I trudged home, my weary joints grinding against each other in a never ending dance of pain and mortality. My book-bag felt like a ton of bricks and I sighed as I shifted it against my back. My big black pull-over only weighed me down because of the heavy rain. My eyelids fluttered as stray drops pestered them. The day was gloomy and the cars that would pass me by every now and then sprayed water up and onto my pants. What was the point of trying to dodge it? I was already soaked to the bone and shivering. My dark eyes stared droopily ahead; they were tilted down at the sides as if I was sad. "A family trait" my mother would say with a voice that was slightly muffled, her hands fluttered in front of her, she smiled, looking down at me with her own sad eyes. I miss my mother and her home cooked borscht and bread. Just the thought of food right now made my stomach gurgle and my pace quicken.

I ran up the steps to my house, keys in hand and unlocked the door. I dropped my bag on the floor and peeled off my drenched pull-over and dropped it to the hard-wood floor where it landed with a heavy splat! I continued to peel off article upon article of wet clothing as I made my way to the bathroom. I then proceeded to take a hot shower but jumped as the cracking sound of lighting broke through the sound of water. It was soon followed by a deep rumble of thunder that had me looking around in fright.

I walked down the steps somewhat dry now. My hair spiked up in wet short black spikes around my head and dripped water on my shoulders and back. I had a basket in hand and was picking up my wet clothing to take downstairs to get washed. I yawned, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes and vision blurry. After I put these in the washer I'd eat my plate of spaghetti and then sleep, yea, that sounded nice. Fuck homework, it was a Friday.

.

I wiped my damp hands against my grey sweat pants, cloths now in the washer and me on my way to the kitchen to make some warm soup. I pulled down the sleeves of skin-tight long-sleeve shirt, my bare feet padding against the floor silently. I passed an open window and stared at it for a minute, not understanding why the window would be open when it was raining outside. It never occurred to me why the window is open if I didn't open it. I was the only one home.

I walked into the kitchen yawning once more and scratching my rear inappropriately, suddenly I heard shuffling and opened my eyes mid-yawn. Wide eyes the color of night stared at me over the top of the opened refrigerator. My mouth snapped closed, teeth clicking as they set. The person behind the door stood, easily towering over my 5' 6". They probably stood at 5' 11" and that's only when they-he- slouched. Black damp hair dripped down their pale face. His eyes were staring at me hauntingly and I might have actually have been scared…if they weren't chewing on my cold spaghetti. He wore a dirty and wet white jacket along with a pair of baggy jeans. I stared annoyed as his attention went back to eating my spaghetti.

"Hey"

Still he chewed.

"Hey you, buddy"

He wasn't even paying me any mind as he reached in the fridge and grabbed a can of pepsi and opened it with his teeth before guzzling it down.

" Dammit, I was saving that" I silently whined over the loss of my favored soda.

" Are you just doing this to piss me off? Did I do something to you or what 'cause you're just rude" I watched as he brought another spoonful to his mouth, which I now saw was wider than normal and had a scar that carried up to mid-cheek. Deciding to get over the lost plate of spaghetti and soda I decided to just heat up a pack of noodles. He sat the now empty plate and fork on the counter and I turned to him as I waited for the microwave to beep. He stared at me with big eyes surrounded by black that made his eyes look like they could see through to my very soul. He didn't blink or seem uncomfortable by my inquisitive gaze. Instead he looked to be almost smiling at me, an eerie smile that was created half by his wider-than-normal smile and the scars that stretched on either side of his lips. The corner of his lips twitched before he spoke.

"You're a freaky little thing" he said to me. Id raise a brow but that would require so much effort that I am not willing to give.

"Would you look at the pot calling the kettle black" he was dripping water all over the floor and reeked of filth and his hair had a slimy sheen to it. He gave a dry laughed that sounded like wind over sandpaper. He reached for me, grabbing a small curl and rubbing it between his grimy fingers. My eye ticked. I sighed.

