EVEnTS Ch. 09 - GifTS

Alice and Anya (Russian redhead).

Mandy and Sofiy (Ukrainian blonde).

Cindy and Katya (Russian brunette).

Hannah and Alina (Ukrainian brunette).

Milla and Darina (Russian blonde).

Jill and Bella (Polish blonde).

Susan and Sonya (Russian blonde).

Nina and Irenka (Ukrainian blonde).

Kate seems to have planned everything down to the smallest detail.

Each of the girls in the project is helping one of the refugee girls to understand what life is like in the place where they are going to live.

Each of them will mentor a refugee girl.

The beauty of the place enchants the refugee girls.

None of them had seen beaches in a major tourist destination before.

They feel that they have come out of hell and have just entered paradise.

When the bus arrives at the house where the refugee girls are going to live, the entire neighborhood notices the movement and becomes curious.

When they see the girls getting off the bus, almost everyone bets that they are contestants in a beauty contest.

In fact, everyone but Cindy's family.

She told her parents that the house next door would be occupied by girls who are going to work for an NGO that is settling in the city, and that she is also helping this NGO for refugees.

Cindy, however, did not give more details about the NGO and the girls.

Sue, Brian, and Nick are able to recognize Cindy, Hannah, and Eve as they step off the bus.

The refugee girls are impressed with the house.

When they enter, they are even more impressed.

The house is huge and beautiful inside and out.

Kate wants to organize things.

She explains that two girls will sleep in each suite, and then asks them to choose the pairs themselves.

The girls then form pairs.

Russians Katya (brunette) and Sonya (blonde).

Ukrainians Sofiy (blonde) and Alina (brunette).

Poles: Bella (blonde) and Karina (blonde).

Russians: Anya (redhead) and Darina (blonde).

Ukrainian Irenka (blonde) and Belarusian Svetlana (blonde).

Hungarian Vica (brunette) and Russian Daria (blonde).

Kate is not surprised.

She already expected the girls to group together mainly by country of origin.

On reflection, Kate also concludes that it makes sense that Vica would have been undecided.

After all, Hungary is the only one of the project's countries where Slavs are just one of several minorities.

Vica is probably not Slavic like the other girls.

Eve, however, notices something else.

Daria was silent and was the last to be chosen.

Eve is now certain that Daria needs special care.

Eve wants to give Daria as much attention as possible.

Kate tries to be as fair as possible.

She had already decided that the first pair to team up would get the master suite, and the last pair would get the office/guest room.

Kate then guides the girls to their suites, or to the office, so they can store their bags.

The NGO's team stays in the room so as not to create a big fuss.

It is at this moment that Cindy receives a message.

Cindy's mother says that she saw her entering the house, and that she also saw Hannah and Eve, and asks if everything is okay.

Cindy understands what her mother wants, and asks Kate, Laura, and Eve if her parents and brother can come over.

The three agree, but warn all the girls not to mention that the refugee girls are Tgirls.

They are European girls who will work at the NGO.

Everyone understands, and Cindy responds to the message.

Laura then warns Kate that they will have visitors in a few minutes, and takes the opportunity to remind that refugee girls must not reveal to others that they are Tgirls.

They must say that they are European girls who came to work at the NGO.

Kate warns the girls: they are not refugees, but European employees of the NGO.

Kate asks them to be discreet and not reveal to anyone in the neighborhood or unknown people that they are Tgirls.

Kate then returns to the room, leaving them at ease.

From now on, everyone at the NGO must refer to the twelve refugee girls simply as the 'European girls'.

Instead of making public the start of the NGO's operations, everyone involved preferred to start discreetly, and only go public after receiving at least the 1,500 girls who will occupy the renovated building of the resort.

Eve, Cindy, and Hannah go to the door to wait for Cindy's family.

They arrive after a minute, greet each other, and the girls invite the family inside.

As they enter, Sue recognizes Principal Kate and greets her.

Brian and Nick also greet Kate.

Kate then explains that she left school to be the general director of the NGO for refugees from the war in Europe.

Sue congratulates Kate, and says that this is a very noble cause.

Sue offers to help in any way she can, as they will be neighbors.

