The Black Widow

The last three

Klara, Mariya and Me. The last three in the red room. Klara has blond hair and green eyes. She has never lost a fight like me and Mariya but we could both beat her easily. She always kept her head down. Only spoke when spoken to, followed orders and did well in classes, a little emotional but not anymore than Mariya is. She knows we are better than her, she knows she is going to die.  She has too, she is the only one left. It's late and now she crying and blubbering about things she simply cannot change. 

Mariya is trying to calm her down. I think Mariya turned eight a little while ago. I suppose I did too but I haven't changed much. My hair hasn't even grown.

"Hey Klara, calm down." 

She nods and makes an effort to stop crying. It doesn't seem to work.

"I'm scared." She chokes out.

"Hey, let's not think about tomorrow. Let's think about home."

She nods and forces a smile, "I used to live Moscow. It was a very big city. I don't remember a lot of it now."

"That's nice, I used to live out in the country, Natasha used to live in St. Petersburg."

Mariya waves me over and I reluctantly come. Klara looks nervous about even talking to me. She flinches at the mention of my name. This has been happening for the last month with all the girls. I have become used to it. Maybe that is what the teachers wanted.

I sit down, "What's your full name?"

"Um..." She doesn't know whether to answer me.

"It's okay" Mariya nods, "She's is actually really nice. Here I will start, I am Mariya Kirillovena Vetrova."

"Klara Mitrofanovna Ivanova."

 "That's nice," no one talks about home here. Full names don't matter because your family doesn't matter. Us sharing them is a little slice of rebellion like maybe they do matter after all, "Natalia Alinovena Romanov"

She wrinkles her eyebrows and shakes her head, "You can't do that. It should be Romanova."

Mariya rolls her eyes, "I have tried telling her that but she refuses to listen."

Her face lights up, "Romanov! Like the old royal family. Are you related?"

Mariya rolls her eyes again, "Do you think if she was related to the royal family she would keep that name? If she was they sure wouldn't let her come here."

Klara looks very excited like she forgot she is going to die tomorrow, "Well are you?"

"Don't know," I shrug feeling very uncomfortable, "I just use it. I've always used it. I didn't know my parents but we weren't talking about me. This is about Klara."

I never thought my own name had any sort of significance and so I never asked but now this girl is asking all sorts of question and it's all making me uncomfortable. 

Mariya sensing that this is a touchy subject tries to change the subject, "Yeah Klara, what was it like in Moscow?"

"Well didn't you say you lived in St. Petersburg."

Apparently, Klara no longer wants to talk about herself. She is way too interested in my last name.

I look down at the ground, "I lived in a lot of places. We moved around a lot."

 I really do not like this subject.

I don't know what I said wrong but she seems to find this information very enlightening.

"Well, what about whoever you lived with they must have said something!" I can see it now. Her eyes are lighting up at the thought of all the old stories and legends about our royal family. She wants this to be true so badly but I don't know what to say to her.