Infatuation | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Three

Most days felt the same in Catherine's life. Nothing exciting would happen. She would go through the same ritual of eating and studying and training, but that particular morning, everything felt different. It felt like everything in her life was about to change. She didn't know what changes would occur, but something was happening outside of her door. The base was louder than usual as she sat down at the kitchen table to eat. She tried not to say anything as she read over one of her books, but it was hard not to notice the commotions.

Her eyes flickered to the pink ribbon that sat next to her hairbrush. Laying on the chair next to it was a dress. It was dark gray with a Peter Pan style collar. A pair of black shoes with stockings sat underneath it. She never wore dresses. In fact, Catherine couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress. Her clothing consisted of pants, plain shirts and boots. That was it. A ribbon was also a rare sight.

"You have a special day today." Her mama spoke quietly as she walked into the kitchen.

"I do?" Catherine asked, surprised.

"Mhm. Your papa has invited some special guests to visit. He wants you to look your best and be on your best behavior." She explained. "After you eat, put the dress on and come back in here so I can do your hair. Have you been practicing with your make up?"

Make up. It was something new that was added to her training. Although, she didn't quite understand why she needed to know how to use it. Her mama had told her that it could transform her into anything she wanted to be. "A little."

"Right. Well, bring some blush, mascara and lip gloss in here as well. You have to be perfect." Her mama said.

Catherine thought she always had to be perfect. She simply nodded her head and excused herself from the table to get ready. The dress felt foreign in her hands. It was pretty even though it was simple. She pulled the stockings on before she slipped the dress over the fabric and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked so...different. So, unlike herself. She had spent too much time looking in the mirror at herself lately. She wasn't a vain person, but she wasn't looking at herself to see if she was beautiful. She was looking for a resemblance.

She wasn't an idiot. Sheltered? Yes. But she was very smart. Her mother had striking red hair while her hair was a light brown in color. Her father's eyes were a deep shade of hazel while her eyes were a deep, honey brown color. The lines of her face didn't match either one of her parents'. Maybe she was just weird. Maybe she looked like some distant relative that they didn't talk about. Deep down, she knew the answer to her questions. She just needed to muster the strength to ask it.

When she finished dressing, she returned back to the kitchen with the make up her mama requested. She sat down at the table while her mama slicked her hair back into a high ponytail and tied it with the ribbon. Her mama worked carefully to apply the makeup to her face. She didn't want to go too heavy to take away from the natural beauty she was, but Vasily requested make up. When she finished, Ana stood back to admire her work.

"You look so beautiful. So grown up." Ana said breathlessly.

"Thank you...mama." Suddenly, it was difficult to call her mother 'mama.'

"Now, go see your papa. He'll explain everything I'm sure." She said. Catherine nodded understandingly.

By age ten, Catherine had become fluent in English, Russian and French. She was working on Spanish. She was starting to become harder to handle. She would question everything. Although, there were certain things she did not question still. Like why she couldn't leave the base. Or why there were no other children. She was too young to fully grasp what her papa was training her to become, but old enough to realize she was...special.