Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Façade ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Title: Façade
Author: Illuma
Fandom: Naruto
Feedback: Feedback is always welcome!

Itachi: I think you went a little overboard in this chapter.
Dream: I agree. But I couldn't help it. Was still writing it at the three in the morning and I couldn't stop. It just called to me!
Sasuke: You're insane.
Dream: Probably.
Itachi & Sasuke: -Both sigh and shake their heads at her-
Dream: I used delightful one to many times though. xD
Sasuke: That's not even an issue here!
Dream: No it isn't... -Shrugs-
Sasuke: I fear for her sanity.
Itachi: -Frowns- What sanity?
Sasuke: Oh right....

Warnings: Graphic description of a violent death.
Disclaimer:

Chapter 8
- - - - - - - - - -

“We need to talk,” Nadia said, turning on her heel and walking away, beckoning them to follow.

The eleven adults exchanged looks before following her towards the back of the house. They followed her into what could only be the woman's study. A few cushioned benches lined two of the walls, and a few chairs were scattered throughout the room. Nadia took a seat behind the desk in the tall leather chair.

“Sit,” she said as the last of them entered, closing the door behind him. They all moved to take seats.

“I can only assume that Tsunade requested most of you to come here tonight instead of remaining at him. Is my assumption right?”

Iruka nodded. “She did.”

“Right. There are possibly two reasons for this. One being tonight could be a turning point, the other being that it has come to our attention that Orochimaru may have discovered possibly her identity or that of her partner's. Even possibly other members of the Unit. Don't be surprised if when you return to your homes you find the place torn apart. If they know who she is, they know who you are. Ultimately this places your lives in danger.”

“Would they kill us?” Genma asked.

Nadia eyed him. “Quite possibly. I wouldn't put it past that organization to use any of you as bait. They're constantly looking for those kinds of opportunities. The last time that happened, Sakaye and few others had disappeared on us for about two months. One of the members had been baited into going to a specific location, going against Sakaye's orders for him not to go. He was tortured before he was buried alive.”

“How can there be people like that in the world?” Kotetsu said slowly.

Nadia shook her head. “How can there not?” she replied, eying the man.

“What do you mean?”

Nadia sighed and scratched the back of her left hand before replying. “Despite the efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect people from it, the truth of the matter is that it still exists and all we can do is ask why. Why do such violent and treacherous acts exist? Do these violent tendencies occur as an affect of disruptions or damage to the brain? Is there a genetic correlation? Is the act of violence brought about by factors such as economic difficulties or social or cultural differences? These questions all remain unanswered, simply because we cannot answer them.(1)”

“I don't get it,” Genma grumbled.

Raidou rolled his eyes at his lover.

“Well it doesn't matter,” Nadia says. “The point is that there will always be people like this in the world. You can't stop everyone from committing crimes because it simply is not possible. We all understand this fact.”

“Why did Sakaye join in the first place? I know her parents were killed, but who did it?” Kakashi asked, watching the woman intently.

Nadia sighed and look down at the desk. “The man who killed her parents, and also had a hand in the deaths of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto along with almost the entire Uchiha family is none other than Orochimaru. She has a personal vendetta against this man, and has sworn that he will die by her hands.”

“But… are you serious?”

“Very. The man originally judged guilty for the crime of the family was supposedly under the influence of an unknown drug the day it happened. He was a highly trusted employee of Uchiha Corporations who had been allowed into the Uchiha's home many times. I never met the man, but Sakaye told me he had been a great man. That action had never been considered a possibility for him. All employees are subjected to drug tests every few months, and any found using them, prescription drugs excluded, are fired immediately. Uchiha Fugaku was a kind man, but he was not tolerant of drug users. There is always the possibility that he started between screenings, but it isn't likely. People like him don't make changes like that. Not when they have a good position and are being paid very well.”

“Woah they screen every few months? Shit I'd get fired after the first one,” Genma joked.

Kakashi laughed and both Kurenai and Raidou hit the back of his head, one right after the other. “Idiot,” they said.

Nadia sighed and shook her head. Every candidate for employment was undergo a drug test prior to the interview. They are given the results after the interview, and that is when they decide if they're going to higher you or not.”

“Who's running it now though?” Asuma asked.

