Run. [2095] [CLOSED]

[Ellie Rook]

Elinor Rook sat at the kitchen counter. Picking up her jelly sandwich, she took a big bite, jelly squirting to the edges of her mouth. The seven year old shifted her weight on the stool, her legs swinging high above the floor, kicking the wooden cabinet below her. Looking around the kitchen she takes it all in, again. It is small, consisting of the counter, a refrigerator, a stove, and a small pantry. The stove lay unused to the wizards living in the muggle home. The kitchen was only one of five rooms in the flat, the small living room, big enough only to fit a love seat and a chair, the bathroom, Ellie's parents room, and Ellie's room.

Ellie has lived bigger places, but she has also lived in smaller ons. The Rooks have just settled in Russia after spending two long months cramped in a tent along the Yellow River in China. At least they were warm. Ellie shivered slightly. Here, in Russia, the flat was never warm. In Siberia, to be more exact, it barely got above -10 degrees C in the daytime. Ellie had only spent two nights in the house, but she was sure that she would never again feel warm. She had slept both night snuggled together with her mother. She hadn't seen her father since moving day.

This was weird for Papa to spend both day and night working. Ellie vaguely remembered her Papa coming in to kiss her goodbye earlier that morning, but groggy with sleep, she could have been dreaming. Every other place, Papa had come home at seven every night and tucked Ellie in. However, in Siberia, it seemed as though Papa never came home. Her Mother assured her that Papa came home very late and left very early. The young girl believed her mother. Nevertheless, she hoped that they would soon leave Siberia and go to a happier and warmer place.

Ellie finished her sandwich and placed her dirty plate in the grimy sink. She skipped into the living room and sat before her mother, who was seated on the love seat, knitting. Wand out, she had four sets of knitting needles working hastily, making hats, scarves, gloves, and sweaters. Like everywhere they went, Ellie's mother found a way to add to the money coming in. She had gotten an offer from a local store to make an outrageous number of knitwear in a short time. Of course, with the help of magic, Mama would meet the dead line with time to spare.

"Mama." Ellie said after watching the needles move for a short while and quickly losing interest. "Can you play Wizard Chess with me?" Ellie asked, rocking back and forth with excitement. Ellie had learned to play the game sixth months before from her Papa. Canada had been a slow job, and he had a lot of free time which he spent with Ellie. Since then Ellie had become obsessed with the game. She would ask her Papa to play at least once a night, but in his absence Ellie had begun to ask her mother, even though she was very easy for Ellie to beat.

"Not no Hunny." Mama said. She had decided that she would attempt to knit the old fashion muggle way, and had succeeded in knitting a large knot so far. "Why don't you go play with your China doll." Ellie shrugged.

Seeing her mother was brushing her off, she skipped down the short dark hallway to her cold room. She took out the China doll. It had a painted face, with bright red lips. She had long, black hair and a soft, silk kimono. Ellie looked at the doll and sighed. She placed the doll on her lumpy bed and sat down beside it. Ellie had always thought dolls were very pretty, but she didn't like to play with them.

Ellie shivered and got up to dig through a large box labeled:

ELLIE'S STUFF

She dug through and pulled out a large sweatshirt that said "CHUDLEY CANONS" on it. It was her uncles favorite team and so that no one in the family ever forgot, for Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Valentines Day, and Arbor Day, he gave out Canon memorabilia. She slipped the sweat shirt over her head, it bunched at her knees. She jumped back on the bed, it groaned under he small weight and Ellie frowned. She starred out the window. Snow had begun to fall. Ellie sighed and pulled at one of her braids. Sometimes she wished that she had some friends. The Rooks moved around so much it was hard for the young girl to keep in touch with anyone. It was lonely. Especially when her family moved to an arctic wasteland near a bunch of muggles.

