1989
Sitting on the bottom step of a large staircase a little girl sat fidgeting with her frilly pink dress and every-so-often fighting the multi-coloured party hat that perched precariously on the top of her thick black curls that were piled on top of her head. “Happy Birthday,” a man said as he walked down the stairs to stand behind her making her turn around to look at him, he had the same dusky skin and large dark eyes and he wore black business suit with a red tie.
“Thank you,” the girl said bitting her lip and blinking rapidly.
“What’s the matter Anastasia?” the man asked stepping down so he could sit beside her.
“I’m…I’m really sorry about Mummy,” Anastasia said climbing up into her father’s lap and putting her face against his shirt.
“What do you mean Honey?” her father said holding her tightly against him.
“Eli…Elijah said that I killed her,” Anastasia said looking up at her father briefly before burying her face again. “I was looking at her picture and I asked him where she was.”
“Ana…Ana honey,” Anastasia’s father said rocking her gently before pulling her away from his chest. “Come on Anastasia, look at me,” he said lifting her chin so she was looking into his eyes. “I was… you’re so little and I… I didn’t want to tell you this until you were older but Elijah… never mind, what’s done is done,” he said closing his eyes for a moment and running his hand through his daughter’s hair. “You’re mother did die when you were born but it wasn’t your fault at all, there were complications…things went wrong, sometimes these things just happen, do you understand? Does it make you feel any better?” he asked.
“So it wasn’t my fault? Not at all?” Anastasia asked looking up at her father with hope shining in her huge black eyes. “So it wasn’t because I was bad?”
“Is that what Elijah said?” her father asked. I’m going to skin that little Gypsy bastard, he thought biting his lip to keep from swearing out loud.
“He said that she was dead ‘cause of me! That I killed her!” Anastasia said wiping away her tears before looking up at her father. “Do you think she’d like me?”
The man looked down at his daughter and smiled sadly as he remembered his wife when she told him that she was pregnant, how she had been so happy. “She would have loved you so much,” he said.
“You miss her a lot don’t you?” Anastasia said. She had seen her father sitting on his bed crying into a pillow for as long as she could remember but hadn’t understood why until then.
“Every moment of every day,” her father said staring blankly forwards as he saw his wife as she had looked the first time he had laid eyes on her, standing with her hands on her hips glaring up at him with her long black curls escaping from the hair tie and falling over her white peasant blouse and almost brushing the top of her long red skirt. Oh Angelica…my angel, how could you have left me… how could you have left me after all we had been through together? he thought closing his eyes and watching her dance in his mind’s eye. “I miss her but do you know what? You look so much like her that every time I look at you I can see her,” he said leaning over and kissed her on her forehead.
“Really?” Anastasia asked looking up at her father with wide eyes.
“Really,” her father said.
“Wow,” Anastasia exclaimed hugging her father who bent down to kiss her cheek only to jerk upright when he heard the phone ring. “It’s work isn’t it?” she asked sighing as her father set her down onto her feet and walked towards the phone.
“Doctor Jones here,” Angelica’s father said into the phone. “Alright, I’ll be there right away,” he said rubbing his eyes and looking over at his daughter before hanging up. “I’m sorry honey,” he said.
“That’s okay,” Anastasia said shrugging. Her father was always getting called in to the hospital; this wasn’t the first birthday that had been interrupted. “You have to go to work and help people,” she said getting of the stairs and walking over to hug her father.
“I do but perhaps we can go to dinner after I finished,” Doctor Jones said quickly walking up the stairs until he reached his room where he put on his jacket and grabbed his car keys. “Aunt Bella will look after you,” he said walking down the stairs again with his daughter walking beside her.
“Okay,” Anastasia said dropping down to sit on the bottom step again.
“Uncle Fred,” a tall boy said coming out of a room on the upper story of the house and running down the steps, he looked as if he had just woken up. “Are you going out?”
“Yes I am Elijah…what did I tell you about calling me that?” Doctor Jones asked the boy who had his long curly hair tied back with a bright red scarf and large gold earrings in both his ears.
