Maynusha
"Maynusha, how will you be a singer if all you do all day is sit here and read books?" Mother yelled from behind, startling me and causing me to lose my page. "Enough with the fairytales, Maynusha," Mother said as I closed the book ashamedly. I was reading no fairytale, but the thought that my mother could only imagine I was just reading fairy tales all day made my face burn. Was it anger, sadness, or embarrassment, I couldn't know because I had wiped my face clean of any emotions and stood up to face Mother.
"Now, sing for me and Katyusha," Mother demanded. She was holding little Katyusha in her hands who had a little silk dress on and had her fingers in her mouth.
"Apples fell from the tree, hit me on the head, an angel came to help, I could've sworn I was dead. Hair as golden as the sun and skin as fair as the clouds-"
"Oh, how it brings me back," Mother said as she bobbed side to side. "I used to be Lyubovia's greatest dancer. There was this wretched woman, she had the voice of an angel but the face of a squirrel."
I nodded and forced a small smile. She usually left me alone after that.
"Mmm. In three days, we are headed west," Mother said. "The ones to the west are strange, but your father and his men fan fix them... And you beautiful voice." I smiled as Mother walked up to me. "You, Maynusha, can show them the beauty of Lyubovia." She kissed my forehead.
"Practice makes perfect," Mother said as she left the room.
I looked out the window and then looked back at the door in which Mother left. I bent down and crawled on the floor and saw my shoes under the bed. I forcefully put them on and opened the window, checking the door one more time.
I climbed down carefully and landed on the cold hard grass. I ran down the field and past an orchard to another field.
I smiled as I saw the serfs and the servant, Dmitry, with a football from afar.
"Dmitry!" I yelled and Dmitry and the serfs looked at me. I approached them, panting with my hands on my knees. "Dmitry-"
"Katya, what are you doing?" Dmitri looked at me in horror. "You'll get your clothes dirty!"
"Th-these are my pajamas."
"Ok, whatever, take your shoes off." Dmitry said.
"W-Why?" I shivered.
"You can't play in those shoes."
"Oh," I bent over and took a shoe off and lowered my foot to the cold grass, I felt a shockwave throughout my body.
Dmitry punted the ball into the air, and I ran forward, ignoring it. There were three serfs on the other team, two of them chasing the ball in the air, waiting for the third bounce, and one near me, close to their goal, two large rocks placed a distance from each other.
The ball landed for the third time in front of a serf on the other team, but Dmitry snatched it from them in seconds. The other serf ran in front. Dmitry quickly passed through his legs and to me. I ran to receive it and I stopped and suddenly felt a bump from behind me.
There was a thud and I was on the ground. I opened my eyes and the serf looked at me in horror.
"W-What's wrong? Is my face broken?" I asked in a panic.
"Princess… I'm… so sorry…" The serf shook as he apologized.
I stood up and looked at myself. My knees and palms were covered in dirt.
Dmitry walked up to the serf and grabbed his collar. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"D-Dmitry…" I said.
"He did it on purpose, Katya," Dmitry said, letting go of the serf and facing me.
"We're… playing a game."
"I saw him run towards you and push-" Dmitry stopped as he looked around and saw the other serfs approaching us and staring. "G-GET AWAY! SCRAM!" Dmitry yelled as he wafted them with his hand and they all ran.
Dmitry looked at me. "I hate it when they disrespect you, Katya."
"It doesn't matter, Dmitry, we were playing a game-"
"No, Katya, they don't like you, they don't like any of you!" Dmitry raised his voice. "They hate every Kilos'kovich, and they say disgusting things about you."
"I…" Tears flooded my eyes.
"And I hate them too, Katya, but not you," Dmitry said. "I'm sorry, I know you just wanted to play a game, but my anger got the best of me."
"N-no," I sniffled and cried in front of Dmitry.
"Do… Do you want to talk about something your mother said?" Dmitry asked.
"No, it doesn't matter," I wiped my face with my collar.
"You and Sakya are my only family," Dmitry said. "You can tell me everything."
"I'm going west, and I'll miss you," I sighed and sniffled.
"Don't worry, Katya, you'll be back," Dmitry said. "Now pick up your shoes and go inside, you can leave your pajamas outside the door."
I nodded and walked to my shoes.