I huffed as my cousin Maksim entered the kitchen. I hated how spontaneously he came and went. Though Maksim, my uncle Grygoriy and my aunt Yekaterina lived in the apartment next door to us, our setup was more like a commune than I liked. There was nothing worse than having people infringe on my space, even if those people were family. It had been that way for as long as I could remember, open doors and opportunities that only went to my brother—my America.

“I came in at the right time,” Maks smiled. “Who better to discuss mind-altering substances with than me?”

“And you’re going about your business like nothing is happening too?” Igor asked, taking Maks by surprise.

“I came for bacon,” my cousin admitted, huffing when he didn’t see any frying in a pan. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Chicken Iggle says the sky is falling,” I told Maks, pulling a package of bacon out of the refrigerator and tossing it to him. “The American elite put their money into this hypothetical system, and now they’re shitting themselves because it’s not functioning well.”

“It’s not a hypothetical system,” Igor sighed.

“It’s a theory that hasn’t been proven,” I corrected. “But it looks like it’s a problem, right? Better to stuff money under the mattress.”

“I think I left my jacket in your room the other night, Vik,” Maks joked, making a very exaggerated dash toward my bedroom door.

“Good luck with that,” I smirked, taking a big bite of my cereal. “The dues aren’t cheap, and communism is a bitch.”

“I don’t think it’s communism when Vlad takes most of our money,” Maks said, going back to his bacon sizzling on the stovetop.

“That’s pretty damn close to communism in practice,” Igor confirmed.

“Do you two ever exhaust yourself talking about all this bushwa first thing in the morning? Can’t a man eat his breakfast in peace?”

I stared at Maks, wondering if he purposely set himself up for my comebacks. “He sure can, in his own damn kitchen. You know, like the one down the hall.”

“Don’t pretend you wouldn’t miss my mug if you didn’t get to see it every morning. Imagine how boring your life would be without my effervescent personality,” Maks reasoned, and though he grated on my easily inflamed nerves, he was probably onto something.