Chapter Text
Yor felt something tingle in the back of her mind. The full murmur was still incoherent, like it was underwater. Her legs tingled from being in the same position all day. She snapped her head up, feeling her neck crack. The blinding lights of the lecture hall stabbed her eyes, as though they were purposely made to punish sleepers. She suddenly realized the tingle wasn’t just in her head. Looking back, she saw a small piece of balled up paper on the floor. Looking to find the culprit, she eyed a blonde haired, smug looking student two rows behind her, obviously trying to conceal his smile. There was something about him that struck her. Maybe it was his cold gaze, or lack of smile, but this guy definitely wasn’t your usual college kid.
Unfazed, she picked up the piece of trash and unfurled it. It was carefully written study notes, all written in a steady hand.
He was helping her, she thought. She mouthed a thank you to him, but he didn’t pay her the slightest attention, just still staring at the dry, old professor. As he turned a page in the book, a loud bong could be heard from the bell.
“That’s it for class today, please make sure to study for your midterms”, he said. The students sleepily shuffled out of their seats. Yor groaned. She only had a couple hours before her night class, so she would have to hurry. She turned back to see if the mysterious helper was still there. He was, talking to a short, wiry haired pupil.
“Thank you”, she called up to him. He gave a polite nod in reply. Not a moment to lose, she rushed out of the lecture hall, hoping she wasn’t too late.
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Yuri peeked through the peephole, like his sister always told him to when someone knocked. Seeing his sister with her signature hairstyle, he gave a sigh of relief. He opened the door with that creak the broken hinge always made.
“Hi Yuri”, she beamed, trying to pull a facade of happiness. But Yuri knew better. He may have been 10, but he could see his sister was struggling.
“Yor! How was class?”
“It was great, how was yours?”
While Yor cooked her usual abysmal dinner, they chatted. Yuri talked about the troublemakers and cute girls in his class, and his newest love, pre-algebra. He’d been smart enough to go to the older kids class.
“-and we’re learning about multiplying fractions. It’s so fun”, Yuri said with bubbling excitement. Yor would beg to differ. She was horrible at paying attention in class, and had received the worst grades out of 58 students that year. “What about you?”.
“Oh just medical stuff, prepping for a test”, she hesitated to mention the helper boy. She shoved her hand in her coat pocket, where the paper was stored.
“YOR, THE EGGS!”
Yor looked down to see her scrambled eggs - the only meal she could ever pull off well enough to be edible - turning black. She quickly scooped them into a bowl, still sizzling hot. She accidentally touched the pan.
“Ow..ow, ow ow”, she said, dropping her spatula on the floor with a clang . Well, that was most definitely going to leave a mark on the floor.
“Yor!” Yuri called out.
“I’m fine, it’s fine”, she ran her hand under the cold water, feeling her hand go numb. The burn wasn’t bad, it would likely blister, but she would be fine. After a few minutes of silence, she grabbed a bandage from the cupboard, and gave Yuri the now-cold eggs.
“Mmmm, delicious”, he said. Yor smiled. Her brother loved her, no matter how bad her cooking was. Yor was pretty sure he was lying, but it was nice to pretend. She ate her eggs with haste, ignoring the potent taste. She glanced at the clock. 5:30 , an hour until her next class, she had time .
“Oh, Yuri”, she chipped “Could you help me study?”.
He looked up from a mouthful of food “Yuh”.
He swallowed his last bite of food, pushing his bowl away. He dashed to the coffee table where the both of them did their studying. Yuri pulled his thick, ancient school textbook from his bag, half bound from its years of use. Yor took out the crumpled piece of paper from her coat pocket.
“Gimme”, Yuri said, reaching out for the paper. Yor handed it over unwillingly, as her brother glanced it over “You have nice handwriting”.
“Th-thanks”, Yor blushed “Now read it to me”.
“Ok…”, Yuri glanced it over again. “Are you sure these are your notes?”
“Y-yeah I’m sure”, Yor shook. Her brother hated hearing about guys. He’d always been protective of her, always worried she’d end up with the wrong guy.
“Ok then…now, the anatomy of the brain…”.
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Anya studied each person carefully, her small hands clutching her stuffed Chimera. The college campus was bustling with students, each on their way to their dorms or a class. She shivered. The chilly November air was getting to her. She contemplated going back.
