The Black Swan ⤜Barnes▻ ✓

⤜Seven▻

"I can feel  

you 

       forgetting      

me,"

2008, Red Room Academy

The Black Swan had returned to the Red Room Academy.

The 22-year-old girl tried her hardest not to scream the first night she returned when she was handcuffed to the bed. The Black Swan was supposed to be feared and crying would make her look weak, she was not. The madame kept an eye on Aurora more than the rest, she heard that HYDRA didn't treat her well and that she happened to find comfort in one of their assets, so she took her back. Aurora was given back her bed amongst the other 27 girls she had successfully completed the programme with. The only person who was missing was Natalia but Aurora had heard that she broke her allegiance to the KGB. 

All the girls in that room had either become orphans, kidnapped or their parents were killed by the KGB. Aurora never knew what happened to her parents and thought about making it her mission to find out. The only person who cared about her was James and now he was all alone in the quarters they once shared. All he wanted was for her to come back. 

But they both knew she wasn't. 

At least not anytime soon. 

☆☆☆

Aurora had been back at the academy a week and was already resuming her intense, emotionless demeanour. The other girls began fearing her, as they should. It didn't take long for Aurora to get some meat back on her body and she looked healthy again. She figured out that one of the reasons she was sent back was because they wanted to revise her training. The instructors began training Aurora's mind and body back to how they wanted. Aurora was asked to seek out the younger girl's fears as part of their training so she did and in doing so, terrorized them all. She felt bad for scaring them but it was a way to desensitize them from everything. They would scare them over and over again until they felt nothing like Aurora. Until nothing scared them. 

It was a cold November when Aurora was wandering the halls of the academy at her own risk. She had slipped away from one of her revision lessons, by blocking herself from everyone so no one could see her moving away. She wasn't going to try and escape she knew that idea would die since she's tried it before, she just couldn't be in that room anymore. One of the hallways she turned down at elegant portraits lined down it. 

Aurora's eyes landed on a specific portrait of a girl who had hazel eyes and brownish red hair. She was standing staring straight back at Aurora and it took her a while to realize it was her. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. The madame's high-heels could be heard walking down the hall and soon stopped at Aurora. 

The madame's lips smiled and she looked at the girl beside her with a motherly look, "Chernyy lebed'" The Black Swan.

Aurora looked at the woman next to her, she was nervous she would be punished for sneaking away. 

The madame laughed softly and looked up at the portrait, "Ona byla luchshim agentom, kotoryy u nas byl. Tvoya sila vsegda menya porazhayet, Avrora," She was, is the best agent we've had. Your powers always amaze me, Aurora.

Aurora raised her eyebrow at the madame, "Eto dolzhno l'stit' mne, madam?" Is that supposed to flatter me, madame?

"Net, eto pravda. Ty snova budesh' velikolepen," No, it's the truth. You will be great again.