“Right now the main business is being run by the Vice President,” Itachi said from a seat near the door, and everyone turned to stare at him, not really having noticed hi presence until now. “When I graduate I will take over as CEO of Uchiha Corporations. My father owned fifty one percent of the stocks to ensure no one could ever outvote him. Uchiha Corporations is meant to remain under control of the Uchiha family, he simply ensured that.”

“Do you even want to do this?” Genma asked.

Itachi shrugged. “Not really, but this isn't something Sasuke could handle, and I refuse to push that onto him. The future of Uchiha Corporations will be in my hands, and I accept that. I wouldn't have it any other way. My major isn't in business, but I still am taking those classes for my minor so I will know what I'm doing when the time comes.”

“Itachi,” Nadia said, looking up at the young Uchiha.

“Yes?”

“Does Sasuke know or suspect anything?”

“Not as far as I know,” he replied. “Since I found out, I've done everything I can to make sure he never knows.”

Nadia nodded. “Let us keep it that way. None of those kids need to know anything about it. Ah, and Itachi. She spoke to you about knowing, did she not?”

Itachi eyed her warily for a moment before nodding his head slowly. “She did. You were upstairs in her room when she told me. I believe she already knew anyways.”

Nadia smiled and nodded. “She usually does.”

“What are talking about?” Izumo asked, interrupting their conversation.

Itachi shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied, rising to his feet. “I'm going to go heck on the kids. Nadia, you'll show them to the guest rooms, won't you?”

“Of course,” she replied, rising from her seat behind the desk. “I will collect your things from your vehicles in a bit. I'd rather none of you leave the house tonight.”

“Why?” Kotestu asked.

Nadia shook her head and did not respond.

-

Sasuke and the others followed his dog through the house and to the back door, Kiba's white puppy Akamaru running after her. The Borzoi pup pawed at the back door, and Sasuke slid it open, allowing both of them to go outside. He reached over and switched on the outside lights, bright light immediately flooding the area by the door and extending a little out beyond it. He flipped another switch and two rows of lights switched on, illuminating a path straight ahead of them. The rows split off an continued several feet before moving again towards the back before turning and connecting again.

“You guys have a pool?” Kiba asked, grinning at the reflection of lights on calm water.

Sasuke nodded. “Yeah. It was added by the previous owners.”

“That's awesome,” Kiba said. “Can we go swimming?”

“No,” said a voice behind them. The group of teens turned to look at Sasuke's older brother.

“Why not?” Kiba whined.

Itachi shook his head and didn't answer. “Stay inside tonight,” he said. He glanced outside when he heard a loud bark coming form somewhere out in the dark yard. He moved past the teens and took a step outside. He lifted his hand to his mouth, placed his index finger and thumb in his mouth and whistled loudly. He stepped to one side and waited, watching.

They heard the sound of paws hitting the ground. The sound grew louder and five dark bodies could be seen coming closer, two smaller ones lagging behind. The three adult Borzoi came to a stop in front of Itachi. Itachi raised his fist in the air and the three dogs sat down, staring up at him. He looked up and watched the two puppies run around the pool and head straight for the door.

The teens moved aside as the two ran in, Akamaru tackling Ninochka. The two rolled on the ground for a moment before Ninochka rose and stood over Akamaru, nipping at his neck.

Itachi lowered his hand and looked down at the three Borzoi. “ВнутрР;¸(1),” he said. The three dogs rose and immediately went into the house.

“Sasuke,” Itachi said, stepping back into the house and closing the door, turning off the lights.

“Hm? What is it aniki?” Sasuke said, turning from watching the puppies to look at his brother.

“Show them where they'll be sleeping. Nadia will start dinner in about half an hour.”

“Okay,” Sasuke said. “Come on.”

The younger Uchiha moved past his friends and down the hall. The group followed him as he went up to the second floor. “Svetlana(2),” he said, looking down at the silver sable Borzoi. The dog stopped and turned her head to look at him. “Vanya(3).” The mahogany brindle Borzoi stopped and looked at him as well. “Sezja(4).” The red sable looked at him as well.

Itachi frowned as he looked down at their paws. They'd tracked dirt into the house, along with bits of grass. “All three of you are getting baths tomorrow. Sakaye said you haven't been bathed in a month anyways.”

