Christina pulled the pillow off her head and squinted as the morning sunlight flared in her eyes. She sat up and checked the clock- 6 AM. Perfect, she thought. Andrei wasn't getting away today.

        She threw off her covers and leaped to her feet. Not even bothering with a robe, she strode through the hallway in her nightshirt. Andrei's door was closed. She stood impatiently in front of his door and tapped on it gently. When that elicited no response, she knocked harder. After a few minutes, she conceded that Andrei was either asleep or already gone. She opened the door and poked her head into the dark room. The shades were drawn tightly, blocking out any trace of daylight.

        "Andrei?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

        Christina flipped on the light switch and saw that Andrei's room had reverted to its messy state. There were piles of clothes on the floor, drawers hanging half open, and there were empty soda cans littered around a nearly empty wastebasket. The bed was a tangled mess of sheets and blankets, and it looked as though Andrei had vacated it some time earlier that morning.

        It was already Thursday. Christina had only three more days before Christmas. Frowning, she sat on the edge of Andrei's disheveled bed.

        There was a new picture on his nightstand. It was a snapshot of Andrei and Steph sitting in a booth at the diner. Steph's arms were draped around Andrei's broad shoulders and she was kissing him on the cheek. Christina picked up the picture and held it in her hands. She noticed that the picture of her and Andrei was still on the stand, but it had been moved to the back, against the wall. She put Steph's picture back where it had been and left the room. She knew she shouldn't feel jealous, but she felt genuinely hurt to be so easily replaced. Granted, she was happier with Andrei's sexual attention placed elsewhere, but she missed him.

        Leaving Andrei's bedroom, Christina considered an attempt to rearrange anything she might have displaced to hide her intrusion. Given the state of the room, she couldn't imagine that her cousin would notice any difference. Having no other option, she shuffled moodily into the bathroom to start her day. After a quick shower, she returned to her room and dried her hair. She slipped on a simple pair of cotton panties, a bra, her tight cincher, a pair of jeans, and a plain top under a striped turtleneck. As she pulled the sweater over her head, her necklace got caught in the fabric. For the first time that morning, she had to slow down. She meticulously worked the gear free from the tangle as to not ruin the garment. Once untangled, she gave the gear a squeeze and dropped it under the sweater. Her makeup took only fifteen minutes. Gone was the clumsy girl that had first learned about makeup nearly a year ago.

        Looking back at the clock, she saw that it was almost eight. Still too early to call anyone, she thought. Unwilling to sit still, she threw on her new coat and stepped into her low heeled boots. Descending the stairs, she went out through the front door. The sky was thick with clouds, which had covered the ground with a gentle dusting of snow. The cold air bit at her cheeks and nose as she walked around the house and down the driveway. She noticed the old green pickup was not there; her uncle must be at the store and Andrei was probably long gone.

        Christina made her way to the barn and pushed against the door. It was stuck; it looked as though the hinges were frozen. She pushed as hard as she could, but it was no use. Christina threw herself into the door two times, and it finally yielded.

        The barn looked deserted. All of Andrei's projects were collected into the far corner and covered with tarps. Christina didn't know whether this was because Andrei had shut down for the winter or that he'd put everything on hold to spend time with Steph.

        Feeling a palpable sense of defeat, Christina meandered around the barn aimlessly, then went back into the house through the side door.

        "Christina," her aunt said as she peered into the oven to check the biscuits. "What are you doing up so early?"

        "Nothing," Christina said dejectedly as she sat at the table. "I was just hoping to catch Andrei before he disappeared."

        "He has been spending a lot of time with Stephanie. That is how young men act when they are in love."

        "I know. And I'm happy for him, really. It's just that I've been here almost a week, and I've hardly seen him."

        Misha sat at the table with her niece and consoled her. "We will all be together on Christmas."

        "Yeah, but then I'll be out of time."

        "Tina sweetheart, you are always talking about time. Running out of time. Never enough time. Really dear, you are young. You have all the time in the world."

        Christina sighed and leaned over the table, resting her chin in her hands. "Aunt Misha, things are different back home. After New Year's I'm not going to be able to visit ..." She couldn't bear to say "anymore," especially with the concerned look on her aunt's face. She continued, "... as much as I would like to. There's things I want to get done before that happens."

