They spent the New Year in Moscow. When people started speculating and becoming irregular, they finally set off.
It was their first time on a plane, and they were very excited.
Worried about being ridiculed as country bumpkins, they were very cautious throughout the trip.
The parents were also granted a week of accompaniment time. They prepared well before departure, spending almost all of the 10 million rubles subsidy on some good clothes.
In the past, they would have been reluctant to spend so much.
But knowing that she would receive 1,000 pounds per month for living expenses upon arriving in London, they didn't hold back.
1,000 pounds, 6 million rubles.
That was still about two years of income for her and her mother.
Other girls weren't as clear, but she didn't plan to give all the money to her mother this time. She made it clear that this was their living expenses.
Natalia didn't have her luck.
Uncle Yuri went back once during the wait, and the 10 million rubles were all used up too. It wasn't spent recklessly; their family had five siblings and some relatives to support. It seemed one of her uncles borrowed 2 million rubles for his child's medical treatment. This left Natalia arriving in London without even a new set of clothes. Her future living expenses would probably be taken by Uncle Yuri to support the family. Uncle Yuri was a very domineering person, and Natalia never dared to oppose her father's decisions.
Originally, she thought it would be very fortunate to have living conditions like the Moscow hotel upon arriving in London.
Unexpectedly, they were accommodated in a very grand standalone villa in the bustling Chelsea area of London. A few hundred meters away was the Thames River. The beautiful four-story red and white villa was taller than the surrounding buildings. Besides an independent private courtyard at the back, the front door faced a park.
The first time entering the villa with luxurious carpeted decor, she and the other girls were a bit hesitant to step inside, and even the parents felt the same way.
Moreover, the villa had a shocking number of rooms.
Their group of 10 girls each had their own bedroom with a private bathroom.
Although, well, the sizes of the bedrooms were not the same. She found that her bedroom on the second floor was one of the smaller ones among the 10 girls, even smaller than Natalia's next door. The fourth floor had two girls' bedrooms that even came with a living room.
The rooms had been assigned before they arrived in London, with nameplates on the doors. The girls assigned to smaller rooms had to accept it.
Some parents raised objections.
But the girls in the larger rooms naturally didn't want to switch. Neither the villa's housekeeper, Mrs. Burns, nor their guardian, Ms. Wendy Allen, had the authority to switch the girls' rooms. If parents and girls were dissatisfied, they could only be dissatisfied.
Actually, she knew there was another option.
Leave.
Of course, only if they were crazy would they do that.
5:40 a.m.
The alarm clock in the bedroom rang on time, interrupting Natalie's drifting thoughts. She turned on the light and quickly began to dress and wash up.
Their daily schedule was set on the first day of moving in.
Ms. Allen explained that the important person they served had a habit of getting up at six, so as assistants, they had no reason to get up later than their employer.
Indeed, no reason.
Just admiring the important person for being able to maintain a six o'clock wake-up time.
If not for this opportunity, Natalie herself wouldn't have managed it regularly.
At six o'clock sharp.
Dressed in a white tight-fitting training suit, she didn't rush out of the room but opened the door and stood obediently at the doorway.
Still in black like a witch, Mrs. Burns appeared soon with her shadow-like translator, Miss Isakova.
"Good morning, Mrs. Burns."
Natalie greeted proactively in the simple English she had recently learned.
Mrs. Burns stopped and politely responded, "Good morning, Miss Vorobyova. May I come in?"
Can I say no?
Natalie thought sarcastically but still wore a sweet smile, "Of course."
On the first day, Mrs. Burns taught the girls how to tidy their rooms, detailing the arrangement of bedding, pillows, towels, and toiletries, and she mentioned this was just a basic adjustment. More formal courses would follow.
After a simple inspection and some pointers in Natalie's bedroom, Mrs. Burns nodded slightly with satisfaction, signaling her to go to the practice room.
The practice room was in the basement.
Natalie learned only yesterday that the villa had such a spacious basement, with a practice room over 200 square meters just for the 10 girls, which seemed like a huge waste to her.
Upon arriving, Natalia and a few other girls were already there, doing warm-ups under the guidance of their teacher, Miss Yulia Shulshikina.
Miss Yulia, their classical ballet teacher, was also from Russia. She appeared to be around thirty, very beautiful, with a good figure but not very tall, only about 170 cm. Mrs. Burns had introduced her yesterday, mentioning she had been with the Moscow Grand Theatre Ballet, one of the most famous ballet troupes during the Soviet era.
Politely saying good morning, Natalie positioned herself next to Natalia and began mimicking Yulia's warm-up movements seriously.
She didn't understand why they needed to learn classical ballet.
Miss Yulia was a somewhat silent woman. When they first met yesterday, she only briefly introduced herself before starting to guide them on what to do.
