Note: Please excuse my Russian/Ukrainian. I am not a fluent speaker. Also the chapter breaks are a little awkward but I did the best I could to separate it into manageable parts. There will eventually be 4-5 sections, each narrated in first-person by the respective elemental. The first of which is Water. Btw, I really hate the formatting on here. --blah blah-- is mental speech. I did have it marked differently but FP doesn't like the characters I picked apparently. Since I replaced it through FP's document editor I may have missed remarking some of the mental speech, if so, sorry.

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The room was dark except for the flicker of the television as the images on the screen shifted. Behind me the light over the kitchen sink came through the bar built into the wall under the overhead cabinets but did little in lighting the room. I was sitting on the couch, a mug of coffee cradled in my hands as I watched the clock nervously. Unable to stand the waiting any longer I stood and went into the kitchen dumping the cold coffee down the sink.

It was close enough to 3 AM that I went ahead and stepped through the door that led to my back porch overlooking a small fenced in yard. All sorts of plants in a sort of managed chaos filled the yard and lent the night air a sweet scent. The only open space was a six foot wide circle that the plants didn’t dare invade. Earlier I had laid a circle of salt around the edges leaving a small opening until I was ready to close it.

Inside the circle I’d set up a small outdoor table, covering it with a piece of white fabric. Four candles sat in a line—white, blue, red, and green—but only the red one was lit. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Kenna must have grown impatient to begin before I, entering her own circle and lighting her candle to let the rest of us know she was ready. To light my own candle I stuck the tip of my index finger into the flame on the red candle, withdrawing when it had caught just above my nail.

I pulled my hand back and studied the flame for a moment then lit my own blue candle. --Merry meet, Alek,-- Kenna's voice said in my mind.

--Merry meet. Are Chloe and Sophia almost ready?--

The white candle flickered into life. --We're here. Sorry, I got caught up studying. Let me set up my altar,-- Sophia's voice announced. An image flashed into my head of the black haired woman kneeling before the altar in Chloe's store. The oldest of them stepped into view soon, her Asian features as familiar as my own. When she entered the not yet closed circle of salt laid into a shallow groove carved into the basement the last candle came to life.

--Merry meet Chloe, Sophia,-- Kenna and I echoed. They returned the greeting and after Sophia finished arranging the altar Chloe spoke.

--Is everyone clear on what we're doing?--

--Check boss lady. Send some healing energy while the stars are aligned then off to bed. I have to get up early and check the kayaks for a tour,--- Kenna chimed.

--Let me guess, early for you is around noon?-- Sophia retorted.

Before Kenna could answer Chloe sent out a mental poke to get them back on track. --All right, everyone close your circles now.--

I picked up a packet of salt, feeling the other three do so as well. In my second sight I could see their ghost images in my circle as we all moved to the opening in the circle. Out of ingrained habit we'd all left the opening in the same spot and as we bent and filled it in a chill swept my skin when their ghostly images were in the exact same spot as me.

"As above so below, the circle is made whole," I chanted, feeling the power raise into a dome over my head and under my feet, forming an egg shape. The candles burning on our altars let us stay in touch to coordinate our efforts without weakening the circle. I went back to the altar and knelt before it. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I glanced around, seeing nothing to cause alarm.

--On the count of three we each give our offering in the order we established and send our power to Alek,-- Chloe instructed. I was still unsure of being sent this power but as the water element I was made to mold healing energy and direct it properly. In my musing I had missed the count off but saw Sophia's ghostly image light several sticks of incense in a wooden cup, the smell of sandalwood, rosemary, and sage melding together as the haze filled the circle but remained confined by the wards.

--Air brings strength,-- I heard then a burst of wind scented with the incense came into being in my circle. It twisted around me, blowing my hair and clothing though I'd had the foresight to put my hair up in a bun.

Kenna was next and I saw her light a black candle with a small spark of power. --Fire brings banishment,-- she chanted. The candle flame flared and melted the wax in seconds. The flame disappeared then a string of red power joined the air circling me lazily. The heat was enough to make small prickles of sweat break out on my skin but I wasn't afraid of being burnt. Kenna's power licked along my skin, recognizing me as her spirit sister and leaving me unharmed.

