My fingers claw so deeply into the stone table that I think I might have shattered my nails or gouged a divot in the stone. My foot taps wildly, joining the few remaining girls. It feels like hours before the Madame comes back.
"Valeria Volkova." The Madame calls.
My limbs move robotically as I stand and make my way towards the door. My vision tunnels as we walk down the winding hallways of the institution. The Madame's hand on my back is cold as we reach the training room. Blood is smeared on the mats and the winter soldier stands a few feet away from the window, his silhouette foreboding against the sunset.
Sunset. I peer past him out the window. The sky is orange. I had t realized how long we had been sitting there.
"Valeria Volkova, this test will determine your place in the world." The Madame says and looks at me expectantly.
"I have no place in the world." The words flow from my mouth louder than I meant.
"Good, we will begin with the La Bayadere." The Madame says. "You know your role, begin."
The music begins and I release a tight breath. This is the easy part. The dance moves fairly quickly as I demonstrate my gracefulness and agility. The Madame stops me after a long while and wordlessly gestures for me to change into my training suit.
I step behind a curtain and change into the thin leathery suit tailored to my body as a second skin. Nerves rack my body as I step out and a woman wearing a white mask and a medical outfit places two long daggers in my hands.
"Bring her in." The Madame says.
My stomach drops as Irina walks into the room. She went first. She looks between me and the Madame closely as the woman places daggers in her hands as well.
"This portion of the test you will spar with one another." The Madame says, writing something on her clipboard. "As you know we do not tolerate weakness in our widows. To pass this stage you must kill your opponent. Any questions?"
Irina and I share terrified looks. We are not strangers to sparring to the death. I have done it three times myself and Irina has done it twice. The only difference is Irina and I know one another and grew up together. Traditionally they would bring in girls from a separate institution, not one of our own.
"What?" Irina asks. "No."
"Then you will fail your test and you both will be executed." The Madame says. "Choose."
I bring my eyes to the floor and grimace and I feel Irina's terrified gaze on me. I can't fail. I won't.
"If there are no further outbursts, you may begin when ready."
I lift my eyes to see Irina's shoulders square and she crouches slightly in a defensive position. She expects me to attack first. Dread coils in my stomach as I take measured steps forward. She won't attack first.
I avoid her eyes as I lunge. I use the hilt of the knife to slam into her temple. She blocks it quickly moving to slash at my arm. I lurch back before flipping my dagger in my hand. I land a kick in her gut before moving to land a punch. She grabs my arm and swiftly spins me so my back faces her. I use the momentum to drop my body weight and swipe her feet from beneath her. Irina cries out as she lands hard against the mat. My shoulder aches as I spin around and pin her hands with my knees. I raise the dagger above my head and her eyes catch mine. I hesitate. Irina takes her knee and brings it up to my spine. I cry out as she wrenches her hands-free and grabs my neck. She pulls me close to her and rolls backward, pinning me. I move my knee between her torso and mine before pushing her off. Her blades are discarded and I lunge forward. Somehow she manages to slip around me and wrap her arms around my neck. I don't think before I take my daggers and swing them back. The squelch of flesh and blood meeting iron releases her hold on my neck and she stumbles back gasping. The blades didn't hit anything fatal. I gasp for breath as Irina stumbles back and falls to her knees.
"Finish her off." The Madame calls behind me.
Tears well in Irina's eyes as I stalk towards her, picking up her discarded blade. Her eyes are full of fear and pain as her hands clutch at the blades in her abdomen. Blood seeps from her nose, her mouth, her brow. Tears burn behind my eyes as I stand before my friend.
"Please, please." Irina chokes.
The blade is heavy in my hand as I stand before Irina. She sobs between coughs and her once porcelain face contorts in pain. She slowly looks up at me with her deep green eyes and nods.
"I'm sorry," I mutter before I drag the blade quickly across her throat.
Irina's body slumps against the mats and I understand the blood. My mind flies to Natasha but before I can think more the Madame stalks over with a cold grin. I wipe the blood from my lips as she snaps her fingers and Irina's body is quickly removed.
"Well done, Valeria." The Madame places her hand on my shoulder and the woman walks over slowly. "Now there is one final part, this is the easiest."
"What is it?" I ask breathlessly.
My question is answered by a gurney being pushed inside the room followed by a woman dressed similarly to the other one. My stomach drops as I turn to see the Madame smiling. She never smiles. Her curled lips make her face look mangled and horrifying, her eyes alight with malice.
"Go ahead dear." The Madame says with a forced sweetness.
The nurse women help me undress and I see the Winter Solder turn his back to us out of the corner of my eye. They slip me into a hospital gown and I sit on the gurney. The Madame presses my shoulders back into the stiff mattress before something is injected into my neck.
My breath turns to ragged gasps as the world around me turns spotted. Black and white spots cloud my vision. The rattling of the gurney fills my brain as the world fades away and everything is shrouded in darkness.
YOU ARE READING
Winter Widow
Fanfiction'Dark nights lead to cold Winters' Valeria Isakov was raised in the Red Room. Killing is the only thing she knows. Working for Hydra for years left her with a deformed sense of reality. When Captain America becomes her next target she is faced with...
