Kheda glanced at Lylya and slowly released her grip on the package.
The Cossack reached and pulled it open. "Look," he said, "it’s meat." He pulled an unlabeled tin can out of the package, lifted a key looking apparatus off the top and used it to pry a small piece of metal away from the can. Finally, he inserted the piece of metal into a small slit in the key and began unwinding a band of metal from the side of the can. The smell of meat filled the vast cab of the car. Lylya’s mouth instantly watered. They hadn’t eaten… really eaten, since they left Grozny.
She turned and looked at Kheda who was looking back at her.
"Very well," the Cossack said. "If you don’t want it, I’ll just give it back to the—"
Kheda quickly reached for the can, initiating another round of laughter. She pulled the can away and began pushing her small hand into it, pulling loads of meat out and shoving it into her mouth.
Lylya snatched her can of meat from her own package and began fumbling with the key attached to the top.
The Cossack pulled the can away. "Like this," he said, popping the key off the can. He deftly opened the can and handed it back to Lylya. Soon the two little girls were gulping down mouthfuls of delicious meat.
The Cossack banged on the car window before returning his attention to the children. "Do you girls like Coca-Cola?"
The girls looked up in unison. Lylya had only tasted Coca-Cola once in her life, when her father had returned from Moscow. She very much wanted a Coca-Cola. She could tell that Kheda wanted one too.
A soldier moved to the window. The Cossack rolled it down and spoke in Russian to the soldier. The soldier pulled to attention and disappeared. Soon he returned with two cans of Coca-Cola and pushed it into the open window. The Cossack opened each can and relayed them to the little girls one by one. Lylya quickly took a gulp of the cool liquid but she had forgotten about the carbonation. She coughed and spit the liquid onto the floor.
The Cossack gasped. "You stupid little girl! This is how you repay me?" He pulled his hand up in position for a sound slap.
The little girls screamed in unison.
The Cossack hesitated and smiled. "Oh well, no harm done. Drink it slowly. Not too much at a time."
The little girls stared back.
"Well go on!" the Cossack shouted. "Eat your food!"
The girls obediently returned to their cans of meat.
The Cossack turned and yelled at the driver who had been sitting in the driver’s seat. "Go!"
The car began pulling away through the milling crowd. Lylya and Kheda exchanged nervous glances. Kheda turned back and spoke to the Cossack."Where are we going?"
"You have no parents, do you?"
"No," Kheda said. "You killed them."
Lylya elbowed Kheda again, pulling Kheda’s eyes towards her.
The Cossack grinned. "If you have no parents you must go to an orphanage where you can be taken care of. We can’t allow little girls like you to wander the countryside alone, now can we?" He leaned forward and cupped Lylya’s face in his hand. "Has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?"
Lylya instinctively pulled away.
The Cossack drew his lips into a strange, ugly smile. "Well they are pretty," he said softly.
The car left the teeming crowd behind them and began moving back towards the village of Chiri-yurt. Soon they were traveling past bombed out buildings, schools, neighborhoods, stores and even hospitals, each folding in on themselves like abandoned sand castles.
The car began to slow as it approached an official looking building and pulled into the parking area. As the car glided to a stop two uniformed men approached, opened the door and unceremoniously pulled the two little girls out of the car.
"Take them to Dasha!" the Cossack who had been sitting across from them ordered.
The two uniformed men, each still holding the arm of one of the girls began pulling them towards the building.
~~~
The room appeared to have been a library of sorts. Heavy wooden shelves lined the dark walls, evidence of books that had been removed. Lylya guessed they were in one of many such rooms in what was once a grand school, perhaps even a university.
The two little girls had been pulled there by the two men in uniform, shoved to a corner of the room and dropped to the floor like baggage. Around them, six other girls looked back at them with the same bewildered expression. Within moments the eyes fell away and the children seemed to disappear into their own thoughts.
One older girl sat methodically working at making braids of a younger girl’s long blond hair. She looked at them for a time, her eyes completely devoid of emotion and went back to the smaller child’s hair.