It was requiring more of my attention to keep the borrowed power under control, especially the fire that was strengthened by the wind. I lost the image of the others but heard Chloe say her part, --Earth lessens the pain,-- before the earth shuddered under my legs. If I'd been standing I probably would have fallen but the altar didn't even wobble and only the ground in the circle shifted. A cloud of dirt had shaken loose and took up it's own movement around me.

I closed my eyes and called on the well of power within me. Grasping a string of it with my metaphysical hands, I reopened my eyes and directed my eyes to the chalice of sea water on the altar. It rose upward as my gaze did and the string of water flowed around me. The elements began to sing in harmony and I felt a sense of rightness wash over me. "And water cleanses," I said. I drew the power from the elements and molded it into a healing force, giving it the aura to seek out.

Since the energy had part of me in it, it passed through the circle effortlessly and sped away to do its work. A spark of intuition hit me and I hit the ground just as a force hit the shield my circle made. I felt the hit resonate in my bones and I gasped. Something's wrong, I shouted mentally. Something just hit my circle. Hard.

--What was it Alek?-- Chloe's calm and controlled voice said, cutting through the other two's exclamations.

Another hit and I looked up but saw nothing in the darkness. --I don't know. It's dark. I can't see anything.--

--Kenna you live closest, go and check it out. We'll be over as soon as possible.--

--No, outside the circle she's vulnerable,-- I protested.

--Don't worry. I'll fry anything that look at me crossways,-- Kenna assured. --I'll be there in five minutes.--

She broke the connection but before breaking her circle she sent me a burst of power. It wasn't a lot but if I needed to I'd have enough for a good sized bolt of fire. Then again, if I had to use it I'd probably have more problems than only being able to get off one shot. The next hit was strong enough that I knew Chloe and Sophia had felt it through our mental connection.

--. You remember how I said you should only throw a triple circle in severe emergencies?--

--Yes.--

--This counts. Cast a purple and a red, all right? We're going to leave now.--

--Okay,-- I said, nervous now. If Chloe was telling me to use more power rather than cautioning against using it and risking getting overwhelmed it couldn't be good. The connection broke and I was alone in the circle with something beating on the shielding. I sat up before the altar and sank into a light trance, trying to ignore the beating.

"Thrice around the circle is bound," I whispered repeatedly. I still had some leftover energy from the others and I threw it into my shields, raising a ruby one and an indigo one just under the original blue tinted one. I knew that an indigo shield was basically a last line of defense. The other two would hurt anything trying to enter with harmful intent but an indigo one would kill if the attacker was weak enough.

It also wouldn't let anything or one in, not even the other women unlike any other color that would let them pass. There was a psychic wail of anger that made me shudder but it was cut off suddenly. From the lack of blazing fire I knew Kenna had not caused the being to go quiet and I shivered involuntarily at the thought of something worse having been drawn. A fleeting touch on the outside layer of the shielding made me wish she was here with me. This was quiet power, and from the way my circle locked down even further I knew that whatever it was it was powerful.

Suddenly I heard a car practically squeal into my driveway then a car door. Kenna burst through the gate, both hands ablaze in fire that caught her unnatural crayon red hair that was crackling with sparks.

The being that had touched my shield disappeared just before her light reached the yard.

"Alek, hold on and let me check around." Kenna poked through the bushes, tense and ready to defend us if need be. Nothing jumped out and she came back to me just as Chloe and Sophia arrived.

"It's all right Alek, you can drop the circle."

I nodded and raised my arms in the air. I simultaneously dropped then and smudged the salt with my foot, releasing the energy. It flowed back into me, settling into the well of power at my core. "What the hell was going on?" Kenna asked, the flames on her arms dwindling away.

"Let's go inside," I said, looking around nervously. They seemed to have picked up on my unease and agreed, Chloe ushering us inside like a mother hen. I felt calmer with everyone here especially her. She was our rock and with all of us in one place it felt safer. I hit the lights and flooded the living room and kitchen with light, driving the darkness out.

The warding on the house itself greeted us with a check of our aura then an acknowledgement of recognition. A second greeting came from my two cats, Isis and Osiris, who twirled around our legs then settled down to eat. Chloe went in the kitchen and set some water boiling in the tea kettle. She knew my kitchen as well as I did. We had all been to each others houses enough that we could be dropped blindfolded into any of them and come out on top.

