Page 1 of Shadows of the Past
Chapter 1
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Maksim
The first snowflake lands on my forehead, but what hits me first is the cold.Why is it so cold?
On the first snow, the caretakers let us go outside to play. There are over ten children in the yard, all boys, running and having snowball fights. We're poorly dressed for this weather, my pants stiff as cardboard from the cold, but at least I have them, so I can’t complain.
The orphanage is located somewhere near Moscow and consists of two buildings. The main one is the house of a former baron who was executed, and the second structure is an annex where firewood and canned food are kept.
Among the shouts and laughter, I look at each child individually. I know I'm different. At least that's what Ms. Maria, who prepares our meals from Monday to Friday, has always told me.
One of the caretakers comes toward me, and I know something's wrong. She doesn't normally have that sympathetic look in her eyes that she has now, especially when it comes to me.
"Maksim, there's a gentleman here who wants to talk to you. He wants to adopt you."
I barely register those last words because...adoption? Me?
I'm the problem child. I'm the one who fights for a piece of pie and doesn't interact with the other children. Nobody has wanted me before now. But I don’t voice my thoughts, I don't say anything, just follow her.
Ms. Polina guides me to her office, and when we enter, the smell of cologne almost makes me cough. It's a strong, masculine scent, like a mixture of soap, smoke, and mint all combined, and I decide in that moment that I hate it.
A man in his fifties inspects me as soon as I enter. He's tall, definitely taller than Ms. Polina, has a slight belly, and a thick mustache covers half his face. When my gaze reaches his eyes, I feel something in my chest. Something I’m not very familiar with.Fear.
His eyes are gray, similar to mine, but there’s no light in them. As if there's nothing behind them. He wrinkles his pointed nose when he sees me.
"Am I to understand you don't feed them here?" he says sharply to Ms. Polina.
"Oh no. Maksim is just picky with food," she responds.
I'm not picky, but I keep my mouth shut. The punishment for speaking over Ms. Polina is exactly that, going without food. That's one of the reasons I'm not as well-built as the other boys my age. I've spoken over her many times.
"Hmm," is all the gentleman says as he approaches, and I stiffen when I see him looking at me, searching for every flaw I have.
It's the same look many couples have given me when they were considering adopting me. In the end, their calculations didn't work in my favor.
"I'll take him." The words are final, and Ms. Polina gasps.
"What wonderful news. Maksim, aren't you going to thank Mr. Rastovski?" she asks, and it takes me a few moments to find my voice.
I raise my head and mumble quietly, "Thank you, Mr. Rastovski."
That was the moment I thanked the devil for dragging me to hell.
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Chapter 2
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Julia
Dios mio, it's scorching today.Puerto Vallarta in September might as well be an oven. Even the ocean breeze surrenders to the relentless heat that's gripped us this past month.
High school ended early today when one of the teachers had an emergency, so now I'm trying not to melt into the bus seat on my way home.
My parents aren't exactly swimming in money, but our three-bedroom house outside town gives me and my little sisters, Amalia and Lupe, enough space to breathe. Well, most of the time, anyway. When they're home, they might as well be attached to my hip.
