the girl in red

xix. home

(a/n: so sorry for the super late post.  life has been kicking my ass lately and I've not had much time to write or post or do anything fun.  so im doing a double post to make up for it!  enjoy!  also, if an entire sentence is in italics, then it is being spoken in another language [russian unless said otherwise])

Thursday, January 1st, 1975

Lafayette, Indiana

It was strikingly cold outside and droplets of water darkened the usually pale bark at the park. Dimitra had been wearing a coat, but it was tossed over the closet bench and she was left with just her flannel. Pink flushed her cheeks and goosebumps rose but no shivers racked her body. Dima stood nearby, just behind the swing that Annika sat on. She was determined to swing herself, but Dima made sure to stay near in case she ended up demanding him to push her - when he did push her, he always set her near flying and she loved it. Dimitra sat on the little bridge of the playground, her legs hanging over the edge and her arms woven through the bars that did little to hold her in. She swung her feet as she looked around, only moving her eyes. As she looked towards the street, her eye caught onto two familiar faces. Her back straightened and she slowly pulled her legs out so she could stand.

Bill was the first to wave when he saw her, his smile wide. It was hard to miss the blooming bruise on his temple, though, but she pushed her thoughts aside; it wasn't any of her business, was it? Ecelynn waved, too, and started to walk faster until she began to jog. Dimitra swung her legs over the top bar and hopped down, ignoring the pain that shot up her legs when her feet met the bark.

"Very graceful," Bill commented once he was near, just a few steps behind Ecelynn.

Dima watched them from the corner of his eye as he pushed Annika, though Dimitra quickly saw that his eyes moved away from them and onto someone or something behind them. She looked around Ecelynn and saw a girl walking up the pathway, her hand holding that of a young girl's. The older girl was tall, maybe five foot seven, with thick curly hair that was pulled into a large bun upon the crown of her head. Green powder was dusted over her eyes and a long coat hung from her shoulders. The girl smiled at Dimitra as she neared, and Dimitra returned it with ease.

"Janie, this is Dimitra. The new student at school I've told you about," Ecelynn said, gesturing to Dimitra.

Janie smiled again, "Nice to meet you."

"And that's her brother and sister over there," Ecelynn gestured, "Dima and Annika."

Janie waved at them before starting towards them when the girl at her hip pulled her. Dimitra watched her walk before Dima's gaze caught hers. His eyes were trained solely on Janie as Annika swung by herself. Dimitra couldn't tell if the pink on his cheeks was from the cold or something else.

"Y'all wanna take a walk around? I need to stretch my legs," Ecelynn said, looking between the two.

Bill nodded and Dimitra gave her a thumbs-up before they both followed after the teen. They moved off of the park and onto the sidewalk, their steps sounding in unison. They were quiet for quite some time, though it was comfortable, even for Dimitra. She buttoned her flannel as a gust of wind rustled the leaves, and Bill shivered at her side.

"Cold?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Just a little," he responded, looking up at her. His bruise stood out more, now, once the cold had flushed his cheeks and the wind had pushed his hair back. It was big, spreading well into his scalp, and the edges were jagged and an ugly mix of colors that didn't go together.