Sophia got out the mugs while Kenna got out the tea bags, picking out everyone's favorite flavor. When the tea was finished we assembled at the bar, Kenna sitting on the counter on the kitchen side while the rest of us sat on the stools on the dining room side. I sipped my tea and glanced sideways out the porch door, wrinkling my forehead when I caught a hint of movement in the shadows along the back fence.

"Guys," I said softly. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. I nodded my head slightly toward the door and they turned their gazes toward it.

"Am I seeing correctly?" Sophia asked quietly. We all watched as a figure stepped from the shadows as if emerging from a door.

"What the fuck?" Kenna exclaimed despite Chloe's dislike of curse words. Even the Asian woman seemed at a loss for words and didn't comment on the slip up. The figure didn't stay in one place and in a smooth movement that reminded me of a big cat it was gone, moving too fast for my eyes to track it. All I caught was the movement of a long coat and a glint of silver over their shoulder.

We all stared in surprise and shock then burst into conversation. "What in the name of the Lady was that?" Sophia asked. Kenna jumped off the counter and began pacing, sparks shooting down her arms to disappear at her fingertips then begin their path again.

"Something not good! That was probably what attacked Alek!"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so."

"There's no way to rule it out, you didn't actual see anything," Kenna replied, scooping up her mug and slurping the contents.

"Alek's intuition is never wrong. If she doesn't think that was it, I'd be willing to trust her opinion," Chloe stated, narrowing her eyes at Kenna's drinking noises.

The youngest of our group picked up on the hint and sipped more quietly. "I'm just saying, we're in an unfamiliar situation here. We shouldn't just assume things."

"It's okay. Kenna is right, we need to figure out what tried to attack me, why, and who or what the shadow thing was," I interjected. Kenna appeared mollified by my acknowledgment of her concerns and Chloe nodded to me in approval.

"Well, we're not going to get anything done right now. It's nearly five and we all have things to do tomorrow," Sophia said.

"You all can crash here. Safety in numbers and all," I offered. Everyone agreed that staying together until day time at least was best. We all settled into our usual sleeping arrangements with Kenna sharing my bed while Sophia and Chloe took the guest bedroom. The next morning Sophia left first for a class then on to work at the aquarium. Chloe was next, heading home before going to her bookstore.

Kenna and I awoke at the same time, and I waved goodbye then headed to the bathroom to shower before heading to work at Chloe's bookstore. I was in the middle of shampooing when the phone began ringing. Cursing under my breath in my native language of Ukrainian I wrapped a towel around my torso and another around my hair before slipping into the living room.

"Hello?" I greeted. There was silence and I glared at the cordless phone. "Listen, prank calls are not funny," I growled, hitting the end button. Before I could sit it back down the phone rang again, the caller ID was unknown so I let it ring and went back to my shower.

The phone rang intermittently throughout my shower and breakfast. Gathering my purse I checked to make sure I had everything then drew in my aura as a sort of shield. I had to do so when I went outside my house to protect me from other people's emotions. Being aligned with water made me a strong empath, strong enough that I would take on other people's feelings.

The drive to the shop was uneventful. Ink & Paper was located on Townsend Drive, one of the streets in the historic downtown area. I pulled into the parking lot at the back of the store and headed in through the back door. Inside the smell of incense greeted me from where it was burning in the back room. Boxes of new stock were stacked neatly against the walls and counters lined one side of the wall, clean except for a coffee maker and some mugs.

I poured a cup and dumped my stuff then headed up front. Racks of books and magazine sorted by genre then alphabetically stood in vertical rows in the main shop. Chloe was cleaning the front windows while a few customers browsed.

"Hey Chloe," I greeted.

"Alek," she answered with a smile.

'What's on the to-do list?" I asked, sipping my coffee.

"I need you to restock the bestsellers rack and put out some of the new boxes in the back. Just put out five of each book, okay?"

"Will do." I headed back and washed my mug quickly then went back out with a clipboard to make note of what needed to be restocked. The bell over the door chimed merrily as another customer entered. I expected to hear Chloe greet them but when there was only silence I glanced up and nearly dropped my clipboard.

A tall man in a black leather jacket that nearly hit the floor stood just inside the doorway, his eyes flicking over the room. His features were Asian and his black eyes alit upon me after finishing their survey of the store. I swallowed and gathered myself before putting on a welcoming face. "Welcome to Ink & Paper. Is there anything I can help you find today?"

