Natasha's Kid

Chapter 3 - The Red Room

*Eight Years Later*
(2013)

Inna POV:

Bruises litter my body as I wake from my sleep. The loud click off the metal doors ringing in my ear as a women enters the dorms, her hair in a tight high bun, her blue uniforms golden pin catching they small bits of light coming from the grubby windows, the heels she always wears clicking against the concrete floors, her name, Madame B.

She comes and unlocks everyone's handcuffs. I rub my wrists and think about everything that has happened over the past four years I have been here. I sit facing the door, my back straight as I can make it and my feet dangling off the bed, barley touching the floor.

I gulp as I hear the dreaded words coming from Madame B, "it's sparing day."

The four rows of eight beds in unison all picking out our sparing outfits out of our clothes sacks that are at the foot of everyone's beds. We form a line and all disappear into the changing stalls, mine freshly stitched up from last sparing day. I shake the memories from my head as we exit the stalls and get in our line, going to stand at the foot of out bed next to our sacks. We turn to face the door and march to the sparing hall.

We line up on either side of the sparing mat. I pray that she doesn't choose me. The fourteen other people around me all thinking the same thing. The ages of this group my age or roughly a year older then me. I would grow up with these girls. Or at least the ones that survived. The older ones in our group on the right the younger ones an the left side the older ones on the right.I stand near the older end of the younger side of the mat.

We all stand dead still. I remember when we first got here. The first sparing day we rocked on our heels and picked at our finger nail. Old habits die hard.

"Katya," Madame B says pointing to the girl at the end of the younger girls line. She sharply turns on her heels facing the other line, she walks up and down the line. She stops mid way through the girls face still stone.

"Anastasia."

The two girls face each other on the mat in front of the group. They take their positions, Madame B gives them a sharp nod. They begin.

The younger one Katya lunges at Anastasia. Anastasia dodges and grabs her foot. Katya is forced to the ground, Anastasia head locking her. Anastasia looks up at Madame B. She gives her the signal, but instead of snapping Katya's neck she loosens her grip allowing Katya to escape. There right there Anastasia could have snapped Katya's neck. She doesn't. The fight continues Anastasia have the upper hand at all times, several openings to kill Katya open up however Anastasia doesn't use them.

Madame B's face not changing the entire time, her face in neutral position as always. She finally stops the spar. The two girls separate from each other. Madame B sharply grabs Katya's shoulder, she thrusts her to the floor. Katya recovers and sits cross legged on the floor. Having an eyebrow raised at her from Madame B. She then hands Anastasia a gun.

Anastasia takes it and aims at Katya's head. Both of their faces are full of fear. Madame B stands behind Anastasia, she states to the two girls, "You have no place in the world, not even here." At the end of the statement Anastasia pulls the trigger, both Katya and Anastasia fall to the ground, life leaving their bodies. The barrel of another gun is still pointing in the air from where Anastasia's head was moments before. Madame B's finger still resting on the trigger.

We all repeat the phrase, "We have no place in the world." our voices emotionless.

Madame B lowers her weapon and bends down to take the gun from Anastasias hand. Straightening up she look over at the thirteen of us that are left, "Alright Girls, go get ready for breakfast, you will then wait for me in the dinning hall." We all exit, simply stepping over the dead bodies.

Changing into our casual clothes, a white collared and buttoned dress with a black apron over the top, we stand single line outside the dinning hall. The eldest at the front the youngest at the back. We stand so close to the wall, however, I know if I lean against it I will end up just like Katya and Anastasia.

When we are let inside the hall a single glass of water sits in front of me. A piece of bread sitting alone on the plate.

Finishing my meal I sit in silence. Staring at the empty plate. I want to talk however I know the consequences, I learnt them on the first day, when three girls were shot dead.

The memory eats at my soul, the gun shots ringing in n my ears. Images of their dead bodies flash in my mind. I think of how we just leave their dead bodies stepping over them, like they are nothing. I remind myself that they are, they had no place in the world, just like me.

I look up from the plate in front of me. A girl looking all around the room, her face projecting fear. We lock eyes, I give her a small smile. She tries to wipe the fear off her face and return one, yet she fails miserably.

I look to the door as the click of heels against the concrete floor become louder and louder. Madame B looking over the room, "You all will get changed into your ballet uniforms. You are expected to be in class in five minutes.

We form one line, not one hair out of place, marching out of the room along with the other girls. Five minutes is not long to get changed.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////A/n:

Hi, I hope that you are well.

Any feedback, questions or comments are highly appreciated.

Have a good rest of your day/night/whenever you are reading this.