Chapter Text
Fire.
So much fire.
The flames roared as it spread through the halls, eating anything it touched and licking anything close by with its heat.
"Mama!?" A little girl called, her hair the same colour as the hungry fire devouring her home. "Papa?!"
Tears of relief sprang to her eyes when she saw her parents running towards her.
"Natalia, thank goodness!" Her mother grabbed the young child's hand.
“Mama, what's going on?" She asked, but was ignored.
"Curse them!" Her father growled, the family running towards the front door. "How did they find us? How did they know she was born?"
"I don't know! But, Dimitri, we have to face them! One of us has to!" Natalia's mother bit her lip, her grip tightening around her daughter's hand.
Dimitri didn't reply as he peeked out the window, and promptly let out a curse that would've made Natalia giggle as her mother scolded her father, but Natalia knew this was no time to laugh. She looked back at the burning beast, her fear growing with it.
"They're out front, too! They blocked both exits!" Dimitri exclaimed. "Anya, you have to get Natalia to the woods! I will distract them!"
"No, Dimitri-"
"Go, just go!!"
Natalia watched her parents as they stared at each other, as if they could read each other's minds. Eventually, Anya turned around and ran towards Natalia's play room, dragging her daughter with her.
"What about Papa?" Natalia asked, but again, she was not answered.
The pair avoided the fire, and made it safely to the playroom. Anya closed the door behind them, and pushed Natalia to the window.
The girl stopped, her emerald eyes lighting up when they landed on a pair of pure white ballet shoes. "My shoes!"
"No, Natalia!! We don't have time!" But her mother's protest fell on deaf ears. Natalia grabbed the shoes and held them close to her chest. Her mother sighed, but did not say anything else about the matter. "Come, we must go."
"Why the window?" Natalia asked. "Why not a door? We were just there with Papa."
"Oh, Natalia! I wish I had the time to explain it all." Her mother looked close to tears. "Bad, bad people want you, Natalia. You must hide from them."
"Mama, I don't understand."
"I know, but now is not the time! We must escape and get to safety!" Anya opened the window, harsh, biting winds bringing in snow. Anya climbed through, and then pulled her daughter out.
“To the forest!" Anya whispered. They ran to the dark trees, looking cold and frightening to young Natalia.
They reached the very edge of it when they heard gunshots. Anya let go of Natalia's hand.
“Dimitri." She murmured. Anya turned to her daughter. "Go. Run and don't look back! I will find you, just go! I need to make sure your father is. . .is alright."
“But-!"
“Go!! Go now!”
Natalia turned and bolted into the beckoning darkness. She never stopped running, not even when she heard her mother scream her father's name. She never stopped running running, not even when she heard a snarling voice greet her mother, calling her "your highness." She never stopped running, not even when she heard more gunshots and the same voice ordering for a girl to be found.
She only stopped running when she couldn't breathe, her lungs struggling to pull in air, her tiny body shaking so terribly. She only stopped running when the world tilted, turning black.
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Natalia hugged her precious shoes closer, the girl curled up tight, violently shivering in the snow.
Snowflakes gently made their way down to the ground, landing on Natalia, in her hair and eyes. She didn't care; even if she did, there wasn't much she could do in her freezing state.
She stared at the white, her tears frozen on her cheeks. Natalia barely moved when people holding guns showed up around her.
“Sir, we found her."
Natalia couldn't move to look up at the new person towering above her. She tried to plead for help, but nothing came out of her blue lips.
“Oh dear, little spider." A familiar voice spoke. "What trouble you have gotten yourself into. Don't worry, nayk, we will take good care of you."
A large man bent down, his smile warm, a sharp contrast from the white cold. He picked her up, and noticed her tiny, cold hands clutching the shoes.
“Oh, do you like ballet, little nayk?" He asked. It took everything in Natalia to nod her head the tiniest bit. "Good, good! You'll enjoy where we are going, then."
Vaguely, Natalia wondered if these were the bad guys Mama warned her about. But the thought melted away like the snowflakes in her eyelashes.
"I have a feeling you will fit right in."
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Natalia woke up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding as her lungs screamed for air. Her hands jerked against her cuffs, and she slowly laid back down, breathing heavily. She squeezed her eyes shut as a sharp pain flared in her head.
Natalia focused on her breathing and tried to remember her dream. It felt like more than a dream, however. It felt like a memory, but she wasn't supposed to have any. She was only supposed to know what the Red Room taught her, and that was all.
Memories are dangerous. Memories are a distraction.