“Not to, Uncle Frederick,” Elijah said wiping his eyes.
“Good,” Frederick said. “Tell your mother when you see her that I’m going to work.”
“Bella’s out at the markets, she said she’d be back in the afternoon,” Elijah said.
“Damn it,” Frederick said looking down at his daughter who was still siting on the step busily ignoring her cousin. “Come with me Eli,” he said walking to the front door.
“Fine,” Elijah said following his uncle outside.
“I really have to go to work, I want you to look after Ana until either I or your mother gets back,” Elijah’s uncle said as they walked towards his car.
“Fine,” Elijah repeated.
“Good,” Frederick said standing next to the driver’s side door and looking at his nephew. “Oh and Elijah?” he said before opening it. “When I get back you and I are going to have a really long talk,” he said opening the door and sitting inside.
“Yes Uncle Frederick,” Elijah said watching as his uncle closed the door before letting out a huge sigh. “Great, I’m stuck with the brat,” he said.
“I heard that,” Frederick said and Elijah realised that his uncle had had the window down. “It’s her birthday today and nothing is going like she wanted but she’s taking it like a little lady, unlike some people I could mention.”
“I’m a guy uncle, I couldn’t be a lady if I tried,” Elijah said spitting on the ground.
“I don’t have time for this,” Frederick said sighing in exasperation. “Just look after her okay?”
“Fine,” Elijah said sighing again.
“Good,” Frederick said starting up the car. “Be nice to her and I might just let you off a little easier when I get back.”
“Got it,” Elijah said but Frederick’s car was already speeding down the driveway. Watching the car recede into the distance he stood muttering under his breath before sighing again and turning back to the house. He was nearly at the front door when he spotted something resting on the doorstep, which he picked up and brought inside looking for his cousin.
Anastasia still sat on the step where her father left her, she had her eyes closed as she tried to picture what life would be like if her mother was alive and if her father didn’t have to work all the time.
“Hey brat,” Elijah said making Anastasia open her eyes and look at her cousin.
“I didn’t kill mummy, daddy said so,” Anastasia said crossing her arms and glaring at the older child.
“Alright… I’m sorry for saying it,” Elijah said going over to sit next to his cousin on the steps. “Hey Ana, this is for you, I found it on the doorstep,” he said holding out a small red gift bag.
“For me?” Anastasia asked, at the prospect of getting a gift her five-year-old mind totally forgot about her anger at her cousin.
“It says ‘to the birthday girl’ so I guess so,” Elijah said looking at the tag again. “Do you see any other birthday girls here? If you do I’ll go and give it to them.”
“N…No it’s for me,” Anastasia said bouncing up and down. “Who’s it from?”
“Doesn’t say,” Elijah said shrugging. “Come on open it,” he said handing it over to her.
“Yay,” Anastasia said looking at the bag in her hands. “Do you know what it is?” she asked.
“No idea,” Elijah said. “Well? Are you going to open it or will I have to?”
“I’m going to open it, it’s mine,” Anastasia said hugging the bag to her.
“Then do it,” Elijah said shrugging.
“Okay,” Anastasia said opening the bag and reaching inside; when she drew out her hand she held a small burgundy teddy bear with silver cuffs on its arms. “It’s a baby bear,” she exclaimed looking at it closely. “Isn’t it cute?” she asked holding out for her cousin to look at it.
“I guess so,” Elijah said who being 13 years old felt himself above such girly things as teddies. “What are you going to call it?”
“Velvet, your name is Velvet,” Anastasia said kissing the bear on his little button nose. “You’re going to be my bestest friend.”
~*~
“You’re going to be my bestest friend,” a deep growling voice mocked coming through the mist that swirled around a kneeling naked man who opened large purple eyes and looked up through his long blood red hair. “Isn’t it just lovely” the voice said“Master?” the man asked looking around, his whole body was covered with gold tattoos that that seemed to swirl every time the unseen voice talked and his wrists were covered with silver engraved cuffs.
“The wait begins,” the voice said and the man bowed his head.
“Yes Master,” the man said without looking up.
“Good luck…Velvet,” the voice said before fading away.
