Before the Storm | {Fred Weasley}

11. Like Mother, Like Daughter

REAL QUICK - Adelaide does not speak Russian fluently so Kat speaks English around her. Thought you should know...okay now back to the show.

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    Nine Years Ago

    Ternopil, Ukraine

    Ukraine was an especially rainy country. It rained year-round, constantly creating dark clouds to loom overhead. Katerina was an active child, often begging her aunt to play outside. She always said 'no' as it was too cold outside, but that couldn't keep Kat from trying.

    Adelaide always loved her niece, truly, but it was hard for her to see her sister in Kat. The way she dressed, the way she acted, and her talent in sports all reflected Adelaide's sister.

    "Please, Aunt Adelaide? Just twenty minutes!" Kat pleaded, tugging on Adelaide's arm. The woman sighed, moving a pot from the sink to the stove. She had learned how to cook since they took in Katerina, but that didn't mean she was good at it.

    "No, dear. It's raining."

    Kat frowned, "I'll wear a coat!" Adelaide shook her head, stirring the pot. "I'm sorry, dear. Maybe next time."

    The little girl huffed sadly, trudging back to her room. It wasn't much, just plain white walls and a few frames here and there. Material didn't matter to Kat, but the lack of memories in her room made her feel lonely.

    Kat slumped onto her bed, letting her arms fall out dramatically. She heard the rain gently patter against her window, counting the drops that fell out of boredom. Once she got to two hundred, she lost track.

    Her mind wandered, thinking about what she might be doing if her Aunt Adelaide would have let her go outside. Kat swung her legs over the side of her bed, walking to her window. She watched as the rain fell, opening her window to get a better look. She inhaled the clean smell of water, catching sight of a boy around her age.

    The boy ran with all his might, clutching a thick book to his chest. Two more boys chased after him, shouting after the poor kid. Kat stuck her head out the window, letting her feet act before she could stop herself.

    Kat jumped out of the window, feeling lucky her house was only one-story. She ran after the boys, staying a few feet behind them. The girl brushed her curly hair out of her face, feeling raindrops on her eyelashes.

    She shivered, realizing she forgot her coat at home as the boys rounded a corner. It was a dead end, and the first boy looked like a deer in headlights. The other two stopped running, chuckling to themselves.

    "Just leave me alone," the boy quivered. The tallest one scoffed, stepping up to him and yanking his book away. He flipped through it, laughing as he read. "Romeo and Juliette? You're such a dork!"

    Kat stopped just behind them, not letting the boy's heights intimidate her. "Leave him alone." They spun around, only laughing more. "Oh, look! The dork has a girlfriend." The shorter one nudged Kat in the shoulder, causing her to stumble back. "Guess he's got something on you." The girl stared at them intensely.

    The boys scoffed, somewhat offended. "Yeah, well—whatever." The tallest boy flipped open the book, tearing a few pages out before throwing it back to the timid kid. "Losers."   

They walked away after that, not bothering to stay another minute with Kat and the boy. Katerina rushed forward, gathering the pages of his book. "Here you go." Said the girl, as the boy smiled sadly. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there. I'm Maxim."

    "I'm Kat."

    Sirens suddenly shrieked as blue and red lights flashed about. Kat flinched as a police car rounded the corner into the dead end. A man all too familiar stepped out in his uniform.

    "Hi, Mr. Popov." Kat greeted as rain water ran down her face, drenching her hair. "Nice weather today, isn't it?"

The man sighed, "come on, Katerina. Your aunt is worried sick." Kat frowned, turning back to Maxim. "See you around."

Officer Popov escorted Kat to the back of his car, driving her back home. The car was quiet. He didn't need to ask why she ran away because it was a regular occurrence.

When they reached her Aunt's house, Adelaide was waiting outside, still wearing her apron. The woman rushed towards her niece, taking her hand from the officer. "Thank you, Mr. Popov. I'll take it from here."

He nodded curtly, glancing down at Kat. "Derzhis' podal'she ot nepriyatnostey, khorosho?"

Kat nodded, watching as he left. Adelaide pulled the girl inside quickly, worried she may become ill from the weather. "Goodness, Katerina, I thought I told you to stay inside!"

"You did, but—"

Adelaide shook her head, "no. I'm not ready to discuss this with you. Go take a shower and change into clean clothes, dinner is almost ready."

The young girl sulked away to the bathroom as Adelaide let out an anxious breath. "What am I gonna do with that girl?" She muttered to herself. She couldn't stop thinking about her sister. She had done something similar when she was Kat's age so it wasn't a big surprise. But still, the thought of her sister brought tears to her eyes. So, she chose to push those feelings down and try to forget the resemblance. Though, that won't come easily.

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Extremely short chapter, but flashbacks usually are. I just wanted to touch briefly on how Kat met Maxim. I know the boys weren't speaking Russian, but I just thought it would be easier for you to understand. Just imagine they are speaking Russian---except for Adelaide, of course.