Katerina was not a morning person. Everyone that knew her, knew that she loathed getting out of bed. Today was no different. She had been awake for several minutes, but the chill in the air around her did not help her motivation towards actually leaving her giant, fluffy duvet behind to get started on her day. She was clutching one of her many pillows to her face, her stomach against the mattress and her covers drawn up so only the top of her head was exposed. She saw no reason to leave her little cave of softness and warmth anytime soon.
She did have to pee, though.
She mentally cursed herself for not having heated floors and turned her head to the side so she could better breathe. The movement caused the covers to fall away from her face and after spending a few short moments with her eyes squeezed shut against the light flittering in through her purple drapes, she cracked one open to start the very slow process of getting out of bed. After blinking a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the light, she turned around so she was on her back, facing the ceiling. She cracked a small smile at herself in the mirror there; her hair was a damn mess, sticking out all over her lavender pillow in a way that reminded her of the iconic images of Albert Einstein.
What was that on her chair? She could only see the edge of her chair in the mirror, so she immediately sat up and turned towards it, completely ignoring the way the cold swept over her bare skin as the covers fell from her torso. There, on the lavish chair that sat under her window, next to her left bedside table, was a … set of clothing? She nearly jumped out of her bed, naked feet making a soft thump against the plum-shaded shag rug. She carefully picked up the fist, neatly folded item from the small pile of clothes; it was a black beret with a small white lions head. Her eyebrows pulled together, creasing her forehead, as she studied the thing. There was no note, no nothing. She tossed the hat to her bed and picked up the next piece; a black blazer with the same white lion head stitched onto the front, this time on a red background. The fabric was soft to her skin and very flexible and despite the appearance of a blazer, it felt more like a cardigan in her hands. She tossed the jacket to the bed as well and did not even notice that it missed the mark and fell to the floor by the foot of the bed instead. She went through the rest of the pile; a lavender tank top, a pair of black, very formfitting – but surprisingly flexible and soft, like the blazer – pants, a pair of lavender ankle socks and a pair of flat, ballerina loafers with some ornate flowers in different shades of purple on them. A flush went to her cheeks when she noticed the small bag behind it all, which contained a lacy set of violet underwear.
This was some sick type of prank. Obviously, whoever had done it knew her well. They knew her size, her style and her color preferences. She glanced at the mess of clothing now sprawled all over her bed and shook her head. She was not putting that on.
After a trip to the bathroom to relive her bladder, she went into her closet to find something to wear after her shower. She regarded the empty shelves and hangers with wide eyes. Everything was gone. Even her underwear. She felt a bit sick to her stomach and left the walk-in closet, almost stumbling as she did so. She cast another glance at the clothes on the bed. Fine. It would have to do.
After hopping in a quick shower, brushing her teeth and blow-drying her hair, she again stood in her bedroom, eying the clothing suspiciously. She had laid it out neatly on her bed now, so she could see what the ensemble wold look like and, quite honestly, it was really cute. She would have liked a bit more color, but something about it actually just... clicked with her.
She eventually gave in and pulled the clothing on.
After regarding herself in the full-length mirror, she decided that, yes, this was definitely her style. She loved it. Even better than most of her own clothes, actually. It was so stylish, sophisticated and so damn comfortable – a far cry from her own slutty sets and yet somehow the same. She felt more like the grown, well-educated woman she actually was and less like the teenage skank she had once been. She especially liked how the blazer hugged at her waist and really accented her figure. It made her feel sexy, despite it all.
Suddenly, the insignia on her beret lit up and as soon as it did, something on her right nightstand did, as well. A small tablet-like screen seemed to rise to a stand on its own and Katerina's uneasy feeling was back by tenfold as she stared, wide-eyed, at the single word that was written on the screen; “Greetings”. There was more; a smaller line beneath it, but she was too far away too see what it said. She cautiously moved closer and, before she could think it through, sat down on the edge of the bed, right in front of the screen. “Getting started”, the second line read. All right, she thought and gingerly touched the slightly pulsating line.
