Roma Pyatifan

The action takes place in the winter of 1998 or 1999, in a small village nestled among the taiga forests of Russia. The specific time is the late 1990s, with elements characteristic of that period.

The brick building is most likely an H-shaped school design, which was common in the 1960s and 1970s due to its ease of use and convenient layout. It features a gym, cafeteria, and all the other amenities expected of a modern school. As a student in grade 11B, Anton ended up in the group of Lilia Pavlovna, his new class teacher, who teaches Russian language and literature in class #204, which is on the second floor.

Anton's house is a two-story wooden house on the outskirts of the village. A small, old house where Anton's grandmother, mother, and family once lived. Although it was built a long time ago, the structure is more reminiscent of Soviet and post-Soviet dachas built between the 1970s and 1990s. This is evident in its appearance: the log, boarded house features a three-pitched gable roof with two windows, and a small annex of unknown purpose adjoins it. This appearance suggests that the house was recently rebuilt, although by the time the game takes place, it had already fallen into considerable disrepair. After his grandmother's death, all photographs of Anton's ancestors were removed, and an attempt was made to remove the wooden crucifix hanging above the front door, but, symbolically, this was unsuccessful. Despite its gloomy appearance and some dilapidation from lack of repair, the house is shrouded in comfort and safety—no animals or other unwanted guests can get in. Anton and Olya live on the second floor, each in their own room. Their rooms are quite ascetic—Anton's room has only a bed with a nightstand, a desk with a chair, and a wall shelf, while Olya's room also has a TV stand. The kitchen is on the ground floor. Under the stairs, there's a small closet where tools are stored, including her father's axe. There's also a bathroom.

The village likely consists of a network of small streets and alleys, lined with plots of private village-style houses. It's located in the middle of nowhere, seemingly surrounded by nothing but taiga forest. The village center appears to consist of several large courtyards, filled not with private homes, but with apartment buildings. The latter include both wooden barrack-style houses and Khrushchev-era panel buildings up to four stories tall. The presence of a tractor suggests a machine and tractor station or former collective farm. Near one of the houses is what appears to be a covered boat, upside down for the winter. Besides these buildings, the village also houses a police station. There's also a small grocery store, which supplies the residents with groceries.

A Russian language and literature teacher. Anton and Roma's homeroom teacher. A domineering and strict woman, but in her own way, a fair one. She keeps a tight rein on the class, disciplines hooligans and bullies, but turns a blind eye to Katya's antics.

Khariton is a balding, gray-haired old man with a long beard and metal crowns on his teeth. His small eyes are cunning yet thoughtful. After being attacked by a pack of mongrels, he was left paralyzed from the waist down and now has to use a wheelchair. He wears a plaid shirt, black pants, and slippers. Grandfather is interested in the history of the region and knows a lot about local folklore. His granddaughter speaks very fondly of her grandfather and is grateful to him for raising her as his own daughter. Khariton told his granddaughter much about the history of the region and even gave her a bear claw amulet, which protected her for many years. Polina says her grandfather was the first to notice her musical talent and was able to find a violin tutor in their small village. In reality, Polina and her grandfather's relationship isn't as joyful as it first appears. Polina's description of Khariton differs from his own: while Polina calls her grandfather a former local historian, he himself wistfully recalls his work at the now-burnt-down puppet theater. Polina also notes that her grandfather has recently begun to "act strangely." This remark may indicate that such behavior was not typical of the old man in the past.

He loves his children, Anton and Olya, very much. But due to constant arguments with Karina, he can sometimes lose his temper with them, for which he ultimately blames himself. Boris Petrov is a stately, rugged man. He has dark hair, a short crop, and a beard. Graying hairs are visible at his temples. He has a keen, sensitive gaze. He wears a white shirt, a dark sweater, and trousers. Outside, he usually wears a button-down winter jacket and a fur hat.

Karina is an attractive, slender woman in her 30s or 40s, with dark hair, medium height, and green eyes. She wears a dark dress with a low neckline, sometimes over which she wears a white apron with flowers. She also wears earrings and a necklace. On the street, Karina wears a black ankle-length fur coat, a large fur hat and black high-heeled boots.

Olya is a short, pretty girl with short ash-blond hair pulled back into two small ponytails, blue eyes, and a noticeable gap in her lower jaw where a tooth had fallen out. Anton's younger sister. She'll start school next year. She didn't go to kindergarten and rarely interacted with other children. Anton has always been her best friend and her crush. She loves sweets and watching TV with her brother, and she also loves listening to stories—not read from a book, but made up on the spot, and always with a happy ending. She's very afraid to sleep in her room. Olya's behavior depends on the situation. She's usually a rather shy and quiet creature, but when something amuses or interests her, she lights up like a bright sun and doesn't calm down until she loses interest. She loves spending time with her brother and needs his support and attention. She's quite timid, especially when something scary happens in the house. She calms down if she watches a cartoon with the curtains closed. She loves books and cartoons about princesses (her tapes include "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin") and sometimes compares herself to them. Overall, Olya is a very ordinary child.

