This time the girl in front of him didn't bother him, instead, she was also discussing the studying date between them. When all the food was cleared, the businessmen went into the home office while everyone could talk with the others.
Taking this chance as everybody wasn't paying attention to him, he quickly escaped to his room, locking the door after closing it. Putting down the now awakened cat. He slowly peeled off his clothes one by one while traveling to the bathroom that was attached to both his and his brother's bedroom. When he reached the bathroom mirror what reflexed back was a teen with slightly developed muscle, scars of various sizes scattered across his body, and a blank face that could hide everything except his tiredness.
He wasn't much for disgracing oneself, but he didn't like himself much. It wasn't because he thought he was too skinny or too weighted, it wasn't because he thought he was hideous or ordinary, but simply because whenever he looked at himself all he could see are his parents and never himself. Causing him to feel they were always watching him even in the comforts of his bedroom. Staring at the reflection for a while, he slowly looked away and gently turned on the sink, closing off the drain. When there was a proper amount of water gathered he turned off the flowing water and dumped his head inside. The fierce pain in his head went away a little bit as the tension in his youthful body gradually departed from him.
He willingly stayed like that until he couldn't breathe before carefully withdrawing his head and unplugging the drain. Quickly brushing his teeth, he grabbed a towel as he stealthily entered his room properly securing the door behind him. Lily laid on his bed asleep as he instantly changed into a black shirt and a pair of shorts. Carefully sliding into the comforts of his bed, the headache that slightly went away came back making him groan and curl up into himself.
Naturally hearing the sound Lily woke up and meowed softly at him. Witnessing his disordered breathing, she meows again before sliding up into his gentle arms, which he tightened to tenderly seek her closure. Her silky head thoughtfully rubs against his chest causing a little laugh to escape with difficulty. Feeling content she began purring contentedly as she went back to sleep. Noticing her asleep, Nikolai also closed his eyes as he tiredly thought "being an animal is so much better than being a human."