        "If this is about how your uncle spoke to you, I promise you that-"

        "No ... no" Christina interrupted. "It's just how things are. There's nothing I can do about it. It's just that I wanted to have this perfect Christmas to remember forever."

        "Do not worry Tina, I will talk to your cousin tonight." Misha noticed that her words did little to cheer her niece up.

        Christina stood, saying, "I have to go make some phone calls."

        "Don't be too long dear, breakfast is almost ready."

        "I'm sorry," She shrugged, "I'm just not hungry."

        Christina dragged herself back up to her room and closed the door. She reached into her purse to retrieve her cell phone. Before she finished dialing Steph's number, she remembered her service was disconnected. She shoved the phone back into her purse and crept down the hallway to Nina's room. Cracking the door open, she whispered, "Nina?" Christina saw that her younger cousin was still asleep; she couldn't use the phone in her room.

        Christina sneaked into the living room and sat on the couch. Peering into the kitchen, Christina saw that Misha was too busy tending to breakfast to notice what she was up to. Christina picked up the phone and dialed the number for Steph's salon.

        Steph picked up and said, "It's your dime- what's up?"

        "Hey Steph," Christina whispered. "Is Andrei there?"

        "Yes he is, thank you very much," Steph responded with delight. "Have I told you that I've accepted Christina Chase as my personal savior? I owe you big time Blondie."

        "Yeah that's great. Listen, I need to talk to Andrei. It's really important."

        "Sure thing. I'll get him."

        Christina waited impatiently for a few minutes until Steph returned to the line.

        "He's busy in the basement right now, can he call you back?"

        "What's he doing in the basement?" complained Christina.

        "Fixing these old pipes. I would tell him to take a break, but if he stopped right this moment, I'd have to rename the place 'Steph's Canal.'"

        "Yeah, okay. Have him call me back. But, this is life and death important, okay?"

        "You got it. I'll let him know."

        "Thanks."

        Christina hung up the phone and stared at it, trying to think of something to do. Maybe she could call her uncle. He could definitely light a fire under Andrei. She reached for the phone but stopped. She was still smarting from Alek's scolding, and not yet ready to speak with him. Who could she call to at least take her into town? She rifled through her purse and pulled out Richard's tattered business card. It was worth a shot, she thought. Richard would certainly drop everything to come get her. She dialed the number for his office, but his machine picked up.

        "You've reached the law offices of Richard Masters," his voice said. "I will be out of the office until December twenty-seventh. Please leave a message after the tone."

        Christina slammed the phone in frustration. Richard must be visiting his parents in Florida, she guessed. There was nothing to do but wait until Andrei called her back.

        Unable to contain her nervous energy, Christina paced back and forth in the living room, still wearing her long winter coat. She felt as though she were coming apart at the seams. She'd lost her job. Andrei had abandoned her. Nina was busy with David. Her uncle hated her. And these were the last few days she had left with her family. She didn't know whether she should cry or scream. What she did know was that there was no way she was going to wait around just so her cousin could let her down again. Grabbing her purse, she slung it around her shoulder and charged out the door. The light dusting had grown into a mild snow storm. Undaunted, Christina stepped into the whiteness and charged determinedly down the long driveway.

 

        An hour later, Christina was still trudging through the deepening snow. Her vision was cluttered by thousands of thick white flakes. Her toes and fingers were numb, and her face felt raw. She regretted her rash impulse to walk into town. If only her cell phone had been working, she would have called someone to come and get her. At this point, her only option was to keep going.

        It took another half-hour for Christina to reach town. All the buildings and cars were covered in white. The small mountain town's roads had yet to be plowed, and a few citizens drove down Main Street in heavy trucks with chains on the wheels.

        Christina wasn't sure what force kept her moving but whatever it was, it carried her into Steph's salon and gave out shortly thereafter. Collapsing into a chair in the waiting room, she held herself and shivered.

        Steph and Lisa were both in the store working on customers. Steph finished up on her client and walked back to the front desk. She immediately rushed over, when she saw Christina huddled over in her chair.

        "Christina? Are you okay? How did you get here?" she asked in rapid fire.

        "I walked," Christina said as she shook.

        "You walked? From your place? That's miles! Are you serious?"

