Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
OHIO, 2016
Ritika Archarya knew her family wasn't real. Although they lived in Ohio, Ritika knew that she had been born somewhere in India and taken in by the Red Room as a child. The Red Room had put them together as a ruse to cover up the fact that they were spies with missions. So far, Melina and Alexei, her "parents", had played their roles to perfection. No one suspected a thing, and if anyone questioned how two seemingly American parents could have an Indian kid, they could just claim that Ritika was adopted.
Still, that knowledge didn't stop her from pretending Melina and Alexei were really her mother and father. And it definitely didn't stop her from trying to be a typical fifteen year old girl for once, a girl whose biggest worry was her Algebra homework or the next test.
Ritika sat at the dining table, working on a sheet of Algebra homework. It was child's play compared to her work at the Red Room. She was feeling happy today. Today had been a good day. She had scored a hundred on her Spanish quiz and her test in Biology. She had beaten everyone at soccer in gym class, thanks to her athleticism borne of her Red Room training. She had also made friends with a girl named Cara, who happened to live down the street from her.
She heard the door creak open and immediately she leaped into a fighting stance. Ritika only relaxed when she saw that it was just Melina who had entered the room.
"Don't worry, it's just me." Melina assured her. She had jet black hair and wore years of maturity and knowledge on her face. She spoke in a soothing Russian accent. "I just came to see if you were done with your Algebra homework."
"Yeah, I'm done." Ritika said.
"Would you care to go on a walk with me?" Melina asked.
"I could use some fresh air." Ritika agreed.
They walked along the streets. It was a cool night and the breeze blew gently, lifting up strands of Ritika's hair.
The sky was a dusky orangish-blue color as the sun was starting to set. Even though evening was arriving, there were still kids playing outside in the streets. Some bounced a basketball around.
Ritika and Melina passed by one of the front yards. Looking over, Ritika saw Cara pushing a younger girl, presumably her sister, on a tire swing. "Hey Ritika!" Cara said in a friendly tone, waving.
"Hey Cara!" Ritika said. "Did you get your Algebra homework done?"
"Mostly, but I'm stuck on questions two and four." Cara said. "Maybe you can come by my house and help me."
"Yeah I will. Tonight works for me. See you then!" Ritika agreed. She and Melina continued walking. Once they were on the next street, Melina asked "Was that your friend?"
"Yeah, her name's Cara." Ritika said. "She's really nice. Maybe we can invite her over sometime."
"No visitors allowed, remember?" Melina reminded Ritika, dashing her hopes. "We can't risk anyone finding out." "Right." Ritika sighed. It was another one of many painful reminders that at the end of the day, she was a Red Room spy, not a fifteen year old girl in Ohio.
It was starting to get darker and darker as they walked. Before long, they reached a gravel path shrouded with trees. "Look up, Ritika." Melina said, smiling.
Ritika looked up, and was met by such a bedazzling sight that she stood there for a few seconds, unable to tear her eyes away. All the trees around them were lit up with shining dots, almost like stars. The stars flickered and blinked, moving from tree to tree. Fireflies.
"They're beautiful." was all Ritika could say.
"We don't get to see them often." Melina said. "But I hoped one day you'd get to."
A firefly flittered near where Ritika was standing. She tried to reach out and touch it, but tripped over a rock and fell, scraping her knee on the gravel.
Ritika got to her feet, assessing the damage. She was fine, except for her scraped knee which was bleeding. "You're alright." Melina told her. "Pain will only make you stronger." Those were the words that Melina repeated to her every day. "Right." Ritika agreed. The training at the Red Room was painful, but it created the best spies in history.
But she didn't want to be a spy. She wanted to have friends and a family like other teenagers. She wanted to live her life. It wasn't fair.
"I made your favorite for dinner." Melina said. "Mac n cheese?" Ritika said hopefully.
"Exactly." Melina said with an affectionate smile. "Let's go home now."
As soon as Ritika got home, she kicked off her shoes and washed her hands in the kitchen sink before sitting down at the dining table. Melina set a plate of mac n' cheese in front of Ritika and Ritika started eating. Melina's mac n' cheese was the best. It was creamy, delicious and melted in her mouth.
Ritika noticed that Melina and Alexei didn't join her at the table as usual, but instead stood near the kitchen counter, talking in hushed voices. Ritika noted that they were saying something in Russian. She strained her ears, trying to listen, but she only caught one sentence.
It's time, we have to go now. SHEILD will be here any minute.
Finally, Alexei turned to Ritika. "Remember that adventure I said we'd go on?" he said.
Ritika felt her heart drop into her stomach. They were going back to the Red Room. "We're leaving?" she said.
"I'm sorry Ritika, it's time." Melina said. "We have to go now. The mission's over."
A spark of fury lit up inside Ritika and it caught her by surprise. Melina and Alexei were taking her back to the Red Room, where the girls slept handcuffed to their bedframe and every day was misery. However, it was snuffed out by her understanding that there was nothing Melina could have done. If she tried to disobey them and stay in Ohio, General Dreykov would've had her killed.
"Go wait in the car." Melina told her. "I'll be right there."
Ritika was about to leave when she noticed a book lying on the coffee table. Small trees and flowers were painted along the spine of the book. It was the family photo album. Ritika grabbed the photo album. She wanted something to remember Melina and Alexei by.
"No, no! Leave it!" Melina told her, snatching the album from her hands and placing it back on the coffee table. "Go wait in the car!"
Ritika grabbed her shoes. Carrying them in her hands, she ran into the garage, where the truck was parked. Quickly, she yanked open the door and got into the backseat, shutting the door behind her.
Melina and Alexei came rushing into the garage seconds later. Melina got into the passengers' seat, while Alexei got into the drivers' seat and started the car. They pulled out into the driveway and started driving down the road.
They passed by Cara's house, and Ritika felt several tears spill from her eyes. She hadn't even gotten to say a proper goodbye to her.