No, why on earth would she .
All they had done to her was yell and scream at her, call her stupid.
She would never go back to the orphanage.
How long until they started looking for her?
She walked up to the nearest college student, a blonde man wearing a warm coat.
“Hello!”, she said. The man turned his head, looking at the pink haired girl.
“Oh”, he kneeled down to her, placing his bag down “Where are your parents”.
“Anya doesn’t have parents”, She said, maybe a bit too loudly. A couple heads turned concernedly. The man looked shocked, shifting his stiff face.
“Shouldn’t you be at the orphanage?”, he said, studying her green eyes. From what he saw, they were full of hope, but also hurt, almost like she was pulling the puppy dog eyes.
“Anya - your name is Anya right?” she nodded “I’m sorry, but-”.
“I just need a place to sleep”, she said. She pretended to shiver “Anya is cold”.
She’s just a little girl, how could it hurt, the man thought, then he backtracked, she could be a thief .
“I’m sorry, girl, but I shouldn’t”, he replied. He gave her a small head pat and went on his way. Anya felt tears well up in her eyes, mostly from sadness, but also from the biting cold. The man walked away.
“Bye bye”, she said sadly. Anya toddled along, squishing Mr. Chimera against her chest. There would always be someone else. Someone would help her. She walked up to every person she could see.
“No”, one young lady said.
“What’s a kid doing on campus”, said an old guy, probably a professor.
At the end of the day, only one lady had given her graham cracker. It was getting dark, and clouds were starting to form. She could smell the rainy-ness in the air, and the wind blew up her dress. She shivered, and climbed up a cold, metal bench.
She curled up like a tiny kitten, her only warmth the small stuffed animal. Just as she nearly dozed off, she saw him again. The man. Silently, she unfurled herself, and made sure no one was watching. Carefully stepping like a spy in the comics, she followed him. Her bare feet made no noise against the cobblestone, except her tiny grunts of frustration. But the man didn’t notice. She followed him across the campus, the only light being the lampposts.
Anya is a spy , she thought, grinning. She gave a small chuckle.
That was her downfall.
The man turned his head.
“You again! Go home”, realizing his mistake, he turned back to her “Sorry, kid…I can’t help you. We aren’t allowed kids in the dorms”.
“Please. Just for one night”, She begged. He kneeled down, studying her eyes. They were full of pure, sincere hope. Something inside him broke. Anya placed a tiny hand on his knee. He signed.
“Fine, one night”, he offered his hand for her to shake “I’m Loid”
“Luh-luh Loid”, the girl answered, not shaking her hand “I’m Anya!”.
Loid held back a smile. The girl was so small, she didn’t deserve to die out here. “Come with me”.
She grasped on to his hand.
So small, so fragile.
“Was Anya a good spy?”
The question was answered by wind.
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Yor stumbled home that night, no light except that of the lamps and still-glowing cigars littered on the streets. With each beat of her heart, she thought of all the different bad things that could happen to Yuri. He could be kidnapped, robbed, killed. She clenched and unclenched her fists.
It’s going to be fine, Yor .
Anxiety echoed in her chest. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears as she rounded the corner.
“Hey, gorgeous, what are you doing out so late”, a man catcalled from the alley, puffing on his cigar “Need a ride home?”
She ignored him, pulling her coat tighter. She was used to guys like this. If only they knew what she could do to them , she mused. Then I’d be their harmer than their doctor .
She chuckled to herself as she pulled out her house key. She opened the door with caution. To her relief, nothing was out of the ordinary. Yuri was sitting on the floor. He had lit a candle to help them save on electricity bills.
“Yuri, what are you still doing up?”, she scolded, though it sounded more like an angry statement. All her energy was zapped out of her.
“I was waiting for you”, he said.
“Get to bed”, she said. The boy blew out the candle, leaving them completely in the dark. They didn’t need light to find their rooms, as this was the home both of them had been born in. They’d survived the bombings in. Yor still thanked God everyday that their home had been spared in the blitz.
Their family hadn’t been so lucky.
“G’night Yor!” Yuri called from his room.
“Night” she replied. Too tired to even walk to her room, Yor passed out on the couch, dreaming of handsome blonde boys and balls of paper.