Even if they didn't understand, the girls had no room for refusal.
Besides, they never had the chance to learn it before.
Perhaps due to her dancer's background, Miss Yulia had a very elegant demeanor, which Natalie hoped she could emulate someday.
Of course, she'd rather not have the melancholy that seemed to come from a tough life, something she noticed in her mother during the hardest times last year.
It was evident that Miss Yulia wasn't leading a satisfying life, with a sense of unease and restlessness similar to what her mother exuded during their toughest period.
Once all 10 girls gathered, they started basic floor exercises. The simple and monotonous practice continued until eight o'clock, after which they returned to their rooms to change and finally have breakfast.
As usual, Mrs. Burns lectured them on dining etiquette. She paced around the dining table, correcting any mistakes, making everyone cautious. Whispering was impossible, and they feared they might be punished by skipping a meal if they made a mistake.
Probably not.
Natalie thought while focusing on her utensils.
The knife and fork were heavy, possibly silver.
Definitely valuable.
After breakfast, their guardian, Ms. Wendy Allen, came to pick them up, finally freeing them from the witch's control.
The 10 girls split into two vans for the short ride to St. Paul's Girls' School, just two or three kilometers away.
They had visited the school two days ago on Saturday for various small tests. Fortunately, no one was eliminated this time. It was Monday, a school day. The girls got off at the school gate and followed Ms. Allen inside, joining the flow of students arriving with their backpacks.
Natalie's first impression was that British girls were ugly.
Red faces, freckles, buck teeth, overweight, sparse curly hair.
Well, there were some pretty ones, but very few.
And generally not very tall.
Among the 10 of them, only three were around 160 cm, herself included. The other seven were over 170 cm, with two reaching 180 cm. So, walking through the crowded campus felt like a group of swans among chickens.
As for looks and figure.
One could tell from the envious glances of the other girls.
She couldn't help but feel a bit proud.
Although she knew she was the least attractive among the 10 girls, she was still better than these local girls.
They had their own classroom in the old red brick building.
While unsure what the local girls studied, their curriculum for now was just English.
Three classes in the morning: one on basic grammar and two on practical conversation and practice.
Natalie felt like she was being force-fed.
She didn't understand much of the basic grammar, and during the practical conversation and practice classes, they had to memorize 30 dialogues.
However, other girls seemed to be doing fine.
Anna Brelovskaya, one of the girls, also 12, could converse fluently in English with the teacher. Anna came from Tver, north of Moscow, and both her parents were teachers who started teaching her English at a young age.
And that wasn't the key. The key was that Anna was incredibly smart. Back at the Moscow hotel, everyone knew she could memorize entire books after just one read.
Two other girls also had some English foundation. Although not as gifted as Anna, they were still very smart.
The English teacher clearly favored them, spending most of the time correcting their pronunciation.
Sigh.
Why do teachers always favor good students?
It's so unfair.
Ms. Allen, unlike Mrs. Burns, was fluent in Russian, probably why she became their guardian.
Natalie soon realized she might be the slowest learner among the 10. Even the Natalia from her hometown was smarter, prettier, and taller than her.
In the end, she was paired with Eugenia.
Eugenia Volodina, a 10-year-old girl from Kazan. While other girls progressed quickly, memorizing all 30 dialogues in the second lesson and even writing them out perfectly, she and Eugenia seemed to be at the same level.
Ms. Allen wasn't as biased as the English teacher and personally helped the two slow learners.
By the end of the morning classes, Natalie felt a strong sense of crisis. She never forgot that the important person only needed one-tenth of them, meaning
9 out of 10 girls might be eliminated.
Based on the morning's performance, Anna would surely be the one to stay.
What about her?
Back to selling fruits in the small town of Novgorod?
She'd rather die than go back.
In the bustling school cafeteria, the 10 girls gathered. The rumor about them had apparently spread, with many students coming to gawk, and some even approaching to chat. Anna and the other two girls with English foundations naturally conversed with the British girls.
Perhaps because they were paired together in the morning, Eugenia sat next to her with her tray, and Natalia sat on her other side. Glancing at Anna chatting with the British girls, Natalia leaned over and whispered in Russian, "My dad wants to stay."
Natalie, distracted, responded, "Hmm?"
Natalia repeated, "During lunch yesterday, my dad said he plans to stay in London."
Natalie thought for a moment and turned to Natalia, "How will he stay?"
The parents were still in London.
However, they were only given a week of accompaniment time. Once the girls were settled, the parents had to return to Russia, as their visas were only valid for seven days.
Natalia said, "Dad hopes Ms. Allen can help with the visa, along with your mom and others. If everyone requests it together, Ms. Allen might consider it. After all, we're very important."
Natalie repeated, "We're very important?"
