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“Nina, remember to clear the snow in front of the tank shed! We don’t want to get double duties again!” Nina glanced up at the voice. Alina was dragging a cart of shells from storage across the field, heaving with every pull as the shells shimmered in the dull light of the winter sun, rattling with every bump of the sleigh.
“Once you’re back, can you give me a hand? I can’t finish this!” Nina shouted back, continuing to shovel. Alina gave a non-committal wave and retreated into the tank shed. It was winter season, north of even Hokkaido, and every morning, white clouds came to blanket the grounds of their school ship with inches upon inches of iridescent snow. During her first days on the Kiev, Nina was amazed at the sight. Even coming from northern Honshu, where snow wasn’t uncommon, the sheer volume astounded her. Promises of whimsical days frolicking with friends; snowballs fights and angels and snowmen.
Now they were reduced to a persistent nuisance for the Senshado team when it blocked up their training grounds; a nuisance that unfortunately fell to the first years to deal with.
Nina loosened her grip and let the shovel fall, and watched as the tip bit into the white coat of snow on the ground, cracks snaking out from the wound across the once smooth surface. How long had she been shovelling? Minutes? Hours? She lifted a furred ear of her ushanka, letting the cold air kiss her sweat-drenched skin. She tingled at the sensation of the sudden chill.
“Vice-Commander Nonna’s going to punish us if she sees you wasting time,” Alina’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. Nina groaned and rolled her eyes at the other first year.
“My arms are sore and I’ve been shovelling since noon. Next time you’re clearing out the paths! The Vice-Commander can shovel her own snow!”
Alina stiffened and looked behind Nina. “Speak of the devil…” she murmured. Nina’s heart sank.
Vice-Commander Nonna had a habit of appearing whenever they least expected it. It was something of an urban legend that the Vice-Commander was a wraith of sorts, able to appear anywhere at any time, no matter how remote or uncanny the time, summoned if one spoke her name more than once.
Nina dared look around, slowly.
Thankfully, she was not towering over them, ready to inflict punishment as she so often was.
The Vice-Commander was perhaps thirty feet away, circling the edge of the training area. Nina couldn’t tell, but it seemed like she was looking around on the ground? The older girl seemed to be studying the ground intensely, scanning here and there, never once looking up at them.
One sudden turn and she was now walking towards them at a surprising pace.
“Vice-Commander! Good afternoon!” The two girls spoke in unison, straightening up to attention out of habit. Nonna glanced briefly at them and nodded in acknowledgement before turning her attention away, now towards the bushes behind them.
“I wonder what she’s looking for…” Nina wondered out loud.
“Just keep quiet and keep shovelling,” Alina hissed softly, turning away from the Vice-Commander, grabbing another shovel. The less attention from the Vice-Commander the better. Attention from her usually meant disciplinary actions. Right, Nina reminded herself. Alina was right.
They continued to shovel until the mound beside the great tank shed doors grew into a half-mountain of snow. Nina sighed. Tomorrow it’d be more of the same. At least they didn’t also have to drag the snow to the water purification centre as well. Her respite was painfully short, and it would be them again with more of the same the day after tomorrow. There wasn’t even hope that the snow would abide. During winter, it snowed every day. Not a single break for the unlucky juniors.
Alina stretched, arching her arms back. “Hey Nina, want to get some hot cocoa from the cafeteria before afternoon classes?” The mention filled her mind with thoughts of warm drinks and warmer places. Why couldn’t she have applied for Anzio instead? At least it never snowed where their school ship sailed!
“All right, let’s put the shovels back and go…” As she prepared to drag the shovels back, a glint caught her eye. She squinted. Metal?
She bent over to dig the object out of the snow.
It was a ring, a pretty little thing: all sliver with a small diamond embedded in its centre, and gold streaks intertwining across the surface. Alina bent down to look and whistled in amazement behind her. “That looks expensive, I wonder who could’ve lost it here?”
Nina held it up, brushing away the snow that still stubbornly clung to the metal. In the clear light, it was even more beautiful.
