Chapter Text
The day that it happened was just like any other day, at the start, nothing happened other then is dropping poppa off at work.
"Must you go?" Mama asked him, she glanced around fearfully.
"We need food and to provide the children with education. And work is the only was to do it." He said, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"I do not like the way they look at us. It makes me afraid."
"They aren't used to 'country bumpkins', that's why they stare."
"What does 'country bumpkin' mean, Jakey?" Anya asked me curiously.
"Someone who is from a rural part of town. Someone who is unsophisticated." I replied, I kept a firm grip on her hand, not wanting her to wander off and get lost in this big, scary place.
"Magda, have you forgotten my promise? With me you will always be safe," poppa said to mama, he bent down and looked Anya and I in the eyes, "I'll be back this evening, children, Jakob, look after your mother and sister."
"Yes poppa, I shall!" I gave poppa a hug, I didn't want him to go, but I knew that it was important.
"Goodbye poppa!" Amy's cried, also giving him a hug.
The three of us walked home without poppa.
---
A few hours passed and pretty soon, Anya was taking a nap upstairs and mama was going out to fetch supper.
"You stay here and be good, if you are good, I might give you a treat or a coin." Mama said, she kissed my cheek and grabbed her coat and her purse, while I went back underneath the table to play with my toy soldier.
The door burst open and in came two men, they both held matchboxes and sticks, I stayed hidden underneath the table, hoping they wouldn't see me, they went upstairs for a few minutes before coming back down.
"Isn't there another child?" One man asked the other, "A little boy? I swear he goes to school with my Viktor."
"You must have imagined it, comrade." The other man said, they left and I remained hidden, there was a strange smell coming from upstairs.
A few minutes passed and in came mama.
"Jakob? Jakob where are you, mien sohn?" She called out, I came out from under the table.
"Mama, what is that smell?" I asked her, she breathed in, staying silent for a few seconds.
"I don't know, mien sohn, get outside and see if you can find your father, I'll get Anya." She pushed me towards the door and I rushed outside, almost immediately spotting poppa.
"Jakob, stay here, I need to get your mother and sister." He went inside, leaving me alone and cold outside.
Ten minutes passed and both mama and poppa came out coughing. But where was Anya?
"Poppa!" A voice cried from upstairs, I looked up to see Anya, leaning out and looking terrified, "There is a fire in my room, Poppa, I can't get away. I'm scared, Poppa. Help me!"
"Be brave, my sweetheart!" Poppa yelled back, I pressed myself into mama's side, she gripped onto me tightly.
"Grab him!" An unknown man yelled, pointing at poppa.
"What are you doing?!" Poppa cried.
"You are under arrest, comrade, for extortion and assault." Another man said.
What?! Poppa wouldn't use extortion, he wouldn't. And we had to save Anya, why weren't they helping? Or getting the fire brigade?
"No sir, you can't!" I yelled, tugging on his arm, "My sister, sir! She needs help! She's stuck! Please help!"
He shook me off, ignoring me and my pleas.
"Poppa!" Anya screamed, she was in pain, "The fire! I'm burning!"
"Resisting an officer if state, are you?" The man ignored Anya's pained screams, "Better teach this dog a lesson, Dimitri."
They started hitting him with batons, I felt a sob rising up.
"Please!" Poppa sobbed, "My daughter!"
"Too bad, Comrade," Another man stepped forward, "I offered an honest wage for an honest day of work but you got greedy! Now you have to pay the price!"
A scream pierced the air. Anya. My little sister. I was supposed to be good, I was supposed to protect her.
"You liar! Did you hear that scream?! My daughter had done no harm-I beg you, for the love of heaven-somebody, please help me!" Poppa cried, I stabbed toward to try and stop them-to try to do anything to help-but mama pulled me back
"Waste of breath, comrade, no one here would risk their life or freedom to help an obvious enemy of state," The man said, the balcony collapsed, and diwn fell Anya, she was on fire, "Condolences, comrade, but you have bought this upon yourself!"
"No! No no no!" Everything around us began to glow, I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched onto mama's hand.
When I opened my eyes, everything was silent and lying around me were dead bodies.
"Poppa?" I whispered, I tiptoe forward, his head was hung and he looked miserable, momma grabbed me and pulled me back.
"You killed them!" She said, "You killed them all!"
"Because of what they did to our Anya!" Poppa finally looked up, he looked sad, there were tears in his eyes, "They deserve no less. Thank God they didn't take our Jakob."
"You threw lightening from your eyes...you are not human."
"Far more than human, I suspect," He stood up and reached out to try and draw us in, "Better I vow, come my darling, lets may our daughter to rest."
"No! You are not the man I loved! You are a monster!" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me off, ignoring poppa's yells.
Soon we had gotten far enough. We slowed down, my feet hurt because I wasn't wearing my shoes.
"Mama?" I finally said, the tears that had been selling up in my eyes finally came out and pretty soon I was sobbing "Mama, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't protect Anya."
"Jakob, did you know about your fathers....thing?" She didn't look at me, she thought I had that.... thing as well. She thought I was a monster.
"No! I'm not like that, mama! I'm not like him! I swear!" I cried, mama looked relieved.
"I'm sorry, Jakob, I didn't know Erik would do that."
"Mama, how did he do that magic?"
"I do not know, mien sohn," She shook her head sadly, "Come along, we should try to walk to the next town over, change our names, our backstory. We can hide."
The rest of our long walk was in silence, which gave me time to think about everything that has happened to us today.
Why had they burnt Our house down? Why didn't they help my sister? Why did he say poppa was greedy? Why were we running from poppa? He promised to protect us, and now he could even more.
I knew the answer to two things. This wasn't near being over. And I needed to protect mama.
///six months later///
We we're able to contact mama's brother, Django, Uncle Django was definitely an interesting man. He had a large moustache and kind eyes. He made dolls and puppets that were connected to strings, he used to have two children Ana and Mateo Maximoff, but they died when they were little.
We gave ourselves a new story, we were Natalya and Max, we were Djanjo's sister and nephew who's father and sister died of a mysterious illness, we had decided to leave because of the sadness, I felt bad for lying but mama said it was important.
Mama only stayed with Django for a month, I stayed for six. She had to go to a place called the Wundagore mountains, she told me that she needed to collect something's to help us get out of Europe and get to some other place.
We left soon after and went to another town, no one knew us there. We were safe from poppa.