"Nat?" Another girl whispered from the bed next to her. "Are you awake?"
Natalia lifted her head up as much as she could go look over her arms and at her friend, who was in the bed next to her.
“Yeah.” Natalia answered, her voice shaking. “Why are you?”
“You were being loud. It’s a miracle no one else woke up.”
She didn’t have any answer. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Her friend yawned. “Was it a dream?”
Natalia sighed. “Go back to sleep, Petra. It's still dark - we have at least another hour of sleep.”
“Alright.” Petra went silent, and Natalia was sure she was asleep.
Natalia stared at the grey, peeling ceiling. She should’ve told Petra it was more than a dream.
Natalia trusted Petra with her life. Yes, it was a dangerous -a very dangerous- gamble, to have such a trusted friend. It was dangerous to even have a friend. But they didn’t care.
They didn’t even let the Red Room’s competition ruin what they had.
Just as Natalia was fading away, she heard a man screaming. That was perplexing; she didn’t remember seeing any prisoners being taken in (this was a school, the only time prisoners came here was for Interrogation Class, so everyone knew if someone was here).
She tilted her head back to look at her cuffs. With some expert work and a rusting hair clip, she slipped out of them. She used the hair clip to unlock the door, and slipped down the lit hallway.
Natalia followed the screams, avoiding guards and passing several hallways with more rooms with twelve girls in each. Finally, she reached a hall with only one door at the very end. She started walking towards it, hand reaching out to grab the handle.
“Natalia!”
The poor girl jumped, eyes wide with fear and shock. She relaxed slightly when she saw who it was; Ivan.
“What are you doing?!” He asked, black eyes cold and stern. “You are supposed to be asleep.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.” Natalia stood up straighter, standing in the correct position, hands folded behind her back. “I heard screams, and. . .”
“And got curious?”
Natalia nodded, cheeks burning in shame.
Ivan let out a chuckle. “Oh, How you amuse me, nayk. It is impressive that you were able to get out of your room and get all the way down here without being caught, eh?”
“Th-Thank you, Sir.”
Ivan grabbed her little hand, and patted her head. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Who’s in there?”
“It’s no matter. He’s our newest project. Soon, he will be our finest soldier, and he will help teach you.”
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“Wake up.” With the simple order, all twelve girls were awake, waiting for their cuffs to be unlocked. Natalia watched as Miss Gorky walked down the rows, freeing the girls. “Be ready in five minutes.”
Miss Gorky looked down at Natalia, a disgusted sneer on her old, wrinkling face. “I hear you took a little walk last night.”
Her tone was very clipped and short, as if she wanted to yell but had to remain calm. Honestly, Natalia wouldn’t be surprised if that was what was going on.
“I would have you severely punished, but Sir says you are to be left untouched. I can only assume you were properly dealt with.”
Ding ding ding! Natalia was right! Which meant Miss Gorky did find out what happened, things would only be worse for her.
Miss Gorky moved on, and Petra made a face at her back, before turning back and rolled her eyes with Natalia.
“Gosh, her last name fits her well.” Petra grumbled. Gorky typically meant ‘extremely bitter.’ Petra was right; it was perfect for the greying woman.
The group was dressed and ready in five minutes, just as ordered. In two, orderly and straight lines, they marched straight to their first classroom, and began their busy day in learning how to properly kill someone and not get caught.
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"So, if we're killing for Russia," Petra whispered to Natalia in their fifteen minute break. "Why do we have to be so secret most think we don't exist? Shouldn't we be heroes?"
Natalia shrugged. Petra was silent for a few moments, before asking, "Does it ever bother you how much information the Red Room hides from us?"
Nat hesitated; it did bother her, a lot more than she liked to admit. She barely knew her age -ten- and she only knew her first name. And then again, her strange dream. . .
But the Red Room knew what was right. The Red Room knew what was best. The Red Room teaches her everything she would need to know to properly serve her country.
Natalia blinked, and sighed. "Yeah, a little, but I know we just need to have faith in them."
Petra stared at her, before slowly nodding. "I guess so." She said, a bitter tone lying underneath.
"It is time to spar." Miss Gorky suddenly said, drawing the girls' attention. "First up is Ally and Katya."
Natalia watched the fight while her mind floated elsewhere, looking back on dreams and memories, Petra and her country, loyalty and truth.
Several pairs went up, one girl always winning with the promise of an extra slice of bread at their meal tonight.
Eventually, it was Natalia's turn, and her partner caused her stomach to churn and her heart to freeze.
"Next up is Natalia and Petra."