lungs.
“What?”
“Your hearing aid!” Seth tapped his ear. “I know the boys bought you a hearing aid, a nice one.”
“Wait.” The woman grappled through her pockets. “Maybe I should put in my hearing aid.”
“Good idea.” Seth called out to me. “Are you all right?”
“I’m alive.” I came to my feet slowly, keeping my eyes on the woman as I dusted the snow off my coat, ready to dive for safety, should she suddenly reclaim her gun.
The wild woman found the hearing aid and inserted it in her ear. “Ah, yes, much better,” she said. “That little thief over there tried to steal a blanket off my line.” She turned in my direction and lifted a fist in the air. “You’ve got no business messing with other people’s clotheslines.”
Seth motioned for me to join him. “Do you want to explain?”
“It’s Tammy’s blankie,” I said, approaching with care.
“You know Tammy?”
I nodded, studying the woman before me. A wiry puff of gray hair sprang from beneath her knit hat like a tangled nest, framing a wide face with heavy jowls and brown skin webbed with wrinkles that deepened around her tiny brown eyes.
“Sweet girl, Tammy,” Anya said. “Why didn’t you say you knew her before now?”
“Because I was busy ducking your bullets?”
Seth shook his head and peeled his eyes, but his warning came a little too late.
“Why, you’re a damn hothead, aren’t you?” Anya glared. “Do you think you can strut into someone’s property and get something other than bullets?”
This time, I heeded Seth’s warning and held my tongue. No sense in getting shot for nothing.
“Summer is Tammy’s sister,” Seth put in.
“You are?” Anya’s tiny eyes bore into my face. “But she’s so...blonde and you’re so...not blonde.”
It was a reaction I got often. “She’s my stepsister.”
“Ah.” Anya’s smile pressed her eyes into slits and added a new layer of wrinkles to her face. “That Tammy. She belongs to the air. You, on the other hand, you belong to the fire.”
I looked to Seth. What was she talking about?
“Anya’s one-fourth Athabaskan, a little Russian, and a hundred percent Alaskan,” he explained. “She’s got her own set of beliefs going.”
“Come on, I’ve got chores to do.” The woman waddled toward the awning. “Where have you been, kiddo? Since my Vik moved to Barrow, you haven’t been by to see me.”
“Sorry.” Seth motioned for me to follow them. “I’ve been really busy.”
“Busy, that’s all I hear from you boys.” Anya turned to me. “Vik and Seth ran around together in high school. Seth could put down pounds of my pelmeni .”
“Best dumplings in Alaska.” Seth smiled briefly then got serious again. “Summer here is looking for her sister. Where’s Tammy?”
“She and Nikolai arrived a few days ago,” Anya said.
I was ecstatic. Tammy was here, very near. I’d persuade her to go home with me. We’d be gone from Alaska and all my troubles would be over.
The awning turned out to be a fish-cleaning station, complete with an outdoor counter, currently smeared with fish guts and an impressive knife collection, including the most intimidating cleaver I’d seen in my life.
Large glass jars lined the shelf. Some looked like they were filled with the remains of gruesome experiments. Others held only a whitish liquid. The sharp scent of brine struck my nose, white vinegar, mixed with salt and something else, onions maybe?
“What’s the matter, cheechako ?” The woman grabbed a huge pike by the tail and dropped it on her counter. “You’re too good for pickled fish?”
“Oh, no,” I said. “It’s just that I’d never seen it done, you know, the pickling thing.”
“You’ll be glad for pickled fish when the snow is high and the weather sucks,” Anya said. “So keep your wrinkled nose to yourself and learn.”
Her cleaver fell with a sudden clack. I jerked. The pike’s head fell off the chopping block as if struck by
“What?”
“Your hearing aid!” Seth tapped his ear. “I know the boys bought you a hearing aid, a nice one.”
“Wait.” The woman grappled through her pockets. “Maybe I should put in my hearing aid.”
“Good idea.” Seth called out to me. “Are you all right?”
“I’m alive.” I came to my feet slowly, keeping my eyes on the woman as I dusted the snow off my coat, ready to dive for safety, should she suddenly reclaim her gun.
The wild woman found the hearing aid and inserted it in her ear. “Ah, yes, much better,” she said. “That little thief over there tried to steal a blanket off my line.” She turned in my direction and lifted a fist in the air. “You’ve got no business messing with other people’s clotheslines.”
Seth motioned for me to join him. “Do you want to explain?”
“It’s Tammy’s blankie,” I said, approaching with care.
“You know Tammy?”
I nodded, studying the woman before me. A wiry puff of gray hair sprang from beneath her knit hat like a tangled nest, framing a wide face with heavy jowls and brown skin webbed with wrinkles that deepened around her tiny brown eyes.
“Sweet girl, Tammy,” Anya said. “Why didn’t you say you knew her before now?”
“Because I was busy ducking your bullets?”
Seth shook his head and peeled his eyes, but his warning came a little too late.
“Why, you’re a damn hothead, aren’t you?” Anya glared. “Do you think you can strut into someone’s property and get something other than bullets?”
This time, I heeded Seth’s warning and held my tongue. No sense in getting shot for nothing.
“Summer is Tammy’s sister,” Seth put in.
“You are?” Anya’s tiny eyes bore into my face. “But she’s so...blonde and you’re so...not blonde.”
It was a reaction I got often. “She’s my stepsister.”
“Ah.” Anya’s smile pressed her eyes into slits and added a new layer of wrinkles to her face. “That Tammy. She belongs to the air. You, on the other hand, you belong to the fire.”
I looked to Seth. What was she talking about?
“Anya’s one-fourth Athabaskan, a little Russian, and a hundred percent Alaskan,” he explained. “She’s got her own set of beliefs going.”
“Come on, I’ve got chores to do.” The woman waddled toward the awning. “Where have you been, kiddo? Since my Vik moved to Barrow, you haven’t been by to see me.”
“Sorry.” Seth motioned for me to follow them. “I’ve been really busy.”
“Busy, that’s all I hear from you boys.” Anya turned to me. “Vik and Seth ran around together in high school. Seth could put down pounds of my pelmeni .”
“Best dumplings in Alaska.” Seth smiled briefly then got serious again. “Summer here is looking for her sister. Where’s Tammy?”
“She and Nikolai arrived a few days ago,” Anya said.
I was ecstatic. Tammy was here, very near. I’d persuade her to go home with me. We’d be gone from Alaska and all my troubles would be over.
The awning turned out to be a fish-cleaning station, complete with an outdoor counter, currently smeared with fish guts and an impressive knife collection, including the most intimidating cleaver I’d seen in my life.
Large glass jars lined the shelf. Some looked like they were filled with the remains of gruesome experiments. Others held only a whitish liquid. The sharp scent of brine struck my nose, white vinegar, mixed with salt and something else, onions maybe?
“What’s the matter, cheechako ?” The woman grabbed a huge pike by the tail and dropped it on her counter. “You’re too good for pickled fish?”
“Oh, no,” I said. “It’s just that I’d never seen it done, you know, the pickling thing.”
“You’ll be glad for pickled fish when the snow is high and the weather sucks,” Anya said. “So keep your wrinkled nose to yourself and learn.”
Her cleaver fell with a sudden clack. I jerked. The pike’s head fell off the chopping block as if struck by
Similar Books