A bitter, overweight boy who enjoys bullying the weak. When he can't bully children, he takes sadistic pleasure in tormenting stray animals. He doesn't practice proper hygiene, yet he eats a lot of flour and sweets, thanks to his overprotective grandmother. Semyon is a 17-year-old boy of average height, with cropped red hair and gray eyes. He is very fat, even obese, and has pimples, bitten nails, and rotten teeth. Semyon wears a two-pocket shirt, jeans, and black quilted boots, and wears a signet ring with a geometric pattern on the ring finger of his left hand. On the street, Semyon wears a black mink hat with earflaps, a warm dark brown sheepskin coat and a beige scarf.

A petty troublemaker and jokester. He loves to verbally taunt and tease his victims, but as soon as things get tough, he hides in the bushes. Without his best friend, Romka, he's incapable of anything. He lost his front teeth when he bet he could hang from a horizontal bar by his teeth for a minute.

Anton's classmate. Polina's mother was a violinist, and after her death, the girl wants to learn to play like her. She lives with her grandfather, who was paralyzed after an attack by a pack of wild dogs, and Polina now cares for him. She has a lot of videotapes, including horror films. She sleeps in the living room in front of the TV, but even the scariest films somehow calm her. Polina senses that something bad is happening in the village, but she doesn't know how or who to tell about what she sometimes sees in the dark outside the windows. Polina is a slender and beautiful 17-year-old girl. Her hair is long, black, and straight, and her eyes are a deep blue. She usually has a cheerful, gentle expression and a welcoming smile. Polina is distinguished by her refined, elegant gestures and smells pleasantly of blackberries. At school, she usually wears a white shirt with a black vest and a light blue tie, a skirt, strappy shoes, and stud earrings. Outside, Polina wears a brown belted coat with six rows of buttons, black fur-trimmed boots, knitted turquoise mittens with a rope pattern on her hands, and a turquoise hat with a pom-pom on top. Polina is a quiet, gentle girl. She's an orphan and doesn't even remember her parents, but according to her official description, Polina decided to follow in her mother's footsteps, and her grandfather, who was the first to notice his granddaughter's musical talent, supported this endeavor by hiring her a tutor. As a result, the girl plays the violin very well. Polina is intelligent, polite, kind, and patient with others, and she chooses her words skillfully. She also has a touch of mischief: she often jokes and flirts coquettishly with Roma. Polina is independent of other people's opinions and doesn't bend to alien morals, even at the risk of being left alone.

A snitch and a gossip. She's the favorite and also the daughter of Anton's homeroom teacher. She loves to manipulate and pit people against each other, then feeds off arguments and resentments like an energy vampire. Behind her back, people say she's the devil in an angel's mask. Katya is a slender, 17-year-old girl standing 165 centimeters tall. She's quite attractive, studious, and impeccably dressed. Her light-brown hair is braided, and her eyes are green. However, while she may be quite attractive, Katya's expression has a hint of a viper's demeanor, accentuated by her protruding fangs and sly gaze. Katya's outfit includes a neat black sundress with a white skirt underneath, a white long-sleeved shirt, white stockings, and black strappy shoes. She wears stud earrings, and her hair is tied with a hair tie adorned with a red strawberry.

Anton is a short, seventeen-year-old teenager with shaggy, snow-white hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. He also has green eyes. He wears round-framed glasses, but without them, his vision is very poor. He most often wears a white school shirt, a black vest, and matching pants, along with dark winter sneakers. Outside, he wears a warm blue hooded jacket, black gloves, and a striped hat with the word "Sport" written in circles.

Roma's musician is Shafutinsky, his favorite holiday is February 23rd, he loves to go for walks, considers Stallone Schwarzenegger his hero, dreams of buying a Boomer, his favorite cartoon is DuckTales, and his best friend is Byasha.

Romka is a professional butterfly knife twirler and a boxer; he smokes and, together with Byasha, collects trading cards.

Roma is the main bully in Class 11B, a strict rule-breaker who doesn't shy away from bullying the weak. Due to pedagogical neglect and adult indifference, Roma is in many ways reminiscent of a wild animal. He likely understands the hopelessness of his situation in a forgotten village where child abductions regularly occur, and this largely contributes to his marginal lifestyle. All that is known about his family is that his father fought in Dashti-Margo, fulfilling his International Duty, as Roma himself acknowledges. Apparently, he deeply respects his father, and the topic of war is serious enough for the boy to punish those who would use it for blackmail. Roma respects those who stand up for themselves and despises those who act underhandedly, considering it treason.

Roma is a seventeen-year-old teenager with short dark brown hair, large lips, and sharp, coarse features that have led some to compare him to a small predatory animal. He is physically fit, and regular boxing has left him with calluses on his palms. He also has bruised knuckles. Roma usually dresses in a blue three-stripe tracksuit, consisting of a turtleneck sweatshirt and pants, and wears blunt-toed boots. On the street, Roma wears a leather jacket over his tracksuit. His hat covers only the back of his head.