People always think the worst won't happen to them.
Deep down, most believe that tragedy, accidents, and disasters only happen to someone else. To people far away, unrelated, and out of sight. As long as they can eat fresh food, breathe clean air, and live in peace, they think they'll be fine. Because anyone who thinks otherwise is either already dead or quietly suffering.
In the same way, the fragile peace that began in 1945 between the world's two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, was believed to be unshakable. As long as people lived and breathed, they assumed peace would last forever.
They were wrong. Horribly wrong.
Just like how the Jews once believed Adolf Hitler was just another loud, power-hungry politician. Someone who would eventually fade away. So they carried on with life as usual, day after day, as if nothing would happen tomorrow.
The Americans and Soviets were the same. They lived their daily lives believing tomorrow would be just like today. That nothing would change. That they would always return home to their families.
Until they didn't.
Because the most horrific tragedies always begin in silence. On an ordinary day. In an ordinary place. A place that seems safe.
Just like today.
Just like a normal school classroom in New York City.
"BOOM! Explosion!"
"The star has reached its final stage. It emits all the matter inside as a supernova and then collapses into a white dwarf. See, even something as massive as a star, something that seems like it could last forever, will eventually die.
When the core is full of iron and fusion can no longer happen..."
As the teacher wraps up his lecture on the life cycle of stars, the school bell rings, signaling the end of the day.
"Alright, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the lesson. Next week, we'll talk about black holes and how they form when gravity crushes a dying star. And don't forget, we have a field trip tomorrow, so come prepared."
The class ends, leaving exhaustion on every student's face. Physics had drained them. It was just a little too difficult, a little too boring.
They shuffled out the door like prisoners finally freed after the American Civil War. The only difference is, most of them were white kids.
At that moment, all they cared about was getting home. Taking a nap. Playing Fortnite.
But not all of them.
One student wasn't eager to go home. He was eager to show someone what he had discovered.
"Mister Neil!! Mister Neil! I did the calculations, and my hypothesis was correct!!"
The teenager gives the paper that he's holding to Mr.Neil, his teacher.
"There is some mass that has been lost in the atomic structure, the protons and electrons mass add up does not match with the mass of the whole atom. Meaning that the missing mass must have gone somewhere, it could be a new particle!!"
The boy screamed in happiness, he couldn't hold his excitement to his discovery.
"Hmm. Interesting, I didn't think that you could go this far, tell me when you found the answer to your hypothesis."
Neil handed the paper back to his student.
"By the way, how has your dad been lately?" He asked.
The student thinks for a while."He hasn't talked to me for a few weeks so I was worried about him. But yesterday, he called me and said that he will be home this weekend."
"That man finally finished his military service, the time I worked with him he was a really serious man, always focused on missions and goals over pleasure and joy, unlike other soldiers."
"Yeah I know right, sometimes he's scaringly strict at home, so much that I even don't want to make eye contact with him. Anyway, I think I should go home now. Bye, Mister Neil! And I told you I was right!".
"Bye, Chad! Remember to do the homework!"
Right when Chad hears the word "Homework", he immediately runs out of the class and covers his ears like he heard nothing.
Neil stands in the room and smiles as he already knows how Chad will react to his reminder.
The room is now empty, he should be going home now, but instead, he just stands there thinking, recalling his memories during his military service with Chad's father.
The sound of gunfire, explosions, and the voices of the enemies are terrifying, yet nostalgic.
After enough of reminiscing, he packed his stuff and started to go home.
Walking on the streets of New York City, he has an overview of the city's magnificent light shining on the night sky. He has nothing to say about this as it is what he has seen from day to day.
Although his house is only a few blocks from the school, he decided to visit another location before returning home.
After all, he still has plenty of time to go to his favorite bar and have a drink with his friend.
"Privet detka(Hey babe), where are you going? Wanna have some fun?". The voice of a Russian man passes through his ear.
