Maggie switched to English. âYou look weird.â
Hannah frowned. All the rules, even table manners, contradicted what sheâd been taught. She didnât want to seem weird. She knew that wordâit meant you were different, in a bad way.
A bang outside made Hannah stop chewing. Was that a car door?
The front door opened. âHello!â Lillian called.
They were home!
Hannah panicked. She grabbed Maggieâs sirok bar and tossed it in the garbage along with her own. Lillianâs soft slippers padded down the hall. Hannah looked at Maggie, and her heart thumped. Maggieâs entire mouth was covered in chocolate.
Chapter Six
L illian strode into the kitchen and jerked to a stop. Her hazel eyes fixed on Maggie, who gave her a guilty smile with her chocolate-covered lips.
âWhat are you eating?â she asked.
âA sirok bar.â Maggie pointed at Hannah. âShe gave it to me.â
âYou know better than that, Maggie.â Lillian glanced over at Hannah, annoyed. âDessert is for after dinner.â
Hannah stood up to explain. âI triedââ
Sergey came into the kitchen carrying two plastic bags of food. The smell of rotisserie chicken wafted from them, making Hannahâs mouth water. âWhatâs wrong?â he asked.
Michael squeezed through his legs, stretched his arms out like a superhero, and let out a screech as he flew around the kitchen. Sergey and Lillian shared a smile, but then Lillian waved in Hannahâs direction, still angry.
âShe fed Maggie a sirok bar before dinner,â Lillian said.
âOoh,â Sergey said, sarcastically. âThatâs a first.â
Michael stopped. âI want sirok,â he said, looking up.
Maggie gulped down the rest of the sirok bar that was in her mouth.
âDid you finish it?â Lillian asked.
Maggie shook her head slowly.
Oh no
, Hannah thought, sick to her stomach. She felt like Raskolnikov in
Crime and Punishment
, waiting for her crime to be discovered.
Lillian tried to look around Maggie, expecting it to be hidden behind her, and held her hand out. âGive me the rest.â
âI donât have it.â Maggieâs eyes widened in fear, which made Hannahâs heart start to beat faster.
âWhere is it?â Lillian asked.
âIn the garbage.â Maggie pointed at Hannah. âShe threw it there when you came in.â
Lillian opened the garbage can and looked down. Her face turned red. She pulled out one of the unfinished bars and shook it. âIs this what you do in Moldova?â she asked, her voice shaking with rage. âYou waste good food?â
âIâm sorry,â Hannah stammered, digging her nails into the sides of her jeans. âMaggie wouldnât eat anything else.â
Sergey cleared his throat. âDonât worry about it.â
âDonât worry about it?â Lillian turned to him and barked, âPaavo warned us about her, but you insisted.â
Who was Paavo?
âCome on, Lily.â Sergey rested his hand on his wifeâs shoulder. âSheâs a good girl.â He spoke firmly, with conviction, as if heâd known her for more than a few hours.
Lillian shrugged his hand away. âSheâs already lied!â
âItâs not reallyââ Sergey began.
âHiding something so you donât get in trouble is lying. You, more than anyone, should know that,â Lillian said, glaring at him.
It took only the smallest gesture, just a half shrug with one shoulder, but it was like a lit match to a rag covered in gasoline.
âGoddamn it, Sergey!â Lillian flung the sirok bar across the room toward his head. He ducked. Maggie flinched.
The bar hit the wall behind the kitchen table and slid down, making a long brown streak on the white paint before it dropped onto the floor. Lillian stared at it, as if sheâd surprised even herself.
Michael laughed. Everyone else