"Aleksandra Tsikanovsky?" he asked without preamble.

"Er, yes, that's me."

"My name is Haven. I am here to protect you."

My mouth dropped. "Pardon me?"

"May we talk in private?"

I glanced to Chloe and saw that her hair had taken on a greenish tint. I could feel the power she had called, a vague sense of earth weighing me down. I really didn't want a throw down to occur in the middle of the biography section. "All right, we can go in the back."

He followed me through the shelves and the swinging door to the back room. Once there I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest. The sound of the ocean was in my ears, faint because I wasn't actively drawing power. "Well?"

"The organization that trained me sent me here. As a witch you are very powerful, powerful enough to warrant being given a Guardian. As of this moment I now belong to you. If you refuse me I will guard you from afar."

This was a lot to take in so I tried to rapidly format some questions. "Guard me from what exactly?" I asked, since this seemed to be one of the most important things.

"You are probably aware of the five elements to magic. But there is a sixth one, opposite of Spirit, called Void. The beings aligned with the Void elements feed on the other elements. Only Spirit can damage it."

"But people can't be aligned with Spirit."

"Not alone. But when four people of each element come together and form a coven they have the potential to work Spirit magic. The healing you all performed last night is an example of that."

At the mention of last night's events my hackles rose and I actively drew power, filling the room with the scent of salt water. I could feel the blood moving through both of our bodies and knew that with just a simple call I could force his blood to evaporate, condense, or to come forth out of his veins and arteries. It would be simple to cause a stroke or heart attack by blocking the flow of blood.

That's why Chloe had always cautioned that we had to exercise as much caution over our anger as Kenna, who could ignite people as easily as candles in a moment of lashing out. Sophia could suffocate someone by drawing out their breath and denying it entry into lungs, though her power was less affected by her emotions and less likely to kill someone if she did just lash out, since it would be like getting the wind knocked out of you. Chloe had never explained the way her power could kill but I knew enough to figure it would be like having an invisible weight crush you.

"How do you know about that?" I asked slowly, taking deep breaths to control my fear. If he had attacked my circle last night my fear had grounds but if not I didn't want to accidentally kill him.

"You were attacked by a Void creature. It sensed the magic you were working, however I banished it."

If I hadn't been staring at him for so long I wouldn't have noticed the wavering outline around his form that indicated a glamour was in place. I let my eyes go blurry then refocused them on the door behind him. I couldn't see his aura, just a black-red shield not unlike my own blue one. Now that I was actively looking past the glamour I could see a sword across his back and that his eyes were not black but were a startling shade of light purple. I let my vision refocus on him directly but the purple eyes and sword stayed in sight. Once you see through a glamour you become immune to it.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's my duty and my honor."

"That's a nice line," I commented, channeling a bit of Kenna. I felt Chloe give a psychic knock at my shields and I lowered my guard so she could hear our conversation.

He shrugged. "It isn't a line. I was trained to protect you, with my life if need be."

"Just me?"

"Yes. Others will be sent to guard your friends. I only belong to you."

"Wait a minute, belong? You are not a guard dog."

"When I say belong I mean that I will obey you in all matters except those that pertain to your safety."

"This is not some matriarchal society where men are slaves to women here. You're a human being free to do whatever you want," I protested.

"And I choose to obey you."

"Why?" I asked. I had to give him credit though, by now normal people would have been exasperated but he kept the same calm face on.

"To give the world hope. There are too few covens able to raise Spirit energy. There are too many factors to be fulfilled, so many that most covens can't do it. But those that do and are able to fight the Void make it worth it."

I felt Kenna pulling into the parking lot and knew the conversation needed to be wrapped up. It would be best to tell this story to her when he was out of flaming distance.

"Okay, so I believe you. What now?"

He shed his jacket to reveal a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Holding out his right arm he rolled the sleeve up to his elbow. "Touch my arm and channel a small amount of power into the layers of skin."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"It won't," he assured.

I hesitated then held out my right hand, settling my fingertips just above his skin. I channeled my power into thin streams from the tips of my fingers to his skin in a carefully controlled amount. His eyes closed and I saw his breath hitch a moment before I was distracted. Swirls of blue spread outward from where my power touched him creating a tribal like tattoo of spirals that went up his arm and ended at his wrist in a triskele. His eyes opened and he nodded curtly. I withdrew the energy and the tattoo settled then disappeared.