“What do you think it’s for?” Nina said.
“Maybe a wedding ring? It looks too expensive to be just jewellery.”
“Aren’t wedding rings usually simpler?”
“True, maybe it’s an engagement ring? It must be expensive, maybe we can sell it…” Alina grinned at her knowingly.
“What!”
“Do you know how much we could buy with the money from selling this if it’s real silver and diamond?” A devious smile found its place on Alina’s face.
“Alina!”
“I was just joking.” Alina rolled her eyes at her. “We should hand it in. Nonna-san will know what to do. Where is she–”
A shadow fell over them both, blotting out the already pale winter sun. Nina looked back, to see the Vice-Commander towering over the both of them, her eyes as cold as ice.
“Vi-vi-vice-Commander! We found a lost ring! We were just about to –”
“Hand it to me, да.” Nonna plucked the ring from Nina’s palm, and it disappeared into the clutches of a clenched fist. “I shall take care of this yes. Thank you. Carry on comrades.”
And with that, Nonna disappeared as swiftly as she came.
“Speak of the devil, and she shall appear…” Alina muttered, making the sign of the cross as they watched her rapidly retreating form until she turned a corner and they could watch no longer. Nina sighed and walked towards the cafeteria, away from thoughts of rings and shovels and strange seniors and their mysterious ways.
“Practice over. Good work girls! See you tomorrow!” Their diminutive commander spoke, standing on a small wooden crate, Nonna beside her. The smell of dirt and oil permeated the air as it always did after practice. Katyusha was no different, being splattered with mud all over her tanker’s jacket.
“Yes, Commander!” A hundred voices replied in unison. Quickly, the girls broke ranks and filed hurriedly into the warm changing rooms for a shower and a change of dry clothes.
“Nina, Nina! What are you doing after practice?” Alina flung an arm over her shoulder as the rest of the first years quickly streamed into their section of the showers.
“Jeez, at least take your clothes off first.” Nina threw the offending limb off and slipped out of her uniform, throwing it into the team hamper in a heap with the rest.
“Come shopping with me, I need a new pillow for my bed, There’s also a new cake being released at the bakery today!”
“Cake?” Nina raised an eyebrow at the other first year, who had begun to take her muddy fatigues off.
She lunged forward to grab the other girl’s exposed stomach.
“Hey – hey! What are you doing!” Alina screamed panicked.
“You should be laying off the cake or you might look like one of those nesting dolls in the commander’s office,” Nina teased, tickling the other girl as Alina tried to shake her off. Alina stepped forward in a laughing fit before Nina realised what was going to happen.
“Hey Alina, stop! Wait! Watch out!” The two girls tumbled over, crashing into a bench; bags and winter coats flew out over the floor. They laid on the floor, groaning at their fall.
Alina got up, “Don’t tickle me like that again. You know I’m not good with that,” she complained.
Nina ignored her and dragged herself up: as if Alina didn’t do the same! As she began to rise, a polished shine caught Nina’s eye.
“Hey Alina, isn’t that…” The ring they found in the snow stared accusingly at them.
“What are you –” Alina was staring at the floor, nursing her wrist.
“That’s the ring right?”
“Eep!”
“Alina?”
“Keep your voice down!” Alina hissed, looking back and forth frantically, grabbing the coat that fell with them, rushing to stuff the strewn about items that fell out with their fall back into its pockets. She shoved a small object into Nina’s hands.
“Wait why –” Nina’s voice died in her throat as she looked at what Alina handed her. It was the Vice-Commander’s phone. It was her belongings they tumbled over into! If she saw them with her things, she would have their heads!
As she panicked, she stared at the phone. Absentmindedly, Nina read the first message displayed on the notification screen: Meet me at the tea shop, Nonna-chan. Noon, on Saturday? Then we can talk about the big event. XXX”
“Wait, is the Vice-Commander–”
“I know! Hurry up and help me put back the Vice-Commander’s things! We can talk about it later,” Alina hissed again in a panic. “She’s going to be back from the showers any second now!” Nina dropped the phone and ring both back into one of the coat’s pockets as Alina rushed to place the bags back on the bench. That done, they rushed out of the changing room.
