Black Widow: Dark House

1. "Rest in Peace"- Dorothy

Bold Italics- Russian

Italics- any language besides English

**- thoughts/memories

** Natalia stood across the mat from her adversary. At fifteen she had risen in the ranks of the Red Room, becoming one of the best recruits there. A part of her reveled it, and that allowed her to survive the harsh world she had known since she was a baby. Another part, a deeper part, was repulsed by herself. This part only showed up in the dead of night, when she was in her bed under the covers, the only form of privacy she had ever been privy to.

She lunged at her partner, Ana. Ana had been in the Red Room as long as she had. They weren't friends. There were no friends here. But she was... familiar to Natalia. Ana side stepped her easily, shoving a vicious elbow in her back as she passed, making Natalia let out a pained grunt.

Natalia turned, fire in her veins as she considered her target. She waited for Ana to approach. When Ana did, she went for Natalia's legs. Natalia tried to wrap her arm around Ana's neck, unsuccessfully as Ana tackled her to the ground and twisted her body clockwise, simultaneously pinning Natalia's arms between them. Ana maneuvered herself to straddle Natalia, her arms still pinned beneath Ana. Natalia let out a furious scream as the others gathered around their mat to watch.

Ana raised her hand and landed a bone jarring punch to Natalia's face, the sound resounding across the room.

"Stop!" came the voice of their teacher.

At this Ana instantly stood to attention, her facial expression blank, her breathing normal. Natalia groaned, her face burning as she got to her feet, standing at attention as well.

The teacher walked over to the pair, "alright Ana, you go with that group. Natalia, you go with the others. Those who won today will get to eat tonight. The rest of you, continue drilling now!"

Soundlessly the girls filed out. Natalia stood still however, the rage and fire building within her. She had not eaten for two days since becoming Ana's partner. Before she had been with the winners for as long as she could remember. It was too much for her. She glared at Ana murderously as she walked away from the mat, not even a hint of remorse or guilt on her face.

Natalia leaned down, grabbing a small throwing knife from her boot. When the widows turn seven, they are given these, and train with them for a year before it becomes part of their daily arsenal. Expertly, Natalia threw the knife, aiming right for the back of Ana's head.

Ana would have died had she not moved slightly to the left in order to file behind the other girls going to dinner. Instead, the knife clipped her right ear, slicing into easily and embedding itself in the wall in front of Ana. Ana stopped, raised her hand to her ear and looked at the ruby blood that coated her fingers. She turned back, seeing Natalia standing on the mat, her chest heaving, rage burning in her eyes.

A blow to Natalia's back sent her to the ground on all fours. The teacher above her rained down blow after blow on her back using a think baton. "Who told you to draw your weapon?!" the teacher shouted down at Natalia as the baton found its mark a fourth time. Natalia did not scream, oh no, she hadn't screamed in years. She grit her teeth, taking each blow as she watched Ana.

Ana looked at her, expressionless as the blood from her ear now ran in a thick solid line down her neck. She watched until the teacher was finished with the beating and then wordlessly left the room.

Natalia drilled with the others and then showered. She was the last one to go to bed because Madame B had also given her a punishment for her behavior. She had to recite one of the readings from her classes by memory while kneeling on rice. Every time she messed up, Madame B would add a weighted necklace to her neck, crushing her down harder on the uncooked rice.