        Christina nodded and rubbed her crossed arms up and down her sides. "I need to talk to Andrei," she insisted.

        "Mrs. Gibbons," Steph said politely to the woman sitting on the other side of the waiting room, "Lisa will be with you in a minute. I've got a situation here."

        Steph grabbed Christina's hand and was taken aback by how cold it was. She took Christina into the back office and had her sit down on a small, uncomfortable couch. Pulling a tiny space heater out from a pile of junk behind the desk, Steph plugged it into the wall and pointed it at Christina. The radar-shaped device glowed orange and radiated heat in Christina's direction.

        "Wait right here," Steph commanded.

        Grateful for the searing heat the small heater was emitting, Christina did her best to relax on the tiny couch.

        Steph returned a moment later with a mug of hot chocolate.

        Christina accepted the mug and took a sip. Finding It far too hot, she placed it on the floor next to the couch. "Please, I really need to see Andrei," she said through her exhaustion.

        Steph nodded and went to fetch Andrei.

        Christina had never been in Steph's office before. It was a tiny room that was overpowered by a very old, metal desk. The yellowed calendar on the wall displayed April, 1975. Christina assumed this place was the last relic of the old hardware store. One thing that was definitely a recent addition was the large picture of Andrei and Steph on the desk.

        Christina looked back at the office door as her cousin entered the room. Andrei's pants were covered by damp spots, and he left tiny puddles wherever he stepped. Steph edged in behind him and sat behind the old desk.

        "You really walked all the way here?" Andrei said with a hint of both annoyance and concern.

        "Andrei I need your help-"

        "You couldn't wait until I got home?"

        Christina rolled her eyes and complained, "And you were planning on coming home when?" Andrei opened his mouth, but Christina persisted. "I've been home for a week, and I've barely seen you. You say you'll talk to me later, but you never do. I got up at six o'clock this morning, and you were already gone! And I don't even know when you get in anymore. I mean, I've stayed up all night-"

        "I've been busy," Andrei defended, "I was going to call you back."

        "I just need you to help me with Uncle Alek's Christmas gift. If it's not ready by Sunday, I won't have anything to give him, and this is going to be my only Christmas. And it's my last chance to make up with him. I don't know if it can even be done. I just know I can't do it without you."

        "What are you talking about?" Andrei asked, his voice now only reflecting concern. "Why do you have to make up with my father? And what do you mean your only Christmas?"

        "Andrei," Steph interrupted. "Wrap up what you're doing in the basement and take Christina home."

        "But Steph," Andrei objected, "I'm not finished yet."

        "Is the building gonna float away?"

        "No."

        "Then get outta of here. I don't want to see you until Christmas."

        Andrei wanted to stay, but Steph's eyes stated clearly that the matter wasn't up for debate. "I'll be right back," he said as he went to the basement.

        Steph walked from behind of the desk and sat next to Christina on the couch. She put her arm around Christina and asked, "What do you mean this is your last Christmas?"

        Christina reached down and held the hot mug between her cold hands. She took a long drink and responded, "It's complicated, but I don't think I'll be coming back to Oak Grove after New Year's Eve."

        Steph whispered, "I hope you change your mind."

        Christina responded only by taking another drink of hot chocolate.

        "I'm sorry I've been using up all of Andrei's time," Steph apologized.

        "It's okay," Christina said, shaking her head, "You waited for him a lot longer than I did."

        Andrei returned to the office with his coat on. "Okay, let's go."

        Steph walked to his side and kissed him on the lips. She lingered in the kiss then promised, "I'll see you on Christmas day."

        Andrei smiled and said, "I'll miss you."

        Christina did her best to be happy for them. They were so much in love; it made Christina feel very alone. It hurt that she'd lost Steph to Andrei. What was more surprising was the pain she felt that she'd lost Andrei to Steph.

        Andrei helped Christina to her feet, and they left Steph's salon together.

        Once they were in the truck, Andrei said, "I was going to call you back, I swear."

        "It's alright." Christina muttered. "I was just having an episode or something. Nothing is working out the way it was supposed to, and I just needed you."

        "I'll help you with what ever it is you have to do," he said sincerely.

        "I know you will. It's just that ... you know, I miss you. I kinda got used to having you around all the time."

