by Nancy Miller
“Okay,” said Master, “Naz drovy or whatever.” She threw the shot back. The others followed.
Sasha figured all the girls were about her age, fifteen or sixteen. Maybe Master was older. And she knew the legal drinking age here was nineteen. But Sasha was used to vodka. Her crowd always drank it. Even so, her father was very strict about drinking outside of family gatherings. Now, with everyone watching, she tossed it down like a pro. Cold and fiery at the same time, it hit her stomach with a thud and spread warmth through her entire body.
Master was already pouring seconds. Worried about what her mother would say if she came home drunk, Sasha stood up. “I have to go. Anzuela . . . uh, Zorro, don’t worry. I’ll get the bus at the bottom of the street. I’ll see you all on Monday at school.”
Zorro was on her feet and in front of the door before Sasha could turn around. “Hey,” Zorro said. “It’s Friday night. You can stay out a little longer.” She pulled Sasha back into the room.
“We’re just getting started,” said Master. She was rolling something in cigarette paper as she walked over to Sasha. “Have you ever smoked this stuff? Here, hold it for a minute. Everyone, get in here.” Master called out. She pulled out a phone and took a selfie of the group before Sasha could hide what she knew was weed. “Remember these photos are just for us . . . for fun. What goes on with the CREW stays with the CREW. Right?”
Sasha handed the joint back to Master. She’d tried marijuana at home, but didn’t like it because it made her lose control. And Sasha liked control. She figured Master did too. “I prefer vodka,” said Sasha. “Maybe I will have another drink.”
***
Sasha’s weekend was taken up with family stuff. Her weekly Skype session with her father gave her a chance to brag about her new friends and how they did all this good work. They spoke in English and even her father had trouble keeping up with her.
Saturday night, at another party, this time at the Russian Consulate, her mother insisted she wear her new dress. There, everyone greeted Sasha and her mother like they were royalty. The attention was over the top and Sasha couldn’t figure out why. But she was in a good mood, knowing she had her own friends now. She ended up having a pretty good time, especially after the bartender slipped her vodka.
After school on Monday, Sasha met Zorro in the hall and they walked to the seniors’ residence. It was clear Zorro knew her way around the place. The girl behind the desk said hello, looked at Sasha’s papers, and sent them to the common room. Sasha’s grandmother had been in one of these places in Moscow. Although this place was much nicer, the smell of pee and overcooked vegetables still won out over the air freshener.
People were playing cards, talking, watching TV. Some were making conversation or doing puzzles. And some were just staring into space.
Zorro approached someone sitting at a computer. The woman looked up, pleased to see her. “Hi, Grace,” said Zorro. “I want to introduce Sasha. She’s new to the city from Russia, but she knows a ton of stuff about the computer. She’s going to help you set up your bank account online. You’ll be able to see how much money you have at any time. You can also transfer money for bills, or send money to your grandchildren. I know you like to do that.”
“Oh, that’s great,” said Grace. “Hello, Sasha. Welcome to Canada. You sit down right here beside me and show me what to do. I already went to my bank with all my identification. Anzuela took me, and stepped out of the room when I was giving personal information. She’s so nice, that Anzuela. Now I have to learn all the bits and pieces on the computer.”
Grace was sweet. She reminded Sasha of her grandmother before she’d died. Sasha sat down beside her, and Zorro hung back, but close enough to see and hear.
“Do you have your bank account number?” Sasha asked.
“Here’s all the information right here,” Grace answered. She held up her ATM card and a piece of paper with her bank name and branch, bank account number, and her PIN number. From behind, Zorro tapped something into her phone.
“No, no, Grace,” said Sasha, pushing the paper away. “That is secret information. You should not show that to anyone. It’s just for when you use the ATM. What you’ll need for the computer is a password.”
Sasha opened the bank’s website and showed Grace how to log in. “Now for your secret password. Don’t tell me, just think of something you will remember every time. It should have some letters and some numbers.”
Grace thought for a moment. Then she blurted out: “I have it. Grands-one-two-three for my three grandchildren. How’s that?”
Sasha sighed and looked at Zorro. Zorro smiled back before walking away. “I’ll be back,” she said, texting something on her phone.
Sasha turned back to Grace. “But now I know your password, Grace. You should choose another one.”
“No, I like that one. You’re a good girl. You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”
“No. It’s all right, I guess,” said Sasha.
Suddenly, Grace’s face darkened. “Yes, a good girl. Not like my second daughter. She never visits or phones. And she tells everyone I need to be put into a more secure home. I’m finished with her. The first thing I’m going to do is to cut her off from my monthly payments.”
Sasha was shocked. She didn’t want to hear all this personal stuff. And she and Zorro shouldn’t be in the middle of this old lady’s personal business. Grace seemed pretty angry with her daughter . . . but was that Sasha’s concern?
Sasha knew Zorro heard the password too, and vowed to talk to her about it later. For the moment, all she could do was help Grace set up and open the new online account. For the next hour, Sasha showed Grace how to move money between her accounts, how to pay bills online, and how to send money to someone as a transfer. Grace seemed to understand everything and asked Sasha to come back in a week to see that everything was all right.