"Where are we?" Kheda said, the sound of her voice echoing off the bare walls.
The older girl glanced up. "Shh… be quiet or Dasha will come."
Kheda glanced at Lylya and quietly scanned the room. "Is this an orphanage?"
"Shh," two other girls hissed in unison.
"Come over here if you must talk," the older girl said softly. "Stop yelling whatever you do." She motioned for Kheda to sit next to her.
Kheda glanced at Lylya and both girls scooted across the room till they were sitting close to the older girl.
"Where are we?" Kheda said. "Is this an orphanage?"
The older girl considered them momentarily and returned her attention to the braids."Don’t know. We’ve only been here a few days. This is my sister Natalya."
The little girl sporting the braids glanced up at them and smiled softly.
They fell silent for a time. "I don’t think it’s an orphanage," the older girl said finally. "If it’s an orphanage, it’s not like any orphanage I’ve ever heard of. Here you have to do as you are told… for the men."
Lylya pulled her eyebrows together."What men?"
"The men.…They come. They come drunk and we do as they say."
Kheda’s face twisted in horror. "What do they say?"
"What do you think?" the older girl said, returning to the task of braiding her sister’s hair.
Kheda yelped and jumped to her feet.
"Shh!" the girls hissed in unison.
Kheda pulled Lylya up from the floor. "We have to leave! We have to get out of here!"
The two girls leapt for the door only to find it locked. Kheda began banging on the door, bringing the other girls bolt upright onto their feet.
The other girls scrambled towards Kheda and began pulling both Kheda and Lylya away from the door. "Shut up, you foolish little imp!" the older girl breathed, shaking Kheda’s shoulders. "You’re going to get us all—"
Rattling keys sounded at the door interrupting the older girl. She pushed Kheda away and scrambled back to her place, pulling her little sister behind her.
A large, round faced woman appeared at the door. She was carrying a small bat in her hand.
"We want to go!" Kheda shouted defiantly.
The woman moved to her and began pummeling her on the back and arms with the bat. "Get back!" she yelled. "Get back to your place and sit down!"
Kheda threw her arms in the air trying to protect herself, but the bat kept pounding.
One hand flew up and caught the round faced intruder directly under the nose. She reeled back and squawked. The bat came down on top of Kheda’s head, sending her crumpling to the floor. Lylya screamed and threw her body over Kheda. The bat continued to crash down on Lylya’s arms and back until the round face woman slowed and stood over them puffing. She pointed the bat at Lylya, its blunt end rolling around like a protruding oar. "You two sit in your place!" she growled between gasps.
She slowly scanned the other girls whose panicked eyes fell away, turned, waddled to the door and pulled it closed behind her. Keys rattled in the lock and quieted. Only the sounds of Lylya's convulsive sobbing remained.
~~~
Kheda had only regained consciousness for a few moments before slipping away again. Lylya had been crying throughout the night. None
of the other girls seemed concerned.
Toward morning, the round faced woman entered the room. She passed sandwiches around, which were quickly retrieved from her hand. She had tried to offer Lylya a sandwich, but Lylya refused to even acknowledge her; even when she pushed her away and began examining Kheda who was lying motionless on Lylya’s lap.
The woman stood for a time looking down at Kheda. Finally she tossed a sandwich next to Lylya, lifted the sandwich meant for Kheda and took a bite. She grunted, shook her head and unceremoniously left locking the door behind her.
Lylya gently stroked Kheda’s hair. "Kheda," she whispered, "you have to wake up. I don’t know what to do. You always know what to do." Lylya rolled her hand over Kheda’s forehead. She was so hot.
Sometimes she would shake and her eyes would roll around in her head. Lylya had managed to remove most of Kheda’s clothes. She sat gently blowing on Kheda’s face, trying desperately to cool her.
Kheda’s eyes fluttered and slowly opened. She smiled up at Lylya sweetly.
"Oh Kheda," Lylya said gasping. "I thought you were gone. I thought I was alone." She began sobbing, gently rocking Kheda.
