The Other Rogers

Chapter 21

As if Anya was underwater, she heard a voice that sounded like Shuri scream for someone, someone who reminded Anya of red mist. She didn’t know why, or how but suddenly it felt as if her body was hovering. Levitating as if it could. Hands, multiple callused hands held her down, two more familiar than the others. There were loud grunts and a strong force behind the hands. Suddenly two more appeared, these gentler than the first four. Anya squirmed under them, doing everything she could to be free. The words were another sign of her captivity. She was sick of it, she just wanted to be free.

“Come Little Children. I’ll Take Thee Away,
Into A Land - Of Enchantment.
Come Little Children, The Time’s Come to Play.
Here in My Garden - Of Shadows.”

The person singing to her, their voice was low and soft, as they sang a song that she had never heard of, but it calmed her heart slightly, easing off the tension in her muscles. The song that was being sung reminded her of another one, she didn’t know if it was because the singer had a Russian accent. In her mind, she started to hum the song when out of nowhere, she heard it. It was her James or her Soldier at least, singing their lullaby to her.

“Тили-тили-бом
Закрой глаза скорее. Кто-то идет за окном и стучит в двери.
Тили-тили-бом.”

Her mind settled, as the pain and torture eased away from her mind. She felt as she was held by someone who she knew. But the question wasn’t who it was, but better yet which? She knew it was James, but was it James? Or the Soldier? She prayed it wasn’t Winter as she knew she wouldn’t survive that. She hadn’t had to have dealt with Winter since the Red Room. The sound of someone crying alerted Anya, Soldier didn’t cry much but neither had James. Maybe it was Shuri or T’Challa. For the King of Wakanda, he did cry a bit, it made Anya laugh along with Shuri’s pranks on her defenceless brother.

“Кричит ночная птица. Он уже пробрался в дом
Тем, кто не может уснуть -
Он идет ... Он уже близко ...

Тили-тили-бом

Вы слышите кого-то поблизости?
Скрывается за углом и пронзает взглядом.

Тили-тили-бом

Безмолвная ночь все скроет. Он крадется за вами и вот-вот поймает. Он идет ... Он уже близко ...”

But as the last notes of the song finished, Anya was transported, no longer underwater, instead, she watched as images of her and the Soldier dancing in a ballroom, teaching women younger than she was. The purpose of the memory wasn’t happy or enjoyable for Anya, but the dance itself- now that was what caused fireworks to go off in her chest. She felt his callused but reassuring hand on her back as they twirled across the flooring, shivers erupting across her body as his warm breath tickled her neck.

They were at the Red Room teaching the students for months, where they danced, and fought daily. The routine left barely any time for free time, so Anya had to make it. She would pull the Soldier out to the roof when they were supposed to be asleep, where she would curl up to his side, moaning softly as his lips descended her neck to her shoulders. He knew never to leave marks where they could be easily seen, so he got into a habit of biting and marking her around her ribcage, letting his tongue run along her side, soothing any teeth marks.

Time flew past quickly when it came to her experiences at the Red Room. There was a certain girl who stood out, her red hair tumbled down her back, fiery green eyes narrowed with spunk. The woman reminded her of the fire that she hoped her brother never lost. The fire that made him fight against James and keep trying his luck with enlisting. The woman had tried multiple times to kill Anya, but Anya was too skilled and was too powerful for that to ever happen.