Kate then says that congratulations should mainly go to the school students who came up with the idea, created the project, and made the NGO come true.

Sue is very proud of her daughter.

Brian and Nick take advantage of Sue's offer of help, and also make themselves available to the girls for whatever they need.

Kate explains to the family that the girls who arrived today are from Europe and will work at the NGO, helping to bridge the gap with those who need help.

Kate also says that the NGO will work temporarily in this house.

Kate then introduces the family to everyone in the room.

Sue is glad to finally meet Laura.

They had only talked on the phone.

The European girls have already taken possession of their suites, unpacked their belongings, and started to head back to the living room.

Kate introduces all the girls as they arrive, and explains to the girls that this is Cindy's family, and that they will be neighbors.

Brian and Nick try to hide it, but they're very excited seeing so many amazing girls in the room.

Laura feels that enough has been done.

She tells Cindy's family that she loved meeting them, but now it's time for them to go to the Spanish restaurant.

Laura explains that she had to book a huge table for the NGO's staff two weeks in advance.

Sue, Brian, and Nick get the message, and say goodbye.

Cindy walks her family to the door, and Sue says she's very proud of her daughter.

Of course, European girls will still need some time to get used to their new home, but everything seems so perfect, so different from their lives, that they smile all the time.

Except Daria, who is the most reserved, but she also shows that she is happy and grateful.

Laura invites the girls to the bus, and they all leave.

Eve takes Daria's hand again, and leads her out of the house.

On the bus, they all go back to the same seats.

Eve talks to Daria, but needs to talk most of the time.

Eve knows she's the one to keep the conversation going.

Eve continues to hold Daria's hand, who says little but smiles a lot at Eve.

When they arrive at the Spanish restaurant, they are guided to the garden, where the large table has been set up.

Once again, the group takes lots of photos and videos to capture the moment.

The girls keep the bus doubles as they sit at the table.

Laura doesn't know what food is like in European girls' countries, but she knows it must be very different from Spanish food.

Laura loves this restaurant and hopes the girls like the paella.

With so many girls, Laura thought it best to choose the dish herself, as waiting for 24 people to choose could be too long.

Laura, of course, tried to cover it up, saying, "How about the paella? It's the most traditional dish in Spain, and it's delicious."

All agree.

Laura tells the girls what she and Kate have planned for tomorrow.

Laura says the bus will pick them up in the morning so they can go to the mall.

They will need clothes more suited to the climate of the region, which is very different from the climate in their countries.

Laura says the clothes will be a gift from her.

The girls are very happy.

They didn't expect to get these gifts, and they show everyone their beautiful smiles.

Sofiy, one of the Ukrainian blondes, is in charge of representing the group: "Thanks, Laura. What you are doing for us is much more than we could ever imagine. We are very grateful."

All European girls agree with Sofiy.

Laura also says that they will need bikinis because after lunch at the mall, there will be a pool party at her house, which is also Eve, Helen, Mandy, and Alice's house.

European girls smile even more but find it strange to hear the names Mandy and Alice.

Could they be Laura's daughters that they still don't know?

The NGO girls explain that Mandy and Alice were introduced as Mark and Alex because they still need to go undercover in public.

The European girls understand, and are sad for Mandy and Alice.

They had noticed that Mark and Alex are very feminine.

Upon hearing about the pool party, Susan and Nina tell Laura that her friends Audrey and Julie will be in town tomorrow, and ask if they can come to the party.

Laura agrees: "Of course they can. If they are your friends, they are our friends too."

All drinks have been served, so Eve proposes to make a toast and suggests what to toast to.

They all agree and say together: "Transforming the World".

The food arrives and the group begins to eat.

All the girls are loving paella.

The food is great and the dinner is great too as it is helping a lot with the integration of the girls.

The happiness and smiles of the European girls are contagious at the table.

That's the only thing they can give in return at the moment, but it's all the girls at the NGO need to know that their effort is paying off.

At the end of dinner, Kate asks two volunteers to go with her to get some stuff from the bus.

Jill and Milla are the first to volunteer.

Other girls also offer, but the choice is already made.

Kate, Jill, and Milla go to the bus, and come back after ten minutes.

