Chapter 5
Yelena’s six when she starts first grade and finally joins Natasha in the same school. Natasha is in fifth grade now but the sisters see each other on the playground at recess.
The two usually spend their recess on the swings, Natasha pushing Yelena until they’re kicked off so someone else can have a turn.
Then Melina and Alexei are called into the school for a parent-teacher conference and Natasha listens as they tell them that they’re concerned Yelena’s not making friends or socializing because she spends all day waiting for recess so she can see Natasha. They make Natasha stay away from the playground equipment to play on the blacktop instead so that Yelena can make friends during recess.
Neither girl is happy about it but they do as they’re told.
Natasha’s kicking a rock across the blacktop, listening to the pebble roll across the courtyard when she sees Yelena being approached by a bigger boy and his friends. The boy has to bend over at the waist to get into Yelena’s face and Natasha watches Yelena’s face screw up indignantly, opening her mouth to protest at whatever he said.
The boy is in a grade younger than Natasha. Natasha doesn’t care about ages though, she’s learned long ago that monsters come in many shapes and sizes. This boy is picking on her sweet little sister and that is not going to happen with her around.
Natasha starts to make her way toward him, speeding up when she watches the boy trip Yelena with his sneakered foot. Yelena skins her palms on the ground and scrunches her face up, one that Natasha knows is the telltale sign that she’s going to cry.
“Hey, get away from her!” Natasha shoves the boy back away from Yelena. The boy stumbles at her unexpected shove before he sneers at her.
They’re nearly the same height despite the age difference. “Go play pony with the other girls and leave us alone.” The boy said.
“Nattie,” Yelena sniffles, climbing to her feet and brushing gravel and specks of dirt from her scuffed palms. “He pushed me.”
“Liar!” The boy blows a raspberry at her. “You’re just a big baby.”
“Go away before I make you,” Natasha steps between him and her sister. The boy glances at her as if he’s surprised that she’s still there.
“Go away before I make you regret it,” He threatens and Natasha resists the urge to laugh at him because he was picking a fight with a girl who has killed before. That sleeps with a knife under her bed and knows how to gut a man six different ways.
“I’d like to see you try,” She retorts and the boy gives a clumsy swing at her that she easily dodges.
Natasha is going to hit him. She knows how to punch, she was taught when she was three. She can take him down in one swing and humiliate him in front of all of his friends.
Natasha tilts her chin up, her fingers curling into fists before she takes one swing and her hand connects with his nose, a sickening crunch echoing through the air as the boy hits the ground and Natasha flexes her fingers.
The boy lay knocked out cold on the blacktop and Natasha stares down at her knuckles that drip red with blood that isn’t hers.
Yelena’s watching with wide eyes and Natasha absentmindedly wipes her hand onto her jeans to get rid of the blood before reaching for her sister.
Yelena winds her thin wiry arms around Natasha’s waist, burying her teary face into Natasha’s shirt, and fists the back of Natasha’s jean jacket in her tiny fingers.
The teachers rush over and Natasha confesses to hitting the boy but only because there were too many witnesses to contradict her otherwise.
Yelena refuses to let go of Natasha, even when the teachers try to separate them to drag Natasha to the office.
They end up taking both girls as the boy is hauled to the nurse’s office and an ambulance is called.
Worry forms in the pit of Natasha’s stomach when they tell her they’re going to call her parents. Yelena squishes onto the wooden bench next to Natasha as they wait just outside of the principal’s office. Natasha digs through her bag to find the tiny first aid kit Melina had insisted on her carrying.
Natasha cleans Yelena’s scraped palms, blowing gently on them to soothe the sting and pressing band-aids to cover the raw skin.
Yelena sniffles, watching her with teary eyes as Natasha takes care of her hands. “Kiss ‘em like mama.”
Natasha dutifully pressed a soft kiss over each band-aid littered on Yelena’s skin. Yelena wraps her arms around Natasha again, leaning against her tiredly.
“Are we gonna get in trouble?” Yelena asked Natasha softly, burying her face into Natasha’s jean jacket.
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Natasha shakes her head, resting a hand that had blood smeared on her knuckles, staining her skin pink, onto Yelena’as back. “I’m the one in trouble.”
“But you were protecting me,” Yelena tilts her head up to peer up at Natasha with big hazel eyes. “Like a knight rescuing a princess from the mean dragon.”
“I think he’s more of an ogre,” Natasha whispers to Yelena and smiles softly when she’s rewarded with Yelena’s giggles.