A strange man tries to hook up with a beautiful girl that walks past him. She's so hot that she got the man's attention.
Neil tried to ignore them by walking through, however, the more the girl refused, the more he tried to flirt with her.
So much so that Neil can no longer hold his anger. But what's strange is why is there a Soviet citizen right in the middle of New York?
Since the 1990s, the Soviet Union has been negotiating with the Alliances to sign a treaty allowing their citizens to freely transit between the two factions.
They claimed that this was one of the first steps toward establishing a new world order, with two superpowers shaking hands in the hopes of making the world a better place.
This treaty is a way to end the Cold War once and for all, as they have been tired of spying and fighting each other for more than 50 years.
They expected the public to accept their decision, but the majority of the population did not.
Rather than seeing it as an opportunity for peace, the people of the Alliances saw the Soviet immigrants as intruders, always intrigued to seize their homeland.
This is why there are sometimes fights between people on both sides, as they insult each other just to express their hatred for the other, but this could be an issue, as the death of one man could spark an entire war.
So the government has decided to adjust their legislation from a year in prison for killing a Soviet to life in prison for injuring a citizen of the USSR and vice versa.
While this sounds really good to the Soviet immigrants, for people that come from anti-Soviet families like Neil, it makes him pretty uncomfortable.
While the Russian guy was forcing the girl to go with him, a man approached them.
"Hey! Get the f*ck out of here!!" Neil yelled.
The Russian guy was surprised to see Neil, a stranger trying to get in his way.
"What's the matter, dude?"
"Just want to have some fun with this lady." The man replied with his Russian accent.
"I said, leave her alone!!" Neil used all the strength of his vocal cords to give that bastard a final warning.
"CYKA BLYAT! I will beat the hell out of...". Before finishing the line he puts his hand in his pocket like he is about to get something, but right before he does it, the woman grabs his jacket.
He turns back and looks at her face, she shakes her head and gives him a signal of something, and he immediately stops.
"Fine! I don't want to get into any trouble anyway!" He turned around and walked away, putting both his hands back in his pockets and whispering some curse words to Neil.
"Are you all right?" Neil approaches the woman and inquires. He was waiting for a response, but she didn't seem to be opening her mouth any time soon.
"Where do you live?" He continued to ask.
"I don't live in this city," she said.
Wait, What? Neil assumed he couldn't hear well and asked again, but received the same answer: "I said I don't live in this city!".
He could no longer keep the confusion on his face. What the hell? If you don't live in this city then where do you live?
It would be normal if she said, "I don't live here." implying that she doesn't live in this part of New York, so she could be living in New Jersey or somewhere else.
That's what he thought when he first heard her reply, but after asking twice and not receiving any proper address, he decided to shut up and remain silent in confusion.
Aside from that, he also feels awkward because asking a strange woman where she lives makes him sound like a pervert, and if she doesn't want to talk about it, he won't ask again.
Seconds passed and the silence continued, he thought she would walk away like any kind of woman after he interfered in her affairs.
But she continued to be with him, which made him think that:
'This girl is still here; why isn't she leaving?' Why is she still standing there? Could it be that she likes me? Or is she really doesn't have anywhere to go? What the hell am I thinking?!'
His thoughts started to make him shy, his face turned red and his eyes averted to avoid making eye contact with her. So much so that this started to look like a typical romance novel.
However, he must find a way to break the silence. a way to solve this awkward situation that he got himself in. Finally, he came up with a solution.
"I'm going to a bar to have some drink; want to come and talk for a while?" That was the only thing he could think of.
He could simply walk away as if nothing had happened, but doing so would be even more embarrassing, so he decided to invite her to the bar he was on his way to.
He could talk until she got bored and then go home on herself, but it's also because he's interested in this woman.
His heart is racing faster than usual as he waits for a response, possibly a rejection.
Surprisingly, she nodded her head and accepted his invitation; he knew what to do next and began walking as she followed; they were on their way to a nearby bar.