“Did you –” Alina panted out, wheezing as her breaths pooled and dissipated in the winter cold.
“Oh my God! The Vice-Commander! But who?”
“But the ring! It looked so expensive, do you think...” The girls looked at each other.
It is said that there is no terror greater than one dreamed from an uninformed mind. The horrors that lie beyond the veil of lack of knowledge, one’s imagination will fill the unknown with their worst nightmares.
“A Russian mob boss?”
“Compensated dating?” Alina shuddered, shaking her head. “No, surely Nonna-san wouldn’t do something like that!”
“She must be being coerced!”
“And they’re meeting up at the tea shop this Sunday! We have to tell the police! An underaged girl and an old man. That’s illegal! It has to be!” while beginning to dial numbers on her phone.
“Wait! We don’t know that yet! I say we follow Nonna-san and see what’s really going on. We can’t put her at risk!” Nina tried to grab the phone from her friend, which Alina dodged.
Alina considered her for a moment. “Fine. I hope Nonna-san doesn’t realise we saw.”
“Nina, stop putting your elbow on my head!” They were hidden behind an advertisement board. Perhaps maybe 20 paces ahead, Nonna marched through the streets of the shopping district. They had been following her for almost half an hour now, with no tea shop in sight. Wherever it was, Nonna seemed like she was decided on doing absolutely everything else first, something that made their surveillance exceedingly difficult, especially given their Vice-Commander’s tendency to take short-cuts that normal human beings would deem “impossible” due to the physical strain needed to utilise them.
“Sorry Alina, my arms are shaky when I use binoculars…”
“And I told you we didn’t need them!”
“Wait, the Vice-Commander’s going!”
Silently, they slowly followed the tall woman, hiding behind lamp posts and crowds.
They came to an old traditional style building: a single floor wooden shop, with hand-painted signs and paper doors.
At the last second, Nonna turned to look back. Nina flung herself behind a wall, dragging Alina with her in a rush.
She counted one second. Then another. Then a few more before she dared to peek around the wall. Nonna had turned her attention back to the shop, standing in front of it, looking down at her phone.
Alina peeked her head out as well. “Maybe she’s waiting for the man that sent the text.”
“Hey, I think someone’s coming out,” Nina whispered.
The door opened, revealing a boy, no older than maybe twelve.
“Nonna-chan! You came!” The boy smiled and grabbed her hand.
“My, how you’ve grown Junto-kun, let’s go in.” Nonna let herself be drawn into the shop as the boy led her inside by the hand. They disappeared behind the wooden doors.
The two girls looked at each other, mouths agape.
“What just happened?”
“Nina I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Nonna-san is a deviant?” Nina leaned against the wall for support.
“Wait, wait! Surely there’s a more reasonable explanation! A twelve-year-old can’t possibly buy a ring that nice!”
“You’re right! Even an adult would have trouble buying something like that!” Nina laughed weakly, waving the thought away limply.
“Yeah, you’d have to be a business tycoon!” Alina agreed.
“Wait. In the old days, wasn’t it common for girls to marry into wealthy merchant families?” They stared at each other “What if she’s marrying that boy for business reasons?”
“Surely…”
“Nonna-san no!” Nina wailed.
Alina started dialling on her phone with shaking hands.
“We have to contact the police. This is even worse! It’s illegal!”
Her finger hovered over the call button.
“I never thought Nonna-san was a cradle robber!” She shuddered. “This ends now!”
“Is this what they call a shouta-con?” Nina hugged herself rocking herself back and forth as if trying to shield herself from evil ideas.
“No, no. We must have misunderstood. Surely Nonna-san can’t stoop so low, even for money! She must be being blackmailed into this!”
“We should look inside.”