The thing started
talking, sounding like it she was wearing her headphones and she just about lost her mind. She listened to the speech and, well, she was in no way less worried than she had been before. She felt like puking. What the hell was going on? Genome remapping through gamma rays? That was just crazy, not to mention downright dangerous. She had never been checked for any tumors, but now she was seriously considering it. If this was some prank, it was certainly very elaborate.
She picked up the thing, turning it around a bit and inspecting it, before shoving it under her arm with a sigh.
Finally, far later than she would normally have, she left her bedroom. Her bedroom lead straight into her living room, which connected to the kitchen. She went to her purse by the front door and shoved the black electronic inside. There. Now she had it with her, just in case. She checked her phone, which was changing on the same piece of furniture that was home of her purse when she was not using it. She was actually not that surprised to find it completely reset to factory settings. Her background was even gone; the picture of her and her friend, Sapphire, replaced with some boring blue-green swirls. She dumped the phone into the purse, too, and glanced at the clock over her door. It was barely noon. She still had a couple of hours to get to the airport and
that would not take long. She was crazy for actually doing this, she was sure of it.
She went about her apartment, looking to find anything that she might want to bring with her. She pulled her diplomas – those that proved her Masters degrees in Biology and Physics – off of the wall and stuffed them into her purse. She took a few pictures, one with her and her mother, while the gentle woman was helping her child put on her skates and one with her friends at the club, all of them dressed up for Halloween. Those went in the purse, too.
Eventually, she went into the kitchen area, only to find that a meal had been set out for her. A plate of syrniki, one with grenki and even a sharlotka. It was like a Sunday morning with her grandparents. Without a second thought, she sat herself down and started eating. It tasted just right. She had not had a Russian breakfast like this since she had moved to America, nearly a decade ago. After she had finsihed eating, she was surprised to find that she had eaten nearly everything. Four out of five syrinki was gone, a single piece of grenki, out of an entire loaf of bread, laid untouched and more than half of the sharlotka had been devoured. She felt stuffed to the brim, but grinned at the leftovers anyways, before wrapping them up and shoving them into her purse as the final item. She made herself a nice cup of tea, enjoyed it at her window seat, looking out at the bustling city below her loft and feeling somewhat... peaceful.
The time came for her to leave and as she did, she found that her coat was still in the closet by the elevator. It was the only thing in there, though. With a small, breathy laugh, she slipped it on, took her purse and left her loft, never expecting to be back.
She took a cab, like a true American city-folk, to the airport. There was not that many people for a Saturday afternoon. With a bright smile, she regarded the ticket-lady, “
Hi,” she said sweetly, purple eyes glittering joyfully, “
I don't suppose you'd have a ticket for a Katerina Talanov, would you?”
The lady seemed to perk up as Katerina arrived and her tone was just as joyful as Katerina's own, “
What's your destination, miss?” she asked.
“
Uhh,” Katerina began, a bit unsure, “
Enlightenment?” it was more of a question than an answer, but it would do. Maybe. Hopefully. The dread was starting to come back.
“
Of course, Miss Talanov,” the lady responded, her cheer less evident now, “
Here you go. Enjoy your trip.”
Katerina stared blankly at the ticket she had
actually been handed. If this was a prank, it sure was a crazy one. It would definitely involve TV-crews. Maybe a prize of some sort.
With a shake of her head and a small sigh, Katerina went to her gate. She had not been on a plane since the day she had left her homeland behind for a brighter future. Was that what she was doing again? Had she gone so bored with her everyday life that she was actually leaving it all behind once more? She supposed she had, since she was there, ticket in hand and hoping for the best. Hoping she was not being taken for human trafficking or something.
Once seated in the plane, she glanced at her purse. Maybe she should take a look at the tablet thingy. It would certainly have some information for her. She barely even noticed when the plane took off, too absorbed in the information on what her new life would be like.