The three dogs looked pitifully up at him, as though asking what they'd done to deserve such treatment. They understood commands in both Russian and Japanese, and they also understood bath in both. Hell. To dogs the word bath was probably understood in any language. For them it usually consisted of about a half hour to an hour of torture depending on how dirty they were and if they needed their fur to be trimmed. Svetlana whined and turned, running away from him. Itachi smirked as Vanya and Sezja followed her.

He could hear the thuds as all three dogs ran up the stairs, probably going to hide in their temporarily shared room from him. He sighed and followed after them, glancing at the two puppies still going at it.

He glanced into the room and found the three dogs staring at him, all curled together. He grinned at them. He bet he could probably hook Sasuke into doing it for him. He just shook his head and closed the door before he continued down the hallway, pausing when he heard voices drifting out of Sasuke's room. He frowned as he listened.

“Are you sure, Shika?” Naruto said, frowning at the laziest person he had ever met.

“Positive. I did some digging around and I found a database I'd never encountered before. It was surprisingly difficult to get into, too.”

“That's surprising,” Naruto commented. “You normally don't have a problem hacking into anything.”

Shikamaru nodded. “That's not the best part. Before I could get to far, I was found kicked out. I barely managed to even copy a few of the files I'd looked over. It's unbelievable how much stuff there still was. I'd have a hard time trying to get back in.”

“So what did you find?” Kiba asked.

Shikamaru shrugged and reached for his backpack, pulling out the black laptop he took with him just about everywhere. He flipped it open and pushed the power button, waiting for it to come back from hibernation.

“The first thing I got was the origin of ANBU. Their a Special Ops unit, and ANBU stands for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. Supposedly this unit was created around fifty years ago or so,” he said, typing in his password when the screen finished loading. He waited for his desktop load before he double clicked a folder labeled 'ANBU'. He looked through the contents and opened the the filed called Origin, waiting for it open.

He read a few lines before he said, “Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. A Black Ops Unit formed in 1953 when the rise of Yakuza leader Masahara Kurayami overwhelmed Police units. Despite the efforts of the Police, they could not take the man down.

“Unknown to the Government, the original leaders known only as Shodai and Nidaime, ANBU was formed. The Unit was first funded by anonymous sources. Few members speculate that Shodai and Nidaime may have partially funded the unit themselves, thought others believe well known corporations also funded them as well, wishing for this new unit to remove Masahara from power. Supposedly, these corporations were all enemies of Masahara's company, T.M. Inc. and on numerous occasions, hostile take-overs had nearly taken place. If not for the support of other companies helping to keep T.M. At bay, several corporations we know of today would no longer be around.

“T.M. Inc was a threat to all, big and small business alike. Masahara supposedly took orphans from the war and made into his subordinates. Sandaime believed that Masahara had first started out shortly after the war had ended, taking young children and ordering his men to train them the way he wanted them to be. Most of the children taken were often between the ages of six and thirteen. It has been noted that these children often beaten on a daily basis, leaving horrid scars to cover their bodies. Operatives often found young men to be covered in horrendous scars that had healed improperly, possibly infected while the wounds healed and never taken care of. One man, reported to be the age of eighteen when he was captured and examined, was said to have been one of the worst they had found. Doctors found that his bones had been broken many times when he was younger, and had never been allowed to heal properly before he was forced back into training and more beatings. Medical reports also showed damage to organs that had also never healed properly. Reports also show he had an addiction to multiple drugs that was hard to break him of.

“The majority of these people were also forced into drug addictions. The weaning process was long and hard for most. Withdrawal tended to be violent for some as the would demand to be given the drugs to ease their suffering.

“In 1956, Masahara Kurayami was assassinated by ANBU Captain Jigsaw, a woman known for speaking in riddles and cryptic messages. Most found it hard to ever understand her, or even her reasons for being a member of the unit. Masahara's body was found at eight am., and presumed to have been killed around two am,.

“With Masahara's death, life in Japan began to return to a state of normalcy, and it was suspected by many that ANBU would disband. ANBU, however, did not disband. The unit simply went into hiding and operations were carried out in secret. The Japanese government did not claim responsibility as expected when something went wrong. No link could ever be found between ANBU and the government despite the fact that ANBU was often hired by government organization to carry out numerous missions. The majority of these actions were usually assassinations, espionage and sabotage. ANBU excelled easily in all three.