        "I'm still around."

        "No you're not." Christina stared at the dashboard. "You and Steph; you should spend lots of time with her. That's how it's supposed to be. And I know Steph really appreciates how lucky she is."

        Neither of them spoke again until they got home. Andrei quickly got out of the truck and jogged to the other side to open his cousin's door. "What happened between you and my father?" he asked. "Why do you have to make up with him?"

        Christina took her cousin's hand and dropped into the thick snow. "One thing at a time, okay?"

        As the two cousins entered the side door, Misha and Boris rushed into the kitchen.

        "Tina!" Misha exclaimed, "Where have you been? We were worried sick!"

        "I uh ..." she stuttered.

        "She was with me," Andrei lied. "I took her into town hours ago."

        "Right," Christina added.

        Without any further explanation, they hurried past Misha and up the stairs.

        "Why did you tell her that?" Christina whispered.

        "Because you would be in trouble for walking into town during a snow storm, and I would be in trouble because it was my fault." Andrei grabbed his younger cousin by the arm and said seriously, "Actually, that wasn't a very smart thing to do."

        "I know," Christina said, "I've been a little emotional lately."

        "Christina, what is going on with you? You know there's nothing you can't tell me."

        Christina looked at Andrei critically, wondering if that was actually true. "Come on," she said, leading him to her bedroom. Christina kicked off her boots, shed her coat, and sat on her bed. Andrei grabbed the chair in front of the vanity, spun it around, and sat on it backwards.

        Nina poked her head into Christina's door and asked, "Where on earth have you been?"

        "Get lost, brat!" barked Andrei at his sister.

        Christina shot Andrei a dirty look and said, "Come on in, Nina."

        Nina closed the door behind her and sat on the bed next to her cousin.

        Taking a deep breath, Christina explained her plan. "Okay. Here's the situation. I wanted to give your father something special for Christmas, but I couldn't find anything that was good enough. But then I thought of something I could give him. I just need some help to pull it off."

        "What is it?" Andrei asked in frustration.

        Leaning over the mattress, Christina stretched her arms over the side of the bed and underneath. She strained as she lifted a heavy shoebox and placed it on the bed between the three of them. When she removed the lid, her two cousins curiously peered in. The box contained a pile of gears, screws, coils, and springs. There was a very large main spring and a charred and warped piece of wood. Picking up the piece of wood, Christina flipped it over in her palms to reveal what had once been the face of her father's Levchenko clock. The minute hand was bent over, and the hour hand was missing entirely. The numbers, from eleven to five, were still visible, but the rest had been claimed by the fire.

        Christina handed the clock face to Andrei, and Nina picked up a large gear from the box.

        "After the fire," Christina explained, "I went back to the house. I had to sneak in, early in the morning, past the police tape, and over a fence. Everything was gone. All of my clothes. All of our furniture. Everything I had. I must have looked through that pile for hours for, you know, anything to remember what my life used to be like. The only thing I could find was our old clock. What was left of it anyway."

        "You can't be serious," Andrei gasped. "You think I can rebuild Dad's clock from this?"

        "You have to," Christina begged. "This is the only thing I have to give."

        "Andrei shook his head. "Even if there was more to work with... or if I even had blueprints ... even then ..." He looked from Nina to Christina. "I can't do this."

        "I know you can do it," Christina implored. "You're a genius! You fixed my car, even though you're not a mechanic. You were just fixing Steph's pipes, and you're not a plumber."

        Andrei looked unconvinced.

        Christina insisted, "Whatever it is that our great, great, grandfather had, you've got it too. I know you do."

        Andrei looked into Christina's eyes. She was serious. He looked over at Nina for some inkling of reason.

        Nina shrugged and agreed. "Maybe you CAN do it."

        "Alright," Andrei sighed. "I'll try. You realize, if we break Dad's clock-"

        "We won't," Christina asserted. "I know you can do it." Christina looked at both of her new conspirators and laid out the details. "Christmas is on Sunday. That gives us tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday to work. We can't just take the clock; we'll have to wait until your parents are asleep, work on it as much as possible, and get it back on the wall before they wake up."

        Andrei said, "Three nights ... I don't know, Christina ..."

        "It HAS to be enough time, I'm not going to have another chance."

