[1] 𝘿𝙀𝙑𝙄𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 | 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨

➘ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

➸ 2006
📍BOZEMAN, MONTANA
United States of America
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"OUR MISSION will be finished in a year or so." Jenya informed Galina who was helping out with cooking dinner. "If Petrov finds all of the files soon."

"Why are you telling me this information?"

Jenya's eyes radiated guilt as she crouched down to Galina's level and placed her hands on her shoulders. She looked around momentarily to make sure that no one (Petrov) was near.

"I'm telling you this information so that you'll be prepared." Jenya whispered. "I do not want you to be in the dark."

...

Outside, Galina found Petra going up and down the slide repeatedly

"Lina!" Petra exclaimed and quickly ran to her, hugging her legs. "Can we draw!"

"Draw? Out of all things you want to draw?" she questioned incredulously.

"Well...yeah! You're good at drawing and it's fun when you teach me. Let's draw please, Lina!"

Galina gave in and quickly went back into the house to grab the proper materials before coming right back out.

The two of them sat in the wooden play set as they drew their pictures.

"What are you drawing, Galina?!" Petra asks, craning her neck to look at what her older sister was drawing.

Galina stared down at her drawing momentarily. "I'm drawing a deer, what are you drawing?"

Petra held her paper up proudly and pointed to different stick figures. "This is mommy, this is daddy, and this is you!"

A swarm of emotion built up inside of her chest as she glanced back at the excitable little girl with tears brimming in her eyes.

Galina has never cried nor felt true emotion in years — something about this moment made those nulled feelings rise from out of her.

"Do you like it?"

She smiled, sniffing sharply to cover up the sob that was about to escape. "I love it." she responded tightly.

"Girls, dinner is ready!" Jenya called out from where she stood in the doorway of the backyard door.

Petra got up with a small gasp of a "yay" and quickly slid down the slide, little legs running into the house while Galina sat there for a moment to collect her thoughts.

Seconds later, she did the same, sliding down the slide as well and beginning to hesitantly walk back into the house when something caught her eye.

A bug with beautiful wings.

Galina smiled brightly as she noticed more of the butterflies flying around. She poked a finger out and let one land on it.

"Hello there." she greeted the bug curiously, her finger delicately and softly tapping its wing.

"Galina! Dinner is ready, sweetheart. Let's go!"

She frowned ever so slightly as she let the creature go.

. . .

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it." Peter Pan said upon the TV screen in the bedroom.

Petra was curled up beside Galina swimming in blankets as Peter Pan played on the television — Petra's choice of movie.

"When we grow up, can we go to Neverland?" she innocently questioned.

When they grow up, there will be no Neverland, just the Red Room— Galina knew of that reality....but Petra did not.

"Of course." she says, lightly petting her hair to swoop it from out of her face. "We'll go to Neverland."