“Deaths of certain unnamed Yakuza leaders were easily taken out by ANBU members, as were certain corrupt individuals that also remain unnamed. With the formation of ANBU, certain change was easily brought about.

“Both Shodai and Nidaime were KIA. Sandaime remained leader for several years before he was murdered in cold while out with what remained of his family. His killer was never found. Yondaime retired at the birth of his son, and Godaime retired when she felt she was no longer needed as leader. However, Godaime still remains as a confidant to ANBU members to this day.

“Under the leadership of Rokudaime, things have changed and the quest for Orochimaru's death has intensified. Members have been avidly searching for any means to take him out for a number of years, yet the man remains elusive. Rokudaime seeks to avenge not only fallen comrades, but those of the families he has destroyed. Chief among them-”

Shikamaru stopped.

“Well?” Kiba said, prodding him to go on.”

“It stops there,” Shikamaru said. “I didn't see any other files relating to this information.”

Several of the teens frowned. “This really doesn't give a lot,” Naruto said.

“No it doesn't,” Shikamaru agreed. “I just wonder what corporations actually funded ANBU to begin with. It hints that they are powerful companies, but it doesn't state who. I didn't see any kind of list indicating anything about it either, so it's all been kept quiet in case someone broke in. they probably have paper records about it though.”

“Probably. Did you happen to get a list of who the members are?” Naruto asked.

“No. I was thrown out just as the information was loading. They don't want anyone knowing.”

“Could you possibly get back in?”

“I can try, but I'm sure they've upped security by now. These people are far more experienced than I am, and I had a hard time even getting in in the first place. A second time will be ten times harder than that.”

The others nodded in agreement. All except Sasuke. He was sitting at the far corner of his bed, his back against the wall as his shoulder leaned against the headboard, his head in the small space between them. Naruto glanced at him and frowned.

“Hey guys,” he said, looking back at his friends. When they faced him, he gestured with his head for them to leave. They took the hint and silently hint.

Outside, Itachi frowned and walked away from the door just as Sasuke's opened and his friends poured out. He glanced behind him before he went into his own room and shut the door.

“Fuck.”

-

“Sasuke?” Naruto said, moving from his position on the floor to pull himself onto the bed. He crawled towards the Uchiha and gently set his hand on his shoulder.

Slowly, Sasuke's head turned to face him.

“Hey. What's wrong?” he asked, the worry evident in his gentle voice.

“I... I have... a really bad feeling,” he replied slowly, looking away from the blond.

Naruto frowned and gently tugged Sasuke away from his corner and into his arms. “What do you think is gonna happen?” he asked.

Sasuke shook his head, letting himself fall against Naruto. “I don't know,” he replied. “I can't help feeling that she's going to come home, and look worse than she usually does on nights like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before when she'd go out dressed like that she'd come home somewhat drunk. She'd smile at us and tell us everything would be okay, stumble to her room and fall asleep. And for the next few days she'd be really quiet, and wouldn't talk to us. She'd have this far off look in her eyes that I never understood.

“It scares me when I think about it, because I know she's hiding something from us. I just don't understand what could be so important. There have been times when she went away on business trips, and when she came home, there was always something off about her.

“I'm scared that she's doing something dangerous. I can't lose her, Naruto! I can't lose another person!”

“Shh,” Naruto said, tightening his hold on the Uchiha as Sasuke's hand fisted in his shirt.

“It's going to be kay. You'll see,” he murmured. “She wouldn't leave you. I know she wouldn't.”

Sasuke could feel the stinging in his eyes as an overwhelming sense of dread hovered over him. He was certain that tonight would be different, and Sakaye wouldn't be okay as she always said she was. He had watched her walk out through the front door, and watched through windows as the vehicle sped away form the house. She hadn't even greeted him when he came home. Not really anyways. He knew at that moment that something was different.

He hadn't seen the look in her eyes like their teachers had. He hadn't been able to. But he knew. He knew something else would have been there. Something maybe someone had recognized, but perhaps not.

Sakaye had always been an enigma. Ever since he could first remember meeting her, she had always been different. It had always been subtle, but the clues were always there. They had always been present. One just had to look for them. And yet neither he nor Itachi could ever figure it out. They could never fully understand her.