        "Why do you keep talking like that?" Andrei shouted. "Why aren't you coming back?"

        Nina shot a scared look at her cousin. "What does he mean you're not coming back?"

        Christina couldn't bear to look at Nina, so she focused on Andrei. "I can't explain it. I just won't be back. Maybe not for a long time." She knew she couldn't ever return, but she didn't want to make Nina more upset.

        Andrei shouted, "You can't just say you're not coming back and not tell us why!"

        Christina didn't want to lose her cousins, but there was no other choice. She also couldn't tell them why she couldn't come back. It was an awful situation, and the fact that she didn't answer Andrei made the situation all the more tense.

        "You're not coming back ..." Nina began, as though she'd just figured out the entire puzzle, "Because you lost your job ..."

        "What?" Christina responded.

        "You lost your job," Nina repeated. "You did, didn't you?"

        "How did you know that?"

        "Because I called your cell phone when you disappeared this morning. It said the number was not in service. And you told me you were having job problems last time you were home. That's it, isn't it?"

        "You're not coming back because you can't afford to," Andrei added.

        Christina looked back and forth between them. It wasn't the exact truth, but it would have to do. It was technically true that there was no way she could pay for a bus ticket now.

        Andrei asked, "How much money do you have left?"

        Christina shook her head and shrugged. She didn't want to think about what she was going to do once she went back to the city.

        "Do you have enough money to pay your rent?"

        Christina knew that she didn't have enough to pay for January, but bringing that up would only ruin Christmas for everyone. "I'll work it out. Really, don't worry about it."

        "You have to return our presents!" Nina demanded. "We can't take them now."

        "Nina's right," Andrei concurred. "You don't have to get us anything."

        "Okay!" Christina shouted through the lump in her throat. "Just stop it! You are TAKING my presents! I don't know when I'm going to see either of you again, so you can't take Christmas away from me! And I don't want to talk about jobs or money anymore."

        "We have to do something," Andrei insisted.

        Christina could tell by the look on her cousins' faces that they weren't going to let this go. "Okay. Fine. We'll talk about it later though, okay? Right now, we have to fix your father's clock. And the both of you ARE taking my presents."

        "Okay," Nina said with hesitation, "But we are going to figure something out."

        Once Christina convinced her cousins to relent on her money issues, they put the plan into action. The first step in their conspiracy was to not arouse suspicion. Christina and Nina spent the rest of the afternoon doing housework. The only thing out of the ordinary was that both of the girls spent a lot of time cleaning Andrei's room. Even with his array of heaters, Andrei decided that it was too cold to work in the barn all night; his room was the best place to do the actual work. It would also be easier to smuggle the clock upstairs, than into the barn.

        The girls were still hard at work when Andrei left to pick up Alek from the grocery store. Christina made sure to keep Nina away from Andrei's mattress. She didn't want to embarrass Andrei by letting Nina see the dirty magazines hidden in his bed. She was, however, curious whether her picture was still there. She didn't know whether she would be disgusted or relieved if it was. Realizing that she was actually becoming jealous of Steph, she decided not to dwell on those feelings. By the time Andrei returned with Alek, Nina and Christina were done preparing Andrei's room.

        Christina, Andrei, and Nina weren't talkative during dinner. Andrei and Nina were simply lying low, preparing for the heist later that night. Christina, however, was afraid of speaking in front of her uncle. She could tell that he was still angry with her, and she didn't think she could stand to be yelled at again.

        Misha could sense the tension between her husband and her niece, even though her children did not. She had seen her husband behave this way before; nothing enraged him more than an argument with Anastasia. This was different though. Anastasia always argued with her father, but Christina hadn't started a fight. Also, her daughter could give as good as she got. She and her father were so alike; each would escalate the argument until it erupted. That was the way they related to each other. They yelled, and fought, and then it was over.

        Misha could see that Alek was waiting for that same response from Christina, but Misha knew the girl didn't have it in her. It broke Misha's heart to see Christina wilt from the heat searing behind her husband's eyes. How much of his anger was from his damaged pride? Or was it because their niece looked so much like their lost daughter? Misha couldn't know for sure. She did know that interfering would only make things worse for Christina.

        After the family finished eating, Christina went to the sink to wash the dishes.