They walked in, and to their surprise, it was just a regular tea shop. They had expected the worst, but it was truly just a regular tea shop, with waitresses and walls lined with bags of tea, with customers sitting in individual rooms for peace and privacy. They thanked the waitress who showed them to their room as she left.
“I think I spotted Nonna-san in one of the rooms on the way in!” Nina whispered into Alina’s ear. “Let’s go!”
“Thank you for your sacrifice comrade.” Alina looked deadly serious, as if she was sending off a soldier on a suicide mission.
“Wait what!”
“We can’t both go.” Alina pointed out. “Someone has to stay here in case the waitress comes back. You go.”
“Alinaaaa!”
“Shhhh! You want them to hear us?” Nina continued silently fuming.
“What if Nonna-san catches me…” Nina protested weakly.
“She’d be more likely to catch us if we both went, and I don’t know where she is.” Alina smiled.
Nina threw her hands up in exasperation. “Fine!” she hissed. “Order me something nice will you?” she said as she slinked off into the hallway.
The teahouse was very pleasant, Nina thought now that she had a second to appreciate it. Far less foreboding than from the outside. It was in the traditional style, the kind she saw on TV in period dramas set in Japan before modernisation; with bracketed paper walls and glossy wooden floors, warm lights and the click-clack of the wooden geta shoes worn by all the guests and waitresses walking back and forth carrying trays of cups and flat iron teapots. The biggest challenge was moving slowly so that her own footsteps wouldn’t be heard from afar. Glancing at the rooms she walked past filled to the brim with stern-looking businessmen and women wearing expensive dresses and fine-looking kimonos, she was already dreading the bill of whatever Alina ordered.
She slowly approached the room she spied Nonna in earlier, hoping the Vice-Commander’s ability to materialise out of seemingly nowhere did not manifest now. Thankfully, there was a small opening from the door being left just so-little open. She checked the hallway and then peered in carefully.
First, she saw Nonna-san, and the boy from earlier, sitting on her lap. Her stomach dropped at the sight. She stepped back, taking another deep breath. Surely this could still be a misunderstanding.
She heard a third voice. She put an ear nearer the door, but she was only able to catch words here and there without exposing herself.
“Nonna-chan…” the voice said.
“I’ll… the wedding.” Wedding?
“I hope...”, something she couldn’t catch.
“…take care of you.” Care of Nonna-san?
She peered in once more, this time from another angle hoping to the speaker. She had to hold a hand up to her mouth to stop the “eep” from escaping.
Across from Nonna and the boy, sat a man in a suit. He looked old, old enough to be her grandfather, with a long white beard. He seemed to be a foreigner, but she couldn’t tell where from. The writing on his briefcase was… Cyrillic? A wedding?
The pieces clicked together in her head. Nina screamed silently. Nonna-san was marrying this old man!
She hurried back to her and Alina’s room. It was now or never!
Now could come after never though, she thought, once the scent of rich green tea filled her senses as she made it back to their room. She regretted looking at the bill though. It almost gave her a grey hair.
It had been two days since the teahouse. Nina was still in shock. Marrying for money. That didn’t seem like Nonna-san! What was happening? Was she in trouble with the Russian mob? Just the thought of it made her squirm uncomfortably.
“Hey Nina,” Alina greeted her as they walked up to the club room. It was just the juniors on club duty today, submitting reports on the tank conditions. At least that would give them some reprieve from thinking about Nonna-san and her predicament.
“Hi Alina,” Nina gave a half-hearted wave at her approaching friend. She was already exhausted from classes all day. Tank reports were going to be hellish.
“Want to hit up the arcade after this?” Alina asked with a sly grin, “guess who won this,” she held up a stack of tokens, “from betting on the latest university Senshado match!”
“You really shouldn’t be doing that,” she shook her head, “what if you lose?”
“I have a nose for these things,” Alina smiled unfalteringly as they walked into the club office. “With people who don’t even do Senshado, it’s practically taking money off their hands!”
“Sigh. Hubris before the fall Alina.” She rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m going to pass. I just want to sleep after all this paperwork. Classes were so long today.” She stretched her arms until a satisfying click was heard.
