𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒━︎━︎ S. Rogers 【︎ 𝐨.𝐡.】︎

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

She slept soundly and safely in her bedroom, the blanket was pulled up to her chin as she had a soft smile on her face as she quietly dreamt. The stars on her ceiling brought her a sense of comfort and protection. She loved the stars, she loved outer space and everything about it. She had promised her father that when she got older she would go up to Mars and wave at him from up there. He laughed at her and nodded his head, saying that she better do that or she was grounded until she did so.

Liliya loved her life, the five year old was extremely smart for her age. She learned how to crawl, walk, and speak full sentences faster than most babies would. She was undoubtedly intelligent, and that's what her parents loved about her. She had smart comebacks that made them laugh, and they loved their little girl with their hearts desire. And maybe that's why they did what they did.

Irina Petrova stirred in her sleep at the sound of violent knocks on her front door. She frowned and sat up, glancing at her husband before gently shaking him awake. Gabriel Petrova stood up from the bed with his wife not far behind him as the two parents quickly made their way to the door, hoping the person knocking wouldn't wake up their sleeping daughter. Gabriel pulled the door open to find a woman with greying hair standing there.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Gabriel questioned.

"Gabriel and Irina Petrova, correct?" The woman asked. They nodded. "I've come to take your daughter to a safer place. I learned about you losing your job from the internet and how you are soon to become broke, and that isn't a life you want for your daughter. I'm here to offer you a better option." Irina and Gabriel exchanged looks with one another before reluctantly looking back at the woman. She smiled. "I can offer your daughter safety, protection, a roof to live under and fresh clothes and food. A healthy place she could live and not have to question where her next meal will come from once all this luxury she has experienced disappears."

"You can't take her from us." Irina denied, shaking her head. "She won't go with you."

"I understand that." The woman nodded. "But don't you want the best for your daughter? I hear she's extremely intelligent. We want to test her, see how much she knows and much she can quickly learn. It's better for her this way. We wouldn't want to mess up her potential now would we?"

"How can we believe you?" Gabriel asked. "How do I know you're not going to take my daughter from me and treat her poorly?"

"I myself am sixty years old yet don't look over a day over forty--minus the hair of course. I can promise you that your daughter will have the chance at a long and healthy life. A life of. . . new beginnings. Of opportunity to be the best of the best. There are other kids there like her, intelligent, in need of a healthy life. She could be one of them."

Gabriel and Irina looked at one another, having a silent conversation. They knew that their life was going to fall apart if one of them couldn't grasp another job, and they couldn't let their daughter live without a roof over her head and clothes on her back. They wouldn't allow that. They missed the true message of the woman's word, missing the choice of vocabulary as they looked at her and nodded their heads, agreeing.

"Excellent." She smiled. "We need to leave now."

"Now? Can't it wait until morning?" Irina frowned.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Petrova. I do have other kids in need of my assistance." The parents reluctantly nodded their heads before leaving the woman at the front door as they entered their daughter's bedroom. Liliya stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes only when her mother sat on the bed and gently shook her awake. Her father packed her a suitcase, filling it with as much as he could.

"Mama?" Liliya whispered, voice filled with sleep.

Tears were in Irina's eyes as she ran a hand over her child's head. "You have to go, baby. We can't take care of you anymore."

"What are you talking about?" The girl frowned as she sat up in her bed, watching her father pack up her stuff. Tears filled Liliya's eyes. She was scared. "What's going on?"

"There's a woman here, ready to give you a better life. I want you to have the best life possible, especially since you're so incredibly smart."

"So you're giving me up?" Liliya cried. "I won't go."

"Sweetheart, you have to."

"Daddy, tell her she's wrong! I can't go. I have to stay with you."

"This is hard for us just as it is for you." Gabriel sat on the bed with tears in his eyes as well. "We love you so much, lily-pad." Liliya shook her head and both her parents immediately engulfed her into a hug as she cried. She didn't want to go, but she didn't want to disobey her parents. So she got up, walked out of her room with her mother holding her hand.

The grey haired woman kneeled down in front of Liliya and offered her a gentle smile. "Hello, Liliya. I'm Dr. Von. We're going to take really good care of you, alright?" Liliya looked at the woman and reluctantly nodded her head. Dr. Von smiled before standing up and taking the suitcase from Gabriel before reaching for Liliya's hand. The blonde stood there for a moment before reluctantly letting go of her mother's hand and grabbing Dr. Von's.

Her parents told her goodbye before watching her walk out of the door and into the car with Dr. Von. Liliya didn't remove her gaze from the window until she could no longer see her parents. And when Liliya was a ways away, two men appeared in the doorway and killed both of the parents before ridding of any evidence and closing the front door as if nothing ever happened.