Pavel – 22 years ago, 2001
Shivering, he wrapped the ancient threadbare jacket around his bone-thin body. It was a particularly harsh winter, this year, and all of the warmer shelters had been packed full – even if Pavel could weasel his way in, he was barely anything other than bones and the adults were too aggressive. He would easily be tossed back on the street worse off.
After searching all day, he found an empty house that, while the wind whipped through undeterred, kept the majority of the snow out and would give him hope for surviving the night. It was surprisingly empty of life, both other people looking to survive the night and delinquents using it as a secret place for whatever adults did. He'd been chased off one too many times by the adults with weapons and he wasn't curious anymore.
Either way, Pavel took it as a good sign as he hunted around for the most sheltered part of the dilapidated building. After a short while, he decided the best place to curl up was thevempty fireplace as it shielded him from the wind a bit and would keep him hidden well enough if anyone stumbled in later. Taking off the jacket, Pavel hunkered down into the foetal position and wrapped it around him like a blanket as he flattened his ears to his skull in an attempt to keep in any escaping heat.
Finally, as his body tensed and shook with the cold, he found his exhaustion catching up with him and slipped into warmer oblivion, sleep's arms opening wide for him. Pavel sighed contently as he let himself imagine that he was somewhere that wasn't a dusty fireplace. Perhaps in the arms of the mother he never knew.
-
Pavel was startled awake by the heavy sound of approaching footsteps, crunching loudly in the thick snowfall that had descended in the night. The fireplace had been slightly blocked off by a few inches of snow, so he could assume he was hidden to an extent as he peered out from under his jacket to see who was coming.
Like a knife had been stabbed between his ribs, Pavel jolted back when he saw that a man was crouching in the snow across the room from him, looking directly into the hearth. He wasn't stupid, he knew that the man could see him and there was no easy escape he could make, so Pavel simply stayed there, staring at him cautiously over the snow. While he always felt on edge, in danger, now was the first time he could effectively compete himself to what he was – a rabbit being watched by a hawk who was ready to swoop in and eat the flesh from his defenceless bones.
The man stared at him endlessly, his face indifferent for a long while until he broke into a smile. There was nothing dangerous about his teeth, only a set of completely human ones, so that lessened his threat level but something about his smile unsettled Pavel. Living on the streets had given him the ability to see past false niceties and his smile was just short of hollow and uncanny but it was so close to genuine that his defences lowered a little bit.
Pavel waited for something to happen and he shifted into a crouched position so he could look at the stranger better. The man was in a black suit and it looked fancy, nothing that anybody he had ever interacted with would wear. He had some friends, but they wouldn't be here, just staring at him and his face wasn't one that he had ever seen before.
Humans had never been trustworthy, so Pavel did his best to keep clear of them, the housed and the homeless alike. He stared at the human, willing him to leave him be.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
It was unsurprising that it didn't work.
His voice was low, gravelly but sharp in its kindness as if he was unused to speaking gently. The man's smile softened as if he was becoming more comfortable while sitting in the snow. Pavel's danger sensors were no longer blaring as he was unable to judge what threat this man held. From his view, he had eyes that crinkled around the edges and the people that Pavel knew who had that were friends.
Nervously, Pavel whispered out a response. "People just call me Little Rabbit." That was the name he knew himself by. He had never had parents to give him one and it didn't seem that important to have one considering he always knew what people meant when they called for the rabbit. "What's… what's your name?"
"I'm Lyev. Would you like to be given a real name?" Lyev's voice had softened properly now, seemingly glad that Pavel was speaking to him and asking him questions. Subtly, the man shuffled a little bit until he was in the middle of the room, close enough for Pavel to smell the must of his aftershave. "I can help you out."
Pavel was curious about what Lyev meant. While strange adults often offered him help in return for things that he didn't understand – the grown-ups never explained themselves and they scared me so he ran away – this was the first time someone had offered Pavel something that seemed so silly. Food or water were the usual offers so he didn't understand what Lyev meant by 'be given a real name'. His ears stuck up, betraying his curiosity even though he didn't speak.
"I know you probably don't trust me, I get that, kid, but I can really help you." He shuffled a little closer again and Pavel noticed the rucksack he had slung over his shoulder now. Pavel's eyes flicked to it, anxious but not unwilling to listen. "I have some food and clothes with me, I'll give you them, even if you don't want to come with me."