They bring bags personalized with the name of each European girl, and they deliver the bags.

After all the European girls receive their bags, Kate says the gifts are a small survival kit.

The girls are removing items from the bag: a state-of-the-art cell phone, a cap, sunglasses, sunscreen, a thermos cup, pepper spray... and a device they still don't know what it is.

They are visibly very happy.

Laura explains why the kit has the pepper spray, and what the device is: "The kit has a pepper spray and a taser, girls. The city is pretty quiet, but after you guys got chased by the sex trafficking mafia, we thought these two items would help you feel safer. The taser will give a crippling shock to anyone who threatens you. Please be careful. Don't go around shooting anyone. It's only for extreme cases."

The girls loved the survival kit and are grateful.

All of them once again display their captivating smiles.

Cindy takes advantage of the girls getting smartphones, and writes her cell number on a piece of paper: "Girls, this is my cell number. Since I live next door, it's easier for you to call me if you need help."

Kate thanks Cindy for the initiative, and takes the opportunity to tell the European girls that she will send the numbers of all the NGO staff, and that she will also send their numbers to all the NGO staff.

Laura wants to make an important warning: "Girls, this kit has a very important item: the sunscreen. Your skin is very fair. If you don't use sunscreen, you can get blemishes, burns, and even cancer. Don't forget to spread it on all exposed areas of the skin before going out in the sun. Okay?"

The girls respond "Okay."

Laura: "And don't forget to hydrate."

The girls say "Okay" again.

All European girls are trying on sunglasses and caps.

Any accessory would look great on these spectacular girls, but it has to be said that the cap is gorgeous.

It was Helen who designed it.

She used rainbow colors to create a wonderful abstract figure.

The cap also has "Transforming the Word" written on the brim, but in a very discreet and elegant way.

In fact, the image created by Helen was also applied to the thermos cup, and to the cover that protects cell phones from impacts.

Laura proudly says that Helen drew the figure that is on the cap, the thermos cup, and the cell phone case.

Everyone praises Helen's work.

She created a wonderful visual identity for Transforming the World.

Laura also says that all the girls on the NGO team will receive Transforming the World caps, thermal cups, and protective covers.

The NGO girls are happy.

Everyone at the table is very happy with the meeting and already feel like friends.

Laura pays the restaurant bill and the group returns to the bus.

On the way back, they stop at several houses.

Milla -> Hannah -> Kate -> Susan and Nina...

Now the bus arrives at Cindy's house and the European girls' house.

Cindy is going to stay with the European girls a little longer... until bedtime.

Before they continue, Eve has an idea: "Jill, how about you stay with us tonight? That way you wouldn't have to come back tomorrow. We can take the opportunity to talk a little more about that little problem with the new product. Mandy and Alice have an idea to help solve it. What do you think?"

Laura supports the idea: "Eve had a great idea, Jill. Please accept. Eve can lend you some clothes."

Jill then accepts the invitation and calls Ted, letting him know that she will sleep at Laura's house.

She also takes the opportunity to remind her dad of the pool party tomorrow.

Helen is the only one who is not happy, having been excluded from a meeting again.

Helen is increasingly looking forward to turning 18.

When they get home, they sit in the living room and Laura asks what they think of the European girls.

They all say they loved the girls.

Laura talks about the concern she and Kate had about Svetlana the Belarusian and Vica the Hungarian and asks the girls if they also think Svetlana and Vica might need more attention.

Eve takes the opportunity to say: "I didn't see anything problematic in Svetlana, but I noticed that another girl, Daria, is the quietest. That's why I approached her. And now that you've mentioned Vica, Mom, I think she might need more attention too. Daria and Vica were the last to pair up to stay in the same suite. In fact, because of that, they will have to sleep in the office."

All the girls agree with Eve.

Alice has an idea: "Since Cindy must still be with the girls, how about she discreetly ask some girls if they know of any problems with Daria or Vica?"

Laura has doubts: "Can she do this? All the girls should still be in the room together."

Mandy says she believes Cindy can do it, and it doesn't hurt to try.

The other girls agree, and Alice calls Cindy.