"Is there any particular reason you're in my house?" I asked and turned to my now finished noodles. I opened the pack of flavoring and poured it in then grabbed a fork and mixed it. As I did so I could feel him get closer and look over my shoulder, eyeing my noodles, probably like a predator.

"It's raining"

"And?"

"So I came inside the only house that had a window unlocked"

….shit

"It would be my house wouldn't it" I sighed and side stepped away from him before leaving the kitchen and taking a seat on the couch. I chewed on my noodles and blankly watched as this unknown male took a seat on the love seat.

"You got a name buddy?" I asked wondering why he was still in my house. He ate and had something to drink, what else does he want? Money? I don't have that psshh if I did, I would….I don't know; actually do something with my life?

"Jeff"

"That's a weird name Jeff" he raised a non-existent brow.

"What's your name lady" I felt my insides burn at being called lady.

"Sonye"

"Son-yee?"

"Son-yeh. Soft 'o 'hard 'n' my friend"

"Sonye…that's a retarded name"

"You're retarded"

"Your mother's retarded"

"Your mammy"

"My…..mammy….what?"

"Never mind. It's Russian, I forget what it means but point being, you need a shower"

"You need a new face" I nod, agreeing. Of course I knew there wasn't anything wrong with my face but it was times like these where you just had to be the bigger person and walk away from an argument especially if you knew you would win.

"Yea, yea okay come on. You need a shower. I think my nose is going to burn off" I set my now empty bowel and fork on the coffee table and went upstairs, Jeff right behind me. I yawned as I pointed to the bathroom and walked into the linen closet to grab a towel, a rag and a head towel. When I turned around I saw Jeff in the bathroom taking off his cloths, he was dirtier than I thought and would need a bath to soak in.

"Wash up in the shower and then have a bath." I said and handed him the towels and rag.

"What's the point in doing all of that ?" he said now fully naked and unashamed.

" so you get all the dirt and grime off in the shower and soak your skin and wash away the dead cells in the tub" I had a strange form of logic I guess. I closed the door and left him to clean himself, picking up his dirty and discarded cloths as I went and took them down to the washer and threw them in with my still washing clothes.

I went back upstairs and passed the bathroom that echoed running water within its walls and went to my room and laid down for a quick nap. It wasn't soon before I was tucked away into the elbow of sleeps embrace.

.

I felt something wet on my face; my drowsy mind not sure exactly what was going on. Something wet dropped onto my face again and my face scrunched up. I tried to swat at whatever it was but my hand was simply grabbed by another much bigger one and pushed back into the pillow. My eyes slowly opened, my sad gaze that wasn't sad at all looking up at a blurry figure. Another drop of moisture fell on my face right above my eyebrow. I blinked and squinted because for a second I saw such an attractive male specimen but then my vision cleared and I realized it was just a naked Jeff straddling me. I immediately punched him in the jaw and he flew back and off my bed. He screamed, glaring up at me from on the floor.

"What the fuck was that for?!" he shouted barely covering himself with a towel. Black hair was plastered to his face and neck. I sat up, scratching my head bored and yawning.

"Bad touch" I said. My solid black eyes stared at him sadly but it was suppose to be blankly (dammit)

In response I received a towel thrown at my face. When I took it off all I saw was a pale butt in front of my dresser. Jeff apparently had no qualms against looking through my cloths in his absolute nudity, never mind the fact that I'm a girl and he most likely can't fit anything in there. He pulled out a pair of my silk boxers with white skulls on a black background and put them on. He had a few scars here and there and maybe a few that were actually stab wounds, I'm not all that sure, I'm more occupied with the sight of him trying to squeeze himself into one of my t-shirts stretching it to death.

"Please stop. Third drawer, the white button up" he takes off my now stretched to death t-shirt and throws it on the floor where it lies gasping for breath. R.I.P that cute T-Shirt you loved. Then he goes to my third drawer and pulled out a large white dress shirt and put it on, not bothering with the buttons.

