𝙎𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 ✮ 𝘯. 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧

{𝟎𝟏} - 𝐀 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐝

Red Room Academy

Russia

February 2001

"NATALIA."

"Natalia, wake up." she hissed. She leaned farther off the side of the bed, causing her hair to spill over onto the dirty floor.

"Semna? What's wrong?"

Without a word, Semna grinned and held her hands out in front of her for Natalia to examine. Natalia's head flicked up quickly when she realized what the girl had achieved, eyes darting from her hands to the bed post beside her, a pair of handcuffs loosely dangling off the side of it. She knew Semna was more rebellious than some of the other girls in the building, but she had now taken those tendencies way further than expected.

"No," she sternly whispered, furrowing her eyebrows when she realized what Semna was suggesting. "If we get caught, it's over. You know that."

"Of course I know that." She got up and crossed to Natalia's identical bed despite the protest, picking a rusted wire up off the floor and unlocking the cuffs quickly. The nearly thirty girls that were in the room with them appeared to be sound asleep despite the two girls passing by each of their beds, Natalia pulled by Semna every step of the way, watching anxiously as she unlocked the quarter door with the same wire and peeking out. She went to protest again and was stopped abruptly by a finger to her lips, then an even harsher tug as Semna dragged her down the torchlit hallway.

It wasn't until they entered the staircase that she finally let go of her wrist and turned around with a hopeful smile, one Natalia didn't see on anyone in the Red Room very often, much less Semna, who seemed to take most of the punishments from guards and teachers. She had a reason to hate a morning like this one, she had a reason to be scared to wake up everyday, and here she was smiling.

"I want to show you something," she whispered. She pushed herself up onto the ledge beside them where a tiny skylight was, Natalia hesitantly climbing up behind her. The skylight was the only source of light in the stairwell, so she had trouble at first, but eventually came to sit beside Semna, who was looking at the moon with what could only be described as pure love, an expression that did not change when she turned to Natalia. "It's a full moon tonight...I thought we would be able to see out onto the grounds a bit, maybe spot a road or town in the distance. No luck, as usual. Isn't it beautiful though?"

"Yes, moya lyubov'," she answered, wrapping her arms around Semna and resting her head on her shoulder. Semna instantly relaxed at the touch and returned the affection, momentarily melting away any concerns Natalia had when she had originally been brought out of the sleeping quarters. She could only hope nobody had woken up and discovered their empty beds in the minutes they'd been gone, and that if they had, they didn't report it to Madame B. She feared the punishment for herself if they were caught, but ultimately only worried about the treatment her girlfriend would receive the next day in addition to the extra beatings and training that were already being forced on her. With the number of girls in the program dwindling each day, they each constantly lived with the fear of losing the other and having to move on without them.

But at the same time, this was an escape for Semna, a chance for her to relax and think about nothing but the moon and stars above them. That was the one thing Natalia had always noticed about her; she loved the night sky and seemed attached to it in a way, so much so that Natalia suspected this wasn't the first time she had snuck out during sleeping hours. The moon made her feel connected to all the people who were watching it at the exact same time, even though she would never know who those people were, or about the lives they lived. In a place with no contact to the outside world, the moon was her invisible telephone, and the stars were symbols of hope for the future that they both dreamed for.

"I wish I could reach that glass," Semna muttered, lifting her head. "We could get out that way."

"Don't get any ideas, please. Just being here makes me nervous."

Semna exhaled, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head. "You worry too much." She gently lifted her chin, Natalia's wide eyes darting up and instantly relaxing at the sight of her bright, calming ones. "But we can go back to bed if you are worried. I just needed a moment alone before the day begins."

It was hard for Natalia not to break the gaze with her at the mention of the coming hours; by this time the next day, the group of thirty girls would be cut in half, and she shuddered at the thought of Semna being one of the less fortunate. She didn't think she could ever bear having to live without her love, didn't think she could bear no longer having her in this world to hold on to. None of the girls in there deserved to be killed by their classmates, but if she could choose even one to save, nobody except Semna came to mind.

"They'll be waking us up in a few hours. We should get all the sleep we can." Her voice was small and solemn, threatening to break at any moment. Semna nodded and caught Natalia by surprise with a crushing hug around her torso, one that she returned just as tightly. There they sat for several minutes, faces buried in each other's shirts, memorizing each other's scents as the moon continued to cast a subtle light over the windowsill. Natalia tensed when she felt a drop of water run down her neck from where the other girl's face was nuzzled, because only then did it hit her—

Semna was saying goodbye.

She truly didn't believe they would both be here this time tomorrow, and she was putting her life on the line just to have a few minutes alone with her Natalia. Madame B didn't expect her to make it into the final fifteen and everyone knew it, including Semna. She had successfully conditioned her to believe anything she said when it came to her place in the program. This was a method that the woman used on all girls, but had taken it several steps further with Semna, who knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill her or send her away at the slightest mistake, and who had only ever addressed her by a number, essentially taunting the girl with the knowledge that she would never know her real name. Before she became close with Natalia, she had begun to welcome the abuse after a few years and unlike most of the others, wished for the beatings to make this life end for her once and for all.

It was this love, however, that made her want to live to see her twenties. It was this love that made Natalia the only one in the building who believed in Semna's abilities and drive to fight. And even as the two girls shared a soft kiss and made their way back out of the stairwell, it wasn't a goodbye at all to Natalia. In fact, it was just the opposite.

Because even though it felt like a goodbye hug, it also felt like the universe had more in store for them both, and this was just the beginning of their journey to a new life.

A/n: This chapter is a bit shorter than they will normally be, since this is more of a prologue. It's not much of a difference but I don't want this book to be a million chapters long LOL! Let me know what you think! I'm excited to write more of Semna.

-sk.