Page 20 of Dark Ink

She shakes her head. “I grew up in the Light Village.”

“Okay. I can take you to the children tomorrow.”

She shakes her head again. “No. Take me to the woman you were with.”

“Tanya? Do you know her?” I can’t hide the surprise from my voice.

“No, but it feels like I should. She seems to be like me.”

“I don’t think she’s from the… Light Village.” I scratch my neck. Maybe I should call Tanya now and be done with this strange interaction.

“Can you order her to come here from the light plate?” Jenya asks.

I blink a few times as I process her question. She’s staring at my phone.

“No, I can’t order anyone to do anything,” I say. “I can only ask her. This is a phone.”

I show her how I go through my contacts and press Tanya’s name. I put the call on speaker and when it rings, Jenya flinches. Has she never seen a phone?

“What are these symbols?” She points to the screen.

“It’s Tanya’s name. Can’t you read it?” I reply as the phone keeps ringing. Without me noticing, my stomach has knotted in a ball of anxiety. I desperately want to not be here, doing any of this.

“I can read these, T, A. Then after, I can’t. Is this how you write in the holy language?”

The call disconnects and I’m left in the quiet to process two very different and equally confusing things. First, what the hell is Jenya on about? And second, has Tanya turned off her voicemail? Is she ignoring me?

“Okay, she’s not responding. I’ll find you a place to sleep and I’ll collect you in the morning.” I start walking toward the city. Jenya follows me, keeping a few steps behind me.

When we reach a respectable four-star hotel, I stop in front of the revolving door. I look over Jenya’s tattered clothes and sunken face. I don’t have cash on me, so I can’t simply give her money and send her inside.

“Are we going in?” she asks after I spend too long staring at the hotel sign.

“Yes. I will get you a room. You had a bed in your village, right?” I scratch my head.

She looks at me with open disgust. “Of course I had a bed. What kind of life do you think I led? Just because it was a different world, doesn’t mean I’m not a human like you.”

Strange outburst, but okay.

“Is the woman from before here?” she asks as I’m about to step in the door.

“No. You’ll have to sleep here and I will come to you in the morning.”

Jenya’s eyes widen. “Oh. No.No.You’re not leaving me here. I’m not that stupid. Now that I have you to guide me through this world, I’m not letting go until you tell me everything and take me to that woman.”

I stare at her, my mouth open. Then I look up at the starless sky and sigh in exasperation.

“Well, then I would have to take you home. But it’s not appropriate.” I take my phone out and dial Tanya again. The line rings and disconnects after two dial tones. She doesn’t want to talk to me. But boy, is she in for a big surprise tomorrow.

“Why? Do you not have a bed in your home?”

I’m starting to dread Jenya’s open-eyed stare.

“Precisely because of that,” I mumble. “You’re a child and I don’t take children home.”

“I’m not a child,” she says, obviously offended. “If you didn’t burn my village and scare Koschei away, I would have been immortal soon.”

I’m too tired for this cult shit. “Okay. Whatever you say. Let’s go, then.”

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