The Phoenix Ghost

Collision

Silas Korba....

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'Yev!' For a moment Vasily Ravensthal's face was soft and wondering, then his face hardened until it was a mask of marble,

'Gde ty brat?' (Where are you, brother?) Raven laughed harshly at his brother's ominous tone,

'Nash otets ne vospityval durakov ... Krome odnogo ...'

(Our father did not raise fools... Except one...)

Vasily's eyes shifted betraying, to his brother at least, a feeling of guilt and lingering grief,

'Lina dolzhna byla znat' luchshe, Yev. Dlya neye nikogda ne budet schastlivoy zhizni.'

(Lina should have known better, Yev. There was never going to be a happy life for her.)

Raven's face held nothing but disdain and disgust,

'Yesli eto zastavlyayet tebya spat' luchshe, trakhni sebya. YA nikogda ne proshchu nashemu ottsu za to, chto on skazal, chto khochet trakhat'sya, potomu chto yemu stalo trudno nablyudat', kak eti ublyudki trakhayut Linu, prezhde chem on sam pererezal yey gorlo. On mertv dlya menya, a ty reshil ostat'sya i pozvolit' etoy zhizni unichtozhit' brata, kotorogo ya lyubil.'

(If that makes you sleep better, fuck you. I will never forgive our father for saying he wanted to fuck because he'd gotten hard watching those bastards rape Lina before he slit her throat himself. He is dead to me and you chose to stay and allow that life to destroy the brother I loved.)

Vasily roared out of the chair to stand shaking in rage in front of the tv reflecting the picture of his grown brother,

'YA ubil nashego ottsa sam za to, chto on sdelal s nashey sestroy! Ne sudi menya, starshiy brat! YA ne begal ot nashego ottsa, kak trus, ya zhdal, poka ne smogu vyvesti yego! YA udostoverilsya, chto on znal, chto on umer za to, chto on sdelal s Linoy!'

(I killed our father myself for what he did to our sister! Don't you judge me, big brother! I didn't run from our father like a coward, I waited until I was in a position to take him out! I made sure he knew he died for what he did to Lina!)

Raven's stony face did not change despite his brother's passionate statement of revenge against their father, if anything his face showed pity and sadness for his brother,

'Yesli vy dumayete, chto stat' pokhozhim na nego i vzyat' na sebya rol' Pakhana - eto to, chto Lina khotela dlya vas ili menya, vy ne pomnite tu zhe sestru, kotoruyu ya znal. Ona by nikogda ne khotela, chtoby ty tak sebya iskazil. Imenno ona pomogla mne nayti vykhod, kogda otets skazal: prisoyedinyaysya ili umri. Eto byla ne ta zhizn', kotoruyu ona khotela dlya nas oboikh. YA ne bezhal, ya pochtil yeye pamyat', ostaviv, kak ona khotela, chtoby ya sdelal. Eto byl tvoy vybor ostat'sya, Vas.'

(If you think becoming like him and taking on his role as Pakhan is what Lina wanted for you or me, you don't remember the same sister I knew. She never would have wanted you to corrupt yourself that way. She's the one who helped me find an exit when father said join or die. It was not the life she wanted for either of us. I did not run, I honoured her memory by leaving as she wanted me to do. It was your choice to stay, Vas.)

Vasily stumbled back from his brother's flat, non judgemental statements. He snapped at his two enforcers to stand outside on the porch,

'YA iskal tebya pyat' let, Yev. YA khotel imet' delo s nashim ottsom vmeste. YA vsegda khotel, chtoby moy brat vernulsya i vernul sem'yu, kotoruyu pokinul. Vy govorite, chto ne podumayete o vozvrashchenii domoy?'