I kind of missed looking at those slim hips and that ass, a light blush coated my cheeks. I scratched my head as Jeff turned to me, his eyes that were outlined in black stared at me un-blinkingly (did he ever blink?) burrowed into my skull. I laid back on the bed, staring tiredly at him. His hair was dripping water on my carpet and on my dress shirt. I sat up and picked up the towel and waved him over. He hesitated for a minute but eventually sat on the bed. I moved so that my legs were on either side of him, he stiffened but relaxed as I started to dry his hair.

He hummed as I rubbed at his hair gently until it was damp but not dripping. I pointed to the top of my dresser and asked him to get my comb. He grumbled a little but acquiesced by getting it and sitting back down, our legs brushed together. Smooth and flawless on rough and scarred. I combed through his hair with my fingers first, catching and releasing knots that were all too happy to be gone. I went about combing his hair that easily became tamed. When I was done I set down the comb and went to back away from Jeff. Suddenly the room spun and I felt a firm pressure on both of my wrist that was now above my head. When I looked up I was met by a grinning Jeff who had the tip of the rat-tail comb at my throat. I honestly was scared but I really can't pull off the whole wide-eyed look.

"Why?" I asked him. I had been nothing but nice, actually I hadn't really cared if he was in my home or not but at least I didn't call the cops or something.

"Because.." his freakish grin twitched and became a frown. He got really close, I was starting to freak out, I tried to almost burry back into my bedding. He searched my eyes, my cheeks, my hair, looking for something but I don't know what.

"Tell me.."he said "Don't you think I'm beautiful?" he said shakily. Well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and truthfully….if you looked at him a certain way….with that pale skin and the dark circles around dark eyes and that permanent smile that even when he frowned was still a smile….he was..in a strange way….beautiful.

"I do, I really think you're beautiful" I was able to slide out a hand a gently cupped his face and smiled with all sincerity. He looked at me with an expression of what I assumed to be anger. My sad smile did nothing to ease him. Instead he took my hand and threw it back at me then got up and turned to rummage through my dresser, for what I have no idea. I stayed there watching pale and scarred legs shift and toes knead in my soft carpet.

Suddenly I heard the downstairs door open, a rattling of keys and then the door closing. Jeff turned and made to stalk towards the door. I shook my head at him and told him to wait in here.

"It's just my mother" I went downstairs to see my mother sitting on the couch scrolling through her phone. She still had on her business suit and from the way her shoulders sagged I could see she was tired. I wrapped my arms around her from behind the couch in a soft hug. She laid a hand on my arm and leaned her head back on my shoulder. Me and my mother have always been close. We had to, if we didn't love each other, than who would? I jumped over the couch with one hand to brace the back. I bounced a bit as I landed on the fluffy couch. Mother gave me a reprimanding look but fluttered her hands and asked in a some-what muffled voice.

"Why haven't you put that bowl in the sink?" my hands danced in front of me and ended up with my right hand making an L and I patted over the front of my left shoulder in a way to say lazy.

What I had said to her was "I was hungry and I'm too lazy" she chuckled and kissed me on the forehead. She grabbed the bowel and headed towards the kitchen. I got up to follow her and as I went to pass the steps I heard a creak and looked up. Jeff was looking down at me curiously, I told him to stay up stairs and hide in my closet. He looked in the direction of the kitchen and looked at me before nodding and heading back upstairs.

I walked to the kitchen where my mother was running water in the sink, I could see bubbles rise and I walked over and shut it off. My hands danced and I mouthed the words "I'll do it" she nodded and went to the refrigerator to possibly look for something to eat. I saw that the plate that Jeff had was still on the counter and threw it away. I went back to the sink and started to wash dishes. I turned as I heard the refrigerator door close. My mother decided on a simple apple. This time she still talked to me but did not sign.