There were days where they would find her at home crying in her room, and the only one should let in was her dog. The Akita he and Itachi given to her for her thirtieth birthday. The two year old animal was the only thing that could stop her tears. Itachi had tried once, but he had failed. Sasuke had tried the next time, and his success had been the same.

She would eat the food they brought her, but still she would cry. For days until she emerged from her room, a small smile on her thin lips. She would tell them something had happened that had deeply gotten to her, and assure them that she would be alright. Neither brother could ever fully understand, and they never learned what had happened.

Sasuke suspected someone knew. Someone had to know. It just wasn't them. They weren't allowed to know. That much was obvious.

When Sasuke finally woke in the circle of Naruto's arms, both lying on his bed, he realized a few things. They had missed dinner, it was after midnight, and Sakaye would be home soon.

He turned his head and stared at the clock sitting on the table next to his bed. The time red one fifty three. Sakaye usually came back at around two.

Very slowly, he withdrew from Naruto's arms and sat up, swinging his feet onto the floor. He frowned as he stared at the dark blue of his carpet. They wouldn't let him have a wood floor, claiming he wouldn't sweep or mop it. It was true. He wouldn't he hated mopping. He was a clean person by nature, but something about mopping and sloshing slowly dirtying water over a floor bug him. He could deal with vacuuming.

His head twisted towards his window in the sound of crunching gravel alerted him to the arrival of a vehicle. He slowly stood, pausing when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist. He turned his head to look at the questioning blue gaze. He nodded his head towards the window and watched as Naruto turned towards it, listening. He looked back at Sasuke when he heard the sound. The blond frowned and got up, joining Sasuke as he moved towards his door.

Sasuke opened it to find a head poking out of the room across from his, a questioning look in the shadow eyes. He simply shook his head and pulled his arm free of Naruto's grasp, moving towards the stairs. He paused and turned when hurried footsteps moved across the wooden floor of the hallway. He pressed his body to the wall as Nadia ran past them, nearly tripping down the stairs in her haste.

Sasuke frowned and followed after her, several others behind him. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs as the front door slowly slid open, the sound seeming loud in the silence. A shadowy figure stood there, arms hanging at it's sides. Behind it, another figure moved, pressing something into an unresponsive hand and curling the fingers around it. the second figure moved back, hesitated before turning away. Moments later they could hear the car leaving the property.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the shadowy figure of his mother stepped into the house, the door sliding shut behind her courtesy of Nadia. In the soft glow of a light coming from somewhere towards the back of the house, he could partially see her her disheveled state. When the lights that illuminated the stairwell suddenly flickered to life, a collective gasp sounded.

Sakaye stood there in all her bloody glory. From the tips of her fingers, blood dripped to the recently polish wooden floor beneath her. Her tattered skirt barely covered her now, and her top was in a similar state. Her hair had long since fallen away from how Nadia had styled it hours ago. Thick locks of it hung over her face, casting it into shadows even in the bright light.

Very slowly, Sakaye lifted her empty hand, blood still dripping to the floor.

“A wonderful thing, blood,” she said quietly. “Quite unbelievable how so much can come from one person. You can almost bathe in it there was so much. Although, it was a delightful sight to see him squirm and plead for his miserable life. It certainly is a shame though. We didn't get what we wanted, Nadia.”

It was then they realized she hadn't even noticed their presence.

“He was so loyal not even Ibiki could make him crack. To bad it wasn't Yakushi. I could have had fun with him.”

“Sakaye,” Nadia said. “I believe it is time you rested.”

“No!” she snapped, her hand lowering to her side as she lifted her head. “My thirst has not been sated. I long to bathe in his blood. I long to feel it running through my fingers as his body tosses in the throws of death. I want to make him scream for forgiveness as his life slowly leaves him. I want to make him suffer as I have. I want to watch him suffer as I destroy everything. His mind. His body. His soul. Everything!”

“Sakaye, did you suffer any wounds?”

Sakaye's sharp bark of laughter echoed in the silent house. “I did not. This is the blood of Kidomaru,” she replied, lifting her hand once again, this time bringing it to her face. Her tongue moved from the base of her index finger to the tip as she licked the blood away from the underside of the appendage.

“Disgusting,” she said. “The blood of the unworthy is so vile.”

“Sakaye,” Nadia said. “That's enough.”