When Cindy answers and says she's still with the girls, Alice asks her to go to a secluded spot to talk.

Alice says what was discussed at Laura's house, and Cindy then decides to try talking to Katya, the brunette Russian girl she's been with most of the time.

Eve then has a great idea to help Cindy.

Since Kate has already given out the cell phone numbers of all the European girls, Eve sends a message to the NGO girls who went to dinner, and asks them to call their pupils now and talk for at least fifteen minutes.

Eve will explain why tomorrow.

With Eve's idea, Cindy will be able to talk privately with Katya.

Shortly after sending the message, Eve calls Daria, who is intrigued to hear her cell phone ring, but soon after is overjoyed by the attention Eve gives her.

The other girls don't even have time to be jealous.

All cell phones start ringing.

Katya's cell is the only one that doesn't ring, of course, and Cindy calls her out to the garden to talk.

When they get to the garden, Cindy takes the opportunity to get her pack of Eve and asks if Katya smokes.

Katya says yes, and accepts a cigarette.

Cindy says she thought none of the girls smoked, as they haven't smoked since they arrived.

Katya says they probably all thought it would be inelegant to smoke without someone here smoking.

Katya makes an interesting observation: "The smoking girls formed the first couples to share a suite: Sonya and I, Alina and Sofiy, Bella and Karina."

Cindy: "Interesting."

Katya believes the smoking girls decided quickly to ensure they shared a suite with another smoker.

At least that was her concern.

Katya continues: "Vica is the only exception. Vica smokes, but maybe she's too shy to take that kind of initiative, and ended up with Daria, who doesn't smoke."

They light up their cigarettes and Cindy then asks Katya if she knows why Daria and Vica are the shyest of the bunch.

Katya says she talked more with Daria, as she is also Russian.

Katya says that at first it was hard to keep a conversation going, but now she understands that Daria is like that because she was so traumatized by everything that happened to her recently.

Katya tells Cindy what Daria revealed: "Daria was already being persecuted by the Russian sex trafficking mafia before the war. When the war was about to start, Daria was drafted into the army, as her papers still bear her birth name. She didn't even have time to celebrate her 18th birthday. She introduced herself to the army and soon realized that she was in great danger, from the way the other soldiers looked at her, and because the troop captain himself said that she would die very quickly in combat. Fortunately, she managed to prevent the other soldiers from raping her the first night. The next day, the troops were sent to a camp near the Ukrainian border. Once they reached the camp, she managed to escape. She walked for many kilometers, including entering the forest, and stole women's clothes that were hanging on the clothesline of a house. If she were dressed as a soldier, she would have very little chance of success. She had to fish by improvising a line and hook to get something to eat, and she slept alone in the forest. That must have been terrible. She looked for an unguarded point on the border, managed to get into Ukraine, and kept walking for a long time. She then got very lucky. She found a house with a very welcoming elderly couple. Well... she had to lie to them. She said that she was Russian, but that she did not agree with the war and decided to flee. She said she was on her way to Kyiv, and that she intended to help the Ukrainians defend themselves. The couple took her in that night, gave her food and new clothes, and the next day they drove Daria to Kyiv, even though they had to drive for several hours. Arriving in Kyiv, she did not enlist in the Ukrainian army, of course. She took a train to Lviv, near the Polish border, but her troubles weren't over yet. She could not join the many refugees to cross the border, as her documents are Russian. She had to find a spot with little surveillance to cross the border as an illegal immigrant. And she did. Only in Poland she found out that the Russian mafia was still after her and tracked her down. She had to keep running. She, like us, is very lucky that your NGO exist."

Katya concludes: "Knowing this story, I think she is still traumatized."

Cindy says she is very sorry for Daria, and thanks Katya for trusting her and telling her this story.

Just to not leave Cindy unanswered about Vica, Katya gives her opinion.

She thinks Vica is still not comfortable, as she is the only one in the group who is not Slavic.

Cindy was unaware of the different ethnicities in this region of Europe, and thanks Katya again.

Cindy and Katya have finished smoking, and they walk back to the house hand in hand.

Cindy stays at the house until all phone conversations are over, and then says goodbye to the girls.