The Black Widow

After Five Months I Met Katya

"It has been nine months already." She paces through the office. He noticed that she has been biting her nails. This job is really getting to her.

"So?" He sighs. He is tired of all these problems. He only agreed to do this so he could test his theories. He never wanted to deal with all these bratty toddlers.

"The girls are starting to notice... differences. We have to accelerate our timeline."

"Hang on a second. What kind of acceleration are we talking about."

She thinks for a moment, "One a day, we would be done by the end of the month. Then we could move on to the next phase."

"She just had major brain surgery!"

"Since when do you care about her well being?"

"I don't but I would rather not have my first successful test subject die!"

"Did you not see her a couple days ago? She completely destroyed Lena."

"Yes, but a fight a night, she is in a very fragile state. Are you sure she can handle it?"

She shakes her head. it was her job to know everything but more and more lately she was unsure, "No but I do know that that girl is anything but fragile."

Mariya is taller than me now. A lot taller. Most of the other girls have grown as well. They have all had to request new clothing but I have stayed the same. Their size still doesn't give them enough of an advantage to beat me. Mariya says its probably because I hardly eat anything but that isn't my fault. If I am not hungry then why should I eat. Also, I now have an injection every single day. The others joke that it is stunting my growth. 

I know the truth though. I am sick. That's why I wasn't feeling well all those months ago because the injection that I got was a bad one. I haven't told anyone, they don't need to know. The room is slowly becoming empty. Another five girls are gone. We are a month away from losing another one. The rest of them are doing some reading for class but I finished that reading yesterday so I have nothing to do. A teacher walks in and everyone stands at attention.

"We will be having an  assessment in ten minutes, get dressed." 

The girls are all shocked. 

"We just had one two days ago!" A girl in the corner whines. That was incredibly bold of her. I think that shocked people even more than the announcement.

The girl doesn't get a response. No one else argues. We all get dressed. They all try not to look at me but I can feel their stares. I even hear my name in hushed voices as they try to decide who's next and why they are killing everybody. I get dressed slowly. I don't care to see the other fights and I always go last anyways. I go out in time to see Mariya fight. She has gotten even better. She can't beat me yet but she is close or at least closer than anyone else. The only other girl who even comes that near us is a girl named Yekaterina but everyone calls her Katya. 

Everyone likes Katya. She has short brown curly hair and a big smile. She never whispers about me. Sometimes she looks at me but she never tries to hide it. Whenever Katya does stare at me its never with anger or suspicion but always with a kind of sadness. She fights and wins easily. She always does. 

It is my turn. I don't know her well but she's blond and more than a head taller than me. I let her have a couple punches before I finish it. I always do, I don't really know why. I think it has something to do with how I have to watch their bodies burn. I feel like I have to give them something to balance out what I took from them. It is a stupid and childish thing but nevertheless, it is something I have to do. After I finish I walk off in silence. Mariya has given up trying to talk to me after. I just always feel the need to be alone after I fight. I am sitting alone on the bench when I hear soft footsteps behind me.

"Mariya I don't want to talk," I whisper.

"I am not Mariya." The voice does not belong to Mariya. Her's is more high pitched. I turn and see Katya.

I nod, "oh... hello Yekaterina."

"Hello, Natalia."

"You can call me Natasha."

"You can call me Katya," She comes and sits next to me, "Natasha... I have been watching you."

I nod, "I know."

"I have been trying to figure you out and I think I understand."

I lean back on the bench, "I doubt that." I haven't even figured me out yet.

"Everyone is always wondering how you do it but I know why. You do it because you are simply following orders. Is that right?" I simply look at her. How did she come up with that? "Most of the other girls think that you enjoy it or that you are one of them"

"One of who?"

"The teachers. They think you are working with the teachers."

I nod.

"I don't think either of those things. All of those girls are hypocrites. All they care about are pleasing the teachers. I don't think anyone of them would do more than hesitate if they were ordered to kill. That's what they taught us. They want us to do that. None of them have gotten the chance."

"Mariya would... more than hesitate I mean." 

I don't know why I defend her but there is a need to get this point across. Mariya just couldn't do what I do.

She smiles, "Well there are a few. Those are the ones who don't belong here."

I narrow my eyes and look her up and down, "I think you would."

"Maybe, maybe not. I haven't gotten the chance. But I think in another life you might hesitate too. I don't believe you belong here. I think they have you trapped."

"You think too freely they won't like that."

She laughs, "I figured that. I have managed to hide that from the rest of them. But when it comes down to it I do believe I will choose not to conform."

"They know now. They are always watching me."

She sighs, "Yes, I suspect I will die tomorrow."

I scrunch my eyebrows, "Tomorrow?"

She nods, "They are accelerating their timetables. They want to get rid of us faster now and I want to know why?"

"I don't know."

She frowns, "Oh cut the crap, will you? I know you know what they are planning. I can tell."

How would she know that? I have kept what I know a secret from everyone except for Mariya and I doubt she told anyone.

 "There is a job," I start, "They are grooming us to have the job but it can only go to one of us, the best."

She shakes her head, "This is so rigged, they decided the winner before the game even started."

I am the winner. I know that much.

"You can still try. You could win."

She laughs, "Natasha, I will never be good enough to beat you but I am better than most of the other girls. I will have to sit here and watch them die one by one until the end of this month."

"So? What if I get tired and you beat me."

"Do I look stupid to you?" she grins, "Unlike the other girls I have no illusions about beating you. The teachers see something in you and I think they are right. Besides, whatever the job is, you can have it."

Is that really a choice. Can I say no? Can I lose? No, if this is what they want then they will have it. "Why postpone the inevitable?"

"Exactly Natasha, the game is rigged. I just hope you get out of it before it's too late." 

With that, she smiles and walks away. She is smarter than me in so many ways. 

Why didn't they pick her?

 I wish they had picked her.