“Aww,” I whispered, kneeling at the edge of the stall. “You’re so cute!”
The mama cat seemed okay with me being there, so I reached out slowly to let her sniff my hand. When she rubbed against me, I figured it was safe to pet the kittens, too.
They were so soft! There were two orange ones, and one that was mostly white with a black spot, shaped like a heart on its side, and a black tail with a white tip. That one came right up to me, climbing into my lap.
“I think you’re my favorite,” I told it, scratching behind its tiny ears. The kitten started purring so loud it seemed impossible for something so small.
“I’m going to call you Mabel,” I decided. “And when you’re old enough, you’re coming home with me.” Mom had said maybe to a kitten if Scout liked them, and this was definitely the one I wanted.
I was so busy playing with Mabel that I didn’t hear the barn door open again. It wasn’t until a shadow fell across the straw that I realized someonewas standing there.
I looked up, expecting to see Jake or maybe my dad, but it was a man I’d never seen before. He was tall, with gray hair, and wore a long, dark coat dusted with snow.
“Hello, Nora,” he said in a voice with an accent like my dad’s. “What a pleasure to finally meet you.”
I clutched Mabel closer to my chest. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”
The man smiled, but not a whole-face smile; his eyes were dark and cold, like frozen mud puddles. “I’m your grandfather, Nora. Your father’s father.”
My heart started beating really fast. I remembered Mom and Jake whispering about my grandfather being dangerous, that he was the reason we were hiding.
“My mom doesn’t know I’m out here,” I said, trying to sound brave. “She’ll be looking for me.”
“I doubt that,” he said, stepping closer. “Everyone is sleeping soundly. Blocking the furnace pipe will do that. That’s your first lesson.”
I stood up, carefully returning Mabel to her family. I needed to run, to scream, to do something, but the man was blocking the only way out.
“Your mother has been very naughty, hiding you from me all these years,” he continued. “But now we’ll make things right. We’re going home, Nora.”
“This is my home,” I said, backing up until I hit the wall of the stall. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He moved faster than I expected, grabbing my arm in a grip that hurt. “You are my blood, child. The only heir to the Petrova legacy. You belong with family.”
I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. “Let me go! Mom! Jake! Help!”
“No one can hear you,” he said calmly, pulling me toward the barn door.
I kicked and struggled as he dragged me outside. A black car was waiting, its engine running. Another man stood beside it, holding the back door open.
“I don’t want to go!” I screamed, digging my heels into the snow.
My grandfather lifted me easily, as if I weighed nothing. “You’ll learn to appreciate your heritage, Nora. Russia is your true home.”
He plopped me down onto the backseat of the car and climbed in after me. The door slammed shut, and the car started moving immediately.
“Please,” I begged, tears streaming down my face now. “Please take me back. My mom will be so worried.”
“Your mother took you from your rightful family,” he said coldly. “She will not find you this time.”
I pressed my face against the window, watching Jake’s ranch disappear, then our home, into the darkness. I should have never left the house. Now I was being taken away, and no one would ever know.
The car turned onto the main road, moving fast through the empty night. I tried to memorize every turn, every landmark, but it was too dark to see much.
“Where are we going?” I asked, wiping my tears with my sleeve.
“To a private airfield,” he answered. “From there, to Moscow. You’ll have the finest education, the best of everything. You’ll learn what it means to be a Petrova.”
“I don’t want to be a Petrova,” I said. “I want to go home.”
