IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟏𝟎

There were only two weeks until the graduation ceremony. Karina and Yelena had no idea what the event entailed. Training became more ruthless over the course of those two weeks, and Dreykov became more sadistic. Girls were slaughtered like flies, one by one. Karina waited for the unavoidable death, but it never came. Instead, she was subjected to physical and mental torture, which Dreykov referred to as "tests."

Karina had been a prisoner in the Red Room for three months when a guard entered and unfastened the handcuffs that bound her to her bed, just like any other morning. However, the air hung heavy this time as the guard didn't dare to breathe or make any unnecessary noises before leaving without looking back.

Karina could feel the heaviness running through her veins and knew what was about to take place wouldn't be good. She had been a part of the Black Widow programme for a while now, having received both an education and indoctrination into the world of spycraft. She soon learned to recognise when something was off and to trust her instincts.

Time had passed slowly in the Red Room, but the blonde next to her made it better, and Yelena agreed; she couldn't remember how she had survived without Karina by her side, and even when they didn't speak, they felt comfort in each other's presence.

"Something is going to happen today," the blonde muttered as she rolled over to face the other girl in the room, now free of her handcuffs. "I can sense it."

"Nothing good ever happens here," Karina replied, her face filled with dread for the day ahead. The routine she had grown accustomed to made her sick, and the repetition made her feel as if she were reliving the same day over and over.

Yelena turned to face her, an offended expression on her face. "Hello, what am I then?" She asked, putting her hand to her chest and a mock upset look on her face. In response, Karina simply laughed. That's what she liked about Yelena: she had the ability to lighten up a dark situation. "You're so rude, милa." The blonde said, pointing a finger at her.

Karina tried to hide her blush after hearing Yelena's term of endearment, but she failed when she saw Yelena smirking at her.

The buzzer signalled the end of their conversation, and the heavy weight that had been lifted from their shoulders felt ten times heavier. Karina sighed and lifted herself off of her bed, extending a hand to Yelena.

She accepted her hand gratefully, feeling warm tingles where their skin touched. As they made their way to the training room, Yelena was left with a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach, causing her hands to sweat and butterflies in her stomach. Which she immediately scolded herself for, mentally chastising herself for not having her head in the game.

As the girls entered the training area, they were greeted by the sight of Dreykov, Madame B, and Natasha standing proudly above them all. Their noses were pointed up, as if they were looking down on the girls from above.

"Two weeks until your graduation ceremony," Dreykov said, as Madame B smirked sinisterly beside him. "You will be subjected to numerous mental and physical tests. If you fail, you will be killed. Or shipped away to be more useful to someone else." He smirked, and the thought of keeping some for himself, for his own pleasures, nearly made him reconsider his plan.

Madame B continued Dreykov's speech, saying, "Today, you will fight until the death." A series of small gasps echoed around the room. Karina expected nothing less from Dreykov, and was surprised that he hadn't done it sooner. She cast a glance at Yelena next to her, silently hoping that the girl she would be fighting wasn't her.

Yelena had only fought another Widow once, and she had decided to erase the experience from her memory. She despised herself for what she had done to the girl she had fought, who was also subjected to the same torture as Yelena. She wanted to forget the pleading look in the other girl's eyes as she took her last breath.

Karina forced herself to watch the fights, refusing to be seen as weak, but she was physically ill on the inside. The sickening sound of snaps could be heard continuously, and she could barely contain her flinch.

"Karina Ivanov Vs Anya Fedorov"

Karina took a look at her opponent, who was a couple of inches taller and clearly more muscly as she walked over to the mat. Anya's posture revealed that she relied on brute strength rather than the efficient training they had been taught. Karina could use her own agility to her advantage.

She looked for Yelena's blonde hair in the crowd of girls, and when she saw Yelena's reassuring smile and sly thumbs up, she felt more confident.

Karina relaxed her shoulders and loosened her stance, in contrast to her opponent, who was stiff and guarded.

She waited for Anya to make the first move, which she did rapidly. Karina quickly ducked, lowering herself into a crouch with her leg out.

Her opponent was knocked off her feet and onto her back as she swung her leg out. But Karina was too slow. A fist made contact with her cheek.

"Come on, Ivanov, I thought you were a fighter," Anyna mocked. "Or should I just kill the pretty blonde instead?" She said menacingly, pointing to Yelena.

There was no passion or anger, or really any emotion at all.

But Karina stood back up, hands reached down and grabbed her by the collar.

She felt like she was outside herself.

She watched herself beat Anya Fedorov down to the mat, the concrete, and the left over blood from the other fights.

Her fists cluttered on her face and she put a knee in her stomach.

Her opponent cried and begged. Her voice twitched. "Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

She saw Anya's eyes and made sure not to meet them, and Karina put her fist onto her nose to eliminate any vision she might have had. She's hurt, but Karina kept on going.

She could smell how scared she was.

It pours out of her. It reaches up and stuffs itself into her nose.

She put her hands on the beaten girl's neck, dreading her next action.

𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