She looked at her doll, it was laying awkwardly next to her. She picked it up and sat her neatly on her pillow, smoothing out the kimono. Ellie smiled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall man through her window. He was hunched over, fighting his way through the snow, which had become a blizzard. He held his coat tight around him and his hat firmly on his head. Ellie saw him open the small, short gate in front of the flat and take long strides toward the front door. Ellie lost sight of the man as he reached the porch.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Ellie heard her mother noisily get up from her chair and walk toward the door, the old wood floor creaking under her steps. Ellie jumped up and ran down the hall, skidding to a stop to peek around the corner. Her mother opened the door. Ellie could see the man clearly now. He was covered white with snow. His dark beard was tucked into his coat and his hat covered her dark curly hair. He towered over Ellie's petite mother, who greeted him with a smile.

The man stayed stone face and asked her something in Russian. Mama asked him to speak slower so she could understand. The man repeated, Mama's smile vanished, as she shook her head. The man spoke in loud, rapid Russian. Mama's face became white and she responded softly, "I don't understand." The man slammed his large fist into the door, causing ti to open wide and smash against the wall. Snow was blowing in the house, and Mama jumped back. "VWHERE!" The man yelled loudly.

Ellie's eyes widened with fear. She poked her head out into the hall and the man caught sight of her. She held her breathe as he starred at her with his black eyes, her blue eyes growing dry as she dared not to blink. Ellie's mother stepped into the man's view, blocking Ellie. The man looked over Mama with darting eyes and lowered his fist into his pocket. "Good Day." He said gruffly, thick with accent. He turned and disappeared into the snow.

[Ellie Rook]

Ellie's mother ran to her. Ellie didn't blink, she just stood there as her mother grabbed at her in a hug. The man had wanted something, Ellie didn't know what. Her mother obviously did. Ellie could tell when her mother was lying. Her skin tone usually changed three shades going from an olive blush to pure white. The former Hufflepuff had never been a good lier.

Ellie gentle wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and her mother picked her up. Ellie buried her face into her mothers neck, but she didn't not cry at all.

Mama was silent for the rest of the night, though she was overly nice to Ellie. Her knitting lay unfinished in the living room. Both of them sat at the kitchen counter, Ellie's favorite dinner in front of them. Ellie only nibbled at her grilled cheese. Her mother didn't touch it at all. Ellie could tell that her mother was worried. Even though she tried to hide it from her daughter, Mama couldn't mask her eyes.

Ellie went to bed early that night. For the first night since they arrived, Elie slept in her own bed. The thick scratchy quilt was pulled up to her chin, her light brown hair was sticking out, her cheeks pink from the cold. Under the blanket, she held her china doll close to her. It gave her comfort. Ellie could hear her mother, pacing around the living room. She wished she could go to her and give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be all right, but Ellie was just a good a lier as her mother.

Ellie drifted off to sleep. She dreamed that she was lost in a blizzard. Her feet were bare and she was wearing only a thin sweater. She huddled together in a ball. It was if she was watching herself. A tall dark figure approached. Ellie stood up into the snow. The figure got closer. Using all her energy, Ellie turned and ran. She ran into the blinding white, not knowing where she was going. All she knew was to run, and keep running.

Ellie woke suddenly, the clock on at the side of her bed read 3:08. She had slide down underneath the blankets. Popping out as a prairie dog pops his head out from his hole, she looked around the room. Her door had been closed, by her mother no doubt.

Ellie heard someone walking down the hallway, the floorboards creaking. She shot up, eyes wide. The man was back. She knew it. He was coming to get what he wanted. Ellie tugged up her blankets up to her nose. She saw a shadow from under her door. It stopped in front of her room. The door creaked open, and there he was, standing shadowed in the dark. Ellie remembered her dream. She planned to slip out between the man and the door and run. Ellie jumped up from her bed and with and squeal, she ran as fast and hard as she could. She ran.