"I'm leaving for my business trip tomorrow" she didn't have to tell me. We have already talked about this before. We talk about everything. I never like it when she leaves for long periods of time but with business trips there is no helping it. I looked at her eyes that mirror mine with their sad gaze. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue, the same as the sky, and when she was sad or angry they turned to such a deep blue as if the whole ocean was inside her eyes and you could see the wave's crash angrily at the edges, trying to break free.

"I know" I pulled the plug on the sink and listened to the whirring of dirty water and the glop of foaming bubbles going down the sink. I patted my hands on my sweat pants to dry them. Mother had finished her apple and pulled her hair out of its bun. It fell down to her mid-back in a cascade on inky waves.

"Come here, dear Kalinka" it was a nickname of mine. It's , as is my first name, Russian. I don't know what it means but mother tells me her own mother called her Kalinka. Apparently it was a nickname for all the girls in mother's family, she told me before that she was the only daughter to her mother and her mother to hers and so on. I've asked her about any of our elders having two daughters and she shook her head saying that if they had a second child it would be a boy and any uncles that I could have had only had sons, that is if they had any children at all. As far as I know it was just me and my mother in this small but warm family. Everyone else was dead, having been born generations ago and then dying off with no children to speak of.

I stepped into my mother's soft embrace. She held me with all the tenderness in the world and I was sad that she would have to leave for a trip. Her long thin fingers ran through my short hair. I sighed and nuzzled into her warmth. I breathed in her scent of perfume and vanilla. The vanilla I recognized as being my shampoo. She had washed her hair with my shampoo and I thought the smell fit her perfectly; it went wonderfully with her soft warmth. She patted my head and we parted. We went upstairs to her room. I saw that my door was closed and I hoped Jeff would have the sense to stay in there.

She already had her things packed but went through a list just to make sure. I checked to make sure she had what she needed while she listed it off and gave a thumb up when she had it. Mother started to strip to go bathe and I left to give her privacy. I closed the door behind me and walked to my room. When I walked in I saw Jeff lay out on the bed, watching tv. When I came in he turned and looked at me before dismissing me by turning back to the television. I sat on his back and threaded my fingers through his hair. He easily changed our positions and pushed my head into the pillow. He decided to just lay there and watch tv.

"You're fat" I said, muffled by the pillow. At that, Jeff only laid his head on top of mine, purposefully trying to shut me up. I settled for squirming pathetically, not really having the energy to actually put effort into my struggling. Jeff rolled off and laid next to me. I got up and locked the door and went back to my bed. I pulled the covers up and got under and turned away from Jeff. It was time for sleep. It was now dark outside and the rain was still going on heavily. I fell asleep to sound of harsh rain and a muffled television and the breathing of a presence that lay next to me.

When I woke up I realized two things.

One, I was on the fucking floor.

And two, my back was killing me.

I sat up, my back cracking in a most blissful way. I yawned and scratched my head then smacked my lips and shivering in disgust of my morning breath. I turned, irritated, at the figure on my bed that was sprawled half hazardly across the mattress. My beloved comforter was messily kicked to the bottom of the bed and Jeff was drooling on my pillow. That's rude. This whole situation is rude. I got up with a little difficulty and closed the curtains. The sky was a mixture of warm colors such as red, orange and a mix of the two. They gradually blended with the cool colors of the fading night, indigo, purple, blue, navy blue and I could still make out the omniscient moon, high in the sky, which was slowly disappearing as the radiant sun claimed the sky. My room was now shrouded once more in darkness except for the lighting of the television splattered across the surface of the room.

Jeff shifted, his head popping up only to turn the other way and then continuing to drool on my beloved pillow. I sighed and went to the bathroom to relieve myself and brush my teeth. I walked out and peeped into my mother's room to see she wasn't there. I saw that on her vanity mirror a note was tapped and walked over to it. I smiled with my sad gaze down at the note that read….

Be safe my beloved Kalinka, wish me luck.

Lots of love, Mother

CoHHЫй=Sonye