        Misha noticed that Christina had hardly eaten a thing. She went to her niece and said, "I do not need any help tonight ,Tina. Why don't you get some rest?"

        Grateful to escape the kitchen, Christina nodded and left the room. She felt as though her uncle was about to explode at any moment.

        Andrei and Nina followed her up the stairs and into the upstairs hallway.

        Christina turned to the both of them and frowned, "I think I'm just gonna be alone for a while, okay?"

        "Sure," Andrei said compassionately. "We'll come get you when we're ready."

        Christina nodded once, shuffled into her room, and closed the door behind her.

        As Andrei and Nina started back down the hallway, Nina said, "I don't understand why Christina's so sad. We're going to fix the clock. Do you think she's worried about money?"

        Andrei responded, "I don't know, Nina." He looked over his shoulder at his cousin's door. "There's something bothering her; I don't know what. There's been something wrong since the first day we met her. I wish we could do something about it, but she won't even tell us what it is."

        "There has to be something we can do," Nina insisted. "I don't want her to go away."

        Andrei put his large hand on Nina's shoulder. "I don't want her to go, either. I'll think of something, I promise. Right now, I should get my tools and get everything set up for tonight."

        "No, don't do that. You should get some sleep. It's going to be a long night, and we're going to need you to be awake. I'll wake you up after Mom and Dad are asleep."

        Andrei nodded as he went into his room.

 

        As Christina sat on her bed in her silk, pink pajamas, she reflected on what Misha had told her about faith. Christina wished it made sense, because everything in her life was falling apart. Nina and Andrei were slipping through her fingers. She feared that her uncle hated her. On top of it all, she had nothing at all to return home to. She sighed as she looked at the girl in the mirror. She'd gone through so much to be a girl for her family, especially for her uncle. What was it all worth in the end? If only she'd not been mistaken for a girl almost a year ago. She wondered, would that have made things better? She wouldn't have spent all that money on her new wardrobe. She might still have had a masculine waistline. It might have been possible to keep her family forever.

        Still, there was a part of her that wouldn't have changed a thing. If she hadn't been a girl, she realized, she wouldn't have been Nina's older sister. She couldn't imagine them being so close if she had been a boy. Would Andrei have protected her if she had been a boy? Would Misha have taught her how to clean, or keep house? And her uncle, what would things have been like if she'd been a boy? Could she call him when she was frightened? Would he have tucked her in? Would he have stayed up with her, and told her stories? Maybe he would have, but Christina couldn't picture it. As much as she couldn't bear to lose her uncle, she wouldn't have traded being his daughter for anything. Even if it were temporary. Even if it were all a lie.

        If she'd actually been born a girl, this might have been her bedroom. She could have seen her family every day. It was a stupid, childish fantasy, she decided. Christina pulled out her necklace from her pajamas and held it in her hand. Misha was wrong, she decided. Faith and love were not the things that moved the stars. There was only cold, mechanical fate.

        Christina was distracted from that thought as she heard her door open and saw Nina peek inside.

        "Come on," Nina whispered, "We're ready."

        Taking the box of clock parts, Christina followed Nina into Andrei's bedroom.

        Andrei had set up an old card table to serve as a makeshift work bench. Her uncle's clock lay dissected under a desk lamp, with Andrei hunched over.

        "This is all that's left," he said to the girls as he showed them the pieces. There was a tightly orchestrated mesh of gears and axles sitting in front of him. It was obviously missing most of the components.

        Christina placed her box on the table and pulled out her parts. There were a few duplicate items, but her collection of clock internals was far more complete. She also had the mainspring, and two large weights. Her uncle's copies were somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.

        Andrei took time to arrange the pieces on the table, stopping only when most of the surface was covered. Most of the pieces were still connected to one another, while others hung free. Staring at the gears before him, Andrei squinted like an old man playing a crossword puzzle. He said, "It's going to take me a while to see how this all fits together."

        "I didn't realize there'd be so many parts," Christina sighed. "We're never going to figure it out."

        "Don't be so sure," he said, sounding optimistic for the first time that night. "You can still see how this was assembled," he said, motioning over the complete section of his father's clock with a tiny Philips-head screwdriver. He rotated portions of Christina's completed gears and said, "And there's even more hints here. A lot of this is still intact. I think maybe ... maybe there's enough here to make it work. I'm not sure. I need to think about it."