Sasha found Zorro outside on her phone. “Do you think it’s okay?” Zorro was saying. Then, “Yeah, we’re good,” she replied and hung up.
Sasha jumped in. “Now we know her password.”
Zorro smiled and said, “Oh, it’s fine. I’m not going to tell anyone, are you?”
Sasha gave her usual response. “I guess.”
Did everyone trust her not to tell Grace’s information? Maybe in Canada there were ways to protect your private information that she didn’t know of. She’d look it up so she’d be ready if something went wrong.
Chapter 7
Proof of Loyalty
The week passed by quickly. To Sasha’s surprise and delight, Jake was very attentive. Even though Sasha hadn’t planned on seeing guys right away, he was slowly breaking down her resistance. He met her at her locker at 8:30 every morning. This made her want to get to school early. Her mother assumed the urgency was Sasha’s love of school.
On Friday after school, the CREW met in another beautiful home that was empty of furniture.
“Another house for sale?” asked Sasha.
“Oh yeah,” BB answered. “It belongs to my aunt. She’s got someone getting it ready to sell. She’s in Mexico, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have our meeting here. She won’t mind. She’s good.”
The vodka came out along with a joint, and the party was on. Sasha said no to all of it.
“So, Sashh-shha,” said Master.
After a couple of shots and most of a joint, Master was losing it. The others laughed at the way she slurred Sasha’s name.
“What do you want to get out of being a CREW member?” Master asked. “We all have our reasons for belonging. What’s yours?” Master sat up straight and tried to focus.
Sasha thought for a moment. How much should she tell them? “I like the idea of helping others,” she said carefully. “Not only for me but because my parents will see that I’m fitting into the ‘right’ crowd. But mostly I really want friends. Real friends.”
Sitting next to her on the floor, BB hugged Sasha.
“My friends at home were . . .” Sasha went on. “Well, let’s just say what Master found online about us coming to Canada is true. I got into some trouble at home. My so-called friends used my skills to get what they wanted. They didn’t really care about me.” Sasha was silent for a moment. “I don’t want to talk about it. I really want the CREW to be a new beginning.”
“We want that too,” said Master. “And as you get to know the CREW better, you’ll understand that everyone has some skin in the game.” She turned to Fringe. “Isn’t that right? I think it means we have to put in something to get something out.”
Through her laughter, Fringe managed, “I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying, Master. It sounds really stupid.”
BB turned to Sasha. “You know, we are all, like, sort of orphans here. And not everybody in school likes to hook up with an orphan. When I came from England I felt so alone and embarrassed about my accent. I needed extra tutoring because I was behind in a lot of subjects and that made me feel stupid. Then the CREW took me in and now my confidence is a lot higher. Ta da!” She threw her hands in the air. “Whatever we do,” she added, “we do for each other.”
“Listen,” BB continued, “Master grew up in foster care. Home after home, dealing with abuse. Even time on the streets. She’s pretty tough, I know.” She looked to Master to make sure she wasn’t going too far. Master responded with a tight smile. “But she is the smartest person I know. And if it weren’t for Master, I don’t think I’d have any friends at all.”
Fringe wheeled over. “Do you think you have it that bad, Sage? You’re in the best country in the world, in a terrific house, with lots of money. Some of us have been on the outside all our lives. Chairs like this,” she said, pointing down, “have been part of my life since I was five years old. I barely survived a car accident.”
Fringe dropped her head so BB carried on Fringe’s story. “Fringe was wrecked and had no time for friends with all her therapy. Master met her at a disadvantaged children’s camp where Master was working in the kitchen. They became friends. Now look at Fringe. Beautiful and confident.”
Stunned as well as ashamed, Sasha looked at Zorro for her story.
“Me too,” said Zorro. “Finding friends wasn’t easy for me, you know. I’ve been teased and bullied all my life because I’m so small.”
“But that’s not her fault,” Master butted in. “Zorro has a condition that gets in the way of her growth hormones. But here with the CREW, she can show the strength she has, not in spite of, but because of her condition. She charms everyone.”
“We all have a special bond,” BB continued. “We’ve been together since grade seven and we look out for each other. Our home-lives are second to the CREW. My parents are okay, but don’t realize how much loyalty I owe my friends. So we pledge never to tell our parents what we’re up to.”
Zorro’s baby face lit up. “And we have fun, don’t we girls? And we do help out real causes all the time. We get money from people who don’t deserve what they have and we give to charities we like. We keep just a little for our efforts. That’s it.”
Sasha’s mind was a rollercoaster, rumbling up with pity and crashing down with affection. The words had touched her. They made her think about her own privilege. Her “fun” in Moscow was just that, fun. But the CREW’s activities came out of love for each other while they gave the finger to the jerks in the world. And they did good things.
Sasha’s father had told her she needed to take responsibility for her actions. She was ready to do that. She wanted to be different here and the CREW was giving her that chance. She could help others and still belong. She remembered a story her parents read her when she was little. It was the Russian translation of Robin Hood, about an English bandit who took from the rich and gave to the poor. She loved that story. Maybe now she could live it.
