Book 1: What We Had in the Beginning

Chapter 19: Silent

Yelena was right about the increase in security. Ivan has 4 officers following us around, Sadovsky, Anton, Nikolay, and another KGB officer. We didn't get to go back to sleep after fighting each other this morning, instead we went straight to breakfast. Everyone looks exhausted, no doubt from the lack of sleep but also because things are just getting way out of hand. The KGB probably didn't expect any of this to happen. We’re now on our way to Leonov’s class which I'm not looking forward to. If he's harsh on a normal day, I can't imagine how he'll be today.

When we enter the classroom, Leonov is already waiting. He's facing away from us, flipping through the pages of a book. We all take our seats at the front of the room, the 4 officers lingering behind by the door. After a few minutes he finally turns around. His forhead is a purplish color from when I slammed my head against it and seeing it makes me want to smirk. I notice his eyes scan each and ever one of our faces, his lingering on mine a few seconds longer. Finally he closes the book and gives us a smile.

“World War II. Has anyone heard of it?” Leonov asks, his smile never wavering. We nod our heads as Leonov walks to the bookshelf and places the book back in it's place. “Pouline, would you like to give me a short summary?”

Pouline looks up at him, biting her lip and twisting her hair nervously.

“Well, it started in 1939 and ended 1945. There were two sides, the Allie nations and the Axis nations. Russia was an Allied nation and Nazi Germany was an Axis nation. When Adolf Hitler invaded Poland that's when the war started. He believed that Germans were more superior than everyone else.” She finished.

Leonov nods in approval, his smile turning into a smirk. He paces around the room, continuing to ask questions about the war.

“Does anyone remember the name of the man who led Hydra during that time?” Leonov asks stopping in front of Yelena.

“Red Skull.” She answers. I'm not too sure what he's getting at. It's like he's building up to make a point or something.

“And does anyone know the American who defeated him?” He stops in front of me. His eyes glare down, amusment dancing in them like a wild fire.

“Captain America.” His grin grows upon hearing this.

“Correct. America's first superhero.” He says it mockingly. “The Americans haven't made it easy for us for the past few decades.”

Leonov’s face morfes into disgust as he continues to talk about the country. Listing off why it’s so corrupt and full of lies and deception. He goes on to explain how Russia is magnificent and the only country that truley cares for it’s people and how we should fight and defend the Motherland. I believe every country has it's flaws and no country is perfect but he's obviously single minded on the matter.

Leonov abruptly stops his rant when he catches Yelena trying to stifle a yawn. He then grabs a fist full of her hair and drags her out of her seat and onto the floor.

“Oh, am I boring you?” He spits out as he lands a kick to her stomach. Yelena let's out a strangled whimper but tries to keep as quiet as possible as Leonov rams his foot into her stomach repeatedly. The officers in the back don't make a more to stop him. Eventually Leonov decides she's had enough and stops, a few seconds later Yelena hunches over and vomits a mixture of her breakfast and blood. Leonov suddenly looks uninterested and he then leaves the room. Getting up from my seat, I hold Yelena's hair back as she continues to vomit and heave. Her body finally calms down and she falls back onto me with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.

“You may take her to the infirmary.” Ivan speaks up, leaning against the door and watching us. Without a word I help Yelena to her feet and lead her out of the room, Anton and Sadovsky following close behind us. She's shaking and unsteady as she walks. I keep my arms securly around her in case her legs give out. When we reach the infirmary I notice John is nowhere in sight. Instead a man with a KGB uniforms looks up from a clip board and assesses Yelena. Without a word he guides Yelena to a metal table and helps her onto it. He begins by shining a light in her eyes and asks her to follow it.