        Christina stared at Andrei, who did nothing but focus on the clock parts. Realizing that there wasn't much she could do to help at this point, she sat on Andrei's bed and held Nina. The girls didn't speak; they just watched Andrei. He was motionless with the exception of his eyes. Christina had never seen her cousin work like this before; it was fascinating. She watched his eyes dart back and forth between the pieces, and she could tell that he was solving the riddle in his mind. She watched him for over an hour, waiting for him to make a move, any move. Several times she wanted to call out to him, and ask him exactly what it was that he was doing, but she feared it would break his concentration.

        Christina had never seen this side of her cousin before. Andrei could be careless and oblivious; he couldn't tell that Steph had been hitting on him for years. It was different when he was working. She'd never seen anyone so observant or determined. Watching him study the gears was exhausting. Christina felt her eyes grow heavy. Nina, who was sitting between Christina's legs and laying on her chest was already asleep. The slow in and out of Christina's breathing grew synchronous with that of her younger cousin, and she drifted gently out of consciousness.

 

        "I can see it!" Andrei shouted, waking both the girls.

        "What?" Nina yawned.

        Christina rubbed her eyes and her cousin came into focus.

        "I know how this works!" he whispered in excitement. "I can see it all! Well, most of it ... enough to get to work."

        Christina stretched her arms and looked at Andrei's alarm clock. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "It's four in the morning!" She looked at her cousin who had just started to fiddle with the gears. "Have you been staring at that mess for five hours?"

        "I don't know," Andrei shrugged. "It's not important; I've got it worked out. It's just a question of time now."

        Christina stared at her older cousin in awe and disbelief. He hadn't slept, nor had he moved from his seat.

        Grabbing his tools, Andrei started matching pieces together.

        Christina could tell he was having some trouble manipulating the small parts with his large hands, but he was too determined to let that hinder him. Nina fell back to sleep in her cousin's arms, but Christina could not tear her eyes away from Andrei. Watching him arrange the parts was mesmerizing. All the doubts she had as to whether fixing her uncle's clock was even possible evaporated as she watched her cousin work. She now understood what Steph meant when she said that there was always something going on in Andrei's head. As she had hoped, Andrei had looked at the mess on the table and had seen a clock. It was the same way he could look at a pile of scrap metal and see Christina's bed. He had a deeper understanding of the world than Christina ever imagined. It wasn't that Andrei was oblivious, she realized, he must have been constantly distracted.

        Andrei's alarm clock buzzed loudly causing Nina to jump in Christina's lap. Andrei, however, continued undeterred.

        "Andrei," Christina said, shutting off the alarm, "We have to get the clock back on the wall!"

        "In a moment," he muttered, still fiddling with the gears.

        Christina tapped Nina on the shoulder, and she hopped off the bed.

        Nina said, "I'll get changed, and help Mom with breakfast. We don't want to look suspicious."

        Andrei took the now empty clock in his hands and yawned, "I'll take this downstairs."

        "No," Christina objected, "You need to get some sleep."

        "I have to take my father to the store. It's okay."

        "No," Christina repeated, "You really need to rest."

        "She's right," Nina added from the doorway, "You're no good to us unconscious." She left the doorway and headed for the bathroom.

        Andrei's eyes were bloodshot, and his giant shoulders slumped. Though he was physically spent, Christina could see a glow in his eyes. If there had been any more hours in the night, she knew Andrei would have worked them. Christina wrapped her arms around her cousin and held him tightly. "Thank you so much," she said.

        Andrei weakly held her back and yawned, "We're not done yet."

        Christina released him and said, "I know, but I know you will do it. I can always count on you to save me." She kissed him on the cheek, and took the clock from his hands. "I'll drive your father to the store. You go to bed right now."

        Andrei nodded and climbed, fully dressed, into his bed.

        Christina turned off the lights and closed Andrei's bedroom door behind her, then tiptoed down the stairs with her uncle's clock under her arm. With all of its gears laying on the table upstairs, the clock was incredibly light. She sneaked through the faint, ambient morning light that glowed though the windows. Looking cautiously over her shoulder, Christina hung the old clock back on its peg and adjusted it until it hung just right. She heard noises in the kitchen and realized her aunt and uncle were already awake. Looking at her reflection in the window, Christina did her best to make herself look presentable. She slid her necklace down the front of her silk pajamas, and brushed her long blonde hair back off of her face. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Christina turned around and glided into the kitchen.