“Good evening comrades.” Nonna strode into the office.
They instinctively straightened up and stood to attention. “Good evening Vice-Commander!”
Nonna didn’t pay them any more mind as made her way to a stack of documents and began sorting them out. The atmosphere in the room was always suffocatingly cold whenever the Vice-Commander was in the room. Even if it was Commander Katyusha did, they felt free to talk and she wouldn’t admonish you unless you were annoying her, but with the Vice-Commander, it felt like the winter itself was breathing chills down your back, ready to take you away if you so much as spoke out of line.
They looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to get their reports done as quick as they could. It was too awkward with Nonna-san here. Unfortunately. The papers they needed were by where Nonna-san was doing work. Resolving themselves, they walked up to the shelf by the Vice-Commander.
One. Two. Three. Four. Nina counted the steps she took towards the table as if they were a lifeline.
Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. She reached behind Nonna-san, daring to peep over the shoulder of the older girl. Requisition forms, the usual.
However, she noticed a dark mark on Nonna-san’s neck. It was quite light, only slightly darker than Nonna-san’s porcelain skin. Makeup?
“Nina, why did you stop…” Alina trailed off as she followed Nina’s gaze. She let out a quiet “Eep!” and pushed Nina forward. The two took the papers and then walked out of the office as calmly as they could.
Once they got to the hallway, they ran until their legs gave out.
“Was that…” Nina stared at her friend.
“Yes! That was a hickey right?!” Alina blushed. “No doubt about it!”
“Wait, maybe a fly bit Nonna-san…” Nina weakly protested.
“It’s against school rules for girls to be involved in naughty things like that!” Alina continued, ignoring her. “If word of this gets out…! We have to help Nonna-san! We can’t let her get married to that dirty looking old man, or that kid!”
“If the school finds out… The whole team could get in trouble!” Nina realised.
“This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!” We have to tell Katyusha-san!” Nina heard her heartbeat rise in worry just from the thought.
“Tell Katyusha what comrades?” A voice spoke, freezing the two with its natural icy melody.
Like a giant, Nonna stood over them, her eyes unamused and bored as usual, as if they were nought but insects, mildly interesting, but to be crushed mercilessly all the same. Nina could feel her throat run dry in an instant. If Nonna-san was asking.., maybe she didn’t hear their conversation? She felt a spark of hope. But what if Nonna-san had heard everything, and this was a test. That was it. The walls were thin and would’ve easily carried their conversation five, ten meters. This was a test to see if they would lie. Perhaps if they were honest, their punishment would be lessened. But what about the team. And then Alina. It was the prisoner’s dilemma, with Nonna-san being the cold judge, jury and executioner.
But they couldn’t let her do this. Not when it affected everyone on the team, and Nonna-san herself.
Nina swore silently in her head, hoping Alina could follow her lead.
“Nothing!” Alina blurted out before she could speak.
“… Yes! Nothing at all comrade Nonna!” she affirmed.
“Hmmm. I see comrades.” Nonna-san seemed… unbothered by their answer? “Please, hand in your reports as soon as you as you, the maintenance teams will be arriving first thing tomorrow.”
“Yes, comrade Nonna!” They chorused in unison.
They watched as the woman walked away. As she watched her shrinking form, there was something Nina couldn’t quite put a finger on. There was almost a… looseness to Nonna-san’s gait. Almost as if she was… skipping? No, that was insane. This was Nonna-san she was talking about! The silent, strong, graceful Nonna-san! Why would Nonna-san be happy?
Unless… No, Nina thought in despair, she was looking forward to marrying that old man? Did he win her over with expensive gifts like that ring? If so… Nonna-san was truly sick and more twisted than she had ever possible! She needed help to break free! She shuddered at the thought.
She heard Alina let out a sigh of relief. “That was a close one. Do you think she heard?”
“I don’t know.” She fingered the hem of her skirt uncomfortably.
“We. Need. To. Talk. To. Katyusha-san!” Alina punctuated every word. “This could ruin the school’s reputation if the Vice-Commander of the Senshado team was caught in a dodgy affair!”