Master got up and stood in front of Sasha. “We really want you as part of our group. You’re talented and smart. And you’re going to need good friends here. There are a lot of kids in this school who think that anyone from another country or who grew up in another situation is shit. We don’t want that to be you, because that was us.”
Sasha’s need to belong pushed her. “I want to be part of the CREW,” she said. “I really do.”
There were cheers all around and almost a smile from Master.
Master went on. “So we think you should start by giving us the password for old Grace’s account. Oh and I guess we’ll need the account number and the bank too.” She smirked as the others watched for Sasha’s reaction.
“What?” Sasha was stunned. After their confessions about going after only bad guys, Sasha wasn’t sure she’d heard right. Grace wasn’t a bad guy. “You know I can’t tell you that. I shouldn’t even know it.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like we’ll make it public knowledge. But we’re moving on some other things and we need to show a bank account as credentials. That’s it.” The words were reasonable, but Master’s dark eyes seemed to mock Sasha. Then Master smiled and went back to her chair.
From leader to bully and back again. Master reminded Sasha of her father. He could be really scary one minute and a doting father the next. Sasha’s way to handle him was to go along and be humble. Maybe that would work with Master too.
“I understand,” Sasha’s voice quavered. “But doesn’t Zorro know it? She was there too.”
“This is a test Sasha. Yes, Zorro gave it to us, but we want you to show us your loyalty. You show us you are loyal to us and you are one step further to becoming true CREW.”
It suddenly hit Sasha. She could go to prison for getting involved in Grace’s account. But in the end, she figured she had the computer skills to erase her part in the deception if she needed to. She checked the card in her bag and told the CREW Grace’s account number and password. She’d check Grace’s account on Monday. It would probably be okay.
Chapter 8
The True CREW
On Monday, Sasha went straight to the seniors’ residence when she got out of school. She found Grace disturbed and confused.
“I’m sure I did everything right,” Grace said. Sasha could see that tears were ready to spill down her cheeks. “But it looks like there’s money missing. It must be my fault. Nobody else has touched this computer all week.”
Sasha confirmed that money had been transferred to something called Seniors’ Advice. When Sasha asked if Grace knew of any organization she supported or that might be part of the residence, Grace shook her head.
“Never heard of it,” Grace said. “But it could be right. I’ve given money to a lot of causes in the past. What should I do?”
“Don’t worry for now,” Sasha told her. “I’ll check with your bank. It could all be a big mistake.” She tried to make her voice positive, but she suspected the CREW’s meddling was behind it.
Another emergency waited for Sasha at home. Her mother was Skyping with her father and she heard her father say, “She needs to come home if she doesn’t obey. Her clothes, her new friends you do not know. What is going on?”
Before her mother could answer, Sasha slipped in next to her on the couch and said brightly, “Hi, Papa. What’s going on?” Luckily she was dressed conservatively for her visit to the seniors’ home. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt with black jeans.
“Ah, kotyonok moya,” her father greeted her.
“Papa, I’m too old to be called your little kitten. I’m a big cat now.”
Her father laughed and Sasha went on. “I just came back from helping an old lady at a seniors’ home. It’s my volunteer work here.” She stole a look at her mother, who squinted back at her.
“Wonderful,” said her father. “We have taught you well. And you look lovely. Your mother said your clothes were too sexy.
”
“Oh, that,” said Sasha. “I bought a couple of shorter skirts because everyone wears them here. I’m not nearly as daring as some of them. And I don’t want to be. I want you and Mother to be proud of me.”
“Oh kotyonok, you seem just fine to me. But . . .” he shook his finger, “if you give your mother grief, I will have you home in one day. You know that.”
“Yes, Papa. Here’s Mother. I have homework to do.” With another quick look at her mother’s disapproving face, Sasha raced upstairs. Her mother would be up soon enough to “discuss.”
As soon as she was in her room, Sasha checked into Grace’s account. It was true. Five hundred dollars had been transferred to Seniors’ Advice. When Sasha tried to figure out what Seniors’ Advice was, she could find no address or website. All she could find was that it was a non-profit organization. Did that mean a charity? Maybe a charity didn’t go by the same rules as other places.
Sasha suspected the CREW, but she had to make absolutely sure. She wasn’t going to panic yet. The CREW knew the rules a lot better than she did. Sasha promised herself that she would be more watchful when she was with them. She remembered the addresses of the two houses she’d been in and searched them. Up came information that both were for sale or just sold. That fit their stories about why there wasn’t much furniture. Still, she’d watch for any clues that the CREW wasn’t supposed to be there.
***
At school the next day, Sasha deliberately bumped into Zorro walking down the hall. “I’m kind of worried that something is going on,” she said. “Five hundred dollars was transferred from Grace’s account to something called Seniors’ Advice.”
Zorro kept walking and whispered. “Never mind that right now. Come to the library after last class for our next meeting.”
Sasha’s thoughts throughout the day shifted between Grace’s money and the meeting tonight. In Moscow, she and her friends invaded people’s privacy. But they never really crossed the line — until the prime minister’s affair. Sasha was no angel, that’s for sure. But she had promised her father to stay on the right path. She really did want to do that.