[Ellie Rook]

Ellie closed her eyes as she ran, but hit a hard wall, running into the person in the door way. Ellie struggled as the person grabbed her arms and pulled her close. She could smell the man, Ellie stop struggling, she knew that smell. She looked up at the man who was holding her. "Papa." She said quietly and wrapped her arms around him. He picked her up and hugged his daughter tight. Ellie's face was wet with tears as they parted. Her papa put her down in her bed and tucked her back in, in the perfect way he always did. He sat on the bed next to her. He wiped away a tear. "Why are you crying?" He asked gently. Ellie shrugged and found her doll beneath the covers, she held her tight. "There is nothing to cry about." he said, reassuring her. His accent was that of Ireland, his voice deep and sweet to listen to. In the blanch moonlight, Ellie saw her Papa, except her looked much older, the light reflecting off every one of his wrinkles, making him look like a very old man. Ellie starred into his eyes, the only part of his face that still looked like her Papa. Even then, his deep blue eyes held a sort of sorrow Ellie had never seen before. She closed her eyes, but she didn't feel her Papa move from her side. He sat there, near his daughter, whom he had missed, and now she closed her eyes so not to look at him.

"Can we leave Papa?" She asked quietly. He Papa sighed, and shook his head. "Not yet." He said, and got up to leave. Ellie opened her eyes and follow him to her door. There he stopped and turned toward her bed. "Goodnight little bean." She said calling her by her nickname. He muttered something and closed her door. Ellie watched the closed door, wanting her Papa to come back in and hug her again. But her eyes became heavy and soon she was asleep.

Ellie awoke to her mother's touch the next morning. "Wake up sleepy head." She said with a smile. Her mother was trying to forget everything that happened yesterday. They would go along their day as though everything was normal and a large man had not come to the house demanding something, something that Ellie did not know.

Ellie got up and got dressed, pulling on her green corduroy jeans and a flowered sweat shirt. She laced her shoes and tied them with big bunny rabbit ears. She walked slowly into the kitchen and sat on her stool. Her mother had made an unusually happy breakfast, making Ellie's bacon and eggs into a smiley face. Ellie smiled in spite of her bad mood. "That's better." Mama said, seeing the smile and kissing her daughter on the forehead. Ellie finished her breakfast and hopped down. Her mother walked by, a large pile of laundry following after her. "Mama." Ellie said, looking around the empty house. "Where's Papa?" Her mother stopped and the laundry bumped into her. "Work." was all she said and continued down the hall, the clothes folding themselves and zipping into the correct bedroom as she passed.

The day went on normally. The snow had stopped early in the morning. Ellie and her mother donned their boots and heavy winter coats and ventured into the village to get eggs and milk and other things. They walked into town, her mother holding her hand and singing funny songs from Ireland. Ellie was happy to be out of the house. Everything was white. Ellie was sure they wouldn't be able to find their way back home, everything looked the same. But when she voiced her concern her mother laughed and said, "We'll follow our footprints home, just like Hansel and Gretel." But Ellie couldn't help thinking that it was silly, Hansel and Gretal got lost trying to follow their footsteps.

Two hours later, Ellie and her mother returned, stepping upon the small porch of the house. Ellie's mother jingled the keys she had in her hand and unlocked the door. Ellie was instructed to strip down all of her wet clothes and go and change into something warm and fuzzy while her mother made hot cocoa. Ellie did so and returned to the kitchen wearing a large fuzzy house coat they had bought in Thailand.

Ellie sipped her hot chocolate, watching her mother resume her knitting from the previous day. She had given up on trying to knit the muggle way, the large knot she had been working on discarded to the side. It seemed as thought everything was back to normal. But every once and awhile, Ellie would get flashes of her father's eyes, looking for sad and worried. She knew everything was not alright. Something was wrong, Ellie didn't know what, but she could feel that her mother also knew. It was a strange feeling, and Ellie didn't like it. She felt as though she knew something she shouldn't, but Ellie knew very well that she had no idea what was going on. Ellie put her empty mug down on a coffee table in front of her and curled up in the chair she was sitting in. Soon, Ellie was asleep, dreaming she was again running through a blizzard.