"I am now bonded to you. You will always be able to call or find me."

"What about the other way around?"

"Since your more fiery friend is approaching that can wait for now. I will be back when you call me or leave." Haven bowed his head then did the moving so fast I couldn't see thing out the front just as the back door opened. Kenna came in as Chloe stepped through the other door that was still open.

"Hey guys, what's…" Kenna let her sentence trail off when she saw our faces. "What's going on?" she finished.

Chloe and I exchanged glances before I told her what Haven had said. By the time I finished she was pacing the floor and sparking, a sign of imminent explosion. "Some guy just shows up and says that he's your protector?" she growled, saying the word protector like it was a curse. "Who is he to just march in and interrupt our lives?"

"Look Kenna, calm down. I got the feeling that he was telling the truth, or at least believed he was. As for the protecting part, well, you didn't feel that thing slam against your circle while you were alone. It wanted to harm me and it was hungry. Haven didn't say this but I get the feeling that these Void things feed on magic."

"Then why haven't we seen or heard of them before?" she asked.

"Luck?" I suggested, having no real answer.

Chloe interjected for the first time. "Think about it. Last night was the first time we did a big mixing of magic. At other times it has just been two people, three at the most and only for small things. Last night it was all four elements combined in a big way. More importantly, maybe, it was combined for healing another, not for us."

Kenna and I looked at her and nodded in agreement. But then we tended to agree with Chloe's ideas and theories since she seemed to be an endless well of knowledge.

"So where is this guard guy?" Kenna asked, looking at me.

"I don't know. He hauled as—butt out of here when he heard you coming in," I said, amending my swearing with a look from Chloe.

"Are you working tonight?" Chloe asked.

"I have an hour after I leave here then my shift starts and runs until 10, then clean-up until 11:30 or so," I answered. In addition to working here I also worked as a hostess-slash-waitress-slash-cashier at a small Eastern European food store. It was half restaurant and half specialty store, mainly for Russian food but it also carried a few dishes from the Ukraine and Romania. Thankfully I didn't pull double job duty every day and the place was small enough that it didn't get to busy. It was through luck in that a waitress had quit to focus on school more, a craving for Russian food, and my ability to speak both Ukrainian and Russian fluently, that I got the job.

"And what about this guy?"

"For now, what can we do? I wish I had time to go to the lake and see what the waves are saying."

"Leave at four if you need. But let us know what they say," Chloe stated.

I nodded. "All right, back to work then."

"I'll help you get your stuff done," Kenna offered.

Between the two of us we got everything restocked and the new items checked into the computer by four. I changed into a bathing suit I always kept handy in the bathroom then headed out the door to nearly run into Haven. In the comfort of working I had nearly forgotten him. He turned sideways to let me pass then fell in step beside me.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The lake."

He didn't question me further, just sat in the passenger's seat of my car like his name was embroidered on it, staring at the scenery as it changed from the town to forest. The lake was fairly large and was fed by a river's tributaries. At this time of day there were some fishers out on boats but nobody on the beach at my usual spot.

Standing at the back of my small SUV I removed my t-shirt and shorts, leaving a halter top style bikini and pulled on a pair of knee length board shorts. Shutting the back door I looked over to Haven who was surveying the area.

"What are you looking for?" I asked curiously.

His gaze turned to me and to his credit he only lingered below my face a moment. "Escape routes, shelter, ambush points," he listed.

"Paranoid?"

The corner of his lips quirked upward but he didn't smile though he wanted to. "Well trained. You're probably safe here but I don't leave things to chance."

I shrugged and started down the path past a place to put boats in the water or take them out and around a curve to a rocky beach. A steep four foot high embankment was to my left and about four feet of beach was to the right before it hit water. I got to my favorite spot, a huge rock that gently sloped down into the water several feet and kicked off my sandals. Haven settled himself on a large rock next to the water, keeping one eye on me and another on the surroundings. I stepped into the water and released my breath slowly, a sense of calm settling into my bones.

I could feel the tides as though I were the one moving back and forth against the shore. Blinking, my vision shifted and I could see silvery shapes flitting beneath the waters surface: the souls of people who had drowned or otherwise died in the lake or the waters that fed into it. That was the eeriest thing about having the water as my element.

