RED ASSASSINS ▹ NATASHA ROMANOFF [EDITING]

[16]

A sharp, stinging sensation filled my entire frame. It seemed to travel through my body like a bullet. It was coming from my lower abdomen. I clutched it, the pain throbbing through my veins.

I lifted my shirt to reveal a huge line of red, puckered up skin. It stretched across my waist. I spied the other girls doing the same too, their faces etched with pain and horror. From that day onwards, I could never have kids. From young, I had always dreamt of having them. My friends had even given names for them- Natalia, Nathan and Nathaniel. Now, my whole life had been sort of ruined.

It soon dawned on me that they did this for my own good. It was efficient, one less thing to worry about, even though it made me into a 'monster'.

That morning, collective sighs of relief could be heard as it resonated throughout the room. The Graduation Ceremony had gone past. Madame B had called us 'professional assassins' and 'leaders of war'. I did not quite understand though, but I knew that it was something that made me feel honored and respected.

During breakfast, we were served buttered cake and orange juice, even though Ivan promised us we would only get them on the last day of the term. The following day was the last day of the term anyways so it was double utter bliss. As I sipped the orange juice, I felt the cool sensation trickle down my throat. It sent a cool vibe throughout my entire being.

The rest of the day, Ivan, Madam Shostakova and Mr Vasily had let us off by our own so we got to play at the playground. It was no doubt the happiest day of my life. We could play together, eat all we wanted and watch movies, just like what Madame B had promised. We could celebrate after the Graduation Ceremony.

This time, we watched Cinderella, but without the subliminal images and words. These activities might just possibly be what a regular 8-year old would do every single day, but for us Red Room Russian girls, it only happened once-in-a-lifetime.

After having a hearty lunch, Ivan gathered all of us in the main hall. He had interrupted my game of chess with Peggy with his impromptu announcement. We stood up and trudged towards the hall, hand in hand. Ivan mentioned that we were going to fight, to fight for our country. He mumbled words like 'war', 'female soldiers' and 'America' to Mrs Shostakova when I eavesdropped on their private conversation. Were we going to war? Were we becoming female soldiers? I didn't quite know at that time.

I then realised that we were going to be transferred out of the Red Room. To somewhere else, Ivan said. For some reason, I didn't quite want to leave this place. It was like a home to me, and everything there had a sense of belonging to me. The birds that flew into my room window and perched there, singing cute tunes, were my regular guests, and I could bear leaving them. Even though Mr Ivan, Mrs Shostakova, Mr Vasily and Mrs Kapitolina were fierce and too harsh on us, I still didn't want to leave them. They were like our foster parents.

I ran up to Ivan, and tugged his coat. "Mr Ivan, will we be leaving this place?" I quipped, hoping that he would give me a favorable reply. For a moment, he stood there, stunned. How did she know we were moving? He thought to himself.

"Little Natalia, we are moving out. This Red Room shall train other batches of girls. You will be the next generation of female spies and assassins." I was stunned. So we were indeed moving to another place. "But what about Mrs Shostakova? Mr Vasily? Will they come along too?" I asked him inquisitively. He shook his head and said no. It was depressing to know that he would be the only one following us. And so far, I was the only one that knew about this, except for Peggy since I had already told her.

I was unsure about what we were going to face with, what challenges and obstacles laid ahead of us. All I could think of now was to appreciate my current situation and live life as per normal.