Pavel perked up, knowing that the food and clothes weren't hinged on the fact he had to go with him. His defences dropped now and Pavel smiled slightly. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'll hand you the bag. Then you can decide if you want to come with me or not." Without waiting for Pavel to say anything, Lyev slid the pack off his shoulder and placed it on the snow in front of the fireplace, blocking his view of him for a moment.
Tentatively, Pavel reached out and snagged the rucksack quickly, not giving Lyev a chance to grab him if he went against his promise. He didn't move, though, as he watched him rifle through the contents of the bag.
Not caring if the man was watching, Pavel pulled out the clothes and changed into them, only naked for a very short period so he didn't get frostbite. Immediately, he was warmer now the shirt and trousers he was wearing hadn't more holes than fabric. Only then did he look at the food.
It was mostly protein bars, stuff he had never gotten his hands on before but Pavel knew it was nutritious because they were what he saw all the adults fighting over in the shelters. Pavel's stomach rumbled greedily, his starving body begging for the food he hadn't had in days and he quickly scarfed down a handful of the little chocolatey bars and a bottle of water before he bothered to look back up at the man who had gifted him all this stuff.
"Thank you, Mr Lyev." Pavel reached his arm out, offering the bag back to the man as he watched with a gentle smile.
He shook his head and didn't take it off him. "You can keep it if you don't want to come with me." Lyev watched him, giving him time to think. "There's more food and a warm place to stay if you do. You'll even get a dad."
Pavel's eyebrows crinkled. "You want to be my dad?"
"No, no, not me." Lyev laughed but he didn't quite know what was so funny about what he had said. "The man I work for, he wants a kid but he can't have one of his own. I think you'll be a perfect fit in the house."
That confused him. Pavel couldn't figure out why someone would want him as his kid, especially because he was sure there were better kids to pick. He didn't know Pavel, either. "Why?"
"You can ask him yourself if you're curious." Lyev reached his hand out to Pavel now, close enough that it was slightly in the fireplace as he stared at him, concerned but undoubtedly curious and hopeful. "What do you think?"
Pavel allowed himself to think as he glanced between that outstretched hand and his smiling face. Reasonably, he knew that he should run away because there was a good chance this was a scam but his stomach was rumbling again and a harsh wind whipped through the new clothes he was wearing. If anything turned bad, Pavel knew he could easily weasel his way out of anywhere he needed to. Pavel nodded and placed his little hand in Lyev's.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
"Good choice, kid." Lyev grasped Pavel's hand firmly and helped Pavel out of the fireplace. In a fluid motion, he picked him up, wrapping his arms around Pavel in a warm hug as he walked out of the abandoned house. "Home we go."
-
Quietly, Pavel sat in a large, dimly lit room, his feet kicking in the air as he was too small for the chair. It had been a few hours since Lyev had brought him here and he was still worried, even after being allowed to take a long bubble bath and feasting on the most delicious foods that he could ever imagine. Everything seemed far too good.
Pavel had never been somewhere that was so quiet. Even when it was snowing or the middle of the night, he could hear people or cars or something making a racket but, here, the only thing he could hear was the ticking of the grandfather. Nervously, Pavel fiddled with the collar of the shirt he was wearing and waited for the man that Lyev said wanted to be his father. He hummed a vague tune to himself, one that could only slightly remember from who knows where.
Ears shooting up, the sudden sounds of approaching footsteps echoed through the foyer and he bolted up from his chair, standing as straight as he could. It felt important to make a good first impression on whoever was coming, especially if it was who Lyev had spoken about. Pavel curled his hands into anxious fists at his sides as he stared in the direction of the footsteps.
The harsh clicking on the wooden floor rapidly approached until the door across the hall from him opened with some force. Pavel relaxed slightly when he saw that it was Lyev but he tensed back up again when he noticed that another guy was standing just behind him.
Warily, Pavel sized him up as the two men walked towards him. His expression was jovial, it reminded Pavel of the illustrations of Grandfather Frost he saw in December, but he was still a young adult, younger than Lyev and a few inches shorter than him. His suit was a deep green, made of a material he had never seen before so, along with the size of this house he had been brought to, Pavel knew he must be very rich. It seemed that he was exceptionally lucky when it came to the man who wanted to adopt him.