Chloe and I were the only ones who could see ghosts, the residual energy left when a person died. We never talked about what we saw because it was too personal. I still remembered the first spirit I'd ever seen after first learning to pick up on their energy. A shudder ran down my body as I remembered the encounter. I pushed the thought away and knelt down, running my fingertips over the surface to create ripples.

I was the only person with the gift to hear the water and interpret it, or try to. Silent musical notes, a phenomena I'd never been able to explain except as the vibration that would occur with sound if there was any. I got a feeling of trust and of warning. I played the waters surface again but it was silent and gave no clarification. I thought of Haven and tapped the water, getting a sense of trust again.

So the water said to trust him. But that still left the warning, yet no further questions could prompt an answer. I sighed and stood, crossing my arms and looking across the surface. I couldn't stay frustrated and I ran across the rock and jumped out into the water with a shrieking laugh. Everything felt better in the water, and there was a sense of safety. Here, nothing could touch me.

A spark of worry from Haven made me sigh, releasing air bubbles to the surface. I knew he was just worried for my safety and if you couldn't hear the water it was impossible to explain how it was alive and would protect its own. I kicked downward and came up into the air, turning to face the shore. He had stood and was watching the lake, appearing relieved when I came up. I swam for the beach but my butterfly stroke hitched when I felt the water whisper around me.

Stopping I treaded water and looked around to find the disturbance. A large black shadow with silver around the edges caught my attention. It moved in lazy circles that grew smaller and I instinctively grasped the power in the water around me. Evil, it whispered in the silence, Protect.

I felt the water compress and my aura lockdown to protect my earthly body from being crushed. The water pressure increased dramatically, squeezing the being into a ball. Up, I asked, gathering my power into a bubble around it. Raising my hands the bubble burst out of the surface and I threw it to the shore for Haven, who had his sword out. It landed and the bubble burst, leaving the dark being to flounder on the ground. Haven's sword stabbed the thing and it burst into oily water. I made for shore, stumbling up the rocks until I was next to Haven.

"Tvoyú mat'!" I cursed in Russian. "What was that? I thought they were only drawn by Spirit!"

He glanced at me. "That was a Void being. And you have the mark of Spirit energy on you now, in your aura. They can sense that. It's probably been in the lake for years, waiting and feeding on lost souls."

"Let's go," I said suddenly. "I have to dry off and get to work."

He didn't say anything, just followed behind me to my car and waited while I toweled off. Laying a second dry towel across the seat I got in and started back toward town. The windows were rolled down and I rolled mine up, looking at Haven. "Roll your window up."

The window went up and two seconds later the rain I'd felt overhead finished its fall to the ground, thick sheets that made it hard to see even with the windshield wipers on. "You're not like most water witches," Haven commented.

I glanced at him, then back to the road. "What do you mean?"

"All the others I've met have been quiet, shy even, and pacifists. They tend to be counselors."

"So you mean meek right? Well, get used to it. I am not someone who will be led along like a sobaka on a leash," I answered lowly, my hands tightening on the wheel.

"I'm sorry."

We arrived in silence at the small two story building in a plaza with several other smaller stores and a larger chain store. Rather than park in the back I parked in the large combined lot for all the stores out of habit. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed inside.

"Call if you need me," Haven directed, then disappeared to somewhere, probably the roof.

"Dobriy vecher, lyubimaya," my fellow worker, Ivan, greeted.

"Don't call me sweetheart," I replied automatically. For the past year we'd always had the same exchange upon first seeing each other at work.

"You wound me," he said, grasping his chest in mock pain.

"Oh hush. How busy is it tonight?"

"The usual. A couple of regulars upstairs eating. Beware of going up there though, Svetlana is working," he commented, adding the last part in a stage whisper.

I pulled a face. Svetlana was an arrogant, condescending woman who was related to the owner and thought that gave her the right to be bossy.

"Need any help down here? Please?" I asked.

"Yeah, you can play cashier while I restock."

"I owe you my first born."

"How about a kiss instead?"

I laughed. "All right I'll owe you one. Let me change and I'll be back."

He waved me on as he greeted a customer in Russian. I made a beeline for the employee restroom. Changing in warp speed, I stuffed my wet clothes in the backpack I'd brought and put that in the break-slash-stock room under a table. Back in the store part I relieved Ivan of the register, pulling on the black apron and clipping on the tag that had my name in Ukrainian and Russian.