“No disagreements there.” Nina agreed. “Let’s hope Nonna-san doesn’t burst through the ceiling while we’re talking.”
Alina looked through the binoculars. “Nonna-san’s gone to the teachers’ lounge. This is our chance, to tell the Commander alone. Let’s go!”
They ran as quick as they could, out the bushes, through the vast corridors, until they reached their destination.
“Commander Katyusha!” The two girls burst into the office, where their commander was usually found under practice.
“Nina? Alina? What is it? You better have an excuse for waking me from my nap!” Katyusha rose from her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Nonna-san! We think she’s doing bad things!”
“Illegal things! She has a ring and is going to marry a Russian gangster and does things with young boys and old men and she has an engagement ring and the wedding is going to be soon! We must help her Commander Katyusha!” She blathered it all out.
“What are you talking about?” Katyusha stretched, still sleepy.
“We found a ring in the snow, and we think it’s an engagement ring! And it was Nonna-san’s! And we followed her to a creepy old shop where she was meeting young boys and old men and we saw a hickey on her neck and…!”
“A hickey!?” Katyusha immediately blushed. “How do you know of this?”
“We saw it on her neck before practice! It was on her neck…!”
“Ok ok! No need for details!” Katyusha raised her hands trying to shake the blush forming on her cheeks away.
“We felt like this could impact the entire team Commander! We must do something or the entire Senshado team might be shut down from the Vice-Commander’s dodgy activities!”
“Wait, did you say Nonna was to be married to a gangster or an old man?”
“Yes, Commander Katyusha! We’re certain she’s being blackmailed into marriage!”
“Well,” Katyusha said, clearing her throat behind a closed fist. “It’d be quite worrying if she was marrying a Russian gangster, or a young child, or an old man.” She held up her left hand. “Given that Katyusha is none of those things.”
On her ring finger, was… a ring. An exact copy as the one that the one they found in the snow that day.
“Nina. Alina. What are you doing here?” They turned behind them. Nonna stood over them.
“Eep!”
“There seems to be some misunderstanding Nonna. They think you’re marrying a Russian gangster.” Katyusha said with a smirk.
Nonna raised a singular eyebrow. “But I am marrying Katyusha, and Katyusha is no Russian gangster.”
Katyusha laughed at the two juniors who looked back and forth frantically at the two with their mouths agape. They looked back at Nonna and saw the ring on her ring finger also.
“Jeez, I didn’t want to let people know this early, but yes. We’re getting married! Consider yourself lucky you’ll be invited! I’ll even let you off with chauffeuring only the first half of the ceremony!” Katyusha made a grandiose gesture of spreading her arms out, like an eagle taking flight.
“Katyusha’s dress will be the prettiest comrades, you’ll see!” The little woman proudly boasted.
“Of course Katyusha,” Nonna replied smiling.
The diminutive Commander stopped and cleared her throat into her hand, cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment.
“Prettiest after Nonna’s of course.”
Nina furrowed her brows in confusion. “But the ring?”
“Yes, those were Katyusha’s grandmother’s rings! Family heirlooms that have been passed down 6 generations! Nonna was worried sick that she lost it. Thank you for finding it, comrades!”
“Indeed. Apologies for being curt that day comrade Nina, Alina. I was distressed at the thought of losing Katyusha’s present. You have my sincere thanks.”
And then she bowed to them. Then the Commander, the ever boisterous and proud Katyusha who ruled Pravda with an iron fist, followed.
“What’s happening?” Alina whispered to her as the third years continued to bow.
“I’m not sure…”
Many years later, Nina would swear that in all her years of knowing “Nonna the Blizzard”, she who brought the winter storm with her, she had only seen her smile perhaps a handful of times, and even then, the smiles were underwrit with the unspoken threat of punishment if her good mood was so soured.
On her wedding day, it seemed like Nonna-san couldn’t stop smiling, and her smiles had the warmth of the summer sun.