Yulias Blog

I guess I better explain why I'm in America. In full detail, that is.

My dad thought it'd be best to send me out of the country. He could have sent me somewhere in the continent but for some reason he brought me here. I guess he wanted me to be somewhere that wouldn't remind me of Moscow. Aside from the architecture and the lack of snow, California and Russia aren't that different to me. People are rude in both places.

I can't understand why I couldn't go to Paris to live with my mother. I could have lived in her apartment and learned to speak French. My mother is a wedding dress designer, which means if I find the one, my gown will be custom made and free!

Stories in the news have recently been about the Red Square Riot. For those of you who don't know, the Red Square Riot happened around the beginning of the summer. This criminal organization called Red was mass producing pills they called Magma.

Apparently, these pills were so addicting that people shot and strangled each other just for one capsule. Most drugs take months or years to kill its addicts; these pills only took a week at most.

My cousin and best friend Alexi was in the riot. He told me he was was running to the store shortly before the news broke out. The little market we went to was a block away, plus the Red Square sometimes has market stands. Right away, I felt myself grabbing my shoes.

My brother Vlad burst through the front door.

"Where's Alexi?" He panted. I was breathless as he ran for his gun. Vlad is in the Russian Army. Knowing the army was there, I knew it was a serious issue.

"He said he went out!" Tears were falling down my face. "Vlad, what is going on?"

All he knew was that a riot was happening. People were fighting and setting cars on fire for unknown reasons. I wanted to come with him, to make sure Alexi was alive. All I could do was watch the news.

The door burst open an hour later and I saw Vlad dragging our cousin in. Alexi's face was a sickening yellow and his eyes changed to red. I couldn't stop screaming at him or demanding him to tell me what the hell he was thinking. His breathing was slowing. I remember screaming at him in Russian that he was not allowed to die, and that I wouldn't let him.

The autopsy showed that he had been an addict for three days. How did I not see this coming? I knew him better than anybody. When he began acting strange, I passed it off as being a moody teenager.

Alexi was fourteen. I don't think it's his fault that he's dead. The person responsible for this is whoever sold him his first pill. I don't blame Alexi for forgetting to say no. He was a teenager. We're under pressure to be grown ups and some of us believe drugs will do that. We're not pressured to offer drugs; we're pressured to take them.

That's why my dad sent me here. Vlad is still in Russia but he tells me he'll try to find a place for us somewhere in the US. I don't know when he'll come here though. In the army, you don't get to say when you're done.

So, that's why I'm here.