Alexei gets there first and Natasha is frozen in fear on the bench as she stares up at him, wondering just what he’d do to punish her.
He has to crouch down in front of them as he looks them over. “They told me my girls got into a fight.” He comments, glancing at Yelena’s hands. “What is this, hmm? You didn’t have this when you left this morning, little cub.”
“The bigger boy pushed me on the playground,” Yelena tells him, showing off the Ninja Turtle band-aids Natasha plastered to her skin. “I hurt my hands. Nattie made it all better, she even kissed them just like mama.”
Alexei smiles, smoothing Yelena’s hair back before turning to address Natasha. “What happened, little mouse?”
Natasha quietly recites the events like she gave mission reports. Alexei grasps her wrist, his fingers nearly swallowing Natasha’s hand as he turns it over and inspects the streaks of drying blood left behind on her knuckles.
“Did you hit him hard?” Alexei questioned, his tone serious.
“Just like they taught me,” Natasha admits, unsure of whether he was upset. She really hoped that she didn’t blow their cover.
To her surprise, Alexei lets out a low rumble of a laugh as he ruffles her hair. “That’s my girl.” He said fondly before standing up. “Your mother will be here soon. We will work this all out.”
When Melina arrives, she crouches down in front of them just as Alexei had done, reaching out to cup their faces and look them in the eyes to ask if they were hurt and what had happened.
Natasha watches the irritation and anger flicker across Melina’s face briefly as Yelena shows off her hands decorated in Ninja Turtle band-aids. The emotions are gone as quick as they came and Melina merely releases a breath of air before pressing soft kisses to the plasters like Natasha had done.
“If you’re not in trouble then why are you here?” Melina asked Yelena and Yelena peers up at Natasha.
“I wanted to be with Nattie,” Yelena spoke, leaving no room for argument. Melina chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to their foreheads, and disappears into the principal’s office with Alexei.
Natasha doesn’t know how much of it was an act. The soft touches, the concern about their injuries, the hair ruffling and the kisses, all things good parents do.
At least, Natasha thinks so.
Yelena swings her legs and hums her favorite song as the two wait on the bench for them to finish.
Finally, they emerge from the office and the principal stares down at Natasha. “You’re being suspended from school for three days. Think over your behavior while you’re gone, Miss Natasha, we will not accept another incident like this.”
Natasha, quiet and obedient, thanks him before she allows Alexei to steer her out of the school with a firm hand on her shoulder.
Alexei has to get back to work so they bid goodbye in the parking lot. Alexei grins down at Natasha as he swoops her up to spin her in the air like he did to Yelena when parting. When he sets her down, he keeps his hands on her waist for a few moments as he leans in. “You threw a magnificent punch, my little mouse. I am so proud of you.” He whispers before pulling away and pressing a kiss to Melina’s cheek before sliding into his car to head back to work.
Natasha is left standing there, dazed at his praise stares at the spot he just left before Yelena’s hand takes hers and Natasha looks down at her sister.
Natasha waits for Melina to punish her when they get home. She could have blown the whole operation with just one careless punch. She brought so much attention onto them.
Melina doesn’t even put her into the corner when they get home, nevertheless hit her. Natasha waits and watches but nothing happens.
When Melina calls them to dinner that night, Natasha ignores her because she assumes she won’t get any. She hadn’t earned it. She was bad that day.
Melina goes to find her. “I called for you, Natasha. Go wash up for dinner.”
Natasha glances up at her, unsure and hesitant before voicing her question. “I get dinner?”
Melina lets out a soft sigh and Natasha tenses up at the action. “You’re not in trouble, Natasha.”
Natasha frowns, peering up at Melina. “I’m not?”
“No. In fact, you did what a lot of big sisters do. You protected Yelena from a bully. It happens. You’re not the first person to do it,” Melina shakes her head.
“But I got suspended. I put that boy in the hospital,” Natasha points out.
“You were protecting Yelena,” Melina reaches out to set a hand onto Natasha’s shoulder and Natasha waits for the inevitable digging of nails into soft flesh that never happens. “Would I prefer you not beat up children? Yes. Am I upset that you looked after your little sister? No.”
Natasha stares up at Melina, searching for any sign of a lie.
“Go wash up for dinner now. Go, before it gets cold,” Melina pats her shoulder, giving Natasha a push toward the bathroom.
Yelena retells the story at dinner of how Natasha was a knight that protected the princess from the gross and smelly ogre on the playground.