illogical

𝚌𝚑. 07

❗this chapter contains: cursing, self-harm, violence

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Katerina Koroleva woke up. She woke up. She woke up. When had she ever gone to sleep? She didn't remember.

Katerina was lying on the bed in her cell. Okay...she definitely had not gone to sleep in her bed, much less in her cell. She immediately got up and walked to the bathroom. In the mirror, she saw herself. She had a small knot on her forehead, right below her hairline. Her hair was messy–she needed to re-braid it. Katerina reached to undo her braids, but she caught sight of her wrists. The handcuffs had made red, raw chafes around her wrists. The cut on her left was bigger than she remembered. It had already scabbed over, though, while she was asleep. She ran her hands under cold water in the sink and rubbed off the dried blood.

Katerina felt along her neck and found a tiny scab on the side. They must have drugged her and tossed her back in her cell. She glanced down at herself. Her shirt had magically returned, and it looked new. So did her pants. She pulled down the side of her waistband and found the bandage over her thigh gone.

The thing Natalia had used—what had she called it? Zip- something—was still on her arm. She fought the urge to rip it off out of stubbornness.

Katerina left and went back to sit on the bed. She undid her braids and ran her fingers through her hair to untangle it. It was long–bordering on impractical. She rarely ever tried to cut it. Once, when she was younger and still training, she thought it was too long and tried to trim it with a knife. It left her hair choppy and uneven and made it a total bitch to braid.

She ran her fingers through her hair, doing her best to untangle the knots without a brush, and started to braid it. She was done with the first of her double braids and halfway through her second when the guards came to collect her. It was three new ones–she could tell their height and bodies were different. The two that grabbed her didn't say anything, they just seized her arms mid-braid and pulled them behind her back to handcuff them. She scowled, but stayed silent, too. They escorted her to the usual interrogation room, tied her down to the table and chair, and left. 

Katerina stared at the table. She was hungry. She wished she had something to eat; they didn't give her breakfast this morning. If it was morning, she didn't even know what time it was. It was bothering her only half her hair was braided. She wanted to get out and go back to her cell so she could fix it.

The door opened, and Katerina almost looked up. She was expecting Natalia, but the footsteps were different. They had more of a heavier, echoing clack than the boots Natalia wore.

A man sat in the seat in front of her. Katerina didn't move. She saw him smile slightly in her periphery.

"Hello, again, Katerina."

His voice sounded familiar. She thought back to earlier...earlier seemed like a long time ago. She had surely been in this SHIELD base for years.

He said something else but Katerina didn't pick the words up as his voice clicked in her mind. Edward Thomas. He was one of the interrogators who was sent to her first. The one that had hit her. Before Natalia. What happened to Natalia? Katerina didn't exactly miss her, per say—...no, she didn't miss her. Katerina had no reason to miss her.

Edward said something again.

Katerina ignored him again.

Katerina was hungry. She should say something to Natalia when she returned. No, don't. Yes. No. Stop. Do it. Since SHIELD had been slacking off on her meals, it would be her best chance. Natalia seemed to care for her...but it was a ruse. A ruse she needed to keep up with. Katerina could use that ruse.