Insane in my Russian Brain - P. Parker

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Red Room - 2010

"There's always a chance, Natasha. Don't lose your hope." Here we go again.

"Clint, it just isn't possible. She got taken from my arms, she's dead." Wrapping his arms around her, Clint Barton, otherwise known as the hawk by close friends, made sure his best friend knew exactly how he felt about the situation.

Natasha, after being told she kept too many secrets, opened up to him about her past. Everything ranging from her first mission to when she escaped. This included all the details about giving birth.

She knew there was always going to be a possibility that Ekaterina was alive, but after having her ripped away twice, she couldn't believe it would be possible. There were very few survivors in the Red Room.

"Can you at least try to hold onto hope for me?" Clint muttered into her curly hair, resting his head on hers.

"Only if you promise to buy me Shwarma." Clint laughed.

"I think being Tony's assistant laid a number on you."

"Mhm, maybe." Pulling back, Natasha pushed her hair behind her ears, breathing out a sigh. "Let's go then, Hawk."

Nodding his head and trying to put on a serious face, Clint stood tall. "Sure thing, widow."

⧗ ⧗ ⧗

Oh, the good old days of friendship.

Even if Ekaterina didn't know what her mother was doing with her friends, she found easy ways to mimic it. Being she had just turned nine, she was going to be moving into the upper quarters of the Red Room, where all the older widows lived.

She would be getting a roommate.

Opening the door in front of her, her boot creaked against the dense wooden floors. The air in the room was stiff, but the feeling was almost instantly faded away as a blonde girl walked forward, a jump in her steps.

"Hi, I'm Arana! What's your name?" She spoke quickly, her voice full of cheer as she observed the girl in front of her.

When she didn't get a response, her face fell. "Do you not speak English? No ingles? I don't know any other languages."

Ekaterina looked Arana up and down. The girl seemed relaxed in the presence of a stranger, probably dominant on her left side by the way she stood. Possibly an injury on her right. "You're happy."

"Well, that's me! I'm just so excited to have a roommate!" Her voice creaked with happiness. Ekaterina walked around the room, putting the small bag she held onto the mat meant for her. "Where's all your other stuff?"

Ekaterina lowered her eyes at Arana. "You're new here." There wasn't a question in her tone as she sat down, fiddling with the ends of her red hair.

"How could you tell? Maybe it's because I don't have my ballet shoes on? Are we supposed to wear those 24-7? I'm sorry, I didn't know, I've never been to a ballet school before."

Ballet school? Was she serious? Taking in a breath, Ekaterina placed a hand on her forehead. "The people here are going to tear you down. This is not where you want to be, trust me. It's not pretty."

"What, why? Are they mean?" Oh my, oh my, she really was clueless.

"Arana, if you promise to not tell any of the other girls, I'll tell you my story and those of the others." Nodding her head vigorously, she begged Ekaterina to continue.

And that she did. After two hours, her vocal cords were scratching against the surface of her skin, and Arana was in shock. How could a place be so cruel? Who did they think they were?

"We have to escape."

Quick to her feet, Ekaterina shook her head. "Are you crazy? Keep your voice down?"

"Chill Kat, chill. You obviously have issues with this place, and I probably will too. We have to leave, I have to get back to my family."

Ekaterina raised her eyebrows at the nickname. "I get it, I've thought about it so many times. But there's nothing out there for us. Arana, this place is all I know."

Arana bit her lip. "You'll stay with me. We'll find a way." They may have been young, but she was relentless to give a girl without a home a chance.

"Mhm, and how do you plan to escape?"

"That my dear is a work in progress."