As soon as the man laid his eyes on Pavel, he grinned even wider and flung out his arms as if he were going to crush him into a hug. "Hello, it's so nice to meet you." Pavel noticed he spoke with a funny accent like he struggled to speak Russian. Once he was in front of him, he knelt down and placed his hands on Pavel's shoulders. His eyes danced across him, surveying him before affectionately patting him on the head. "Gosh,vwhat pretty golden hair you have and your little ears are so cute! My name is Etienne. I know you don't have a name yet, so don't worry about introducing yourself. How old are you?"
A lot of questions were thrown at Pavel all at once. He was taken aback for a moment as the man's presence was very intense but he seemed kind. "I… I think I'm six years old. One of my friends told me so." Awkwardly, Pavel gave him a toothy grin and waited for Etienne to talk, to explain himself and his actions.
"That's a good age." Unexpectedly, Etienne pulled him in for a hug and all he could do was stare over his shoulder in surprise as Lyev looked at them from across the room. "I'm very happy you're here. Now, come on, we're going to go to my study and find you a name that suits you."
He pulled away and stood up, taking Pavel's hand in his as Etienne led him to one of the doors on the side of the room that he had been curious about since he'd been here. Lyev stayed behind in the big room and, as the door shut behind them, Pavel felt a whole lot more alone but the warmth of that big hand around his made him feel a lot safer than he had ever felt before. "Why do I need a name? I've never needed one before."
Etienne laughed airily as he sat down on the big chair that was behind the desk in the middle of the book-lined room. He pulled Pavel along, seating him on his lap, staring at a blaring white square. "It's something you can claim as your own, no? Something that is yours. Now, is this the first time you've seen a computer?"
Pavel was puzzled by what Etienne had meant about names, but he didn't think that was important so he just nodded his head. "What's a computer?"
"It's something that lets you access every bit of information you could want. Like a name for you." Etienne tapped away at the weird, bumpy thing in front of them and the bright box changed after a few moments. Pavel stared intently but he didn't know what he was looking at because he had never been taught how to read. All the words on the computer meant nothing to him. "Here we go. I found a database of Russian names. Something traditional, perhaps, would be best, don't you think?"
He didn't know why Etienne was so insistent on his opinion because Pacel knew nothing about names or naming someone, but he kept nodding anyway. "Okay."
Umming and ahhing, Etienne scrolled around, words flashing by their eyes. "This is hard. I don't know the standard for Russian names, it'd be easier if I called you something French but that wouldn't be proper. Do you know any names you like?"
Patting his legs, Pavel thought about it. He smiled as a thought came to him. "Pavel! One of the nicest adults I knew was called that. I don't… I don't know where he went but I like the name." He looked back at Etienne and hoped he would agree.
Vigorously, he ruffled his hair and wrapped him in a hug. Etienne's breath was close to the back of Pavel's neck and he didn't like it but he didn't say anything. "That's a good name. Solid but uncommon. Very Russian. We'll check with Lyev, and see if he likes it too." He reached around Pavel and pressed a button that he hadn't noticed was on the desk before Etienne put his arm back around him.
Within moments, Lyev appeared through the door, closed it, and stood across the room with his arms folded behind his back. "Yes, Monsieur, what is it?"
Pavel frowned at how stiff and serious Lyev was being. He hadn't known him for long, but he had always been smiling and relaxed when he was talking to Pavel. It was probably some adult thing he didn't understand.
"Pavel. His name. You're the expert out of us three, what do you think?" Etienne's words had lost some of their jovial tone, more serious and pointed and Pavel furrowed his brows. Adults always found a way to confuse him.
Lyev nodded in contemplation. "It is a good choice. Leaves room for nicknames as well. Pasha, for example." He bowed his head slightly. "If that's all, Monsieur, I will get back to my duties."
"Yes, you can go now. Take our little Pavel with you and show him his room. I have some work to do." Etienne lifted Pavel off of his lap and placed him back on the ground. He patted his and nodded his head toward Lyev. "Go on. You'll see me tomorrow."
Pavel nodded and scampered across the room where Lyev extended his hand to him. Leading Pavel out of the study, they left Etienne alone as they entered the rest of the giant house.