Newfound Family

Hope

Yelena hadn't slept a wink for the past two days. She couldn't. Not when every time she closed her eyes, a new memory came back. At first, she didn't know what was happening. She had originally thought it was Wanda using her witch-craft magic to trick her into being vulnerable. That what she had thought until a certain memory came flooding back...

She ran as fast as she could, limping from her injured leg as she made her way down the hallway. She didn't know what was happening, except for the fact that there were a lot more gunshots than normal, and she had caught a few glimpses of other dead girls around her.

What was happening?

Instead of fighting like the other girls, she ran as fast as she could. Although she didn't know where she was going. She felt like she was running in circles, attempting to find a way out of the prison. She had to find Natalia and escape while she had the chance. She never fit in here. Unlike the other girls, she hated killing. Hated being an assassin.

She finally found an unlocked door and she pushed it open, feeling the frigid air. As she staggered away, her feet hit the snow, and she realised she was still wearing her pointe shoes. Her ankles froze as she limped into the open air, but she didn't get far anyway.

Yelena felt a hand clasp around her wrist.

Dmitry Vasilyevich, one of the guards. He was young, barely an adult, but he was evil. Enjoyed his job.

"You're coming with me."

She tried to pull away.

"No! Let me go! I have to find Natalia!"

His hand hit her cheek, and it stung almost as bad as the bitter cold that whipped around them.

"Leave me alone! Just let me go!"

His grip tightened around her wrist.

"You say one more thing and I'll kill you like the rest of them."

"Where are we going?" She thrashed, but her child-like body was no match for Dmitry. He easily held on to her.

Dmitry ignored the fact that she just completely disobeyed his order. He couldn't kill her; it was an idle threat. He needed her.

"You're the only one alive. Natalia was taken away from us, and you're the next best. We are going to start over, somewhere else."

Yelena eyed his holster, which silently told her not to disagree with him.

"Yes, sir."

She wanted to say no. That it wasn't fair. Natalia got to leave, and although she didn't know where, anywhere was better than the Red Room, so it didn't matter. She would never see her sister again.

The last thing she remembered was being brought to a whole new abandoned building. She, and a few other adults. She was put to sleep, saying all her emotional attachments would be erased. As a twelve-year-old, she didn't know what that meant, but now it was obvious they were her memories of before the Red Room, and of her sister, Natalia. She knew that now because everything after her waking up was as clear as day.

She couldn't let this can't happen again. Not to Wanda.

She's my niece, and I have to protect her.

Yelena wandered down the hall from her quarters to Wanda's cell.

Everything felt worse now that she was completely aware of her actions. She briefly wondered if there were others, but she doubted it.