        "Tina, you are up early," Misha exclaimed as she cleaned a frying pan. Alek was already dressed and sitting at the table, finishing a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

        "I thought maybe I could work in the store today with Uncle Alek," she said hopefully.

        "You're not even dressed," Alek said derisively, without bothering to look up from his food.

        Christina's forced smile collapsed into a frown and her head sagged. "It won't take me long to get ready."

        Alek wiped his mouth with his napkin, and tossed it down into his plate as he stood. "Where is Andrei?" he barked.

        "Andrei got home late again last night," Christina explained nervously. "I thought maybe I could drive you to work."

        "You?" he laughed. "You can not drive the truck."

        Christina looked at her feet and mumbled, "I think I can handle it."

        "Handle it?" Alek scoffed.

        "I know how to drive a stick," Christina insisted meekly.

        "Not only are you the expert in finance, you are an expert in trucks as well," he chided as he grabbed his coat and made his way to the side door. Alek waited for Christina to retaliate, but she only stood in place, with her head hanging low. "You can not even drive your own car," he spat, his anger growing with each word. "If you could, you would not be here now."

        Christina looked up at her uncle with wide, hurt eyes. She looked as though he had just stabbed her through the heart.

        "Alek!" gasped Misha.

        The sneer on Alek's face broke for an instant. He looked as though he might apologize, but instead he turned to his wife and growled, "Tell Andrei I took the truck. If he intends to sleep all day, then he can find some other way to get around." He slammed the door, leaving Christina paralyzed in the middle of the room. Her face was frozen in a devastated expression, and tears trickled silently down her pale cheeks.

        Misha put her arm around the girl's waist and guided her to the table. She sat next to her niece and said, "He did not mean it Tina."

        "Yes he did," she wept. "He hates me."

        "No dear, he does not hate you," Misha explained. "You hurt his pride. Alek is an old fashioned man. He thinks that he, and he alone should provide for his family."

        "I just wanted to help."

        "I know dear, but he is stubborn, and proud."

        "What can I do? I already apologized," Christina held her head in her hands. Her long blonde hair fell down her arms and onto the table. "Maybe I should just leave."

        "Tina! You are not to leave this house!" Misha commanded.

        "He doesn't want me here."

        "He does," Misha said, "He just wants you to fight with him."

        "What?"

        "He wants you to fight! To shout! That way he can shout back. That's why he said those terrible things. He wants you to fight, so he can yell."

        "Why would I fight with him?" Christina asked, looking up at her aunt.

        Misha brushed Christina's hair off of her face and responded gently, "Because Nastya would have. Because you remind him of her."

        "I'm not Anastasia," she cried.

        "I know you are not, dear. So does your uncle. He just does not know what to do with himself. He is angry because he has no answer to his troubles. And he is ashamed because you know about them. He is shouting at you because he does not know what else to do."

        Christina nodded, but she didn't feel any better. "Sometimes ..." she trailed off, "Sometimes I wish I was your daughter, and the room upstairs really belonged to me. I wish that just once, when it was time for me to leave, I didn't have to." Christina leaned her head against Misha's shoulder and cried, "And I wish that Uncle Alek still loved me."

        "He does, sweetheart, I promise," Misha assured as she rocked Christina. "You know Tina, you can stay here if you wish."

        Christina wiped the tears from her cheeks and whispered, "I don't belong here."

        Nina walked into the kitchen dressed and alert as though nothing had happened last night. Seeing that her older cousin had been crying, she asked, "What's going on?"

        "Nothing Nina," Christina lied, "Everything's fine." She stood up and said, "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back in a little while."

        Nina looked at her mother for an explanation, but Misha did not speak. Nina didn't know what was wrong, but she saw the same worried look on her mother's face that she'd seen on Andrei's yesterday. Nina felt helpless. She wanted to make Christina happy again, but she didn't know how. What was worse, was her terrible suspicion that these were the last days she would ever spend with her cousin.

---

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
Krunch Away!