"Yes, we were chosen from thousands," Natalia said. "And Dad only wants to stay, not asking for more. He plans to find a job in London. You know, even if he earns only a few hundred pounds a month, plus my allowance, it would be enough for our family. Maybe we can bring other relatives over in the future."
Eugenia, listening intently, excitedly said, "If my mom could stay with me, that would be the best."
Natalie glanced at the innocent-looking Eugenia, who was as tall as her despite being two years younger. Was she really that naive, or just pretending? She then turned back to Natalia, "When will Uncle Yuri talk to Ms. Allen?"
Natalia said, "In the next couple of days. We have to say something before Thursday."
Natalie fell silent.
Natalia waited for a moment and asked, "Nova, don't you want your mom to stay?"
If possible, of course.
But.
This matter, this matter...
After a moment of hesitation, Natalie suddenly smiled and mimicked Eugenia's earlier nodding, "Of course, I want her to stay."
Feeling supported, Natalia relaxed. Everyone here was smart, and she probably also had her own concerns.
But she couldn't oppose her father.
The afternoon classes were still English but much more relaxed. The English teacher played a fun English short film in class and even took them out for a little practice, shopping at a supermarket to familiarize them with common items.
Seeing the supermarket's vast array of goods, Natalie thought about Russia's scarcity. If she were forced to go back, she'd rather die.
She then remembered what Natalia mentioned during lunch.
She made up her mind.
After dinner, she returned to her room and immediately called her mother's hotel. Confirming Natalia's story, she firmly demanded her mother not get involved and proposed a deal: if her mother returned to Russia, she would send back 700 pounds of her 1,000-pound allowance each month. If her mother insisted on staying, she wouldn't give her a penny.
The first living allowance had already been issued a few days ago, not in cash but via bank cards, which were in the girls' possession. This meant they had control over the money.
Natalia's 1,000 pounds had been mostly taken by Uncle Yuri yesterday, leaving her only 10 pounds.
After some bargaining, Natalie gave half to her mother.
Larisa, hearing her daughter's firm stance against her staying, was a bit heartbroken. As a single mother, Larisa had her stubborn and fierce side. The mother-daughter duo argued over the phone.
However, facing her daughter's threat, Larisa chose to back down.
Returning to Russia and receiving 700 pounds a month was still a considerable amount. The parents had learned a bit about London. Staying forcibly might not earn her as much, and the living costs were high.
Legally, parents had absolute authority over their underage daughters.
But they had signed an agreement in Moscow transferring partial guardianship, including financial independence for the girls.
Back then, they didn't understand. Now it was clear.
1,000 pounds!
The first allowance had been issued. Except for Yuri, who took most of his daughter's allowance, other parents hadn't succeeded.
The girls had clearly been pre-guided and had their own ideas.
The next morning, Natalia's father, Yuri Usatov, led a group of 7 parents to contact Ms. Allen, expressing their desire to stay in the UK and asking her to assist with long-term visas. If denied, they would take their daughters away.
Natalie's mother and two other parents didn't participate, including Eugenia's mother. Natalie wasn't sure if that girl had also talked to her mother privately.
She thought it likely.
Two laggards. If she felt the crisis, the other must have too.
The situation was sudden.
Ms. Allen clearly had no such authority. After communicating with the parents, she reported the matter.
A quick response came.
No.
Faced with this answer, some parents backed down, but Yuri Usatov stood firm. His daughter was chosen from thousands, and his demands were not high.
Probably persuaded by Yuri, two more parents also insisted, believing the important person wouldn't give up on the girls selected so carefully.
That night, Uncle Yuri even took Natalia from the girls' villa to the hotel where the parents were staying.
Then.
The standoff lasted only one night. Ms. Allen appeared at the hotel on Wednesday morning with immigration officials. In front of the other parents, they forcibly took the three assertive parents and their daughters away.
Realizing the authorities were serious, Yuri Usatov pleaded with Ms. Allen to leave his daughter behind, and the other two parents also regretted, with one even crying and begging Ms. Allen, hoping their daughters wouldn't be sent away.
It was clear Ms. Allen was sympathetic but regretted that she had no authority to overturn the decision. Yuri and the others had to be deported that day.
Six people were forcibly sent away in front of everyone. The parents who had hoped to stay in London were filled with fear.
Of the 10 girls who arrived in London, only 7 remained.
The remaining parents dared not make any special requests and obediently boarded the flight back to Moscow the next day.
The girls stayed to see them off, watching a plane take off into the sky. Natalie felt a bit regretful. Only three were eliminated. She glanced at Anna Brelovskaya, standing beside Ms. Allen. Her father had initially been part of the negotiations but later backed down.
Sigh, such a pity.
If Anna's father had been as steadfast as Uncle Yuri, it would have been great. Such a person would have been a traitor in revolutionary times!
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]