Run; K. Bishop¹ ✓

One.

 ➶ ｡˚ °  ➶ ｡˚➶ ｡˚ ➶ ｡˚ ➶ ｡˚ 
(𝐑𝐔𝐍)
CHAPTER ONE -----▹ 

It wasn't rare that you could find Iskra talking to Natasha's grave, in fact, it was a daily occurrence.  "Mom had to go on another mission, she promises she'll be back for Christmas, but she's been pretty absent since you-" Iskra finds herself unable to finish that sentence, "Anyways, I taught Jess a little bit of sign language, she's around the age that I lost my hearing in one ear, and I thought it would be a good bonding thing I guess." Iskra pauses shifting from foot to foot, snow crunching under her boots. 

"It's been really hard without you Mama..." the blonde whispered a tear streaming down her face, "I haven't been able to look Uncle Clint in the eye, and I feel bad because I know it wasn't his fault but- it hurts." Iskra paused, "He blames himself, you can see it in his eye, and I wish I could tell him that your death isn't his fault, I just... I just can't." Iskra hears Melina calling her in the distance, "That's Melina, she'll be after me if I skip breakfast again, I love you, Mama." Iskra pressed her forehead against Natasha's headstone, before walking away.

Iskra knocked the snow off her boots before stepping inside and slipping them off, she walks to the dining room, smiling lightly at the sight of part of her family sitting around a table portioning breakfast foods onto their plates. She ruffles Jessica's hair grabbing a plate, "Hi Iskra!" the child said excitement in her tone, "Hi Jess." Iskra said with a warm smile, "I thought you were going to catch a cold if you stayed out there much longer." Melina noted, Passing her the eggs, Iskra just shrugs in response, and Yelena gives her a look of understanding. "Auntie Lenaaaa," Jess says dragging out 'Lena', "Can you teach me more Russian after breakfast." of course Jessica's 'r' sounded more like a 'w', since the whole family spoke Russian, it was only natural that Yelena took the role of teaching the youngest, Yelena smiled, "Of course Jess" 

"What are everyone's plans for the day?" Melina asked, as she usually does during breakfast, there were various answers that might not be accepted socially, but they are a family of ex-Russian Assasins, a witch, and a child that was raised by an ex-Russian assassin and a SHIELD Agent. Throughout breakfast, Alexei tells his versions of a few dad jokes and the family talks to each other like normal.

After breakfast, everyone in the house dispersed going to complete various activities and errands, so Iskra finds herself alone, the twenty-one-year-old did not tend to believe in things like meditation and therapy, but she has to do something to keep her emotions in check. So, she decides to try meditation, again. Last time hadn't gone very well for her, she ended up more annoyed than when she started and caused the unintentional destruction of an antique lamp.

It was important for Iskra to clear her mind when she starts to get overwhelmed by emotions because her powers are hard to keep in check when she's in a fragile state. There were exercises that Natasha had helped her come up with, and they used to work really well, but since she lost Natasha, they hadn't worked in her favor. 

The blonde sat cross-legged on the floor, a book laying open in front of her, she took a deep breath closing her eyes, and the book gently lifted off the floor. Still holding her concentration she opened her eyes and moved most of her thought to make some of the water from her cup float towards her.  These were the kind of exercises she used to train herself into being able to do more than one action at a time, which was always useful in a fight. 

A light knock on her bedroom door startled her into dropping both the book and the floating water. "Shit." she cursed under her breath at the water that was now all over the hardwood floors, Yelena stepped into the room, an eyebrow raised at the twenty-year-old who was rushing to clean up the water, "You good?" she asked.

"Yeah, you just startled me..." she said with a shrug, "Mama Melina, sent me to drag you out of the house, she says you spend too much time in this room," Yelena said, and Iskra rolled her eyes exasperated, "I do not." Iskra huffed. Yelena laughed lightly taking her niece's hand and dragging the blonde to her feet, "Get ready we're going shopping!" Yelena said, "You haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet?" She asked slightly shocked, Yelena shrugged  "Just get ready." She said rushing out of the younger girl's bedroom.

Iskra stared at the closed door where her aunt was previously standing for a few moments, before setting into motion, she pulled on one of the leather jackets she had stolen from Natasha's closet a year or two ago and a pair of boots, carefully concealing a few weapons in her outfit per usual, she tends to be very paranoid. 

"Hurry up Iskra!" Yelena called from the bottom of the steps, "One Second!" she yelled back, Iskra switched out the lights in her room sticking her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, Iskra met Yelena at the bottom of the steps and said a brief goodbye to Yelena's dog, Fanny. 

Iskra found herself walking alongside Yelena in a toy store, Yelena was in search of a gift for Jess, Iskra noticed all sorts of avengers themed figures, her eyes watered a bit, she lost so much in so little time. Yelena rubbed Iskra's shoulder in an effort to comfort her, "I'm ok." Iskra signed, not trusting her voice, "I'm sorry" Yelena signed back, Iskra took a couple of deep breaths, speed walking out of the store, she sat down on a bench outside of the store trying to control her breath. 

Yelena exited the store with a shopping bag, and sat down next to Iskra, Yelena wasn't really sure how to help her niece, but Iskra was thankful to her, she leaned her head against Yelena's shoulder, "Everything's going to be ok little witch." Yelena whispered in Russian, and Iskra nodded holding on to her aunt for dear life. 

Iskra was spiraling, and her emotions were all over the place, she accidentally knocked over a large fully decorated tree, "дерьмо" she cursed under her breath, Yelena's eyes widened, "Let's go." and the pair rushed away from the scene.