His Little Ballerina- B. Barnes

Chapter 15: Valeriya

I'm gonna make you bend a break

~Thnks fr th Mmrs, Fall Out Boy

The three of us didn't say a word as we snuck through more and more hallways. The Soldier was in front and Natalia lagged behind. She seemed to be limping, but then again it was too dark to tell the difference.

We stayed completely silent, not a word could be spoken or the wrath of Madame B. There was a back door the Soldier had heard of, and it took us right past the devil's dormitory.

We lingered at the door that lead out into the main lobby of the building. Not one of us wanted to turn the handle and pray that there was no security waiting for us on the other side.

I could see the Soldier shaking. He hadn't done anything like this before... so why would he do it now? Perhaps he wanted escape... speaking of which, we hadn't made any plans for the Soldier to go on with us.

Something about the whole situation made me feel sick to my stomach. The thought of leaving someone in this place after they were so close to freedom...

"Val, you okay?" I heard Natalia whisper ever so softly. I nearly jumped at the sound of her voice.

My head turned slightly so that I faced her. Natalia looked much more beaten down up close. There were dark circles around her eyes, and her hair looked like a mixture of grease and frizz. Just seeing her made me wonder if I looked the same.

I let out a small sigh saying, "yeah... I'm okay."

Natalia didn't believe me. She could see through any lie... it was her specialty. "You're lying."

"That obvious, huh?"

My friend simply smiled, "No, just obvious for me... I bet Madame B. wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

I wanted so badly to laugh. I wanted to smile and tell her she was right, but the sick feeling made me hold my tongue. One of us wasn't going to make it out of the Red Room alive... and it was likely going to be the Soldier.

The man who can't even remember his own name won't ever have freedom, and he knows it. He knows he's just going to return to the cell we shared and take the fall. The Soldier knows he will never see the world again.

And he's doing it for two girls he's only known for just a small portion of his life.

Natalia remained silent after that. She and I trudged behind the Soldier, the glimmer of hope buried inside of us, waiting to be released once we saw the outside again. My hope was much smaller know... all I could do was focus on what was happening right now.

Just let him help you.

Don't tell him you're worried.

You'll ruin your chance.

All the little voices in my head were telling me no... and then there was one telling me otherwise

You don't want to lose him... why is that?

Was I really asking myself that? 

Get it together... just a little while longer and everything would be okay.

For once, I believed the lie. For the first time in the Red Room I fully believed my own lie.

Maybe this was a sign...

It was then I heard the clicks. The very sound I grew to dread hearing. They had seen us... I knew it was too easy.

Natalia stiffened. She knew that sound too. We both grabbed the Soldier and pulled him into the nearest room that was open.

The sound grew louder.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The room we had entered was completely dark, and we were hiding behind some sort of counter. The clicks grew louder and louder as the Devil herself drew closer.

The Soldier, Natalia, and I cowered in the dark, too afraid to breathe normally. The cold feel of metal against my arm kept me alert, only because the feeling was a little uncomfortable. It was almost as if the wall curved a little so that I only touched my arm... either that or I was squished against a wall.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The sound stopped abruptly.

Madame B. was right outside the room... I could sense it. That wasn't the only thing I could sense. I could hear whispers.

"Они думали, что они могли бы уйти ..." I could tell that voice was Ivan's

"Терпение, Ivan, вы получите ваши топ девочек обратно ... и Yelena."

Yelena? Who the hell was Yelena? I'd never trained with a girl with that name nor have I ever heard of her... perhaps she was a new girl, or one of the eight year olds from the orphanage that flock here... like I did when I was eleven.

"Valeriya? What's going on?" Natalia whispered to me.

I turned slightly to face her. "You don't hear them?"

"Who?"

How could she not hear them?!? They were right outside the door... right?

The clicking resumed, this time I got so loud I thought my eardrum was going to pop... thankfully it didn't... I wanted to get out of here with the least number of scratches possible.

The clicking passed our door and it grew softer. Both the Soldier and Natalia waited for me to get up and begin to exit the room.

That was way too close... Madame B. and Ivan were searching for us. We didn't have much longer to get out of here.

"Let's go..." I whispered. The Soldier and Natalia both followed me out of wherever we had ventured into, and we let the Soldier take the lead once again.