"I was…gone," Kheda said. "It is… It is wonderful."
"Thank Allah that you have come back to me," Lylya cried. "Thank Allah."
"No," Kheda said, "you don’t understand. I must go back."
Lylya lifted her hands to her face and wiped the tears away…."What?"
"I only returned to tell you a secret."
Lylya looked down at Kheda and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She pushed the palm of her right hand against her mouth, swiped the fingers of her left hand across her throat."Upon payment of death," she said.
"I know who you are," Kheda said, smiling to the point of nearly chuckling.
Lylya pulled back alarmed. "Of course… Kheda, it’s me. Don’t you know me?"
Kheda slowly lifted her hand and shook her head. "I know, Lylya; I know who you are. It’s just that…now I really know who you are… but you mustn’t tell."
"No, no," Lylya said, "upon payment—"
"Listen to me," Kheda interrupted. "You are Imam Mahdi." She paused and nodded, tears filling her eyes. "Yes… yes you are." She pulled her face closer to Lylya. "You are… Elijah."
The lock on the door began to rattle. Kheda glanced at the door and back up at Lylya’s face. "It’s okay," she said, still smiling sweetly. "You’ll see. Everything is going to be okay."
The door opened and the round faced woman moved into the room followed closely by the two uniformed men who had brought Lylya and Kheda. The men moved directly to them and pulled Kheda up from the floor amid Lylya’s screams.
"Take her!" the round faced women hollered over the screaming.
The two men in uniform pulled Kheda from the floor and moved to the door. Lylya jumped to her feet, leapt after them, took hold of Kheda’s legs and began pulling. The round faced woman wrapped her beefy arms around Lylya’s waist and violently jerked her away from Kheda. Lylya fell to the floor screaming. She looked up through her tears and locked eyes with her cousin. It would be the last time.
Kheda was smiling.
~~~
Lylya had neither seen nor heard anyone from the other side of the door since Kheda had been ripped out of her arms and dragged from the room. She had spent the entire evening huddled in a corner sobbing.
She glanced around the small room at the other children. Everyone had managed to find a place to sleep. Some had taken off articles of clothing and made pillows. Others were simply lying on the hard carpeted floor. She noticed that the older girl who had been braiding the younger girl’s hair was awake and staring back at her from across the room. "What will they do with us?" Lylya whispered as loud as she dared.
"Shh," the older girl said. She looked down, gently pulled an arm from beneath the younger girl’s head and quietly scooted towards Lylya. "We are to be taken to America," she said as soon as she was within earshot. "We are prostitutes."
Lylya recoiled. "I… I am no prostitute!"
"Oh, but you are," the older girl said. "You are a prostitute and the sooner you understand that, the better off you will be."
"They can’t make you—"
The girl snorted. "They can, and they did. If you try to resist them, they will kill you. We are Chechen. What can we do?”
"I will not … do that," Lylya said. "I would rather die."
The older girl shrugged, "If that is your choice."
She reached and fingered the crusty uneaten sandwich Lylya had left on the floor in front of her. "Will you not be eating this then?"
Lylya shook her head and looked away.
The older girl voraciously wolfed half the sandwich down and pushed the rest into her loose-fitting clothing.
"My sister and I have been with them a month," she said, "well, not here. Other places too. We have been with men. Even Aamnat and she’s only seven." She gestured at one of the smallest girls curled up on the floor in front of the doorway. "It’s not so bad. Just pretend you are somewhere else. It could be worse. Dasha, the fat woman who killed your friend—"
Lylya interrupted the older girl’s rambling with a loud sob. The older girl waited for Lylya to calm herself and continued. "Dasha said we are lucky. Some of the girls are going to Moscow… Siberia even… but we are being sent to America."
"America is gone," Lylya said. "No one lives there anymore."
The older girl apathetically glanced around the floor for dropped crumbs."No, people still live there. It’s just not America…not really. But I want to see it just the same."
