Wunderhein Academy: Book 1- Awakening

“I’ll kill him for this.” Kitten heaved under the bag of rice she was carrying. She had carried so many she had lost count now. Her body was screaming in protest from the weight of sacks. She would be the only lucky one on duty hauling food tonight.

“Stupid Lexie.” She muttered, trying to breathe under the heaviness of the sack she was carrying.

She thought back to a few hours earlier when he had dismissed the team after supper. He had hardly even looked at her when he summoned her here to the back of the kitchen. Her jaw had dropped when he pointed to the mountain of food that needed to be moved from its drop-off point.

“Have it all in the Steel store-room by the time I get back.” He warned before leaving her. ”Or you’re cleaning toilets again.”

Now she understood why Boris spoke of ‘Hauling Food’ with such dread. It felt was worse than any beating she had taken.

“He's so dead.” She muttered again, trying to force herself to take a few more steps further. She took one more, thn another. Her arms burned from the weight she had carried. Then without warning, the weight was gone.

“Huh.” She looked up and found Ivan walking away to the storage room; the sack nestled on his shoulder as if it were nothing more than a pillow.

“Hey Ivan, wait up!” She called out, running after him. “What are you doing?”

“Helping.”

His answer confused her. Was he allowed to help her?

“Are you being punished too?”

He halted, seeming to think her question over before shrugging and carrying on.

“Um...thanks?” Tiredly she followed him, peeping into the store-room to watch him drop the sack on the others she had already placed there earlier.

He straightened and looked at her.

“Come.” He ordered as he dusted his hands, walking out of the steel building without waiting for a response.

She hesitated, looking back at the other sacks that still needed to be brought in. However Ivan was her senior. She had to listen to him.

Making up her mind, she decided to run after him, ignoring Aleksei’s earlier threats. She followed him into the kitchen where he was already filling a tin cup with water and silently handing it to her.

“Thanks.” She smiled gratefully as she took it from him.

The cup was cool in her hand and the water even cooler in her throat as she drained the liquid, making her lick her lips.

It was then she noticed the counter was covered with bowels, spoons and assorted ingredients. Her eyes lit up and she climbed on a chair nearby the counter. She remembered this. Her mother used to lay out things like this when she cooked.

“Whatcha making?” She asked leaning forward to peek into the bowl. “Snacks for the dorm?”

He smiled before dipping his finger into the mixture and holding it up close to her.

She looked at it in confusion.

“Taste.”

She glanced up at him again before leaning forward to suck the mixture off his fingertip. She could feel her face light up.

“Cookies.” She whispered.

“Cookies.” He agreed, turning away to get a baking tray while she tried to lick the last of the taste out of her mouth.

“I like it when you make them.” She grinned.

He turned around with the flat piece of metal in his hand, a strange expression on his face.

“You like mine more than your mothers?”

“Mama mostly did meals. She didn’t believe in wasting time on stuff that didn’t make the house better.” Kitten felt stupid for a moment. She could feel her face growing hot. “We only had on special occasions.”

It was funny. She had always thought that they had lived so well off. Living here she was beginning to notice how many small things had been missing from their lives before.

“Come.” Ivan held out his hand towards her, motioning for her to join him.

She obeyed and swung off the chair to stand next to him.

“Take this.” He handed her a spoon. “Do as I do.”

Kitten watched him carefully, and tried to copy him, making sure she stirred the bowel he had given her as neatly as possible. For a movement she felt tears stinging her eyes. She could almost hear her mama’s voice behind her.

‘If you’re done mixing the bread, start kneading it.’

Kitten lifted her arm and wiped the corner of her eyes with the palm of her hand.

“You are sad?”

“No” She smiled, continuing her task. “Just remembering.”

She tried to imitate him and leave small rows of dough on a tray. Her blobs of the dough were in uneven rows leaving more of the foodstuff on her.

“It’s like making an army.” She giggled.

“Then you would lose.”

“Horribly.” She filled the last space on the tray before comparing hers to his. He had managed more blobs then she had. It was also more precise and neat.

“Now we cook it.”

She watched him set the tray into the oven, sticking the spoon in her mouth to lick it. It tasted heavenly. “Don’t you get in trouble coming here?”

He slowly shook his head.

“Really?”

“I have permission.”

Her eyes widened in awe. “How did you get that right?”

“I volunteer in the kitchen a lot. In return I am taught to cook.” A hint of a smirk touched his face. “At night I sneak in.”

“You actually go against the rules?” She grinned. Ivan had never given an impression as someone that broke grown-up rules.

“Now you have too.” He pointed out, crossing his arms as he seemed to examine her.

“Hey I was on food duty.” She frowned slightly. “Doesn’t that mean I have permission?”

“No.” He shook his head. “We are not allowed here at night.”

“Oops.” Kitten giggled, sticking the spoon back in her mouth. “Guess I’m gonna be in for it huh.”

He smiled before picking her up easily as he had the rice and putting her back on her chair.

She felt him place his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up slightly.

“Ivan?” Her smile vanished as he leaned closer towards her. She froze in her seat. Her heart felt like it was pounding as she felt his breathe on her skin.

Next she felt his warm, wet tongue licking her shoulder, sliding up her neck to her cheek.

“You were covered in dough.” He murmured.

“Ah, yeah.” She gripped her seat tightly with her hands as she tried to speak in a calm voice. “You shouldn’t waste that.”

For an instant, the images of the incidents from before flashed through her head.

Ivan was bigger than Balco. He was bigger than most of the boys here in fact. He even beat Lexie. If he wanted to hurt her ... but Ivan didn’t hurt people. She’d never seen him hurt anyone.

She felt herself calm down a little.

Ivan hadn’t moved. She could still feel every breath he was taking as if it were her own.

She turned her head, her lips brushing lightly against his firm ones.

“I should get back to the rice.” She whispered.

“As you wish.” It took a moment before he stepped back.

It almost worried her, but she was also thankful. The delay helped her to try and remember what was happening.

“Um, call me when their done ok?” She tried to smile at him as she slipped off the seat and onto the ground.

He nodded back silently.

She took a step back, then another before giving in and running for the door. She didn’t stop until she reached the drop-off point a few minutes later. She leaned against the sacks of rice, trying to get her breathe back.

“It’s fine.” She whispered, turning around to press her back against the sacks and slide to the ground. Carefully, she pressed her fingers against her lips and felt like giggling like a hysterical girl.

She and Ivan had kissed. She could taste the cookie dough on her lips from it.

“It’s not fine.” She burst out, hitting the sacks angrily. “It’s not fine at all.”

Tearfully she looked up at the sky.

“I wish I was a boy.” She whispered. “I wish I was brave enough to go back and do that again. I liked it with Ivan. He tasted yummy. Lexie was wrong. He was wrong about everything.” Kitten hugged her knees. “Girls are weak. It’s all I’ll ever be.”

Kitten lowered her head and softly began to cry.