Sakaye smirked. “Perhaps you are correct. My body feels defiled by this blood the covers it,” she said, pulling her hand away to look at it.

“Sakaye? Who did you kill.”

The smirk never left her face as she replied. “Ki-dou-ma-ru. Age eighteen. One of four personal bodyguards to Orochimaru. His death was so exciting to watch. I know Kisa-chan enjoyed taking his life. I could see the wicked smile on his face as he dug his dagger into his body and ripped through the tender flesh of that frail body. The boy screamed in pain and agony as his living body was torn apart, nailed to the table unable to move.” Sakaye's body shivered in excitement of telling Nadia. “Oh how the blood did pour! It oozed and dripped from every wound.” She dropped the item in fer hand to the floor, her hands moving up to her head as she tossed it back in pleasure. “His screams were so delectable! Hida-chan even played the role of the sadistic bastard tonight too! I was so surprised at him!”

Nadia frowned, not liking that Sakaye was so oblivious to the others as she continued.

“Ooh those new screams were like music as he dripped that acid into his body. The liquid eating away through his flesh and organs. Oh gods was it wonderful. I could only watch as bits of his flesh peeled away from his body at the mercy of Kisa-chan's blade. Ah I can't forget it even now how he pleaded for us to end his life. But that child did not understand. He did not give us what we wanted. He knew what would happen when he did not give in to us.” Her hands lowered to her sides.

“They always know,” she said darkly. “They know that those who stand in our way, face a gruesome death by our hands. We who are born of the darkness know no bounds. We are not gods, far from it, and yet it is we who determines their fate when they are claimed as ours. They become ours to do with as we please, and nothing can ever stop us.”

Nadia frowned as she went on about something. Rolling her eyes, she moved closer to the woman, putting hand on the junction between her neck and shoulder. “I think it's time you slept,” she murmured.

Sakaye looked at her before her eyes fluttered shut and her body slumped to the ground.

She looked at the group and sighed. “I should probably tell you none of that is true,” she began. “Something similar to this has happened to her before, and no I am not sure what caused it. Any number of things could have triggered her mind to create this fabrication of the truth.” She knelt down and lifted the folded sheet of paper that had been pressed into Sakaye's hand.

She unfolded it and read its contents. “Well that's fun,” she muttered.

Kakashi, the first to break the silence, spoke, “What?”

Nadia sighed. “I really wish she hadn't exposed them to this,” she said gesturing to the teenagers still staring at the unconscious woman on the floor.

“So what she said... it really isn't true?”

“Yes,” Nadia replied. “But what I meant is that they should not have knowledge of what she does. In all honesty none of you should. It can't be helped now though. In any case. It appears they did apprehend someone by the name of Kidomaru. Age eighteen. Occupation, personal bodyguard to Orochimaru. The blood on her body is not his. They don't actually know whose it is, and I suspect some of it is hers. I won't know until I've cleaned her though.”

“Do they really do stuff like that?”Genma asked timidly.

Nadia rolled her eyes. “Never. They may torment a prisoner a bit to get answers, but they would never go to those lengths. Cruel and unusual punishment is not their forte. Hell not even Morino would something like that to prisoner. His time though, seems I was wrong. Someone managed to give her something they shouldn't have. They were unable to identify the substance so we can only wait until it's out of her system. Probably an experimental drug Yakushi came up with. The bastard seems to be getting better at it apparently.

“According to this, she disappeared for about an hour. This was at twelve thirty am. She returned at one thirty am, her clothes torn and blood dripping from her hands. None of them dared approach her to check if she was unharmed. I don't know why. There are often times when she becomes completely unapproachable, and most will stay away.”

“So can you find out what it was?”

Nadia shrugged. “They found a syringe on Kidomaru, and they said they'll try to find out what was inside of it. Though they won't know entirely what it does.” Nadia glanced down at Sakaye and side. “Would someone mind carrying her up to her room? I'd rather she not sleep here.”

They hesitated before Gai moved down the stairs, kneeling next to the woman and lifting her limp body in his arms. He frowned as he rose, turned and walked back up to the second floor, disappearing at the top.

Nadia gestured with her head to the front living area. “Let me explain a few things,” she said.

TBC...

(1) Внутри - Inside
(2) Svetlana - Star
(3) Vanya - gracious gift of god
(4) Sezja - protector