"I want to go home," Lylya said, her voice cracking. "That’s the only place I want to go."
"Hmm," the older girl said, pushing a crumb into her mouth, "if you had a home to go to you wouldn’t be here."
Lylya sat quietly for a time. "I did have a home," she said finally. "I had a fine home, but the Cossacks killed everyone… even Kheda." Her voice broke away into another fit of sobbing. "Kheda always knew what to do," she moaned.
"Well," the older girl said, "not always. She chose wrong last night. That’s why she’s dead."
Lylya flashed a grimace at the older girl and quickly scooted away from her.
The older girl studied Lylya from a distance before sliding next to her. "Where is home?" she asked.
Lylya sniffed, wiped her nose with the back of her hand and dropped it heavily to the floor. "Grozny, neighborhood number one."
"We lived in Dagestan. They killed us too. They killed everyone. When we get to America we will run away. We’ll find a city with lots of American food and tee shirts. I want a musical iPod. Do you think they still have music in America?"
Lylya sat silent, staring away from the older girl. "I had a trinkie," she said softly. "It was American."
"What is a trinkie?" the older girl asked.
Lylya sniffed. "It’s a… cake. A little cake only round like…fingers."
"Was it good?"
"Delicious," Lylya said. "It was… full of… white cream."
The older girl shuffled her legs beneath her."Sounds delicious."
The girls fell into silence for a time.
"Why America?" Lylya said finally.
The older girl shrugged. "Someone is paying for us, I guess."
Lylya glared at her. "How could you be so…." Her voice trailed off.
The older girl pulled a spindly knee up to her chest. "The sooner you know you’re a prostitute, the better off you’ll be," she said, softly rocking to a rhythm Lylya couldn’t hear.
~~~
"I’ll see you first thing tomorrow morning," Todd said, waving. He stood on his front porch, his arm perched over Maria’s shoulders. He and Maria stood watching Louis and Gladys wave back and disappear into the cold, clear night.
"You’re leaving again tomorrow morning?" Maria asked.
"Gladys and I are helping Bob Tanner with Vicki. We have to transport her to Salt Lake. It won’t take much."<
br />
Maria looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Nigel and I are going up to check the cabins again in the morning and… I may be a little late and… I may miss you, so… I guess we’d better get started sleeping right away."
Todd glanced down at her and grinned."Race you to the bedroom."
Maria had already passed him by. Todd whirled and dodged the door she had flung open, closed it behind him and caught up with her half way through the living room. He snatched her by the waist, pulled her behind him and raced past her. She floundered, squealed and giggled, then caught up with him in the hall. She wrapped her arms around him as they came to a stop at the bedroom door.
"Shh, quiet, quiet," she said, holding a finger to her lips. "We’ll wake the baby."
Todd took her by the hands and led her to the bed. She sat down and Todd gently pulled her winter cap off, allowing her ebony hair to fall away. Her green eyes glistened in the soft yellow light of the bedroom fireplace.
He hesitated and slowly shook his head. "My God, Maria, I can’t keep from saying it. You’re just so… beautiful."
She reached out and pulled his coat zipper down, lifted his heavy parka off him and tossed it onto the lounge chair by the bed. She dropped her arms to her side as Todd slowly unbuttoned her coat. He pulled the coat away and she moved forward, tenderly kissing his lips. She put her soft hands to his face and slowly backed away, finished pulling her coat off and dropped it to the floor. Todd put his hands on her shoulders, gently laid her back on the bed and started unbuttoning her shirt.
A rustling sound came from the loft over the living room. It was followed by a high pitched wail.
"No, no, NO!" Maria moaned.
Chapter_Three
One Month Later
It began with seven little girls in the back of a semi-truck trailer, a week’s agonizing ordeal in the hull of a cargo ship, and finally a cold but short ride by airplane to a place of unimaginable horror.
The six girls who had survived the journey were bunked together in a single fifteen square foot bedroom of a house in the center of an abandoned subdivision somewhere near San Francisco, California.
Johnson, C. W. Page 7
